《Hard Carry Support》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 ¨C The Wrong Job (1) Clang! The moment the blade slashed empty space, the world got split. The ground shook, and part of the dimension was cut off. This happened after SeoHyun¡¯s ultimate attack, ?Space Divider?, was activated. Tens of thousands of monsters were oxidized at once into darkness. The sword that had just slashed many demons began emanating white light. Asra Online. SeoHyun, who had kept the number one position in the rankings for many years, was about to clear a quest. ¡®I can beat it.¡¯ In the past, 40 rankers had tried to beat this quest, but they had gotten defeated as soon as the battle started, so they were forced to walk away from it. But SeoHyun was about to beat that quest alone. He had been planning this assault for three months, so he felt very confident. ¡®I just have to make no mistakes.¡¯ Whish- SeoHyun jumped at the enemy¡¯s forces. He impaled the air and activated the chained skill of his ultimate attack. ?Dimension Breakthrough?. The light emanating from the sword cleared all the visible opponents. All kinds of monsters were wiped out in a single attack¡ªfrom trash mobs to elite monsters; even named bosses disappeared while screaming. The laser-like attack pierced all the hills and reached up to space. ¡®Yes!¡¯ SeoHyun celebrated the success. His ultimate attack had successfully pierced the great demon Keidrial¡¯s heart. ¡®I¡¯ve almost cleared everything up.¡¯ What was left was defeating monsters that were still standing, but most of them were on the verge of death. SeoHyun slowly killed the enemies that were left, one by one. A couple of hours later, he had finally defeated the quest¡¯s final boss. [You¡¯ve successfully cleared the quest ¡®Demon World Annihilation¡¯!] [You¡¯ve single-handedly ended a multi-dimensional war that has been going on since 1836! Everyone in the heavens will praise your accomplishment!] ¡°Oof¡­¡± After hearing the mission cleared message, SeoHyun smiled bitterly. He had just accomplished something that most people couldn¡¯t even fathom. Despite this, he didn¡¯t seem happy. The reason was simple. By coincidence, he saw the current server¡¯s status in the lower part of the screen. ¡®Another person has quit.¡¯ He was the number one player of Asra Online! He was the emperor who had managed to conquer all 21 castles. ¡ªAll users and members of different races looked up to him. With one step, he managed to clear a castle, and with another, received the cheering of tens of thousands. SeoHyun, an average first-year university student, was the king of the world of Asra Online. But the king¡¯s world was somewhat shabby. Asra Online only had 300 users online at one time. Video games resembled the water¡¯s flow. Just like a stream of water flows in and then spreads in the ocean, most games have new players coming in. Then, some users get tired and stop logging in¡ªthis is how the pluses and minuses were balanced. Once new players disappear, the water that doesn¡¯t flow stagnates. Since no new users are coming in, the entry barrier becomes higher. Then, users are left with two choices: either leave or resist. The moment new users stop showing up, the game basically becomes their private league. The ecosystem stagnates and starts to rot. The Asra continent was rapidly decaying, and SeoHyun was the emperor of that dying continent. ¡®Why is nobody playing such a fun game¡­?¡¯ ¡®I just can¡¯t understand.¡¯ A planetary-level scale and vast world-building¡­ A Well-written story and countless easter eggs¡­ It was as if they¡¯d used the most advanced artificial intelligence to create each NPC¡ªthey were all very humanlike and had characteristics that made them unique. There¡¯s no reason not to play this game. ¡®Is it because it wasn¡¯t originally made for virtual reality?¡¯ From what they said, Asra Online was first developed as a PC game, but because of popular demand, developers quickly ported it to 3D Virtual Reality. The problem was that many similar games released around the same time were made for virtual reality from the beginning. For Asra Online, it was hard to survive in this era where capsules and virtual reality games had become widespread. The bad user interface and poor graphics were Asra Online¡¯s fatal weaknesses. ¡®If only Asra Online had been developed as a VR game from the beginning¡­!¡¯ He felt angry. If only it had been able to gain some popularity from the beginning, there would be at least ten thousand players online. He thought about deleting his account many times, but in the end, SeoHyun couldn¡¯t give up on Asra Online. For eight years, he had focused on one game. SeoHyun couldn¡¯t move on from Asra Online. But one day¡­ A new opportunity was presented in front of SeoHyun, the king of a dying game. ¡®What is this¡­?¡¯ Just like any other day, SeoHyun had accessed the online community boards of Asra Online. An advertisement with an eye-catching font caught his attention. ¡®Asrian¡­?¡¯ His hands were shaking. After he clicked on the advertisement, a page opened. ¡°What?¡± SeoHyun¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t believe what they were seeing. There, he could see Gluna, Asra¡¯s moon. The purple light it emanated was illuminating the background of the page. In the sky behind the floating castle, you could see an ancient dragon fighting a Divine Mage, one of the top jobs for a magician. He was attacking the dragon with a pillar of fire. Sparks were flying everywhere. Underneath that, a number so big that it was hard to read was going up continuously. Amount of Pre-Orders: 78,739,952. ¡®Sensory Synchronization? Are they referring to that same technology that was recently covered on the news?¡¯ Even if it was called Virtual Reality, it only covered two of the five senses: sight and hearing. Compared to reality, it was lackluster. If you wanted to move, you had to use the controllers and not your muscles. But a few months ago, there was news in which they had said that a realistic virtual reality that satisfies all five senses had been developed. Gamers were excited. ¡®No way¡­¡¯ After calming down his rapidly beating heart, he searched for Asrian on YouTube. ¡°This is crazy.¡± The teaser video of Asrian Online had been viewed 108,374,234 times. He hadn¡¯t started watching the video, but he already felt intimidated. SeoHyun became immersed in the video. The 20-minute video was so great that SeoHyun became dumbfounded. He couldn¡¯t believe what his eyes were seeing¡ªNPCs he knew very well were moving three-dimensionally. ¡®Is this really footage from a video game?¡¯ It was more realistic than the CG of a movie. One wouldn¡¯t guess that they took the scene from a video game. Asra Online had been reborn as a real virtual reality game. But it wasn¡¯t your average crappy virtual reality. Unlike others, it used cutting-edge technology! SeoHyun became so overwhelmed by feelings that he almost cried. The 20-minute video finished playing. That short video was good enough to know that everything¡ªincluding the story, world-building, system, and gameplay¡ªwas perfect. ¡®Did NFM have enough money to build such a great quality game?¡¯ NFM. It was a medium-sized company; its only source of income was the 300 active players of Asra Online. SeoHyun had doubts about how they could¡¯ve built a game like this. But he quickly stopped thinking about it. ¡®That¡¯s not for me to worry about.¡¯ Amount of Pre-Orders: 79,634,754 In just a few minutes, pre-orders had gone up by a million. From what he could see, the pre-orders must have started that day since the number was going up very fast. SeoHyun smiled. While reading what was written under the number, he kept opening and closing his hands. One week from then, Asra Online would be reborn as Asrian Online. Nobody would be able to make fun and call it a dying game from that moment on. ¡®I¡¯m going to show you the skills of the number one player.¡¯ That night, he couldn¡¯t sleep because of the excitement. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * SeoHyun wasn¡¯t planning to play Asrian Online half-heartedly. ¡®There¡¯s going to be at least tens of millions of players¡­! There will probably be many professional gamers among the users. By playing casually, I won¡¯t be able to get far.¡¯ The following days were some of the most intense in SeoHyun¡¯s life. At first, he tried to get more information on the official page, but he soon became disappointed. ¡®There¡¯s only basic stuff here. There¡¯s no useful information.¡¯ It was as if they were planning a surprise on the opening day¡ªthey were hiding all information very well. There was no information about jobs, skills, or items; the explanation about the world was also very poor. The only information available was about changing the user interface or settings. ¡®I won¡¯t be able to get any useful data here.¡¯ SeoHyun changed his focus to the community boards. Korea¡¯s biggest online community was already very active. Most posts were useless posts, but once he entered the popular section, threads with helpful information started to appear. SeoHyun clicked on the video that was on the top of the page. The user ¡®Stuck in a Dying Game¡¯ started the thread by presenting himself first. ¨C I¡¯m known in video games as Steel Rock. I¡¯m an active player of Asra Online, which is the previous game made by NFM, the people who made Asrian Online. SeoHyun tried to remember him. ¡®Steel Rock? Is he maybe that guy?¡¯ He was one of Asra Online¡¯s rankers but not a high-ranking one. That was because all Asra Online players were rankers. The fact that he remembered the user ID of most rankers was a grim reminder of how few people played that game. All users on the server knew each other¡ªthey were either friends from the same guild or enemies from opposing ones. It definitely sounded more like a social/chatting game than anything. ¡®There really isn¡¯t a game in a worse state than that one.¡¯ SeoHyun left the bittersweetness behind and kept reading. ¨C I guess everyone has seen the video of the magician fighting the dragon, right? The floating castle that you can see in the background is called Lacrenzel. The ancient dragon Kerber makes an appearance as a named enemy. As you can see, he¡¯s using ?Triple Fire Brass?. But¡­ This skill is the same as the one he uses in Asra Online! Steel Rock had attached two screenshots, which added credibility to what he said. He also commented on similarities between the NPCs and skill effects. ¨C By now, you should¡¯ve noticed. It seems that Asra and Asrian Online share more than the world. They probably also share things like skills of the different classes and quests, among other things. SeoHyun nodded in agreement. He had thought the same things as Steel Rock while watching the video. From what he¡¯d seen, there were many similarities, but there were some differences¡ªmainly new places and skills. Even if there were differences, right now, when there was no information about Asrian Online, the possible similarities were very important. ¡®There are five days left.¡¯ SeoHyun was about to enter Asra Online to gather more information. What he saw on the login page surprised him ¡®What¡¯s happening?¡¯ The number of people inside Asra Online was the highest he had ever seen. It felt like he was back on launch day. After seeing ten times more players than normal, he became tempted. ¡®What would happen if I, the number one player of Asra Online, started streaming right now?¡¯ But after thinking about it for a while, he decided not to do it. ¡®I could probably acquire some wealth and fame because the number of people interested in the game has increased.¡¯ The downside was that if he started streaming, he would end up revealing a lot of information. All the information he had acquired through the years was too valuable to give away for some clout. From hidden items to the best skill sets, he also knew about the location of NPCs that gave you hidden quests. It was information that only he, the number one player, knew. It was all thanks to the fact that he could freely move in normally hidden places. He couldn¡¯t just give away that type of information. For the people that were just starting, that information would probably be as valuable as gold. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t broadcast.¡¯ After SeoHyun reached that conclusion, he decided to log in. His character was standing in the middle of space. He warped five times and landed in a secret place. After extending his arm to the void, the space started to change, and the gravity barrier crumbled. A dimensional door opened. From inside it, you could see a blue light coming out. The Library of Knowledge. This was a place where you could find all the information and knowledge about Asra Online. SeoHyun, who was familiar with this place, entered the other dimension. Armed angels guarded the entrance gate; they bowed their heads. Even the emperor of Acresia couldn¡¯t stop him from going there. Among all the players of Asra Online, only SeoHyun had access to this place. ¡®There¡¯s no need to be grandiose.¡¯ SeoHyun couldn¡¯t find any new useful information. He just remembered the past eight years. Thankfully, he had access to everything in the Library. SeoHyun read about Asra¡¯s history; he also checked out the theory behind magics, skills, and how to combine them. He also tried to remember all the magical beasts spread across the world. SeoHyun tried to remember as much about Asra as he could. At the same time, he looked back at the eight years he had spent playing the game. After all, this was his farewell. While doing that, five days flew by. ____ Chapter 2 - The Wrong Job (2) Chapter 2 ¨C The Wrong Job (2) It was the long-awaited opening day of Asrian Online. People from all sorts of gaming communities were excited. Thanks to people searching for strategies and users that streamed their gameplays, the communities remained very active. ¨C Wow¡­ Servers aren¡¯t lagging at all. ¨C You¡¯re right. Usually, when you begin playing, it lags so much that the server enters maintenance. ¨C Is this the power of innovation? This is the first game with Sensory Synchronization, right? ¨C I¡¯ve managed to get the ID ¡®Legend.¡¯ I¡¯m selling it for USD 1000. ¨C This game allows duplicate IDs, lol. ¨C Really? I was happy after obtaining the ID ¡®Love¡¯ ??. ¨C The amount of users is in the tens of millions. If it didn¡¯t allow duplicate IDs, you wouldn¡¯t be able to create a decent one. SeoHyun felt restless while watching the virtual reality capsule in the corner of his room. Even though Asrian Online had launched, he hadn¡¯t started playing it¡ªhe had a very good reason for that. Before starting, there was something he wanted to know. That something was job selection. In Asra Online, you had to select your job at level 1. You could upgrade your character¡¯s job, but you couldn¡¯t change it. Not only that but resetting the settings wasn¡¯t even an option. There was an option to add another character slot via DLC, but the price for that was 100 USD¡ªit was three times higher than what it cost in Asra Online. They were charging that because they could, but it was a lot of money for SeoHyun, who was struggling with that month¡¯s living expenses. Since he didn¡¯t have any friends, his parents were the only ones he could ask for money. ¨C Wow. As soon as you start, an NPC comes out and picks your job, lol. ¨C Yeah, I was also surprised by that. SeoHyun¡¯s eyes shone with interest. After scrolling down a little bit more, he finally found the information he was looking for. ¨C It seems like you can choose between four jobs. The Angel NPC guides you through the process. But to give a brief explanation: if you choose a sword, you become a warrior, if you pick up a magic wand, you become a magician, and so on. ¨C I ignored the NPC and just grabbed a random thing. I ended up becoming a priest, lol. ¨C In my case, I became a thief. ¨C To become a thief, you have to pick the short sword, right? ¨C Yes. Asrian Online had been open for about 10 minutes, but the online communities were in chaos because of the job selection. SeoHyun felt relieved. ¡°Just as I thought, waiting was the correct answer.¡± He was afraid that the new game might have a different way of doing certain things. After reading that your class got chosen the moment you picked up a weapon, he felt relieved by deciding to wait and not to log in. ¡°Good. I¡¯ve learned how to pick jobs¡­¡± It was time to be at the forefront by exploring and completing quests. He read a couple more posts and then walked towards the capsule and laid down. [Do you want to log in to Asrian Online?] ¡°Yes.¡± [Loading.] Whish- Soon, he couldn¡¯t see anything but darkness. SeoHyun felt like he was floating in the air. At first, he felt uneasy. But after hearing the calm system message, he could continue with the set-up. [Please enter the username you¡¯re going to use in Asrian Online] ¡°Hyun.¡± [Setting Complete!] When SeoHyun opened his eyes, rather than the capsule¡¯s walls, he saw what looked like a castle soaked in darkness. A silent blackness covered the entire palace. ¡°Has it started?¡± Hyun tried to move. Walking alone in a dark castle late at night made him feel like an assassin. Hyun was looking around when a bright light made him frown. ¡®Ugh!¡¯ The traces of light gathered and formed a set of wings. What appeared next was a humanoid life form¡ªit was an angel who was glowing. ¡°Welcome, being from another dimension.¡± He could hear a soprano voice directly in his mind. It was his first time hearing another person¡¯s voice in his mind; it reminded him of one of those martial arts novels. But that wasn¡¯t what surprised him the most. SeoHyun already knew that an angel appeared in front of you as soon as you started the game, but he never thought that it would be a female angel. ¡®What a moment, is she¡­?¡¯ He had already met this angel in Asra Online. Yes, it was definitely her. Subconsciously, he called her by her real name. ¡°Keidrial¡­?¡± The names of most angels ended with -el, but the names of demons ended with -al. Her angelic form¡¯s name was Keiruel¡­ But her real name was that of a demon. The fact that she was a demon was revealed in the latter half of the story. ¡°From now on, you¡¯ll be able to experience more than¡­¡± After Hyeon said her real name, her voice that was as kind as a mother¡¯s faded out. The glow that symbolized an angel went out like a candle. Crash-! Her beautiful wings broke into polygon-shaped pieces. The statue of the angel that was blocking the way collapsed and disappeared. The voice of the angel sounded like an artificially modified and distorted one. ¡°So, you know my name? How did you know~?¡± Keidrial spread out a pair of black wings. SeoHyun could hear her creepy but playful voice. His body was getting excited on its own. He knew why. Keidrial could make one hallucinate. She had this special ability because she was a named creature. The Sensory Synchronization functionality could manipulate human emotions, but it was at a non-harmful level for humans. That was also the reason why he felt pressured. Even though his heart was beating fast, he tried to calm down and order his thoughts. ¡®In the communities, everyone said that an ¡®Angel¡¯ had appeared before them.¡¯ She had horns and black wings. If anyone could call her angel after seeing these, they should definitely get their sight checked out. That meant one thing: people didn¡¯t know about Keidrial¡¯s real identity. Nobody had revealed her true self. Even in Asra Online, she was the last named NPC to appear. So he was probably the only one that knew about this. ¡°I got caught? Oh well, there¡¯s nothing I can do about it now. You should be grateful that you were able to see this form.¡± Keidrial laughed in such a way that it was hard to tell if she was having fun or feeling annoyed while looking at Hyun. ¡°Now, please pick your job and get out of here, human.¡± She pointed to four items that were on top of a desk. There was a sword, a dagger, a wand, and a cross. They were items that allowed you to become a warrior, a thief, a magician, or a priest. Hyun looked at Keidrial with suspicion. ¡®Is this really all?¡¯ An event that suddenly happened¡­ In Asra Online, when a secret event happened, usually something special appeared. There was always a special reward or another linked event behind things that were hidden. ¡®There¡¯s probably something more here.¡¯ SeoHyun stopped and started looking around. ¡®What¡¯s that?¡¯ Behind the demon, he could see something of great quality. It was a red carpet. ¡­But the length of it was unnaturally short. ¡®Shouldn¡¯t the carpet of a palace like this be longer?¡¯ On top of it, he saw something that was a little bit too small and asymmetrical to call a cushion. It was as if a piece of it was cut out. ¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯ That place had appeared where the statue of an angel was standing. That meant that it wasn¡¯t visible while Keidrial was hiding her identity. When she turned into a demon, the statue of the angel disappeared, and that space that was hidden became visible. ¡®Should I take a closer look at it?¡¯ Hyun slowly walked towards where the red carpet had appeared in order to take a closer look. Keidrial, who saw what he was about to do, started to panic and shouted at him. ¡°Wait¡­!¡± ¡®Huh?¡¯ ¡°What are you doing? Why aren¡¯t you choosing your job?¡± He looked back at Keidrial, who was trying to rush him into making a decision. ¡®Is she feeling uneasy?¡¯ It wasn¡¯t normal to see her like this. ¡®Maybe¡­?¡¯ Hyun smiled maliciously. ¡°There¡¯s something I wanted to take a closer look at.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing over there.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see about that.¡± Hyun got closer and stepped on the carpet. At that moment¡ª [You¡¯ve found a hidden place!] [The number of jobs from which you can pick has increased!] In the empty place, torches appeared, and a new space showed itself. He could see a throne at the end of the red carpet that had looked unnaturally short before. The red carpet had looked short because there was a hidden place at its end. ¡°¡­¡± Keidrial remained silent. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * Was it because he had discovered the hidden place? She was glaring at him with scary eyes. Even those eyes couldn¡¯t keep him from being excited. ¡°This is awesome!¡± While walking on the red carpet and looking around, Hyun couldn¡¯t hide his smile. The number of jobs from which you could pick was more than four! These were probably upgraded or hidden jobs! He could see more than a dozen of item, and they were all probably job-related items. ¡®Hmm?¡¯ After getting to the end of the red carpet, SeoHyun started to wonder about another thing. The demon that had deceived him, Keidrial, had rapidly placed herself behind the throne. Normally, he wouldn¡¯t have thought much about it. But at that moment, he couldn¡¯t help but think that Keidrial was there because she wanted to hide something. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you choosing your job? After all, there are a lot of hidden ones around here. You should be satisfied with anything you pick up.¡± ¡°Wait¡­¡± Hyun looked at Keidrial with suspicion. ¡°Can you please move away?¡± ¡°Wh¡­ Why do I need to do that?¡± He laughed at Keidrial¡¯s reaction. He found it somewhat cute that an evil demon couldn¡¯t control her emotions. ¡°Then just stay there.¡± He stepped inside the place that Keidrial was guarding. But surprisingly, they didn¡¯t bump. There, in that job picking place, the user¡¯s will was the most important thing. That¡¯s why she couldn¡¯t do anything to stop him, including physically. Hyun walked through Keidrial and found a sword stuck in a marble. ¡°Ah¡­!¡± Hyun was awed by the sword. He could tell at a glance that the sword was at another level! The sword was emitting a dark red light. ¡°What kind of job does this give?¡± It was hard to tell, even for someone with eight years of experience. In Asra Online, he had a job called Dimension Crasher. That job, which was the last upgrade, allowed him to destroy anything. Maybe this job could have the same¡­ No, at least similar destructive power to the one he used to have. There was no doubt remaining in his mind. Hyun extended his hand and grabbed the sword. Black energy emanated from the sword and covered Hyun. He should have thought about it more carefully. Keidrial was a demon. According to the lore of Asra, she was a demon that gained pleasure by deceiving humans and devouring their desperation. [Congratulations! You¡¯ve picked the hidden job ¡®Support¡¯!] ¡°Huh¡­?¡± It was as if the system was laughing at the dumbfounded Hyun. [You¡¯ve finished your first job selection!] [You can get more character slots in the cash shop for 100 USD!] Keidrial started to laugh at him. ¡°Hahahahaha~!¡± ¡®Support?¡¯ ¡®What? Is this a hidden camera prank?¡¯ After coming back to his senses, the first thing he saw was Keidrial, who was dying of laughter. ¡°Hahaha, that job may unexpectedly be good, so do your best!¡± Zap- Keidrial, who was laughing at him until the very last moment, disappeared. After being left alone, Hyun could feel his body being forcefully transported to another place. He couldn¡¯t help but shout out in sorrow. ¡°Fuuuuccckkkkk~!¡± ____ Chapter 3 - Supports Breakthrough (1) Chapter 3 ¨C Support¡¯s Breakthrough (1) After being backstabbed by Keidrial, SeoHyun logged out. ¡®100 USD¡­ It¡¯s a lot of money, but I think that I can afford it.¡¯ He decided to eat ramen for the rest of the week and bought another character slot. ¡®This time, I¡¯ll definitely pick a cheat class!¡¯ He broke out into cold sweat when he entered the character picking room. ¡®Huh¡­? Where is Keidrial¡­?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t see anyone in the place where either an angel or a demon should be standing. The hidden place was also nowhere to be seen. Warrior, Thief, Magician, Priest¡­ He could only see the items necessary to pick one out of the four jobs. ¡®No way¡­ Each account gets only one chance?!¡¯ It didn¡¯t take him long to realize that his suspicion was true. Boom! SeoHyun, who was having a mental breakdown, came out of the capsule and grabbed his hair. A Support?! Even if his job changed in the future, it would probably still be some kind of supporting role. For example: Expert Support, Legendary Support, Support of Darkness, Moonlight Support, etc. ¡®But why?¡¯ He had definitely chosen a red greatsword. It was the type of weapon that seemed capable of beating everything and everyone¡ªa job fit for a damage dealer. But Support? How could such a weapon symbolize the job of a Support? ¡°Oof¡­¡± SeoHyun took a bottle of cold water from the fridge and drank it. He calmed down and placed himself in the capsule again. He was tempted to start the game with a normal job for a moment, but after thinking about it, he decided to give it a chance. After all, making a decision before taking a better look at the job would be silly. ¡®Even if it¡¯s a support, it¡¯s still a hidden job. Right?¡¯ He tried to be positive about his current situation. ¡®Is it possible that the Support¡¯s ability is better than it seems? In the first place, its item is an amazing greatsword.¡¯ SeoHyun rapidly logged in again. [You¡¯ve logged in to Asra Online!] As soon as he successfully logged in, Hyun opened his status window. Hyun (Lv. 1) HP: 50/50 Mana: 100/100 [Strength: 2] [Agility: 2] [Vitality: 5] [Magical Power: 10] [Empathy: 27] Skills ¨C <+Open List> ¡°¡­Hm.¡± Hyun fell into silence for a little while. Even though he was still in the first line of the status window, his job had many issues. ¡®Okay, I¡¯m going to decide after reading the skills.¡¯ [ ?The Heavenly God¡¯s Protection Lv.0? ] ¨C You can increase the defense of a selected target by 50+(Empathy/10). ¨C It lasts for one second. [ ?Shield Lv.0? ] ¨C Cover a selected target with a protective shield. ¨C Opponents that attack the shield lose their conscience for 3 seconds+ (Empathy/500) seconds. ¨C If the target gets hit, the cooldown time gets reduced by 5 seconds. Hyun closed the status window. What came out of his mouth were insults. ¡°What the fuck is this?!¡± There was a reason for his anger. First of all, the job had amazing stats¡­ Amazing in a bad sense. ¡°What is empathy?¡± He had played Asra Online for almost eight years, but it was his first time seeing a nonsensical stat like that. Not only that, but the rest of the stats were also very low. ¡°Only 2 in strength and agility? Are these stats even possible?¡± In Asra Online, most jobs had a base stat of at least 15 points, though there were some exceptions. For example, the Warrior had a Magical Power of 2, and the Magician began the game with 5 in health. Basically, the Support had the worst stats out of all current jobs available in the game. Most stats were probably low because of the Support¡¯s exclusive ¡¯empathy¡¯ stat. He wouldn¡¯t complain if that stat were actually useful, but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case. First of all, ?The Heavenly God¡¯s Protection?. It increased defense by 50 points for one second. 50 points of defense were actually very high. It was comparable to the defense that a level 150 knight had. Up until level 80 or 90, there wouldn¡¯t be any monster capable of dealing damage. So, in the beginning, it would make anyone practically immortal. The problem was the duration. ¡°Hmm¡­ A duration of one second, huh?¡± Hyun changed the name ?The Heavenly God¡¯s Protection? to ?One Second Immortality?. ¡°Well, at least I¡¯ll be able to use it to defend myself from one hit.¡± Hyun gave the skill ?One Second Immortality? an almost perfect score. Next skill, ?Shield?. It was a counter-attacking skill. The 3-second stun seemed useful, but if you looked at what it did carefully, it wasn¡¯t hard to see that it was a trash skill. The duration was the same as the other one, one second. But the issue was that the cooldown time was 10 minutes. The shield was only activated when an opponent hit you; that meant even if you used ?Shield?, you needed to be attacked by an opponent almost immediately. If not, you had to wait 10 minutes. A cold sweat rolled down from his ears. He just couldn¡¯t think of a good way to use the Support class. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t they give me at least one offensive skill? Or a healing one. Does this mean that a Support isn¡¯t even a healer?¡± If he had received the Healer job, he would have been able to join a party and have an easy time. For example, the Support seemed to be more fit for a simple job, like picking up items. ¡°Should I just make a new character? No, I should at least try to obtain the ultimate attack.¡± Hyun decided to calm down and give it another chance. At level 50, all jobs learned an ultimate attack. Since it was a hidden class, its ultimate attack could be special. No! It had to be special! After Hyun set a goal, he became more motivated. He took out the ¡®Newbie¡¯s Dagger¡¯ from his inventory. And after that, he walked outside of the Starter Town. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * The ¡®Transparent Slime¡¯ used Body Slam! Hyun didn¡¯t avoid its attack. Not because he couldn¡¯t but because he didn¡¯t need to. ?One Second Immortality?! Boing ¨C The Transparent Slime bounced away after hitting Hyun. Neither the slime nor Hyun were hurt. Hyun counter-attacked. The Newbie¡¯s Dagger slashed through the slime¡¯s body. [You¡¯ve successfully dealt 3 damage!] The slime seemed to be hurt but nothing fatal. After all, slimes had a vitality of 100 points and a regenerative ability. Once Hyun¡¯s attack had finished, the Transparent Slime attacked him again. When it was about to hit him, he activated another skill. ?Shield?! The slime hit the protective shield and made a loud noise. You could see stars going around in circles on top of its head. The protective shield that lasted for one second had the ability to knock out any opponent that tried to attack him. The issue was that it didn¡¯t stop the opponents from damaging him. [You¡¯ve received 10 damage!] He sacrificed some vitality to knock out the opponent for three seconds. During that short period of time, he managed to land two attacks on the slime. [You¡¯ve dealt 3 damage!] [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 5 damage!] Once the time was up, the slime woke up and prepared to attack again. Hyun used ?One Second Immortality? again. Boing ¨C The slime bounced away once more. The same things happened for around five minutes. And then, finally¡­ Squeak! ¨C After making a sound similar to a mouse, the slime was defeated. Hyun enjoyed the victory after a battle that lasted for 10 minutes. Hyun looked at the rewards he had gained. [You¡¯ve obtained 5 experience points] Next to Hyun, another player that had just come out from Starter Town was fighting a slime. He watched the new player. Hyun thought that the other user must be a Warrior. After all, he used a level 1 skill called ?Strike?, which was exclusive to the warrior job. The moment he used ?Strike? again on the slime with a Newbie¡¯s Dagger. Boom-! His attack made a clear and loud sound. It was a critical hit. Just two attacks¡­ The slime exploded. Dumbfounded, Hyun saw the Warrior run away in search of the next monster. ¡°Screw this game.¡± Hyun was able to kill 10 slimes in two hours. During that time, he was able to obtain three slime essence and 50 experience points. The Warrior, however, had killed a Slime in a few seconds and ran past him. ¡°Not worth it.¡± Hyun threw away the Newbie¡¯s Dagger, but he regretted it immediately, so he picked it up again. ¡®This isn¡¯t going to work. Should I try to join a party?¡¯ If he talked to someone that looked nice, that person might accept incorporating him into the party. But as the former number 1, he didn¡¯t like the idea of using such a petty strategy. He laid down on the grass and closed his eyes. A few users walking nearby looked at him with weird eyes, but Hyun didn¡¯t notice that. He was lost in his thoughts. What he had was a lot of knowledge about Asra Online. He didn¡¯t necessarily have to level up by grinding like everyone else. What he had to do was use his knowledge and experience. If not, he wouldn¡¯t be able to catch up with everyone else. Hyun started to navigate through Asra his mind. The first continent, Asra¡­ Among the five nations, he should begin with the Erant Kingdom. Hyun tried to remember everything about the Erant Kingdom. 21 castles¡­ Towns¡­ NPCs¡­ Types of monsters that appeared¡­ He tried to remember every single detail. Since he couldn¡¯t find the answer he was looking for, he started to explore another place using his mind. The Lanpurus Empire. It had 63 different areas. It was by far the continent¡¯s biggest country; that¡¯s why it always had many things going on, and a wide variety of monsters appeared in that place. Mercenaries of Reus¡­ Magical Tower¡­ The Empire¡¯s Academy¡­ The continent¡¯s biggest workshop¡­ He tried to remember even the hidden areas. The Floating Gardens¡­ The Altar¡­ The Thread of Destiny¡­ The Lake of Evil Spirits¡­ He thought a lot about the different places available. After a while, he seemed to have found the answer. The look in his eyes had changed. ¡°Maybe¡­ I can do it¡­¡± He simulated the possible outcome in his head. Hyun perfected his strategy little by little, and every time it improved, his heart started beating faster. ¡°It might actually work!¡± Hyun stood up. After going through the entire world of Asra, he finally had a clue. It was a tiny one, but thanks to his calculations, it seemed like something he could pull off. There was a hunt that only a Support could do! If everything went according to his plan, he wouldn¡¯t need to hunt slimes anymore. * * * Asra and Asrian Online had a special newbie bonus. Users below level 5 could use the teleport gate for free once. That benefit was designed to help newbie users. You started at a random town inside the Asra continent when you created a new character. Most of the time, the town where you start your adventures is decided by your IP location. But there could be exceptions. You could also start your adventure in an area that was in the middle of a conflict or a place where strong monsters appeared. If you started the game in a high-difficulty area, you wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything. That¡¯s why they gave users one chance to teleport themselves and change their starting town. Some people used this benefit to teleport to their friends, but the important thing here was that every character under level 5 received the ability to use the teleport gate once free of charge. That was the starting point of Hyun¡¯s idea. ¡®If I can use teleport to get out of a dangerous place, I should be able to do the reverse.¡¯ Hyun easily found the teleport gate building. The Magician in charge of the gate looked at Hyun with suspicion. ¡°Are you out of your mind? It seems like you¡¯re a new ¡®user.¡¯ That place isn¡¯t for you. In order to survive there, you need to be at level 60 minimum.¡± Hyun smiled bitterly. He probably looked like a newbie who didn¡¯t know anything about the world or someone suicidal. But he didn¡¯t want to explain his reasoning to the Magician, nor did he care about what the other person thought. ¡°Mind your own business.¡± The Magician¡¯s face became red. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have tried giving advice to a crazy person like you. I¡¯ll send you there immediately. Oh, by the way. Going there it¡¯s free, but if you want to come back, it will cost you 200 gold.¡± Hyun stepped inside the Magic Circle. After the Magician moved his hand, he disappeared. ____ Chapter 4 - Supports Breakthrough (2) Chapter 4 ¨C Support¡¯s Breakthrough (2) He had arrived at Kantas Castle, which was in a territory near the ¡®Magic Country Levia.¡¯ The weakest monster around there was at level 60. It also wasn¡¯t among the towns where users started the game, so he was the only player in that place. The ghost monsters that appeared there were immune to physical attacks¡ªthat¡¯s why the place wasn¡¯t suited for newbies. Despite all of that, Hyun was smiling while looking at the ghosts. ¡°Hmm¡­ It feels nice.¡± The target Hyun had in mind was a level 80 monster called ¡®Ghost Archer.¡¯ The fortress in front of him was full of them. ¡°Ghost Archers, huh? They¡¯re probably one of the worst possible enemies for newbies.¡± Those monsters, on their own, were quite stupid. But they shared consciousness, just like the alien race from a certain old classic game. The worst among those monsters was the elite one that had the skill ¡®Lead.¡¯ ?All-Out Attack?. Since the ghost monsters shared consciousness, under the guidance of an elite monster, they could perform tasks such as attacking simultaneously. Even players over level 100 had a difficult time deflecting hundreds of arrows at the same time, so they frequently died without being able to heal. That¡¯s why that place, ¡®The Ghost Fortress,¡¯ was called the cemetery of healers. Hyun was planning to use the ?All-Out Attack? in his favor. ¡°First, I should test my strategy. Just in case.¡± While walking towards The Ghost Fortress, Hyun found the first Ghost Archer. He grabbed its attention by throwing a rock to where it was standing. The Ghost Archer immediately reacted by launching an arrow at him. Swish ¨C The arrow flew towards him, and Hyun activated his skill just in time. ?One Second Immortality?!¡¯ That skill increased his defensive points by 50; that amount was enough to resist up to 500 damage up-front. That meant that, during the beginning, he was practically immortal. The Ghost Archer¡¯s bounced away without being able to inflict any damage on him. ¡®Just as I thought. I don¡¯t take any damage.¡¯ Swoop- The second arrow flew towards him. The Ghost Archer took more than 10 seconds before attacking again. So just like the first time, it didn¡¯t inflict any damage on him. Thuck- Ting -! Thuck- Ting -! ¡°Hehehe¡­¡± Just like a masochist, he laughed while being hit with arrows. ¡°Haha¡­¡± Every time he got shot with an arrow, he laughed. After spending 10 minutes like that, he walked towards Kantas Castle. Boooo- The ghosts followed him while making noises, but Hyun just let them be until they reached the castle¡¯s walls. ¡°What is that?¡± On top of the walls of Kantas Castle¡­ A soldier of the Magic Country frowned after seeing a random person and a ghost approach the walls. ¡°Captain, there¡¯s a ghost approaching the wall.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to inform me of such trivial things. Just eliminate it!¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Flash-! The light of sacred magic covered the area, and at the same time, another light covered Hyun¡¯s body. [Level Up!] Hyun smiled. He could level up without doing anything, thanks to Asrian Online¡¯s experience-sharing system. If two people that weren¡¯t in a party killed a monster, how much exp you received depended on how much you collaborated. ¡ªHow much damage you¡¯d dealt or how much you¡¯ve taken from the monster. Successful healing or crowd control was also counted when distributing experience points. This system was put in place for tankers who took the damage and healers. Hyun had gained experience because he had received arrows for 10 minutes; that was also why he was smiling while being attacked with arrows. ¡°The experience I can obtain with one ghost should be around 200.¡± Hyun looked at his experience bar. Even after gaining two levels, the bar was half-full. The Ghost Archer gave 4000 experience. That meant he was gaining 5% of it for collaborating. ¡°It¡¯s not bad.¡± At that speed, he was gaining experience four times faster than a level 1 Warrior. But he wasn¡¯t satisfied with just this. He was planning to use as much of his knowledge and experience as possible. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * Hyun was deep into the Ghost Fortress. Ghosts were dumb. That¡¯s why infiltrating into their territory was relatively easy. ¡°Going through.¡± Hyun was walking right behind the ghosts while matching their walking speed. Since most ghosts¡¯ intellectual ability was at the level of a slime, they didn¡¯t notice Hyun. ¡°Finally, I¡¯ve found him.¡± Hyun managed to slip away from the ghosts and discovered one dressed differently. The ¡®Ghost Archer Commander.¡¯ It was the only elite mob in the place. Despite that, during the process of developing consciousness, it suddenly stopped. That¡¯s why it was just a little bit smarter than a trash mob. Booo- Boo- The Ghost Archer Commander that was booing saw Hyun in the distance. At that moment¡ª! The consciousness of all the ghosts synchronized with the Commander¡¯s. Tens of Ghost Archers turned around and looked at Hyun. Boooo- Boo- Booooooooo- The cries of the ghosts resonated together and echoed through the fortress. The ghosts moved in unison and began aiming their arrows toward Hyun. Even he was intimidated by the sight of a ghost army aiming their bows and arrows at him in unison. ¡°It creeps me out a little bit¡­¡± He felt like needles were pricking his pores. He was feeling something like a thirst for blood. But Hyun wasn¡¯t the type of person who would let himself be intimidated by such things. He mustn¡¯t be intimidated by stuff like that. Hyun thought he should try to get used to how things felt in virtual reality. Thuck-! Tens of arrows flew at the same time in his direction. The ?All-Out Attack? skill of the Ghost Archer Commander had activated. He felt like a prisoner about to be executed. When countless arrows were about to hit him, Hyun activated one skill. ?One Second Immortality?! Clang Clang Clang Clang-! The sound of metal spread through the room. It was a sound made by the countless arrows loosed in unison by the Ghost Archers. Tens of arrows had tried to pierce him simultaneously in just one second. All of the arrows had tried to pierce him in that short frame of time. Oof- Hyun sighed. The activation of the skill could be neither slow nor fast. The situation was different from when he was defending himself from just one arrow. Arrows were flying from all directions. Some were far away, and others were close. He had to be careful with the timing of the skill if he wanted to be protected from the first arrow to the last one that flew toward him. Boooooooo- The hand of the Ghost Archer Commander moved up and down¡ªit was the signal ordering an ?All-Out Attack?. Clang Clang Clang Clang-! The number of arrows flying had increased. That¡¯s because a few more ghosts were attracted to the place. But it didn¡¯t matter. The flight duration of the arrows shot by the Ghost Archers was less than one second. If he didn¡¯t mess up the timing, he could even block tens of thousands of arrows. The same scenario repeated all over again. All Ghost Archers attacked at the same time. Hyun used ?One Second Immortality?. ¡®I still need more.¡¯ Hyun didn¡¯t remain in the same place. While trying to lure Ghost Archers, he also attracted other ghosts. Soon, he was being attacked with hundreds of arrows simultaneously. An average player would have already lost. Even the best tanker, the ¡®Guardian Knight,¡¯ would have trouble with so many arrows if they had no special skill. It was ironic that a level 2 Support was able to survive a rain of arrows. ¡°This is actually an OP skill!¡± He had to reevaluate the Support job since it could survive a massive arrow attack thanks to the ?One Second Immortality? skill. In certain situations, the Support¡¯s advantage could be better than what he initially thought. Boo- Booooo- New ghosts kept appearing constantly. It was as if he was in the middle of a concert catered for ghosts. The number of arrows coming at him increased accordingly. Hyun had to defend himself from hundreds of arrows. Woooooooooo-. Suddenly, the sound of their cries changed. The body of the ¡®Ghost Archer Commander¡¯ changed from black to red. Hyun already knew what that meant. ¡°Next phase, huh?¡± The Ghost Archer Commander, who had gotten angrier, ordered a new attack. ?Multiple All-Out Attack?. This attack pattern began when the Ghost Archer Commander got angry. The attacks from that point onwards would, as the name says, come in groups. Instead of one arrow, they¡¯d shoot five arrows one after the other. And to worsen things, they¡¯d do it all simultaneously! He couldn¡¯t block the ?Multiple All-Out Attack? with his ?One Second Immortality? because it lasted for more than one second. But Hyun already knew everything about the Ghost Archers, so he already had a defense strategy that would work against them. ?1 Second Immortality?, ?Shield?!¡¯ As arrows flew toward him, he activated both skills simultaneously. ?Shield? He summoned a shield around him that lasted for one second. All monsters that had attacked the shield were stunned for 3 seconds. It was easy to explain what the skill did, but using it correctly was another story. Thuck Thuck Thuck-. As a rain of arrows flew toward him, the Ghosts lost consciousness. Thanks to Hyun being attacked, his ?Shield? skill had activated. And thanks to it, the ?Multiple All-Out Attack? had been canceled. Watching stars go around on top of the heads of hundreds of ghosts wasn¡¯t something you could see every other day. ¡°Hehe, this is what I call a customized strategy.¡± The damage was canceled with ?One Second Immortality>; The ?Multiple All-Out Attack? was canceled with ?Shield?. Everyone could do the same if they had those two skills, but coming up with such a strategy was something on another level. But Hyun¡¯s strategy didn¡¯t end there. [The cooldown time of ?Shield? has been reset!] Every time the ?Shield? was hit with an attack, the cooldown went down by five seconds. If he had received 120 attacks, that would mean that the cooldown time would go down by about 600 seconds. The moment the number of ghosts surpassed 120, he could use it without restrictions. Woo- Wooooo-. The ghosts had recovered consciousness, and they were preparing for their next wave of attacks. They placed their arrows on their bows and¡ªat the order of the ¡®Ghost Archer Commander¡¯¡ª launched their attacks. Riinnngggg! After making a refreshing sound, they all lost consciousness again. You could see stars going around on top of everyone¡¯s head. At the same time, the cooldown for ?Shield? went to 0 again. Hyun and the ghosts kept doing the same thing for a while. If someone saw hundreds of arrows flying towards one point, and then every one of the attackers became red after being stunned, they would think they were watching a synchronized show. ¡°Should I end this?¡± After a while, Hyun was starting to get tired. He got the theory right, but if he kept repeating the same thing, sooner or later, he would probably end up making a mistake. He had already gotten hit a lot, so the amount of experience he could obtain for contribution was probably the maximum amount he could get. It was time to get the fruit of his hard work. Hyun kept using ?One Second Immortality? and ?Shield? to guide the Ghosts that were in the fortress. As he got closer to the walls of Kantas Castle, the guards started to panic. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°We have problems! An army of ghosts is approaching us!¡± ¡°Is this the ambush of an enemy?! Where are they?!¡± The soldiers of the Magic Country were getting nervous and causing a ruckus, but as the ones who were in charge of the security of a castle that was in the middle of a dangerous area, they calmed down quickly. They extended their wands towards the ghosts that were approaching them. ¡°Why are these guys bothering us again?! Prepare your best attacks! Everyone, get into position!¡± At the orders of the Squad Leader, Chris, you could see lamps being turned on everywhere. They weren¡¯t really lamps. It was a light type spell called ¡®Erase.¡¯ Next, you could see many spells being casted at the same time from the walls by the soldiers of the Magic Country. ____ Chapter 5 - First Teammate (1) Chapter 5 ¨C First Teammate (1) Asrian Online¡¯s official page. Hyun, who had logged out to eat ramen, was looking at the ranking list. As he clicked on either local, country-wide, or global rankings, he could see the ids of current top players. The list was hard to read because there were languages from all over the world. But thanks to the auto-translate option, it became easier to read. 1. Lattice ¨C Lv.13 2. II ¨C Lv.10 3. Strongest Berserker ¨C Lv.10 4. Shao Shao ¨C Lv.10 5. Cleo ¨C Lv.10 6. Viper ¨C Lv.9 7. Nihonjin desu ¨C Lv.9 8. Mayday ¨C Lv.9 9. Blank ¨C Lv.9 ¡­ Are numbers 3 and 7 Korean? If that username was written in real Japanese, it would probably say something like ¡®I¡¯m Japanese.¡¯ ¡®That guy is definitely Korean.¡¯ SeoHyun took a glimpse at the top 50 players. ¡°There isn¡¯t anyone remarkable yet.¡± It was understandable that there wasn¡¯t someone he should be careful about yet. After all, Asrian Online had been open for one day. Once a week passes, most of the names there would probably change. The only player he should probably follow closely was the one using the ID ¡®Lattice.¡¯ There were many levels of difference between him and the other users. But the interesting stuff ended there. ¡°Still, he¡¯s not that great.¡± After hunting ghosts, Hyun¡¯s level had reached 27. That meant he had more than 13 levels of advantage over the current number 1 player. Despite that, he didn¡¯t appear on the rankings. The reason was that he hadn¡¯t registered his character in the Hall of Fame. Users that registered on the Hall of Fame, depending on their rankings, gained fame. But it wasn¡¯t that they became celebrities. It was an important part of the game. Your fame was reflected on the NPCs. That meant you received more quests, met important characters, and obtained useful qualifications, among other helpful things. Your fame influenced the in-game experience. ¡°I¡¯m probably better off not registering on the rankings yet.¡± The reason why he wasn¡¯t interested in the Hall of Fame was simple. ¡ªInformation leak. The moment he registered in the Hall of Fame, everyone would get to know his ID and level. It wasn¡¯t like private information like stats, skills, and jobs were leaked, but the ranker tag would probably place a lot of eyes on him, and that would end up limiting his actions. ¡®Maybe I could even get some stalkers¡­¡¯ He didn¡¯t want to attract unnecessary eyes to him. ¡®There are also some quests you can only do if you have low fame.¡¯ Some secretive quests required you to have low fame. If he registered in the Hall of Fame, quests like that would become forever out of his reach. He had considered many factors before deciding not to register his ID. ¡®Even if I increase my fame, later on, it won¡¯t be late.¡¯ * * * Hyun (Lv.27) Job: Support [Strength: 2] [Agility: 2] [Vitality: 5] [Magical Power: 11] [Empathy: 27] Skills ¨C <+Open List> [¡ù You have 52 unused experience points!] [¡ù You have 26 unused skill points!] After logging in to the game, he looked at his status window. It was to understand the Support job better. ¡°Empathy is definitely the main stat.¡± The Warrior focused on Strength and Health, Magicians and Priests focused on Magical Power, and the Thief focused on Agility. Focusing on those stats made it easier to develop each class¡¯s potential. But for a Support, it was hard to tell which stats were important. Next to most of the Support¡¯s skills, you could see an Empathy requirement. Should he focus on increasing Empathy? The answer to this question was harder than it seemed. ¡°It¡¯s hard to decide since this is a new class, and there¡¯s no information about it¡­¡± The skills were even more complicated. Skill Points had two use cases: one was to make current skills stronger, and the other one was to unlock new ones. [ ?One Second Immortality? (Lv.0 -> Lv.1) ] ¨C You can increase all defensive stats by 3 extra points. (Skill Points required 1) [ ?Shield? (Lv.0 -> Lv.1) ] ¨C The opponents that lose consciousness receive 20% of your Empathy as extra damage. (Skill Points required 1) ¡®Should I increase this or not¡­?¡¯ He was confused. The amount of defense given by ?One Second Immortality? didn¡¯t increase much after leveling up. Not only that, but the duration time remained the same. Would the duration time increase if he leveled up the skill even further? The only way to discover the answer to that question was by trial and error. But there was one problem with that¡­ He couldn¡¯t re-assign skill points. So if he made a mistake, that character would become useless. ¡®Should I just learn a new skill?¡¯ After reaching level 20, he hadn¡¯t reviewed the new available skills. The skills listed below were some of the ones he had seen before. [ ?Addictive Counter? ] ¨C Decrease the attack speed of an ally by 20%. ¨C If a counterattack activates while fighting an enemy, they receive 200% more damage. (Points required: 5) [ ?Sophisticated Weapon Mastery? ] ¨C Increase the attack range of an ally by 10 cm. ¨C While attacking an opponent, if the target is within the increased attack range, the damage they receive increases by 1.5 times. (Points required: 3) [ ?Sophisticated Magic? ] ¨C Increase the magical attack range of an ally by 1 meter. ¨C While attacking an opponent, if the target is within the increased attack range, the damage they receive increases by 1.5 times. (Points required: 4) [ ?Weapon Enhance? ] ¨C Increase the damage dealt by an ally by 50 points. (Points required: 10) He looked at the skills with doubtful eyes. ¡®Are these good or bad skills?¡¯ Hyun tried to use his eight years of Asra Online experience to try and see how these skills synergized with others. The ?Weapon Enhance? skill seemed to be the most useful since it was intuitive and easy to understand. The other skills seemed to be useful under certain circumstances. ¡°Depending on how I use them, they could become cheat skills.¡± Hyun was finally starting to understand the ¡®Support¡¯ job. It didn¡¯t have a direct attack skill. More than attacking himself, the role of the Support was more like a playmaker. Under certain circumstances, the synergy that the skills could have was amazing. Skills like ?One Second Immortality? and ?Shield?, which seemed useless at first glance, had proven useful if played correctly. The rest of the skills were the same. The pre-requisites of activating the Support¡¯s skills were quite difficult. But if you managed to satisfy them, you would be able to see their true potential. ¡ªHigh risk and high return. It was a class that required a lot of skill and dexterity. The most important thing was creating the correct situations to make the class shine. ¡°The problem is that the Support has very clear limits.¡± The Support wasn¡¯t a job that allowed solo playing as Hyun had wanted. Since its conception, a Support couldn¡¯t achieve greatness alone. ¡°I can¡¯t keep using strategies that rely on NPCs.¡± Hyun felt the need to change his playing style. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * He had many fond memories related to Asra Online. There was a user with the ID ¡®Smiling Angel.¡¯ According to her profile, she was a 20-year-old girl. Her job was an evolved one from the Priest that was very similar to a Support. People from the guild often referred to her as ¡®Angel.¡¯ ¡¸Smiling Angel, is there any new item you need?¡¹ ¡¸Hey Angel, do you want to go together to the Dragon¡¯s Dungeon? I originally planned to do solo play, but I can carry you if you wish, lol.¡¹ ¡¸Smiling Angel, do you want to do a raid? We¡¯re in need of a priest. We don¡¯t care about things like specs, don¡¯t worry.¡¹ The moment she logged in, she was flooded with messages. She usually answered right away. ¡¸First of all, I¡¯ll gladly receive the free item. Then, I will let you carry me through the dungeon and join the raid. So everyone, please wait for a little bit. ^^¡¹ Smiling Angel. In Asra Online, she was something like a princess. She had at least five loyal underlings who would cry tears of joy just from her calling them by their names. Her royal highness sometimes rewarded her loyal underlings with a generous gift. ¡¸Does anyone need a buff? Oh, I¡¯m low on mana. I¡¯m only going to be able to buff three people. I¡¯m sowy ??¡¹ The moment she spoke, tons of people who wanted to become her underlings suddenly appeared. Those incredibly moving scenes were recorded deep in Hyun¡¯s mind. What was even more surprising was that, later on, it was discovered that Smiling Angel was actually a 31-year-old man. But Hyun really didn¡¯t care about what had happened. Now, unintentionally, he had become a support. Smiling Angel. Maybe there was something he could learn from her(?). ¡°I need to get a damage dealer underling.¡± Getting hard-working underlings seemed the best answer. If he added his supporting skills on top of that, maybe he¡¯d be able to build a decent team. There was one problem with that: he wasn¡¯t sure if he had something like Smiling Angel, who could easily obtain the loyalty of several people. His ideal underling should have decent control and game sense. At the same time, it should be someone that listened and followed his orders. ¡°Is there anyone like that¡­?¡± Hyun started to recall everything he could from Asra Online. Then, he remembered a certain face. ¡°There is someone!¡± That guy would be perfect to have as an underling. SeoHyun immediately took action. He logged into Asra Online for the first time in a while. Most people had quit after the sequel came out. But that guy, who was also a top player, maybe was still around this place. ¡°There he is!¡± Hyun shouted in happiness after checking out his friend list. He was also online. That person was one of the few users Hyun had on his friend list. Hyun was about to send him a whisper when he was surprised by a sudden message. [¡®Ain¡¯ has challenged you to a 1 vs. 1 duel. Will you accept?] He wasn¡¯t expecting Ain to contact him first. It hadn¡¯t been 10 seconds since he logged in. Also, a duel request? Maybe¡­ was he waiting for him to log in again? ¡°I guess I¡¯ll know the answer once I meet him.¡± After accepting the request, he moved towards the duel room. In that place, a big wolf was waiting for him. It was a ¡®Werewolf¡¯, a part of the humanoid race. The ID ¡®Ain¡¯ was well suited for someone as wild as him. Thanks to Ain¡¯s cool personality, they got along well. That¡¯s why they frequently played together. Ain¡¯s playstyle was just like his personality, cool and cruel. Watching him scratch and rip apart an opponent was quite refreshing. He always looked like a wolf in the middle of a flock. Ain had very good control and a deep understanding of the game. In a 1 vs. 1 duel, using normal items, he wasn¡¯t sure he could beat him. The first time they met each other in the duel fiend, he had wondered if Ain wasn¡¯t a real pro gamer. ¡¸Long time no see, Hyun!¡¹ ¡¸Not really, it¡¯s been only one week since the last time I logged in.¡¹ ¡¸If you¡¯re not here, I don¡¯t have anyone else with whom I can have a duel. The only ones that are still around this place are the weaklings.¡¹ Just like he always did, Ain approached him first. In Asra Online, there wasn¡¯t a voice recognition module, so to talk, Hyun had to type on the keyboard in the capsule. ¡¸Since you¡¯re here, let¡¯s have a duel.¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t want to.¡¹ ¡¸Why, are you afraid? You¡¯re finally admitting that you can¡¯t beat me, right?¡¹ And just like always, he started talking about PVP. Ain was one of those players who enjoyed PVP more than hunting. ¡¸I guess it¡¯s understandable. If our specs were similar, my win ratio would be higher!¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯ll never know that without trying it first.¡¹ Hyun answered like that. But what Ain said wasn¡¯t something unrealistic. In Asra Online, Ain was the only user that could fight him on equal terms. Both were good at controlling their respective characters, but he had the advantage in terms of specs. Despite that, their win ratio against each other was similar. The reason behind this was that Ain was very good at mind games. Even Hyun couldn¡¯t match Ain¡¯s ability for getting to know the opponent¡¯s intentions. It¡¯d been a week since they last talked to each other, so they took this opportunity to get an update on the other person. There wasn¡¯t any deep or special content in what they talked about. It was the usual chit-chat. It was Ain who suddenly changed the topic of the conversation. ¡¸So are you planning to quit Asra?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m not sure¡­ But I won¡¯t be login in regularly as I did before.¡¹ ¡¸Really? Well, I guess everyone eventually gets tired of a game. Even Asra.¡¹ ¡¸Are you going to keep playing Asra?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m not sure. But if you quit, I¡¯m also going to leave eventually.¡¹ Ain¡¯s words were printed out as a text, but Hyun knew he was sad about it. Hyun had known this guy inside the game for many years, so he could somewhat understand Ain¡¯s feelings. Ain wanted to retain Hyun, but his pride made it hard for him to say something like that. That meant this was the perfect opportunity to talk about the main topic. ¡¸Don¡¯t you want to play Asrian with me?¡¹ ¡¸Hmm¡­?¡¹ Ain remained silent for a while. It seemed like he knew that a sequel of Asra Online had come out. ¡¸That game has very high requirements, right? The capsule I have at home is quite old, so I¡¯m not sure it will be able to run it.¡¹ ¡¸Is that so¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Oh, wait. I¡¯ll just buy a new one.¡¹ ¡¸Then let¡¯s play together! After all, we¡¯re the strongest duo of Asra. Let¡¯s show everyone what we can do in Asrian Online.¡¹ Ain¡¯s doubt seemed to be deepening. Hyun was afraid of losing this opportunity, so he tried his best to lure him to Asrian. ¡¸If you create an ID, Hyung will help you level up. After all, my character is a support, so I have a lot of ways in which I can help you.¡¹ ¡¸You? Hyung? Are you kidding me? But hey, you¡¯re a support? What happened that you¡¯d chosen a job like that?¡¹ ¡¸Stuff happened¡­¡¹ Hyun was smirking while typing using his two fingers. Ain had fallen into his trap. Convincing him would just be a matter of time. Hyun, as the master, and Ain, as his underling. He smiled just by thinking about the picture-perfect formation. To make Ain the perfect underling, he started to sweet talk. ¡¸If you¡¯re going to start Asrian Online, choose the Magician job.¡¹ ¡¸Magician? Why? I don¡¯t really like it.¡¹ He could easily tell that Ain didn¡¯t like the Magician job. After all, he was a werewolf that enjoyed close combat. Ain¡¯s current character was the definition of manliness. For someone like him, who enjoyed using macho-like characters and jobs, a Magician was probably just a weakling who launched attacks from a distance. ¡®But still, it would be great if he could choose Magician as a job.¡¯ The job that had the best synergy with the Support was a Magician. Among the skills, there was one called ?Weapon Enhance?. This skill gave the target 50 extra damage. Since the Wizard¡¯s attack had a wide range, the effective damage dealt was lower than other jobs, but once you added ?Weapon Enhance? on top of it, the Magician¡¯s wide-range attack could become as dangerous as a nuclear bomb. In no way was he going to pass on such an explosive combination. That¡¯s why he talked as highly about the Magician job as possible. ¡¸You like jobs that require skills, right? In Asrian Online, the Magician is that type of character.¡¹ ¡¸Really¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Yes! Casting a spell isn¡¯t automatic. You have to use your head. Hand signs need to be memorized, too, since you have to do it manually. What¡¯s clear is that it isn¡¯t an easy class to use.¡¹ Hyun told him things he had seen on the community boards. ¡¸Even though it has a learning curve, a Magician can become one of the strongest if you learn to use it properly. It¡¯s OP at practically everything, including hunting, raids, PVP¡­ Of course, it¡¯s hard to use it correctly. I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯ll be able to do it.¡¹ ¡¸Hmm¡­ Now that you say it, Magician sounds interesting.¡¹ ¡¸See?¡¹ Hyun became even more excited. If Ain selected Magician as a job, the picture became even more perfect. His skills were on par with professional gamers. But more than that, he was someone trustworthy. ¡¸There¡¯s something I¡¯ve forgotten to tell you.¡¹ Hyun even explained to him how to get a hidden job while praying that Ain wouldn¡¯t make the same mistakes as him. ¡¸When you¡¯re about to select a job, you¡¯ll meet an angel. If you call her by the name of ¡®Keidrial,¡¯ she¡¯ll become a demon. After that, you¡¯ll be able to see a previously hidden place. If that happens, you¡¯ll be able to choose top-tier or even hidden jobs. But there¡¯s something you need to remember. You shouldn¡¯t select the item she¡¯s trying to hide, no matter what happens. That isn¡¯t something she¡¯s trying to hide; it¡¯s an item that she¡¯s trying to lure you into selecting.¡¹ ¡¸???¡¹ Ain had trouble understanding what he had just said, so Hyun spent another thirty minutes trying to get him to understand everything regarding job selection. ____ Chapter 6 - First Teammate (2) Chapter 6 ¨C First Teammate (2) The next day. SeoHyun was about to enter the capsule and log in when he saw that a user with the ID ¡®AIN¡¯ had sent him a message. ¡°Didn¡¯t he say that he had an older model? Don¡¯t tell me he already bought a new one¡­¡± He really was someone that acted fast. SeoHyun was sending him a message when a chatting window opened. It seemed that Ain didn¡¯t know that the new capsule model had voice recognition. AIN: I created an ID in Asrian Online. LeeSeoHyun: Did you already buy a new capsule model? AIN: I did it at dawn. I have already finished the job selection process. ¡®What an amazing guy.¡¯ ¡®How did he manage to buy a capsule at such an hour?¡¯ But more than that, Hyun asked him about what he had insisted on yesterday. LeeSeoHyun: So, what¡¯s your job? AIN: Magician, just like you¡¯ve said. LeeSeoHyun: Nice! It seemed like Ain had done a good job in completing the quest. LeeSeoHyun: Use teleport and come to the south gate of Kantas Castle. AIN: But I¡¯m at level 1. LeeSeoHyun: Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll carry you. AIN: What¡¯s your level? LeeSeoHyun: 27. AIN: Can you hunt there at level 27? Ain, just like Hyun, was a top ranker at Asra Online. That¡¯s why he knew about the levels of the monsters around that area. The land of ghosts and the undead¡­ It wasn¡¯t a place for newbies under level 60. LeeSeoHyun: Just come. Once you get here, you¡¯ll understand everything. SeoHyun smiled. Even Ain, a former top-ranker, wouldn¡¯t be able to come up with a strategy like his. Gathering as many enemies as possible in order to farm a massive amount of experience¡­ He was probably going to be at a loss for words at the sight of more than ten levels going up all at once. In Asrian Online, unlike other games, you could check the facial expressions of other players. He was getting excited at the thought of seeing Ain astonished. * * * Kantas Castle, south gate. There were a lot of NPCs gathered in front of the walls. Two guards were protecting the gate; on the road next to it, you could see a group of girls selling flowers. In the distance, a group of merchants was returning after completing a trade. Hyun was looking everywhere while sighing. The reason was that he couldn¡¯t see the person he was looking for. ¡°Why is this guy so late?¡± Hyun, who was tired of waiting, sent a message via the capsule. LeeSeoHyun: Where are you? Ring- Hyun received a reply immediately. AIN: I¡¯m already here, at where you asked me to come. ¡®Huh?¡¯ Hyun looked around, searching for Ain. ¡®Just where¡­?¡¯ In Asrian Online, you couldn¡¯t tell the difference between NPCs and users just based on looks alone. Now that he thought about it, he had never seen Ain¡¯s real face. Ain: You¡¯re the guy standing next to the shop, looking around, right? You seem to be wearing silver clothes. Hyun was starting to get annoyed. He was indeed wearing a silver vest. That meant that Ain had already seen him. He was probably watching him from a distance. LeeSeoHyun: Don¡¯t joke with me and just come here! Aim: I¡¯m currently looking at you. Come try to find me. ¡®He¡¯s looking at me?¡¯ Hyun¡¯s eyes sparkled. He had seen a man looking at him from a distance. Yes, that must be him. ¡®Huh? Why is he so handsome?¡¯ Ain seemed to be a blond guy whose height was more than six feet tall. His body was muscular. But more than a bodybuilder, he looked like a professional athlete. ¡®That¡¯s Ain, right?¡¯ Just like his Asra Online persona, he looked like a macho-type person. ¡®So all this time, I¡¯ve been playing with the typical popular guy.¡¯ He really looked nothing like himself, who did nothing more than play video games all day. While feeling ashamed, he approached that man and initiated a conversation. ¡°Ain! I finally found you. You¡¯re quite handsome, huh?¡± The moment Hyun talked to him, that man looked at Hyun with a confused look on his face. He answered Hyun with another question. ¡°Is there anything you need from me?¡± ¡°Stop joking. I already know it¡¯s you.¡± Hyun thought that Ain was joking around. ¡°I know that you¡¯ve been looking at me for a while.¡± ¡°I was watching you because you were looking around with a suspicious look on your face.¡± The man, whom Hyun thought was Ain, took out something from his pocket. It was a badge that proved that he was the sheriff of the Magic Country. Ain: LOL, what are you doing over there? After receiving another message, he finally understood the situation. The man wasn¡¯t Ain. It was an NPC of the Magic Country. He was staring at him because he mistook him for a pickpocket. Ain: LOL While biting his lips and remembering the message, he asked the sheriff for forgiveness. After a long explanation, he finally made him understand that he wasn¡¯t someone suspicious. ¡®Just where is this guy hiding?¡¯ When he was thinking that once he saw Ain, he was going to punch him, another message arrived. Ain: You still don¡¯t know where I am? I¡¯ve been staring at you for a while. Hyun slowly moved his head and looked around. But he couldn¡¯t find anyone who matched his mental image of Ain. ¡®Just from where are you looking at me?¡¯ The moment he had enough and was about to shout, just by coincidence, he looked towards the castle¡¯s gate. There was someone who was leaning on the wall. That person was laughing while looking at him. ¡®No way¡­¡¯ It was someone with their arms crossed that had been looking at him for a while. ¡®Wait. Really?!¡¯ The truth is that he already knew that someone was looking in his direction, but there was one reason why he had passed on that person. He would¡¯ve never guessed that Ain was that person. ¡®Is that really Ain?¡¯ The reason for his confusion was simple¡ªthat person was too different from how he thought that Ain would be. Ain: Oh, it seems like you¡¯ve finally found me. After sending the message, a petite girl approached him. She had black, bob-cut hair, her height was on the shorter side, and she barely reached Hyun¡¯s shoulders. The corners of her lips were slightly up. The girl he assumed was Ain was right in front of him. ¡°Hmm¡­ This is the first time we¡¯ve seen each other¡¯s actual appearance, right?¡± ¡°A¡­ Are you really Ain?¡± Hyun answered, stuttering. ¡°Haha, what¡¯s up with that strange way of talking?¡± Hyun was flustered. All sorts of thoughts crossed his mind. Was it character customization? No¡­ There wasn¡¯t an option that allowed you to change genders. Character customization required a lot of gold, so there was no way a new player like Ain could¡¯ve tried it yet. That girl in front of him was indeed Ain. There was no other possible explanation. ¡®How is it possible? That tough, manly werewolf Ain is actually a girl?¡¯ Hyun, whose head was filled with chaotic thoughts, suddenly started to ask her questions related to Asra Online. ¡°What¡¯s the name of the ultimate skill that the Werewolf Ain uses¡­?!¡± ¡°Body Enhance¡­ But why are you asking me that?¡± Hyun asked her more questions, and she answered every single one of them. Ain seemed a little bit annoyed but still answered everything he asked. Most of the questions were things that no one else besides Ain would know. After a while, he finally could accept it. ¡°I¡¯ve never imagined that you were actually a girl.¡± ¡°Really? But I always knew you were a boy.¡± Ain had a quiet voice that wasn¡¯t too different from the other girls of similar age. Since she was always cold and always went straight to the point, he always thought she was a guy. He asked her about it. ¡°Hyun, do you talk in real life just like you do on the internet?¡± After being reproached, he wasn¡¯t able to form any words. But once time passed, his confusion dissipated. Hyun and Ain talked for a while. Once they began talking about Asra Online, the awkwardness disappeared. Back in Asra Online, Ain was one of the few people he used to talk to regularly. Once they talked, he found out something. Leaving the gender and appearance aside, Ain was still Ain. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * After they finished talking, Hyun started to focus again on his original goal. Ain: Damage Dealer. Hyun: Support. He had lured Ain to Asrian Online to make her his first slave. Now that he knew that Ain was, in fact, a young girl, the word ¡®slave¡¯ started to feel weird, but he decided to ignore it. He never mentioned that word in front of Ain, of course. Choosing the wrong words while talking to someone as prideful as her could bring a lot of problems. Hyun decided to start slowly. ¡°Your job is Magician, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, you told me to pick it.¡± ¡°Is it a promotion-type job or a hidden one?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a hidden one, of course!¡± Hearing the word ¡°hidden¡± made Hyun¡¯s heart sink. It made him remember the ¡®Support(Hidden)¡¯ nightmare. ¡°First, can you show me your status window?¡± She nodded. Ain (Lv. 1) HP: 50/50 Mana: 450/450 Job: Close Range Magician (Hidden) [Strength: 15] [Agility: 15] [Vitality: 5] [Magical Power: 30(+15)] Skills ¨C <+Open List> Titles ¨C <+Open List> ¡°Hmm¡­¡± First of all, it was indeed a Magician. But in front of ¡®Magician,¡¯ there were two strange words. He had never seen that job before, so that probably meant that it was a new one that wasn¡¯t in Asra Online. ¡®I¡¯ll think after checking out the skills.¡¯ [ ?Flame Claws? Lv.0] ¨C Your claws get covered in flames, and you deal [Magical Power] x5 extra damage. ¨C It consumes 10 mana per second. [Deceiver] ¨C Magical Power 15 ¨C While trying to deceive an opponent, you¡¯re less likely to get caught. ¡°Hyun, show me yours too.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± While showing her his status window, Hyun started to think deeply about something. ¡®Close Range Magician¡¯. First of all, its overall stats were very high thanks to the job being a hidden one. He wasn¡¯t sure what Ain did while picking her job, but she had managed to get an extra title; thanks to that, her Magical Power was ridiculously high for a level 1 character. But there was the fact that Ain had only one skill, ?Flame Claws?. At first glance, it looks like an amazing one. After all, it dealt five times the Magical Power as damage. Even at level 1, it was capable of dealing a ridiculous amount of 225 damage. ¡®The problem is that this skill has a fatal flaw.¡¯ ?Flame Claws? consumed a lot of Mana. The skill ?Fire Arrow? consumed 10 mana. Using ?Flame Claws? was the equivalent of using one ?Fire Arrow? per second. Basically, it leaked a lot of Mana! In Asrian Online, since there weren¡¯t many ways to recover Mana, it was a huge flaw. Not only did she not have an AOE attack, but there also wasn¡¯t a long-range attack. The job was a magician in name alone. In reality, it was more similar to a Warrior that fought using fists. Hyun wiped away the sweat. ¡®Why did it become like this?¡¯ ¡®Did Ain also get ripped off by Keidrial?¡¯ By seeing the title she had received, it didn¡¯t seem so. ¡°I think it¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°No¡­ I think that we¡¯re screwed.¡± ¡°I like it.¡± Ain was smiling while watching her fingers covered in fire. Not only was Ain¡¯s hand burning; her Mana was burning too. The fire didn¡¯t even last one minute before it went out. She had consumed all of her Mana. ¡°Even if my hand is burning, I can¡¯t feel anything. I won¡¯t have to worry about burn marks.¡± That was all Ain had to say about her job. ¡°Hyun, let¡¯s go hunting. I want to test this!¡± She grabbed Hyun¡¯s collar with an excited voice. At the moment, all she could think about was testing her skill. Hyun got annoyed by that overexcited attitude of hers. ¡°This is a level 60 area! Test what?! How?!¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go to the next town. You have enough gold to teleport two people, right?¡± Just like she¡¯d said, he had some money he had earned by selling the clothes of the ghosts. ¡°F¡­ For two¡­?¡± ¡°Well, you were the one who told me to come to Kantas Castle, so you need to take responsibility,¡± she said while making a mischievous smile. ¡°I started this game because you¡¯d asked me to.¡± Going hunting with her at that moment would be suicidal. The solution was doing the same thing they always did. ¡°I will let you test it on me in a duel.¡± ¡°Duel¡­?!¡± Just as he expected, Ain got excited at the word, ¡°duel¡±. ¡°But Hyun, you¡¯re a Support. Can you win against me?¡± ¡°What else can I do? Hit me as much as you wish.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s do it.¡± After challenging Ain to a friendly duel, he finally calmed her down. Ain had always enjoyed dueling more than anything. The other day, when he logged in to Asra Online, she had sent a duel request almost immediately. Of course, there was no way he¡¯d be able to beat her. He didn¡¯t have offensive skills, and his specs were lower than hers. The winner was already defined. ¡®Hmm¡­? This seems to work great as a training session.¡¯ He lost, but as they dueled repeatedly, he was starting to get used to moving in virtual reality. Asrian Online was the first virtual reality game in which moving felt real, as if you were really using your muscles. It was different from other games where you had to use the controller to move. ¡°This is what it feels to toy you, huh?¡± ¡°Oof¡­ Let¡¯s duel a little bit more.¡± ¡°Huh? Even if we did, you wouldn¡¯t be able to beat me.¡± The duel junkie was Ain. But at that moment, Hyun was more eager than her to keep dueling. One hour after they began fighting, Hyun could imitate how he moved back in Asra Online. Both of them began to move with more precision. Ain began mixing fake movements with the attacks; that¡¯s why each duel didn¡¯t get longer. They were so concentrated on dueling that they didn¡¯t notice that three hours had passed and that they hadn¡¯t yet begun ghost hunting. ____ Chapter 7 - Hidden Named Hunting Preparation (1) Chapter 7 ¨C Hidden Named Hunting Preparation (1) After Asrian Online came out, SeoHyun¡¯s schedule became full. First, he goes to the university for attendance check-in. Once he finishes that, he walks out of the campus. Thankfully, he hadn¡¯t signed on to any course that required group work. SeoHyun, who was hooked to Asrian Online, spent more time gaming than ever. His day really began once he came back home from school. He began his daily routine by checking the stock price of NFM. After Asrian Online came out, the stock price of NFM had reached new highs, and it was in the middle of a bullish trend. Most gaming-related sites were full of news related to NFM. NFM was originally by no means a small company. But in just three months, the stock price had risen 80 times. It was receiving the attention of the whole world, and it was in the process of re-writing the history of the entertainment industry. Asrian Online was a worldwide bestseller, and the stock was reaching new highs every day. Sadly, SeoHyun didn¡¯t know how to do stocks. He didn¡¯t have a single share of NFM, but seeing Asrian Online get bigger and bigger made him happy. ¡°Now, let¡¯s visit the next site.¡± SeoHyun entered Asrian¡¯s community boards. Weirdly, there wasn¡¯t much information about the game on the official website. Did the developers want people to learn about the game slowly by actually playing the game? That was the reason why SeoHyun only entered the official website to read news about updates. The rest of the time, he always visited community sites. Most of the time, he laughed at the memes that people posted. But sometimes, he found useful information or news. <Title: How to level up fast! The fastest way to reach level 15!> There was a thread about a leveling-up strategy. Hyun wasn¡¯t interested in it since he had already surpassed level 15. He scrolled down to read the next post. <Title: How critical hits work> Another title caught SeoHyun¡¯s attention. It was a post by the user ¡®Medical Student Wannabe.¡¯ The first few lines were enough to draw his full attention. ¨C How critical hits work in this game is easy: if you hit the opponent at a vital point, you¡¯ll be able to deal critical damage. One thing to remember is that you need to hit it with extreme precision. ¨C I¡¯ve discovered a total of 11 parts; among them are the head, the heart, the stomach, the arm, and the legs. Basically, they have the same weaknesses as us. If you hit the opponents in one of these parts, you¡¯ll be able to deal critical damage. It was a very useful thread, but it was sadly full of nonrelevant, dumb comments. ¨C Girls have one less weakness compared to men. Isn¡¯t this too unbalanced? ¨C If you¡¯re mad, just create a female character, lol. ¨C Hey asshole, it isn¡¯t that easy to change the gender of your character. If you¡¯re not going to do it for me, just shut up. SeoHyun focused on the useful post rather than the useless commentaries. He didn¡¯t have enough time to care about keyboard battles. While reading the thread, he remembered the previous day¡¯s battle. ¡®So this is how Ain manages to land critical hits all the time¡­ This is different to how it used to work in Asra Online.¡¯ If you land an attack on a vital point, the opponent receives a critical hit. While dueling, Ain had aimed at his vital points with a smile on her face. While dueling, he had formed a suspicion that it was how critical hits worked, but the thread had just confirmed his theory. A battle system that resembles real life¡­ Something like that worked only because Asrian Online had sensory synchronization. ¡°I need to get used to the new system.¡± After finishing reading the thread, he closed the tab. Once he did that, SeoHyun¡¯s daily routine was almost over. He had already checked out the stock price and read through the community boards. He had ramen for lunch and then took a cold water shower. He needed to do many things beforehand if he wanted to game for ten hours straight. After completing preparations worthy of a pro gamer, SeoHyun logged in to Asrian Online. [AIN has logged in.] He got a message that notified him that Ain had entered the game. She always entered Asrian Online between 17:00 ~ 18:00 and logged off at 03:00 am. In a way, Ain, who played Asrian Online every day until dawn, was a game addict. ¡­Although she didn¡¯t spend as many hours as him. Suddenly, he started to wonder something about Ain. Judging by her playtime hours, she seemed like a student. Her height and face made her look really young, and she seemed like a high school student at most. Not asking the age in video games was an unwritten rule, so he decided not to pursue it anymore. AIN: Are we ghost hunting today? Ain sent a private message as soon as she got into the capsule. Hyun and Ain stayed in Kantas Castle for four days in order to hunt ghosts. At first, because of the difference between the levels, she didn¡¯t get a lot of experience points. Up to a certain point, they just hunted together. But once their levels became similar, they formed a party; that allowed them to gain an equivalent amount of experience. Hyun Lv.42 Ain Lv.40 Thanks to that, both of them had surpassed level 40. He still remembered her face when he showed her the ghost farming method. ¡°Th¡­ This is amazing¡­ Even for you¡­¡± Hyun smiled in high spirits. They had 20 levels of advantage over the top-ranker in the hall of fame, so there wasn¡¯t any user with a higher level than them. ¡®But this much isn¡¯t enough. If the only advantage is the level, they¡¯ll eventually catch up to us.¡¯ Hyun knew better than anyone how to keep the distance between them. Even if the distance between top rankers shrank and became on par with each other, he¡¯d be the exception. ¡®I should start moving before it¡¯s too late.¡¯ Thanks to the online communities, he knew that the biggest guilds were busier than ever. There was only one reason for them to be busy: Named monster hunting! ¡®I¡¯m sure many guilds will soon try to hunt down named monsters.¡¯ He was confident that in two weeks, a lot of guilds would start a fierce competition among each other to hunt down named monsters. Everyone was after the accomplishment of the first named monster kill! The first kill always gave more rewards than the successive ones. Some named monsters increased your stats permanently, so everyone was probably after them. Some guilds would probably try to hunt named monsters to get free publicity. That¡¯s why it was the perfect time to do it. He was planning to move faster than the others. ¡®I won¡¯t be able to kill every named monster that lives in the Asra Continent since it¡¯s so big.¡¯ The named monsters Hyun was after were the special ones! He was especially interested in the ones that increased your stats permanently. The accomplishment of killing a named monster for the first time would be given only one time, so he should move faster. ¡®I should take Ain too, right?¡¯ The ¡®Close Range Magician¡¯s¡¯ specialty, ?Flame Claws?, could deal a ridiculous amount of damage in exchange for an absurd amount of Mana. It wasn¡¯t very useful for farming, but while hunting a named monster, the most important thing was to deal as much damage as possible in a short amount of time. There shouldn¡¯t be anyone better than Ain for that. ¡®The only weakness is that she is fragile. But I, as a Support, can cover that.¡¯ First of all, he decided he should check out both of their stats and skills. ¡°How many stat points do you have left? You haven¡¯t used them yet, right?¡± Hyun asked Ain. ¡°Uh¡­ I have 70.¡± ¡°70?¡± Hyun rapidly did some math inside his head. Ain was at level 40. Every time you leveled up, you received two stat points¡­ So she should have 78 left. Hyun thought that maybe he had made a mistake in the calculations. ¡®Why are there eight stats missing?¡¯ What Ain said next solved Hyun¡¯s doubts regarding her stats. ¡°I¡¯ve used eight to increase my strength.¡± ¡°Strength¡­?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡®Why would a magician need strength? Is there something I¡¯m missing?¡¯ This new doubt was also quickly answered by her. You could see cold sweat dripping from her forehead. ¡°I mistakenly thought that I was still a werewolf. You know¡­ The fighting style is very similar to before, so I just used those stat points without thinking about it. I¡­ It should be okay, right? Maybe having more strength could be good in the future.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Even if I made a mistake allocating some stats, I should be okay with my level of control. Right?¡± After hearing Ain¡¯s excuse, he got a Deja Vu. How she tried to excuse herself reminded him of a certain somebody. It was like seeing that guy who had mistakenly chosen Support as a job. ¡®Trying to excuse oneself is a personality trait of the hidden job?¡¯ For a little while, he thought of something as ridiculous as that. ¡°Let¡¯s¡­ Use the rest of the stats more carefully.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± In silence, Ain upgraded her stats. Ain (Lv. 40) HP: 200/200 Mana: 1000/1000 Job: Close Range Magician (Hidden) [Strength: 23] [Agility: 30] [Vitality: 5] [Magical Power: 85(+15)] <Skill List> [Flame Claws Lv.0] ¨C Your claws get covered in flames, and you deal [Magical Power] x5 extra damage. ¨C It consumes 10 mana per second. [¡ù You have 39 unused skill points!] Title ¨C <+ Open List> Of course, the most useful stat for a ¡®Close Range Magician¡¯ was [Magical Power]. Even if you didn¡¯t allocate any stats in vitality, your HP still goes up when you level up, but if you don¡¯t increase your Magical Power, your Mana won¡¯t increase. There was nothing too hard to think about since there was a minimum mana requirement next to most of the magician¡¯s skills. ¡­And a little bit of agility helped deliver the skills. Since Ain was a Close Range Magician, she also needed to take care of her combat skills. Her Magical Power and Agility needed to be balanced; only by doing that would her skills and stats be well balanced and show great synergy. ¡®Her Vitality is on the lower side, but since I¡¯m here, she should be okay, right?¡¯ There were some named monsters whose attacks couldn¡¯t be blocked, but he wasn¡¯t planning on hunting them. The ones he was after were the named monsters they could counter with their synergy. ¡®Let¡¯s leave skills alone for the moment.¡¯ They still had a lot of unused skill points, but there was no need to hurry. Ain¡¯s flame attacks had already surpassed 500. That amount of damage was so much that he couldn¡¯t completely neutralize it with his ?One Second Immortality? skill. Considering that she was level 40, that amount of damage was simply ridiculous. If you don¡¯t take into account the high amount of Mana that the ?Flame Claws? skill requires, the Close Range Magician was probably one of the hidden jobs that could deal the most DPS (Damage per Second). ¡®The damage is more than enough.¡¯ According to his calculations, they could take out a level 50 named boss in under five minutes. From then on, the problem wouldn¡¯t be damage dealing, but all the other things. ¡­And he was probably going to be the one that needed to cover all the other things. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * Arneng, Hell Dust. The two of them had been playing the game together from the start, so they were really close. The first time they had played together, it was by coincidence. By pure luck, they began hunting together; that¡¯s why they ended up entering the same guild. They quickly became good friends. The main reason behind their friendship was that gaming was the primary source of income for both of them. ¡°I think that things are stabilizing.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true. Even though the server has been open for just over a month, we¡¯re earning enough money to survive.¡± ¡°That clearly shows that there are a lot of people playing this game.¡± Asrian had only one worldwide server. There were more than a hundred million players, and at any given time, millions of people were online. The world had never seen a game so polished and with such a big scale as that one, and the number of players was increasing day by day. Arneng smiled. ¡°This game is still growing, so our income will keep growing too.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true,¡± answered Hell Dust whilst also smiling. Arneng and Hell Dust were sure that they would be able to achieve financial success with Asrian Online. After all, they were already level 30. Considering their rankings, they were among the top 0.01% of players. Basically, they were in the heavenly realm. The only thing other users could do was look up at them. ¡°The number 10 in the ranking is at level 35, right? We¡¯ll probably be able to catch up soon. The difference between us isn¡¯t that big.¡± ¡°If we level up at this pace, shouldn¡¯t we be able to become rankers?¡± ¡°If we¡¯re lucky enough, we¡¯ll probably be able to become rankers.¡± ¡°All top rankers earn a lot of money, right? Once that happens, I want to buy a building in LA.¡± ¡°I just want to get a sports car.¡± ¡°Once we become rankers together, let¡¯s meet up in real life. How does that sound?¡± ¡°That sounds good¡­ It¡¯s going to be a meeting between two members of high society.¡± Rankers were people among the top 1000 players in the Hall of Fame. The top 1000 may sound easy to achieve, but the truth is that those people were among the top 0.001% of players¡ªthey were the one in a million kind of players. Arneng and Hell Dust thought that they could get to that level. But their confidence was by no means vain. A few days ago, a guild member had discovered important information related to hidden named monsters. Everyone within the guild had gotten excited. Information about normal named monsters was already considered confidential information, but someone had just discovered something above that, a hidden named monster. ____ Chapter 8 - Hidden Named Hunting Preparation (2) Chapter 8 ¨C Hidden Named Hunting Preparation (2) The guild had canceled everything they¡¯d planned for the day and had a meeting. They talked about how they¡¯d discovered the hidden named enemy, if it was trustworthy information, how feasible it was them defeating it, etc. The conclusion was that there was a real possibility of them killing the hidden named monster, but it was hard to guarantee that the raid would be a success. Even if they failed in killing the boss, getting to know its weakness or patterns would be useful information for the future. With that goal in mind, they selected a group of 20 players. Arneng and Hell Dust were among the people that the guild had chosen. The main goal was information gathering, but if they concluded that they could hunt it down during the combat, they were allowed to do it. Arneng talked about the realistic probabilities of them hunting the named monster down. ¡°The place where the hidden named monster is said to appear is in the Dark Forest. Most monsters around that area are at level 20, so a hidden named one should be at level 25 or 30 at most.¡± The group formed for the expedition was composed only of elite players. Among the 20 members, there wasn¡¯t a single player under level 25. The ratio of knights, thieves, priests, and magicians was also perfect. Every single one of them was an elite player that was really skillful. Even if it was a level 30 named boss, they didn¡¯t think it would be a one-sided fight. ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°Us. We originally planned to gather information and then back off as soon as possible, but what if we could beat the boss?¡± Haha- Hell Dust answered while laughing. ¡°Well, it¡¯s possible. With our skills, a level 30 named boss could be easier than we originally thought.¡± ¡°What do you think, Tarr Tarr?¡± Arneng asked the boy that was next to him. Tarr Tarr was also among the players selected by the guild. He was a new member of the guild. Since he was in 9th grade in real life, he was the youngest member. ¡°I think that Mr. Arneng may have a point.¡± ¡°May have?! If you¡¯re a boy, you should talk with more self-confidence!¡± ¡°R¡­ Really? Haha¡­¡± Arneng patted Tarr Tarr¡¯s back, who was laughing awkwardly. He felt happy but pressured since he thought he was the weakest among the guild members. ¡®Everyone here except for me is amazing.¡¯ Tarr Tarr thought that it was by pure luck that we had passed the test to join the guild. At first, the fact that he was able to join a famous guild made him happy, but as time went on, he began worrying. ¡®There are a lot of good players in the world.¡¯ That¡¯s what he thought while hunting with them. He was always amazed by the other guild members¡¯ gaming sense and skills. He didn¡¯t even dare to copy their movements. Every day he could see things he had only seen on YouTube and in crazy gameplay compilations. Arneng, Hell Dust, and all the other guild members were his role models. ¡®I also have to do my best if I don¡¯t want to put others out.¡¯ He wasn¡¯t confident enough, but if he kept doing his best, he would probably get better as time went on. Tarr Tarr told himself that he needed to be more self-confident. ¡°Everyone, stop.¡± While walking through the Dark Forest, the team leader suddenly raised his hand. ¡°It seems to be around here.¡± They¡¯d found a road that led to an empty plot of land. In the middle of it, there was a strange-looking temple. ¡°Is this the ¡®Blue Temple¡¯? It really looks like where a named monster would appear,¡± the leader of the raid nervously said. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it feel colder here?¡± Everyone nodded at the question. The wind that reminded them of an autumn night had suddenly turned cold. ¡­A place covered by ice. That place, where you could even see frost in the grass, was the Temple of Frost. Everything they were seeing was exactly like the information they¡¯d gotten from the guild. That meant that the possibility of them finding a hidden named monster there was really high. ¡°It was true.¡± ¡°Is a hidden named monster really going to appear?¡± ¡°I¡¯m shaking with excitement. We¡¯re probably the first ones to engage with a hidden named monster. This also means we will be able to get to the top!¡± ¡°Everyone, silence!¡± After the leader, Guy¡¯s, order, everyone became silent. ¡°Don¡¯t talk as if we¡¯ve already finished the raid. A hidden named monster probably has better skills than the average named monster; that means they¡¯re probably going to be stronger and more dangerous.¡± He didn¡¯t forget to warn everybody once again. ¡°The moment we engage in combat with the hidden named monster, you have to follow my orders. If you die while moving by yourself, you won¡¯t be compensated accordingly. If you die, it¡¯s going to be your loss.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be careful.¡± ¡°Either way, I¡¯m not going to die.¡± At Guy¡¯s order, everyone got closer to the temple. Nex they needed to discover how to call the hidden named monster. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * The atmosphere was starting to get denser. Every particle of the air became sharp as a blade made of ice. All the ones present there could feel it. The cold fog started to swirl around the temple. Swosh- The cold fog started to form a vortex that constantly grew in size. An ice vortex so big that it seemed to connect land and sky appeared in front of the group. [The cold weather makes your movements slower!] They were so intimidated by the sight that they couldn¡¯t read the message in front of them. It was hard to remember that they were in the middle of a virtual reality game. ZOOM- Suddenly, ice pillars rose from the ground and locked them up. The ice pillars blocked the sun. It was as if it was saying that there was no way out once you were there. They felt like gladiators locked up in a stadium made of ice. ¡°The quality of the production is just amazing.¡± ¡°It looks like a scene from a movie.¡± A few of the members talked very calmly to hide their nervousness, but what they couldn¡¯t hide was the cold sweat dripping from behind their necks. ¡°Everyone, prepare yourselves! The named monster is about to appear!¡± Guy shouted after seeing a white shadow that had appeared in the middle of the vortex. That was definitely the hidden named monster. They were trembling because of the pressure that characterized named monsters. He was also trembling. Guy bit his lips. If he, the strongest one of the group, was trembling, the other people were probably in a worse state than him. ¡°This is a named¡­ He makes you tremble regardless of your will.¡± It is clearly said on the page of Asrian Online. The game can control human emotions. It used your brain waves to make you feel fear or awe about something; researchers had concluded that the technology didn¡¯t have side effects. Getting your senses and emotions manipulated¡­ He had previously thought that the feature was nothing noteworthy. But at that moment, when he was in front of the named monster, he had changed his opinion. ¡°Did you come here in search of me?¡± At that moment, they heard a voice as cold as the ice. Because of the echo, it was hard to grasp the direction from where the voice was coming. They looked around in surprise. ¡­But there was no need for that. The owner of the voice, just like a fog, had suddenly appeared in front of them. The ice vortex disappeared. Instead, you could see an old magician wearing a white robe standing there. Magical runes covered his body. The old magician was looking at them with ominous eyes. [The forgotten Magician ¡®Leopard¡¯ has appeared!] ¨C Leopard was a very famous magician who was active in the war with the empire that happened 20 years ago. He used to say that he was a heavenly being. With the excuse of magical research, he has killed numerous people. His ways were so cruel that the royal family of Levia decided to sentence him to death. Leopard¡¯s robe became stiff because of the cold energy emanating from him. ¡°You commoners from earth can¡¯t defy me, a heavenly being. I¡¯m going to make sure you¡¯re not able to step inside this place ever again.¡± Along with his arrogant tone of voice, you could feel a very strong killing intent. All the members present there flinched. No one would¡¯ve been able to guess what happened to them at that time. One of the special effects of ¡®Sensory Synchronization¡¯ was the ability to cast hypnosis over the user. It was able to force changes in what humans felt. The signal sent from the capsule mixed with the brain waves and created a sensation called fear. ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± For a moment, they really feared for their lives. They¡¯d completely forgotten that it was a game. ¡°W¡­ What¡¯s happening?¡± Arneng was having trouble speaking; that¡¯s because he was having difficulties breathing. He looked around. Everyone¡¯s reaction was the same. Hell Dust was trying to breathe with his eyes wide open. ¡­He was barely standing. He really wanted to kneel down. He didn¡¯t have time to think about how they were able to create such a terrifyingly realistic experience in virtual reality. But Arneng was soon freed from the fear. Leopard had ended his gaming session for the day. ¡°One down.¡± The moment Leopard raised his wand¡­! Arneng, who had become rigid, turned into light and disappeared. [You¡¯ve lost more than 33% of your HP, so your body stopped working properly!] [You¡¯ve lost your heart!] [Since an important part of your body vanished, you died immediately!] [You¡¯ll be able to log in again in 48 hours.] With an influx of messages coming through one after the other, Arneng¡¯s consciousness returned to reality. Arneng¡¯s corpse disappeared. ¡°A-Arneng!¡± ¡®Arneng, a Warrior, was killed with just one shot?¡¯ Hell Dust was horrified. He couldn¡¯t believe that a level 30 Warrior had been killed so easily. Not only that, but even though Arneng was standing right next to him, he couldn¡¯t see what kind of magic he had been hit with. The only thing he could sense was that something had pierced through him. Leopard, who was standing far away in the distance, was smiling. ¡°This is just the beginning¡­¡± Swish- Another thing flew through the air. It all happened in an instant. Even though it was the second time Leopard had used the skill, no one was able to see through it. The speed of his spell was so fast that it was hard to follow it with their eyes. When everyone else noticed what was happening, Hell Dust had been killed already. Even Hell Dust wasn¡¯t able to see how he was killed. [You¡¯ve lost more than 33% of your HP, so your body stopped working properly!] [Your neck has been cut off!] [Since an important part of your body vanished, you died immediately!] [You¡¯ll be able to log in again in 48 hours.] ¡°Everyone, run! We must learn what the ability of the hidden named is first!¡± The leader, Guy, screamed while raising his fist. Arneng and Hell Dust had been defeated in just an instant, even though they were among the five strongest members of the group. The fact that they didn¡¯t know anything about the attack showed the severity of the situation. ¡®It¡¯s too dangerous.¡¯ Guy could feel the difference in power between them and the named monster. This wasn¡¯t the moment to strategize a plan. If they weren¡¯t careful, they would be wiped out! ¡°Another attack is coming! Everyone, please concentrate! Remember, our goal is to get as much information about this named monster as possible!¡± Their main objective had shifted from clearing the quest to trying to return alive. ____ Chapter 9 - Hidden Named Hunting Preparation (3) Chapter 9 ¨C Hidden Named Hunting Preparation (3) ¡°Do you think that you¡¯ll be able to evade my attacks?¡± Leopard, who was moving his wand, suddenly opened the palms of his hands. Whack- An air-cutting sound could be heard. At the same time, one of the users that was walking backwards twitched and convulsed. [You¡¯ve lost more than 33% of your HP, so your body stopped working properly!] [You¡¯ve lost both of your legs, so you won¡¯t be able to move!] [You¡¯re not going to recover your legs unless you get treated at a shrine or die!] Another person was hit. That time, it was his legs. He could avoid being killed since the attack didn¡¯t hit a vital point, but it was hard to feel relieved. The user who had lost both legs rolled around on the ground while screaming in pain. ¡°Hahaha! You became a roly-poly toy!¡± He couldn¡¯t hear Leopard¡¯s laughter. The user that had just been attacked was screaming because of the damage received. The truth was that the pain inflicted by virtual reality didn¡¯t hurt that much. If you could feel real pain inside a game, no one would dare to play it. Even if your legs and arms were cut off, the pain you felt hurt as if you¡¯d hit yourself with a doorknob. But the placebo effect was scarier than most people thought. In a game that looked just like real life, your emotions were controlled via your brain waves. While in the middle of a dangerous situation, you just don¡¯t have time to consider if the intensity of the pain you¡¯re feeling is real or not. Most people had never experienced the pain of having their extremities cut off, so that made the confusion worse. ¡°Ouch¡­! Log out! Log out!¡± [If you log out in the middle of a battle, you won¡¯t be able to log in for 48 hours!] [Do you really want to log out?] He subconsciously decided to escape to real life. He was only able to calm down after the brainwave protection system of the capsule kicked in. But the rest of the group had to keep fighting with Leopard. ¡®What should I do¡­?¡¯ Guy was starting to feel the pressure. Three people had died, but they still couldn¡¯t understand the nature of the opponent¡¯s attack. If things went on like that, everyone would die. Not only that, but because of the named monster¡¯s special effect, they were having a hard time breathing and couldn¡¯t think properly. ¡°So you¡¯re the leader, huh?¡± At that moment, Leopard began targeting Guy. He had discovered that Guy was the one leading the party, so he wanted to get rid of him first. Whoosh- In front of Leopard¡¯s wand, a magic circle appeared. The spell that had killed Arneng and Hell Dust was targeting Guy. Bang- The moment Guy heard the vibrations of the wind, his eyes opened wide. With all the strength he had left, he tried to move his shoulders. With a little bit of pain, he could feel his arm being detached from his body. [You¡¯ve lost more than 33% of your vitality, so your body stopped working properly!] [You¡¯ve lost your left arm!] [You¡¯re not going to recover your arm unless you get treated at a shrine or die!] He heard a rock behind him break. Guy turned around. That¡¯s when he finally learned what the magic that couldn¡¯t be seen was. ¡°Ice¡­?¡± A very sharp piece of ice was stuck in the middle of a rock. The ice was so smooth and transparent that it looked like a diamond. The ice could pierce through everything because Leopard had applied a magic that made the ice rotate faster, thus increasing the damage output. ¡°You¡¯re lucky my ?Ice Top? missed you. It should¡¯ve pierced your heart, but you won¡¯t get lucky twice.¡± Leopard, the magician, moved arrogantly and once again pointed at Guy with his wand. The magic circle in front of his wand began spinning. Up until then, he had used only one type of magic. ?Ice Top?. That was the identity of the spell that was so fast that it was impossible to see. Every time someone was hit with the ice, you could hear screams. Arneng, Hell Dust, and another guild member couldn¡¯t avoid death. The leader, Guy, had managed to live, but he had lost his left arm, so he wasn¡¯t able to engage in battle. Guy was starting to feel frustrated. They were all being killed with a single shot; they would all be wiped out if things went on like that. ¡®There¡¯s no way this named monster is level 30¡­! He¡¯s probably level 60! There¡¯s also a chance he¡¯s over level 70!¡¯ Guy tried to guess as much information about the named monster as possible. Even if he was in a low-level area, his level was really high. Did he say that the name was quick¡­? It definitely suits it. That magic wasn¡¯t something you could see and evade¡ªit was too fast for that. Smash, Smash! You could hear something breaking, followed by the scream of someone. That time, two guild members standing in the attack¡¯s trajectory died with just one hit. Whoosh- Was there no end to Leopard¡¯s mana pool? After forcing many players to log out, he kept waving his wand and rotating the magic circle. There was no way out of it. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * ¡°Everyone, attack! Even if you die, do it while attacking!¡± As soon as Guy gave an order, everyone launched an attack directed toward Leopard. The Magicians attacked him with flames, and those who didn¡¯t know how to use magic used their bow and arrows. Flames and arrows poured over Leopard. The Warriors raised their swords and charged towards him. Leopard laughed at the attacks that were coming his way. ¡°What a bunch of losers.¡± ?Snow Shield?. Stomp-! Leopard¡¯s wand hit the floor, and thus his second magic activated. Thousands of ice pellets began rotating with him at the center¡ªit was truly a shield made of snow. Thuck- The arrows disintegrated when they hit the ice pallets and scattered away. All the Warriors froze. After a few seconds, they were covered in a light, and then they faded away. Wh¡­ What kind of magic¡­?¡± Guy was shocked after seeing Leopard¡¯s new skill. The guild¡¯s firepower became useless instantly as the four Warriors faded away. His mouth was agape in awe. The difference between them was too big. ¡°You will all die.¡± Whoosh-. Leopard extended his wand, and the magic circle in front of it started to spin. Bang! There was the sound of air being torn away. The ?Ice Top? pierced him while making a loud noise that reminded him of a bullet. ¡°Ugh-!¡± A short scream came out of Guy¡¯s mouth; the sound hit the ice walls and echoed through the space. Only after seeing the massive influx of messages did he become conscious of what was about to happen to him. [You¡¯ve lost more than 33% of your HP, so your body stopped working properly!] [The attack has pierced your head, so you died instantly!] [You¡¯ll be able to log in again in 48 hours.] Even Guy became light and faded away. ¡°Even the leader was defeated¡­¡± ¡°This plan was a complete failure¡­ He¡¯s just too strong, to begin with¡­! How are we even supposed to defeat him?!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be able to kill him until we reach level 100.¡± What that person said was very close to reality. After all, Leopard¡¯s level was 95! Considering that hidden named bosses were stronger than the average monster, they were most likely to fail even if 20 level 100 players attacked Leopard. From the beginning, he wasn¡¯t someone that level 20~30 newbies could fight and win. Once Guy, the leader, was defeated, it didn¡¯t take long for the rest of them to be annihilated. Leopard breathed a chill cold enough to freeze the eyebrows and completely destroyed the remaining users. ?Ice Top?. ¡­An ice bullet so fast that it was almost impossible to see it. Every time Leopard pointed to someone, a hole appeared on the target¡¯s body. Sometimes, Leopard, who was covered with a blizzard, jumped right into the middle of the party. The moment people even touched it, thousands of rotating ice shards would pierce them. In the middle of the storm, light rays went up into the sky. And finally¡­ Leopard¡¯s ice blue temple returned to normal. After a while, all the corpses of the guild members disappeared. If it wasn¡¯t for the trace of the fight, it seemed like nothing had happened there. ¡®What should I do?¡¯ It wasn¡¯t like everyone from the team sent there had died. The youngest member of the guild, Tarr Tarr, was still alive. He was hiding behind the rock, holding his breath. He covered his mouth with his hands to avoid breath from leaking out. ¡®Has everyone else died?¡¯ It was his first time experiencing something like that. The moment the named boss started leaking a very strong killing intent, he became scared and escaped alone. It wasn¡¯t that he did it on purpose. If a third party saw what he did, they¡¯d call him a coward. After all, everyone but himself had died. As time went on, Tarr Tarr began worrying. What if there was someone that saw him escaping? If he returned alive alone, there might be some people who would point their fingers at him and call him an egoist. If he got put on a blacklist, no other guild would accept him as a member. Maybe he should have died together with the rest of the members. Tarr Tarr made up his mind. The boss was still there, so dying shouldn¡¯t be hard. If he also died there, he would be able to say that he also had been killed while fighting. Tarr Tarr had decided to die at the hands of the named boss. Right at that moment¡­ ¡®Who¡¯s that¡­?¡¯ Tarr Tarr had gotten up to commit suicide when he saw two people. He hid again. He saw two people wearing black robes entering the ¡®Blue Temple.¡¯ ¡®Are they human?¡¯ Since they were wearing hooded robes, he couldn¡¯t see their faces. The only thing he could see was their body type. One was just as small as he was; the other person was a little big bigger than him. ¡®Did they get here by mistake? No, that can¡¯t be. In the first place, to come here, they should be skillful. After all, the monsters around here are strong.¡¯ But they weren¡¯t carrying any weapons. Not only that, the only protective gear they were wearing was the black robe. The first impression he had of them was that they looked like people that were wandering around. You¡¯d get flustered when walking around the Dark Forest and entering the Blue Temple. The temperature difference is very notable. But those people not only were not flustered, but they also seemed very calm. It was as if they knew everything they needed to know about the place. ¡®That can¡¯t be, right?¡¯ For a moment, Tarr Tarr thought about something ridiculous. Once again, he tried to think rationally. Those people were probably hunting in an area near there, and they¡¯d just discovered by pure luck the place where the named boss was. ¡®No, they¡¯re going to die soon. So they¡¯re unlucky.¡¯ After all, it was the home of the hidden named monster, Leopard. Tarr Tarr, who had seen Leopard fighting, was sure about something. At the moment, there wasn¡¯t a player with a level high enough to beat Leopard. Those two are not going to be the exception. ¡®I¡¯ll need to push back the suicide mission for a little while.¡¯ Tarr Tarr decided to remain hidden. After all, it probably wouldn¡¯t take a lot of time. ____ Chapter 10 - The Spirit that Wanted to Become a Chapter 10 ¨C The Spirit that Wanted to Become a Heavenly Being (1) ¡°There he is.¡± Ain pointed to something white that could be seen in the distance. That thing that looked like a human being was the hidden monster named Leopard. On the floor under his feet, traces of a previous battle could be seen. Hyun tilted his head. ¡°Why is the boss outside? Did someone else try to get him and fail?¡± ¡°That seems to be the case.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know who they are, but how foolish. It¡¯s been only one month since the game came out. Who in their right mind would try to catch Leopard so soon?¡± Hyun shook his head. ¡°Well, it really doesn¡¯t matter as long as we get the first kill achievement. Let¡¯s just hope he isn¡¯t a regen-type monster.¡± Hyun never thought that someone else would try to kill Leopard so soon. A level 95 named monster wasn¡¯t an opponent that could be defeated by a group of users around level 30. Within the user base of that time, there shouldn¡¯t be anyone who¡¯d be able to counter Leopard¡¯s skill, ?Snow Shield?. That skill surrounded the monster with thousands of rotating pieces of ice. The ice not only protected Leopard, but each rotating piece of ice could deal damage, so even getting close to him was hard. In the stage of the game they were in, Leopard should be the worst nightmare for players. Of course, that was from the point of view of players with normal jobs, but there¡¯s always an exception. ¡°Even if it¡¯s a hidden named monster, to us, it¡¯s nothing more than experience and items,¡± Hyun said while making a grim smile. ¡°Are we really going to be okay? It¡¯s a level 95 boss¡­¡± ¡°Huh? You don¡¯t trust me?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ In regards to hunting named monsters, you¡¯re quite trustworthy.¡± Ain nodded. Ain was better than Hyun in psychological warfare, but Hyun was better than her in everything else. It was hard to catch up to him in certain aspects, no matter how much she tried. It had been a long time since she had started admiring him. Hyun¡¯s abilities that made her admire him were also shining there in Asrian. Both of them had managed to kill 17 hidden named monsters. Hyun knew the attack pattern of every boss; that¡¯s why he was able to use creative strategies to counter them. Sometimes he used mean strategies, but either way, every single plan of his ended up in success. Even for a fellow former Asra Online ranker, the things he could pull off were impressive and praise-worthy. ¡®If Hyun says that it¡¯s possible, we should at least try it.¡¯ Ain began warming up while looking up-front. Leopard had noticed them and was coming to where they were standing. ¡°There were some small fry left? You¡¯re just simple human beings anyway.¡± Leopard mumbled while pointing them with his wand. ¡°I¡¯ll also send you to the other world.¡± ?Ice Top?. Not long before, no one had been able to avoid his attacks. Even a small touch had been enough to kill them. Leopard was sure that it would be the same with those two. Annoyed, he moved his hand and launched his attack. He was about to turn around because he thought he had killed the insignificant bugs. ¡°What¡­?¡± Since a fearless little girl was coming at him, he launched an attack without thinking twice. At first, he thought a single attack would be enough to break her neck, but he was forced to turn around. Even after launching his attack, the opponent was still standing there as if nothing had happened. Leopard frowned. Since he had turned around after attacking, he hadn¡¯t seen what had happened. Was it a coincidence? Did he make a mistake while calculating the trajectory of the magic? Once again, he pointed at her and launched another attack. This time, he would definitely put an end to her. The ice made a sharp noise and flew towards her. And then¡­ ¡°What¡­!¡± That time, he saw it clearly. ¡ªWhy his magic hadn¡¯t touched her. The moment the ?Ice Top? was about to pierce her chest, she had brushed it off with the palm of her hands. The flight trajectory of the magic had changed. Leopard was in shock after seeing such an amazing stunt. ¡°How did she do it¡­?¡± During his lifetime as a magician of the Magic Country and after becoming a spirit, Leopard had fought many enemies. Among them, some people had been able to defend themselves against his attacks. Most either did it with a shield or defensive magic; some people with extremely good sight were able to do it with their swords, but it was his first time seeing someone using their hands to brush away a magic attack. Leopard was frustrated after seeing such a feat that went against common sense. After seeing such an unusual thing, Leopard was lost in words. How was she able to brush off an attack that could pierce steel with such little hands? But unlike what Leopard was thinking, Ain wasn¡¯t having an easy time. Brushing off an attack with the hands may have seemed easy, but it really wasn¡¯t. There were a lot of complex strategies involved. She couldn¡¯t make a single mistake. One mistake meant death. Ain kept remembering everything Hyun had just explained to her. ¡°The main attack of the boss is called ?Ice Top?.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a simple attack that consists of shooting a piece of ice, but it¡¯s extremely fast¡ªeven you¡¯re going to have a hard time avoiding it.¡± ¡°The damage output is more than 10,000, so if it touches you, you¡¯re dead.¡± ¡°My ?One Second Immortality? gives you 50 extra defensive stats, so it can¡¯t block 10,000 damage.¡± The first time she¡¯d heard Hyun¡¯s explanation, she thought it¡¯d be impossible to pull it off. ¡­A magic so fast it was impossible to avoid it. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * The damage output was too high to block it with the ?One Second Immortality? defensive skill. Under those conditions, anyone else would have given up, but Hyun ended up finding an answer. ¡°When the magic comes flying in your direction, brush it off and forcefully change its path. Normally, you¡¯d lose your arms if you tried something like this¡­¡± ¡°But if I reinforce your defensive stats with ?One Second Immortality? during that short period, the situation changes!¡± That was what Hyun had thought. Normally, even if you managed to do that, you¡¯d still lose your hands because of how high the damage was. In Asrian Online, there was a system that if you received more than 33% of damage at once, you wouldn¡¯t be able to use the part of the body that received the attack. But what if the defense against magic increased by 50? In Asra and Asrian online, there was a bonus for being precise. Just like you got critical hit damage by attacking the opponent at a vital point, by brushing off the opponent¡¯s attack, depending on the angle, the damage received decreased. If you could decrease the damage output to a certain point, you could perfectly block any attack with ?One Second Immortality?. The problem was that this was all in theory. ¡°The magic will come flying in your direction when the wand shines.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a margin of 0.2 to 0.3 seconds. But if it¡¯s you, you should be able to react.¡± Whoosh- Leopard¡¯s wand illuminated. Ain made sure to keep her eyes wide open. Her body moved faster than she thought was possible. The moment she twisted her waist, she was able to brush off the incoming attack with her hands. Just before her hands touched the ice, Hyun applied his ?One Second Immortality? on her. Smash- The piece of ice missed Ain and hit a tree behind her. The damage Ain received by pulling that off was zero: She hadn¡¯t received any damage. Oof- Ain sighed in relief. ¡¸Do you think you¡¯ll be able to do it?¡¹Hyun asked Ain. Yes, of course. Although my hands are tingling a little bit.¡¹ ¡¸Okay, then let¡¯s do it.¡¹ They were talking via whisper, which was something reserved for friends. They had chosen to talk that way because they were in the middle of a battle, and there was a risk of not being able to hear what the other person was saying. In order to dissipate the opponent¡¯s attack, Hyun rushed towards the back of the boss monster. Whish- The wand illuminated again. And once more, Ain was able to brush it off. Hyun had been able to synchronize his ?One Second Immortality? with the exact moment Ain dismissed the ice bullet. The time necessary to recast ¡®Ice Top¡¯ was longer than the one of ?One Second Immortality?, which was 10 seconds. Hyun had already made all the necessary calculations and was ready to use his skill at any moment. Hyun had managed to cast the buffs at the exact time. The two moved in perfect synchrony as if they were only one person. If one person made a mistake, they¡¯d both die. You could say that their harmonious way of fighting was beautiful. The boss kept attacking them. The direction in which the wand was pointed changed. Hyun¡¯s eyes widened. That time, he was the target! His reaction timing wasn¡¯t that much worse than Ain¡¯s. He focused all his attention and brushed off the attack perfectly¡­ Or that¡¯s what he thought. Unlike Ain, he couldn¡¯t manage to do it perfectly. [You¡¯ve received 15 damage!] He had received some damage because of the angle from which he dismissed Leopard¡¯s attack. But Hyun still had a lot of health left, so that didn¡¯t make them change their original plan. ¡®Unlike Ain, I¡¯m using a skill while also defending. Doing this much while having my attention span divided into two is impressive enough.¡¯ Even if he saw that his magic wasn¡¯t working, Leopard didn¡¯t give up and cast the spell again and again. His wand pointed towards Ain once more. Hyun naturally changed the target of the buff. ?One Second Immortality?! Whoosh- The moment Leopard¡¯s wand illuminated¡­ He shot his attack right in front of Ain. Wiping out an attack coming from a short distance required a little bit more skill. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Ain groaned a little bit. The moment she brushed off Leopard¡¯s attack, she extended her right hand. Now that she had managed to reduce the distance between them, Ain¡¯s first attack began. Claws covered in fire scratched Leopard¡¯s white robe. [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 823 damage!] ¡°Ugh¡­ How dare you hurt me! Okay, then I¡¯ll erase you from existence!¡± Leopard hit the ground with his wand. Whoosh ¨C A magic circle appeared around him, and the air around him began fluctuating. Hyun already knew what was about to happen. ¡¸Back off!¡¹ Ain had already moved backward before Hyun shouted. Leopard finished casting his spell. Thousands of ice pieces, sharp as a knife, began rotating just like a tornado. It was a perfect defensive shield that could block both physical and magical attacks. Leopard had just used his perfect defensive skill, ?Snow Shield?. ¡°What are you going to do now? Are you feeling the powerlessness of being a criminal who has dared to defy a celestial being?¡± Leopard was undefeatable as long as the rotating ice pieces didn¡¯t stop. Since it was impossible to get closer, attacking him wasn¡¯t possible. But Hyun already knew about this skill, so he had already thought of a plan to counter it. If there were no way to destroy ?Snow Shield?, he wouldn¡¯t have dared to challenge Leopard. ¡®Now!¡¯ Hyun was watching Leopard from behind when he jumped right into the snowstorm. Throwing himself into a tornado made of thousands of ice pieces as sharp as a knife seemed silly. If another person saw him doing, they¡¯d probably think he had committed suicide. Of course, Hyun wasn¡¯t planning to die so easily. ?One Second Immortality? ?Shield? Hyun applied his two skills to himself at the same time. Thousands of ice pieces attacked him, but more than hurting, they tickled him. Hyun¡¯s HP wasn¡¯t decreasing at all. It was all thanks to the 50 defensive stats that his ?One Second Immortality? gave. If it was against a skill that consisted of many small different pieces attacking simultaneously, his ?One Second Immortality? was practically invincible. Crumble- All the rotating pieces of ice fell to the ground at the same time. Leopard¡¯s defensive skill had been canceled by ?Shield?. The requirements to activate ?Shield? were different from other defensive skills. Instead of the user, it depended on the enemy. He used to criticize this skill because of this same reason. But right now, what he thought was a weakness was playing in his favor. Hyun didn¡¯t need to penetrate Leopard¡¯s defense¡ªactivating ?Shield? and jumping at him was enough. [ ?Shield?¡¯s casting cooldown has been reset! ] And there was another thing¡­ Every time he got hit by an opponent¡¯s attack, the cooldown time went down by five seconds. It was a skill that had been designed to counter Leopard¡¯s ?Snow Shield? perfectly. ____ Chapter 11 Hard Carry Support Chapter 11 ¨C The Spirit that Wanted to Become a Heavenly Being (2) Because of the snowstorm, Hyun had become completely frozen. He was able to block the damage, but he couldn¡¯t do anything against the abnormal status. ¡°Please free me!¡± The moment Hyun shouted, Ain used her flames to melt down the ice. You couldn¡¯t hurt the same party members, so Hyun didn¡¯t receive any damage. Leopard was still stunned because of ?Shield?. Fwoosh- Ain rapidly ignited both hands. Leopard, who didn¡¯t have any protection, was fully exposed to Ain¡¯s attack. [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 852 damage!] [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 841 damage!] [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 830 damage!] [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 848 damage!] ¡­ Every single attack ended up being a critical hit. Ain had managed to land more than ten attacks on Leopard in just an instant. Although it looked like a cat scratching a post, so it didn¡¯t look cool. ¡°Ugh¡­ How dare you humiliate me like this?! Playtime is over. I¡¯ll kill you both right now!¡± The moment Leopard woke up from the stun, his white robe had turned black because of Ain¡¯s attack. But he was so angry that he didn¡¯t even care how he looked. Whoosh ¨C Leopard¡¯s wand began vibrating. He was about to cast ?Snow Shield? again. Ain quickly stopped attacking and backed off. Hyun once again ran towards the snowstorm. The cooldown time of his skills had already refreshed. Crumble- The ?Snow Shield? stopped before the ice pieces could even begin spinning. Ain unfroze Hyun while attacking Leopard. ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± Leopard¡¯s eyes had turned red. His white skin, just like his robe, had become tanned. Normally, humanoid boss monsters had good defensive skills but low HP. If Leopard couldn¡¯t use ?Snow Shield?, he was just a named monster that could attack fast. Maybe not so weak, but that comparison wasn¡¯t that far off. ¡¸He isn¡¯t using that anymore.¡¹ ¡¸Artificial intelligence has gotten really good. There isn¡¯t a notable difference compared to real people.¡¹ He hadn¡¯t used that skill again after they¡¯d managed to cancel his ?Snow Shield? twice. Was it because he had discovered that they could counter his magic very easily? That was when the real fight started. Hyun used supporting skills from a distance. Ain and Lepard were each spitting out fire and ice. ¡ªThe fire and ice mixed with each other. Even though it was a fight between Magicians, it looked like a battle between two Warriors. Since Ain preferred fighting from a close range, Leopard couldn¡¯t move away, even if he wanted to. Because of how fast Ain was, Leopard couldn¡¯t increase their distance. Ain covered her hands in fire and landed attacks that were critical hits most of the time. Every time Leopard¡¯s wand shone, Hyun used his ?One Second Immortality?. Seeing Ain brush away the ice attacks from a really short distance was certainly very impressive. Hyun could already see how the battle would end. She used to play as a werewolf. In close-range combat, you need to be able to read your opponent¡¯s next move. In those types of fights, even he was no match for her. Not only that, but she was also good at psychological warfare. Even if it was a named monster, she wasn¡¯t someone a mere Magician could win against. [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 843 damage!] [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 835 damage!] Just as she thought, in Ain¡¯s system message, there were only alerts that said that the attack had been successful. At some point, the fight became one-sided. Ain mixed feints in her attacks; sometimes, she changed the timing and rhythm of her attacks just to screw with Leopard. From time to time, Leopard tried to activate ?Snow Shield?, but it always failed. Every time his skill activated, Ain just backed off and waited for him to be stunned, then she resumed her attacks. Hyun smiled bitterly. Watching the boss being beaten up was like looking at himself a few days prior. If he were in Leopard¡¯s place, he would have logged out. ¡°This can¡¯t be¡­ A celestial being like me can¡¯t lose to insignificant earthlings like you!¡± Creak-! With the sound of the surrounding air freezing, an incredibly cold chill came out from Leopard. It felt like he was about to freeze the entire world. Leopard had just used all the mana he had left. Even Tarr Tarr, who had been watching everything that had happened from a distance, froze for about 20 seconds. Ain covered herself in flames and protected herself from the cold. She then used those same flames to melt Hyun, who had frozen. Right at that moment, a rotating piece of ice flew towards them, but at the perfect timing, Hyun¡¯s ?One Second Immortality? skill activated; Ain used that opportunity to brush off his attack. ¡°It¡¯s over,¡± said Hyun. Ain nodded. That magic Leopard had just used that looked like it would be able to freeze the entire world was his last card. He used that technique when he only had 5% of his HP left. Since he didn¡¯t have any mana left, Leopard was just a punching bag. ¡°See? I told you we could beat him.¡± At Hyun¡¯s smile, Ain replied with a low tone of voice. ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ I honestly thought that you were being unreasonably optimistic. I was even prepared to die.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t like there weren¡¯t any dangerous moments, but I¡¯ve always believed in you.¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± At Hyun¡¯s confession-like reply, she stretched her waist. Suddenly, Ain¡¯s hand got covered in a fire. She was feeling shy after hearing Hyun¡¯s words. With her hands covered with fire, she hit Leopard many times consecutively. Then, they got a message from the system. [The Forgotten Magician Leopard has been defeated!] [You¡¯ve cleared it with a party of two people!] [You¡¯re the first ones to defeat Leopard! Your Magical Power has permanently increased by 5 points!] ¨C Leopard was born as a normal human being. But from the first moment he learned about the Heavenly Beings, he had yearned to become one of them. Later on, he convinced himself that he was a Heavenly Being, and during his lifetime, he tried to reach the Sky City. But he ended up being executed by the orders of the Royal Family. You¡¯ve successfully managed to end his misery. Bravo! ¡°He¡¯s already dead¡­ Why are you still hitting him?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ain kept punching Leopard¡¯s corpse for a while. * * * * * * It had been three weeks since Asrian Online had opened its doors. Players in the Hall of Fame had surpassed level 40. The user in the number 1 ranking was at level 50. Other players were rapidly catching up. They were no longer the unofficial number 1. But it wasn¡¯t like they hadn¡¯t made any progress. Just taking a glimpse at their status windows was enough to see that their stats had improved a lot. Hyun (Lv. 47) HP: 658/658 Mana: 450/450 Job: Support (Hidden) [Strength: 2] [Agility: 48] [Vitality: 14] [Magical Power: 45] [Empathy: 120] Skills ¨C [¡ù You have 46 unused skill points!] Ain (Lv. 46) HP: 460/460 Mana: 1680/1680 Job: Close Range Magician (Hidden) [Strength: 23] [Agility: 60] [Vitality: 10] [Magical Power: 153 (+15)] Skills ¨C [¡ù You have 45 unused skill points!] Titles ¨C Their stats had changed a lot! Hyun felt happy just by seeing the status window. If his status window got leaked on the internet, the boards would go crazy. The sudden appearance of someone who had remained in the dark and with stats that didn¡¯t match the level would make everyone astonished. It was all thanks to the first kill bonus rewards. Those past few weeks, they had managed to kill 18 hidden named monsters. When they had fought Leopard, their Magical Power had already gone up by 5 points. That¡¯s the equivalent of leveling up two or three times. When you level up, you get two stat points, so their current stats were equivalent to a player of level 90. It had a different meaning than leveling up to 90 as fast as possible. ¡®The initial growth rate becomes completely different¡­ When I reach level 90, I¡¯ll have the stats of a level 130 player!¡¯ Despite all this, they decided to stop the hidden named monster hunting temporarily. The more levels a hidden named monster had, the stronger it became. Not only that, but they also had a more diverse attack and defense pattern. Leopard was probably the last hidden named boss they could safely win against. Thanks to defeating many named monsters, their inventory was full of rare items. They sold the items they didn¡¯t need to the blacksmith for the highest price possible. As of then, they weren¡¯t using the Auction House because the rare items were being sold for money rather than gold. Even if he posted the item on the Auction House, how many users had thousands of gold coins to use? ¡®The only item left is this one.¡¯ He hadn¡¯t sold the items that could be useful to a Support, but among them, there were some he wasn¡¯t sure about. [ Leopard¡¯s Wand (Unique) ] Requirement: [Magical Power 130] Durability: (130/130) Attack: 5 Magical Power Increase: 30% Critical Hit Damage Increase: 30% Increased Element Magic Damage: 50% ¨C By successfully landing five ice attacks, you¡¯ll freeze your opponent. ¨C The speed of projectile-type magics is increased by 1.5 times. The wand they had obtained after defeating Leopard was one of those items that was hard to deal with. The specs were incredible. If he were to sell the item for money, he could probably ask for a high price. At this point of the game, there shouldn¡¯t be a lot of users with unique items, and that one had a lot of specs, even for a unique item. ¡®It really isn¡¯t useful for me.¡¯ Since the Support¡¯s main stat was Empathy, they didn¡¯t benefit from the increase in Magical Power. Also, the fact that the weapon of choice wasn¡¯t important for a support was something most RPG games had in common. Then, was it useful for Ain? Not really. ¡®There¡¯s no way she¡¯d use a weapon like a wand.¡¯ For Ain, whose attack consisted in covering her hands with fire, using a handheld weapon was impossible. From the information they¡¯d gotten up until then, the weapon of a Close Range Magician was a glove. ¡®So¡­ It seems like there¡¯s only one way to deal with this.¡¯ Hyun was thinking about item enhancement. Item Enhancement consisted in transferring one item¡¯s special effects to another one. Every big city had an item enhancer. But even in Asra Online, he really didn¡¯t visit an item enhancer frequently. The first reason was that it required you to spend a lot of money. The second reason was that the success of an enhancement depended on probability. If the item enhancement failed, you would lose both the item and money. ¡®I¡¯ve sworn not to use the services of an item enhancer ever again¡­¡¯ It reminded him of the time he lost the Sword of the Supreme Being. That nightmarish day, he had lost both the item and money. He was so angry that he couldn¡¯t even cry. He was able to cry when he was in bed and about to sleep. ¡®But there¡¯s another way¡­¡¯ If the only way to get good items was via item enhancing, he couldn¡¯t avoid going to see the enhancer. ¡®Wait¡­¡¯ Hyun was about to give up when a thought came to his mind. Hyun began wondering about something. ¡®Why am I worrying about Ain¡¯s weapon? Shouldn¡¯t each person worry about their weapons?¡¯ It seemed like he subconsciously thought that she was his underling, and that¡¯s why he probably felt that he needed to get her a weapon. However, when he found himself in a difficult situation, the self-sustaining instinct kicked in. He was using Ain as an underling only when it benefited him. That really said a lot about what kind of human he was. But at the moment, he wasn¡¯t mature enough to realize that. * * * 32 rare armors. Eight rare accessories. Nine rare weapons. One unique weapon! While hunting hidden named monsters, he was able to obtain 18 items. The items he didn¡¯t need, he had put them in the auction house, and thanks to that, he had gotten 20,000 gold. Now he had nine rare items and one unique left. Hyun tried to distribute the items in the fairest way possible. ¡°The unique item is probably worth ten rare ones. Ain, you should get the unique weapon; I¡¯ll grab the rest. Regarding the gold, we can just split it into two.¡± Hyun got all the rare items, and Ain got Leopard¡¯s Wand. She seemed to have no complaints. ¡°Now, we should start getting equipment. Ain, maybe you should try item enhancing for your weapon. Oh, if either of us requires more money, each should go and hunt independently.¡± After saying that, Hyun glanced at Ain. If they thought they weren¡¯t getting a fair deal, people with a bad character would start screaming and swearing. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t mind.¡± Ain didn¡¯t seem to care. Hyun clenched his fists in joy. Of course, discreetly, so Ain wouldn¡¯t notice. ____ ____ Chapter 12 Hard Carry Support Chapter 12 ¨C The Day Things Don¡¯t Work Out (1) Hyun and Ain teleported to Loupra, one of the biggest cities of the Magic Country. Even at night, the streets of Loupra were full of life. In the Magic Country, artifacts that resembled neon signs illuminated the streets. It was like looking at the night view of a big city. The most important building of Loupra was the one that belonged to the Magician¡¯s Guild. Something that looked like an artificial sun was orbiting through the installations of the building. So even at night, inside the Guild, it was bright as day. They were using an artifact similar to an escalator to go up. They were there searching for the Guild¡¯s item enhancer. ¡°Everyone¡­ Is looking at us, right?¡± Ain asked Hyun with a low tone of voice. ¡°I think it¡¯s because of how we¡¯re dressed.¡± It wasn¡¯t their imagination. Everyone, from the guide to some clients, was looking at them. He was wearing the ¡®The Ghost Commander¡¯s Robe of Darkness¡¯ he had gotten while hunting ghosts. Hyun and Ain were wearing dark clothes, so in the eyes of some NPCs, they probably looked like suspicious people. ¡°Are you Dark Priests? This place isn¡¯t somewhere your kind can enter. Get out immediately!¡± The NPCs didn¡¯t try to hide their distrust towards them. Hyun denied it before the misunderstanding deepened. ¡°No, we¡¯re not dark priests!¡± ¡°Then¡­ Why are you wearing those clothes?¡± ¡°We¡¯re ¡®users,¡¯ we got these clothes while hunting!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The NPCs of the game knew about the existence of users. From their point of view, they had come from another dimension and were fundamentally different from them¡ªthat¡¯s why they gave users a lot of freedom. After ten minutes of explanations, they finally let him go. ¡°Damn it. I¡¯ll throw away these clothes as soon as possible.¡± Hyun felt the need to change his robes and equipment quickly. After walking for a while, they finally arrived at the Item Enhancer Department on the third floor. The interior looked like a luxurious department store¡¯s jewelry shop. The Magician, who was reading a book reclined on the sofa, looked at the awkwardly standing Hyun and Ain. ¡°Are you clients?¡± ¡°Yes, we¡¯re clients,¡± Hyun answered with an awkward tone of voice. The Item Enhancer began explaining. ¡°The prices are like this: Magic Items: 500 Gold, Rare: 2,000 Gold, Unique: 8,000 Gold. Ones from a higher category depend on each case. The success of the item-enhancing process isn¡¯t guaranteed. So even if it fails, there¡¯s no reimbursement.¡± After giving a cold and concise explanation, she again turned her eyes to the book. ¡°Once you¡¯re ready, give me the items you¡¯re going to give magic and the ones that¡¯ll be used as materials.¡± ¡°Excuse me¡­ Do you have a dressing room?¡± Hyun asked while carefully raising his hand. The item enhancer looked at Hyun. Then she hit the desk with her wand. At that moment, both Hyun and Ain teleported to the room next door. Hyun was flustered because the scenery had changed suddenly. But after seeing through the blind the place where they¡¯d just been, he understood what had happened. ¡°Is this a remote teleport magic circle¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, I think so.¡± ¡°It seems like that woman¡¯s level is quite high.¡± Drawing a magic circle that allowed another person to teleport required a third rank ascension. Because Hyun and Ain¡¯s levels were low, they were teleported before they could notice what was happening. Thud- Hyun took out the rare items inside his inventory he had obtained after beating the hidden named boss monsters. ¡ªFrom a full-body armor made of steel to a light one made of leather. Lastly, he took off the ¡®The Ghost Commander¡¯s Robe of Darkness.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯ll finally be able to throw this old and rugged robe away.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t the design okay?¡± ¡°No, I mean¡­ They say that it¡¯s better to throw away the old stuff, right? It¡¯s better to change items frequently.¡± He had been wearing that robe since level 20. If it were real life, it would probably stink. Hyun was about to take out from his inventory a robe worth three gold that the only good thing it had was the design when he noticed something weird. Ain was acting differently from usual. ¡®Did her eyes shine¡­? Now that he thought about it, she¡¯d been acting weird. Ain was walking in circles around ¡®The Ghost Commander¡¯s Robe of Darkness.¡¯ She was staring at the item as if she was analyzing it. She also got closer to the robe and placed her nose on it. ¡°Ain, what are you doing?¡± As Hyun called Ain, her shoulders shrugged. It was as if she¡¯d awakened after being hypnotized. ¡°Umm¡­ I was just¡­ The smell¡­ No, not that. I was just trying to see how much durability it had left!¡± ¡°Durability¡­?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°It should be similar to yours, right? After all, we began wearing them at the same time.¡± ¡°R¡­ Right? Since we began wearing them at the same time¡­¡± Hyun thought that Ain was acting weird but decided to ignore it. Even normally, he couldn¡¯t understand what Ain was thinking. It wasn¡¯t like she thought of something ridiculous once or twice. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go first. Come out when you¡¯re ready.¡± As Hyun walked out of the dressing room, the Magician looked at him and said in a dry voice. ¡°Rare item enhancement costs 2,000 gold. You need to pay first.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ It¡¯s a little bit expensive.¡± Hyun had a grim expression while taking a huge sum of gold out of his inventory. He was about to blow the money he had saved up through a lot of effort in enhancement. The moment he took out the money, the Magician took out a scroll. He didn¡¯t have time to mentally prepare for what was about to happen. The normal rarity robe began to shine. The process didn¡¯t even take three seconds. A few moments later, Hyun got a message from the system. [The item enhancement has failed.] [The Brilliant Pauldron of the Water Dragon (Rare) has been destroyed.] ¡°¡­?¡± * * * * * * Hyun couldn¡¯t understand what was happening. He just stared at her blankly. She looked at him as if nothing had happened. After a while, words came out of Hyun¡¯s mouth. ¡°Was that a try?¡± ¡°Yes, and it failed,¡± she coldly replied. ¡°Are you going to try again with another item? A rare one costs 2.000 gold.¡± More than being dishearted by the results, he was getting annoyed. Was item enhancement supposed to end so quickly? It was true that item enhancement was done with one click in Asra Online. He thought there would be some kind of special effects in Asrian Online, a game that used the latest technology. ¡®Anyways, the enhancement has failed, huh? Well¡­ I wasn¡¯t expecting for it to be a success on the first try.¡¯ Hyun took out the next rare item. Dale¡¯s Armor. It increased your HP by 20%, and when hit with an opponent¡¯s attack, it decreased the amount of damage received by 30%. A great new item would be born if the item enhancement was successful. ¡°Please, try to proceed slowly.¡± She nodded, but Hyun felt that talking to her was as if he were talking to a wall. The Magician took out a scroll from the drawer. Plaf ¨C He heard the sound of the wand hitting the desk. Then he received the same message. [The item enhancement has failed.] [The Armor of the Fallen Knight Dale (Rare) has been destroyed.] ¡°Here¡¯s 6,000 gold. I¡¯m not stopping until I get a successful enhancement!¡± ¡°Understood.¡± She took out three scrolls and hit them with the wand. The item enhancement that took a huge sum of money was over instantly. [The item enhancement has failed.] [Istal¡¯s Life (Rare) has been destroyed.] [The item enhancement has failed.] [The Blue Light Bone Armor (Rare) has been destroyed.] [The item enhancement has failed.] [Lamyla¡¯s Armor (Rare) has been destroyed.] He got three consecutive messages that said that the item enhancement had failed. He subconsciously hit the desk of the NPC with both hands. ¡°Are you kidding me?! How is this even possible?!¡± The probability of success was 50%. Shouldn¡¯t at least one have been a success? ¡°Isn¡¯t this rigged?¡± He had blown up 10,000 gold plus five rare items in just an instant. For a moment, he became blind because of anger. ¡°My money! My items!¡± Hyun was about to make a scene but suddenly stopped. Next to him, the Magician was applying pressure on him. ¡°Be quiet.¡± Just a stare was enough to suffocate him. She seemed to be using magic to apply pressure on his heart. He was short of breath and could feel his blood circulation accelerate. If it were real life, he would¡¯ve been seriously worried about possible side effects on his body. ¡°If you make a scene in the shop, I¡¯ll have to take measures. I don¡¯t decide whether an item enhancement will be successful or not. The success rate depends on your luck.¡± Once the Magician stopped applying pressure on him, he could finally breathe normally. ¡®A game that can control how you feel, huh? I almost lost my mind¡­! Also, can a shop employee treat the user like this?¡¯ At that moment, he felt that a game using the latest technology had many cons. ¡®That¡¯s not important. Right now, I need to think about how I¡¯m going to recover the gold and items I¡¯ve blown up!¡¯ 10.000 gold and five rare items had disappeared in just an instant. They were items he could have sold at the auction house for at least 1,500 gold each. ¡®I can¡¯t go back to hunting named monsters, but it will be hard from now on without good items¡­!¡¯ Until then, he¡¯d been able to confront enemies without any items. But from that moment on, things would get consistently harder. He needed to have the best items and new skills. But the item enhancement process had ruined all his plans. It reminded him of what had happened in Asra. Once again, he had to struggle because of the success rate! It made him want to cry. At that moment, he heard the woman¡¯s voice that made him want to cry. ¡°The percentage of success is low, but it has been successful.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Hyun lifted his head. There was a pair of gloves that had holes in the fingers on Ain¡¯s hands. It was just a normal pair of gloves that they¡¯d just bought. But the aura that came out of them wasn¡¯t normal. After checking out that item¡¯s specs, Hyun¡¯s eyes shook. [ Black Half Gloves (Unique) ] Requirement: [Magical Power 130] ¨C It has [Item: Leopard¡¯s Wand] embedded. Equipment created by Leopard while trying to replicate what the heavenly beings use. There¡¯s a powerful cold air incorporated into it. Durability: (50/50) Magical Power Increase: 30% Critical Hit Damage Increase: 30% Increased Element Magic Damage: 50% ¨C By successfully landing five attacks, you¡¯ll freeze your opponent. ¨C The speed of projectile-type magics is increased by 1.5 times. ¡°You¡¯ve successfully managed to get a unique item enhancing done on the first try?¡± Hyun had nightmares while playing Asra Online because of unique rarity item enhancement. What was the probability? Before Hyun thought of the answer, she told them. ¡°Congrats. The success rate of unique item enhancement is less than 20%, so I thought that it would fail.¡± Although the Magician had a mean tone of voice, at least he agreed with what she said that time. He had failed five times to get a successful rare item enhancement, but she had managed to get a unique item enhancement with a success rate of just 20%. ¡®This damn game¡­¡¯ He couldn¡¯t understand what had happened. ¡®This is all probably because of my bad luck. The unique item enhancement was probably successful because I offered five rare items as sacrifices.¡¯ ¡®Yes, there¡¯s no way that it¡¯s possible to get a unique item enhancement on your first try!¡¯ ¡®This means that I was partially responsible for her success. Then it should be okay to ask for compensation. Right?¡¯ Hyun was thinking about nonsensical things when he saw another light coming from the side. It was weaker than before but still enough to make Hyun surprised. ¡°Another success. But why would anyone embed a rare item in such a ragged thing?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t ragged,¡± Ain replied to the item enhancer. In her hands, she had a black robe. It was the ¡®The Ghost Commander¡¯s Robe of Darkness¡¯ he had just thrown to the floor. [ The Ghost Commander¡¯s Robe of Darkness (Rare) ] Requisite: [Level: 20], [Holy jobs can¡¯t use this item.] ¨C It has [Cloak of the Blood Fairy] incorporated into it. It¡¯s the cloak that the blood fairy Rede used to like wearing. When you¡¯re low in health, you need to avoid running wild with excitement. Durability: (24/70) ¨C When your health drops to less than 20%, your speed increases by 50%. ¨C This effect lasts for 60 seconds. ¡°This is for you.¡± Ain extended her hands with a smile on her face. In her hands, there was the jacket he had been wearing up until then. ¡°If it¡¯s Hyun, you should at least be wearing something like this. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± What Ain was wearing was the original robe she had obtained, and what she was giving Hyun was the one that had a rare item embedded in it. Even though Ain could wear it herself, she was giving it to him. ¡°Y¡­ You¡¯re giving that to me¡­?¡± Hyun was having a hard time closing his mouth because of the surprise. To be honest, he didn¡¯t like the robe because of the color, but that was when it didn¡¯t have a rare item embedded in it. Hyun was feeling happy. ¡®It was worth raising her up! She knows how to pay back her benefactor!¡¯ Hyun looked at ¡®The Ghost Commander¡¯s Robe of Darkness¡¯ again. ¡°Huh, wait a minute¡­¡± He felt slight discomfort. It wasn¡¯t anything notable, but he felt it was slightly different from the robe he had been wearing until recently. ¡°Is this mine¡­?¡± Hyun mumbled. Ain was shaking just like a little kid who had been discovered while making mischief. ¡°The durability seems too low.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ T¡­ That¡¯s¡­ Probably because¡­¡± Ain stuttered. When Hyun looked at her while wondering what had happened, she became flustered. ¡°Oh, what probably happened is that the durability got cut down in the process of enhancing.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Hyun scratched his head. Well, that really didn¡¯t matter. The durability could be increased. The cost of repairing a damaged item was almost free compared to enhancing one. A weapon for a Support, clothes for Ain, and other armors¡ªthey still needed a lot of things, but there was no need to hurry. If they kept getting the necessary items one by one, eventually, they would be fully equipped. ____ ____ Chapter 13 Hard Carry Support Chapter 13 ¨C The Day Things Don¡¯t Work Out (2) Since there was only one server in Asrian Online for the whole world, many things became trending news. People posted new threads in the communities with different strategies or videos all the time. ¡®Asrian Online¡¯ was the game with the biggest audience on most streaming platforms. Users often recorded their gameplays or downloaded different footage to make a highlight video and post it on YouTube. Since there was a lot of footage being uploaded all the time, most videos were buried, but some of them quickly became a hot issue. On Reddit¡¯s biggest Asrian Community, a video was rapidly becoming a hot topic. The title of the thread was written to grab any Asrian Online player¡¯s attention. In just a few hours, it was on Reddit¡¯s main page. You could see a guild trying to clear the raid in the video. Since the guild members in the video were very skillful, some were relatively famous among the community. ¨C Two-person clear? Isn¡¯t this a 20 people annihilation? At the beginning of the video, you could see a party of 20 being defeated. That¡¯s why many people thought that it was just clickbait. The video¡¯s highlight started when two people dressed in black robes appeared. Those two moved as if they¡¯d been playing together for many years. After seeing how they brushed off the named monster¡¯s attack, people felt cathartic. The most amazing thing was that they could defend themselves against an attack that couldn¡¯t even be seen. It was so incredible that you could even hear the person recording saying, ¡°How did they do that?¡± The reason why no one commented for many minutes was that everyone was watching that scene repeatedly. ¨C Is this Lattice? Lattice. The user that had posted that name had the most upvotes. Lattice was at level 50 and thus, the number 1 player in the hall of fame. Even though Lattice was at the top of the rankings, no one knew who the person was behind that character. That was because Lattice didn¡¯t make public appearances. ¨C If one of the two is Lattice. Who¡¯s the other person? ¨C It seems like one is doing all the damage. The other player appears to be supporting. ¨C But both have an amazing level of control over their characters. How many users are skillful enough to brush off an attack as fast as that with their hands? ¨C Oh my god. How are they doing that? I¡¯ve never thought that something like that was possible. It was unfortunate that the video was recorded from a distance. Because of the snowstorm going on, you couldn¡¯t see very well what was happening. ¨C Is that person really Lattice? Because of the black robe, the face can¡¯t be seen. Well, it isn¡¯t like we know how Lattice looks or anything. ¨C Are you all stupid? They¡¯re obviously NPCs. People began to take seriously what one user had commented. ¨C They could very well be NPCs. Unlike users, they aren¡¯t carrying weapons. Not only that, the skills they use are completely different. Their skills aren¡¯t among those that a Warrior, Thief, Magician, or Priest has available. ¨C They could be using hidden jobs, right? ¨C My friend, getting a hidden job isn¡¯t something as simple as asking your mom to give you something. Among the replies, there were some nonsensical ones. ¨C The person inside that robe is a woman! If you look carefully, you¡¯ll notice that something stands out around the chest area! Even though that post was written as a joke, it didn¡¯t change the fact that he was able to analyze the image with very sharp eyes. Sadly, no one took him seriously. ¨C loool, it¡¯s true that the height of that user is low¡­ But I don¡¯t think what you¡¯ve said is true. ¨C Go find your waifu somewhere else. That post had received more than a thousand comments in just one day. Some people discussed whether brushing off that attack with bare hands was even possible, but most were more interested in the identity of the two people wearing black robes. After an intense day of debate, most users began agreeing about their identity. ¨C It seems like they really are NPCs. Considering many things, that¡¯s the only possible answer. ¨C Do NPCs hunt named monsters? ¨C Someone else has commented about that before. This game¡¯s Artificial Intelligence is so advanced that you can¡¯t differentiate it from a real human being, so some NPCs act in a very similar way to users. ¨C Then, what country or organization are they from? Both seem to have jobs related to Magician. ¨C There¡¯s someone in the comment section that had analyzed both of them. According to that user, they¡¯re probably ¡®Dark Priests.¡¯ ¨C Wow¡­ So they¡¯re really NPCs? They¡¯re amazing¡­ Will a user ever be able to beat high-level NPCs? The one that had uploaded that video was Tarr Tarr. He was sitting alone in the park, on a chair next to a fountain. ¡°They kicked me out¡­¡± It had happened just a few hours ago. Tarr Tarr was officially kicked out of the guild. He still remembered the cold gaze everyone directed toward him. The only one who managed to survive in the fight against the named monster was Tarr Tarr: that basically meant that he hadn¡¯t properly participated in the battle, and that was why most guild members had begun thinking negatively about him. But the main reason why they kicked him out was another thing¡­ The leader of the guild shouted angrily at him. ¡°Why did you upload the video?! It took us a lot of effort to get information about the hidden named monster. Twenty people died for us to get information on this hidden named monster! But now, the entire world knows about this.¡± The leader couldn¡¯t calm down and began shouting at him again. ¡°We¡¯re not going to be able to get the title for being the first ones to kill a hidden named monster. And now, a stronger guild will probably take the hunting field from us!¡± To be honest, Tarr Tarr hadn¡¯t thought very deeply before posting the video. How both users fought the hidden named monster was too cool to see alone, and that was the reason why he had uploaded that video. Seeing the commentaries with the reaction of the people made him excited. Tarr Tarr, who was still a middle schooler, couldn¡¯t think and make decisions like an adult. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± He was just a kid. Facing such harsh criticism from the rest of the guild members was too much for him. It was his first time learning that someone had to take responsibility when something bad happened. Although he had left the guild on his own accord, it was as if they¡¯d kicked him out. He felt like a criminal, so he didn¡¯t dare to face the other guild members; that¡¯s why he walked out as if he was escaping. Even though Tarr Tarr was sitting in the park and around him there were many different people, he felt loneliness. He was angry with his timid and stupid self. ¡®I should¡¯ve let the boss kill me with the rest of the members. Then, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to record the video¡­ No, maybe I¡¯m just not fit to be part of a high-ranking guild.¡¯ He kept blaming himself for a while, and then he remembered the guild members with whom he had a good relationship. Especially Arneng and Hell Dust. He felt sorry. They¡¯d always told him that they were expecting great things from him, but in the end, he was just a disappointment. He had hid and watched them being killed at the hands of the named boss. ¡®I showed them a pitiful side of me until the end.¡¯ He was thinking lots of depressing things when someone tapped on his shoulder. He was able to awake from the negative thoughts. That sensation seemed familiar. Who was it? Tarr Tarr turned his head around. ¡°Why are you making such an expression?¡± ¡°Yeah, a man needs to be able to deal with situations like this.¡± It was Arneng and Hell Dust. They had treated him like their little brother when he was in the guild. Those two were standing right behind him. Tarr Tarr began crying. * * * * * * Maybe he just needed someone to spoil him. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ Because of me, the guild¡­ Coff¡­?!¡± The hand hitting his back, like always, made his mouth stop moving. ¡°Why are you sorry?¡± ¡°Because I survived alone¡­¡± ¡°You should try to live, of course! If it were either of us that was in your situation, we would have grabbed the guild leader by the collar after coming back alive. He pushed us into the enemy¡¯s hand without giving us proper information!¡± ¡°Oh, and about the guild.¡± Hell Dust immediately replied. ¡°We also left it.¡± ¡°What?!¡± ¡°Gaming is how we make money to live¡­ So rather than being tied to rules, we feel more comfortable by being free to do whatever we want.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true.¡± Arneng agreed to what Hell Dust said. ¡°But still¡­¡± Arneng suddenly changed the topic and didn¡¯t let Tarr Tarr finish his sentence. ¡°About the video you posted, I think it could cause you trouble.¡± Tarr Tarr shrugged. ¡°About that¡­ I¡¯m sorry. Because I¡¯ve uploaded that video, everyone came to know about the information on the named monster. I didn¡¯t intentionally leak information. Because of me, the guild¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re not part of the guild anymore! So it¡¯s as if they were strangers to you.¡± ¡°Huh? Then¡­¡± Tarr Tarr couldn¡¯t hide his surprise. Arneng kept talking. ¡°Uploading the footage of another user without their permission is wrong. You can generate income through YouTube, so it could create problems for you.¡± ¡°Another user?¡± Tarr Tarr was surprised. ¡°Weren¡¯t those two NPCs?¡± On Reddit, most people had concluded that those two were actually NPCs. They¡¯d given a very good explanation about why they thought that, and Tarr Tarr had agreed to what those people had commented. Because he had seen that fight with his own eyes, he still remembered the excitement he felt while watching that battle. Especially because Asrian had been barely online for a month, how those two fought was on another level from the rest of the users; that¡¯s why Tarr Tarr thought from the beginning that they were NPCs. ¡°I also thought that they were NPCs in the beginning. I¡¯ve never seen anyone use the equipment or skills they had. Also, how they were able to move.¡± ¡°I almost overlooked it, but once I watched closer, I noticed something. Take out the unedited video.¡± Tarr Tarr opened the footage of that battle as a hologram. While smiling, Arneng pointed to a certain part. He could clearly see footage that didn¡¯t make the video¡¯s final cut. ¡°See? When one of them froze, the other one melted the ice using a fire attack. I¡¯m sure NPCs couldn¡¯t do something like this.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Now that you say it¡­!¡± ¡°They¡¯re party members! You can¡¯t apply damage to another member of the same party. This means that those two are users.¡± Tarr Tarr remembered another similar scene. He had seen the battle happen in real-time. Not only that, he had seen the video over and over again¡ªso he remembered every single scene. There was definitely a scene where one party member melted the ice covering the other person. The fact that they could use the party system meant they were users. If he had put that scene on the edited video, the conclusion of Reddit users would¡¯ve been different. ¡°Then, is that Lattice?¡± Tarr Tarr asked with a serious expression. ¡°Well, it could be¡­ But I don¡¯t know why, but I think it¡¯s another person,¡± Hell Dust answered. ¡°I also think so. From what we know, Lattice is someone that likes playing alone¡­ Even if one of the people that appeared in the video was Lattice, what about the other one?¡± ¡°They¡¯re probably users that haven¡¯t registered in the hall of fame. This world is definitely bigger than what we thought.¡± ¡°Amazing¡­ There are people on top of the rankers?¡± Arneng and Hell Dust were immersed in their conversation, but Tarr Tarr was beginning to feel anxious. If what they said was true, he had uploaded footage of another player to the internet without their consent. ¡°W¡­ What should I do?¡± Tarr Tarr was about to cry. Using the game footage of another person without their consent was a crime. They could take you to court because of it. If they used that footage and sued him, he would definitely lose. ¡°You need to talk with those people. Since the video has gained quite a lot of popularity, maybe they¡¯ll contact you first through YouTube.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t your intention to earn money from another person¡¯s work, so I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be okay.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t even turn on monetization¡­ So you really haven¡¯t earned money at all from the video.¡± ¡°But if you get to meet these people, at least say sorry to them.¡± Arneng and Hell Dust talked to Tarr Tarr in a mean way to scare him a little bit, but deep down, they knew that he wouldn¡¯t get into trouble for something like that. Since gaming was their livelihood, they knew a lot about streaming or uploading gaming footage. They also knew from what point things could get serious. Not only that, if trouble were to arise, they were willing to help Tarr Tarr deal with it. On the other hand, Tarr Tarr was frightened. He thought he should try to find the people on the video as soon as possible. ____ ____ Chapter 14 Hard Carry Support Chapter 14 ¨C The Day Things Don¡¯t Work Out (3) Lately, Hyun and Ain had been properly hunting for the first time since they began playing the game. Level 110 elite monster ¡®Cursed Subject.¡¯ According to common sense, it wasn¡¯t a monster that could be hunted down by users that weren¡¯t even level 50. Just one hit could put their lives in danger. Not only that, but users of level 50 usually struggled to overcome the defense of monsters that were above level 100. But what would happen if you could deal damage far above what an average level 50 player could? Every time Ain¡¯s hand touched the ¡®Cursed Subject,¡¯ it burned while crying in pain. Even considering that its body was made of wood and that fire was its weakness, it was a ridiculously high amount of damage. ¡°Wow¡­ Is such an amount of damage even possible?¡± The damage output of Ain¡¯s skill was above what a level 100 user could achieve. ¡®Ain currently has 170 magical power¡­¡¯ The Close Range Magician¡¯s skill, ?Flame Claws?, dealt damage five times the user¡¯s Magic Power. On top of that, you had to add the numerous bonuses of the weapon. ¡®Increase Magical Power by 30%¡¯. ¡®Increase Elemental Damage by 50%¡¯. Also, Increase Critical Hit Damage by 30%¡¯! By using a weapon, she had increased the damage output 2.5 times. A unique item was truly something amazing. It was worth the amount of gold they had spent on the item enhancement. ¡®Still, there¡¯s a clear weakness.¡¯ Even though Ain¡¯s Magical Power was 170, she only had ten stats in vitality. Since she only had 500 HP, only one mistake would be enough to kill her! Ain played as a glass cannon: she could deal an amazing amount of damage, but her body was like a piece of paper. ¡®Well, it really doesn¡¯t matter as long as she doesn¡¯t get hit.¡¯ The reason why Ain could grow in such an unbalanced way was thanks to Hyun. Some elite monsters could deal AoE damage or targeted attacks that you couldn¡¯t avoid. Even if you were a skillful player, you couldn¡¯t avoid heavy rain. Some of the monsters¡¯ attack patterns affected the area around you, so you couldn¡¯t overcome them with your controlling abilities. That¡¯s when Hyun¡¯s support shone. Thanks to ?One Second Immortality? and ?Shield?, Ain could focus on the offense. One day after they began hunting elite monsters, they achieved their main goal. [You¡¯ve leveled up!] [Since you¡¯ve achieved level 50, you¡¯ve fulfilled all the prerequisites! Now you can do the awakening quest!] Hyun closed his eyes while a light that showed he had leveled up covered his body. ¡°Level 50¡­ Finally¡­¡± Hyun thought about everything he had gone through after getting the Support job. It really was torture. ¡°Hyun, what are you doing with your eyes closed?¡± Hyun was so focused that he couldn¡¯t even hear Ain¡¯s question. He had decided to stick with the Support job and not raise a new character for that precise moment. ¡°Finally¡­ I can learn the ultimate attack!¡± After reaching level 50, everyone could learn something called an Awakening Skill. In Asra, everyone called it an Ultimate Attack because of convenience. It was a skill that was so strong that it could change the flow of the battle in your favor. It was an attack that could create an overwhelming advantage. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that after level 50, most people¡¯s combat style was centered on the Ultimate Attack. ¡®I¡¯ve saved up all my skill points for this moment!¡¯ Because Hyun had played Asra Online, he knew about the importance of the Ultimate Attack more than anyone. There was no information available about the Support job; that¡¯s why leveling up any skill would be foolish. While playing with a job no one else had, what you should do is first learn about its ultimate attack, and then you could focus on the rest of the skills. ¡®Now, should I start the epic awakening quest?¡¯ But Hyun needed to remember something. After getting the Support job, things rarely went smoothly. The system sent him more messages. [The Support shines while playing with others!] [You can¡¯t complete the awakening quest alone!] [You need to do the quest accompanied by another person with similar conditions as yours!] Hyun seemed confused by the messages. ¡°What¡¯s this¡­?¡± ¡°Did something happen?¡± ¡°It says that I need to form a party with another person to do the awakening quest.¡± Hyun tried to guess with the information he knew. Hidden jobs usually walk a different path from regular ones. From one point of view, you could say that it was the privilege of a hidden job. But on the other hand, it was a variable the hidden job had to bear. The requirement of completing the quest with another person was probably because of the Support¡¯s (Hidden) job characteristics. ¡°Should I help you?¡± After hearing the explanation, a smile appeared on Ain¡¯s face. ¡°Just as I thought, you need me.¡± It was decided. Ain reached level 50 after undoing the party and hunting alone. Her body began shining. Because of the amount of experience that a level 110 elite monster gave, it didn¡¯t take Ain a lot of time to level up. [You¡¯ve leveled up!] [Since you¡¯ve achieved level 50, you¡¯ve fulfilled all the prerequisites! Now you can do the awakening quest!] [Once you enter the ¡®Awakening Room,¡¯ the quest starts automatically!] ¨C The process of awakening tests your abilities, but at the same time, it opens the doors for a plethora of opportunities. ¨C The ¡®Awakening Skill¡¯ you¡¯ll obtain depends on your decisions while doing the quest. It will change depending on your beliefs and possibilities. ¨C Face your new self at the end of the road after choosing from infinite possibilities. : 1 Awakening Skill. Attention: The number of Awakening Skills you can choose from will depend on how well you clear the quest. So always do your best. * * * * * * Hyun and Ain entered one of the buildings of the City of Loupra. The Awakening Room. It was a place present in every city that allowed you to obtain a new skill. The interior of it was very luxurious. ¡°Hyun, are you nervous?¡± ¡°Not really¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m kind of nervous.¡± The two walked through a corridor that had candles illuminating the path. They saw a strangely distorted space with a twisted door at its end. ¡°Well, let¡¯s go.¡± Hyun and Ain walked toward it. The distorted space absorbed them. Everything turned dark. Both felt weird. It was a feeling similar to that when you were about to fall asleep. The sensation of fading consciousness quickly stopped. A slight sensation of floating was left. They felt that this sensation of being in a dream would last forever. It was like drowning in a sea called subconsciousness. ¡®I can¡¯t see anything.¡¯ He had never felt anything similar to it in Asra Online. It was possible that the game, which tried to recreate a sensation similar to real life, wanted the users to feel the sense of awakening for real. ¡®It¡¯s definitely different from Asra.¡¯ In the previous game, he hadn¡¯t felt anything similar. But in Asrian Online, there were a lot of experiences that felt very real. Hyun and Ain endlessly fell to a sea of darkness. Suddenly, in the middle of that darkness, they could hear the message sent by the system. [You¡¯ve found a companion!] [Get ready, both of your awakening quests will begin simultaneously!] Hyun took a deep breath. Hearing the system¡¯s voice in the middle of a dark place made him nervous. [Extracting keywords from player Hyun¡¯s subconsciousness.] [Keyword: ¡®Time¡¯] Whish-! He was surprised because, suddenly, a floor had appeared under his feet. ¡ªIt was a circular disk with a diameter of one meter. Once he looked at it more carefully, he noticed something strange. ¡°A clock¡­?¡± On the floor, he could see roman numbers that went from 1 to 12. The fluorescent hands of the clock were rotating on top of it. Beyond the clock, there was only darkness. Hyun and Ain were standing on top of a clock located somewhere in the middle of the space. The system¡¯s alert continued. [Extracting keywords from player Ain¡¯s subconsciousness.] [Keyword: ¡®Passion¡¯] The moment the message ended¡ª Fwoosh-! The fluorescent hands of the clock and the numbers got devoured by fire. Once the fire was lit, they were able to see the surroundings. A spiral staircase. In their surroundings, they could see a giant spiral staircase. To be more precise, it wasn¡¯t giant¡­ It was vast. It looked like a giant spiral pedestal that connected the sky and earth. Hyun and Ain kept descending through the spiral axis. Endlessly¡­ It was like they were taking an elevator heading under the earth. ¡°Amazing¡­¡± Hyun looked in the direction from which he suddenly heard a voice. Ain was looking around with her mouth wide-opened. She hadn¡¯t noticed that he was staring at her. Was she impressed by how everything had been staged? Well, it was normal for girls of her age to be impressed by atmospheres like that. Although, he didn¡¯t know Ain¡¯s age. Hyun was thinking about many non-important things when the disk stopped moving. From that point onwards, the quest had officially begun. [The stage customization has finished!] ¨C In order to maximize the potential, we must get closer¡­ A little closer to the subconsciousness! ¨C The deeper you go, the better the awakening skill you can get as a reward! ¨C But the deeper you go, the more chances there are for you to be devoured by the abyss¡­ ¨C Thankfully, you can go back in time once! ¨C Starting the awakening stage! Fwoosh- In front of Hyun and Ain, a button made of fire that said ¡®start¡¯ appeared. Before beginning the quest, Hyun took a deep breath. ¡®I must think carefully¡­¡¯ Awakening quest¡­ The basic rules were simple: The deeper you went, the more possible awakening skills you could choose from. The amount from which to choose was very important, although you could only get one in the end. Basically, the main goal of the quest was to get to the deepest part as possible. ¡®I can go back in time?¡¯ That was the part that caught his attention the most. ¡­Going back in time after death. At the end of your life, you get a chance to go back in time to relive your life and avoid committing the same mistakes¡ªit was a story setup that was frequently seen in movies or novels. Since the second time, one didn¡¯t make the same mistakes and could do things more efficiently; the previous life¡¯s experience and feedback were incredibly important. ¡®Is this possible because of the keyword, ¡®time¡¯? It¡¯s really huge if, after dying, I can go back in time and start all over again.¡¯ The moment he stopped thinking and stepped forward, he got an unexpected system message. [All your stats have temporarily gone back to 10!] [All your skills have returned to their original state. All skill points have been retrieved!] [Once you complete the awakening quest, they¡¯ll return to normal!] Hyun and Ain suddenly felt weaker. It was a phenomenon that happened because their stats were close to those of a player of level 100, and then they had been reset. Since Asrian Online could control your brainwaves, they really felt as if the strength had left their bodies. ¡°It feels like my body has become sluggish¡­¡± Ain complained. Hyun smiled bitterly. ¡®There was no way they would give us an amazing feature like going back in time for free! So the penalty is the reset of stats and skill points, huh?¡¯ Hyun didn¡¯t get desperate. It had always been like that: in order to gain something, you must lose something. That fact had remained the same from the time when he used to be the number 1 in the rankings to the current moment when he was playing a Support. Hyun looked at the notification at the top of the screen. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± he said. ¡°Okay.¡± ____ ____ Chapter 15 Hard Carry Support Chapter 15 ¨C Learning the Ultimate Attack (1) Whoosh- The moment they stepped on the start button, the clock¡¯s diameter expanded tens of meters. A few moments later, a shadow appeared in front of them. Two dark silhouettes. One looked similar to Hyun, and the other one looked similar to Ain. The two shadow figures were robes that covered their faces. Both Hyun and Ain¡¯s eyes shone. They couldn¡¯t hide their smiles because they¡¯d immediately discovered the identity of the two shadows. ¡°Those¡­ Are us, right?¡± ¡°Yes, the left one is me.¡± Flash- One of the two put on fire both hands. It wasn¡¯t just the looks¡ªthey also used the same techniques. A pair of red flames burning in both hands¡­ It was a technique he had seen many times. It was the basic skill of the Close Range Magician, the ?Flame Claws?. Hyun understood more or less the situation. Those were them. ¡°Interesting.¡± It¡¯d been a while since Hyun smiled so happily. Do they need to fight their shadow clones? He felt that they were looking down on him. Even if their skills were the same, there were differences. The one controlling the shadow figures most likely wasn¡¯t a person; they were probably manipulated by artificial intelligence. That meant they couldn¡¯t replicate how they used their respective characters perfectly. That was probably the only difference between them and artificial intelligence. An artificial intelligence NFM is very proud of? Artificial intelligence that feels more like a person compared to a person? Hyun, who had gained a lot of experience through the years, was confident that he would be able to beat it. While warming up, Hyun said to Ain. ¡°Let¡¯s fight each other¡¯s shadow.¡± ¡°Good idea!¡± Ain agreed. Hyun was going to fight Ain, and Ain would fight Hyun. As soon as Hyun finished talking, Ain¡¯s clone tried to attack him, but he was able to avoid being hit easily. ¡®What¡¯s happening?¡¯ He felt strange. ¡®Is this really Ain?¡¯ Because Hyun had fought Ain many times, he could feel the weak points of the AI. [ Imaginary Ain (Grade: 1) ] HP: 60/60 Mana: 100/100 [Strength: 10] [Agility: 10] [Vitality: 10] [Magical Power: 10] [?Flame Claws? Lv.0] Hyun was surprised at the status window that just popped out. He was wondering about the stats of the opponent when the information about the Ain clone popped out. Usually, you couldn¡¯t check the status window of another user. You could check the status window of monsters, but you needed to defeat them first. The reason why he could see clone Ain¡¯s status window was probably because of the awakening quest. ¡®The stats are almost the same¡­ But how well it controls the character is too different.¡¯ The corners of his mouth turned up. Hyun took the shortsword he had been carrying since level 1 from his robe. Burning flames were approaching him menacingly, but he wasn¡¯t nervous. ¡®The movements are too obvious.¡¯ Even though the flames were right before him, Hyun didn¡¯t back out. Instead, he went right into it. ¡®It isn¡¯t a real fire. As long as it doesn¡¯t touch me, I won¡¯t take any damage¡­¡¯ The fire moved upwards. Unlike real fire, you couldn¡¯t feel the heat from it. The important thing was to avoid touching the fire directly. Hyun squeezed through the flame and then used his shortsword to cut off Ain¡¯s clone. [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 23 damage!] [Since the damage you¡¯ve dealt counts for more than 33% of the opponent¡¯s total HP, its body stopped working properly!] The shadow¡¯s head fell off. The moment its body got separated, it turned into fire. And finally, it was absorbed by the darkness. ¡°Easy.¡± Ain had also finished her battle and had come to Hyun¡¯s side. ¡°Did you finish?¡± ¡°Yes, it was too weak compared to you.¡± Ain faltered for a while but then finally opened her mouth. ¡°While I wasn¡¯t looking¡­ You didn¡¯t do anything weird to my shadow, right?¡± ¡°Anything weird¡­? Like what?¡± ¡°Like¡­ Not letting it move¡­ Or doing¡­ Fuu¡­?¡± Ain murmured. ¡°Huh¡­? What are you talking about¡­?¡± Hyun thought for a moment that he had misheard something, So he tried to ask what she had said, but sadly, they didn¡¯t have time to chitchat. The awakening quest still hadn¡¯t finished. And soon, they heard another notification from the system. [As a reward for clearing the first trial, every party member will be awarded temporary stats points!] [Temporary Stat Points] +20 [The second trial will start soon! Please distribute the points as fast as you can!] Hyun nodded after hearing the system notification. The awakening quest¡­ He was starting to understand how it would take place. It was like a dungeon crawler. Each time you went deeper into the dungeon, you received rewards. Every time you clear a quest, you receive skill and stat points. If you die, the quest ends. No, since it said you could turn back in time, you probably had another chance. Anyway, the basic rules were simple: If you went down a floor, you received a reward that made you stronger. Ultimately, the deeper you went, the more stats you received. ¡®So this is why it reset our abilities at the beginning.¡¯ Bonus stats¡­ Hyun spent five points in agility and 15 in empathy. Ain used five points in agility and 15 in magical power. They used the points the same way they usually did to return to their normal selves. Creak- The clock that had been used for the previous stage began descending. * * * * * * In the middle of the darkness, two flames rose, and those two flames turned into a set of shadows. Imaginary Ain (Grade: 2) HP: 150/150 Mana: 300/300 [Strength: 10] [Agility: 20] [Vitality: 15] [Magical Power: 30] [?Flame Claws? Lv.2] Except for the stats going up, there didn¡¯t seem to be any noticeable changes, but the feeling he got from the shadow was slightly different. ¡®She looks different¡­¡¯ While taking little steps, she walked around Hyun. ¡ªJust like a wild animal about to attack its prey. Hyun flinched after seeing that the corners of her mouth had turned up slightly. ¡®Did that thing just smile¡­?¡¯ Seeing a black entity smile gave him goosebumps. It looked like the shadow was starting to imitate Ain. Maybe the lower they went, the closer the artificial intelligence would get to a real human being. If that were the case, the shadows on the lower floors would get quite annoying to deal with. Hyun was starting to get nervous. Whish- In an instant, Hyun¡¯s right hand that had the dagger flashed. Three sharp lights were drawn in the direction of the shadow¡¯s neck. Even if the artificial intelligence evolved, they still couldn¡¯t compete against Hyun and Ain. [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 21 damage!] [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 19 damage!] [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 22 damage!] [By attacking the same part repeatedly, you¡¯ve damaged more than 33% of the opponent¡¯s HP!] Once again, the shadow that had lost the neck disappeared after burning. After finishing the fight, Hyun looked at Ain, who was still in the middle of combat., but it didn¡¯t take too long before it was over. ¡°Shall we continue?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Once they beat every enemy, the floor got caught in a fire again. As the clock hands began rotating, Hyun and Ain continued to descend through the darkness. [As a reward for clearing the second trial, every party member will be awarded temporary stats and skill points!] [Tempory Stat Points] +40 [Temporary Skill Points] +20 [The third trial will start soon! Please distribute the points as fast as you can!] They saved up the skill points and distributed the stat points the same way as they previously did. In the empty space, new shadow clones appeared. ¡®What?¡¯ Hyun flinched after seeing them. Their stats were clearly different than before. Imaginary Ain (Grade: 3) HP: 450/450 Mana: 600/600 [Strength: 10] [Agility: 35] [Vitality: 30] [Magical Power: 60] [?Flame Claws? Lv.2] [????? Lv.0] ¡®The stats have gone up. But what¡¯s that interrogation mark skill?¡¯ He didn¡¯t have much time to think about it. The shadow had already launched an attack. ¡®Damn¡­ ?One Second Immortality?! At that moment, the shadow twisted her arms a little bit. Hyun got a flashback. ¡ªA scene from the past overlapped with the present. ¡®I remember this¡­!¡¯ It was a technique Ain often used! He remembered seeing it very often while training. It was a technique that consisted of twisting the arm; thanks to that, it expanded the trajectory and forced the opponent to account for the changed timing of the attack. ¡®Do you think I¡¯ll fall for this?¡¯ Hyun instinctively took a step forward. It looked like a fire moth throwing itself at the enemy. He wasn¡¯t trying to commit suicide, of course. Everything was calculated. You could negate an opponent¡¯s attack by attacking at the same time. ¡®Good!¡¯ Was it because he didn¡¯t avoid the attack? Her posture became off, and he took that opportunity to use his short sword. He aimed for the joint but couldn¡¯t land a critical hit because she twisted her body a little bit. [You¡¯ve managed to deal 22 damage!] Since there was no time limit, he didn¡¯t need to hurry. Hyun, without hurrying, slowly damaged the opponent. Even if the artificial intelligence had gotten smarter, he was still better. ¡®I don¡¯t have to make any mistakes until the end¡­ I¡¯ve almost defeated her.¡¯ After a few minutes, Hyun was able to bring the shadow¡¯s health to less than 10%. Now all he needed to do was cut the shadow a few more times, and then it would turn into fire and disappear, and he would be able to go down to the next floor. But something unexpected happened when Hyun blocked the opponent¡¯s attack with ?One Second Immortality?. Crash-! The shield broke, and Hyun¡¯s arms received damage. [You¡¯ve received 58 damage!] [You¡¯ve lost more than 33% of your HP, so your body stopped working properly!] [You¡¯ve lost your left arm!] ¡°What¡­?! But I blocked it with ?One Second Immortality?! Unless the damage output suddenly becomes higher¡­?!¡± Up until then, he had been able to block this attack with ?One Second Immortality?. The only possible explanation for what had happened that he could think of was a bug. Hyun opened the shadow¡¯s status window. [ Imaginary Ain (Grade: 3) ] HP: 41/450 Mana: 272/600 [Strength: 10] [Agility: 35] [Vitality: 30] [Magical Power: 60] [?Flame Claws? Lv.2] ¡­ [?Surge? Lv.0] ¨C When your HP goes below 10%, the amount of damage you deal doubles. After taking a glimpse of the status window, Hyun immediately knew what had happened. The shadow had a passive that increased the damage it dealt when it was low in HP. The reason why she was able to break his ?One Second Immortality? was because of that passive. ¡°Damn¡­!¡± Hyun blamed his carelessness. He had underestimated the opponent. Not taking into consideration the passive skill was a fatal mistake. Hyun had lost his left arm as a price for his mistake. ¡®With my current state, can I keep winning?¡¯ Even if he cleared this floor, there was a chance that he wouldn¡¯t recover his lost arm. If he began the fight with one less arm on the following floors, the difficulty would increase by a lot. They say that misfortune never comes alone, right? Hyun heard another message from the system. [Your party member, Ain, has died!] [She cannot revive until you turn back the time!] ¡°???¡± Hyun¡¯s mind was full of question marks. He thought he had heard something wrong. Two shadows appeared in front of him. Hyun opened his shadow clone¡¯s status window. Imaginary Hyun (Grade: 3) HP: 112/300 Mana: 108/200 [Strength: 10] [Agility: 25] [Vitality: 20] [Magical Power: 20] [Empathy: 40] [?The Heavenly God¡¯s Protection? Lv.8] [?Shield? Lv.2] ¡°What is that skill?¡± Hyun was surprised because the shadow clone had a skill he didn¡¯t remember seeing. After thinking for a while, he remembered that there was something he had missed. ¡®Oh yeah, ?One Second Immortality? isn¡¯t the original name.¡¯ The real name of the skill was something like ?The Heavenly God¡¯s Protection?. Ain: Hyun, can you hear me? Since Ain had died and couldn¡¯t talk, she tried to contact Hyun via the capsule machine. At that moment, the shadows began attacking him. Hyun avoided their attacks and was going around in circles through the stage. ¡°How did you die?¡± Ain: It was a mistake. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking what killed you.¡± Ain: I got hit by a strange skill. ¡°Strange skill? I don¡¯t remember seeing anything like that in my clone¡¯s status window. It only had the normal Support¡¯s skills.¡± Ain: I¡¯m sure there was something else. I had full HP when it suddenly went to 0! Hyun¡¯s doubts deepened. He couldn¡¯t believe that a Support that didn¡¯t have any offensive skills was able to kill Ain with just one hit. Hyun opened the shadow clone¡¯s status window again. ¡°Maybe¡­ Is it this?¡± ?The Heavenly God¡¯s Protection? An incredible description unfolded before his eyes when he opened the skills description. ¨C Increase all defenses of any target within 20 meters by 100 points for one second. ¨C You can create a ?Vision Sword? that has an attack equal to the total of the absorbed damage. (Required Mana: 50) ¨C The Vision Sword lasts for (Empathy/100) seconds. ____ ____ Chapter 16 Hard Carry Support Chapter 16 ¨C Learning the Ultimate Attack (2) ¡®Vision¡­ Sword?¡¯ Hyun¡¯s eyes widened after reading the description. He had never seen or heard about the technique. It basically seemed like a weapon summoning skill. ¡­But the most amazing thing was its spec! ?Vision Sword?¡¯s attack was equal to the damage absorbed. So the stronger attack he managed to defend against with ?One Second Immortality?, the stronger ?Vision Sword? he would be able to get. ¡®This¡­ Is almost like a completely different skill from ?One Second Immortality?. Hyun tried to think if the skill was actually worth it. It had amazing potential. For a moment, he thought that he must have been sleeping. ¡°Is it real¡­?¡± Even though he had lost an arm and his partner had died, Hyun couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°It¡¯s an offensive skill!¡± Hyun laughed like an edgelord, just like he always did when he felt good. At that moment, Ain¡¯s shadow charged toward him. ¡°That one also looks like a powerful skill!¡± He dodged the fire and immediately counter-attacked. After two attacks, Ain¡¯s shadow, whose HP was already nearing zero, turned into fire and disappeared. ¡°First of all, let¡¯s eliminate these guys.¡± The Support shadow was easier to deal with. Ain had lost because of the incredibly high amount of damage she could deal and not because of the opponent¡¯s strength. What happened, probably, was that her attack was absorbed, and then the shadow counter-attacked with the ?Vision Sword?. But a Support didn¡¯t have any high damage offensive skill, so the ?Vision Sword? wouldn¡¯t be a menace to him! It didn¡¯t take Hyun a lot of time to defeat his shadow. Whish- Once the opponents were defeated, the clock began moving again, and its hands made of fire began rotating. He was about to go deeper. [As a reward for clearing the third trial, every party member will be awarded temporary stats points!] [Temporary Stat Points] +80 [Temporary Skill Points] +50 [The Support¡¯s Awakening Skill ?Inverse Shield? has been unlocked!] [The Close Range Magician¡¯s Awakening Skill ?Magical Power Rush? has been unlocked!] [Warning: You can choose only one Awakening Skill, so before choosing one, think about it carefully!] [You¡¯ll get some rest time! Take your time to distribute the points received!] While going down to the fourth floor, the number of messages he got from the system increased. The amount of stat and skill points received had increased, and there was also a new thing¡­ Awakening Skill Unlock. He had received the right to learn a new ultimate skill. It was one of the things that had made many users struggle in Asra Online. The reason why people often struggled with that decision was that the next awakening skill was at level 100. ¡®The deeper I go, the better the skill they¡¯ll give me.¡¯ Usually, most people managed to go to the second or even third floor. In some rare cases, some lost in the first round. If that happened, you were forced to choose between 3 ¡®Basic Awakening Skills¡¯, but they were different in terms of quality compared with the skills you could obtain on the higher difficulty floors. The deeper you went, the better skill you could obtain, and you only had one chance to do it right, at least until you reached level 100¡ªthis made many users laugh or cry. ¡®Oof¡­ This is when it really begins.¡¯ Most people weren¡¯t able to beat the third trial, so Hyun was already above average. But from the fourth trial, the difficulty increased a lot. If until the third floor, it was the tutorial, from the fourth floor onwards, it was like the wall of lamentations. To obtain the sweet rewards, one had to go through very hard and difficult trials. ¡®How should I distribute the skill points?¡¯ The fourth-floor trial was probably going to be very similar. Hyun tried to think about possible strategies. He thought about a strategy he wanted to try before going back in time and resurrecting Ain. ¡®Finally, my time has come¡­ I¡¯ll be able to deal damage as a Support.¡¯ He spent all the temporary skill points he had in 1 Second Immortality. The points necessary to level up were 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, and 20! Cling- Cling- Starting from 0, the skill level went up until the number 8 appeared. There was a big jump from level 7 to 8 because that was probably the section where the skill evolved. [ ?The Heavenly God¡¯s Protection? Lv.8 ] ¨C Increase all defenses of any target within 20 meters by 100 points for one second. ¨C You can create a ?Vision Sword? that has an attack equal to the total of the absorbed damage. (Required Mana: 50) ¨C The ?Vision Sword? lasts for (Empathy/100) seconds. Hyun changed the skill¡¯s name that had been reset to ?One Second Absorption?. It was probably okay to express it as ¡®absorb¡¯ since it was a skill that created a sword with an attack that was based on the amount of damage you could defend against. Okay, as long as one ignored the horrible naming sense. ¡°I need to increase my stats!¡± He put 45 points in Empathy, 15 points in agility, and 20 points in vitality. Agility was very important. If he was slower than the enemy, there would be attacks he wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid. He had increased his vitality because the difficulty would probably raise a lot from that point onwards. Since the damage enemies dealt would increase, he had to avoid getting killed in one shot. Ain: Hyun¡­ You look like you¡¯re having fun. Ain had sent a message to him through the capsule. ¡°From where are you watching?¡± Ain: After dying, I¡¯m just wandering around like a ghost¡­ The function to talk to party members via whisper has been locked. ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Hyun understood the current situation. * * * * * * The reason why her awakening quest hadn¡¯t ended was that she still had one chance to revive. ¡°I¡¯m going to revive you soon, so stick close to me.¡± Ain: H¡­ Huh¡­? Why¡­ Where, stick close? ¡°While fighting, I can¡¯t watch my back, so do it in my place. I don¡¯t know when a long-range attack will come.¡± Ain: Yeah. That¡­ Will be easy. [The fourth trial will start soon! Please distribute the points as fast as you can!] The alarm that had been silent for a while appeared again, and two giant flames were created in the air. Once the fire died down, he could see two familiar shadows. Imaginary Hyun (Grade: 4) HP: 4000/4000 Mana: 300/300 [Strength: 10] [Agility: 35] [Vitality: 40] [Magical Power: 30] [Empathy: 100] [?The Heavenly God¡¯s Protection? Lv.8] [?Shield? Lv.3] [????? Lv.2] [????? Lv.0] Awakening Skill ¨C [?Inverse Shield? Lv.0] Imaginary Ain (Grade: 4) HP: 6000/6000 Mana: 1000/1000 [Strength: 10] [Agility: 50] [Vitality: 60] [Magical Power: 100] [?Flame Claws? Lv.4] [?Surge? Lv.2] [????? Lv.2] [????? Lv.1] Awakening Skill ¨C [?Magical Power Rush? Lv.0] Since you could obtain better awakening skills from the fourth floor onwards, the enemies became much stronger. After opening their status window, Hyun saw specs that were on another level compared to before. ¡°They¡¯re incredibly strong¡­¡± There were many hidden skills! ¡­the HP also had gone from hundreds to thousands. To make things worse, they had begun unlocking ultimate attacks, and because Ain was dead, he would have to fight against both of them. Ain: It looks hard. Hyun could hear Ain¡¯s voice. Ain: But, if you leave the Close Range Magician alive and keep using her for the ?Vision Sword?, you could have a chance of winning. Hyun smiled after hearing Ain¡¯s words. By mere coincidence, he had thought of the same strategy. ¡°I know.¡± Fwoosh- While they were talking, the Close Range Magician approached him while having both of her hands covered on fire. Behind his back, the shadow Support made a hand gesture, and the size of the flames increased by three times. The fire was way bigger than him, and it looked like it would devour Hyun at any moment. ¡°What happened¡­?!¡± Suddenly, the size of the fire had increased. What skill was it? The speed in which he thought accelerated. He ended up finding the answer to his question in previous memories. ¡®I remember!¡¯ [?Sophisticated Magic?] ¨C Increase the magical attack range of an ally by one meter. ¨C While attacking an opponent, if the target is within the increased attack range, the damage they receive increases by 1.5 times. That was probably the reason why the fire had suddenly gotten bigger. The attack range of the Close Range Magician had increased by one meter. ¡®If it touches me, I¡¯ll die!¡¯ While thinking that, Hyun tried to get as close as possible while using ?One Second Absorption?. Ain¡¯s shadow landed two attacks on him. ¡®I survived!¡¯ Thanks to ?One Second Absorption?, he survived by a narrow margin. He saw an opening on the opponent¡¯s chest that would allow him to land critical hit damage. ?Vision Sword?. Once he activated the chained skill, a cyan-colored sword appeared. He pointed the two-meter cyan sword toward her heart. Since he had absorbed the attacks of both hands, the sword¡¯s potential damage output was double the attack of Ain¡¯s clone. That meant that the damage dealt would probably be in the thousands! Crash-! When he thought that the attack was a success, he heard the sound effect of his shield breaking. ¡®This¡­¡¯ It was the sound that ?One Second Immortality? made when it couldn¡¯t withstand the incoming attack. When Hyun turned his head around, he saw another shadow standing there. That¡¯s right. There was more than one enemy. The shadow Support had used the same technique to protect against his attack. Whoom- Following that, just like he had done before, Hyun¡¯s shadow summoned a ?Vision Sword?. ¡®Damn!¡¯ Hyun rolled sideways. The wind generated by the ?Vision Sword? brushed past his eyebrows. Hyun sighed in relief. He had barely managed to survive. ¡®I almost died as soon as the battle began¡­!¡¯ Since that ?Vision Sword? had absorbed his attack, the damage output was probably at least one thousand. He felt as if a death scythe had almost cut his throat. Ain: An attack is coming from behind! ¡°Tsk¡­!¡± While biting his lips, Hyun instinctively lowered his waist. The fire attack went past his back. ¡®Did I avoid damage?¡¯ Even if he had managed to survive, the attack wasn¡¯t over yet. Just like Ain did, the shadow of the Close Range Magician attacked while using both hands. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Hyun avoided the attack by rolling on the ground. However, the Close Range Magician¡¯s fire attacks didn¡¯t have a cooldown time. As if the shadow was making fun of him, consecutive attacks came toward Hyun. ¡®I should have increased my agility more!¡¯ Ain: Be careful! Whish- He subconsciously managed to brush off a silver attack that flew towards him. The Support had his hand extended towards the front. The attack covered in silver light was probably a skill he used. ¡°Did I have a long-range attack¡­?¡± Hyun sighed. [?Supporting Fire? Lv.0] Throw a Vision Shortsword at an enemy within 30 meters and deal [Empathy] x3 as damage. There was nothing more bothersome than a long-range attack that came out of nowhere. If that scenario of avoiding and blocking the enemy¡¯s attack continued, he would eventually die. The remnants of the fire brushed past his body. Even after using ?One Second Absorption?, he hadn¡¯t been able to block the damage completely. That time, it was the Support¡¯s long-range attack. He had managed to brush it off with his hands, but since he hadn¡¯t used ?One Second Absorption?, he received damage. Ain: Hyun! If this continues, you¡¯ll die! Let¡¯s turn back the time! ¡°Wait.¡± Ain closed her mouth. She felt that Hyun¡¯s voice had changed from before. ¡°Watch closely.¡± After saying that, Hyun suddenly remained still in his place. Immediately, the attack of the two shadows came toward him. If Hyun kept remaining still, the fire would soon devour him. ____ ____ Chapter 17 Hard Carry Support Chapter 17 ¨C Learning the Ultimate Attack (3) Ain: Hey, in front of you¡­ Fire¡­! The moment the fire covered Hyun, Ain felt that she was about to have a heart attack. Not even ?One Second Absorption? would be able to save Hyun from such a frontal attack. In order to use ?One Second Absorption? effectively, you had to either be brushed by the fire or receive the hit from a short distance. Was he dead or alive? ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± As the fire dissipated, she could hear Hyun groaning. Ain: You didn¡¯t die?! It seemed like Hyun had been lucky and survived the attack, but just like she thought, he was on the verge of dying. [You¡¯ve received 784 damage!] [You¡¯ve lost more than 33% of your HP!] [You¡¯ve received a first-degree burn!] [Before you heal from the burn, you won¡¯t be able to recover HP!] Ain: Be careful! As Ain warned him, he quickly turned his body around. Whish-! A white light passed by Hyun¡¯s earlobes. The shadow Support had used a long-range attack against Hyun. Ain: Hyun! We¡¯re out of time. Just turn it back¡­! ¡°Not yet¡­ Keep watching.¡± Even though his whole body was burning, there was a smile on Hyun¡¯s mouth. [Because your HP has fallen to less than 20%, the effect of ¡®Blood Fairy¡¯s Cape¡¯ is activated!] [For 60 seconds, your speed is increased by 50%!] ¡®I had forgotten about the items.¡¯ The Ghost Commander¡¯s Robe of Darkness. The effect of ¡®The Blood Fairy¡¯s Cape¡¯ embedded in the rare item had activated. The sensation of having swapped your body for another one was probably something you could only feel in Asrian Online. ¡°I should be faster now. Right?¡± Whish-! Hyun took a leap. Even though he had only pushed his toes a little bit, he felt as if he¡¯d flown several meters. While moving as fast as the wind, Hyun saw the two shadows. Support and a Close Range Magician. Who should he hunt first¡­? Hyun doubted for a little while, but then he looked at one of the two. ¡®You.¡¯ Whir- Hyun acted as if he was about to attack the Close Range Magician with the ?Vision Sword?. At that moment, a shield was applied to her. It was the effect of 1 Second Imm¡­ ?One Second Absorption?. The Support had used his defensive skill to protect his partner. Whish-! Hyun¡¯s body rotated and changed direction. Instead of the Close Range Magician, Hyun was in front of the Support with just one movement. Ain: Oh¡­ Ain¡¯s mouth was wide open. It was a familiar move. The technique Hyun had just used to change the direction and timing of the attack was originally hers. ¡®Did I fool you? This happened because you¡­¡¯ The ?Vision Sword?, which was at its limit, flew in the direction of the Support. ¡®Used the defensive skill without thinking it carefully¡­!¡¯ Inside the ?Vision Sword?, there was the attack of the Close Range Magician he had absorbed. The duration of the ?Vision Sword? was (Empathy/100) seconds. With his stats, it lasted for one second. Before the sword disappeared¡­ ¡®One more time¡­!¡¯ Whish- He pointed the sword toward the shadow¡¯s neck. The sword¡¯s flight path was fast and precise. ¡ªJust like a beam of light. Even swordmasters wouldn¡¯t be able to catch up to Hyun¡¯s attack since it had been boosted by agility and items. Ain: Oh, Oof¡­! Ain exclaimed sadly. The attack itself had been perfect. Hyun had also managed to deal critical hit damage. Despite that, the shadow was still alive. Hyun backed off and checked the status window. That¡¯s when he discovered the reason behind what had just happened. ¡®Is it the Ultimate Skill¡­?¡¯ [?Inverse Shield? Lv.0] ¨C For five minutes, the amount of damage you receive is reduced by 95%. Whir- Whiirrr- Countless blue lights vibrated while going around the Support¡¯s body. It looked as if a neon sign made by tens of thousands of threads was wrapping around it. Imaginary Hyun (Grade: 4) [?The Heavenly God¡¯s Protection? Lv.8] [?Shield? Lv.3] [?Sophisticated Magic? Lv.2] [?Supporting Fire? Lv.0] [?Inverse Shield? Lv.0] Even if the attack had failed, Hyun wasn¡¯t disappointed by it because, thanks to it, he was able to discover all of the Support¡¯s stats. That meant he wouldn¡¯t have to guess anymore. Ain: ¡­ From time to time, Hyun could feel Ain¡¯s agitated breath. Was she also tense while watching him fight? ¡°It isn¡¯t over yet,¡± Hyun said to her. Whap- Hyun easily evaded the incoming fire. Not only was he faster, but he also had more combat experience. Hyun was sure that such an attack wouldn¡¯t be able to touch him. Flash- A second came aiming at his stomach. ¡®What¡¯s happening?¡¯ He felt as if the world was moving in slow motion. ¡®No, I¡¯m probably seeing everything like this because I¡¯m moving faster.¡¯ Hyun kept avoiding the attacks. Even if time passed, the rest didn¡¯t seem to move. ¡°Watch out!¡± At that moment¡­ Swish- With Ain¡¯s warning, knives made of Magical Power flew towards him. It was the Support¡¯s long-range attack. Hyun had been waiting for that moment. ?One Second Absorption?, ?Shield?!¡¯ * * * * * * He hit the incoming knives with his hands and, at the same time, placed himself on the trajectory of the Close Range Magician¡¯s attack. The two shadows froze. They were both stunned. Stars went around in circles on top of the heads of the two shadows. It was a chance that wouldn¡¯t repeat again! Hyun summoned the Vision Sword. [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 1392 damage!] [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 1256 damage!] [By attacking the same part repeatedly, you¡¯ve damaged more than 33% of the opponent¡¯s HP!] As two trays of light cut through the neck of the Close Range Magician, the upper part of its body separated. Even if you had a lot of HP, one mistake could kill you¡ªthat is how Asra¡¯s and Asrian¡¯s combat worked. The shadow dropped helplessly, and it began to disperse into flames. ¡°Not yet.¡± The shadow Support woke up from the faint. Whir- Whiirrr- The blue lights were still rotating around Hyun¡¯s clone while making noise. According to the status window, there were still five minutes left on ?Inverse Shield?.¡¯ ¡°Well, I won¡¯t be able to catch that one yet.¡± Hyun had no intention to fight while the ultimate skill was activated. Attacking at that moment would drain his energy, and hardly any damage would be done. His body suddenly became heavier. After moving like a superhuman, returning to his normal self made him feel weak. Ain: Coming! Ting- Hyun easily countered the ?Supporting Fire? with ?One Second Absorption?. ¡°You don¡¯t need to help me anymore.¡± Ain: Really? But¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I can do it alone.¡± [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 435 damage!] [You¡¯ve dealt 312 damage!] Once one of the two had disappeared, the fight became easier. The effect of the ultimate skill had worn off. Hyun attacked the shadow with the ?Vision Sword?. [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 462 damage!] [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 439 damage!] Little by little¡­ To some people, lowering the shadow¡¯s HP little by little may look tedious. The good thing was that the artificial intelligence kept using the long-distance attack skill. He would have absorbed the damage dealt with the newbie¡¯s dagger if it wasn¡¯t for it, and that would have taken a lot more time and effort. [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 452 damage!] [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 429 damage!] ¡ªThe last two hits. Once the blue-colored ?Vision Sword? cut the shadow, it dispersed into the flames, and a message that announced his victory appeared. [As a reward for clearing the fourth trial, every party member will be awarded temporary stats points!] [Temporary Stat Points] +250 [Temporary Skill Points] +150 [You¡¯ve unlocked the Support¡¯s Awakening Skill ?Soul¡¯s Mirror?!] [Warning: You can choose only one Awakening Skill, so before choosing one, think about it carefully!] [You¡¯ll get some rest time! Take your time to distribute the points received!] Hyun sighed and looked away. ¡°I¡¯m finally here, huh?¡± The fifth floor. He thought that it was the maximum achievable floor. The reason was that while playing Asra Online, that was the floor he had been able to reach. ¡®Was it so difficult the last time?¡¯ It had been such a long time that he didn¡¯t remember very well. But from what he could recall, it wasn¡¯t so wicked¡­ Maybe the developers had made it more difficult through a patch. Hyun was taking a rest when he heard the alarm. Hyun really wanted to rest a little bit more, so he cursed the system message. But there was no way to refuse it. Ain: Are you going to turn back the time? ¡°Yes,¡± Hyun said while standing up. ¡°I¡¯m just going to do some reconnaissance before turning it back.¡± Ain: Reconnaissance? ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we know how strong the guys are that we have to fight next?¡± Creak- Creeaaakkkk- The clock¡¯s hands began moving faster while making a loud noise. As the hour and minute hand began wrapping around, the air started getting hotter. Fwoosh- Two pillars of fire rose and then disappeared. The two pillars of fire had transformed into two shadows. From the get-go, their presence was completely different from before. He opened the Close Range Magician¡¯s status window. Imaginary Ain (Grade: 5) HP: 300000/300000 Mana: 3000/3000 [Strength: 10] [Agility: 120] [Vitality: 1500] [Mana: 300] [?Efret¡¯s Claw? Lv.9] [?Burning Ceremony? Lv.4] [?Self Heal? Lv.3] [?Recover Mana? Lv.3] [?Defense Reinforcement? Lv.3] [?Mana Armor? Lv.2] [?Element Rearrangement? Lv.2] [?Incarnation Steps? Lv.0] Awakening Skill ¨C [?Vestige Explosion? Lv.3] ¡°Woah¡­¡± After reading the status window, Hyun was awestruck. The list was so long that he couldn¡¯t read it completely. But more than that, the stats of the shadow were abnormally high. ¡®Is it a named boss?¡¯ That was his first thought. 300,000 hp? Just seeing that number made him awestruck. Even level 300 tankers didn¡¯t have such a ridiculous amount of HP. Ain: Hyun, wake up! Hyun heard Ain¡¯s shout when he was about to check the Support¡¯s status window. ¡°What¡­¡± Hyun¡¯s eyes widened. One of the shadows had already approached him while scattering flames on its way. ¡®Just when?!¡¯ Hyun was relaxed because there was quite a distance between them, but the gap narrowed in an instant. ¡®Damn, it¡¯s a movement skill!¡¯ Hoouk- Claws made of fire appeared on the shadow¡¯s hands. The fire really looked like the claws of a giant beast. ¡®I need to turn back the time¡­!¡¯ The fire claws were about to tear his neck when. Ain: Quick! ¡°¡­!¡± Everything¡­ ¡ªStopped. Hyun closed his eyes but couldn¡¯t sense anything. He tried to open his eyes, but his eyelids didn¡¯t go up. ¡®What¡¯s happening?¡¯ Static. After a while, he was able to open his eyes. What he saw was a world where time flowed in reverse, as if it was a movie film being rewound. The shadow that was approaching him was getting further away. At first, it rewound slowly¡­ But as time went on, it began rewinding faster and faster. Hyun saw, in reverse order, all the shadows he had beaten. He also himself using the ?Vision Sword?. Everything that was broken was reassembled. Eventually, the rewinding speed became so fast that it was impossible to see it with human eyes. ¡°Oof¡­!¡± When Hyun came back to his senses, Ain was revived and standing right next to him. Under them, there was a clock with hands that were covered in fire. [All your stats have temporarily gone back to 10!] [All your skills have returned to their original state. All skill points have been retrieved!] [Once you complete the awakening quest, they¡¯ll return to normal!] Tick Tock- The clock started moving again. Once he saw that the arm he had lost had returned, he sighed in relief. Time had turned back. ____ ____ Chapter 18 Hard Carry Support Chapter 18 ¨C Starting from Zero (1) ¡°Woah, I almost died.¡± He still remembered the fire attack that suddenly reached where he was standing. Ain proudly put her hands on her waist. ¡°What would you have done without me?¡± she said. Hyun couldn¡¯t counter it. If it weren¡¯t for her, he would¡¯ve died without even knowing what killed him. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ Not saying that Hyun made a mistake. I¡¯m not blaming you,¡± said Ain while playing with her hair. ¡°You asked me to watch your back. That¡¯s why even on the fifth floor, I didn¡¯t forget and alerted you!¡± ¡°Fifth floor¡­¡± Awakening Quest Fifth Basement Level. Back then, in Asra Online, users used to call that area a devilish section. He tried to remember. ¡®Was there someone that cleared the fifth floor?¡¯ From what Hyun could remember, there was almost no one. A tiny number of rankers had cleared the fourth floor and reached the fifth one successfully. Of course, Asrian had a lot more users than the previous game, so that meant that the number of talented players was higher too. But Hyun was starting to think that the fifth floor was unclearable. ¡®The difficulty curve is too steep.¡¯ Normally, in video games, each stage has a difficulty gap from the previous one, but on the awakening quest, the gap becomes too wide with each level. The difference between the fourth and fifth floors was incomparable to the one between the third and fourth floors. ¡®I need to think about this more carefully.¡¯ Even if Hyun didn¡¯t advance any more from there, he would have cleared as much as before. ¡­But Hyun wanted to go a little bit deeper. ¡°Wait for me. I¡¯ll go and drink some water.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± * * * Hyun, who had left the capsule, drank an entire water bottle; then, he ate a sandwich he had bought from the convenience store. He looked at the time. It was 3 am. ¡°Oof, I¡¯m feeling much better.¡± As he went out to the balcony, the early morning breeze felt colder than usual. Summer was almost over. The chilly wind felt good. Hyun felt that the cold was cleaning his body, which still felt hot because of the battle he just had. He was lost in his thoughts while entrusting his body to the wind. ¡®How should I deal with this quest?¡¯ The average user wouldn¡¯t think so much about it. Most people gave up after seeing how difficult it was. Some people were proud just because they had been able to reach the fifth floor and didn¡¯t even try to clear it. But Hyun was the former number 1. SeoHyun was more strict with himself than most people regarding video games. Was this really the end? Was it impossible to advance? Could he approach things from a different point of view? He asked himself an endless amount of questions. This endless pursuit was probably the reason why Hyun was the number 1 player of Asra Online by an overwhelming difference. ¡®The wind¡­ Is too cold¡­¡¯ As time flowed, the wind began getting colder, so Hyun decided to go back to the room. After thinking for one more minute. ¡®Wind¡­¡¯ * * * The moment he pressed the letter ¡®Start¡¯, the quest began again. First floor. ¡®Let¡¯s go.¡¯ Ain nodded at Hyun¡¯s words. Fwoosh- From Ain¡¯s small hands, a fire ignited. At the same time, two shadows appeared. It took them three seconds to clear that stage. Hyun let Ain deal with them alone. Since it was their last chance, they had no time to waste. They had to do things fast and effectively. They just had to advance as fast as they could. The second and third floors were very similar. The only difference was that the shadows had a little bit more HP and were more intelligent than the previous floor. The third floor was where Ain had died, but because they knew their opponents, she didn¡¯t make the same mistakes as before. The second floor took them 30 seconds and the third one a minute. Hyun and Ain went to a deeper part of the subconscious. Fourth basement level. It was a floor where he had struggled. But back then, the shadows had their stats and skills hidden, so all he could do was try to be as careful as possible. ¡®This time is different.¡¯ The stage stopped descending. Fwoosh- Two giant flames rose, and from the air, two shadow figures showed themselves. ¡°Are you ready?¡± Ain didn¡¯t answer. Even if she didn¡¯t answer, they knew what each other thought, so talking wasn¡¯t necessary. * * * * * * The moment Hyun returned from breathing fresh air¡­ Both were in the lobby talking about possible skill combinations. Among those, the one they discussed the most was the ?Vision Sword?. ¡°The attack of the ?Vision Sword? equals the damage absorbed.¡± ¡°So the stronger the attack you defend against, the better. Right?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true¡­ But there¡¯s another way.¡± Hyun continued with a smile on his face. ¡°That other way is defending against quick consecutive attacks.¡± ¡°Quick consecutive attacks?¡± ¡°Yes. Multi-strike moves.¡± Since Ain wasn¡¯t following him, he explained it to her in more detail. ¡°Even though I¡¯ve called it ?One Second Absorption?, the truth is that it can¡¯t absorb every single attack. After all, the real effect of the skill is increasing all your defensive stats by 100 points. The moment the opponent¡¯s attack surpasses a thousand, I¡¯ll take damage.¡± ¡°For example. If I receive an attack of 5000, after counting in the extra hundred points in defense, I¡¯ll receive 3300 damage¡­ That¡¯s enough to kill us with one hit.¡± Hyun explained to her how damage and defense work in great detail. ¡°Have you memorized all these formulas?¡± ¡°Obviously.¡± ¡°Woah¡­ I do things based on intuition.¡± The conversation was about to be cut short because of Ain, but Hyun kept explaining to her. ¡°Anyway. If I manage to survive being hit with an attack of 3300 damage, the Vision Sword will end up with a 1700 attack. It¡¯s simple math. It¡¯s not like 1700 is a low number, but¡­¡± Hyun smiled. ¡°But what would happen if I receive the 5000 damage divided into equal parts? For example, getting 10 attacks of 500 damage in one second.¡± ¡°An attack of 500 can¡¯t do anything against ?One Second Absorption?. Since I can perfectly defend it, the ?Vision Sword? would end up with an attack of 5000!¡± ¡°What you¡¯re saying is that ?One Second Absorption? goes well with consecutive attack skills, right?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right! And you can use those on me!¡± But finding a skill that checked all the necessary conditions was hard. Most of the Close Range Magician¡¯s attacks dealt a high amount of damage. Ain stopped thinking. Fourth Basement Level. While they were feeling sweat drop from their hands because of the heat, the shadows made a fancy entrance. She didn¡¯t panic and moved as they planned. [Type: Wind] Not only is firepower important for a Close Range Magician! You also need to take care of your speed! But be careful. The wind is very picky! ¨C Now you can learn wind attacks. ¨C [?Flame Claws?] changes to [?The Touch of The Wind?] while using this element. Normally, all of the Close Range Magician¡¯s attacks were of the fire element, but by using the skill points correctly, you could unlock other elements. ¡®Wind¡¯ was one of those. Whoosh- A strong wind began to blow. Ain felt the raging wind pressure on her body. She felt as if the coolness was washing her whole body. ¡®The one who found this was Hyun.¡¯ [?Execution Island? Lv.4] ¨C One second after you pick a target, you cut the opponent 12 times. Each cut deals [Magic Power] x 2.5 times damage. ¨C If the opponent moves while the attack is active, the skill stops. ¨C If you attack an opponent that¡¯s under an abnormal status effect, the skill stops. (Mana Required: 150) The theory behind the skill was simple: You had to attack an opponent that didn¡¯t move. The name ¡°execution¡± really fitted it. The sum of dealing 2.5 times the Magic Power 12 times was over 30 times the Magic Power! If you managed to hit every time, you could achieve abnormally high damage. But Execution Island had a fatal flaw. ¡ªThe opponent had to be standing still for it to be a success. Only one hit out of twelve would land if the opponent moved even once. During a fight, no one would be dumb enough to be standing still. A skill that you cannot properly use is the Ultimate Trash Skill. The requisites were too hard to fulfill even for a high-risk, high-reward skill. ¡®It isn¡¯t high-risk.¡¯ Ain remembered Hyun¡¯s explanation. By using Hyun¡¯s strategy, there was no risk to the skill. [You¡¯ve left the party!] [The party has been broken!] What Ain did next was something that, at first glance, didn¡¯t make sense. Why would a sane person leave the party just before an important quest? But since this was something they had both agreed on, no one was in shock. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll hit you.¡± Swoosh- Wind started covering Ain¡¯s body. The robe¡¯s hat fell off, and her hair got blown by the wind, revealing her eyes as well. She was looking in the direction of Hyun. Ain seemed a little bit embarrassed. ?Execution Island?! The second the short casting ended¡­ Both of Ain¡¯s hands shone brightly. Swish-! The wind blades swept through Hyun¡¯s body and played a devastating melody. Each attack dealt 300 damage approximately. Twelve of those swept through Hyun¡¯s entire body. ¡°Oof¡­¡± Hyun sighed. Whir- The light surrounding Hyun vibrated while making a loud noise that it didn¡¯t make before. The colors of the lights went from being blurry to a clear white one. ¡®I wonder how strong the force I have inside of me right now is.¡¯ Just thinking about using so much force made him feel chills. ¡°This¡­ Is going to be interesting.¡± Hyun took one step while making a creepy smile. Both shadows were coming at him. Just a little while ago, they had put his life in danger. But at that moment, he was getting excited at the thought of getting back at them. ¡°I wonder what the damage output will be.¡± Hyun launched toward them like a rocket. Whir- First, the Close Range Magician. Aim for the neck¡­ ¡®And cut it at once!¡¯ Clang-! He planned to cut the shadow¡¯s neck, but things didn¡¯t work as expected. Whir- Whiiir- A lot of blue lights were protecting the shadow Close Range Magician. That was the Support¡¯s awakening skill. He had already used the Awakening Skill ?Inverse Shield?. Hyun smirked. The deeper they went, the more clever the artificial intelligence became. The fact that it had noticed the danger of Hyun¡¯s attack meant that the shadow knew how to calculate damage. ¡®Although that won¡¯t help you.¡¯ Swish- The moment the cool-down time of the skill went back to 0, 12 lights attacked Hyun¡¯s body again. That time he targeted the shadow Support. ¡°You were able to protect yourself by using the Awakening Skill.¡± Whir- In Hyun¡¯s hands, there was a huge sword. He brandished the sword. ¡°What are you going to do next?¡± A flash went through the shadow. Until the very end, the Shadow Support tried to survive by using ?One Second Absorption?, but it was useless. I¡¯ll kill it with one hit¡­! [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 10,112 damage!] [You¡¯ve dealt an attack equal to or more than 33% of the opponent¡¯s total HP!] [You¡¯ve dealt damage that equates to more than 33% of the opponent¡¯s HP with one hit!] [You¡¯ve pierced its heart!] It was over. With just one attack, the shadow Support disappeared. The damage was so high that the opponent would have died even if he hadn¡¯t targeted a specific part of the body. Hyun could do such a ridiculously high damage because he was using Ain¡¯s unique gloves. Elemental Damage increased by 50%! Critical Hit Damage increased by 30%! He couldn¡¯t use the other extra effects properly, like increased Magical Power, but that didn¡¯t matter. Compared to how much he had struggled the last time, that had been an easy victory for him. ¡°I¡¯m not going to get banned for this, right?¡± How well the combination of using ?One Second Absorption? and absorbing the damage of an ally worked made it look like a cheat. ¡°Ain, hit me.¡± ¡°Oh, okay¡­!¡± Whish- Ain¡¯s wind knives recharged Hyun¡¯s ?One Second Absorption?. Every time Ain hit Hyun, she made strange breathing noises. Hyun¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡®What¡¯s happening¡­?¡¯ Ain¡¯s face was red. Asrian Online was able to recreate the physical condition realistically. ¡®The reason is probably that Wind-type skills required her to move more aggressively.¡¯ Hyun came to a conclusion about Ain¡¯s condition in his own way. ____ ____ Chapter 19 Hard Carry Support Chapter 19 ¨C Starting from Zero (2) Anyway, the moment her partner died, the Close Range Magician activated her ultimate attack. After he thought about it, he had killed her without giving her enough time to use the ultimate attack last time, so it was his first time seeing it. ¡°I hope it isn¡¯t something bothersome.¡± Fwoosh! From her entire body, flames began to wriggle. As her body burned, the tips of her fingers became sharper, and ears made of fire that resembled those of an animal appeared. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s¡­!¡± Ain¡¯s eyes began to sparkle. The shadow started to take the form of a beast. ¡°Wolf¡­?¡± ¡°Woah¡­!¡± Hyun smiled bitterly at the sight of Ain screaming in excitement. He had forgotten that the someone next to him used to be a werewolf. ¡°Look at that. The fur is made of flames¡­!¡± Ain sounded excited. ¡®Even if they beat the fifth floor and unlocked a stronger ultimate attack, she¡¯s probably going to pick the one that lets her become a werewolf. Right?¡¯ Although, since she was the main damage dealer, he wished that she¡¯d choose a stronger ultimate attack. Whish- Hyun approached the shadow. Even if she used the ultimate attack, she wouldn¡¯t be able to defend against the ?Vision Sword?. [You¡¯ve dealt 5481 damage!] [You¡¯ve dealt damage that equates to more than 33% of the opponent¡¯s HP with one hit!] [You¡¯ve cut her right arm!] In one hit, the fire werewolf lost her arm. Fwoosh- Fwoosh- Instead of blood, fire came out from the part where the arm was cut off. He had targeted her neck with the ?Vision Sword?. But after becoming a werewolf, the shadow had become faster, so he couldn¡¯t cut her precisely. But that lasted for a few moments. Once Ain¡¯s ?Execution Island? cooldown became 0, the ?Vision Sword? in Hyun¡¯s hands began emitting light again. A streak of silver light cut through the wolf¡¯s body. Before the upper half of the shadow could touch the floor, it burned and disappeared. [As a reward for clearing the fourth trial, every party member will be awarded temporary stats points!] [Temporary Stat Points] +250 [Temporary Skill Points] +150 ¡°Is this the end?¡± ¡°No¡­ The real trial starts now.¡± The happiness of having cleared the quest cleanly lasted for a short while. Hyun began preparing mentally for what was about to come. While the stage descended, he used the bonus points. He had already thought about how he should distribute the stat points. Ring- From 250 stat points: 100 to agility and 150 to empathy! Ain used a similar ratio to distribute her stat points. After they had finished distributing the points, they gulped while waiting. Before the fight began, Hyun checked his stats once more. ¡®I¡¯m in perfect physical condition.¡¯ Was it because he had warmed up while experiencing the fierce battle a few minutes ago? His reaction speed was almost at its limits. Hyun looked at Ain. She also seemed nervous. After all, it was the first time she was challenging the fifth trial. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about me. It¡¯s like a duel, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true.¡± Finally, the stage stopped descending. The hands of the clock began rotating faster. Fwoosh- Two giant flames rose and disappeared. Two shadows were standing in the place where the giant pillar of fire had been. ¡°Be careful. They¡¯ll come right at us.¡± Whish- Just as Hyun thought, one of them charged toward them as soon as they appeared. But as soon as the stage began, Hyun and Ain had also started moving. They wouldn¡¯t lose to the same tactic twice. Ain used ?Execution Island?, and Hyun absorbed it with ?One Second Absorption?, then he used the damage absorbed to summon the ?Vision Sword?. ¡°Good!¡± Both hands of the Close Range Magician had turned into claws of more than one meter that resembled those of a giant beast. Ain¡¯s clone looked like an unbalanced monster because of the contrast between her small body and the giant claws on both hands. ?Efret¡¯s Claw?. Just like Hyun¡¯s ?One Second Immortality? had evolved to the ?Vision Sword?, Ain¡¯s ?Flame Claws? had evolved into a new form. The claws were big and hot. ¡®Fast¡­!¡¯ The speed increased significantly because the shadow¡¯s movement skills and the attack had combined. Not only that, but because the claws had become bigger, the attack range had increased too. The moment the claws were about to tear him apart, Hyun countered it with the ?Vision Sword?. Slam-! The moment both attacks hit each other, an explosion occurred in the air. A sound loud enough to tear down the eardrums shook the surroundings. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± * * * * * * The pain he could feel in his hands made Hyun groan. Although Hyun wasn¡¯t hurt, he couldn¡¯t resist the effect of the impact, and his body bounced back. But¡­ Even while flying backward, Hyun had a slight smile on his face. The Close Range Magician had also bounced back, just like him. ¡®She also has low Strength.¡¯ From what he remembered, Ain¡¯s clone only had 10 points in strength. The strength stat decided the side-effect of the shock, so the distance of the bounce back should be the same for both. Also¡­ [?Impact Amplification? Lv.5] ¨C Gives extra strength to the attack to push the opponent away. ¨C The distance of the push is increased by 3x[Empathy]% Hyun had invested a lot of points in a skill. Usually, he wouldn¡¯t have spent so many points on a skill like that, but he had just invested 100 points in it. ¡®I won¡¯t be able to win in close-range combat.¡¯ Hyun didn¡¯t think he could win against the Close Range Magician in a battle within a short distance, considering the advantage that job had in terms of attack range, agility stats, and movement skills. ¡®Then the answer is making sure she can¡¯t get close to me!¡¯ He wouldn¡¯t be able to deal damage just by pushing her away, but it didn¡¯t matter. From the start, increasing the distance was the main goal. Ain had also learned a new skill. [?Wind Barrier? Lv.3] ¨C You can create a wind barrier in any place within 10 meters. ¨C The higher the skill level is, the thicker the barrier becomes. Whir- The air cushion that formed mid-air caught Hyun. Hyun stepped on the wind and once again charged toward her. ¡®Good, now!¡¯ ¡ªAttacking the Support while the Close Range Magician was falling! The synergy between the Support and the Close Range Magician wasn¡¯t as simple as one plus one. Their synergy was so good that the moment they stuck together, they equaled three, so dealing with both of them became that much harder. Hyun¡¯s strategy of dealing with them consisted of separating both of them. He would do that by sending the Close Range Magician flying, then eliminating the Support. Imaginary Hyun (Grade: 5) HP: 150000/150000 Mana: 1000/1000 [Strength: 10] [Agility: 80] [Vitality: 750] [Magical Power: 100] [Empathy: 200] Skills ¨C Awakening Skill ¨C [?Soul¡¯s Mirror? Lv.0] Hyun quickly closed the status window of the Support. He didn¡¯t have time to read the skills one by one. He focused on the Support¡¯s HP. 150,000 It was lower than he thought. Maybe catching him would be easier than he initially thought. Whir- For the rest of the time left, the ?Vision Sword? shone. The two consecutive cuts went so quickly that it was worthy of praise. [You¡¯ve dealt 13,502 damage!] [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 25,917 damage!] Two consecutive attacks of a damage output of five digits! Since Ain¡¯s Magical Power and skill level had risen, the attack of the ?Vision Sword? had increased too. Once he finished the attack, the ?Vision Sword?¡¯s light disappeared. Now he had to wait until the next cooldown. ¡°Ain!¡± Nod- After nodding, Ain charged toward the Close Range Magician. Her role was separating the Close Range Magician and Support even further. ?Wind Barrier?. Invisible barriers rose. Ain slowed down the Close Range Magician by placing wind barriers in her running path. In the end, more than 20 seconds passed before the Close Range Magician reached her partner. All the important skills¡¯ cooldown times were at zero again. ¡®Good. The cycle is just as I expected.¡¯ Hyun smiled at the Close Range Magician that was approaching him. He swung the ?Vision Sword? toward the opponent. ¡°You just stay far away!¡± Boom-! A loud sound was made from the impact of both attacks and made Hyun and Ain¡¯s shadow bounce back. But Ain was behind Hyun. A soft impact supported Hyun from behind. A barrier made of wind. Hyun immediately used the wind to leap forward. That time, faster than before! [You¡¯ve dealt 12,972 damage!] [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 26,786 damage!] [You¡¯ve dealt 13,912 damage!] He cut the Support three times. ¡®Good.¡¯ Hyun clenched his fists in delight. Each time he landed a successful attack on the Support and his HP went down, his heart beat faster. ¡®One more time¡­¡¯ The status window said that the Support had 50,000 HP left. Only 1/3 was left from that initial intimidating 150,000 HP. With two or three critical hits, he would probably be able to defeat his clone. The moment he was starting to get his hopes high¡ª ¡¸Ain, be careful!¡¹ Suddenly a beam of light flew towards her. Without any warning, a sharp attack flew in Ain¡¯s direction. Ain heard Hyun¡¯s voice a little bit late because she was dealing with the Close Range Magician, but she still managed to react somehow. ¡°Woah¡­!¡± Ain subconsciously twisted her waist. The white light brushed Ain¡¯s collar and tore it apart. The Support had used ?Supporting Fire? to target Ain. After making sure she hadn¡¯t taken any damage, he sighed in relief. ¡¸That has a cooldown time of 30 seconds. So you¡¯ll be okay for the next 30 seconds.¡¹ ¡¸Understood¡­!¡¹ Time kept flowing. Once the cooldown time for ?Execution Island? went to zero, Ain used it on Hyun, and the ?Vision Sword? regained strength. At the same time, Hyun¡¯s heart began beating faster. According to his calculations, he could perfectly kill the Support within the next few attacks. ¡®Now!¡¯ Hyun had 250 points in empathy. He could maintain ?Vision Sword? for 2.5 seconds. ¡®During that time, I can perfectly cut him five times!¡¯ Even if he didn¡¯t get a critical hit, he could probably finish off the shadow Support. ¡°With this¡­¡± Was it that the opportunity in front of him had clouded his thoughts? Hyun had forgotten about the approaching Close Range Magician¡¯s existence and focused all his attention on the Support for a moment. ¡°¡­ I¡¯ll eliminate one!¡± His hands trembled a little bit. But he clenched his teeth and rapidly cut the shadow. Whoosh- Whoosh-. Five attacks rapidly cut through the Support. Hyun furrowed his eyebrows. During the last few cuts, he couldn¡¯t feel anything. It was as if he had cut through the air. Fwoosh-. The shadow Support began to burn. But there was something different from before. Unlike before, he didn¡¯t disappear. As time passed, he began getting bigger. Fwoosh- Finally, the shadow became a giant pillar of fire and shook the ground. ¡°Wh-what¡­?¡± Ain asked, frustrated. ¡°He didn¡¯t die?!¡± Hyun rapidly opened the status window of the Support. Seeing how he could open the Support¡¯s status window, he hadn¡¯t died yet. He had a bad feeling. ¡®This isn¡¯t good.¡¯ He could see the details of the awakening skill that had remained hidden until a while ago. [?Soul¡¯s Mirror? Lv.0] ¨C As long as the target¡¯s level isn¡¯t higher than yours, you can become a copy of them. (You need to receive the permission of the other party!) ¨C It lasts for 20 seconds. In the place where the Support was standing, a fire was growing as if it was about to tear the earth apart. The pillar of fire that pierced the skies soon began losing its power. Behind the flames that had died down, he could see another silhouette that resembled Ain. The Support had copied the Close Range Magician. ____ ____ Chapter 20 Hard Carry Support Chapter 20 ¨C Starting from Zero (3) ¡®His HP¡­ Is full?!¡¯ Fwoosh- In the hands of the shadow that used to be the Support, flames appeared. The small flame soon grew and took the form of a claw made of lava. Hyun knew what that was. It was the evolved form of the basic skill of the Close Range Magician, the ?Flame Claws?. It was a superior skill called ?Efret¡¯s Claw?. The beast¡¯s claws flew toward him. ¡°Damn!¡± Hyun shouted while backing off. But at the same time, his heart sank. The attack range had increased a lot. If ?Flame Claws? had an attack range of 2~30 centimeters, ?Efret¡¯s Claw? had one of 1~2 meters. ¡®I can¡¯t evade this¡­!¡¯ Not only did the attack range increase, it was also incredibly fast. Hyun wasn¡¯t sure how much damage that attack could deal. What he knew was that he would have a hard time defending against it. He was predicting his death when¡ª Poof-! With a loud sound of air bursting, Hyun bounced back because of the shock. He turned his head around and saw Ain with her hands on her chest. She had used the basic wind skill to push Hyun. Hyun rapidly rolled to the ground and got up. The dangerous situation wasn¡¯t over yet. From behind and the front¡­ The two Close Range Magicians had launched a joint attack. ¡®I have to dodge both¡­?¡¯ Except for ?Shield?, the rest of their skills still had cooldown time left. Especially Ain¡¯s ?Execution Island? skill, which had eight seconds left before it could be used. The only possible way out of that situation was using superhuman reflexes to avoid being hit. The moment an attack reached him, it would be game over. ¡°Concentrate¡­!¡± Hyun was talking to himself, but it also served as a warning for Ain. Could he dodge both attacks? No, he had to! ¡®Coming!¡¯ The claws in both hands¡­ Hyun stepped back in a diagonal line. With one movement, he dodged both attacks. He was able to find a safe point subconsciously. But he began to feel uneasy. The reason was that he had dodged the attack too easily. ¡®Did they make a slow attack on purpose¡­?¡¯ Hyun made that guess after that short exchange of blows. He was right. Immediately, a faster attack flew toward him. A red half-moon flashed as if it was about to tear Hyun¡¯s body down. ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± Hyun hit the floor with his feet and began running. The flame brushed the back of his feet. Even though he didn¡¯t take any damage, he couldn¡¯t relax since the shadow was running in his direction. Just like a beast hunting down a herbivore animal, the shadow used both hands to try to smash him. That sight made Hyun¡¯s face turn pale. ¡®Damn¡­!¡¯ As soon as he landed on the floor, he twisted his waist to the side. The claws brushed past his back and nose. Smash- The claws went through the floor that was made of metal. If he hadn¡¯t dodged the attack on time, he would¡¯ve been smashed instead of the floor. ¡®I¡¯m running out of ways to avoid the attacks¡­!¡¯ The shadow slammed his arms down and then began rotating the claws faster. The shadow was trying to cut him in half, taking the opportunity that Hyun had lost his balance due to dodging consecutive attacks. ¡®Damn, my body is moving too slow!¡¯ Hyun clenched his teeth. At that moment¡ª Bang-! With a loud sound, a system message appeared in front of him. [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve received 132 damage!] [Because your HP has dropped to less than 20%, the effect of ¡®The Blood Fairy¡¯s Frenzy¡¯ has activated!] [Your speed has increased by 50%!] He saw Ain¡¯s figure passing by when he looked at his side. She had her arms extended and was using the wind to push him. ¡°Dodge it properly!¡± Fwoosh- Before Ain could finish the sentence, the claws had already come closer to Hyun¡¯s chest. He tried to bend his waist but fell to the ground because he couldn¡¯t balance himself. Immediately, flames flashed past his field of vision. ¡®One more attack is coming¡­!¡¯ He stood up. Because of the buff given by the item, Hyun was capable of doing things that were impossible for most people. While on the ground, he used the strength of his ankles to rotate his body and run. The claws scratched the ground and passed near him. Of course, it also swept where Hyun was. Whir- In front of Hyun, who had jumped into the air¡­ Suddenly, a translucent block appeared. ?Wind Barrier?. Why did Ain place it here? For what purpose? ¡ªHe didn¡¯t ask questions like that. There must have been a reason. * * * * * * Hyun stepped on the wind barrier and leaped forward once more. Right before Hyun used a double jump into the sky¡ª Swoop- Giant claws made of flame scratched the air beneath him. The owner of those claws was the other Close Range Magician. The one targeting Ain had suddenly changed direction and charged toward Hyun. Ain put a Wind Barrier without any warnings because she probably didn¡¯t have enough time to warn him. ¡°The skills have refreshed!¡± ¡°Use them immediately!¡± Swish- Knives made of wind slashed Hyun¡¯s skin and charged the ?Vision Sword?. However, she couldn¡¯t use ?Execution Island? to the last stroke because it was canceled. Hyun had moved before Ain could finish. The reason why he did that was that claws were coming at them at an incredibly fast speed. ¡°Okay, this is more than enough¡­!¡± Hyun dodged her claws by somersaulting, then he shouted. ¡°Ain!¡± Two Close Range Magicians were coming at them from each side. They looked like a pack of lions about to hunt prey. Four fire claws were targeting both Hyun and Ain at the same time. Would it be one second until the claws smashed them¡­? No, sooner than that! Whir- Hyun took out his ?Vision Sword?. Spin- Hyun rotated in the air and slashed Ain and the shadows. The timing of the party formation was perfect. The ?Vision Sword? slashed through Ain. Crash-! A bright flash and burning fire collided. The impact caused the shadows to bounce back in separate directions. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± The impact also affected Hyun. The huge reaction coming from both sides made it hard to breathe for a moment. There was no physical pain or HP reduction, but he could feel the side-effects of the impact throughout his whole body. That nonsensical thing happened because of the sensory synchronization. He could only start relaxing after he stopped shaking. ¡°How did you dodge everything¡­?¡± Ain asked him with a surprised tone of voice. ¡®I¡¯m not sure.¡¯ Hyun was also surprised by the fact that he had been able to support the combined attack of both Close Range Magicians. If he knew how to edit videos, he would have probably uploaded this video to YouTube. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to do it again.¡± Only a superhuman would be able to resist for more than 10 seconds against the combined attacks of both shadows. ¡°Hyun, what should we do now? There are two Close Range Magicians.¡± ¡°What about that?¡± ¡°Strategy. Our original plan was to separate both shadows and eliminate the Support first! But now, there are two Close Range Magicians.¡± ¡°Nothing has changed.¡± After thinking for a while, Hyun kept talking. ¡°We just need to send them both flying. It just changed from one to two.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?!¡± Hyun smiled bitterly at Ain¡¯s question. ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s going to work¡­ But, we need to try it at least.¡± ¡°First, hit me once again.¡± Nod. Swish- While Ain¡¯s wind knives cut Hyun¡¯s body, his body got covered by a very bright silver light. Once he took out the ?Vision Sword?, the light hit the claws. Stomp-! ¡°Hmph¡­!¡± Hyun felt the pressure increasing on his lungs, so he stopped breathing for a while. A clash of strength. Neither Hyun nor the shadow could withstand the effects of the impact, so they bounced back. ¡°Grab me!¡± Ain had the magic ready before Hyun shouted. Whir- Behind Hyun¡¯s back, a stream of air formed. Then a wind barrier appeared and caught Hyun. ¡®One more¡­!¡¯ Two shadows were approaching him. Hyun stepped on the wind barrier and rushed toward the other shadow. ¡®Deactivate ?Impact Amplification?!¡¯ The moment he deactivated his passive skill, he smashed the opponent three consecutive times. [You¡¯ve dealt 13,245 damage!] [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 25,424 damage!] [You¡¯ve dealt 12,924 damage!] Because of the increased attack speed thanks to the buff of the ¡®Blood Fairy,¡¯ the three consecutive attacks probably looked like lightning. But it wasn¡¯t over yet. ¡®?Impact Amplification? Activate!¡¯ The purpose of the last attack wasn¡¯t to deal as much damage as possible. ¡ªIt was to clash weapons and gain as much distance as possible. Crash-! While being pushed back, Hyun had a smile on his face. ¡®It¡¯s going to take you some time to come back.¡¯ During that time, he could gain some cooldown time for his skills. Things were going as he planned. The shadows kept trying to approach Hyun and Ain, but every time they did that, they were pushed back by the passive skill. But then, suddenly. Something unexpected happened. Scratch- One of the shadows that was being pushed back by Hyun¡¯s passive skill used its claws to scratch the floor. A long vertical line was drawn on the floor, and the shadow was pushed back a few meters. He definitely wasn¡¯t imagining things when he saw the shadow lift her head and make a creepy smile. ¡®Is she already broken¡­?¡¯ Whir- Her hands began turning red. He thought that the world was being painted with red color for a moment. It was a strange illusion that made him feel like every color except red was being drawn into a single point resembling a black hole. Hyun¡¯s instincts sent him a warning. ¡®This¡­¡¯ It was a skill that the shadow hadn¡¯t used before. The skill¡¯s cinematics made it look like it was about to devour everything. While feeling anxious, Hyun opened her status window. [?Vestige Explosion? Lv.3] ¨C Gather all the mana around that has been used and shoot it forward. ¨C Gather all mana used within a range of 30 meters within the last 10 minutes and deal [Mana] x [Magical Power/10] as damage. ¨C The larger the amount of mana you gather, the bigger the beam of light will be. Just like a broken film reel, the Close Range Magician was suddenly in front of Hyun. ¡®Too dangerous¡­!¡¯ The sphere in her hands kept being compressed until it became the size of a marble. The smaller it became, the more light was emitted. ¡®What¡¯s the attack range of this ultimate attack¡­?¡¯ ¡®Is it possible to defend against it¡­?¡¯ At that critical moment, numerous thoughts crossed Hyun¡¯s mind, and he finally shouted. ¡°Ain, push me!¡± Poof! Ain used the most basic wind skill from behind to push Hyun 10 meters. Instead of stopping there, Ain ran towards Hyun and compressed wind to push him again. Hyun¡¯s body was pushed again as if it was hit by a wind combo. When the sphere that had been reduced to the size of a rice grain exploded, the entire floor shook, and the debris floated up. They flinched in agony because of the intense light. The ultimate attack, from a distance, looked like a huge beam crossing the earth. The beam that was about 10 meters wide was erasing everything on its path without leaving a trace. ¡ªEven the floor of the stage! ¡®What kind of skill has such incredible destructive power¡­?!¡¯ He felt that the loud noise was about to destroy his eardrums, but he couldn¡¯t hear it anymore once it reached a certain decibel. ¡¸Hyun! Look to the side!¡¹ After hearing Ain¡¯s voice, he turned his head around and saw the other Close Range Magician approaching. In her hands, there was also a white sphere shrinking in size. The world began to turn red again. It was the same technique he had just seen. Hyun¡¯s face turned pale. ¡®Damn¡­ Another ultimate attack?¡¯ Hyun suddenly began wondering about something. According to the skill explanation, the ultimate skill¡¯s power increased when more leftovers of previously used magics were left. Then, what would happen if it¡¯s used again right after the first attack? Hyun took a weapon from his robe and threw it on the ground. It was the newbie¡¯s dagger he had been carrying around since the beginning. Smack- The dagger hit the upper part of the shadow¡¯s wrist. At first glimpse, the results of that attack may seem poor. But what the dagger did was more important than what it appeared. He had changed the direction of her arms from horizontal to vertical. It was something he had been able to do thanks to the passive skill, ?Impact Amplification?. Boom-! The wide laser came out of her hands when Hyun used the dagger to change the direction of the attack. The light blinded them. Because of the side-effect of releasing a massive amount of energy underneath where she was standing, the shadow soared to a very high place. Both Ain and Hyun were overwhelmed by the sight of a 30-meter wide light beam falling perpendicularly to the ground. The light beam erased everything without leaving any trace. ____ ____ Chapter 21 Hard Carry Support Chapter 21 ¨C The People that Observe Hyun (1) A crack began forming on the floor, and soon, it crumbled. [Because the stage crumbled, the energy of the abyss is leaking!] [Be careful! A mortal soul can¡¯t resist the energy of the abyss!] Black smoke started coming out from the cracks of the destroyed stage. Thankfully, Hyun was able to stand on a section of the floor that was in a relatively good state. Through the cracks on the floor, you could see dark energy that resembled fire. ¡°Oof¡­¡± Hyun raised his head and saw the Close Range Magician that had just used the ultimate attack was twisting her body in pain. Soon, her body was devoured by the dark flames and disappeared. Seeing it struggle while it was about to die was chilling. ¡¸Did she die?¡¹ Ain¡¯s voice could be heard from somewhere. ¡¸Probably.¡¹ Since the status of the shadow couldn¡¯t be seen, she had probably died. Once a part of the floor began to crumble, the balance broke, and even the okay parts started to fall like domino pieces. Hyun tried his best not to get hit by the dark flames. He still didn¡¯t know what the black flames were, but he was sure that just being brushed by them would be enough to kill him. It had melted someone with almost 300,000 HP, so there was no need to think about if it was truly dangerous or not. Paf-. Flames tried to strike him out of nowhere, so Hyun rolled to the side. The surviving shadow had targeted Hyun. The remaining Close Range Magician didn¡¯t seem to care about the dark flames that could be seen through the cracks on the floor. Hyun opened the shadow¡¯s status window and saw that she still had 140,000 HP. It was a lot of HP to take down at once. ?One Second Absorption?! Ain arrived at where Hyun was standing just in time. Swish- After receiving Ain¡¯s wind attack, Hyun pulled out the ?Vision Sword? and swung it towards the shadow. Crash-! Crack-! That time, the shadow used the fire claws to dig into the floor. Because of that, she was pushed back only a few meters. ¡®It doesn¡¯t work anymore?¡¯ Hyun stepped on the ?Wind Barrier? and swung the sword again while leaping forward. Crash-! Crack-! The shadow once again used the claws to resist being pushed back. ¡®It really doesn¡¯t work anymore.¡¯ The ?Vision Sword? turned off. He had to resist until the cooldown time of the skills was reset. But at that point, he had to be honest¡­ Hyun wasn¡¯t sure he could dodge all the attacks of the Close Range Magician while trying to avoid being touched by the black flames. ¡®All the tactics I prepared have failed.¡¯ He had no choice but to admit it. ¡ªThat he was at his limit. However, he wasn¡¯t happy with the results. This just showed that it was the limit of his skills. Hyun thought that he mustn¡¯t ever forget what he was feeling at that moment. What happened that day would be a great lesson for him. But he wouldn¡¯t let things end so easily. He really wanted to avoid using this tactic, which left the results to luck. Because¡­ ¡®Anyone can win with a tactic like this.¡¯ Twirl- The claws of the Close Range Magician were right in front of him. Hyun didn¡¯t try to dodge or defend against it. He just stood still. ¡°What are you doing¡­?! Hyun!¡± Even though Ain shouted at him, he didn¡¯t move. He just stood there and used one skill. ?Shield?. Right after that, the claws exploded, and Hyun turned into light. It really looked like a meaningless death. Ain wasn¡¯t aware that Hyun had used a skill, so she looked at Hyun die in a seemingly stupid way. At that moment, Hyun talked to her through the capsule. ¡¸What are you doing? Attack!¡¹ ¡°Oh! Y-you¡¯re right¡­!¡± The shadow that had attacked Hyun was still stunned because of the effect of ?Shield?. Ain used the wind to push the shadow to where the opponent had used the ultimate attack and to where the black flames were burning more intensely. Just in case the shadow was able to survive the flames, she kept using wind attacks against where the shadow had fallen. But as soon as the shadow touched the black flames, it disappeared. Even after getting the message that announced their victory, the stage kept crumbling. The black flames became stronger and began devouring everything. Hyun, who had become a ghost, looked at the scenery from a distance. [You¡¯ve reached the floor of the abyss!] [This is a place where living persons aren¡¯t allowed in! You¡¯re losing consciousness!] The rest of the floor crumbled. The black fire covered the entire world. Even if the floor had disappeared, Ain didn¡¯t fall. She also didn¡¯t get burned by the black fire. In the middle of total darkness, the only thing they could hear was the sound of the system message. [Turning back the time!] [Calculating the results from player Hyun¡¯s memories.] [Even in the middle of a dangerous situation, he was able to read his partner¡¯s intentions. That silent communication looked as if their souls were resonating!] [The Support¡¯s awakening skill, ?Assimilation? has been unlocked!] [Since all the memories have been destroyed, you cannot choose another awakening skill.] [You¡¯ve learned ?Assimilation?.] [The skill tree has expanded!] ¡°What¡­?!¡± Hyun¡¯s voice trembled, even though he had been able to remain calm throughout the battle. That¡¯s because the system had automatically selected the awakening skill for him. He experienced a cold sweat. ¡®I¡¯ve already seen this before, right?¡¯ He remembered the nightmarish situation he had to go through during the job selection process. The awakening skill Hyun wanted was the ?Soul¡¯s Mirror? that the fifth-floor Support used. ¡ªThe ultimate attack that allowed you to copy your partner¡¯s form and skills. Hyun had been excited at the thought of being able to copy Ain¡¯s body and deal a massive amount of damage. So to him, that news was like getting hit by thunder on a sunny day. At the same time¡­ Ain also got the system message. [Calculating the results from player Ain¡¯s memories.] [Throughout the battle, she never stopped looking at her partner. It was truly a soul-burning passion and dedication!] [The Close Range Magician¡¯s awakening skill, ?Prepared for Extinction? has been unlocked.] [You¡¯ve learned ?Prepared for Extinction?.] [The skill tree has expanded!] ¡°N¡­ No way¡­!¡± Ain also felt that she was hit by thunder on a sunny day. She was excited at the thought of selecting the Ultimate Attack that she had seen on the fourth floor that allowed her to become a werewolf. She would¡¯ve been okay with whatever result as long as they let her choose the werewolf transformation skill. But she couldn¡¯t select that?! After hearing that merciless system message, she put an expression on her face that made her look like a child whose birthday present had been taken from her. ¡°Damn¡­!¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Even though they were disappointed, they didn¡¯t lose hope. They opened their respective status windows to read about their ultimate attacks. ¡°¡­?!¡± After a while, a subtle expression came to Hyun and Ain¡¯s faces. For a while, they concentrated on reading the skill¡¯s description. Finally, once they closed the status windows, that depression and anxiety had started to turn into smiles. When their eyes met, they couldn¡¯t hide their smiles anymore. * * * * * * ¡°Woah, that¡¯s crazy!¡± A man suddenly began clapping while shouting in excitement. That man¡¯s name was Fred Gash. He was a genius and one of the main developers of Asrian. Around him, there were other people as capable as he was but from different specialty areas. Physicist Robert Connor! Electronic Engineer Mary Lev! The pioneer of NewAI Engineering, Kang SeongCheol! The genius of programming and simulation, Mori Wataru! They were very famous people in their respective areas. There were other important people on the team, but they weren¡¯t present there at the moment. ¡°How did they do it¡­?¡± Kang SeongCheol was silent, lost in his thoughts. ¡°They really did it! Then it¡¯s my win, right?¡± Robert extended his hand, and people began putting a couple of banknotes on top of his hand. ¡°Hey Kang, explain what happened! You told us that no one would be able to beat the AI that¡¯s protecting the fifth floor!¡± Even while Mary was trying to interrogate him, Kang SeongCheol was still lost in his thoughts. ¡°Is it the environment? Yeah, there were a lot of unexpected variables¡­ If the map hadn¡¯t broken, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to clear it so easily.¡± ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t think so.¡± Mori, who had been watching everything silently, replied to what Kang SeongCheol said to himself. ¡°The variables you¡¯re talking about probably hindered them more than being of help. If there weren¡¯t those black flames, they would¡¯ve probably cleared the stage more easily.¡± They had been watching both users since they reached the fourth stage of the awakening quests. At first, it was mere curiosity. But as time went on, they couldn¡¯t stop watching them. They had even stopped what they were doing. Seeing them play had the power to immerse people as if it were an action movie. Finally, after the awakening quest was over, they began discussing what had just happened. ¡°What do you guys think about the awakening skills they obtained? Won¡¯t it break the balance of the game?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way to know that. It will depend on how well they can use those skills.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that Vision Sword too broken?¡± Mary, who was the only woman among them, asked a question. ¡°That skill is capable of dealing 30,000 damage with just one hit? That¡¯s an incredible amount of damage that not even a level 250 user should be able to do easily!¡± ¡°We can¡¯t judge how OP a skill is just because of that. To deal such a crazy amount of damage, both have made many sacrifices,¡± Robert said to Mary, who he thought was annoyed because she had lost the bet. He kept explaining. ¡°To optimize the damage output of a skill, they¡¯ve made many sacrifices. If one of the two weren¡¯t present, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to achieve this, so it isn¡¯t very effective if you think about it.¡± ¡°Even so, the balance¡­!¡± ¡°Calm down. You know we can¡¯t touch the balance of the game.¡± Mori tried to calm everyone down. ¡°Asrian is a complete world in itself. Also, there¡¯s nothing we can do about it since there¡¯s only one person who was the permission to make changes¡­¡± ¡°I know. The only person that can do that is Dr. Kwon.¡± ¡°How many times do I need to tell you that he¡¯s now the chairman?¡± ¡°Okay, chairman Kwon.¡± ¡°Not only that, but the development of Asrian Online has finished. NFM is in charge of providing the service. So our only job is to do some small tasks like creating some patches. At this point, it¡¯s almost as if we were outsiders.¡± It really was like that. The only reason they had the authority to monitor the users was to make sure that the world they had created was working properly. The problem was that Asrian was perfect. There weren¡¯t any issues with the game. But still, no one wished or was thinking about leaving the team. They all wanted to see how the virtual world they had created evolved on a different path from the earth. After all, they had put so many things in the process of creating Asrian Online. ¡°I know that we shouldn¡¯t call ourselves insiders anymore¡­ I understand that¡­¡± Mary murmured. Even though she understood her position, she had raised her voice so much because of her love for Asrian. They all felt the same way. Even though the big project had finished, they didn¡¯t want to return to their previous jobs. They had chosen to stay there. ¡°Let¡¯s just watch,¡± Robert said with a bitter smile. The monitor changed and began showing the current number 1 player, ¡®Lattice.¡¯ After a long journey, this was their main form of entertainment. It still wasn¡¯t their turn to move. ____ ____ Chapter 22 Hard Carry Support Chapter 22 ¨C The people that observe Hyun (2) ¡ª12:30 PM SeoHyun was participating in a high school reunion. There were two reasons why SeoHyun had gone there. The first one was to maintain some kind of human relationship. The second one was because he had heard that the reunion would take place in a fancy restaurant. ¡®Anyway, Ain isn¡¯t going to log in until the afternoon.¡¯ He was also curious about how his high school friends, whom he hadn¡¯t seen since graduation day, were doing. There were ten people in total. Since he had gone to an all-boys high school, the first thing they talked about was video games. ¡°Hey, I also started playing a few days ago!¡± ¡°What, Asrian?¡± ¡°Yeah. I was impressed. Oof¡­ I didn¡¯t sleep last night at all.¡± ¡°More than a video game, it¡¯s a piece of art.¡± Those days, the hottest topic in the video game industry is Asrian Online. Thanks to its cutting-edge sensory synchronization technology, it had successfully captured the interest and attention of all genders. Even middle-aged salarymen were interested in playing Asrian Online, so the sales of virtual reality capsules were booming. And all businesses related to virtual reality were experiencing an unprecedented increase in profits. ¡°If you¡¯re going to talk about video games, do it later! I have exams next week!¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true. Today, let¡¯s talk about each other¡¯s school life. Even JaeHoon is here, so let¡¯s refrain from talking about video games.¡± ¡°Hmm? I don¡¯t mind.¡± JaeHoon, who had suddenly become the topic of the conversation, raised his head. He had always come on top of the scoring leaderboard during their high school years and finally got into Korea University¡ªhe was the stereotypical model student. ¡°If you¡¯ve played it even once, it¡¯s impossible not to talk about it. It¡¯s completely different from all the games that have come out before. This is real Virtual Reality.¡± ¡°Yes, it really does feel like a video game that should¡¯ve come out in the future.¡± The topic of the conversation naturally flowed into Asrian Online. SeoHyun, who was quietly eating pasta in the corner, felt relieved. After all, the university he was going to was very bad compared to the ones his friends were attending. It was the natural result of playing Asra Online the day before the CSAT exams. ¡°Why did you start playing it right before the mid-term exams?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t resist. Those that haven¡¯t started playing it shouldn¡¯t do it. That¡¯s it if you don¡¯t want to end up like me. When I came to my senses, I was already at level 48.¡± ¡°Already? SeongJoon, you¡¯re amazing! Even among streamers, there aren¡¯t many people at that level.¡± ¡°To tell you the truth, I¡¯m also streaming.¡± Even though he said it very carefully, one could notice the pride in his voice. ¡°Really?!¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll send you the link. Come see my streams. I tend to have 2,000 viewers.¡± ¡°2,000? When did you start streaming?¡± ¡°One week ago¡­ I¡¯m also thinking of starting a YouTube channel.¡± Everyone was impressed by SeongJoon¡¯s words. After all, online content making was one of the hottest industries. The number two most desired job by elementary school students was either a YouTuber or streamer. Everyone knew how impressive it was to have an audience of 2,000 people who regularly watched your streams, so they envied his success. ¡°Then, how much do you earn per month?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure since it hasn¡¯t been a month since I began streaming. But yesterday I earned $1,500.¡± Everyone was impressed by what SeongJoon had just told them. During high school, he was one of the worst students. Yet, as soon as they came out to society, he was already earning a huge sum of money. ¡°Even if you ruin your mid-term exams, you¡¯re going to be okay. Just drop out of university and play Asrian.¡± ¡°I think it would be best if I finished university just in case.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. But times have really changed, huh? Now you don¡¯t need to study to be successful.¡± ¡°Damn, I should have focused on playing video games instead of studying during my high school years.¡± ¡°Haha, even if you did that, it would be impossible for someone like you. SeongJoon has always been good at video games. That¡¯s why he was able to become a successful streamer!¡± With streaming and Asrian Online as the main topics, the first high school reunion seemed to be reaching an end. ¡®Should I start streaming? But I think no one would watch me since my job is Support¡­¡¯ Since SeoHyun was the typical outsider, he just stayed in the corner listening to what the popular guys were talking about. While everyone was saying their goodbyes¡­ ¡°SeoHyun, do you want to play together?¡± ¡®Huh?¡¯ When he turned around, he saw someone waving at him. Kim JaeHoon. He was one of the few people he talked to during his high school years. They weren¡¯t close friends, even though they had gone to the same middle and high school. He was someone who lived in a completely different world. Not only had he always received the best scores in his class, but he was also a student of Korea¡¯s most prestigious university. That JaeHoon had asked him something unexpected. ¡°Do you also play Asrian?¡± He wasn¡¯t expecting someone like him to mention that word, Asrian. SeoHyun was surprised for a bit, but then he remembered that they had just been talking about Asrian Online at the reunion. So it was understandable that he was starting to get interested in it. ¡°Well, yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not surprised. After all, you¡¯ve always enjoyed playing video games.¡± JaeHoon smiled nervously. After pausing for a while, he finally spoke. ¡°I¡¯m also playing Asrian Online.¡± JaeHoon was hoping to see SeoHyun surprised. Just like he had planned, he was surprised but for a different reason. SeoHyun wasn¡¯t surprised even though he hadn¡¯t spoken anything about Asrian Online during the reunion. Gaming to relax when you¡¯re too stressed about your studies was a very common hobby, and maybe he just didn¡¯t want to mention he was also playing video games. ¡°I¡¯m a level 41 warrior.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I see.¡± ¡®Haha¡­ I guess this surprised him for real. Huh¡­?¡¯ JaeHoon was hoping to see an even more surprised expression, but he was the one that became embarrassed by his plain reaction. He had expected SeoHyun to be surprised to hear that he, a typical model student, was a level 41 warrior, but SeoHyun seemed as calm as if he was listening to the morning news. JaeHoon scratched his head. ¡®If he has played Asrian, he should know how high level 41 is¡­ But why isn¡¯t he showing any kind of reaction?¡¯ JaeHoon came to a false conclusion. ¡ª¡¯This guy doesn¡¯t believe in what I¡¯m saying!¡¯ * * * * * * Well, it¡¯s a natural reaction. If a guy who seems like he¡¯s always studying came up to me and said he has a level 41 character out of nowhere, I wouldn¡¯t believe him either. He felt a little bit disappointed because he had been telling the truth. ¡®Hmm¡­ Is level 41 high¡­? It¡¯s a lot lower compared to SeongJoon. Damn it. I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s considered high or not! Is he trying to ask me for power leveling?¡¯ Contrary to Jae-hoon, who was disappointed, Seohyun was thinking about what Jae-hoon¡¯s true intentions were. That bragging hadn¡¯t worked on SeoHyun since his parameters were based on the people who were leading the ranking. ¡®He won¡¯t easily believe me.¡¯ JaeHoon decided to move on. It wasn¡¯t like he was expecting praise or something like that. He was just looking to surprise a friend. ¡®Even though he won¡¯t believe in my words¡­ I should say what I originally wanted to say.¡¯ ¡®Although I¡¯m sure he won¡¯t believe me.¡¯ While thinking that, JaeHoon spoke to SeoHyun. ¡°My goal is to become a professional gamer.¡± ¡°What?!¡± That time, SeoHyun was really surprised. JaeHoon had said something totally unexpected. Why was someone who entered Korea University trying to become a pro-gamer?! SeoHyun wasn¡¯t the only one surprised. JaeHoon was also perplexed by his friend¡¯s reaction. ¡®Wasn¡¯t it that he didn¡¯t trust my words¡­? Why did he suddenly make such a reaction¡­?¡¯ ¡°Really? You? becoming a pro-gamer?¡± ¡°Do you believe me?¡± ¡°Were you lying?¡± ¡°No, everything I told you is the truth¡­¡± ¡°Yes. There¡¯s no way you would tell such a lie out of the blue.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± JaeHoon seemed confused. The conversation seemed to be flowing in a strange direction, but he wasn¡¯t sure when the confusion had originated. Was he making fun of him? But looking at SeoHyun, he really seemed surprised by what he had just told him. It was an expression that wasn¡¯t fake. ¡°A pro-gamer? Amazing! But why are you suddenly telling me this?¡± SeoHyun¡¯s voice awakened JaeHoon from his thoughts. Yes, there was something else more important. JaeHoon began talking about the reason why he had approached SeoHyun. ¡°Remember the game you always used to play?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°The name of that game was Asra Online, right?¡± ¡°¡­!¡± The moment the word ¡®Asra¡¯ came out, SeoHyun¡¯s eyes changed. JaeHoon gulped. SeoHyun¡¯s look had changed. This metaphor may sound weird, but he felt like an amateur who was about to play against a professional gamer. He couldn¡¯t find the old SeoHyun in the person standing in front of him¡ªthat careless person who was always taking a nap was nowhere to be seen. ¡°Hmm¡­ Asra Online¡­ Yeah, I used to play it back then.¡± In SeoHyun¡¯s smile, there was a mysterious sense of confidence. The SeoHyun standing in front of him wasn¡¯t that guy who didn¡¯t use to have a presence. He was an Asra gamer. JaeHoon thought that maybe the conversation could be unexpectedly prolonged. * * * The two moved somewhere else. When JaeHoon offered to buy him some coffee, he immediately followed him. But there was something strange¡­ The place where JaeHoon took him to, unlike normal cafes, had waiters that saluted you with a 90-degree bow. SeoHyun¡¯s steps stopped for a little while. ¡®Just¡­ How much money does this guy¡¯s family have?¡¯ The cafe looked like one of those places that appeared in movies. ¡®Is this the place that appeared on the news a few days ago because a cup of coffee costs $20?¡¯ Even if he looked around, there were only couples on dates or salarymen dressed in suits. There wasn¡¯t a table with two university male university students. ¡°A table for two?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Please follow me.¡± SeoHyun, who was walking beside JaeHoon, had a slightly pale expression on his face. SeoHyun wondered what was important enough for JaeHoon to bring him to such a place. ¡®Considering that he had shown interest in Asra Online, he is likely after information about Asrian Online.¡¯ ¡®He isn¡¯t going to threaten to not to pay for my coffee cup unless I give him useful information, right?¡¯ After taking a seat and ordering, JaeHoon began talking. ¡°SeoHyun, how long did you play Asra Online?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Probably seven years, no¡­ eight.¡± JaeHoon was surprised by SeoHyun¡¯s answer. Eight years, that meant he had been playing Asra Online since he was in primary school. SeoHyun had more experience regarding Asra than he had initially thought. Those days, when the market is constantly being flooded with new games, it was weird to see someone who had played only one game for many years. ¡°You never took a break from it?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I once stopped playing for a month, but it was because I was very sick.¡± ¡°In-incredible¡­¡± JaeHoon felt overwhelmed by SeoHyun¡¯s experience in Asra Online. But soon, he came back to his senses. He decided to talk to him about the main topic. ¡°I¡¯m going to be honest with you. ¡®Stardust¡¯ is looking for players with Asra Online experience.¡± ¡°Stardust?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the professional team I¡¯m part of. I¡¯m not an official member yet, but I¡¯m going to sign on with them in the near future.¡± Soon, the steak and pasta they had ordered came out. They continued their talk while eating. ¡°At first, our coach tried to get more information about Asra Online while playing. But soon, the service was canceled.¡± Just like JaeHood said, a few weeks after Asrian Online came out, Asra Online¡¯s servers had shut down. Suddenly, there was no way to get information about Asrian Online while playing Asra. Not only that but with the page¡¯s closure, the official community of Asra Online was closed as well. That¡¯s why we¡¯re trying to find people who have played Asra Online in the past. We tried to post in online communities and tried to find them in real life by asking people we knew. But¡­¡± SeoHyun felt pity for JaeHoon after seeing him shake his head while putting on an expression that showed how useless all his efforts had been. ¡°It¡¯s really hard to find Asra Online users¡­¡± ¡®Of course it¡¯s hard. It was a game with only 300 active users, after all!¡¯ ____ ____ Chapter 23 Hard Carry Support Chapter 23 ¨C Skill Combination (1) SeoHyun didn¡¯t say what he really felt. For some reason, he thought that would make him look more miserable. He wasn¡¯t proud of all the time he had spent to become the number one player of a game almost no one played. ¡°Do you want to eat cake?¡± ¡°But it looks expensive.¡± ¡°I¡¯m paying, so don¡¯t worry about the price.¡± They sat down and continued talking about Asrian. While talking, unexpectedly, SeoHyun felt relaxed and began having fun. Certainly, for boys, there wasn¡¯t a better topic of discussion than video games. He felt that the itchy sensation he had experienced during the reunion because of how much he wanted to talk about Asrian was being relieved. JaeHoon was also having fun. He was especially amazed by how many things SeoHyun knew about Asrian. ¡°A.. Are you really level 50?!¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Although my level is still low, I¡¯m going to be leveling up pretty fast soon since I¡¯ve recently completed my awakening quest and obtained an OP skill.¡± ¡°Amazing¡­ Wouldn¡¯t that put you on par with the top rankers?¡± He finally understood why SeoHyun wasn¡¯t surprised by his level. SeoHyun seemed to be using his eight years of know-how to the full extent. In the eyes of those in the heavenly realm, there was almost no difference between the novice and intermediate players. JaeHoon, who had made up his mind, spoke to SeoHyun. ¡°In the beginning, I wanted you to join our team as one of the coaches and share information with us about Asra Online¡­¡± ¡°Me¡­ A coach?¡± ¡°Yes, we¡¯re really in need of someone that knows about Asra Online¡­ But after talking with you for a while, I¡¯ve discovered something.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°You are the type of person who would only be satisfied playing and doing things for yourself. Also, I think I asked you for a very difficult favor out of the blue.¡± ¡°That may be true.¡± ¡°SeoHyun, I just thought about this¡­ But what do you think about becoming a professional gamer in our team?¡± ¡°Professional gamer¡­?¡± Since SeoHyun didn¡¯t seem to be having it, JaeHoon continued explaining. ¡°You don¡¯t need to get worried about finding a job, they support you in every way possible, and this is something only a few people know¡­¡± JaeHoon lowered his tone of voice. ¡°It seems like they¡¯re planning to make Asrian an E-Sport. If this is true, it will become even bigger than it is now.¡± ¡°E-Sport? But Asrian is a RPG Game.¡± ¡°It seems like they¡¯re creating new content inside the game. I¡¯ve heard this through someone I know, so I¡¯m unsure about the details. But I¡¯m sure that they¡¯re planning to add content that will allow users to compete with each other.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± ¡°Yes. You¡¯ll be able to become an Asrian professional gamer!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± SeoHyun thought about it carefully. Would the new competitive content be similar to the combat system? The format could be a 3 vs 3 or 5 vs 5. But the important thing was that the format would l probably be PvP. This news would make Ain excited. ¡®I honestly enjoy fighting named monsters or clearing quests more than PvP¡­¡¯ However, this did not apply to SeoHyun. Getting a job that allowed you to earn money was tempting, but the merits of being a professional gamer would be small, in his opinion. ¡®If I become a professional gamer, I won¡¯t be able to game freely as I do now.¡¯ ¡ªThat was the biggest reason. If he entered a professional gaming team, he would have to practice with his teammates. That would take time from playing normally. ¡®I¡¯ll have a lot less time to play with Ain.¡¯ ¡ªThe Close Range Magician and Support. He wouldn¡¯t be able to use the skill combination that had taken him so much effort. Becoming a professional gamer would surely have its benefits, but SeoHyun believed he had more to lose than gain. ¡®Also, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m desperate for money.¡¯ If he was in need of money, he could always sell some gold for cash. Since SeoHyun preferred the in-game world over the real one, that would be something that he would do only as a last resort, but that meant that he would never die because of hunger. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± ¡°Too bad, although I was expecting you to answer this.¡± JaeHoon seemed slightly disappointed by the outcome, but he didn¡¯t seem to be in a bad mood. Rather than that, he replied with a smile on his face. ¡°I don¡¯t want to force my friend too much, but if you ever change your mind, please give me a call. Stardust would be excited to have someone with your experience join us.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll give you a call if that happens.¡± Hyun thought about it while replying. A friend¡­ After finishing high school, he hadn¡¯t thought about JaeHoon, but he had fun talking about Asrian with the former number 1 student in his class. SeoHyun started to think that he would like to talk to him again. ¡®Oh yeah!¡¯ Seohyun suddenly took out the pen next to the bill receipt and wrote something down. It was the strategy SeoHyun had been planning to use against a hidden named boss that was in the novice section. It was a quest that could only be done by users under level 50 that gave you experience. It was also a quest that had become useless for him because of the ghost hunting strategy. It was also to repay the expensive coffee he had bought for him. By using that quest, he should be able to gain an amount of experience equal to two days of farming. ¡°What?! Can you really give me information like this?¡± After noticing what SeoHyun had written behind the receipt, JaeHoon felt burdened. ¡°I don¡¯t need it anymore.¡± ¡°Even so¡­ I feel like this is too much.¡± ¡°Think about it as me repaying you for the coffee you¡¯ve bought.¡± JaeHoon hesitated for a long time but eventually accepted. As a gamer, he was also greedy. He seemed really moved by a quest that only gave you experience. ¡°SeoHyun, thank you. I¡¯ll pay you back for this, I promise.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Just buy me dinner some other time.¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll invite you for dinner however many times it¡¯s necessary. I live around here, so call me anytime!¡± Before parting ways, they exchanged numbers. It was the first number he exchanged after entering university. * * * * * * The long-awaited awakening quest was cleared! After logging in to Asrian Online, Hyun checked out the details about his ultimate attack. [?Assimilation? Lv.0] ¨C You can assimilate with a target that¡¯s within 20 meters. (The target¡¯s consent is necessary!) ¨C When the soul assimilates, you can manipulate the body together with the target. ¨C 10% of your stats are added to the targets. ¨C The main stat is increased by 50% of your [Empathy] stat. ¨C The level of all the target¡¯s normal skills is increased by 1. ¨C You can use the Support¡¯s skills during ?Assimilation?. ¡®Hmm¡­ The skill by itself looks good.¡¯ ?Assimilation? was a skill that allowed you to control the body of someone together with that person. In short, it was like a host giving up access of their body to a parasite. He decided to think of it as a principle similar to that. ¡®I¡¯ll have to test it out.¡¯ Hyun tried to test his ultimate attack, but there was one problem. To Assimilate, you needed the target¡¯s consent. If Ain were there, he would have asked her, but it wasn¡¯t time for her to log in yet. And he didn¡¯t feel comfortable asking another user since he needed to reveal his ultimate attack to do that. ¡°That you¡¯ll control my body? Don¡¯t talk nonsense! Get out of here!¡± Asking the NPC mercenary soldiers resulted in him receiving insults. He was kicked out of the mercenary soldier¡¯s guild. He never imagined that getting the approval of a third party would be so hard! Hyun ended up paying ten silver coins and renting a golem. The moment you rented one of the Magic Country¡¯s golems, you received full authority over it, so he didn¡¯t need to get permission. The puppeteer explained it to him with a smile. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what you ask it to do within the three hours time limit, but once time passes and its magic empties, it will become soil again. So please be aware of that.¡± He rented a one-time use golem. After using ?Assimilation?, Hyun¡¯s body became light and was absorbed by the golem. Hyun¡¯s soul was inside the small 50 centimeters golem. His shoulders felt unnatural when he tried to move the body¡¯s joints. ¡®Status window.¡¯ Low-Ranking Stone Golem Lv.5 (The soul of ¡®Hyun¡¯ is assimilating!) HP: 170/170 Mana: 50/50 [Strength: 20(+65)] [Agility: 5(+5)] [Vitality: 15(+2)] [Magical Power: 0(+5)] Skills ¨C ¨C You can use the Support¡¯s skills. He saw the golem¡¯s information instead of his own when he opened the status window. The first thing he checked out were the stats. ¡®What? Why does he have so much strength?¡¯ The level 5 golem, which was practically junk, had 85 strength. Since the main stat of the golem was strength, 50% of the Support¡¯s Empathy had been added to it. ¡®It seems like the other stats have gone up too.¡¯ Paf- The moment he stopped the ?Assimilation?, Hyun appeared in the air. ¡®So it¡¯s this kind of skill.¡¯ Hyun understood how his ultimate attack worked. There were three big advantages to ?Assimilation?. The first one was a stat increase. All stats increased by 10%, and on top of that, 50% of Empathy was added to the main stat. Its versatility was very high since it increased the main stat of the target. The second good point was control. Even if it was a junk golem with artificial intelligence, if he could control it, he should be able to deal a great amount of damage with it. The third benefit was safety. The Support was a job that was prone to becoming an opponent¡¯s target. But if he could hide inside the body of a damage dealer or tanker, no one would be able to attack him. Basically, ?Assimilation? worked both as a very effective supporting skill and a way to defend himself. ¡®Good. I¡¯ve learned how the skill works. Should I hunt until Ain logs in?¡¯ Hyun left the 10 silver, low-ranking golem in the streets and went to see the puppeteer. In order to hunt comfortably, he¡¯d need a better doll. ¡®Yes, that one looks good.¡¯ The doll Hyun had gotten by spending 50 gold was a one-meter tall lame doll called ¡®Acrobat.¡¯ ¡°Oh, did the golem break already? It will also disappear if it dies or the magic given to it runs out, so you don¡¯t need to return it. But please, be careful.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be more careful, thanks.¡± As soon as he left the shop¡­ Hyun assimilated into the clown-shaped doll holding a dagger with both hands. Once again, his body turned into light dust, then the eyes of the doll began to shine. Red Acrobat Lv.55 (The soul of ¡®Hyun¡¯ is assimilating.) HP: 660/660 Mana: 100/100 [Strength: 10] [Agility: 15(+70)] [Vitality: 10(+2)] [Magical Power: 5(+5)] [?Fatal Blow? Lv.0(+1)] ¨C Deal x13 damage to opponents with less than 5 stat points in defense. [?Open Wound? Lv.0(+1)] ¨C Each time you land a successful consecutive attack, the damage increases by 10%. (13 times maximum!) Hyun smiled creepily while playing with the two-handed sword in his hands. By combining the doll¡¯s slanted eyes with his own, his appearance resembled that of a doll that appeared in horror movies. ¡®It looks good.¡¯ The Red Acrobat had a unique characteristic compared to normal users or NPCs. ¡ªThe balance was solely focused on the skills. Since you couldn¡¯t equip the doll with items, you could find ones that had unique and strong skills from time to time. Hyun was thinking of exploiting that characteristic. ____ ____ Chapter 24 Hard Carry Support Chapter 24 ¨C Skill Combination (2) Clatter- Clatter- A creepy-looking doll was walking fast while limping. The agility of the doll, which was 15 at base, had gone up to 85 once Hyun assimilated into it. Normally, the amount of damage each job dealt was based on its main stat. Just by using ?Assimilation?, the average damage had gone up nearly six times. ¡°Hehe, I¡¯ve been saving up skill points for this day.¡± Hyun had no intention of being satisfied with just that. He had saved up so many skill points to create the best possible synergy between his skills and the ultimate attack. As a result of checking out the Support¡¯s skill list, Hyun discovered one that combined well with his ultimate attack. Without thinking about it twice, he spent 20 skill points on it. [?Powerless Wave? Lv.2] ¨C Surround yourself with a wave two meters in length. Reduce the defense of all opponents touched by it by [Empathy] x 2. ¨C Duration: 10 minutes. Hyun had 130 Empathy. He could reduce an opponent¡¯s defenses by 260. Unless it was a level 200 or 300 boss, there were no enemies with so much defense. That meant that it made the defense of most enemies 0. ¡®It works very well with ?Assimilation?.¡¯ Usually, a Support had to take a considerable risk to get within two meters of the enemies because of the low HP it had. But by using it in combination with ?Assimilation?, you could debuff all enemies around yourself just by standing still. ¡®I guess this much preparation is okay.¡¯ Hyun purposely looked for areas that had monsters with high defense. The habitat of giant rock crabs. The monsters that appeared there had a very high defense, so even a level 50 warrior couldn¡¯t leave a scratch on their surface, which was as hard as steel. Not only that, but since it also had a very high defense against magical attacks, there were almost no parties that hunted there. From time to time, there were Magicians or Priests that went there for solo playing. But even those kinds of players could rarely be seen. ¡®There¡¯s no one.¡¯ After looking around, he immediately charged toward the monsters. ?Powerless Wave?! Paf- The moment he activated the newly learned skill, he began to swing a sword as small as a toy, but the results it produced were no joke. It was an amazing amount of damage, considering that it had come from a normal attack! Whir-! It began to spread slowly from the body of the Acrobat in all directions. It was the effect of ?Powerless Wave?, a skill Hyun had used after using ?Assimilation?. The defense of all enemies touched by the wave was at 0, so their strong armor had no purpose. [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 2284 damage!] [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 2556 damage!] Also, the more he attacked, the more damage he dealt! Thit was thanks to the Acrobat¡¯s passive skill. Hyun had chosen the Acrobat among all the other dolls because it had the best possible synergy with his ?Assimilation? skill. ¡®Isn¡¯t this amount of damage better than what an average party can do? Still, it isn¡¯t as high compared to the Close Range Magician¡¯s attack.¡¯ Hyun charged toward a group of stone crabs once more. Smash- Smash- As he swung the two-handed sword, he began cutting the shells of the monsters as if they were tofu. The sensation he received from his weapon was that he was cutting water. On the face of the Acrobat, a creepy smile appeared. It was Hyun¡¯s smile leaking out. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s this sensation!¡± Every time he slashed the enemies, defeated them, and obtained EXP, he felt the sorrow of everything he had gone through as a Support was being washed away. It had been a while since he felt the excitement of being a damage dealer! Of course, he had gotten used to the playstyle of a Support, but he missed his previous playstyle. Sometimes, a giant stone crab shouted and turned into light dust after just one hit. It was a side effect of receiving more than 33% of damage. Thanks to the passive of the Red Acrobat¡¯s ?Open Wound?, the damage he dealt had increased by 130%. Hyun kept moving forward while his hands moved constantly. Every time the sword shone, the opponent¡¯s shell and claws were split and scattered through the air. ¡®I can go a little bit deeper.¡¯ After hunting for a while, Hyun moved to the next area. Judging by the darker color, those monsters probably had a higher level. Even though they looked very similar, their specs were better. The biggest difference was that they had more defense, but that wasn¡¯t really a problem for Hyun. Whoosh- The moment the two-meter aura touched the opponents, their defense was decreased by two times Hyun¡¯s [Empathy] stat. The only strong point of those monsters was their high defense. But the moment the Support¡¯s skill touched them, their defense went to 0 instantly. There wasn¡¯t much difference between fighting them and the slimes around starter town. It had been half an hour since he began hunting. A light came out from the body of the Red Acrobat. ¡®Oof¡­ Good.¡¯ Endlessly hunting opponents that were strong on the outside but slow could be fun at first. But as time went on, it started to get boring. The level-up news, which came once in a while, was what motivated Hyun to keep doing that repetitive and boring hunting. ¡®Should I hunt the field boss?¡¯ Hyun entered a little bit deeper. After walking for a few minutes, he saw a 3-meter tall stone crab inside of the canyon. ¡ªKing Lashir. It was a level 70 named monster. Usually, he wouldn¡¯t have dared to hunt it alone, but because he had rented that doll¡¯s body, he felt that he would be able to beat it. Hyun became surprised after slashing its shell. ¡®I was able to damage it?¡¯ The boss had used a skill that increased its defense three times and, at the same time, reduced the incoming damage by 1/10 of the total. If the boss curled up, most users under level 100 weren¡¯t able to deal any damage to it. ¡ªBut Hyun had clearly dealt a three-digit damage number to it. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡¯ The reason why he was able to deal damage, despite his attack being reduced to 1/10 of the total, was because Hyun¡¯s ?Powerless Wave? was having an effect. ¡®It was able to cut the boss¡¯s defense down to zero?¡¯ The skill didn¡¯t have a detailed explanation, so he wasn¡¯t 100% sure, but it seemed like the debuff even worked on boss monsters. In Asra and Asrian, there were almost no skills that modified the monster¡¯s defense. It was the same for users and NPCs. Some skills increased or decreased the defense by a certain %, but skills that modified the defense by an absolute value were quite rare. But he already had two skills that modified the opponent¡¯s defense. ?One Second Immortality?, ?Powerless Wave?. That reminded him of the fact that Support was a hidden job class. ¡®This is no joke!¡¯ Whish- Whish- The Acrobat¡¯s short sword cut through the weak flesh of the rock-type boss. While crying out loud, it used numerous special moves, but because he had successfully neutralized its defense, it was all pointless. Boom- It took only a few minutes for king Lashir to fall. The boss that had died dropped only one item. He didn¡¯t see any new achievement message, which meant he wasn¡¯t the first to defeat it. He decided not to hold onto it since it didn¡¯t give stats points as an achievement. As he left the area, the doll disappeared since its time had run out. And naturally, the ?Assimilation? was canceled. ¡°Hmm¡­ So in three hours, I¡¯ve leveled up two times.¡± Hyun seemed satisfied with the results. Since the rock-type monsters had a lot of defense, they gave a lot of experience. If he stayed in that place for an entire day, he would probably be able to level up 10 times at a minimum. ¡®But the cost of renting a doll is too high.¡¯ The problem was that renting a high-quality doll like the Red Acrobat cost 50 gold for every three hours. It wasn¡¯t like he didn¡¯t make money back, but if he kept spending 50 gold, it would eventually become a fortune. ¡®Well, I guess it¡¯s okay to use it only when Ain isn¡¯t here.¡¯ He was sure that ?Assimilation? would work the best while using Ain¡¯s body. Hyun looked at the time that appeared on the bottom of the system. Soon, Ain would log in. * * * * * * ¡°Is it here?¡± ¡°Yeah. It looks like we¡¯re in the right place.¡± They were at the entrance of enormous old ruins. A giant ice golem was solemnly standing in front of it. It was a level 150 mid-sized monster. It wasn¡¯t an opponent that level 50 users could fight against and win. Even if Hyun were self-confident in his skills, he wouldn¡¯t dare fight against it recklessly. If that were their former selves, they wouldn¡¯t be able to do it. But they had completed their respective awakening skills and obtained an ultimate attack. ¡°All right, let¡¯s break it.¡± After saying that, Hyun activated his ultimate attack. He instantly became light dust and scattered away. Hyun and Ain. Incredibly, they had become one person. Her outer appearance looked the same as usual, but inside her, there was Hyun. When Hyun extended and raised his hands, Ain¡¯s hands went up. ¡¸This still amazes me.¡¹ Two people controlling a character was a setup that had been previously seen in other games, but Asrian was a cutting-edge virtual reality game. ¡¸I know, right?¡¹ Ain was excited at the thought that he could share senses with Hyun. It was the perfect chance to see Hyun¡¯s movements from a first-person perspective. From some point onward, she couldn¡¯t keep up with Hyun. Ain always said that she was better in PvP, but the main advantage she had was that she was better than him in psychological warfare. She was in no way overwhelmingly stronger than him. But in many vs one, many vs. many, named monsters, dungeons, etc¡­ In all areas except dueling, he was better than her. The reason why she began to have an interest in him was that he was better than her in almost everything. Maybe she could finally learn the secrets to catch up to him with this skill. While Ain had a lot of expectations, Hyun was dealing with a weird sensation. Sharing the body of someone of the opposite gender was weird. In the first place, the body structure was different. Hyun wanted to put his hands on his chest but stopped. At that moment, Ain saw Hyun¡¯s hands and laughed slyly. ¡°Fufu¡­ What was that? Did you want to touch my body so much?¡± Hyun felt flustered by what Ain had just said. From time to time, Ain used to say embarrassing words. While pretending to be okay, Hyun replied to Ain. ¡¸Don¡¯t push yourself too hard.¡¹ ¡°W-what¡­?¡± ¡¸You always make jokes like this but become shy soon after telling it and then stay quiet.¡¹ ¡°Th-that¡¯s not true.¡± ¡¸What¡­?¡¹ Hyun suddenly felt his, no Ain¡¯s arm going up by itself. At that moment, he felt something in the palm of his hands. There was a sudden pause. But since there wasn¡¯t a mirror, he couldn¡¯t see Ain¡¯s expression. Hyun asked something he had been wondering about. Maybe he was imagining things. He couldn¡¯t help but ask a question just in case. Maybe he was imagining things¡­ ¡¸Ain, do you like me?¡¹ ¡°W¡­ What are you talking about?!¡± ¡¸It¡¯s¡­ Just that I wanted to hear your thoughts.¡¹ ¡°Oh, hmm¡­¡± Fwoosh- Instead of answering, her whole body got wrapped by a fire, and the flames covered her face. Hyun¡¯s breathing became faster, and he could feel his heartbeat speed up. No, since he was in Ain¡¯s body, was that the state of her body? Since he was using ?Assimilation?, they were having a hard time distinguishing each other¡¯s bodies. ¡®Damn it¡­ This is all because she suddenly did something weird¡­!¡¯ Hyun tried to calm down. He tried to focus on the main goal. He tried to concentrate on the opponent that was in front of them. Fwoosh- ¡ªA technique that covers the whole body with fire. Yes, that was the Awakening Skill she had obtained. [?Prepared for Extinction? Lv.0] ¨C You take the appearance of a wolf. ¨C Your HP gets drained little by little while you¡¯re maintaining the form of a wolf. ¨C While you¡¯re converted into a wolf, you can¡¯t recover HP with an ally¡¯s skill! ¨C All fire-type attacks deal three times more damage! ¨C All the levels of fire-type skills are increased by 1 level! ¨C If it isn¡¯t forced to cancel, it can last for an hour at maximum. Fwoosh- Fwoosh- Ears made of fire appeared on top of the head. When he looked around, he saw a tail. Because Ain was so small, she looked like a fox rather than a wolf. But she seemed satisfied with the result. They took a step forward. Ain didn¡¯t seem to have the intention to move. So she gave control of it to Hyun. Crack- As soon as he thought about the skill, giant, hot claws came out. [?Efret¡¯s Claw? Lv.5 (+2)] ¨C The flame condenses and evolves into a giant set of claws. ¨C Apply [Magical Power]x7 as damage. ¨C Spend 15 mana per second. A level 7 skill! Thanks to the skill level going up because of the ultimate attack, Ain¡¯s fire claws had evolved. Now that she had a set of giant claws, she began looking like a real wolf. It was the same skill that the shadows on the fifth floor had used against them. Hyun wondered how much damage they would be able to deal. ¡®I guess I¡¯ll find the answer once I hit it.¡¯ He jumped over the golem and used the claws to scratch its surface. [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 15485 damage!] [You¡¯ve dealt 8805 damage!] ¡®¡­?¡¯ Hyun started to think that he was imagining things. The reason was the unbelievably high amount of damage. ¡®Is the damage bugged?¡¯ The damage couldn¡¯t be compared to the damage they did in the awakening quests, in which they received a lot of bonus stats. Rather than being based on boosted event stats, it used the normal stats to calculate the damage. Hyun had never imagined seeing damage so high that even a level 250 user couldn¡¯t easily do. ____ ____ Chapter 25 Hard Carry Support Chapter 25 ¨C A Suspicious Old Man¡¯s Commission (1) After doing some calculations in his mind, he finally understood what had happened. ¡®It¡¯s probably because of the Support¡¯s new skill I learned. It can even turn the defense of a strong guy like this to zero.¡¯ Swoosh- He jumped up and smacked the head of the giant ice golem. While falling to the ground, he kept attacking the golem¡¯s body. [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 16243 damage!] [You¡¯ve dealt 8592 damage!] [You¡¯ve dealt 7983 damage!] [You¡¯ve dealt 8144 damage!] [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 17023 damage!] [You¡¯ve dealt 8548 damage!] [You¡¯ve dealt 8790 damage!] [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 16948 damage!] [You¡¯ve dealt 8072 damage!] Hyun was lost for words by the results he had produced. ¡¸Woah. Is this okay in terms of balance¡­?¡¹ It didn¡¯t take him long to defeat the golem. As soon as he stopped the ultimate attack, the fire disappeared instantly. The giant claws also became normal-sized flames because the +1 of the skill level that the ultimate attack gave had disappeared. Because of the side effect of Ain¡¯s ultimate attack, she had lost some HP, but except for that, Hyun thought that there wouldn¡¯t be any problems. At that moment¡­ Clap Clap Clap- As they defeated the golem, they heard someone clapping. When he turned his head around, he saw an old man smiling mischievously from the inside of the ruins. ¡°Amazing, I can¡¯t believe you¡¯ve defeated my kid.¡± An old man with white hair had suddenly appeared in front of Hyun and Ain. The fact he had called the golem ¡®my kid¡¯ meant that he was its owner. But in his eyes, there weren¡¯t any signs of anger. In fact, he seemed happy. ¡°Hahaha¡­ Just as expected, this guy was big, but it wasn¡¯t trustworthy¡­ But I think you guys will be able to handle the job. What do you say? I¡¯ll, of course, give you a proper reward.¡± Ring-! ¨C An old man whose identity is unknown is trying to commission suspicious work from you. Judging by his looks, he doesn¡¯t seem like a good person¡­ But he will probably keep the promise of rewarding you¡­ Probably? (¡ù Warning: You won¡¯t be able to check the quest details before accepting it!) A window appeared in front of Hyun and Ain. Hidden quest! Even in the Asrian online boards, only once a week, a thread appeared on the trending topics saying that they¡¯d found a hidden quest. It truly was that rare. The users were desperate to find hidden quests since the rewards they gave were better than the normal ones. ¡®As expected, he gives a hidden quest.¡¯ But all of that did not apply to Hyun. ¡®This will probably be the only chance we get to do this quest.¡¯ Since in Asrian, things happened based on time, there were quests that you wouldn¡¯t be able to complete once the time had passed. The old man¡¯s quest was one of those. Also, the old man¡¯s quest was a key part of the flow of the story. But what Hyun was after was the reward he gave for completing the quest! He definitely needed to have that reward in his hands since it would give him a great advantage over the rest of the players. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that everything he had done up until then was in preparation for that day. ¡°What do you say? I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be satisfied with the reward.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll do it.¡± Hyun answered without doubting for a second. ¡°Hmm¡­ You¡¯re a bold one, huh? I like that. My commission isn¡¯t something grand, so don¡¯t worry.¡± Ring-. ¡°You just need to protect the gate of this temple. You also don¡¯t need to be here for the entire day.¡± The old man pointed toward the sky. The night sky of Asrian It was as beautiful as starlight embroidered on jet-black silk in the night sky of Asrian. The night sky of Asrian was as beautiful as if the sky was pitch-black silk over which stars had been embroidered. And in the middle of it, there was a full moon shining! No, it wasn¡¯t a full moon. It was ¡®Gluna,¡¯ Asrian¡¯s satellite. The Gluna that could be seen at night shone more intensely than Earth¡¯s moon. ¡°You need to fight all the intruders trying to come to this place for just an hour from midnight when the moon rises to the top. The time limit is four days.¡± ¡°But this isn¡¯t a place where someone would come¡­ What happens if nobody appears?¡± Ain asked with a sharp tone of voice. The old man began laughing. ¡°Then you¡¯ll get the rewards without doing anything. I¡¯ll give you a new reward at the end of each day. How about that? Isn¡¯t this a fair deal?¡± ¡°There¡¯s something suspicious¡­¡± ¡°Haha¡­ Maybe it is because you¡¯re a fire magician, but you seem to be a very suspicious person. I promise you that there are no lies in my words. I swear it for the heavens.¡± The Gluna began moving to the center of the sky just in time. ¡°Then, let¡¯s start from today. There are five minutes before the orbit is set.¡± [Hidden Quest: The suspicious old man¡¯s commission is about to start!] [Be careful! Once the quest begins, you won¡¯t be able to leave the place until it is finished!] [Time left before the quest begins: 282 seconds] ¡°Oh, by the way. It doesn¡¯t matter what happens. It would be for the best if, while doing the commission, you don¡¯t enter the inside ruin.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Hyun nodded again without any doubts. After smiling mischievously, the old man went back into the ruin. * * * * * * Ain tilted her head. ¡°Was there a quest like this in Asra? Because I don¡¯t remember it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never done it myself. I¡¯d heard it from a person from the same guild.¡± ¡°Guild member? Who?¡± ¡°Someone you don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Is it a girl?¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll know the answer to that question? Before we met in Asrian Online, I thought you were a boy.¡± While they were chit-chatting, the quest began. Swoosh- A pillar of light rose from the center of the temple to the sky. The pillar of light seemed to face the sky head-on. It emitted a strong but not ominous feeling. It also wasn¡¯t destructive. Rather than that, the lights that were ascending to the sky felt holy. ¡°It looks like a laser show.¡± Hyun couldn¡¯t answer Ain¡¯s honest impression. For Hyun, who had focused all his life on gaming, seeing things like laser shows was something only the popular people did. ¡®It reminds me of the ultimate attack the shadows of the fifth floor used during the awakening quest.¡¯ Hyun¡¯s impression of it was limited to recent Asrian events. If you took out the dazzling and destructive nature from the ultimate attack, they really looked like the light pillars. Hyun was standing in front of the entrance of the ruins. The old man had asked him to guard the door. But as time went on, no one appeared. Since just standing was boring, he chit-talked with Ain. By how often she yawned, Ain also seemed bored of just standing still while waiting for something to happen. ¡°¡­¡± The time went on. However, no one had come even though the quest was about to end. In the first place, was there anyone capable of discovering those ruins that were in the middle of this desolate mountain? ¡°It¡¯s kind of boring standing still while doing nothing. Do you want to do something else to kill some time?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s wait for a little bit more. After all, he said that our job was to protect this place¡­¡± That was how an hour passed without Hyun and Ain doing anything. The light pillars that were connected to the Gluna disappeared, and pitch-black darkness covered the sky again. From the insides of the ruins, the old man came out while looking around with a satisfied expression. ¡°It seems like there wasn¡¯t any intruder¡­ Haha. Anyway, I¡¯ll reward you because I don¡¯t break a promise. So what should I give you? Oh, this one should be good! I¡¯ll awaken your potential. I¡¯ll reward you with what you call skill points.¡± After saying that, he smiled mischievously. ¡°Unfortunately, since I lack strength, I can reward only one of you. Who is going to receive it?¡± [As a reward for completing the quest, you can obtain +2 skill points!] [But only one between ¡®Hyun¡¯ and ¡®Ain¡¯ can receive the reward!] Hyun and Ain hesitated for a moment. Only one of them was going to receive a reward. Even for veterans of Asra Online like them, it was the first time seeing something like that. But the doubt was short-lived. The decision was made quickly. ¡°Hyun, receive it. I don¡¯t need more skill points.¡± ¡°Really?! Are you sure?¡± ¡°You want to learn the skill ?Vision Sword?, right? It looks like you still weren¡¯t able to learn it yet because you¡¯re missing some skill points.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­¡± ¡°If you feel sorry¡­ L-Listen to one request of mine in the future.¡± ¡°Why are you stuttering? Just what kind of request are you planning to make?¡± The old man didn¡¯t seem satisfied by how easily they decided who would take the skill points. ¡°Hmm¡­ Both of you have a lot of camaraderie¡­¡± Even though he wasn¡¯t happy with the result, the old man gave the promised reward. He placed his hands on Hyun¡¯s shoulders and cast a short spell. A white light entered his body. ¡°Then I¡¯ll see you again tomorrow before midnight. I¡¯ll have some good rewards prepared.¡± After saying that, the old man entered the ruin and disappeared from sight. Hyun was thinking of following the old man to the insides of the ruin, but he decided not to. ¡®I mustn¡¯t break the warning not to go in yet.¡¯ The hidden quest would take place for a total of four days, and the first one had just finished. He was excited at the thought of what would happen on the last day. * * * Ganesha City. It was a mid-sized city that had 10,000 habitants. Nevertheless, it was always crowded around the bulletin board where various quest requests were attached. ¡°Huh¡­ What¡¯s this?¡± Salon, an average Asrian user, was checking out the quests on the bulletin board. While thinking about what quest he should do that day, a particular one caught his attention. ¡°Is this real?¡± Every user wanted to do a quest that offered an optimal reward for their effort, so Salon was very serious about choosing the right one. But the moment he saw the details of the quest that was on top of the bulletin board, his eyes opened wide. The reason was that the rewards it gave couldn¡¯t be compared to the rest. ¨C Yesterday, around midnight, a villager said that he saw a suspicious light coming out from the Calafer mountain. By talking with my magician, I¡¯ve concluded that there¡¯s a slight risk of it being dangerous. I¡¯ll award 1000 gold to the party that finds out what that light pillar was. Salon was surprised by the generous rewards. ¡°A quest that only requires you to investigate offers 1000 gold and 20000 experience points?!¡± He, a level 46 Thief, had been fighting against the temptation of getting a better weapon. He had been fighting with a weapon destined for citizens bought in a shop. The amount of money he had saved by doing that was only 1500 gold. But a simple quest offered almost as much money as he had saved up. Not only that. But the amount of experience it gave was a lot too. ¡°20,000!¡± If Salon gained 20,000 experience, he would surely level up. Normally, that would take him two or three days of hunting, but that huge amount of experience could be obtained in just an instant. He had never seen a quest that offered so many rewards for the amount of effort required to complete it. Salon was soon blinded by greed. ____ ____ Chapter 26 Hard Carry Support Chapter 26 ¨C A Suspicious Old Man¡¯s Commission (2) ¡®Should I try to beat this quest alone?¡¯ Salon had teammates who had been with him for quite some time. It was a party with a good balance. It had all four jobs: Warrior, Magician, Thief, and Priest. If he completed the quest with his party, the reward would be 250 gold and 5000 experience¡­ But what if he did it alone? It seemed like no one had noticed the existence of that quest yet. The moment he accepted the quest, it would be automatically deleted from the bulletin board, and no one would get to know about its existence. Should he do it by himself? ¡®No, I can¡¯t do that.¡¯ For a moment, greed took control over him, but after a while, he shook his head. The bond between the party members, with whom he¡¯d been together with since they were rookies, was strong. He felt relieved after deciding not to betray his allies. ¡®Accept Quest.¡¯ Salon accepted the quest without telling anyone. The quest was erased from the bulletin board when he accepted it. Since members of the same party could share quests with each other later, it was standard to accept important quests in advance. ¡®Haha, I wonder how they will react after seeing this quest. What if they began following me?¡¯ Salon¡¯s steps lightened while imagining that. * * * ¡ªA few hours later. Salon¡¯s party was going up the Calafer mountain. That place was the destination of the quest Salon had shared. The moment he had shared the quest details with the party members, they were all very surprised. They had never seen a quest that offered such generous rewards. ¡°I can¡¯t believe that a simple request for research offers such rewards!¡± The Priest, Merica, still looked puzzled. The Calafer mountain was a hunting ground that users had already widely investigated. One couldn¡¯t help but think that offering gold and experience for investigating a map that was already public was probably an error. But if it wasn¡¯t an error, it meant that Salon had discovered an incredible quest. ¡°I honestly think that Salon deserves a bigger cut,¡± said ¡®Extreme Tanker,¡¯ the leader of the party. ¡°Since the experience is auto awarded by the system, we can¡¯t do anything about it, but that¡¯s not the case with the gold. I think Salon deserves at least 500 gold.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ve already told you I don¡¯t mind sharing it evenly!¡± ¡°I also think the same. Mr. Salon deserves a bigger cut. If it were me, I¡¯d have done it by myself without telling anyone.¡± ¡°Hahaha, I would¡¯ve done the same.¡± The other two party members, Merica and Dalph, said so while laughing. ¡°Take more. I¡¯m okay with 150 gold. But to tell you the truth, I don¡¯t think I even deserve this.¡± ¡°I¡¯m also okay with 150 gold.¡± ¡°Hehe, me too. Mr. Salon, please take the rest.¡± ¡°You guys¡­¡± Salon was so moved that he was about to cry. When the other party members saw him tear up, they began bothering him with that. Because Asrian Online could replicate human emotions so well, it was hard to hide one¡¯s feelings. As the hours passed, night came to the world of Asrian. According to the contents of the quest, the ¡®suspicious light¡¯ appeared around midnight. The moment it became midnight, Salon¡¯s party saw a pillar of light rising as if it were a volcano exploding. ¡ªTheir worries about the light being weak and having trouble finding it turned out to be pointless. ¡°Over there!¡± ¡°If we move while hunting monsters, we¡¯ll get there in about 20 minutes!¡± ¡°Hehe, this is getting interesting.¡± The party began moving to investigate the light. According to the content of the quest, they had to reach the middle of the mountain before the light disappeared. Since the level of the monsters of the Calafer mountain was around 30~40, there probably wouldn¡¯t be any difficulties in completing the quest. ¡°Since it¡¯s bright, we don¡¯t have to be afraid of getting lost. Isn¡¯t this too easy?¡± ¡°Yes. We don¡¯t even need to use light magic to illuminate the path.¡± The night in Asrian was a lot brighter than in the real world. That was because ¡®Gluna¡¯ was a lot brighter than Earth¡¯s Moon. Despite that, most parties, including Salon¡¯s, used light magic to illuminate the area while fighting during the night. But thanks to the giant pillar of light, they would be able to save Mana that day. ¡°Just what is that bright thing?¡± ¡°Well, discovering that is the goal of our quest.¡± ¡°A phenomenon that¡¯s as eye-catching as that looks a little bit dangerous indeed.¡± ¡°Since our job is to investigate, we don¡¯t need to face the danger. Right?¡± The party advanced smoothly while defeating monsters. As they walked through a narrow canyon, old ruins appeared. The light seemed to come from somewhere inside the ruins. And someone stood in front of the ruins. There was a shadow blocking the way of the users. They couldn¡¯t see its face since it was wearing a black robe. Also, because of the giant light pillar that was behind it, the figure looked darker. ¡°Everyone, stop. Is that a monster?¡± ¡°No, it seems to be a person.¡± Extreme Tanker took the lead. He slowly approached the unknown person without letting his guard down. An enemy? An ally? Even if it is an enemy, there may be room for negotiation if it was a humanoid NPC. They would be able to ask the figure to move away. But all those expectations soon crumbled. ¡°You cannot pass.¡± Extreme Tanker realized that the voice owner was a woman after hearing a husky but young voice. ¡°If I ask you to go back¡­ Will you do it?¡± The girl asked while pointing to the path that was behind the party. Before Extreme Tanker could answer her, she replied to her own question. ¡°That won¡¯t happen, right?¡± Had he imagined the joy in her voice? It seemed as if she was waiting for them to come. Such appreciation was brief. The party was forced to come to its senses. The girl, whose hands were covered in fire, was charging toward them. ¡°Everyone, be careful! Prepare for battle!¡± Extreme Tanker took out his shield while shouting to his allies. He stood in front of the party and applied all his defensive skills to himself. At first, one might think that applying so many buffs in preparation for an unknown attack was too much, but it wasn¡¯t. * * * * * * Slam! [You¡¯ve received 1102 damage!] [You¡¯ve received damage that¡¯s more than 33% of your HP at once!] [Because of severe burn, your left arm has become paralyzed!] ¡°What¡­!¡± Extreme Tanker couldn¡¯t understand what had just happened. The girl had stretched out her arms, changed the attack¡¯s trajectory, and managed to touch the other side of the shield. The amount of damage dealt by that simple attack was absurd. ¡®More than a thousand of damage¡­?!¡¯ As the party¡¯s main tanker, he had spent most of his stat points in vitality. He was also wearing full-body plate armor, even though that made him lose mobility. He had also learned a skill that reduced the damage received by a certain %. All his efforts had made him the best possible main tanker. The incident when he didn¡¯t die even while fighting against 20 wolves was very famous. They frequently talked about it when they were hanging out. The situation didn¡¯t feel real because of how prideful Extreme Tanker was. ¡®I can¡¯t move my arms¡­!¡¯ He couldn¡¯t control the arm that was holding the shield. ¡°Save the leader!¡± The rest of the party began moving to save their friend who was in danger. Salon had successfully managed to reach the girl¡¯s back using the Thief¡¯s skill. He used the poisoned dagger to stab her back. ¡ªOr that¡¯s what he thought. The girl twisted her body a little bit. The dagger ended up stabbing the air, and the attack resulted in a fail. ¡®She dodged it¡­?!¡¯ She had managed to dodge a surprise attack aimed at the rear. Salon was sure that he had aimed at the correct place, but the girl in front of him had dodged his attack very easily. No, maybe he had aimed at the wrong place from the beginning. Those were his last thoughts. The claws that had cut Salon¡¯s neck melted the entire body. [You¡¯ve died!] [You¡¯ll be able to log in again in 48 hours!] ¡°Salon-!¡± Shouted Extreme Tanker while watching his friend die. Salon had sacrificed his own personal gain for the benefit of the party, and then he had died while trying to save him. They were in the worst situation possible! One had died, and another one was in a moribund state! As for the Priest, who hadn¡¯t been able to change jobs, the only thing that she could do was to fill Extreme Tanker¡¯s HP. She couldn¡¯t release him from his abnormal status. ¡°Ugh¡­ Don¡¯t worry about me; protect Dalph!¡± The party still had one last hope. Even as everyone was becoming incapable of fighting, the only Magician in the group was about to finish the long spell he had been casting. But Dalph was starting to feel restless. ¡®There¡¯s no way, right? No, it can¡¯t be¡­¡¯ ¡ªBlack robes. ¡ªSmall body. ¡ªFire covering both hands. Dalph remembered watching a YouTube video of someone very similar to her that gave him goosebumps. Somehow, he felt like the movements of the girl in front of him overlapped with the ones of the girl that appeared in that video. ¡®Calm down¡­ There¡¯s no way she¡¯d be in this place. Right?¡¯ As a result of calming down and finishing casting, he was able to use the strongest magic he knew. ?Mana Bullets?! Bang Bang Bang-! Five golden arrows came out from Dalph¡¯s wand. The fact that, despite having a long casting time, it was a single target attack rather than an AOE meant that the amount of damage it dealt was that much higher! The five magic bullets flew across the air and straked toward the girl¡¯s body. At that moment, the girl¡¯s hand shone and stirred with Mana. ¡°H¡­ How did she do that?!¡± What just happened was enough to take out the breath of the party members. The girl had just brushed off the magic bullets that were so fast that they couldn¡¯t be seen. Seeing how easily she dealt with Dalph¡¯s skill, the party fell into silence. ¡®She¡¯s¡­¡¯ Dalph suddenly came back to his senses. He was convinced. ¡®That person! We can¡¯t win against her¡­!¡¯ He wasn¡¯t wrong. After brushing off all Ralph¡¯s attacks, she got in front of him with just one leap; then, with both hands covered in fire, she smashed him. Once Dalph was also forcibly logged out, Extreme Tanker began to panic. There were only two people left: Himself and Merica, the Priest. No, in just an instant, she had gotten rid of Extreme Tanker, so only Merica was still alive. ¡°Just how¡­¡± Merica still couldn¡¯t believe that the figure had completely destroyed her party. She soon began to panic. Because she was having trouble maintaining balance, she looked down. Her legs were shaking in fear. It was a game, so she couldn¡¯t understand why she was feeling such a realistic fear. The reason was actually very simple: the game, through the capsule, sent brain waves according to the situation the user was going through. But at that moment, Merica couldn¡¯t think so deeply. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± The girl had just murdered three users and was walking toward her in order to finish the job. After looking closely at the face behind the robe, she saw a devilish smile. That girl was smiling while killing people. The girl was definitely a psychopath. ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± From the first moment Merica saw her, she began wondering about something. Was the opponent an NPC or a user¡­? Common sense would say that she was clearly an NPC, but Merica hadn¡¯t been sure up until then. But then, she was sure. ¡ªThere was no way she was a user! A normal person that lives in a modern society wouldn¡¯t make such a creepy smile while killing people! After a few seconds, Merica ended up following her friends. [You¡¯ve died!] [You¡¯ll be able to log in again in 48 hours!] * * * That day¡¯s quest had also ended. After the time was over, the light disappeared. Hyun left Ain¡¯s body. ¡°You¡­ Seemed happy after doing some PvP for the first time in quite some time.¡± Hyun looked at Ain, who couldn¡¯t hide her smile as if she were a kid with a confused look on thier face. It seemed like she still enjoyed dueling against users more than hunting. Back then, he remembered being troubled by her constant challenges to duel. ¡°Those guys were weak. What¡¯s so fun about defeating people like that?¡± ¡°Then can you be my duel partner?¡± Ain asked why turning around. Hyun opened his mouth before something happened. ¡°Hmm¡­ That wasn¡¯t a bad party at all. The moment the tanker was in danger, the rest of the party moved fast¡­ Also, their character control was decent enough.¡± The Tanker had resisted quite well. In that short amount of time, the Thief had managed to mix some feints into the surprise attack. The Magician also seemed to have good skills overall. Hyun tried to inflate their strong points as much as possible and elevate the level of the party. ¡°But everything you¡¯ve mentioned is stuff they should do either way.¡± ¡°Th¡­ That¡¯s true, but¡­¡± ¡°Well, if Hyun says so, let¡¯s leave it like that.¡± Ain seemed in a good mood. She just kept smiling. It seemed like she wouldn¡¯t get angry at him no matter what he did. Being alone with Ain in an old ruin illuminated by the moonlight made Hyun feel something. It was as if they were on a date. After thinking nonsensical things like that, Hyun began to move. ____ ____ Chapter 27 Hard Carry Support Chapter 27 ¨C A Suspicious Old Man¡¯s Commission (3) ¡°Haha¡­ You¡¯ve done a great job today as well.¡± The old man¡¯s voice cut into Hyun¡¯s thoughts. He mumbled while watching the remnants of the day¡¯s fight. ¡°It seems like people tried to infiltrate today. I¡¯m relieved you were able to stop them. Well, I¡¯ve brought a rare item that can be rarely seen.¡± Haha. The old man so said while laughing unpleasantly. ¡°But since it¡¯s something so rare, I only have one. It saddens me to say this, but I can give this to only one person.¡± After saying that, the old man took out a bottle. Inside the bottle, a blue liquid moved. Every time the liquid moved inside the bottle, a small electric current spread. Through the system window, Hyun discovered what that liquid was. [] ¨C It has a mysterious power that amplifies your potential if you drink it. ¨C Since it¡¯s a copy, the effect is weak compared to the real one. ¨C The increase in your potential lasts for one hour. [HP] +20,000 [Mana] Increase the recovery time of your Mana by 10 times. Hyun¡¯s eyes widened after reading the description. ¡°Woah, a Heaven¡¯s Elixir?¡± ¡°Hmm? How did you know what this is¡­?¡± The old man seemed shocked at first but soon came to a conclusion while nodding. ¡°I guess discovering the name of an item is easy for a user. I was wrong.¡± Hyun wasn¡¯t interested in what the old man was mumbling about. The effects of Heaven¡¯s Elixir were quite noticeable, making it very desirable. ¡®This was hard to get even in Asra Online¡­¡¯ Heaven¡¯s Elixir. It was a potion that temporarily increased your HP and Mana. The word ¡®weak¡¯ in front of the name bothered him a little bit. He guessed that the old man had made a copy of the original. That was probably why it was so weak compared to the original Hyun remembered. But it was still quite good. Especially for someone like Ain, who used a lot of Mana and didn¡¯t have a lot of HP, an extra 20,000 points were a lot. ¡°Ain, I think you should keep this.¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°I have ?Assimilation?, so it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± That¡¯s how it was decided that Ain would keep the Heaven¡¯s Elixir. The old man seemed bothered again by how quickly they decided who would keep the reward. ¡°Ahem¡­ Anyway, that was it for today. The next reward will be something both of you will covet.¡± * * * After the attendance check-in was over, Hyun escaped from classes. He was on his way to see a friend with whom he had gotten closer recently. He was about to see his former high-school classmate and Korea University student Kim JaeHoon. At first glance, the two didn¡¯t seem to have anything in common, but both had become closer thanks to Asrian. ¡®I would have never guessed that he was someone aspiring to be a professional gamer¡­¡¯ SeoHyun truly hadn¡¯t been expecting that. No one could have guessed it since JaeHoon was a very private person. From all the people that had come to the reunion that day, only he knew about JaeHoon¡¯s aspirations. ¡°Oh, SeoHyun, are you done for today?¡± After exchanging numbers, they began meeting each other frequently whenever they had free time. ¡°Hey, I¡¯ll invite you to dinner.¡± ¡°Ahem, sounds nice.¡± SeoHyun couldn¡¯t hide a smile. Thanks to JaeHoon, he had been eating in very nice restaurants recently. SeoHyun felt like he was taking advantage of him, but he had no reason to refuse an invitation, especially if the other person would pay for it. After all, people say that the most delicious food is free. Not only that, but he gave him information about Asrian Online from time to time, so SeoHyun thought that it was a reasonable exchange. ¡°Was pizza always so thick?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because it¡¯s a Chicago pizza. It¡¯s a little bit different from the ones of other franchises.¡± While in a restaurant, SeoHyun often remained silent until the topic of Asrian came about. The reason was that this model student rich boy always brought him to expensive restaurants. He always said that fast food was bad for health. SeoHyun thought that JaeHoon was probably the only one in their twenties that thought about things like that. Also, SeoHyun didn¡¯t understand what differentiated Chicago Pizza from a regular one except for the fact that it was thicker¡­ But since it was delicious, he kept eating. SeoHyun was stretching the cheese when JaeHoon talked to him first. ¡°SeoHyun, thanks a lot. Because of the hidden quest you gave me the other day, I was able to level up ten times in just one day.¡± JaeHoon was making a huge deal out of the information SeoHyun had given him. He couldn¡¯t hide his joy since, according to him, he had been able to save a lot of time compared to his fellow professional gamers. From Hyun¡¯s point of view, he had just given him information about quests he didn¡¯t need anymore, so he felt uncomfortable with him making such a big deal out of it. ¡°It really was nothing¡­¡± ¡°No, I can¡¯t just do nothing after receiving such a gift. I told you that I would repay you, remember? I think that the opportunity has come faster than I thought!¡± ¡°Opportunity?¡± ¡°Yes, someone has discovered something huge.¡± * * * * * * SeoHyun thought something interesting would come out of his friend¡¯s mouth, so he paid attention. As if he was about to say a secret, JaeHoon lowered his tone of voice. ¡°Yesterday, one of our guild¡¯s members found a quest¡­ But this one isn¡¯t like the other ones.¡± ¡°Is it a hidden quest?¡± ¡°Not really. It¡¯s a normal quest, but the rewards are just amazing!¡± JaeHoon took out his smartphone and displayed a photo on the screen. SeoHyun knew that it was a real image taken from Asrian Online. ¡°It¡¯s this quest.¡± [] ¨C I inform all the adventurers of my territory. Yesterday night, and the one before, suspicious light pillars appeared on the Calafer mountain. ¨C According to my Magicians, an evil presence has been detected from them. I¡¯ll generously reward the party that can discover why these light pillars have appeared. ¨C 10,000 gold, 80,000 experience (In case a party fulfills the quest, the points will be distributed evenly) ¨C All party members get +1 skill point. ¨C The investigation could get dangerous, so please be careful. ¡°It¡¯s amazing, right? Especially this one¡­¡± Said JaeHoon while pointing to a part of his screen. ¡°It gives skill points! Everyone from our guild is going crazy because of this reward. If we complete this quest, everyone from the party will get a free skill point. This would be like leveling up¡­¡± ¡®It was this, huh?¡¯ SeoHyun¡¯s expression, as he was looking at JaeHoon with curiosity, darkened. ¡°You probably won¡¯t be able to beat this.¡± SeoHyun mumbled. JaeHoon felt as if cold water had been dropped over him. SeoHyun, who was looking at JaeHoon¡¯s smartphone, smiled bitterly. ¡®So, this kind of coincidence really does happen. Huh?¡¯ The quest JaeHoon has brought to him was basically asking for someone to interfere with the quest he was doing. He never thought that the quest his friend had brought to him as a present was something like this. ¡®What should I do¡­.?¡¯ SeoHyun asked JaeHoon after drinking coke. ¡°Does anyone else besides your guild know about this quest?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so. After all, quests disappear from the bulletin board once you accept them.¡± ¡°Then, how many users over level 50 does your professional team have?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ If you join us¡­¡± ¡°How many without me.¡± ¡°Then¡­ four people, including me.¡± ¡°Then it would be better if you guys didn¡¯t try to complete this quest.¡± ¡°Why? Is there something dangerous about it?¡± JaeHoon asked him. He knew that SeoHyun was an Asra Online veteran. Even small bits of information that they had was of great help for newbies. After successfully completing a hidden quest thanks to SeoHyun, JaeHoon listened to what his friend said as if they were sacred words. On the other hand, SeoHyun was concerned about something. ¡®How should I tell this to him¡­? If you successfully complete the quest, I¡¯ll fail mine, so don¡¯t do it¡­? That sounds wrong¡­¡¯ Even in Asra Online, the game often gave users quests with opposing objectives. Every time that happened, they made two users or two groups bite each other and made the game¡¯s atmosphere bad. He didn¡¯t want to break his friendship with JaeHoon. Don¡¯t do this quest because you¡¯ll mess up my chances of completing the quest. Saying that would make him look like an egotistical person¡­ But telling a lie made him uncomfortable. ¡°In two days¡­ You¡¯ll learn the reason. It¡¯s better if you don¡¯t do it.¡± ¡°Should I give up the quest?¡± ¡°That would be the best.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Too bad. How should I tell it to the rest of the team?¡± ¡°Ugh, I haven¡¯t thought that far¡­ First, try your best to convince them. If not, at least save yourself and avoid being killed.¡± ¡°Die¡­? You die if you do this quest?¡± ¡°Uhm¡­ That¡­ sorry.¡± ¡°What are you sorry about¡­?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s just that I made a mistake of words¡­¡± ¡°¡­?¡± JaeHoon seemed confused, and SeoHyun scratched his head for a while. * * * ¡ªAt midnight. Just like the previous day, Hyun and Ain were in the middle of the ruins that were in the Calafer mountain. That was the third day. They were doing a quest from a suspicious old man that consisted of guarding the ruins entrance for an hour starting from midnight. The time was almost over, and no one had appeared. ¡°Ugh¡­ No one is coming¡­¡± Said Ain while playing with her hands. The two of them were spending time sitting on top of a rock and watching the night sky. What was the old man doing inside the ruin? An intense pillar of light soared as if it were about to reach space for almost an hour. Hyun felt like he was watching a fireworks show. He remembered that during primary school, he went once to see fireworks. He didn¡¯t really remember what kind of festival it was. Of course, the night sky of Asrian was more fabulous than what he remembered from that night. On the first day, the light had a white color, but as days passed, it started to become blue. From time to time, he could feel the electricity from the light beam. It felt and seemed like lightning was falling from the sky. The quest time ended, and all the lights disappeared. No one had come. ¡®It seems like JaeHoon succeeded in convincing his teammates.¡¯ JaeHoon was part of a professional gaming team. He wondered if a group that only seeks profit would be able to give up on skill points, but it seemed like they had really given up. If a user gave up on a quest, their prestige and reliability decreased. In some cases, it made receiving other quests harder. JaeHoon and his team had probably taken a penalty. ¡®I¡¯m starting to feel sorry.¡¯ But from the start, he had no intention of letting them win. In order for his plan to be successful, he needed to clear that quest. ¡®I never pay for dinner, and now I¡¯ve taken a quest from him. I¡¯m a horrible person.¡¯ Soon, the old man came out from the inside of the ruin. What the old man gave them as a reward was a very good sword of unique rarity. If he put it in the Auction House, he would probably be able to get at least 5,000 gold. Did the old man think that they¡¯d lust after an expensive weapon? Neither Hyun nor Ain used a sword as the main weapon, so they didn¡¯t care who got to keep it. In other words, Hyun received it. They still hadn¡¯t decided how they were going to divide it. Maybe the sword¡¯s existence would be eliminated from Ain¡¯s memories. The old man who had given them the sword with the expectation of seeing them fight was starting to get even more annoyed. And that¡¯s how the third day ended. * * * ¡ªSouth Korea¡¯s biggest Asrian community. Users used that place to share information about jobs, skills, and quests, among other things. That place that many people usually frequented was busier than on most other days. The reason was a screenshot that a user had just shared. The post consisted of a quest. The post soon started to trend and made the entire community astonished. [] ¨C I inform all the adventurers of my territory. I¡¯ve received a report that said that these past few days, during midnight, a giant light pillar appeared in the middle of the Calafer mountain. ¨C According to my magicians, that light is very dangerous and could potentially harm the villagers. Unfortunately, my army is currently in a foreign territory, fulfilling the duty I¡¯ve ordered them to do. ¨C That¡¯s why I¡¯m turning to the ¡®users.¡¯ I¡¯ll reward the party that eliminates the cause of this light very generously. 1st place ¨C 30.000 gold, 500,000 experience (The points will be distributed evenly among party members), +5 skill points to all party members, Sword of the Sun. 2nd place ¨C 15.000 gold, 300.000 experience (The points will be distributed evenly among party members), +3 skill points to all party members, Wind Magic Spell Book. 3rd place ¨C 8.000 gold, 200.000 experience (The points will be distributed evenly among party members), +1 skill point to all party members. Rest ¨C [Participation %] x 1.000 gold, [Participation %] x 10.000 experience. ¨C This is a very dangerous mission, so all those that haven¡¯t awakened are not allowed to participate in it. ____ ____ Chapter 28 Hard Carry Support Chapter 28 ¨C A Suspicious Old Man¡¯s Commission (4) The community exploded. The views on the thread very quickly surpassed a hundred thousand, and it soon became the most popular thread. The experience and gold the quest gave were amazing, but people went crazy because it was the first time a quest that gave skill points as a reward had appeared in Asrian Online. ¨C Is this a hidden quest? ¨C Since Count Allan has posted it as an official document, I don¡¯t think so. It seems like a large-scale quest in which many different parties can participate. ¨C Everyone that can do this should do it. Getting one skill point is like a free level up. ¨C All the top users are going crazy, lol. ¨C You can¡¯t participate if you aren¡¯t level 50? F this game. ¨C But there are a lot of people that are over level 50¡­ According to the hall of fame, at least 10,000 users have surpassed that level. ¨C Aren¡¯t those ten thousand people in a league of their own? I mean, there are more than a hundred million players. In the thread, there were more than a thousand comments. All of the new posts on the boards were mostly related to the quest. ¨C Everyone is freaking out about the skill points, but check out the details of the Sword of the Sun. The specs are amazing! ¨C Myth Guild is going to take control of the quest. People who don¡¯t want to die, please refrain from coming and keep hunting as you usually do. ¨C LOL, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to control the quest. ¨C South Korea¡¯s number 2 guild, White Lotus, will not participate in this quest. We¡¯re located too far from the location. If we don¡¯t enter among the top three, just the cost of teleporting everyone will be higher than the reward. Asrian had become a god-tier game that would definitely be remembered as one of the greatest of all time. Just in South Korea, there were more than two million players. If you took into consideration the rest of the world, that number became way bigger than that! Not only that, but because the game had opened recently, the number of players was growing each day. Despite all that, the users had a complaint. Even though two months had already passed since the servers opened, there hadn¡¯t been any kind of event. ¡®What is NFM doing? Aren¡¯t they going to run the game?¡¯ If Asrian didn¡¯t have so much content already, people would have probably complained more. Even if it didn¡¯t have events, Asrian was still a god game. But everyone was kind of let down because of that. Wouldn¡¯t it be nice if there was an event that everyone could talk about? And then, suddenly, the count¡¯s quest came out. Users were excited. Especially those who liked to comment on the community boards or those who liked to watch streamers, they were getting ready to order some fried chicken. It didn¡¯t matter if they couldn¡¯t participate in the event because of their low level. They were excited because the top rankers would probably stream the fight in real-time. ¨C This was posted on Reddit too! The count¡¯s quest surpassed the borders of the Korean communities and started to spread through the rest of the world. The news that they were going to give away free skill points had a massive ripple effect. ¨C Woah, this is crazy. The Darkness Guild has announced they¡¯re going to participate. ¨C (Information) To those that aren¡¯t aware. Darkness Guild has the current number 2, 7, and 9 rankers. It¡¯s by far the current strongest guild. ¨C This quest¡¯s rewards are so great that even top rank guilds are joining in. ¨C Will Lattice come? I know he¡¯s a solo player, but still¡­ ¨C I¡¯m not sure. He can choose to either participate or not¡­ But if it were me, I wouldn¡¯t. ¨C That¡¯s true. Most guilds will bring tens of players, so I guess that if you play as a solo, you will feel pressured¡­ ¨C It seems like after Darkness Guild announced they¡¯d participate, most medium-sized guilds announced that they wouldn¡¯t take part in the quest. But there are also a lot of guilds going for the 2nd, or even 3rd place. If you¡¯re not aiming for the top, I think that it¡¯s better to give up. ¨C lol, I¡¯m going to grab some popcorn. This is going to be interesting. ¨C I¡¯m in the town that¡¯s in front of the place where the quest is going to take place, and there are a lot of people, hahaha. ¨C It seems like everyone went there to take a closer look. The Darkness Guild moved especially fast. Only a few hours had passed since the thread was posted, but they were already in the middle of the Calafer mountain. After hearing that, South Korea¡¯s number 1 guild, Hwarang, and the 3rd one, Myth, tried to gather as many members as possible, but all the good spots had already been taken by members of Darkness. * * * * * * ¡°Can¡¯t we enter the place where the quest is going to take place? If there¡¯s a boss monster inside, I want to hunt it down before it starts,¡± asked the leader of the Darkness Guild, XL. A guild member answered him. ¡°It¡¯s impossible because it¡¯s sealed. Someone tried to move first by using flight magic¡­¡± ¡°And what happened next?¡± ¡°He was hit with lightning and disappeared without leaving any trace¡­¡± ¡°Then we should wait¡­¡± The leader of the Darkness Guild looked at the entrance of the ruins. It was rather narrow. Its width was 10 meters. XL, who was a graduate of an Ivy League University, concluded something. ¡°If it¡¯s this narrow, all the parties won¡¯t be able to fight simultaneously.¡± ¡°That means¡­?¡± ¡°I think that we should let another guild fight first.¡± The guild members were surprised by XL¡¯s decision. According to the quest description, the ranking was decided by how much they had contributed. Everyone knew that letting someone else take the lead would result in the % of their contribution going down. ¡°But¡­ What if someone takes the 1st ranking from us¡­¡± ¡°That won¡¯t happen,¡± XL answered with confidence. ¡°If we think that there¡¯s a possibility of that happening, we can just wipe out both sides simultaneously. Also¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s something I felt while playing this game¡­ Great rewards are often accompanied by danger. I don¡¯t think that a quest that rewards five skill points is going to be solved easily.¡± ¡°That means¡­ You think that the quest is going to be very hard¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. I think that we¡¯re probably the only ones that can beat this quest.¡± ¡°Woah¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s why we should move later on. If we¡¯re in a situation where we could lose the 1st position, we can always flip-flop, but everything will be decided based on the circumstances.¡± * * * Hyun and Ain hunted until midnight, and then they finished the preparations. After learning their ultimate attacks, their hunting speed had increased a lot. Even though hunting named monsters wasn¡¯t effective in terms of experience gained, Hyun and Ain were already at level 65. If you considered only the level, they would barely be able to enter the top 100, but if you looked closely, the truth was different. Hyun (Lv. 65) HP: 1560/1560 Mana: 590/590 Job: Support (Hidden) [Strength: 2] [Agility: 56] [Vitality: 24] [Magical Power: 59] [Empathy: 156] [?One Second Absorption? Lv.8] ¨C [?Shield? Lv.0] ¨C [?Powerless Wave? Lv.2] ¨C [?Assimilation? Lv.0] ¨C [¡ù You have 2 unused skill points!] Ain (Lv.65) HP: 3120/3120 Mana: 2660/2660 Job: Close Range Magician (Hidden) [Strength: 23] [Agility: 80(+5)] [Vitality: 46(+2)] [Magical Power: 167(+99)] [?Flame Claws? Lv.5(+1)] ¨C [?Prepared for Extinction? Lv.0] ¨C [¡ù You have 40 unused skill points!] [Deceiver] ¨C Hyun and Ain were both at level 65, But their stats were those of someone at level 120. However, If you took into consideration the bonus of ?Assimilation?, it was at the level of someone that was at 180. That was all thanks to the achievements obtained by being the first ones to kill named monsters. According to their experience in Asra Online, as the game progressed to the latter half, stats became more important than levels. There hadn¡¯t been many changes except that Hyun had learned ?Vision Sword?. The reason was that Hyun lacked skill points, and Ain couldn¡¯t find any useful skills except for ?Flame Claws?. ¡®I¡¯ll learn another skill later on. After all, I have Hyun¡­ So I think that I¡¯m okay for now.¡¯ That¡¯s what Ain answered when he asked her about skills. Was she saving them for when she can change jobs at level 100? Just like she said, maybe it would be best to save up the skill points if everything was going well. ¡ªFourth day of the quest. While they were finishing the preparations, night came to the city. There were still 20 minutes left until midnight. There wasn¡¯t much time left, but Hyun wasn¡¯t feeling pressured. By Assimilating to Ain, they would be able to reach the middle of the mountain very quickly. ¡°Why are there so many people?¡± ¡°It seems like there¡¯s a festival around here.¡± Hyun and Ain hadn¡¯t left the capsule since the afternoon, so they weren¡¯t aware of what was going on in the communities. ¡°This place is usually a quiet hunting place¡­¡± Around the Calafer mountain, there were many users hunting. They looked like the crowd that flocked to a popular restaurant. ¡°This place shouldn¡¯t be effective in terms of experience gained. Why is it that there are so many people?¡± There were so many people that Hyun was starting to get annoyed. Hyun immediately used ?Assimilation? and entered Ain¡¯s body. ¡°It¡¯s better inside me, right?¡± Said Ain with a mischievous smile. Then, while stepping between the tree branches, she began to run. People that were hunting turned around in surprise, but Ain¡¯s 85 agility was so fast that she quickly disappeared from their sight. They arrived at the ruins a few minutes before the quest began. In front of the ruins entrance, many people were waiting for midnight to come. As soon as the gate opened, the guilds would begin competing for who would get to move first. While everyone kept their eyes open so they wouldn¡¯t be left behind by other guilds, they saw a girl crossing the entrance. It was something obvious, but Hyun and Ain, who were the targets of the quest, weren¡¯t affected by the limits placed around the ruins. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Suddenly, all the users focused their attention on the entrance. As the girl casually passed through the ruin¡¯s entrance, everyone sitting around stood up in surprise. ¡°What¡­? Did the seal break?¡± ¡°We can now enter!¡± ¡°Really? Then we¡­ Ugh. Argg-!¡± Zapp- Someone ran towards the entrance and soon began shaking as if he was electrocuted¡ªhe soon turned into light and scattered away. After seeing someone die, everyone stopped in their steps. They¡¯d discovered that they would also die in vain if they ran towards the entrance right then. ¡°Kid, how did you enter the ruins?¡± A man that looked middle-aged asked Ain carefully. That man was the vice-commander of the Myth Guild, the third biggest in South Korea. Ain looked up. ¡°Who¡­?¡± Ain looked at him with sharp eyes as if she were staring at an enemy. Ain had a slight smile on her face, but sharp knives were hidden behind that smile. But Myth Guild¡¯s vice-commander couldn¡¯t see her expression since she was covering herself with a robe. ¡°Haha, if you¡¯re an NPC, you probably won¡¯t know¡­ Who I am? Have you heard about the Myth Guild? It¡¯s South Korea¡¯s number 3 guild, and I¡¯m the¡ª¡± ¡°Are you trying to pass through the door?¡± Ain interrupted the man. The vice-commander thought that the girl had bad manners, but soon changed his opinion. ¡®Yes, she¡¯s probably a foreigner. Maybe the auto-translate option broke¡­ Or perhaps she¡¯s an NPC, so she doesn¡¯t know about things like manners.¡¯ The important thing was learning how to pass through the ruin¡¯s entrance. ¡°Yes. Do you know how to enter? If so¡­¡± At that moment¡­ Fwoosh-! Ain¡¯s hands were covered in fire and hit the man in the waist. The sight of his upper and lower half getting cut in half by melting would have been too cruel if it weren¡¯t a game. Everyone was horrified because it had all happened in just an instant. ¡°Hmm¡­ But you aren¡¯t allowed to enter here¡­¡± ¡°Wh-what¡­!¡± Surprised, the Myth Guild members took out their weapons and aimed them toward the girl who murdered their vice-commander. Ain didn¡¯t seem to mind the hostility directed toward her. She kept talking with a smile on her face. ¡°It seems like everyone wants to enter here.¡± Fwoosh-. As soon as Ain finished talking, a blue light beam rose to the sky from behind her. Electricity came out from the light pillars that reached space while making noise. [There are 60 minutes left before the quest ends!] [Defend the entrance of the ruin!] ¡°Of course, no one will be able to enter.¡± 12:00 am. Midnight. The last hour of the hidden quest had begun. ____ ____ Chapter 29 Hard Carry Support Chapter 29 ¨C Count¡¯s Quest (1) The Gamez. It was the biggest cable channel dedicated to video games. The Gamez had recently created a show dedicated to Asrian Online, but despite the game¡¯s success, the show had a low audience. Since it was an RPG game, there weren¡¯t any tournaments. Also, it didn¡¯t have a lot of content that made users compete with each other. For the person in charge of the show about Asrian, that uproar was as welcome as rain in the middle of a drought. The Count¡¯s quest! Not only were South Korea¡¯s biggest guilds involved, but there were also famous guilds from all over the world participating. Even the Darkness Guild was going to take part in it. There was no way they were going to let such a good opportunity go, so even all the employees stayed to prepare for broadcasting. The show was also being broadcasted through different internet platforms; only one of them had more than fifty thousand viewers. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m commentator Im SeongJun!¡± ¡°I¡¯m co-commentator Kim SooYong.¡± Those two, whom the viewers were familiar with, began talking in a cheerful voice. The commentator Im SeongJun was a veteran who had previously worked for more than ten years commenting on another game. The co-commentator Kim SooYong was a professional gamer who had been playing a MOBA and had recently switched to Asrian Online. Just by seeing that those two were in charge of the show, you could see how interested The Gamez was in Asrian Online. ¨C Is a match about to start? LOL. ¨C SeongJun is working hard. Even those writing in the chat seemed happy to see familiar faces. Just like always, Im SeongJun smoothly began to host the program. ¡°Yes, so there¡¯s a lot to talk about the Count¡¯s quest. Isn¡¯t this the first time the so-called Nero guilds have gathered in one place?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s the first time indeed. Even though it¡¯s been only two months since the servers opened, that doesn¡¯t change the fact that this is the first time.¡± ¡°South Korea¡¯s Hwarang and Myth Guild, and other guilds from foreign countries. You¡¯ve heard about the Darkness Guild, right? They¡¯re currently in the number 1 position, and they have traveled all the way there to take part in the quest.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. There¡¯s a system in Asrian Online that decides where you will start based on your IP address. There aren¡¯t more guilds from foreign countries because Count Allan¡¯s territory is where Korean players begin the game. Of course, players from other places could come, but to do that, they would have to spend a lot of money to teleport.¡± ¡°Oh, I see, so even in Asrian Online, there are borders? Of course, it¡¯s not a real border. You don¡¯t need to bring your passport, after all.¡± Since there was still some time left before the quest began, the presenters were lightly joking around or talking about information related to Asrian Online that they knew about. ¡°Oh, the truth is that we have another piece of exclusive information!¡± Im SeongJun, just as expected from an experienced broadcaster, picked the right moment to talk about hot news. ¡°The person next to me, player Kim SooYong! No, at the moment, co-commentator Kim SooYong, was one of the first persons who heard about this quest.¡± ¡°Who told you that¡­?¡± ¡°But the most incredible thing is that after receiving the quest, he decided to give up on it. Co-commentator Kim SooYong, is that rumor true?!¡± Question marks plastered the chat. Kim SooYong smiled awkwardly. ¡°Hmm¡­ It¡¯s true. Our Guild discovered this quest first by pure coincidence.¡± As evidence, a screenshot that Stardust had provided was posted on the screen. In that screenshot, you could see the details of a quest. Even though the rewards differed slightly, the quest¡¯s mission was the same. ¡°Woah, so it¡¯s true! I thought that you were joking! Can you tell me why you decided to pass on a quest with such good rewards?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a shame, but we concluded that the quest was too dangerous, so we decided to give up on it.¡± Im SeongJun wanted to ask another thing, but Kim SooYong quickly changed the topic of the discussion. ¡°Don¡¯t ask me the reason. I won¡¯t comment anymore in regards to this topic.¡± ¡°Too bad, I won¡¯t dig anymore on this¡­ But if another Guild clears this quest today, you¡¯ll probably regret it a lot, right?¡± ¡°If that happens, I probably won¡¯t be able to sleep.¡± After checking out the time, Im SeongJun began the show officially. It was the order in which Im SeongJun was thinking of presenting the program. First, he would start talking about the guilds participating in the quest. Then, he would talk about what made the Darkness Guild so strong. And as the quest progressed, he would talk about conflicts among the guilds. In such a place, there would be for sure conflict among guilds. They would probably kill each other because of how the rewards worked, so he wanted to talk about the guild¡¯s strategies regarding that. ¡°Then, should we start talking about South Korea¡¯s Rank 3 guild, the Myth Guild? Co-commentator Kim SooYong, what kind of guild is Myth Guild?¡± ¡°Yeah, so Myth Guild is basically¡­¡± The incident happened when Kim SooYong was about to start talking about his research and analysis of the guilds. Someone who was captured on the screen had just ignored the barrier placed by the quest and entered the ruin. And a few seconds later¡­ Fwoosh! One user was melted down. He died instantly. ¡°Wh-what happened?!¡± ¡°Did the conflict among guilds escalate into a fight already?¡± While the commentators were confused and didn¡¯t know what to say, it became midnight. At the same time, a blue light pillar rose from inside the ruin, and that was the signal for the start of the war. * * * * * * The bowstring drawn to its breaking point snapped. Whir-! A blue aura leaked out from Ain¡¯s body from the moment the battle had started. ?Powerless Wave?. ¡ªIt was Hyun¡¯s skill that lowered the defense of the opponents near them. ¡°Kill her!¡± The members of the Myth Guild, who had just lost their vice-commander and were blinded by rage, charged toward Ain. The members of the Myth Guild thought that Ain was someone from a rival guild. They thought that someone from another guild had killed their vice-commander to weaken them. In fact, things like that had happened until a few hours prior, so they didn¡¯t suspect Ain¡¯s identity. Fwoosh, Fwoosh! Ain covered her hands in fire and scratched the opponents twice. The two members of Myth Guild that were charging toward Ain became ash. No, they turned into light and scattered away. Hyun, who was whispering, laughed in disbelief. ¡¸Why are they making things easier for you¡­?¡¹ Ain kept killing members of Myth Guild with a blank expression on her face. She was doing PVP, the thing she enjoyed the most, but she didn¡¯t seem to be having fun. Hyun knew the reason. ¡¸Aren¡¯t these guys the type of players you hate the most?¡¹ That¡¯s right. The players Ain had just defeated had expensive items, but their skills were disappointing. Just seeing their party formation and how they reacted was enough to know that they didn¡¯t care about control. In fact, one couldn¡¯t join Myth Guild without having a lot of money, but there was no way Hyun and Ain knew about that. ¡¸If they¡¯re all at this level, I won¡¯t have to do anything.¡¹ Hyun kept watching the fight from inside Ain. From a distance, arrows flew toward Ain, but she easily brushed them away with her hand. The attacks were slow enough to make one yawn. All of the arrows that Ain had brushed off fell to the ground. ¡°What¡­ Does she have immunity to physical attacks?¡± ¡¸Haha, he¡¯s asking if you have immunity to physical attacks.¡¹ Hyun laughed at what the Thief had said. But what was even funnier was that the head of the Myth Guild had reached the same conclusion. ¡°Don¡¯t use physical attacks! Magicians, begin casting!¡± At his orders, the Magicians began casting their spells. The Myth guild had eight members per party, meaning Ain currently only had to deal with that one party, It seemed like they¡¯d brought as many people as possible, but they weren¡¯t a menace to Hyun and Ain. ¡°How stupid¡­¡± Ain seemed disappointed after seeing the Magicians casting their spells. It didn¡¯t matter if there were eight or even eighty. A Magician standing still while casting was as dangerous as a scarecrow for Ain. Whish- Ain penetrated their formation. As she moved in a zigzag pattern, fire flashed as if it were lightning. ¡°Damn! Don¡¯t attack me!¡± ¡°Tanker, what is our tanker doing!¡± From time to time, members of the Myth Guild ended up attacking each other. It was a common mistake in less skillful guilds when there were a lot of different parties involved. Fwoosh! Flames ran across the land as a gale, turning two people into light and scattering them away. As Ain¡¯s fire-covered hands drew a half-moon, all the opponents¡¯ bodies in the trajectory of her attack melted down. Just touching the fire was enough to kill them! That was because Magicians had low HP. ¡°Boring¡­¡± Ain charged again and burned another two opponents. She then hit the ground, ran up the wall, and melted an opponent¡¯s head. All of it happened in just a few seconds. However, even while fighting like that, she wasn¡¯t feeling the thrill people would usually feel while dueling. She had more fun fighting the party of four from a few days ago. ¡¸The difference between their stat balance is too big.¡¹ Hyun accurately pinpointed the problem. There were many members of the Myth Guild there, but no one had a skill useful for a fight against another user. It was the same in terms of stats. Is it that they didn¡¯t know the importance of agility while fighting? ¡¸They raised their characters to make hunting monsters of that level easy¡­¡¹ ¡ªSkills that were slow but strong. ¡ªSkills that had a long casting time. Those types of skills were useless while fighting against another player. If they had a little bit of understanding of the game, they would have known what stats were important and what skills were useful. ¡°Ugh¡­ Come on, look at me!¡± A Warrior holding a shield was using a provocation skill. Hyun burst into laughter. The Warrior¡¯s provocation skill was only useful against monsters. Why would he use it there¡­? ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­ Do they think that Ain is a humanoid monster?¡¯ Ain didn¡¯t fall for the Warrior¡¯s provocation and moved freely through the front and back of the enemy¡¯s formation. In the Myth Guild, there was no one capable of stopping Ain. There wasn¡¯t anyone who had good enough specs to catch up to her. Not only that, but there wasn¡¯t anyone as skillful as her. All abnormal status skills that required aim were missing her. Ain looked like a wolf going through a flock of sheep. ¡°We can¡¯t keep doing this! Everyone, attack her all at once! Even if she¡¯s resistant to physical attacks, if we keep attacking her, maybe she¡¯ll die!¡± Was it because he was having a hard time looking at his fellow guild members die? The head of the Myth Guild gave a ridiculous order. At that moment, all Warriors and Thieves charged toward her. There were approximately 10 players. ¡¸Hmm¡­ I think too many players are charging against us at one time¡­¡¹ More than fighting, Hyun was interested in the opponent¡¯s strategy. How were they planning to attack in such a narrow place all at once? Hyun decided to look carefully. If they used a strategy he hadn¡¯t thought of, he would have been impressed. But what was happening in front of him was just as he expected. Fwoosh- Ain backed off a little bit and swung her arm. Two people died from that simple attack that wasn¡¯t even fast. To avoid being hit with a swing, you had to move backward. But they had no space to move because there were allies behind them. And just like that, two users had been neutralized. ¡¸They didn¡¯t die.¡¹ The two people who had their arms cut off were falling down. They hadn¡¯t died, but since they couldn¡¯t fight anymore, it didn¡¯t really matter. Ain didn¡¯t stop moving. Immediately, a sword came in her direction while targeting her forehead. Ain brushed the sword with one hand and, with the other one, hit him while rotating it. Critical Hit! As Ain¡¯s hands covered in fire ripped apart the opponent¡¯s head, he turned into light and exploded. The one she had killed was a heavily armed tanker. But it really didn¡¯t matter who it was. By taking advantage of the body defect system, anyone could be killed by just one hit. ¡°Don¡¯t attack her individually! Do it all together!¡± Even though he was starting to panic, the head of the guild kept ordering the other members. But Ain¡¯s specialty was psychological warfare. The moment the opponents tried to back off, she charged toward them. All humans become flustered at the unexpected. Suppose you suddenly change your fight style from one based on counter-attacking to an aggressive one. In that case, the opponent would probably be surprised and start to panic. That was the current state of the members of the Myth Guild. Stab-! Ain, who rushed like a flash, used her hands to penetrate the Warrior¡¯s chest. Ain targeted his heart. The moment she landed a critical hit, she activated the body defect system. Ain rotated the hand she had used to stab the opponent. She looked like fireworks dancing in the night air! Two more enemies that were in her way turned into light and scattered away. Ain, who had just killed three people, didn¡¯t rest and leaped once more. That time she was targeting the head of the Myth Guild, who was standing safely behind the rest. Among the members of the Myth Guild, no one could catch up to Ain. After all, her agility was 80. On top of that, you had to add the bonus given by my ?Assimilation?. She reached the head of the guild before the rest could understand what she was trying to do. ¡°D-Damn¡­!¡± Surprised, he tried to take a defensive posture. Fwoosh- Fwoosh- Flames flew in all directions. It was impossible for him to stop all the flames in the first place. While going around the guild leader, she landed five attacks on him. ¡°What? Damn¡­ Damn!¡± Still, he was the leader of the Myth Guild¡ªfamous for being rich. After receiving five hits and cursing, he turned into light and disappeared. The head of the guild had died. And just like that, the Myth Guild began to crumble. ____ ____ Chapter 30 Hard Carry Support Chapter 30 ¨C Count¡¯s Quest (2) ¡°Oh, there has been a broadcasting accident.¡± Commentator Im SeongJun seemed flustered by the curse words. During the live broadcast, Myth Guild¡¯s leader had cursed. Kim SooYong also tried to fix the situation as fast as he could. ¡°Most people appearing on screen, rather than professional players, are ordinary people; that¡¯s why the vocabulary can get rough from time to time.¡± ¡°Yes. Also, that person was probably annoyed because they had failed the quest. I¡¯m sure he wasn¡¯t trying to criticize or insult anyone.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Also, it¡¯s not a violation of broadcasting rights. If you read the terms of service, it clearly says that you provide personal information to NFM except for those related to your real life. Since we have signed a contract with NFM, we can show all the game footage.¡± After stating their protective rights, they finally went back to talking about the game. Both commentators had concluded that defeating the quest was impossible for the Myth Guild in the first place. After the leader died, members of the Myth Guild began falling just like domino pieces. ¡°Who would have thought that South Korea¡¯s third-biggest guild would fall so easily?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ But there was nothing they could¡¯ve done. The boss of the quest wasn¡¯t only too strong, but she was also clever. She fought while using the terrain very effectively.¡± As expected from a professional gamer, Kim SooYong pointed out the most important things. ¡°She took advantage of how narrow the entrance was to create one versus one and one versus two situations. The members of Myth Guild ended up getting annoyed and tried to attack all at once, but that ended up creating a bottleneck that ended up destroying them.¡± ¡°Woah, hearing your explanation makes it more chilling. As expected from an advanced artificial intelligence!¡± ¡°Yes. What happened today just shows that, in this game, humanoid NPCs are scarier than monsters.¡± Kim SooYong¡¯s words weren¡¯t wrong. It was true that in Asrian, there were a couple of humanoid NPC bosses that were almost as intelligent as real human beings; it was also true that those bosses were usually so strong that they would make you tremble in fear. The only mistake he had made was that neither Ain nor Hyun were NPCs. ¡°News! Hwarang Guild, 1st ranking guild in South Korea, has announced that they¡¯ll give up on the quest!¡± ¡°It¡¯s understandable. After seeing how strong the enemy is, it would be reckless to challenge her.¡± While commentating on the quest, Kim SooYong felt relieved. The organization he was part of, Stardust, had been about to do the Count¡¯s quest, but in the end, they had decided to give up on it. At that moment, he thought that they were letting a huge opportunity go and wanted to cry. But when he saw the news, he felt relieved. ¡°After Hwarang Guild announced that they¡¯d give up, it seems like smaller ones have also decided to do the same. You can see them packing their stuff up and going down the mountain.¡± ¡°But it hasn¡¯t ended yet. Darkness, the 1st ranked guild, still hasn¡¯t given up!¡± Even though most Korean guilds had given up, people in the chat were excited. More than eighty thousand people were watching on only one streaming channel. The show hosted by The Gamez was in Korean, so if you added all the different shows around the world that covered topics about Asrian Online, there would probably be a lot more people than that. Since Darkness was a foreign guild, people from other countries would probably also be interested in what was happening. ¡°So there¡¯s still 40 minutes left until the quest ends! Darkness, will they be able to beat the boss?!¡± ¡°In my opinion, Darkness is the only guild that has a chance to clear this quest. The reason is that the worldwide 2nd, 7th, and 9th are all members of Darkness.¡± ¡°Why are there so many rankers?!¡± ¡°Especially the one who¡¯s 2nd in the rankings, Mayday, became a trending topic after reaching level 90. It is safe to say that there¡¯s almost no difference compared to Lattice, who¡¯s at level 95.¡± ¡°Woah, level 90? I can¡¯t even imagine what route you have to use to level up so fast.¡± ¡°Oh, it seems like members of Darkness have begun moving!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t wait. It¡¯s known that Darkness selects members based on their talents. But up until today, the skill of their members has been hidden under a veil, so today we¡¯re finally going to be able to see what they¡¯re capable of.¡± * * * * * * The leader of Darkness, XL, nodded while watching the Myth Guild crumble. ¡®Is she the one from that video¡­?¡¯ Although it was relatively unknown on Korean community boards, there was a video that had trended on Reddit. It was a video titled, ¡®Two Person, Named Monster Clear Footage.¡¯ XL thought that the quest¡¯s boss was definitely one of the two people that had appeared in that video. ¡®I¡¯m certain of it!¡¯ The way she fought against opponents with her fists covered in fire and that scruffy black robe wasn¡¯t ordinary. Most people in Darkness knew about that video. A few members had used that video to study how to control one¡¯s character. ¡°What were those guys¡¯ identities?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t even remember something that happened a month ago?¡± After hearing the question XL asked himself, a woman glanced at him with a pitiful look. She was the vice-commander of Darkness, Reina. Even though she barely entered the top 100 players ranking, it was because of the limits of the Priest job. Reina had become the vice-commander of Darkness because everyone recognized her charisma and decision-making capabilities. ¡°People have concluded that they were dark priests. That was also why the number of people choosing the priest job increased.¡± XL clapped. ¡°Oh yeah. For a while, everyone wanted to change jobs to a dark priest.¡± XL gulped and looked at the battlefield. The dark priest, who seemed to be the quest¡¯s boss, was dazzlingly stirring the flames. She was definitely strong. XL felt that if he stayed still watching the flames dance, he would be burned down without leaving even a trace. ¡°Do you think we can do it?¡± Reina, who was next to him, asked. ¡°I think that we have a chance¡­¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± Reina had a weird expression on her face while watching XL. Just as his nickname indicated, XL had a thick body. But unlike his dull appearance, he was actually someone with sharp analytical skills. What University did he graduate from? She didn¡¯t remember very well, but she remembered that the rest of the guild members were surprised by it. ¡°I think that there¡¯s a 50% chance.¡± After thinking deeply for a while, XL finally spoke. Reina thought she had heard wrong. ¡°Half? Even though we have Pias, Bear Shield, and even Mayday?¡± ¡°The opponent is that strong¡­ From the moment we heard that they were giving away skill points as a reward, we knew that the quest would be hard to beat.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true.¡± ¡°We have to do our best. After all, there¡¯s still a 50% chance of clearing the quest.¡± Through the guild¡¯s chat, XL started giving orders to everyone. The 1st ranked guild, Darkness, started moving toward their goal. * * * Ain had easily defeated the Myth Guild alone. The only skill Hyun had used to help her was Powerless Wave. But there was still a long way to go. The quest duration was 60 minutes, but only 20 had passed. ¡°I hope the next guys are decent,¡± Ain mumbled while looking into the distance. New enemies were approaching them. Just by seeing the number of opponents, they concluded that the enemies were probably members of a big guild. ¡¸They¡¯re a little bit different.¡¹ Hyun felt uneasy. He had only taken a glance at them but still felt prudence and seriousness in their movements. He felt something different in them compared to other users. ¡¸Are they rankers?¡¹ Hyun had guessed correctly. They were the worldwide 1st ranked guild, Darkness! ¡¸Hmm¡­?¡¹ Hyun¡¯s eyes narrowed. From the opponent¡¯s side of the battlefield, only one user was approaching them. ¡¸Don¡¯t tell me he¡¯s going to fight alone?¡¹ Hyun recognized his bravery in case that user was a ranker, but he was also very self-confident. He knew the current level of the top rankers in the hall of fame. ¡®At this moment of the game, when there are no users over level 100, not even ten rankers should be able to defeat us.¡¯ Maybe in the distant future, they could do it. Because of the huge number of players that Asrian had, there should be many talented people. But at that moment, it was too early. In terms of stats and skill utilization, they shouldn¡¯t be able to compete against them. ¡¸Hmm?¡¹ Those thoughts of Hyun¡¯s disappeared. That one user was receiving buffs non-stop. Whap- From that person¡¯s body, a stream of light started to rise, and holy energy enveloped his weapon. A sphere of light started to go around the long spear he had, and a mysterious pattern appeared under his feet. Hyun, who had memorized most skills, knew what buffs they had used just by seeing the effects. Those five buffs were the awakening skills of either Magicians or Priests. They had used five ultimate attacks to buff a single person. Hyun was glad there was a limit on the number of buffs one could receive. He didn¡¯t even want to think what else they would¡¯ve done if there wasn¡¯t a limit. Even Hyun started to feel chills. ¡°Woah, it doesn¡¯t feel like my body.¡± Whish- Whish- The Darkness guild member that had received all the buffs spoke while he swung the spear around. That man was Pias, a warrior ranked 9th in the world rankings. Among the members of the Darkness Guild, no one could beat him in hand-to-hand combat. Members of the Darkness Guild had seen how easily the Myth Guild was destroyed. They couldn¡¯t fight properly because of the narrow space and were easily defeated. XL had concluded that if they couldn¡¯t fight properly as a group because of the narrow space, he¡¯d rather have all the buffs applied to a single person. ¡°Attack now! All buffs are going to disappear after five minutes!¡± ¡°Yes, yes, understood, big sister!¡± At the orders of the vice-commander Reina, Pias got ready to attack. The target was the dark priest who was wearing a black robe. Pias hit the ground and leaped towards the opponent while his spear cut through the air. His speed, which had increased by more than double, was so fast that you might lose sight of him if you didn¡¯t concentrate. To make things worse, it was nighttime. The Pias¡¯s attack looked as if the light itself was charging toward the enemy to annihilate them. ¡°Ugh¡­?¡± But Pias was forced to stop his leap. The target, instead of evading, had rushed towards him and reduced the distance between them. The skill that Pias had just used, ¡®Lance Charge,¡¯ required him to maintain a certain distance from the enemy to be effective. But because the opponent reduced the distance, he had failed. ¡¸Why were you standing still¡­?! I had to dodge the attack!¡¹ Hyun scolded Ain through a whisper. Ain hadn¡¯t moved at all while watching Lance Charge coming toward her. Ain¡¯s answer was ridiculous. ¡¸I was thinking of counter-attacking and letting it flow.¡¹ ¡¸You can easily cancel that skill by moving a little bit. Why were you planning to use such a dangerous strategy?¡¹ ¡¸Because it would be more fun, right?¡¹ Oof¡­ Hyun wanted to grab his head. That was Ain¡¯s biggest weakness. It didn¡¯t matter what kind of attack came toward her. Instead of dodging it, she always thought of fighting it head-on. That¡¯s why she was often defeated by skills she didn¡¯t know about. Even during the awakening quests, she was defeated by the ?Vision Sword?. While she played as a werewolf, it really didn¡¯t matter because of the high HP. But at the moment, she was playing as a Close Range Magician. ¡®I wish she wouldn¡¯t try such reckless things while having a body as weak as a paper.¡¯ Since they were sharing the same body, Hyun thought that he would have to look out for her safety. ____ ____ Chapter 31 Hard Carry Support Chapter 31 ¨C Count¡¯s Quest (3) A Thief threw a bunch of ninja stars from the rear. Thanks to Hyun¡¯s ?One Second Absorption?, all of the attacks bounced away from Ain¡¯s body. Thanks to Hyun watching over her, Ain could focus on the one-on-one combat. Whish- Ain hit Pias with a punch that resembled a boxer¡¯s jab. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Pias moaned in pain. He bent his waist and avoided being hit, but cold sweat dripped from his neck. The opponent¡¯s speed was on a whole other level compared to the enemies he had fought against up until then! He was also fast, but she was faster. He couldn¡¯t believe he was slower than the enemy even though he had received all kinds of buffs. ¡®Just how much agility does she have¡­?!¡¯ He was lucky that he had been able to instinctively avoid being hit. Also, he didn¡¯t understand why, but the opponent¡¯s attack was abnormally high. ¡®Wait, why are my defensive stats at zero¡­?¡¯ Pias, who was panicking, looked at Ain¡¯s feet. There was an aura that emitted an ominous light. The moment his body touched it, he could feel his body being on edge. ¡®If I make a mistake, I¡¯m done¡­¡¯ Pias looked at the opponent¡¯s hands. It would be too late for him if he couldn¡¯t react to her movements. But before he could get a hold of his breath¡­ ?Vision Sword?!¡¯ A shining blade made of light emerged. Hyun used the absorbed damage to hit Pias on the waist with the ?Vision Sword?. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Ain seemed confused after reading the notification. ¡¸Why is that thief so weak? Even though I absorbed all his attacks, it didn¡¯t add up to much.¡¹Hyun complained. The ?Vision Sword?¡¯s attack varied depending on the opponent¡¯s damage absorbed. He had received all the ninja stars on purpose with the goal of increasing ?Vision Sword?¡¯s damage, but the result was worse than he had thought. He was starting to miss Ain¡¯s punches. ¡¸Hyun, don¡¯t waste my mana.¡¹ ¡¸Sorry¡­¡¹ The ?Vision Sword? used 50 mana, which was a considerable amount. If the damage output was low, there was no point in using it. ¡®Should I avoid attacking at all¡­?¡¯ When he thought about it, maybe that would be better. Instead of attacking, perhaps it would be better if he was in charge of defense. After all, it would be hard for her to dodge all the opponent¡¯s attacks. ¡¸It would be better if we divided the roles.¡¹ ¡¸How?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll take care of the long-range attacks. You just focus on the close-range combat.¡¹ Ain tilted her head at Hyun¡¯s explanation. Would they be able to divide the roles while controlling the same body? Hyun cleared her doubts. ¡¸Give me the control priority.¡¹ If they gave two opposing orders simultaneously, whose command would the body listen to? The thing he needed at that moment was control priority. ¡¸Priority?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. You just have to fight as you usually do. I¡¯ll take control if something dangerous flies towards you.¡¹ Hyun was better than her in terms of skill usage, knowledge about the different types of skills, and overall gaming skills. But there was something she was better at than Hyun: PvP. Hyun was planning to take advantage of both of their strong points. ¡¸Is something like that possible¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Probably¡­¡¹ ¡¸Hmm¡­ I¡¯m not sure, but let¡¯s do as you say.¡¹ Although she was not sure, she decided to trust Hyun. She made that decision because she knew that Hyun¡¯s greatest strength was his ability to see the opponent¡¯s weakness and improvise solutions. The battle started to heat up. Ain¡¯s flames and Pias¡¯s lance clashed. Their exchange of blows resembled something from an action movie. Even though their speed was similar, it was clear that Pias was at a disadvantage as time went on. ¡°Tsk¡­¡± Suddenly, flames covered Pias¡¯s eyes. Ain had swung her arms and blocked his field of view. When you did not know where the attack would come from, the safest option was to back off. Pias tried to leap backward, but Ain had already seen through him. Ain blocked his view with one hand and used the other one to hit him. When Pias stepped on the floor, Ain¡¯s hands were already at his chin. ¡°Damn¡­!¡± ¡°No!¡± Swoop-! As Pias came under danger, other Darkness members began casting magic. Fireballs, spears made of ice, daggers, and ninja stars flew in their direction simultaneously. But Hyun was already prepared for long-range attacks. As he used ?One Second Absorption? and leaped backward, Ain¡¯s action of trying to forcibly land hits on the enemy was canceled. ¡ªIt was because Hyun had control priority. As soon as Ain moved backward, the enemies¡¯ attacks poured down. ¡¸It¡¯s possible, see?¡¹Hyun said while laughing. By using ?One Second Absorption? correctly, they could safely exchange the control in any situation. That was the strategy Hyun had thought of to safely exchange the character¡¯s control. ¡¸To be honest, I think we were lucky¡­¡¹ ¡¸Then let¡¯s try again until you¡¯re sick of it.¡¹ Nod. Ain leaped forward again. Fwoosh- Fwoosh- Fwoosh-! Flames struck Pias¡¯s spear. It was a series of attacks that had offbeat movements and feints mixed together! Pias, who was trying his best to face the constant influx of fire attacks, was about to lose his mind. He tried to protect himself by backing off¡­ But it was hard. Pias was in danger. At that moment¡­ Flash-! A magic circle was drawn under Ain¡¯s feet. ?Metal Edge?. The sharp metal pillar that rose from the ground was an attack from members of Darkness that were trying to support Pias. If you were fighting, it would have probably been hard to react against a sudden magical attack that came out of nowhere¡­ But if you were just looking out for potential dangers, you could respond easily. ¡°?One Second Absorption?, ?Shield?!¡± For a few seconds, all enemy attacks stopped. Thanks to ?Shield?, everyone that had attacked Ain had been stunned. ¡¸Ain, now!¡¹ ¡¸I know¡­!¡¹ * * * * * * Ain¡¯s eyes began shining just like those of a wolf looking at prey. A wild beast never misses an opportunity. Because everyone was stunned, that opportunity had come. The flame flared and struck Pias five times. The 9th person in the world rankings became light and scattered away in a split second. ¡°Ah¡­!¡± Mayday, the 2nd in the rankings, groaned. Mayday¡¯s role was to support Pias whenever he was in danger. But what had happened? He wasn¡¯t hit with an attack that caused abnormal status, yet for three seconds, his mind had become blank. He had just sat still while watching Pias be beaten up. Because he was distracted, Pias had become ashes. The reason Mayday¡¯s mind was absent for a few seconds was because of Hyun¡¯s ?Shield? skill, but he thought it was because he was distracted. ¡°Mayday, did you just make a mistake?!¡± Reina shouted in disbelief. It was the first time they had seen Mayday make a mistake. After all, she was a perfectionist. ¡°I couldn¡¯t move for a moment¡­¡± Mayday looked stunned. But soon, she shook her head. ¡°No, I won¡¯t make any more mistakes like that¡­!¡± Mayday said while biting her lips. Causing an inconvenience for her entire guild because of a mistake she made once was enough. She couldn¡¯t do anything about what had happened, but at least she wouldn¡¯t make the same mistake twice. Clap Clap- The head of the guild, XL, clapped and tried to lighten the mood. ¡°Let¡¯s keep doing our best until the end. We, Darkness, still have a chance.¡± Pias had died, but there were other users that could take his position. The battle wasn¡¯t over yet. * * * ¡®It¡¯s easier than I thought.¡¯ Hyun seemed relaxed. Was it because they were still at the early stages of the game? Even though the opponents were rankers, he and Ain weren¡¯t having a hard time. The reason was quite simple. ¡ªIn the early stages of the game, there wasn¡¯t a job that could resist the ridiculously high attack of the Close Range Magician. On top of that, there was his Support class. Not only that but there was also his ?Assimilation? skill that increased stats and the ?Powerless Wave? skill. The +1 skill level increase of ?Assimilation? also couldn¡¯t be ignored. At that point in the game, they were practically invincible. ¡°I don¡¯t have any mana left.¡± ¡¸It¡¯s okay.¡¹ They also had a way to solve the Close Range Magician¡¯s high mana consumption issue. The moment Ain drank the ¡®Weak Heaven¡¯s Elixir¡¯ they had gotten from the old man, that weakness disappeared. [Your HP has temporarily increased by +20,000!] [Your mana recovery speed has increased by 10 times!] Ain was as strong as a boss monster that had overwhelming attacking power. A boss monster controlled by both Hyun and Ain. ¡®Too bad we had to use the elixir, but since there¡¯s this many people, there¡¯s nothing we can do about it.¡¯ A new user walked out from the Darkness Guild¡¯s side. A warrior that was 7th in the rankings, Bear Shield. It seemed like they had decided to use him, one of the best tankers in the world, as the vanguard. ¡¸I see, so they¡¯re planning to keep fighting using this same strategy.¡¹ The new guy also received a lot of buffs, just like the previous one. Even though he had become stronger, he still wasn¡¯t a menace to Hyun and Ain. It was obvious that Bear Shield was a tanker. ¡ªIt was common knowledge in PvP that slow users weren¡¯t dangerous. ¡®It looks like it¡¯s going to be easier than before.¡¯ They didn¡¯t even need to change the strategy. If they fought the same way, time would flow, and the quest¡¯s end would get closer. ¡°I want to use my ultimate attack.¡± ¡¸What?¡¹ What was she talking about? It seemed like Ain had just said another nonsensical thing. They didn¡¯t even need to use her ultimate attack, so why would she waste it there? Ain¡¯s ultimate attack was strong, but since it had a 12-hour cooldown, she had to think very carefully before using it. Hyun tried to convince her. ¡¸Hey¡­ I told you before. After clearing the quest, we should go hunt a named boss monster.¡¹ ¡°Did you say that¡­?¡± ¡¸Yes, I did! If you use ultimate attack now, you won¡¯t be able to use it for hunting the named boss.¡¹ ¡°But this seems more entertaining than that.¡± Ain was determined to use her ultimate attack. Hyun¡¯s voice became more urgent. ¡¸Wait! Wait a little bit. You enjoy PvP, right? Wouldn¡¯t it be boring if the opponent was too weak?! Not using the ultimate attack will probably make things more fun¡­¡¹ Fwoosh- Hyun was still speaking when intense red energy started to come out from Ain¡¯s body. Ain couldn¡¯t resist it and ended up using her awakening skill, ?Prepared for Extinction?. ¡¸Damn¡­!¡¹ Hyun couldn¡¯t stop Ain from covering her body with fire. Ears made of fire rose from her head, and at her back, you could see a red tail surging. It was the fire wolf figure she had been longing for. ¡°Hehehe¡­¡± Laughter leaked out from Ain¡¯s lips. She felt satisfied, except that there wasn¡¯t a mirror so that she could look at herself. After activating the ultimate attack, the level of ?Flame Claws? went up to Lv. 7 and evolved. Ain¡¯s ultimate attack also increased the level of fire-type skills by one. After she activated the skill, Crack-, the claws of a beast appeared from Ain¡¯s small hands. For some people, the sight of a claw with a length of one meter might have looked grotesque, but Ain even liked that. The ultimate attack, ?Prepared for Extinction?, just as the name indicated, consumed 10 HP per second. That meant that she could die by just standing still¡­ But because they had increased her HP thanks to the elixir, it probably didn¡¯t matter. Flap-! Ain began to move. From the perspective of others, it looked as if a giant ball of fire was moving. ____ ____ Chapter 32 Hard Carry Support Chapter 32 ¨C Count¡¯s Quest (4) Ain¡¯s claws smashed Bear Shield and went through his body, which resulted in him melting down. Her claws got stuck on the ground. Tss- The sound of the rock melting mixed with the smoke that came from the burned ground. The afterimage of the flame that rose with the attack even swallowed the death light effect. Bear Shield, who should have been where Ain¡¯s claws were, couldn¡¯t be seen anywhere. ¡°One-hit KO¡­?¡± Members of the Darkness Guild froze. They couldn¡¯t believe that Bear Shield, who boasted about having extreme tanking power, couldn¡¯t resist even a single hit. Not only that, but he had received some of the best defensive buffs. And yet, he was killed with one hit? They couldn¡¯t believe what had happened. But the nightmare wasn¡¯t over yet. Ain had just started using her ultimate attack. ¡°Don¡¯t get close to her!¡± Even without that warning, the guild members were extremely cautious. They felt as if they were facing a monster. ¡ªEspecially those claws she had on both arms, they looked as if they belonged to a mythological creature. ¡°This is too much¡­¡± A few had already lost their fighting spirit and were groaning. The toughest member of the guild, Bear Shield, had died without even being able to counter-attack. That meant that a simple touch would be enough to kill Magicians or Priests. ¡°This¡­ Is a little unexpected.¡± XL also dripped in a cold sweat. He thought they had a 50% chance to win based on her fight against the Myth Guild. But the opponent in front of them at that moment was on a whole other level. ¡®It seems like she hadn¡¯t shown all her strength back then.¡¯ It was as if she had been playing against the Myth Guild¡ªhow she fought and moved was completely different from before. To make things worse, there was the new skill she had shown them. Suddenly, her body had been covered in fire, and the damage she dealt went up to a ridiculous number. He didn¡¯t understand what she¡¯d done, but without warning, claws grew up on her hands, and her attack range increased a lot. ¡®We¡­ Won¡¯t be able to dodge that.¡¯ It was just as XL guessed. Every time the opponent moved her claws, a trace of fire was created in a three-meter radius. Guild members that were brushed by the fire were killed before they could think of a way to counter it. ¡°Don¡¯t get close! Attack her from a distance!¡± Vice-commander Reina, who still hadn¡¯t given up, tried her best to lead the fight. Magic spells, arrows, daggers¡ªthey poured a lot of different kinds of attacks on her. But they soon discovered that their efforts were useless. Ting- Tiing- The giant flame claws blocked all the long-range attacks, and the projectiles bounced back ineffectually. A few ice spells melted down the moment they reached Ain. Smile- Ain¡¯s teeth showed a little bit. It was Hyun¡¯s smile showing up because of ?Assimilation?. Hyun and Ain had done a lot of research about ?Efret¡¯s Claw?. ¡®It also works great as a defensive skill.¡¯ The claws, unlike the fire, were made of a material that resembled metal. Hyun remembered very clearly the fights during the awakening quests. The shadows had used the claws to cover themselves from attacks or had stuck them into the ground to resist knockbacks, and from that, he had guessed something. ¡®Could it be that the claws have a physical body?¡¯ Hyun¡¯s guess was right. He had concluded that after doing several experiments. He didn¡¯t receive any damage from weak attacks. It was the same principle as having a new weapon, like a sword, equipped. Thanks to the skill evolving, the defensive options had increased. Tap- Tap-! Ain traversed on the side of the canyon from side to side and then jumped. The altitude allowed them to see the opponent¡¯s entire formation. They could see several Magicians gathered in the back and casting. Because there were a lot of reinforcing magic circles drawn on the ground, they could easily see where the Magicians were standing. ¡¸Be careful.¡¹ ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Because she had jumped, a lot of spells flew in her direction. It seemed like they thought that she wouldn¡¯t be able to change directions while in the air. The sight of multiple attacks launched simultaneously resembled a barrage of bullets. Smash-! As she swung her claws, all magics flying toward her disappeared just as if she had used an eraser. ¡®Too annoying.¡¯ Ain slid along the cliff. As Ain approached where the Magicians were standing, she used the flexibility of her waist and smashed them with the claws. ¡°Damn!¡± The Magicians who were being targeted cursed. They had figured out that they wouldn¡¯t be able to escape. And they were right. To begin with, the difference between their speed was too much. ¡°Everyone, gather under me!¡± A Magician shouted while raising his wand. Crack- A giant ice wall appeared in the sky. It was a defensive ultimate skill. It should have been able to block almost all attacks, but at that moment, that wasn¡¯t the case. The attack approaching them was the ultimate attack of the Close Range Magician that had the highest damage output. On top of that, there was the assistance of the hidden Support job. Smash- Both awakening skills crashed into each other. Ain¡¯s ultimate attack was stronger. The claws made of lava tore down the ice shield piece by piece. The Magicians that were under it weren¡¯t safe anymore. The four of them burned down and disappeared. ¡¸How dare you!¡¹ Hyun twisted her waist. At that moment, the flames shone while drawing a half-moon! Ain¡¯s claws changed direction and attacked the two thieves trying to launch a surprise attack. Even though the tips of the claws just brushed them, they still couldn¡¯t resist the incoming damage. Both became ashes and scattered away. Ain¡¯s movements were faster than the thieves¡¯, whose main stat was Agility. The trail of flames stirred the battlefield! * * * * * * Because Ain moved very fast in zigzag patterns, the Darkness Guild wasn¡¯t able to land attacks on her. ¡¸Woah, be careful¡­!¡¹ Even if they got the direction right, Hyun was able to react. Crash- A sharp metal pillar rose from underneath them, but it missed Ain by a narrow margin. The attack coming from the ground could stun the opponent. If Hyun hadn¡¯t been able to react, they could¡¯ve been in a dangerous situation. Ain opened her mouth in surprise. ¡°How did you see that?¡± ¡¸It¡¯s nothing.¡¹ Hyun had managed to dodge the attack, but he was surprised by the opponent. Was it because the opponent was a ranker? Their ability to adapt based on the situation was really fast. The claws couldn¡¯t block attacks that rose from underneath. As time went on, the opponents started to discover their weaknesses. ¡®Who was it? Someone in that direction?¡¯ Hyun pointed to somewhere with his finger. Ain started to move to where her finger was pointing. ¡¸She¡¯s probably the one who launched the attack.¡¹ That was where Mayday, the person with the highest level among Darkness members, was standing. Mayday, the 2nd ranking player, was one of the first members of Darkness and the strongest Magician. ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± After Ain suddenly pointed toward her with a creepy smile on her face, Mayday¡¯s heart sank. She wondered if the grim reaper would look like that. Mayday felt that Ain was trying to tell her that she would take her life. How had she managed to discover her attack? She shouldn¡¯t have used magic¡ªit had led to Ain discovering her position. Lots of different thoughts went through Mayday¡¯s head, but she was also a ranker. The average user would probably be in a panic state and would die without being able to do anything. ?Thorns of Death?! With Mayday¡¯s gesture, tens of metal pieces flooded towards Ain. She casted one more spell. ?Metal Edge?! The two spells flew at the same time. The combo of Thorns of Death and Metal Edge was one Ain had frequently used. If you looked at the magic coming straight towards you, you would end up being hit by the one coming from below. If it were the first time seeing that combo, even a ranker would have problems dealing with it. ¡°Hehe¡­¡± A smile appeared on Ain¡¯s mouth. Thanks to the casting effect, she knew what attacks were coming in her direction. She easily brushed off the incoming metal pieces with the claws. Flap- As she increased her speed, the metal piece rising from the ground also missed her. When Mayday grasped the situation, she felt something hot near her head. Smash-! The beast¡¯s giant claws melted Mayday¡¯s body. The Darkness Guild¡¯s strongest Magician and number 2 ranking player of the world, Mayday, had died. And with that, the quest clearly leaned toward one side. * * * The Gamez, thanks to the contract they had with NFM, could analyze the situation from a wide variety of angles. As soon as the Darkness Guild and the quest¡¯s boss began fighting against each other, commentator Im SeongJun started to talk as if he was rapping. Kim SooYong also added an explanation whenever something important happened. ¡°It¡¯s a very tight fight! The Darkness Guild is handling the situation well!¡± ¡°Something interesting is that people from the Darkness Guild have sent only one damage dealer to the front. The rest are supporting him from a distance.¡± ¡°Oh, co-commentator Kim SooYong, is that a good strategy?¡± ¡°Yes, it is indeed. The reason is that the entrance is very narrow, so if there are a lot of damage dealers or tankers, rather than helping, they could become an obstacle.¡± ¡°Oh, I see!¡± ¡°The only weakness of this strategy is that if the damage dealer has worse specs than the opponent, they will be killed very easily, but I think they¡¯ve overcome that weakness thanks to all the buffs they applied on him. As expected from Darkness.¡± The battle that followed the explanation had everyone silent, including the commentators. ¡ªPias¡¯s amazing spear techniques. ¡ªAll the supporting skills from the other members of the Darkness Guild. ¡ªAnd the fire that danced in the shadow priest¡¯s hands! The users that were used to the grinding aspect of RPG games couldn¡¯t hide their surprise because of the high-level fighting. ¡ªEspecially the close-range battle between Ain and Pias, which had pro gamers groaning in surprise. ¡°Amazing¡­¡± JaeHoon couldn¡¯t help but admire what was happening while watching the broadcast alone in his house. JaeHoon, who had officially become a member of Stardust, was also very interested in the Count¡¯s quest. That was why JaeHoon, who had decided to concentrate on the incoming mid-term exams, was up late watching the internet broadcast. After hearing SeoHyun¡¯s words, he had decided to give up on the quest, but he couldn¡¯t help but think that he had lost a great opportunity. ¡°It wasn¡¯t for no reason that Hyun told me to give up on the quest¡­¡± It didn¡¯t take long for JaeHoon to change his opinion. He was glad he had decided to listen to Hyun¡¯s warning. If Stardust had fought against that boss, the best outcome would have been to escape alive. Even Darkness, who had some of the best rankers, were struggling, so the outcome would be obvious even if they¡¯d gathered a party to do the quest. ¡°There¡¯s a lot I can learn from this.¡± JaeHoon was trapped by the screen of his smartphone. But his attention wasn¡¯t focused on the global ranking 9th player Pias¡ªhe was more interested in the quest boss, who everyone thought was a dark priest. His, no. Probably her¡­? He felt that her movements were superior to Pias¡¯s. At first glance, the fight seemed even, but JaeHoon, with his sharp eyes, made a correct analysis of the situation. ¡°She¡¯s not only fighting the opponent in front of her, but she¡¯s also deflecting the arrows coming from a distance. How is she able to do that¡­?¡± Even while fighting, she wasn¡¯t letting any long-range attacks come in her direction. Could she do that because she was an artificial intelligence? That would probably be plausible, but JaeHoon thought that wasn¡¯t the case. There were a lot of strategies she used that were aimed at affecting the opponent¡¯s psychology. That attitude was the opposite of artificial intelligence, which always tried to minimize the variables. JaeHoon even began thinking something like this: ¡®Is she really an artificial intelligence? To me, she looks like a human.¡¯ ____ ____ Chapter 33 Hard Carry Support Chapter 33 ¨C Bifurcation (1) JaeHoon blinked. He felt like he was about to catch something important that he was missing. Unfortunately, the fight ended in an instant. Pias couldn¡¯t withstand the dark priest¡¯s attack and had died. You could hear the lamentations of the commentators Im SeongJun and Kim SooYong. ¡°How much damage does that fire do? Even though he received five ultimate skill buffs, he died almost instantly!¡± ¡°What are they going to do? Oh, they¡¯ve sent another damage dealer. He¡¯s a Warrior that¡¯s 7th in the world rankings, Bear Shield.¡± ¡°Yes, they can¡¯t give up yet! If they go back now, they won¡¯t be able to recover the costs to teleport!¡± ¡°Bear Shield is famous for being one of the best tankers¡­ But wait, what¡¯s that?!¡± Kim SooYong noticed something while talking. The Dark Priest, who was standing still, suddenly began burning over her entire body and started to transform. Ears made of fire appeared on top of her head, and a tail grew at her back. Even though the black robe was covered in flames, it didn¡¯t burn. It was like seeing Efreet, the god of fire¡­ It was as if she¡¯d become the fire itself. ¡°Is that¡­ A fox?¡± Im SeongJoon couldn¡¯t describe the situation. The fox covered in a fire had used her claws to smash the opponent. In the place where Bear Shield should have been standing, they could only see the claws stuck in the ground. She had defeated the best tanker with just one hit! Both commentators, and all users watching the stream, remained silent for a while. Kim SooYoung, who was the first one who came back to his senses, began explaining the situation. ¡°So we have a problem¡­ What should I say¡­ Yes, so. Let¡¯s just say that the second phase has started. Just like a player saves up the ultimate attack or skill until the end, it seems like the boss had a hidden trump card.¡± The next scene was more of a massacre than a fight. One Dark Priest moved across the formation of the Darkness Guild, and there seemed to be no way to stop her. Suddenly, the view of the screen changed. Thanks to the contract with NFM, viewers could watch the fight from a third and even first-person perspective¡ªit was as if they had a camera mounted on top of the Dark Priest¡¯s head. The screen was spinning at such a speed that it was dizzying. Im SeongJoon shouted with an excited voice. ¡°She jumped up! She¡¯s running through the cliff! Ugh, the Magicians were ambushed and ended up dying! They tried to defend, but she broke through their defense!¡± ¡°Some thieves tried to attack from behind, but it was useless! It seems like nothing works against her. They need to stop her movements first, but the skills that cause abnormal status don¡¯t seem to be able to reach her.¡± ¡°The difference between their speed is too much! Isn¡¯t there a curse or a skill that makes the opponent move slower?!¡± ¡°Yes, there are debuff skills, but you can only learn them after you change jobs at level 100, which means that no one knows that type of skill yet!¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s too bad! If they had done this quest after changing jobs, the result could¡¯ve been different. But right now, there doesn¡¯t seem to be a good way to beat her! Oh?! This time the 2nd in the rankings, Mayday, was ambushed! Mayday! Mayday!¡± ¡°Even if Mayday is a ranker, she¡¯s still a Magician. A Magician that hasn¡¯t changed jobs yet can¡¯t do anything without the protection of an ally. Oh, the moment I was explaining, Mayday was also killed.¡± ¡°This is a big blow! Mayday has recently been leveling up pretty fast, and she was close to catching up to Lattice! After today¡¯s death, she won¡¯t be able to log in for two days, so the distance between them will increase again!¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s too bad. Is the Darkness Guild going to give up? Oh, just as expected. It seems like they¡¯re withdrawing.¡± * * * After the Darkness Guild retreated, Hyun and Ain also retired. If they chased them, they would¡¯ve been able to kill them all, but they didn¡¯t. The old man¡¯s quest said they had to make sure people didn¡¯t enter the ruins, but it didn¡¯t say that you needed to kill all enemies. If they did that and someone took the chance to infiltrate, things could get bothersome. ¡°Oof¡­ There were a lot today,¡± Ain mumbled after dismissing her ultimate attack. ¡¸Yes, it seems like they¡¯ve given up.¡¹ ¡°There¡¯s no way they would be able to defeat us!¡± ¡¸Well, they¡¯re still newbies. after all.¡¹ Hyun looked at the timer of the quest. Was it because of the fight that time had passed so fast? There were only five minutes left before the quest ended. Soon, the four days time limit would end, and with that, the old man¡¯s quest would come to an end. But of course, Hyun didn¡¯t intend to end the quest so easily. ¡®Should I start moving?¡¯ A suspicious old man¡¯s request. The old man had warned them not to go inside the ruins while the quest was still ongoing. According to the information Hyun knew, there were two ways to clear the quest. ¡ªThe first one was listening to the old man, protecting the ruin¡¯s entrance, and getting a few rewards. ¡ªThe second one was to ignore the old man¡¯s warnings and enter the ruin. * * * * * * ¡®I should meet him a few seconds before the quest ends.¡¯ However, the time at which they faced the old man was very important. If they went to meet him too soon, they would die without being able to offer resistance against his magic. That¡¯s why they had to face him just before the quest ended. Near the end, he wouldn¡¯t have that much strength, so they should be able to clear the quest safely. Right then was the only moment they had. ¡°Where are we going?¡± Ain asked anxiously as her body walked toward the inside of the ruin. ¡¸Don¡¯t worry about it, just trust me.¡¹ ¡°Hmm¡­? Too Suspicious¡­¡± Ain was curious about what Hyun wanted to do, but she decided to let her do as he wished. Inside the ruins, there was a staircase leading to an underground level. Hyun went down without hesitating. The staircase was deep, and it was wet. As they went down, they started to feel a chill. ¡°Cold¡­!¡± Ain said while crossing her arms. She tried to warm up her body with flames, but Hyun canceled it. Hyun still had control priority. ¡°What?! Why did you put out the fire?!¡± ¡¸I¡¯m sorry¡­ But please, be patient.¡¹ ¡°Ugh¡­ Okay, but just for a little bit¡­!¡± Ain kept complaining, but she didn¡¯t try to sabotage Hyun. He felt sorry, but there was nothing he could do about it. Even if the elixir¡¯s effect were still active, her mana would quickly dry up if she used her flames to warm up. As they approached the end of the staircase, the cold became stronger. It seemed like Ain felt some goosebumps since she shrugged her body. At the end of the staircase, there was an unknown magic circle, and in the center of it stood the old man. There was a bright light that seemed to devour everything around it! The light coming from the magic circle was connected to the sky. ¡°Hahaha, finally it¡¯s complete! My body is absorbing the heavenly light!¡± The old man didn¡¯t notice that someone was approaching. He only turned around after hearing some footsteps right at his back. They could see the madness in his eyes. ¡°What are you doing¡­?! Didn¡¯t I say to guard the entrance of the ruin?!¡± The old man looked at them while frowning as if he was about to devour them. It was the look of someone that was about to commit a murder. But soon, the tone of his voice changed. It seemed like he was trying to convince them. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll give you 10 skill points as a reward¡­ Why don¡¯t you go back to the ruin¡¯s entrance and make sure no one comes through it?¡± 10 skill points! Getting extra skill points had more value than leveling up. As your level went up, the need for more skill points increased. But Hyun wasn¡¯t tempted by that. He looked at the time limit. There were 20 seconds left. ¡®Now should be okay, right?¡¯ Hyun smiled at the old man with a mischievous smile. As they walked inside the magic circle, intense cold energy began to run around them. ¡°Stop right now!¡± The old man shouted at them, but Hyun just laughed while groaning. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, grandpa¡­¡± Ain¡¯s voice had an unpleasant stickiness mixed, unlike her usual tone. Hyun had used Ain¡¯s body to speak. Unlike her usual tone of voice, it was a little bit darker. ¡°Back off!¡± Fwoosh- Hyun ignored the old man¡¯s warning and covered Ain¡¯s hands with fire. The old man threatened them with retaliation if they didn¡¯t move away. But at that moment, there wasn¡¯t anything that the old man could do. To make his plan successful, he had used almost all of his strength. There wasn¡¯t that much time left! Just a few seconds and he would achieve his goal¡­! ¡°You damn brat!¡± While the old man was shouting, Ain hit him with fire, but the flames only stirred the air. ¡°Did he escape¡­?¡± Ain¡¯s eyes narrowed. It seemed like he had used teleportation magic to escape. ¡®What about the time¡­?¡¯ Hyun checked out the quest¡¯s status window. The hidden quest¡¯s remaining time had stopped at five seconds, and it wasn¡¯t going down. The beam of light that seemed to be about to pierce the sky had started to calm down. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Ain was looking up with her mouth opened. Beautiful crystals were shining and floating in the air where the beam of light had been. Ain tried to get closer to the crystal, which resembled broken jewelry pieces. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± She groaned and flinched. As she started to get closer, she began to feel a cold at the tip of her hands that hurt as if it was trying to tear her skin apart. Ain tried to pull her hand away, but Hyun didn¡¯t let her. He had the control priority. He moved her hands closer and closer to the crystal and then grabbed it. Crackle-! They felt as if their body was hit with an electric shock as they held it. As the crystals permeated Ain¡¯s body, a message appeared in front of them. [A force that was within the heavenly crystal has entered your body!] [You¡¯ve obtained the title ¡®Heavenly Being!¡¯] ¡®Yes¡­!¡¯ Hyun cried out for joy. That had been his goal since the moment they got the quest. He had finally achieved it. The message didn¡¯t end there and kept going for a little longer. [You¡¯re the first user to obtain the title ¡®Heavenly Being¡¯!] [Oh, but what happened?! There are two souls in a single vessel!] [Both souls have obtained the title of Heavenly Being!] [Your resistance to the cold has permanently increased by 50%!] [Your resistance to thunder has permanently increased by 50%!] [You don¡¯t feel cold anymore!] [And maybe something special will happen?] ¡°Oh¡­?¡± From Ain¡¯s mouth, a sizzling sound came out. The cold she had been feeling for a while had suddenly disappeared. ¡ªAnd it was all thanks to the title she had just obtained. ¡°Fu¡­ Hehe¡­ Haha. Hahaha!¡± Ain suddenly burst into laughter like a crazy person. Hyun¡¯s laugh was coming out through Ain¡¯s mouth and voice. Ugh¡­! He was so happy that he rolled on the ground, but Ain¡¯s body ended up hitting a column. And then he started laughing again. Ain wanted to stop his ridiculous behavior, but she couldn¡¯t do anything since Hyun had control priority. ¡°Please stop doing weird things with my body¡­¡± Even after Ain asked him, Hyun kept laughing and rolling on the ground for a while. ____ ____ Chapter 34 Hard Carry Support Chapter 34 ¨C Bifurcation (2) The damage the Darkness Guild had received was huge. Half of its members had died, and among those, there were the rankers that the guild was so proud of. Pias, Bear Shield, and even the one they were most proud about, Mayday, had all died. ¡°I was too careless.¡± The leader of the guild, XL, let out a sigh. Since they were still at the early stages of the game, new powerful guilds appeared all the time. Even after receiving a fatal blow, they hadn¡¯t obtained anything, so their crown was at risk. Ting-! XL was starting to feel hopeless when the notification window popped out. ¡°Huh?!¡± XL stood up at the unexpected notification. What had happened? They hadn¡¯t been able to pass through the entrance. Not only that, but they had retreated before the enemy annihilated all of them. Then¡­ what was that clear message? XL started to read the message received from the system. [The rewards are going to be distributed based on contribution!] 1 ¨C Mayday¡¯s Party (Contribution Rate: 4%) 2 ¨C Bear Shield¡¯s Party (Contribution Rate: 1%) 3 ¨C Pias¡¯s Party (Contribution Rate: 0.2%) ¡°Huh, what¡¯s happening?¡± Reina, who had become a mess while escaping from the enemy, asked, confused. No, most members of Darkness just blankly stared at the quest¡¯s clear message. They didn¡¯t understand how it happened, but the quest was clear! They had successfully cleared the quest because Hyun and Ain had killed the old man, but the members of the Darkness Guild had no way of knowing that. ¡°What happened? Did another guild come after us and successfully clear the quest?¡± ¡°Are you stupid? There¡¯s no way that happened. There were only five minutes left before the quest ended.¡± ¡°Look! The skill points have increased!¡± Said one of the people that were in charge of long-range attacks in Mayday¡¯s party. ¡°I¡¯ll finally be able to upgrade my Energy Ball! Haha, although I don¡¯t get it!¡± ¡°But how did the quest get cleared¡­?¡± ¡°Yeah, right?¡± They were sure they had failed the quest, but somehow it ended up being cleared. Members of Darkness went through the video many times, yet they couldn¡¯t find the answer. After 48 hours passed, they asked Pias, Bear Shield, and Mayday, but they reacted the same way. ¡°Huh?! We cleared the quest? Didn¡¯t we fail?!¡± ¡°Oh! I leveled up!¡± ¡°There¡¯s a weird item inside my inventory! What¡¯s this? The Sword of the Sun¡­?¡± They thought about it for a while, but no one could find an answer to the question. * * * ¡ªAfter the Count¡¯s quest ended. As soon as The Gamez ended the show, they uploaded the footage to YouTube. The views of that video exploded as if it were the new music video of an idol group. A few hours later, the video had subtitles from all kinds of languages. <1st ranking Darkness guild, completely defeated! Are they going to lose their crown?!> All gaming communities were full of news related to what had just happened. [Since when is the Myth Guild the pride of Korea? Lol, they¡¯re just a bunch of rich guys that like to flex their money.] [I think that Darkness has taught us all a very important lesson¡­ Think twice before accepting a quest with very good rewards¡­ The difficulty is just ridiculous¡­] Asrian-related communities were also very active. The topic was related, of course, to the Count¡¯s quest and the dark Priest. One user even created statistics on their own. Warrior: 118 Thief: 92 Magician: 91 Priest: 1027 The person who created that thread had calculated the numbers by checking out the variations among the jobs that appeared on the official page. They had taken a screenshot of the Korean new players¡¯ statistics before and after an hour. That thread soon became one of the most popular ones in the online community. ¡¸What is a Priest, lol¡¹ ¡¸Solving the low birth rate of the Priest job¡¹ ¡¸What is a priest, lol¡¹ ¡¸To the moon, hahaha¡¹ The users were especially interested in topics related to the ¡®Dark Priest.¡¯ It was widely known that there was a Dark Priest option among the first possible job changes available for a Priest, but it had never received as much attention as then. The Dark Priest became one of the topics in the search engines. The Priest, which counted for just 5% of the player base, suddenly started to receive a lot of attention. ¡¸Guys¡­ Don¡¯t choose your job based on the current public opinion. The Dark Priest isn¡¯t usually that strong. She probably has received some kind of buff, or she already completed the second job ascension.¡¹ ¡¸The person above me is a level 50+ Priest¡¹ ¡¸What a snake oil salesman, lol¡¹ ¡¸No, I¡¯m the world ranking 582 player, a level 65 Warrior. I was also an Asra Online player¡¹ ¡¸Yeah, sure, and I¡¯m Lattice¡¹ ¡°What¡¯s wrong with these people? Talking with them is impossible, damn it.¡± ¡®Steel Rock¡¯ was the ranking 582, level 65 Warrior. At the same time, he had three years of experience playing Asra Online. He grabbed his throbbing head while browsing the online communities at his home. After discussing it with them for a while, he discovered that making them change their opinion based on logic and reasoning was impossible. In the internet world, where users could remain anonymous, everyone and their brother was a ranker. He decided to stop wasting his time on such meaningless tasks. Steel Rock began watching that video once more. He focused his attention on the Dark Priest. Everyone had said that she was a Dark Priest, but he wasn¡¯t so sure about it. The skills and robes she used were very similar to those of a Dark Priest, but there were too many strange things that made him doubt. ¡°The damage output is too high, and her movements are too quick.¡± And also, among the skills of the Dark Priest, there wasn¡¯t one that consisted of a giant claw. Of course, there was a possibility that she had learned a skill that wasn¡¯t among the default ones, but he had a feeling that she wasn¡¯t a Dark Priest. ¡°Hmm¡­ She¡¯s good.¡± Steel Rock was amazed by what he saw in the video. It didn¡¯t matter how many times he had seen it¡ªher movements were almost like a piece of art. Watching her slaughter the opponents made him feel cathartic. Suddenly, he felt a sense of D¨¦j¨¤ Vu. * * * * * * ¡°What¡¯s¡­?¡± Her movements felt familiar. Was it because he had seen the same video over and over again? No, it wasn¡¯t that. He felt as if he¡¯d seen those movements before. He couldn¡¯t get rid of the tickling sensation in his head. He concentrated on the screen a little bit more. The girl used the giant claws to slice the members of Darkness. At that moment, he felt a thunder inside his head. ¡°Wait, don¡¯t tell me¡­?!¡± While trying to hold his breath, Steel Rock opened the ¡®Asra¡¯ folder and started looking through old videos. Steel Rock had made a habit of recording his gameplay videos all the way from when he played Asra Online. And among those videos, there were some in which he had formed a party with famous people or fought against them. ¡°No way¡­ Really?¡± He compared both videos side by side. One was the Dark Priest, and the other one a werewolf. For a moment, both steps matched perfectly for almost three seconds. It was a unique way of moving that had feints mixed in. Only one person moved in such a unique way in either Asra Online or even Asrian. He felt as if the thread that had been entangled in his head was unraveling. ¡°Ain?¡± And then another question came to mind. ¡°Why is Ain a girl¡­?¡± He watched closely and then shook his head. ¡°No, maybe that¡¯s not a female character.¡± Since Asrian Online was a virtual reality game, you couldn¡¯t change the character¡¯s gender, but you could customize it as you wished. Maybe that was Ain, who was a boy with long hair¡­ ¡°Oof, I have no idea!¡± Then he started to doubt himself. Maybe his previous conclusion was wrong? To get another opinion, he logged in to Asrian Online and looked out for someone. ¡ªLevel 66 Thief, Berard. He was also an Asra Online veteran with four years of experience. ¡¸Didn¡¯t you tell me that you were going to get some rest?¡¹ As soon as Steel Rock logged in, Berard sent him a message. ¡¸Well, it seems like you were also motivated by the video. Did you just see the video of Ain running wild?¡¹ ¡¸What?¡¹ Steel Rock was surprised at what Berard had just told him. He thought that he had discovered that thanks to how sharp he was, but Berard had just said what he had guessed as if it were nothing. And unlike him, he seemed confident about the Dark Priest¡¯s identity. ¡¸You also knew about it? No, is that really Ain¡­?!¡¹ ¡¸What are you talking about¡­? Say one thing at a time.¡¹ After Steel Rock had calmed down, Berard started to explain. ¡¸Of course. There¡¯s no way I wouldn¡¯t recognize Ain. She defeated me in PvP countless times¡­ That¡¯s why I remember all of her movements. The moment I saw that live stream, I knew she was Ain.¡¹ ¡¸But this is ridiculous. Was Ain a girl? I thought Ain was a rough berserker.¡¹ ¡¸Why are you so surprised? Why couldn¡¯t Ain be a girl? But that¡¯s not the problem here.¡¹ Berard lowered his tone of voice. ¡¸All former top rankers in Asra Online are growing at an extremely fast pace, even here. It isn¡¯t just Ain. A couple more people I knew are also growing very fast.¡¹ ¡¸Well, that¡¯s expected¡­¡¹ ¡¸No, they¡¯re growing faster than what you¡¯re imagining. In this game, the information you have can help you grow way faster than you think.¡¹ Berard¡¯s words were quite credible. After all, he was once ranked 5th in Asra Online. Since Steel Rock couldn¡¯t break into the top 30, he listened carefully to what Berard said. ¡¸Ain probably started playing at the same time with us, but right now, she¡¯s incredibly strong. What do you think that means?¡¹ Even in Asra Online, Ain was one of the players whose rankings varied a lot. One day, she would be pushed out of the top 10, but on another day, she would suddenly reach 2nd place in the rankings. That meant that, although she didn¡¯t log in frequently, she could always reach 2nd place in the rankings if she wished to. Especially in PvP¡ªeveryone who played Asra Online agreed that she was by far the strongest at duels. But in Asra Online, there was someone more famous than Ain. ¡ªSomeone who had kept the number one position for many years. That name came out of Berard¡¯s mouth. ¡¸If ¡®Hyun¡¯ started playing Asrian Online, how strong do you think he would be?¡¹ ¡¸Hyun¡­?¡¹ Steel Rock suddenly felt goosebumps. The overwhelming 1st place in the rankings, Hyun. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that he was unrivaled. It would be too simple to say that he was good at controlling the character¡­ He was simply the best at playing. His gaming sense was simply different from other people. No one understood why someone like him played a game like Asra Online. He had forgotten about him because his name didn¡¯t appear in the hall of fame. ¡¸Is he also playing Asrian?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m sure he is.¡¹ ¡¸But his name isn¡¯t in the hall of fame?¡¹ ¡¸You idiot, he just didn¡¯t register in the hall of fame! Ain also doesn¡¯t appear in it.¡¹ Berard hadn¡¯t finished talking yet. ¡¸If Hyun and Ain met¡­ Can you imagine what would happen?¡¹ Steel Rock couldn¡¯t close his mouth for a while. When he thought about it, he remembered that they often hung out together. To be more precise, Ain followed Hyun around and asked him to duel her. Although they had formed a party to hunt or complete quests from time to time. Remembering how they cleared seemingly impossible quests gave him goosebumps. ¡¸Although it seems they¡¯re playing separately for the moment.¡¹ ¡¸Let¡¯s go hunting.¡¹Steel Rock suddenly mumbled. Berard started laughing. ¡¸Yeah. We also need to grow faster, right?¡¹ Berard and Steel Rock began preparations for hunting. There wasn¡¯t time to rest if they didn¡¯t want to suffer the same humiliation from the previous game. ____ ____ Chapter 35 Hard Carry Support Chapter 35 ¨C The Aftermath of a Commotion (1) The Stardust guild house. Since professional gamers had devoted their lives to gaming, analyzing information and learning the most recent meta was part of their job¡ªthat¡¯s why the Count¡¯s quest was a hot topic among players. ¡°Did you see that video?¡± ¡°Oh, the one from yesterday! I¡¯ve seen it, of course.¡± At first, professional gamers tried to analyze the Dark Priest¡¯s movements, but they soon found difficulties. ¡°How does she do this?¡± One of the members pointed out something about her movements. Even while fighting against an opponent, she had avoided long-ranged attacks. How she fought against the opponent in front of her and dodged the arrows from behind was mysterious. ¡°Is this level of multitasking possible for a human being?¡± The truth was that it was the result of Hyun and Ain working together. Thanks to ?Assimilation?, they were able to both control one body. They were able to do that because they divided the roles, but from an outsider¡¯s point of view, it looked as if a single person was doing all that. Later on, it looked as if she was avoiding all attacks subconsciously. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how you look at it¡­ She¡¯s not a human.¡± ¡°Since it¡¯s an NPC, she¡¯s an artificial intelligence, right? Those don¡¯t seem like the movements of a human being in the first place.¡± ¡°I also think the same. I don¡¯t think moving like that is possible, even with multiple brains.¡± ¡°It looks programmed.¡± People were certain about it after looking at a particular scene. The Dark Priest, while fighting an opponent, suddenly dodged an attack that came from underneath by throwing her body to the side. Even while dodging the attack, she didn¡¯t look at the ground even once. Dodging an attack coming from a blind spot based on intuition? But those kinds of things didn¡¯t happen once or twice¡ªshe did it tens of times, so it was logically impossible. ¡°Even if you try to learn from the movements of a machine, you won¡¯t get any better. It¡¯s preferable to study the movements of a real player.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ There doesn¡¯t seem to be anything we can learn from it. This looks like a useless video for us.¡± Most pro-gamers seemed to conclude that. The only one who objected was the one who had just joined Stardust, JaeHoon. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because I don¡¯t have that much experience¡­ But don¡¯t her movements resemble those of a human? Especially how she uses psychological warfare.¡± ¡°JaeHoon, you¡¯re saying that because you don¡¯t know professional gamers that well yet.¡± The one in charge of commenting on the video on the Gamez, Kim SooYong, replied to JaeHoon¡¯s question. He was someone who had won a tournament of a MOBA game before, so he was a veteran among veterans. ¡°When you¡¯re a professional, you get a grasp on what the limit of a human being is. For example, if a track and field runner starts running 0.1 seconds after the gun fires, he will be disqualified immediately. Why? Because that is known as the limit to the reaction speed of a human being¡­ It¡¯s the same for multitasking. There isn¡¯t that much of a difference in the abilities among top players, but that Dark Priest is at least twice as strong as the opponents¡ªthat means that it¡¯s beyond human capabilities.¡± There was some credibility in the words of someone that had been a professional gamer for many years. ¡®It looks weird, no matter how much I look at it.¡¯ Even at his house, JaeHoon watched the video repeatedly. He understood what ¡®beyond human capabilities¡¯ meant¡­ But he still felt that he was missing something. ¡®They said that there wasn¡¯t that much difference between an Asrian NPC and real human beings¡­ Can we conclude so easily that she¡¯s a machine?¡¯ He watched the video over and over again. ¡®Ah¡­!¡¯ After watching the video repeatedly, he noticed something he hadn¡¯t before. ¡ªHow the Dark Priest moved while attacking and defending was completely different. He had reached a hypothesis after watching the same video for many hours. ¡®Maybe¡­ I can divide their movements into two patterns!¡¯ From then onwards, JaeHoon started to analyze the video. From time to time, he wrote things on paper. Every time he got a new clue, he felt a sense of accomplishment similar to when he was able to solve a difficult math problem. ¡®Just as I thought, there were two patterns mixed!¡¯ At first, he thought of separating attack and defense, but then he discovered that wasn¡¯t it. Close range and long-distance¡­ That¡¯s how the movements were divided. Once he got a clearer image, he became sure of it. ¡®These are definitely the movements of a human! I didn¡¯t notice it at first because of the mixed patterns!¡¯ Then he tried to analyze the reasoning behind each movement. ¡ªWhy did she move in a zigzag here? ¡ªWhy is she moving back and forth? He couldn¡¯t understand everything at once, but he tried to understand the movements of the video step by step. ¡®I should try to copy the close-range moves first.¡¯ JaeHoon immediately logged into Asrian. He tried to copy the movements the Dark Priest had used to pressure the opponents. It still looked a bit sloppy, but his movements started to resemble Ain¡¯s. ¡®I¡¯ll have to use it in an actual battle to know if it¡¯s effective or not.¡¯ The midterm exams were approaching, but JaeHoon began studying something completely different. He wondered how he could use the movements he had been practicing so much. Even while walking, he had been image training. Every time the other members had time, he asked for a duel. He also participated in a small dueling group that took place in large city squares. But in the end, he spent most of his time alone practicing with his sword. After three days, JaeHoon began getting a grasp on how to move. * * * * * * Stardust divided players into a first and second division. On paper, you could only get better by fighting people on a similar level as you, but to receive full-fledged support from the team, you needed to advance to the first division. It was the day when Stardust¡¯s performance evaluation took place. The rules were simple: 1st and 2nd division users that have the same job fight against each other. The one that wins either gets to keep the position or loses it! JaeHoon, who had entered the team a few days prior, was in the 2nd division. JaeHoon had chosen ¡®Practice¡¯ as his nickname. JaeHoon, ¡®Practice¡¯, had to fight a user from the 1st division nicknamed ¡®Rain.¡¯ Even among the first division members, he was within the top three. Not only that, but because of how much effort he had put in, he was growing very fast. ¡°Rain is definitely going to become someone important.¡± The gaming team¡¯s physical trainer always spoke highly of Rain. The trainer always emphasized that athleticism was more important than most in-game things. The reason was that Asrian was the closest game to real life, which meant that you could apply knowledge from different martial arts inside the game. ¡°You should all try and learn from this guy. It¡¯s okay to focus on gaming, but if you only do that, you won¡¯t be able to pass beyond a certain level. Asrian is a game that has sensory synchronization. If you lack athleticism, you¡¯ll eventually get left behind.¡± After Asrian had launched, Rain had spent every day learning different martial arts. Even after finishing gaming sessions, he always spent at least three hours doing physical training. While other players were busy finding good skill combinations, Rain didn¡¯t ignore the importance of modern martial arts. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to the match.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah. You¡¯re the new guy who joined a few days ago, right? I¡¯m also looking forward to the match.¡± Practice and Rain starred at each other at the Stardust Guild¡¯s practice range. The match took place in front of all players, coaches, the head coach, and even the trainers. ¡®Is that guy going to be okay?¡¯ Most people were sure that Practice, who hadn¡¯t received any training, would for sure lose against Rain. It was true that Rain had started learning martial arts only three months beforehand, but the difference between someone who hadn¡¯t learned anything and one who had was bigger than expected. ¡®I hope he doesn¡¯t get crushed and lose his confidence.¡¯ [A friendly duel is about to start.] [5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Start!] Both players used a sword as their weapon of choice. Rain used the Chudan no Kamae, which was the basic posture of Kendo. Practice, on the other hand, was just standing while his sword was touching the floor. Oof, the swordsmanship trainer was feeling a headache at the sight in front of him. Chudan no Kamae¡­ It was just a Kendo posture that consisted of pointing your sword to the front, but one couldn¡¯t simply ignore its effectiveness. That¡¯s because it reduces the distance between the attacker and defender. Having your sword pointing to the ground was like asking the opponent to hit you. The truth was that Practice had never taken kendo lessons. His stance didn¡¯t come from kendo theory; he was trying to copy the Dark Priest. He had modified them so that they would suit him. Practice attacked first. It was a simple stab. But at that moment, something that no one was expecting happened. Stab-! Practice¡¯s sword penetrated Rain¡¯s body. Not only that, but his stab didn¡¯t immediately end. What impressed everyone was that Rain couldn¡¯t block Practice¡¯s attack even once. ¡°What?!¡± The swordsmanship trainer¡¯s eyes widened. After years of training, he had achieved a 6th degree in Kendo, but even he couldn¡¯t understand what was happening. Everyone was expecting Practice to be overwhelmed by Rain, but the opposite was happening. Since he had personally trained Rain, he knew he wasn¡¯t someone who would lose against a newbie. That¡¯s why he couldn¡¯t believe what was happening in front of him. ¡®How can he neutralize the Chudan no Kamae so easily?¡¯ Clang-! While he was thinking, Practice¡¯s sword damaged Rain again. Even though Rain solely focused on defense, he couldn¡¯t block Practice¡¯s attacks. With one attack pattern, Practice was completely overwhelming Rain. What combination are you using¡­? The swordsmanship trainer looked with his eyes wide-opened. ¡°Oh¡­!¡± After watching Practice¡¯s movements carefully many times, he finally found the answer. ¡ªIt wasn¡¯t a simple stab. While stabbing, it changed directions as if it was lightning! Practice¡¯s sword had changed direction twice. ¡®Changing the direction of the attack while in the middle of an attack?!¡¯ That certainly wasn¡¯t a kendo move. If someone tried to copy that move in real life, he would probably end up with his wrist broken. But they were in Asrian! It was a world where strength and agility stats dictated your power and speed. Even though Practice didn¡¯t know anything about martial arts, he overwhelmed Rain with the game¡¯s mechanisms. ¡®Did he come up with those moves by himself¡­?¡¯ Stab-! Practice¡¯s sword once again hit Rain. Rain tried his best to maintain the Chudan no Kamae, but he just couldn¡¯t block the incoming attacks. ¡ªChanging the direction twice while attacking. It looked simple, but in reality, it wasn¡¯t. For that attack to be successful, you needed to coordinate the movements of your wrist and steps perfectly. The swordsmanship trainer could see the hidden effort behind Practice¡¯s movements. ¡®Yes, it wasn¡¯t something he came up with on the spot¡­ He has probably been practicing this for the past few days¡­ No, maybe weeks! It¡¯s definitely the result of practicing for a long period of time.¡¯ ¡®I see! How he pointed the sword down to the ground was also something he had planned before!¡¯ Practice made the attack¡¯s path the longest possible by lowering the sword. If the speed of your attack is faster than what a human can react to, it doesn¡¯t matter if the path of the attack is longer or shorter. If that¡¯s the case, the best position is the one that allows you to change posture easily. It wasn¡¯t something you could come up with from modern swordsmanship. ¡®Is he a genius¡­?¡¯ The swordsmanship trainer felt a chill go through his body. ____ ____ Chapter 36 Hard Carry Support Chapter 36 ¨C The Aftermath of a Commotion (2) After Rain¡¯s HP dropped to less than a third, he decided to shift his strategy. He finally dropped the Chudan no Kamae and tried other movements. He tried Weaving¡ªa way of constantly moving your body from left to right that had started with boxing. ¡ªIt was also the most effective way to avoid being stabbed. It was often used in boxing to dodge straights or jabs. ¡®While weaving, be careful of attacks coming from the sides.¡¯ Rain remembered the words of the boxing trainer. Dodging your opponent by moving from left to right exposes you to potentially being slashed. Practice was probably going to try a slashing technique next. He just had to wait for that moment and counter-attack¡ªhe probably still had a chance to win if he did that. ¡®Is that a boxing move¡­?¡¯ Practice gulped while watching Rain, who was stepping left and right. It was almost impossible to stab someone who was moving like that. ¡®But this is the only technique that I was able to learn.¡¯ Again, Practice broke through weaving in a way no one had thought. Stab-! Suddenly, Practice stabbed Rain with his sword from the side. ¡®Ah¡­!¡¯ That time, it wasn¡¯t just the trainers that were surprised. Everyone else was amazed as well. Because you moved your upper body from side to side while weaving, you¡¯d be hit without a doubt if someone stabbed you from the side. It was a solution anyone could¡¯ve thought of, but nobody had tried. In real life, moving to the opponent¡¯s side would take you at least half a second. On a professional level, it was enough time for people to react. But in Asrian Online, people moved faster, so 0.2~0.3 seconds was enough to move to the opponent¡¯s side and stab him. It was all an illusion of the mind. Most users subconsciously assimilated their game avatar with their real-life bodies. ¡®How can you maintain your balance while changing directions so fast? Just how much did you practice¡­!¡¯ Even if anyone could do it, it wasn¡¯t something anyone could easily do. The reason was that moving your character faster than your cognition required you to put in a lot of hours. ¡®The difference between game and reality¡­¡¯ The trainers groaned. Because it was the first game with sensory synchronization, they had mistaken the game for real life. The bodies in Asrian Online were faster and more resistant than those in real life. Just as the lion fought by biting with its teeth and not just with its paws, users in Asrian Online had to learn other ways of fighting that were completely different from real life. But when you didn¡¯t know anything about the game, you had to rely on what you already knew¡ªbasically, modern martial arts. To pass to the next stage, you had to learn how to walk again. ¡ªA completely different body. Practice had just become the first one to stand up and walk. While everyone else was in shock, Rain couldn¡¯t resist anymore and fell to Practice¡¯s sword. That day, Practice moved up to the 1st division. * * * Darkness Guild. It had been two days since the Count¡¯s quest had finished, but there was still something they hadn¡¯t found the answer to. On that day, the guild couldn¡¯t step inside the ruin¡­ Then why did the quest end in success? The guild leader, XL, pondered about that for a while. ¡®There must be something.¡¯ XL was looking at that day¡¯s footage. Because the guild had been at risk, he hadn¡¯t had enough time to think about different things at that moment, but because he was looking at the footage again, he noticed many weird things. ¡®Why doesn¡¯t the contribution rate add up to 100%?¡¯ [The rewards are going to be distributed based on the contribution!] 1 ¨C Mayday¡¯s Party (Contribution Rate: 4%) 2 ¨C Bear Shield¡¯s Party (Contribution Rate: 1%) 3 ¨C Pias¡¯s Party (Contribution Rate: 0.2%) In the system log, there was that message. The contribution rate was decided by taking into account lots of different metrics. Damage dealt, tanking, abnormal status skills successfully applied, etc. But the thing was that the sum of the contributions must result in 100%. ¡ªEven if an NPC was involved in it. Because the contribution rate was solely based on a user¡¯s participation, the result of adding all the different contribution rates didn¡¯t change. Then had there been a bug in the system? XL was struggling because he couldn¡¯t find an answer to the inconsistency when¡­ ¡®Wait¡­ A user¡¯s contribution?¡¯ XL stood up. He discovered that he had brushed away another possibility. He hurriedly watched the recorded footage again. ¡ªA Dark Priest wearing an all-black robe. In most online communities, people had concluded that she was an NPC. But people who analyzed the video had only seen the broadcasted footage; they hadn¡¯t been present there to feel the atmosphere. XL still remembered the confrontation with the Dark Priest. The movements of the Dark Priest, who seemed to know the game¡¯s mechanisms perfectly¡­ To be honest, XL couldn¡¯t believe that an NPC moved in such ways. ¡®If she isn¡¯t an NPC¡­!¡¯ The weird contribution rate, how the dark priest moved¡­ If he changed all the assumptions, things became clearer. ¡®She¡¯s a user!¡¯ She was probably a user that didn¡¯t get the Count¡¯s quest. That was the only possible explanation for why the contribution rate didn¡¯t add up to 100%. The moment he discovered the hidden truth, cold sweat dripped from XL¡¯s back. A user that hadn¡¯t registered in the hall of fame¡­ She was definitely a ranker! After grasping the overall situation, he worked on the details. ¡®How can she be that strong?¡¯ If he assumed that the Dark Priest was a user, another question arose. While facing the Darkness Guild by herself, she wasn¡¯t pushed back. Instead, she had completely overwhelmed them. Her HP, and the damage she dealt, were beyond the specs of a user. ¡®Did she receive help from the quest?¡¯ Some quests had the format of an event and increased your specs for a short period of time. XL wasn¡¯t completely wrong. Thanks to the Heaven¡¯s Elixir, she could keep fighting for tens of minutes without batting an eye, so it wouldn¡¯t be completely wrong to say that she had received help from the quest. Were those giant flames really one of the skills of the Dark Priest, which was one of the available jobs for a Priest to transfer to? If that were the case, that would be a great shock. Even Lattice, the 1st ranker in the hall of fame, hadn¡¯t reached level 100 yet. The fact that there was a user that had already transferred jobs was hard to believe. ¡®No, it¡¯s a hidden job!¡¯ XL¡¯s thoughts flashed again. He suddenly remembered the ¡®Two Person, Named Monster Clear¡¯ video. Even at that moment, when Asrian had just recently opened its doors, she was using the same skills. She couldn¡¯t have surpassed level 100 back then, so the only possible answer was that she had a hidden job. A ranker with a hidden job¡­ Then there was a chance that she had previously been an Asra Online user. It should¡¯ve been almost impossible to get a hidden job without the previous game¡¯s information. ¡®What should I do about this¡­?¡¯ XL decided to tell that information only to a few select people and keep it a secret from the rest. Even if she had received help from the quest, it still didn¡¯t change the fact that she had defeated them alone. If this became widely spread, their image as the number one guild would be completely ruined. XL decided to tell just a few people what he had just discovered. ¡ªVice leader Meia and rankers Mayday, Bear Shield, and Pias. Those who listened to what happened that day were just those five people. ¡°She¡¯s¡­ A user?¡± The members that listened to XL¡¯s explanation were horrified. They couldn¡¯t believe what they were hearing. But as XL explained to them point by point, they couldn¡¯t say anything against his arguments. As they kept hearing the explanation, things got clearer. It didn¡¯t take them long to understand the situation and be shocked by it. ¡°I can¡¯t believe she¡¯s a user¡­¡± ¡°But he said that she probably became strong thanks to the quest.¡± ¡°How strong do you think she is compared to Lattice?¡± ¡°The only thing we¡¯re sure of is that, unlike Lattice, we can try to make her join us!¡± ¡°Then this should be the perfect opportunity to do it since nobody knows that she¡¯s a user yet.¡± After understanding the situation, they became sure about something. She was definitely a ranker that had a hidden job! They couldn¡¯t let her go! And that was how making a single user join their ranks became the Darkness Guild¡¯s number one priority. * * * * * * The weekend. SeoHyun, who had just woken up from oversleeping, ate ramen while browsing through the community boards. People in the community boards were mainly talking about two things. The first thing was the Count¡¯s Quest that had been broadcasted through The Gamez. Among the topics discussed, there were things related to him and Ain. Hyun laughed at the comments in the popular threads. It seemed like most people thought that they were NPCs that had the ¡®Dark Priest¡¯ job. ¡°I guess they can think that since the skills are unique.¡± He didn¡¯t hate people getting the wrong idea. Rather than hating it, he liked that the attention wasn¡¯t centered on them. And then the second hot topic¡­ NFM had announced an update for Asrian for the first time! Because there hadn¡¯t been any announcement for the last three months, people were excited at the news. ¨C We have good news for everyone that loves Asrian Online! In four days, the story of Asrian officially begins! You¡¯ll be able to check the details in the announcements inside the game! ¨C We¡¯re adding the battle arena content today! You¡¯ll be able to access it in any mid or large-scale city! All battle arenas are connected through virtual networks, so you can meet users from other countries! ¡°So Asrian is going to start for real now¡­¡± To be honest, he felt that Asrian had been a little bit bland up until then. There hadn¡¯t been anything interesting to do except for a few important hidden quests or named monster hunting. Of course, it wasn¡¯t like playing was boring, but compared to the previous game, it was a little bit lackluster in terms of content. A story that progresses according to the flow of time¡­ Well-elaborated stories that didn¡¯t lack even if compared to real life¡­ That was the content Hyun had enjoyed the most in Asra and what made him play that game so much. ¡°The battle arena opened as well.¡± Ain was probably very excited at that news. After all, in Asra Online, she used to be stuck to it. He wasn¡¯t particularly interested in duels, so he wasn¡¯t very excited about it. ¡°In four days¡­¡± Once the patch landed, things would get busy. A lot of content would be added after the patch, so there would be a lot of things he needed to do. Hyun saw he had an unread capsule message when he logged into Asrian. He had blocked all spam messages, so there was probably only one person who could contact him. That someone was Ain. ¨C I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to log in temporarily. For about two days? Don¡¯t level up a lot while I¡¯m not present! ____ ____ Chapter 37 Hard Carry Support Chapter 37 ¨C Temple of Twilight (1) ¡°¡­¡± After reading the message, Hyun fell into thought. ¡®Hm¡­ I see. So Ain isn¡¯t going to be here for a couple of days.¡® It was rare for her to rest from the game. Ain¡¯s absence was huge for him since he was a Support. After reading that she wouldn¡¯t log in, he felt his heart drop for a moment, but he soon calmed down. ¡°It¡¯s good that there aren¡¯t many things to do yet¡­¡± It was a good thing that she had chosen right then to be absent. Once the main story began, they had to be the ones at the forefront. Hyun was horrified at what would happen if she wasn¡¯t there. ¡®I should take this opportunity to finish the mundane tasks I haven¡¯t done yet.¡¯ Hyun was thinking about what he had to do alone when he remembered something¡­ There was something he had pushed back. [ ] ¨C Your soul has been reborn anew! ¨C You have a special job. If you go to the ¡®Twilight Temple¡¯ you might be able to learn new things about it! In Asrian, there were quests designed to help people with either a new job or special skills. Basically, it was a level 50 tutorial. It was a quest that didn¡¯t give you any rewards, so nothing changed whether he did it or not. Many users didn¡¯t do it at all since¡ªaccording to them¡ªit was a waste of time. ¡®I don¡¯t think that I need a tutorial.¡¯ After reaching first place in Asra, he had never done a tutorial. That was because he thought his way of doing things was the best. He hadn¡¯t given up on the quest because his job wasn¡¯t a normal one. ¡®Maybe the tutorial quest of a hidden class is different.¡¯ He thought so because of the last paragraph. The quest asked him to go to the ¡®Twilight Temple.¡¯ Usually, tutorial quests didn¡¯t ask you to go to a determined place. Hyun didn¡¯t even miss a little clue. ¡®Well, I don¡¯t have anything else to do¡­ So it should be okay to burn some free time.¡¯ Hyun teleported to a city located on the periphery. * * * The Twilight Temple. Even Hyun wasn¡¯t familiar with the place. The fact Hyun didn¡¯t remember anything about it meant that it wasn¡¯t an important place in the game¡¯s story¡ªit was basically just another temple of the many that existed in the game. ¡®Is it this way?¡¯ The Twilight Temple was located in a forest that wasn¡¯t frequented by many people. He followed a long, straight road. The road to the temple had an oriental atmosphere. Was there a temple at the end of the road? Or maybe a shrine? With Hyun¡¯s knowledge, it was impossible to tell the difference between the two. Small decorative columns were placed in rows on both sides of the road. A thin rope connected the pillars. And on each rope, there hung a lamp. Hyun turned around. The same scene was repeated in front and behind him. It was as if he was trapped in an endless straight line. Since the scenery around didn¡¯t change, Hyun felt as if he was trapped in a maze. ¡®What a weird place.¡¯ While walking, he felt like he was stepping into another world. He kept walking. The scenery began changing after he had walked for approximately 10 minutes. There was a small shrine on top of a small hill in front of him. ¡ªThat place was the Twilight Temple. ¡°Oh¡­ A guest?¡± A person leaning against the temple entrance noticed Hyun and looked at him with her eyes wide-opened. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re a user! Welcome!¡± The person that greeted Hyun was a weird-looking priestess. Her aura and clothes didn¡¯t seem to belong to a priestess. The female priest was wearing a tight and revealing uniform. How she laughed, more than feeling holy, felt naughty. The customs of temples varied a little bit from country and region, but did one that had such an outfit exist in Asrian? But that didn¡¯t seem to be the case after seeing the other priests wearing white robes. Ting- [You¡¯ve reached the Twilight Temple!] [If you go and see a priest at an intermediate level or above, he will appraise the job engraved in your soul!] [We hope today¡¯s meeting will help you find your true self!] As he entered the temple, the quest ended. Just as he had expected, there wasn¡¯t any reward, but he wasn¡¯t disappointed. Hyun was more immersed in the Twilight Temple¡¯s unique atmosphere than he was in the quest. He watched it slowly as if he was a tourist. ¡®What a unique place.¡¯ The Twilight Temple had a different atmosphere than the other temples present in Asrian. Even though it was built like a Roman temple, charms and lanterns were everywhere. There was a sculpture of an angel and a dragon intertwined. The sight of the western and Asian cultures mixed was something rare to see. Of course, the weirdest thing was the female priest he had first met. ¡°Are you in a high position?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± As Hyun couldn¡¯t suppress his curiosity and asked her, the female priest tilted her head. ¡°Uhm¡­ It¡¯s because you¡¯re wearing a different uniform than the other people.¡± ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t need to worry about that. I modified this uniform.¡± ¡°Modified¡­?¡± ¡°It looks cuter this way, right?¡± ¡°¡­?¡± They hadn¡¯t exchanged many words, but it was enough to know that the priestess was weird. She seemed like a charlatan priest. ¡°You came here after completing your awakening quest, right?¡± Hyun was surprised by what she said. She had guessed his intentions for going there as if she were a psychic. As Hyun nodded, she laughed. ¡°I¡¯m going to take a look at your soul.¡± ¡°Right now¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s not like I have anything else to do.¡± Hyun, who was being dragged at the pace of the priestess, nodded. He had no reason to refuse since that was why he was at that place to begin with. They soon reached a place located in one of the corners of the temple. They were alone in that dark room. Hyun just let her do as she wished. Even if she was a charlatan, she was still a priestess, so he thought that he should probably be safe. Whoosh- The priestess¡¯s wand began to shine. A sphere of light pushed through the darkness and wrapped around Hyun¡¯s body. [The Twilight Temple¡¯s Priestess ¡®Rutia¡¯ wants to see through your soul!] [She has promised not to reveal your information to other people!] [Warning! Some parts of your status window will be revealed. Do you agree? Y/N] Hyun didn¡¯t have any second guesses. Whap-! The light flashed for a moment and slowly started to fade away. With the light, Hyun¡¯s information was revealed. ¡°Oh¡­! Support¡­?¡± After examining the soul, the priestess exclaimed in amazement. ¡®Hmm? Is there something¡­?¡¯ Hyun¡¯s expectations began to grow after seeing the priestess¡¯s eyes widen. The main objective of the level 50 tutorial was to get more information about your job. Now that he thought about it, his item was the most expensive-looking sword in the job selecting room. He still didn¡¯t understand what that item had to do with a Support, but maybe he would be able to learn the connection right then. At Hyun¡¯s expecting words, Rutia just smiled awkwardly. ¡°Hmm¡­ It¡¯s my first time hearing about it. Hahaha, I¡¯m not sure about it. It¡¯s a unique job.¡± Hyun frowned. * * * * * * It was his mistake trusting in someone that seemed unreliable from the beginning. He thought it would be better to stop getting involved with this suspicious priestess. He tried to sneak away but failed. Suddenly the priestess grabbed Hyun¡¯s clothes. ¡°Where are you going? There are still things we need to talk about!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it over already?¡± ¡°No, it isn¡¯t!¡± He tried to free himself from her but failed. Cold sweat dripped from Hyun¡¯s forehead. Had he gotten caught by a strange woman? ¡®It would be for the best if I escaped as soon as possible.¡¯ He was about to push her away by force when she spoke. ¡°Empathy! I was trying to explain that to you¡­¡± Hyun stopped resisting once a certain word came out of the priestess¡¯s mouth. Empathy, the statl Hyun had obtained after getting the Support job. Up until that moment, he had thought that it was that job¡¯s dedicated stat. Was there something else hidden behind Empathy? The priestess smiled mischievously. ¡°Fufu, do you know what Empathy is?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the Support¡¯s dedicated stat.¡± ¡°No, it isn¡¯t!¡± The priestess was thinking about how she should explain to him what she knew. After a while, she clapped. ¡°Do you want to learn how to pray?¡± Ting! [ ] ¨C One priestess is trying to teach you how to pray. ¨C Maybe it¡¯s a waste of time¡­? He suddenly received a quest notification, but the feeling he got from it could be summarized in the last sentence. ¡ªA waste of time. If she hadn¡¯t said the word Empathy, he would¡¯ve rejected the quest without even thinking twice. As Hyun accepted, the priestess began explaining with a smile on her face. ¡°Have you heard about Transcendents?¡± Hyun nodded. The explanation began from a point Hyun already knew about. A Transcendent was someone above humans; they were often called demons or angels. The priests were people that prayed to angels. ¡°Empathy is related to the Transcendents. Just as a human needs food to live, a Transcendent needs Empathy.¡± He learned new things as he kept listening to the priestess¡¯s words. Even Hyun didn¡¯t remember everything about the game. The explanation he was hearing at that moment was one of those things. ¡°Angels give humans protection in exchange for their prayer. The reason behind this is that behind the prayer, there¡¯s Empathy. Transcendents need Empathy to exercise influence over the world.¡± The priestess¡¯s way of portraying the Transcendents and humans as if they were in a symbiotic relationship was blasphemous in a certain way; still, it was an appropriate analogy for the situation. ¡°But the Empathy varies from each person! The prayers of a person with stronger Empathy will reach easier than the other peoples¡¯.¡± ¡°Someone with strong Empathy¡­¡± ¡°Yes. After all, Empathy isn¡¯t something that can be gained with human effort!¡± The woman¡¯s explanation kept going for a while. According to her, how much Empathy one had was decided from birth. Priests that dedicated a lot of time to praying could raise their Empathy through a lot of effort, but the difference wasn¡¯t that big. But the users, especially him, who was a Support, were the exception to that rule. By raising the stat, he could increase the effectiveness of the prayer. ¡°Isn¡¯t this a great blessing?¡± ¡°Not really¡­¡± The priestess was making a huge deal out of it, but Hyun didn¡¯t understand. In the first place, praying didn¡¯t match him at all. Even if he was a Support, Hyun enjoyed fighting. Staying behind and praying was not only boring, but his pride as the former number one player didn¡¯t allow it. Of course, the priestess didn¡¯t know about Hyun¡¯s thoughts, so it was understandable that she was feeling frustrated. ¡°Not really? Think about it again! In the near future, you could even summon an angel or a demon!¡± Summon a demon? He wondered if a priestess who served the angels could so easily say something like that. No, more than that, he didn¡¯t feel like learning how to pray was worth it. He knew from experience how many things needed to be sacrificed if you wanted to center your playing style around praying. Since she couldn¡¯t get Hyun¡¯s interest, she changed the topic. For some reason, she was persistent in Hyun learning how to pray. ¡°It seems like you don¡¯t know the real strength of praying!¡± ¡°I know¡­ But it really doesn¡¯t interest me.¡± ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± The goddess¡¯s eyes flashed sharply. ¡°Have you heard the story of the priest who fell deep into prayer¡­?¡± She smiled mysteriously while licking her lips and began telling another story. ¡°There was once a very religious priest. Since he spent all that praying, the others used to call him praying stone sculpture, but one day he fell asleep while praying. Do you know what happened to him once he opened his eyes?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°He said that his surroundings had changed.¡± Hyun frowned at the priestess¡¯s story. He really couldn¡¯t understand what she was trying to say. ¡°Praying is how a human can get close to a Transcendent. That means, if you become more experienced in praying, you can get closer to them.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Should we try going there too?¡± The priestess began casting. A dark red light came out from the tip of her wand. The moment Hyun was touched by it, he suddenly started feeling sleepy. ____ ____ Chapter 38 Hard Carry Support Chapter 38 ¨C Twilight Temple (2) He wasn¡¯t fully asleep. Hyun¡¯s consciousness stopped at the boundary between dream and reality. ¡®Oh¡­?¡¯ Hyun became surprised after turning around. All the people that had been present in the temple had disappeared. The whole world was dyed red by the sunset. Hyun looked at the sun rays that came through the window. The of the sun was black. ¡°What is this place¡­?!¡± He almost thought that he was on another world¡­ Or another planet. Even he, who had eight years of experience, had never known that a place like that existed. The priestess kept talking while looking at Hyun, who was looking around. ¡°I just told you the story of the priest that prayed, right? The secret that nobody knows is that he didn¡¯t serve angels¡­ He served demons.¡± ¡°What does that mean¡­?¡± ¡°While praying to the demons, his Empathy reached them. He crossed the borders of consciousness and entered a world closer to the demons. Everything in this world is symmetrical. If there¡¯s a place close to the angels, there¡¯s one close to the demons. This place is parallel to reality.¡± Hyun couldn¡¯t easily trust what the priestess was saying. ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ This place is closer to hell rather than heaven, and that¡¯s why the prayers reached the demons!¡± Hyun looked around. The temple was completely destroyed, and the forest had disappeared. The sun shone with a black light, and the scenery was tainted red. It was as if a filter called apocalypse had been applied. ¡°A parallel world¡­¡± Hyun groaned while murmuring. After that, he walked for a while but couldn¡¯t find any animal that was alive. From time to time, he saw unidentifiable life forms moving. Was that a demon? Since the place was close to hell, it wouldn¡¯t be weird to think that demons existed there. ¡°We can go back, right?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Flash! As the female priestess finished speaking, lightning struck inside Hyun¡¯s brain. His consciousness began to ascend. ¡ªHe could again hear the birds singing. Instead of an ominous sunset, bright sunlight illuminated the temple. It took him some time to come back to his senses. ¡°Just now¡­ How?¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible if you learn how to pray! Are you interested?¡± As soon as she asked that question, Hyun nodded. What had just happened had left a huge impression on him. Hyun still couldn¡¯t easily believe what the priestess had said. ¡ªBut he couldn¡¯t say anything since he had seen it with his own eyes. He was surprised that there was a place he hadn¡¯t heard about, but on the other hand, he was excited. A parallel world. Why was it that no one knew about that place in Asra Online? There was something Hyun had wondered from the moment he began playing that game. ¡ªWas Asrian Online a perfect re-creation of Asra Online? He could understand it if that ¡®parallel space¡¯ was a place newly added on Asrian Online. ¡ªAlthough he didn¡¯t get why they had added the place. ¡®I¡¯m glad I came here.¡¯ Was that the reason the message had asked him to go to the ¡®Twilight Temple¡¯? To make him, the Support, learn how to pray? He could understand why they had asked him to go to a determined place if that was the reason. ¡ªTo teach him the relationship between Empathy and praying. Maybe it wasn¡¯t a coincidence that he had met the female priest. He didn¡¯t think that she, who could travel through different spaces, was an average priest. ¡°Me? I¡¯m just a normal priestess.¡± She didn¡¯t answer properly. ¡®Is she hiding her real identity on purpose?¡¯ There was no way to reveal it if she wanted to hide it. Since it seemed that Hyun had made up his mind, the priestess smiled. Praying¡­ It was by far one of the most useless skills. Even most users that had chosen jobs related to a priest didn¡¯t learn how to pray. That¡¯s why what the female priestess said sounded so different. ¡°The truth is that even among priests, there aren¡¯t many people that know how to pray properly. That¡¯s why it will take some time to learn it properly.¡± [You¡¯re learning the principles of the ¡®pray¡¯ skill!] [Progress 3%] ¡°Praying is a skill that uses Empathy. It¡¯s important to empty your consciousness but not fall too deep into the subconsciousness!¡± The voice of the priestess sluggishly entered his ears as if it were some kind of religious chanting. To be honest, Hyun couldn¡¯t understand most of what she was saying. Hyun felt that the more he concentrated, the faster the skill¡¯s progress rate would go up, so he tried to retain as many things as possible. While hearing her explanation, he naturally started to understand how Praying worked. [Praying Lv.0] ¨C Your mind will become clearer. [This skill increases with proficiency rather than points!] ¡°Oof¡­ This is all I can teach you.¡± The female priestess seemed satisfied by looking at Hyun, who had learned to pray. Hyun smiled. Thanks to her, he had obtained more information about the Support job and Empathy. Leaving aside the first impression, she seemed to be a surprisingly good priestess. Before he left, the priestess told him one more thing. ¡°If you want to increase your praying proficiency faster, you should use the temple¡¯s chapel!¡± The priestess kindly lead Hyun to the chapel. Unlike the clean outer appearance, the chapel resembled an old medieval building. Whether it was because the place was old or it wasn¡¯t time to pray, there wasn¡¯t anyone there. As soon as she left, Hyun tried to use the skill he had just learned. ¡®How did she tell me to do it¡­?¡¯ He slowly tried to remember what she had told him. Since Asrian Online used real brain waves, some skills required the user to understand how it worked. Hyun closed his eyes. He tried to get his consciousness to a near-sleep state. ¡ªHe had to avoid falling asleep. That way of doing it was what the priestess called the ¡®proper way of praying.¡¯ According to her, most priests weren¡¯t able to do it. ¡®Damn, it¡¯s hard.¡¯ Hyun discovered that the praying skill was surprisingly hard to learn. In Asra Online, everything related to skills could be solved by pressing a button. But in Asrian, which used brain waves, even though they were the same skills, it was harder to learn. Trying to remain in a near-sleep state¡­ He never thought that the way to use prayer would be so ambiguous. ¡ªHe fell asleep by mistake a few times. He couldn¡¯t concentrate because his consciousness floated to the surface whenever he tried to do it. [The skill¡¯s proficiency has reached 100%!] [¡®Pray¡¯ has reached level 1!] ¡®Oh, the proficiency definitely goes up very fast.¡¯ He achieved the first level up after 10 minutes. He wasn¡¯t sure if the chapel made it easier or if it was because he was doing it properly, but the leveling up speed was really fast. Hyun didn¡¯t stop praying. * * * * * * Now that he had gotten a grasp on how to do it, he planned to increase its level as much as possible. He thought maybe he would have some special merits to praying thanks to his high Empathy stat. ¡®She told me to emphasize with a Transcendant¡¯s presence. Right?¡¯ He tried to remember the priestess¡¯s teachings again. ¡ªEmptying the mind and accepting the waves of the air. The traces of the Transcendent could be found in everything around the world. The people who pray try to resonate with that and sympathize with the will of the Transcendent. ¡ªThat was why Pray was more effective the more Empathy you had. ¡®Hmm?¡¯ Hyun, who was praying, frowned. He suddenly began feeling stuffy. He was having a hard time breathing. He wondered if he should stop praying but decided to keep going. [The skill¡¯s proficiency has reached 100%!] [¡¯Pray¡¯ has reached level 2!] He suddenly got those messages. Only a few minutes had passed, yet he had leveled up the skill again. Hyun had decided to resist if he felt a sudden discomfort while praying. ¡®Wait, what¡¯s happening?¡¯ Suddenly, Hyun¡¯s shoulders began moving up and down. His body was shaking on its own. Anxiety was added on top of the stuffy feeling. He was so surprised that he stopped praying. ¡®Is this normal?¡¯ At first, he thought that there was something wrong with his capsule. But it didn¡¯t matter how hard he tried¡­ He couldn¡¯t find an answer. He opened his status window and gulped. It hadn¡¯t been that long since he had reached level 2, but the proficiency bar was already at 30%. Hyun tried praying again. He wanted to know what that feeling he had just felt was. When he closed his eyes and tried to calm down, he felt as if his body was slowly being tightened. That suffocating feeling once again became anxiety and fear. ¡ªBut he didn¡¯t stop praying. What was going to happen? Although a system message had appeared, Hyun couldn¡¯t see it since he had his eyes closed. Suddenly, Hyun was walking somewhere while praying. Just like a sleepwalker, he was walking through the temple with his eyes closed. He didn¡¯t know the destination. He just walked to where his feet were taking him. A strange feeling stirred his heart as he got closer to a certain place. Creak- Hyun opened his eyes after he opened a door and entered a room. ¡ªHe opened his eyes at the same time he stopped praying. At that moment, his weird emotions disappeared, and his body stopped shaking. ¡®This place¡­¡¯ It was a room he had never been to. It was full of dust. It looked older and shabbier than the chapel. It was like a neat, spacious warehouse. ¡°Hmm?¡± Hyun turned his head around and looked at one side of the room. In the corner of the room, he saw a chair. A small kid was sitting on top of it. ¡®Who is she?¡¯ Hyun looked at her again. She seemed to be around 10 years old¡ªshe looked like a third-grader. Even though her clothes were torn apart in some parts, they were quite luxurious. But that place was an empty warehouse; it wasn¡¯t a place where a kid should be. Was she maybe an apprentice priestess who had escaped from lessons? He thought so at first, but soon he discovered that he had made the wrong assumption. Two chains tied to the chair were restraining both of the girl¡¯s legs. It was as if she was a prisoner. ¡°Ah¡­!¡± Their eyes met, and the girls made a short exclamation. Hyun flinched a little bit. The reason was that the girl¡¯s gaze was out of focus. A lot of different thoughts crossed through Hyun¡¯s mind. ¡®Who is she? Why did they leave this kid here tied up to a chair?¡¯ ¡®And how did I get to this place?¡¯ Hyun kept looking at the girl for a while, but she didn¡¯t say anything else. She just looked at Hyun with a blurred gaze. Creak-! Suddenly, the sound of the door opening echoed through the space. ¡®Damn!¡¯ Hyun reacted fast. He subconsciously threw his body to the side of the room and hid behind a column. He peeked while trying to hold his breath. Tap, tap, the sounds of the footsteps were getting closer to where the girl was tied up. Soon, he saw who they were. The two men were priests. They were wearing normal priest uniforms¡­ But their actions weren¡¯t normal at all. They stood in front of the girl and began talking to each other. And then¡­ They put a wand in front of the head of the little girl, and Whap! a dark green cloud covered the girl¡¯s body. Ah¡­! Hyun almost spoke out loud. He knew what magic the man was using. It was a mental status interfering skill. Then a lot of different magics began activating. Hyun knew most of them just by seeing their effects. Then he noticed something. ¡®There¡¯s a magic circle!¡¯ Various patterns were surrounding the kid. He hadn¡¯t noticed it before because the magic circle only began emitting light once the priest activated his magic. Whir- Whir- The magic circle resonated while making an unpleasant noise. ¡®Were they applying all these to that little kid?¡¯ She clearly wasn¡¯t there out of her own volition. You could see that by her groaning in pain from the priest¡¯s magic. Hyun¡¯s heart began beating faster than ever. A virtual reality that¡¯s very close to real life¡­ Even if it was a game, seeing a little girl cry in pain gave him a bad sensation, Hyun¡¯s breathing became slower. ____ ____ Chapter 39 Hard Carry Support Chapter 39 ¨C Twilight Temple (3) Both priests looked at each other and nodded after applying a lot of different spells on the little girl, and then they left the room. Hyun slowly approached the girl once he couldn¡¯t hear the men anymore. Then their eyes met again. ¡®What¡¯s happening?¡¯ The girl¡¯s eyes were still out of focus. Her face was even paler than before. Hyun immediately took out an item from his inventory. ¡ªIt was an elixir that allowed you to recover from any abnormal status condition. It was an item Hyun had obtained after defeating a hidden named monster, but he didn¡¯t hesitate for even a second before using it on the girl. Hyun carefully dripped the elixir into the girl¡¯s mouth. ¡°Ugh¡­ This place.¡± The elixir quickly took effect. The girl soon began to mumble. Once Hyun freed her from the chains binding her, she fully recovered her consciousness. Thankfully, the chains weren¡¯t magical items, so Hyun could break them with the things he was carrying. The girl seemed moved by the sight of Hyun freeing her from the chains. ¡°Ooh, you¡¯re trying to free me? You have my gratitude! But tell me, who are you? And why are you trying to save me?¡± she said. ¡°Be quiet¡­¡± Hyun was afraid of her voice leaking out through the door. The girl, who had then been freed, looked at Hyun with teary eyes. ¡°Ugh¡­ I¡¯m hungry. Won¡¯t you sell me something to eat?¡± ¡°Something to eat¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, anything is good. I¡¯m okay with anything!¡± When he looked inside his inventory, he found an old piece of bread. It was the food you got for free when you created a character, but Hyun had never even tried it. If he was hungry, he could just log out and grab some food. A user did not need to solve basic needs inside the game. As Hyun took out a piece of bread from his inventory, the girl exclaimed in excitement. ¡°Oh, ohh¡­!¡± The little hands that were about to grab the bread suddenly stopped. The girl¡¯s face, while she was rummaging through her pockets, was wet with tears. After checking out her pockets for a while, she spoke. ¡°I¡­ Don¡¯t seem to have any money with me.¡± Just like she said, she didn¡¯t have anything. To be more precise, she didn¡¯t have anything that could be turned into money. The necklace the girl was wearing around her neck¡­ The blue jewel placed in the middle shone even in the dark. ¡ªIt could probably be sold for hundreds of gold in the market. He was wondering how they hadn¡¯t taken that necklace from her. The girl got surprised because Hyun had placed his eyes on her necklace; she quickly wrapped her hands around it. ¡°I¡­ I cannot give you this¡­! I cannot lose this¡­!¡± ¡°I won¡¯t take it.¡± The necklace did indeed look expensive, but he wasn¡¯t interested in that. What he wanted to know was her identity and why she was in that situation. ¡°You can pay me back later on, so just eat.¡± ¡°Are you sure¡­?! How much do I owe you?!¡± ¡°10 gold¡­¡± The girl¡¯s face brightened at Hyun¡¯s words. In the Asrian world, 10 gold wasn¡¯t a small amount of money. Not only that, but she hadn¡¯t asked him to give her some food, she had asked him to sell it to her¡­ The girl had an unusual set of values. ¡°It¡¯s delicious¡­! So delicious¡­!¡± She ate the food in the blink of an eye. ¡®If she eats it like that, won¡¯t her throat become stuffy?¡¯ Hyun took out a bottle of water from his inventory. Just like with the food, Asrian¡¯s user didn¡¯t feel thirst, so he had no real use for the water bottles. The girl drank the water. After taking a few sips, she became worried. ¡°How much is the water¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a service if you pay for the bread.¡± ¡°Service¡­?¡± ¡°I mean, it¡¯s free.¡± Ohh- After nodding her head, her facial expression brightened. The girl ate and drank what was left of the bread and water. Hyun was just watching her. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± The girl shrugged her shoulders in surprise, but after a while, she answered. ¡°Louise¡­ You can call me Louise.¡± ¡°Louise?¡± Hyun went through the Asra Online information he had in his head. Because he had played the story content, he knew most of the important information about the relevant NPCs. But it was his first time hearing the name Louise. If he didn¡¯t have it on the NPC list, that meant that she wasn¡¯t important in the game¡¯s story. ¡®It seems like the name of a noble¡­¡¯ ¡®Why did the temple lock down the daughter of a noble family?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t even imagine what was behind the event. ¡®What should I do¡­¡¯ Suddenly, he had one more concern: he was clearly an outsider to the temple. If he left, he would move on, and it would be as if their meeting had never taken place. But Hyun was having a hard time abandoning her like that. The scared expression the little girl had on her face was real. Should he get involved? Or just ignore the whole situation? Ting- While Hyun wondered about that, he got a quest notification. [ ] ¨C The girl that has been trapped in the temple by unknown people is waiting for someone to help her. She may need your help. After reading the details of the quest, Hyun scrunched his eyebrows. The rules were different. In Asrian, most quests were activated when an NPC asked you for a favor. But right then, even though Louise hadn¡¯t said anything, a quest had activated. ¡®Main Quest?¡¯ It was a phrase he had never seen in Asra Online. Hyun¡¯s eyes widened after reading the words ¡®Main Quest¡¯. ¡®This means she isn¡¯t just a simple NPC¡­ Right?¡¯ Hyun looked at Louise up and down again. Her outer appearance was that of a normal 10 years old kid. She had a peculiar way of speaking, and the situation she was in was even stranger. The girl who had finished the bread looked at Hyun with uneasiness while drinking water. He could sense what she was feeling. Her eyes were filled with fear. * * * * * * ¡°Do you want to get out of here?¡± Hyun said without noticing. ¡°C¡­ Can you help me¡­?¡± Louise asked Hyun while trembling. ¡°Sob, Sob¡­¡± Tears flowed from the girl¡¯s eyes. Although she hadn¡¯t told him the reason, he thought he could understand a little bit of what was going on. Hyun let her cry for a moment¡ªhe thought that would be for the best. ¡°I¡¯ll help you get out. After all, I have a lot of free time.¡± After Louise stopped crying, Hyun opened the window. It was night outside. Hyun grabbed Louise with his arms and jumped. ¡®If it¡¯s now¡­¡¯ Maybe it was because of the time, but he couldn¡¯t see the priests he had seen during the day. The temple at night was engulfed in silence. They probably wouldn¡¯t be found out if they hid in the darkness. Hyun began walking quickly with Louise. ¡®Who?!¡¯ Hyun turned his head around. He felt the presence of someone from the side. ¡®Huh¡­?¡¯ Was he mistaken? There wasn¡¯t anyone there. Had his senses become sharper? Anyway, he thought it would be better if they escaped from the temple as quickly as possible. ¡°Can you run quickly?¡± Hyun asked Louise. ¡°A¡­ Are you asking me?¡± ¡°Is there anyone here besides you?¡± Louise answered Hyun¡¯s question while mumbling. ¡°I can move somewhat fast¡­ I¡¯m able to use wind magic¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s great. Let¡¯s go.¡± What Louise could use was wind-type magic of the moving type. Swoosh- She cast wind and began running. Surprisingly, there wasn¡¯t that much difference compared to Hyun¡¯s speed. They soon got out of the temple, and a straight road appeared. ¡ªIt was the road he had seen while going to the Twilight Temple. Hyun began running down it with Louise. ¡®Wait a moment. There¡¯s something strange¡­¡¯ Hyun felt as if a ghost had tricked them. ¡®Wasn¡¯t the distance only 10 minutes when walking?¡¯ It didn¡¯t matter how much they ran. There didn¡¯t seem to be an end to the road. He felt as if they¡¯d been running in a loop. He turned around. The distance between them and the temple hadn¡¯t decreased. ¡°What¡¯s happening¡­ There doesn¡¯t seem to be an end.¡± Louise asked Hyun with uneasiness¡ªit seemed that she also felt that something was wrong. Hyun and Louise were trapped in the forest maze. ¡®Is there a barrier here?¡¯ That was the only explanation he could come up with. But he couldn¡¯t go back to the temple. The moment they were struggling with what they should do¡­ A white light rose from the direction of the temple. A white light was shot into the night sky as if it was a firework. Then the lights changed direction toward where Hyun and Louise were standing and hit something that was in front of them. Clang! Hyun and Louise were thrown to the floor from the explosion¡¯s shock. ¡°S¡­ Something came flying from behind¡­!¡± Even if she hadn¡¯t told him, he knew what had happened. The scenery in front of them changed. ¡®What¡¯s happening?¡¯ The endless road had disappeared, and a thick forest was in its place. A lot of weird things were happening one after the other. ¡®Did someone help us?¡¯ After the light hit them, it was clear that something like a barrier had broke. It was clearly magic that was shot from the temple. ¡®Damn it. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on!¡¯ He wasn¡¯t sure about anything. The only thing he knew was that the child was involved in something big. ¡­Or maybe she was the center of the incident. The tumult in the temple was getting stronger. There was no time to doubt. Hyun grabbed Louis¡¯s arms and began running toward the forest. He thought that option would be better even if they found a monster that lived in the forest. ¡°Do you have any destinations in mind?¡± Hyun asked Louise while running. Louise shook her head. If she didn¡¯t have anywhere to go, it would be better if they went as far away as possible from the temple. ¡®We have no choice but to cross the forest¡­ The closest town to this forest is Lecatra Castle, so we should go there first!¡¯ Both started to run across the forest. The good thing was that Louise ran almost as fast as Hyun. To be more precise, she wasn¡¯t running¡ªshe was using magic that used the wind to move her. Thanks to that, Louise didn¡¯t get out of breath easily. ¡®How far can we run away¡­?¡¯ Even while running, Hyun constantly turned his head around. The forest that Gluna illuminated was as bright as a city¡¯s nightscape. If someone came chasing them, they wouldn¡¯t be able to escape easily. Hyun¡¯s worries very soon became reality. ¡°Hide¡­!¡± Hyun, who had suddenly stopped running, pressed Louise¡¯s shoulders. ¡°W¡­ What are you doing¡­?!¡± ¡°Shh, be quiet¡­¡± They kneeled and hid behind a rock while trying to hold their breaths. Hyun and Louise could see a shadow approaching them from a distance. ¡®Did they catch up to us already¡­?¡¯ A shadow figure wearing black clothes was slowly walking across the forest. He took a closer look. The shadow was wearing tight clothes and was using a mask to cover the mouth. ¡ªIt was a typical Thief outfit. Because of the tight clothes, he knew that the one following them was a woman. ¡®She¡¯s not a priestess¡­¡¯ Hyun tried to think. Was she an assassin? Why was there someone like her at a temple? What level was she? Could he beat her in a fight? While he was thinking, the girl chasing them down was getting closer. If they remained still, it would be a matter of time before she discovered them. Whish-! Suddenly, a sharp dagger came flying toward them. A blind spot! An unexpected surprise attack! The blue dagger came flying toward Louise¡¯s neck. ?One Second Absorption?! Hyun immediately used his skill. Clash! The dagger that came flying as fast as light bounced off Louise¡¯s neck. Louise flopped down while touching her neck. ¡°Ah, ugh¡­¡± It seems like she thought for a moment that she had died. Her thin hands that were touching the ground were shaking. ¡°Tsk¡­!¡± Hyun turned around. The one who had launched a surprise attack on them was someone who appeared from behind. It was a man who was standing still with his hands extended. ¡°¡­¡± Since his attack had failed, he stood still because of the unexpected result, but his expression hadn¡¯t changed. It seemed like the woman also heard the noise and was quickly approaching them. Hyun¡¯s heart began beating faster. ¡®Damn it. This isn¡¯t a joke¡­¡¯ He had been lucky to block the last attack with his ?One Second Absorption?. Hyun remembered something from the past. The hidden named boss, Leopard. His main attack, ¡®Ice Top,¡¯ was so fast that if he or Ain weren¡¯t concentrating, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to brush it off. But those peoples¡¯ attacks were faster than Leopards. ¡®It¡¯s too dangerous.¡¯ The opponents were getting closer to them. Even though they were walking while stepping on the fallen leaves, they weren¡¯t making any noise. It was as if they were cats. Hyun¡¯s eyes sank coldly as he watched them. ____ ____ Chapter 40 Hard Carry Support Chapter 40 ¨C The Mysterious Girl (1) ¡®Level 200¡­ Maybe her level is even higher than that.¡¯ Among the possible second job changes, there was one passive from an assassin-type job that could make your steps silent. Is that a skill, or is she just trained very well¡­? There was only one thing he was sure about: their level was higher than his. ¡®I can¡¯t read their expressions.¡¯ Neither of them showed any kind of emotions in their eyes. They were the eyes of assassins who didn¡¯t have any humanity. It was hard looking at them in the eyes. At moments like that, he hated how real virtual reality felt. It didn¡¯t feel good to shrug because you felt overwhelmed by the enemy. ?Vision Sword?. Whir- A giant blue light appeared on his hands. The sword that illuminated the darkness resembled a sacred sword. As he took out the ?Vision Sword?, the opponents stepped back cautiously. Hyun noticed that slight change in them. ¡®Yes, you should be at least a little bit scared.¡¯ Even though ?Vision Sword? lasted for 1.5 seconds, it was enough to scare the opponents. ¡ªEven a corner rat can scare off a cat. It was better to bluff rather than be looked down on to earn some time. On the other hand, he kept thinking¡­ ¡®If we fight, we¡¯re going to lose.¡¯ The moment he had seen the opponents, he had known they were in another league. Escaping was the best option. But the problem was the difference in the speed. The opponents were probably at least level 200 and with job related to the Thief class, so there was no way that they were slower than him and Louise. Could they escape? He had doubts. Hyun bit clenched his teeth. He had to at least try it. ¡°Run!¡± Hyun grabbed Louise¡¯s hands and pulled her. Louise also used all the strength she had to run. He looked back¡ªthe two masked assassins were chasing them. You could feel a sense of calmness in their steps. It was probably the confidence of knowing that they could catch their prey whenever they wanted. ?One Second Absorption?! Hyun, who was paying attention to his back, reacted immediately. Clang-! A blue knife hit Louise on her back and bounced away. Louise shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that!¡± Hyun shouted. Louise didn¡¯t answer. She didn¡¯t even nod. They just ran forward with all their might. Hyun had no other choice but to react to all the long-range attacks. The moment he lost sight of their movements, it would be their end. Clang-! Once again, the dagger hit Louise¡¯s neck. As soon as the dagger hit Louise¡¯s neck, she, who had been struggling with her breath, coughed. He grabbed Louise, who was about to fall. ¡°Don¡¯t stop!¡± Hyun pushed his concentration close to its limits. From the moment they threw the dagger to when it reached them, there was a time frame of 0.1~0.2 seconds. ¡ªIt was faster than any other attack he had seen in Asrian Online. It seemed impossible to see it and react with human capabilities. ¡®My reaction is too slow¡­!¡¯ The process of defending against a long-range attack was separated into three parts: see it, judge it, and react to it. But that only made things slower, so Hyun removed one part. It was the second part, ¡®judge.¡¯ He just saw the attack and reacted. He needed to minimize his time thinking if he wanted to react faster. He didn¡¯t think who the attack was targetting. He immediately applied ?One Second Absorption? on Louise. But there was a limit to such kinds of strategies¡­ ?One Second Absorption?! Hyun realized it a moment later That time, the target wasn¡¯t Louise¡­ It was him. By the time he noticed it, the dagger had already penetrated him. [You¡¯ve received 672 damage!] [You¡¯ve received more than 33% of your HP as damage at once!] [Until you stop ¡®bleeding,¡¯ your HP will slowly go down by 1% per tick!] ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± The sensation of being stabbed in the back made him groan. The pain disappeared quickly, but the dangerous situation hadn¡¯t ended yet. If they couldn¡¯t leave them behind, they would continue being hunted. The only good thing was that the woman wasn¡¯t attacking them. Was that because only one of them had throwing skills? Then maybe using the ?Vision Sword? to bluff had been a great decision. Clang-! Once again, the dagger hit Louise and bounced away. That time, Hyun also felt relieved. He had been about to apply ?One Second Absorption¡¯ on himself but had changed the target of it at the last moment. ¡®Damn it! What¡¯s this? An O, X quiz show¡­?!¡¯ Hyun clenched his teeth. Every time the masked man put his hands on his sleeves, he felt like he had stopped breathing. He understood what the people that played Russian roulette felt. He only had two options. ?One Second Absorption?! Thud-! This time, he was wrong. The dagger went through Hyun¡¯s shoulders. [You¡¯ve received 629 damage!] [You¡¯ve received more than 33% of your HP as damage at once!] [Your left arm has been stunned, so you won¡¯t be able to move it for a while!] [Because your HP has dropped to less than 20%, the effect of ¡®The Blood Fairy¡¯s Frenzy¡¯ has activated!] He had no other choice. If he tried to react after analyzing the attack, he wouldn¡¯t be able to protect either of them, so he had to pick one of the two. ¡®This is the worst¡­!¡¯ Even though the Blood Fairy¡¯s buff was on, the situation hadn¡¯t changed much. Even if Hyun¡¯s speed increased, Louise¡¯s running speed stayed the same. The problem was the ¡®reaction speed.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t something that increasing ¡®moving speed¡¯ could solve. He couldn¡¯t think of a proper solution. Should he gather all the monsters in the surroundings and confuse them? After considering that for a while, he shook his head. If they were really over level 200, there was a chance that the monsters would be scared of them and not get close at all. ¡ªHow they hadn¡¯t seen a single monster while running was proof of that. In the end, he could think of only one solution. He couldn¡¯t think of anything else. ¡°Louise, entrust your soul to me!¡± Hyun turned his head around and looked at Louise. While Hyun shouted that, a system interface appeared in front of Louise, It was her first time seeing something like that. For inhabitants of Asrian, the system box was probably some kind of unknown magic. [Player ¡®Hyun¡¯ wants to control your body.] [Will you entrust your soul to him? Y/N] ¡°Th¡­ This¡­? What¡¯s this¡­?¡± Louise¡¯s face seemed flustered by the sudden message she received. ¡°Quickly!¡± ¡°O-okay¡­! I¡¯ll entrust my soul to you!¡± Even though Louise had accepted the proposition because of their situation, she still felt uneasy. Entrusting her soul? That sounded like evil words that a dark priest would say. What would happen to her body from then on? Would she be able to regain control of it? She probably wouldn¡¯t have accepted it if her life weren¡¯t in danger. Accepting that was like trying to grasp onto whatever hope she had left. [The other party has accepted your request!] [Now you can use ?Assimilation? on ¡®Louise.¡¯] ?Assimilation?! Hyun became light, scattered, and then entered Louise¡¯s body. Louise felt something different once her body shone. It was as if someone else existed inside her. As soon as Hyun finished Assimilating, he used ?One Second Absorption? on Louise¡¯s body. At the same time¡­ Clang-! The dagger hit the chest and bounced away while making a metallic sound. ¡®Yes¡­!¡¯ With that, he no longer needed to decide between them. Thanks to Assimilation, both of their bodies had become one. * * * * * * Hyun, who sighed in relief, opened the status window. [ Louise (Lv. 35) ] HP: 312/525 Mana: 1904/1960 Job: (???) [Strength: 1] [Agility: 12(+2)] [Vitality: 10(+5)] [Mana: 110(+86)] [Steps of the Wind Lv.3(+1)] ¨C Blow a strong wind toward the floor, which makes you move faster. (You can¡¯t use it in the air) ¨C If you attack with the wind, deal [Magical Power]X0.4 damage. ¨C It costs 10 mana per minute. [Low Fever Lv.0(+1)] ¨C Light a small flame in the palm of your hands to shine on the darkness. ¨C If you attack with the fire, deal [Magical Power]X0.05 damage. ¨C It costs 5 mana per minute. [?One Second Absorption? Lv.8] ¨C [?Shield? Lv.0] ¨C Hyun smiled bitterly after checking out Louise¡¯s stats. She didn¡¯t have any offensive skills. The only good thing was that her principal moving skill, ?Step of the Wind?, didn¡¯t consume a lot of mana. [The Blood Fairy¡¯s Frenzy effect is currently active!] [All speed has increased by 50%!] The effect of the items buff was active even after Assimilating. ¡®So after Assimilating, the previous buffs don¡¯t disappear? Or do both buffs get added on top of each other?¡¯ He planned on investigating it later on. Vrrrrrr- Suddenly, an attack came from the side. The girl who had been silently looking from the sides had decided to make her move. The rapier was about to cut Louise¡¯s waist when¡­ Pang-! Louise¡¯s light body bounced up as if it were a rocket. It was all thanks to Hyun using the ?Steps of the wind?! ¡®That was dangerous¡­!¡¯ Because Louise¡¯s skills used the wind to move, it was a little bit hard to control it. It was as if her body bounced from here to there without being able to control it. But at that moment, he couldn¡¯t make a single mistake. ?Vision Sword?! A giant sword appeared in Louise¡¯s hands. The sight of a little girl holding a two-meter sword looked funny from the outside. But there wasn¡¯t weight to the light, so even a kid with little arms could use it. The masked woman was about to pierce them. Louise looked at her and attacked. ¡ªA blue light beam that pierces what¡¯s in front! The rapier and ?Vision Sword? clashed against each other. Because of the impact, Louise¡¯s body bounced away. Without killing the effect of the impact¡­ ¡®Steps of the Wind!¡¯ Louise kicked on the ground and accelerated again. Louise, who leaped forward incredibly fast, landed on a giant tree that was on the other side. There was still some time left for the ?Vision Sword?. Clink! Before leaping forward, Louise chopped down the tree. ¡°¡­!¡± Both masked assassins were planning to use that tree to land before leaping forward again. But thanks to Hyun cutting the entire tree, they had no place to safely land. Paf- The masked woman stepped on the falling tree and moved on to another one, but the masked man made a mistake mid-air. Crumble- He fell to the ground with the tree branch. After rolling on the ground a couple of times, he looked up to the sky. There he saw a little girl and his partner chasing after her, both getting far away from him at an incredible speed. ¡®Did we leave one behind?¡¯ Hyun jumped from tree after tree. In that forest, there were many giant trees. He stepped on the tree branches and tried to get as high as possible. The higher they went, the thinner the tree branches became. Hyun thought that the one chasing after them would struggle compared to Louise, who was very light. He turned Louise¡¯s head around and saw her getting annoyingly close. Her steps were so light that it was as if she was using leaves to step on. ¡®There¡¯s one minute left to the Blood Fairy¡¯s buff¡­¡¯ The distance between Louise and the one chasing them didn¡¯t increase nor decrease. ¡­But once the buff was over, the distance between them would shrink. ¡®I have to lose her before that!¡¯ The movements of the masked woman weren¡¯t normal. Her posture was perfect even while running stepping on trees that were tens of meters over the ground. Hyun changed the direction of the track in the air. He stepped on the trees as if they were stairs and reached the top of the forest. More than running, it was as if they were flying. They were nearly 100 meters over the ground. From the sky, he could get a clear view of the scenery. ¡ªLat Forrest. From the times of Asra Online, this place was famous for its vastness. Looking from the top, he found the place he had been looking for. ¡®It¡¯s over there¡­!¡¯ The woman was still chasing after them. ¡®A little bit more!¡¯ Hyun, no Louise, sprinted through the sky. ____ ____ Chapter 41 Hard Carry Support Chapter 41 ¨C The Mysterious Girl (2) As time went on, the destination began to come into sight little by little. A 50-meter-wide cliff. A huge gap across the middle of the forest revealed its majesty. The scenery made it look like the earth had its jaws wide open. It was so vast and deep that he was sure there wasn¡¯t a place like this in real life. It was one of the most famous places in the Lat Forest, a giant canyon called ¡®Giant¡¯s Lung.¡¯ In front of it, Hyun used Luise¡¯s skill to step on a tree branch and jump across the cliff. Louise¡¯s body soared high into the sky. Jump! The only thing that supported her body was the air. The air enveloped her body. Louise let the inertia move her body. Paf-! It seemed like the masked woman was confident that she¡¯d be able to do the jump, so she also jumped in front of the cliff. It probably looked like two dots doing a parabolic flight from a distance. Then, suddenly, the two dots became three. Hyun had stopped Assimilating with Louise. ¡°What¡­?!¡± For the first time, the woman spoke in surprise. While flying, an unknown person suddenly appeared in front of her and was blocking her path. Her mouth became wide-opened in surprise. She calmed down and placed her hands on her waist. She would eliminate this guy with her sword and then continue her chase. ?One Second Absorption?, ?Shield?! Just before they clashed, Hyun used two techniques. Tik- The moment the blade was about to cut Hyun¡­ The woman suddenly felt her consciousness fading away. When she regained consciousness, she was falling into the canyon. ¡ªBut the only one falling was her. Where was that guy? What happened to the guy that was blocking her way?! ¡°Oof¡­¡± Louise, who had sat down on the floor, sighed in relief. ¡°Ha, ha,¡± he began to laugh while taking short breaths. Even though that laugh was coming out of Louise¡¯s mouth, it was Hyun who was laughing. Hyun had used ?Assimilation? again to enter Louise¡¯s body. Soon, the masked man appeared on the other side of the cliff. He looked at the canyon without saying anything and then directed his gaze toward Louise. After a short while, he took out a flare and shot a flame into the sky. Magical Power began spreading to the surrounding areas. That flame was probably a signal to call for more allies. ¡®Does this mean that there were more than two people following us?¡¯ Hyun¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°¡­¡± The masked man who was looking at Louise turned around. It seemed like he had concluded that he wouldn¡¯t be able to jump the cliff successfully. Louise, who finally had a little bit of time to relax, lay down on the ground. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± As she took a breath, Hyun also felt the tiredness and pain she was feeling. ?Assimilation? was a skill that made you resonate with the other person¡¯s soul and even share what the other one was feeling. He could undo ?Assimilation?, but he decided to remain in that state for a while. He just wanted to close his eyes and sleep for the whole day. ¡°You mustn¡¯t touch the sun¡­¡± Louise suddenly mumbled. She knew Hyun was currently inside her body. She also knew that even if she spoke alone, he¡¯d be able to listen to it. ¡°There¡¯s special tracking magic applied in me¡­ Sunlight is the medium that makes it possible to locate me.¡± ¡°The sun?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ So before morning comes, we have to find a place that isn¡¯t touched by the sun.¡± After hearing Louise¡¯s words, Hyun was even more curious about her identity. Hyun was sure she wasn¡¯t an important character in the story. After all, Hyun remembered most details about important NPCs thanks to Asra. It was his first time hearing the name Louise. There¡¯s no way he wouldn¡¯t remember an important character. ¡®If what she¡¯s saying is true¡­ There¡¯s only one magic in Asra that uses the sun to track an opponent.¡¯ It was a spell called ?Stigma of Light?. Rather than magic, it was closer to being a curse. He wondered why that child, who wasn¡¯t even a main character, was under such a horrible curse. It was such special magic that not even a level 500 Priest or Magician could use. Only a few NPCs that were either angels or heavenly beings could use it. Even as a user, the only way to get rid of ?Stigma of Light? was to die. Of course, unless they were the regenerative monsters, NPCs would disappear once they died. ¡°Stigma of Light.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the name of the curse they¡¯ve applied on you. If what you said is true, we can¡¯t stay here.¡± Hyun, who had disassimilated, grabbed Louise¡¯s hand and helped her stand up. Louise was bittersweet that she had to get out from the sweet break, but Hyun pulled her up. Both began to move while trying to avoid the sunlight. ¡°Where should we go¡­?¡± Louise said while looking around nervously. ¡°Somewhere the sun can¡¯t reach.¡± ¡°So¡­ where would that be?¡± ¡°A Dungeon.¡± ¡°What dungeon¡­? Oh, no, I¡¯m just going to follow you.¡± Louise asked again, but she shook her head after looking at Hyun¡¯s expression. ¡°Since I¡¯ve entrusted my soul to you, I¡¯ll follow you until the end.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to go to such lengths¡­¡± Hyun and Louise walked together. Because she collapsed, they rested a little bit. They reached the destination after moving for about two hours. ¡ªThe entrance of the dungeon. The entrance was so big that it seemed that even a giant would be able to go through it. The stairs that led to the underground were very dark. Hyun didn¡¯t doubt for a moment and walked into it, but Louise seemed scared. Her trembling hands grabbed Hyun¡¯s robes. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry. I¡¯m very familiar with this place.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way that¡¯s true¡­!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not lying.¡± As Hyun began walking, Louis hurriedly stuck close to him. It felt as if there wasn¡¯t an end to the staircase. The deeper they went, the darker it got. Gluna¡¯s light didn¡¯t reach the insides of the dungeon; there also wasn¡¯t any illumination inside of it. Louise, who couldn¡¯t help but feel anxious, used her magic to illuminate the way. Fwosh- A small light ignited on Louise¡¯s hands. The inside of the dungeon was filled with a warm light. Hyun, who was looking at her from the side, laughed in a low tone of voice. ¡°It¡¯s similar to Ain¡¯s magic¡­ Although the size is smaller.¡± ¡°Ain¡­?¡± ¡°She¡¯s someone I know.¡± After going down for a while, they finally reached the end of the staircase, and a crossroad that looked like a maze began. Hyun never stopped walking even though there were numerous crossroads. He was so comfortable because he had used to use that dungeon in Asra as a leveling-up course. ¡®I miss it a little bit.¡¯ Hyun laughed again. He couldn¡¯t believe that he was reminiscing about the past in such a place and situation. But he really felt like that, so he could do nothing about it. ¡°Here should be okay.¡± Hyun and Louise stopped after passing through numerous crossroads. After walking through a narrow maze, they¡¯d reached a fairly large empty space. It was a quiet and comfortable resting place, except for the bats on the ceiling. ¡°You¡¯re tired, right? Try to sleep a little bit.¡± ¡°Here¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. This place has a lot of traps and monsters, so even they shouldn¡¯t be able to enter so easily.¡± ¡°W-wait¡­! Isn¡¯t it weird to sleep in such a place?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯re safe here.¡± Hyun opened the inventory and gave Louise some bread and water. ¡°You can eat before you sleep. It¡¯s 10 gold for a piece of bread, don¡¯t forget to pay me later on. Okay?¡± ¡°What about you? Aren¡¯t you going to eat?¡± Louise was extending her hand when she suddenly stopped and looked at Hyun. From what she knew, Hyun also hadn¡¯t eaten anything. Hyun let out a smirk. ¡°I¡¯m a user, so I won¡¯t get hungry even if I don¡¯t eat. Oh, you know what a user is, right?¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, just eat.¡± After doubting for a while, Louise finally began eating and drinking water. Was it because of how tired she was? After finishing, she almost immediately fell asleep. Once she fell asleep, the only noise that could be heard in the dungeon was the sound of breathing. Hyun looked at the sleeping Louise for a while. How she was leaning against a rock seemed uncomfortable. He picked her up and then made her lay down in a straight line. She didn¡¯t wake up, even though he had lifted her. Hyun opened the status window and checked out the quest details again. The details had changed a little bit. Hyun smiled bitterly. He wondered why he was doing a quest like that when an important patch was coming. He laughed at himself, but he didn¡¯t feel it was unfair. * * * * * * SeoHyun changed his settings to rest mode and came out from the capsule. He connected the capsule with his computer to check out how Louise was doing, so that he¡¯d know when she woke up. He tried to browse some Asrian communities during his free time, but he got bored after a few hours. SeoHyun couldn¡¯t sleep. If he did, maybe Louise could get into a dangerous situation. Louise woke up after a while. The sunlight was coming through the window. It was Monday morning. ¡°Hmm¡­ There¡¯s a group class in the morning.¡± He saw Louise through the PC screen. She seemed anxious after waking up and finding out that he wasn¡¯t there. It was clear that she was looking for him. ¡°Should I not go to class today?¡± Hyun was a game addict, but he had never negatively affected another person because of it. But he thought that his quest might take a lot of time, so he thought that maybe it would be an exception. If it was a normal quest, he would¡¯ve just given up, but he really didn¡¯t want to do that for this one. It was the first time he had received a named ¡®main quest,¡¯ but there was also another reason¡­ Louise was starting to get more and more anxious. She was probably crying. If he wasn¡¯t there, would she be able to escape? That was impossible. The safe place of the dungeon changed constantly depending on the hour and day. After a few hours, that place would be filled with monsters. There was no way a little kid would be able to survive. ¡°Oof, I have no other choice.¡± As soon as Hyun logged in, Louise rushed to him and grabbed his collar. ¡°Where were you¡­?! I-I thought you¡¯d abandoned me¡­!¡± ¡°I was thinking of leaving you but decided not to.¡± ¡°W¡­ What¡­?! You¡¯ve even taken my soul, yet¡­!¡± ¡°I was kidding. It was a joke.¡± Since she was starting to get angry, Hyun tried to calm her. It was hard trying to adjust to the mood of a kid. After crying for a while, she began mumbling. ¡°This place is too dark¡­ I want to get out.¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± ¡°Why?! We already lost them. And if we get out at night, we¡¯ll be able to avoid the sunlight, right?¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t lost them yet.¡± Louise¡¯s breath stopped at Hyun¡¯s words. Nearly half a day had passed since they¡¯d entered the dungeon, and during that time, no one had appeared. That¡¯s why Louise thought she¡¯d be safe from then on. That was also why she was so shocked at Hyun¡¯s words. ¡°The opponents have a Thief-type job, right? Even without the sun, they should be able to hunt prey easily. They can follow our smell or even footsteps¡­¡± ¡°Footsteps¡­?!¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why they probably know we¡¯ve entered a dungeon. They¡¯re probably preparing a team to enter it, or maybe they¡¯re waiting for us to come out.¡± ¡°That¡­!¡± Louise¡¯s face became pale, but Hyun kept explaining to her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. There isn¡¯t anyone that knows this place better than me.¡± ¡°Y-you¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, so trust me.¡± Louise grabbed Hyun¡¯s collar with a tearful look on her face. Hyun smiled at Louise, who was following him. He felt as if he¡¯d changed jobs to a nanny. ¡°Now that I think about it, I don¡¯t know your name¡­ If it isn¡¯t too much, could you tell me how you¡¯re called¡­?¡± ¡°Hyun.¡± It was a nickname he¡¯d used since Asra, and he was more used to it than his real name by then. ¡°My name is Hyun.¡± ____ ____ Chapter 42 Hard Carry Support Chapter 42 ¨C The Mysterious Girl (3) Kwon DaeHo. There was no one in Korea¡­ no, no one in the entire world who didn¡¯t know him. He was a legend in the modern scientific community that had won three Nobel Prizes by the time he was 57 years old, regardless of the field of learning. A genius of the century! Some people said that there had never been someone that surpassed him in the past, nor there would be in the future. But only a few people knew that he was the main person behind the development of Asrian Online. ¡°Tsk¡­ A problem has happened.¡± Kwon DaeHo was sitting in his chair while drinking coffee when he read a system alert. A screen filled with holograms. On top of that, there were a lot of numbers that disturbed the view. Kwon DaeHo was concentrated on one of those numbers. [Causality]: ¨C 82% It was a % that showed the stability of the world. The bigger the negative number was, the more unstable the world was and vice-versa. In other words, the situation in which the ¡®causality¡¯ had dropped to a minus 82% meant that the world of Asrian was fluctuating rapidly. The world was converted to numbers through tens of thousands of different variables. The number of inhabitants, predominant religion, politics, history, language¡­ All those figures were repeating a continuos sharp rise and fall. There was only one possible explanation for the situation¡­ ¡®The main story¡¯s flow is changing because of an external factor!¡¯ But how was it that something like that had happened when they were about to apply the new patch? Even he didn¡¯t understand what had caused the situation. ¡®We can¡¯t apply the patch before the current situation gets solved.¡¯ The main story that started after the patch would happen five years after current events. Asrian was basically a giant simulation. What they were going to do was accelerate the time, so five years would pass in an instant. But if the causality % dropped a lot, the number of calculations that the computer had to do would increase, and the system would be overloaded. ¡°Chairman!¡± At that moment, one of the investigators Kwon DaeHo had called entered through the door. She was one of the people that spent the day staring at the monitor because there wasn¡¯t anything to do. ¡°I¡¯ve found the reason! Doctor¡­ No, chairman!¡± Mari shouted happily. ¡°Oh, really?¡± ¡°Yes! This is all because of a single user! I¡¯m 100% sure of it!¡± Mary turned around several switches, and then the screen changed to the gameplay of a certain user. They could see a small girl, Louise, running while stepping on the trees on the screen. It was the image of Hyun, who was using ?Assimilation? on Louise. The sight of Louise stepping into the sky and the background changing quickly was mesmerizing. Kwon DaeHo¡¯s mouth was open wide. ¡°What¡¯s that¡­?¡± He was the person in charge of development, but he didn¡¯t have much free time, unlike the rest, so he didn¡¯t have time to monitor the players. It was also his first time seeing someone¡¯s gameplay. ¡°Th-this type of movement¡­ is it even possible¡­? How can a girl who seems to be 10 years old move like that?¡± ¡°Chairman, that girl is an NPC. The player is the one who¡¯s Assimilating into her!¡± Robert explained to him. Because Kwon TaeHo wasn¡¯t completely ignorant about the game, he understood what Robert meant. After seeing how Hyun controlled his character, he laughed out in amazement. ¡°I can understand why you guys are so hooked on looking at gameplays. Looking at people like this would be very fun.¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± ¡°Give me more detailed information.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± In the corner of the screen, the information about everything that had happened until then and things that would happen in the future was displayed. Louise¡­ It also said what her identity was¡­ and also how she would influence the future events that were about to happen in Asrian, so Kwon DaeHo understood the situation. ¡°I see¡­ Because of that quest, things that should¡¯ve happened in five years are already happening.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the only possible explanation.¡± ¡°That¡¯s amazing. To think that there¡¯s already a user who can influence so much on the flow of the story¡­ Once the quest ends, there will be a huge gap between them and the rest.¡± They had a problem¡­ They couldn¡¯t do the patch if things were going on like that. There was a split in the future. Asrian was created differently compared to other games. It was a universe simulator rather than a fixed and linear world. That meant that only when all the variables were under control could they accelerate time. If they accelerated five years without careful consideration, there was a risk of the supercomputer exploding or the game¡¯s universe being ruined. ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do about it¡­ We have to wait for the quest to end. We can do the patch once it¡¯s over, so what¡¯s the problem?¡± After figuring out what the problem was, Kwon DaeHo answered very easily. But at the same time, the faces of the rest of the team darkened. ¡°Uhm¡­ Chairman¡­? You¡¯re saying we should push on the patch date, right?¡± ¡°What are you talking about? Why should we push it? Did you forget that talks with NFM are finished, and we even signed a contract?¡± ¡°But we don¡¯t know when the quest will end¡­ And from our calculations, we won¡¯t have enough time¡­¡± ¡°Are we lacking on time even if we stay up all night?¡± ¡°Understood¡­¡± Kwon DaeHo looked at the other researchers who were silently looking at him. Behind their stern faces, there was some sort of expectation. He knew how they were feeling. After all, they¡¯d worked together for the past few years. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll also help.¡± ¡°Yes! Doctor, you¡¯re the best!¡± Mary exclaimed happily. The rest of the team clapped. They knew that if the chairman helped, they¡¯d be able to finish any task in half the time. * * * * * * With the ever-burning fire illuminating their path, Hyun and Louise kept walking. Hyun looked at her once more. Even though she was wearing torn-off clothes, she didn¡¯t look normal. Yes, it was as if she was part of a royal family. From his experience, such people played an important role in the story, so Hyun asked her a few questions. ¡°Why do you talk in such a way?¡± Louise was taken aback by the question. ¡°Wh¡­ What¡¯s wrong with how I talk¡­?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s weird¡­ No matter how you look at it. These days, no one talks like that¡ªneither commoners nor noble ladies.¡± ¡°Th-this is¡­! A habit from when I was little.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Hyun looked at her suspiciously. No matter how many times he thought about it, he couldn¡¯t come to a conclusion, so he decided to stop thinking about it. The maze-like complex dungeon was wide and dark, but Hyun just walked without getting lost. The road became narrower; they even crossed a dangerously narrow cliff. Because they were walking through a path where monsters didn¡¯t show up, sometimes the road became dangerous. They barely managed to walk out of the cave where light didn¡¯t reach. A huge cliff stood in their way. There was no more road. The only thing standing in their way was a cliff that you couldn¡¯t figure out the ending of. Just the fear of falling made her dizzy. ¡°Is¡­ this the correct road¡­?¡± Louise looked at him with fearful eyes. In front of them, there was an abyss from where they could hear the echo. ¡°Yes, this is the road. I¡¯m sure.¡± Louise seemed confused at Hyun¡¯s answer. There was no place to step in front of them. What did he mean by that there was a road? ¡°That way.¡± Hyun pointed with his finger upwards. Louise followed his finger and looked up. ¡ªA cylinder-shaped cavity. At the top of the cliff, they could see a small hollow. Louise¡¯s face became pale. ¡°Do you know what a centrifugal force is?¡± Louise shook her head. ¡°If we use centrifugal force, we can reach there.¡± Fwoosh- As soon as Hyun finished talking, he became light and entered Louise¡¯s body. Louise knew what that meant. She had experienced it while escaping from the people following them. She was suddenly in a hurry. That¡¯s right. He was trying to enter her body to jump up there. ¡°No, you can¡¯t! I will not do it!¡± ¡¸Stay still!¡¹ Hyun shouted through his soul, but Louise was resisting. As the movement of the two entangled, Louise¡¯s movements resembled those of a cat refusing to take a shower. ¡¸Hmm¡­ Say that you¡¯re giving me control priority.¡¹ Ting-! In front of Louise, a message that asked if she¡¯d give Hyun control priority appeared. ¡°No, no way! I will not sell you my soul anymore¡­! Take this evil magic away from my eyes at this very moment!¡± ¡¸Hmm¡­ If you press the left button, it should disappear.¡¹ A few seconds later¡­ [You¡¯ve received control priority!] ¡¸Finally, some silence.¡¹ Hyun sighed in relief and walked toward the cliff. Now that she couldn¡¯t move her body at all, it seemed like Louise was about to burst into tears. Hyun could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. ¡°Sniff, my body has been completely taken over by a demon¡­!¡± ¡¸Who¡¯s a demon?¡¹ He could feel the wind coming from the cliff. It was understandable that Louise was scared. After all, if they fell through it, no one would be able to find her body. Of course, he was confident that wouldn¡¯t happen. Hyun stayed still while waiting for Louise to calm down. ¡¸Watch closely.¡¹ Hyun kicked on the ground. He stepped onto the 90-degrees vertical cliff and began to spiral up the cylindrical cliff. Suddenly, the view became dark. It was Louise who had closed her eyes because she was scared. ¡¸You can¡¯t hesitate like that¡­¡¹ As Hyun slowed down the speed a little bit, Louise felt that her body was floating. The speed had decreased because the centrifugal force had gotten weaker. ¡®I¡¯m falling!¡¯ The force between her body and the wall was getting weaker. ¡®I¡¯m going to die?!¡¯ Louise¡¯s face became pale because of fear. But at that moment¡­ Hyun activated ?Steps of the Wind? and kicked the wall. Her body began accelerating and recovered its flow. ¡¸See? If the centrifugal force becomes weaker, you fall. The moment it stops, you fall.¡¹ Pang- Hyun stepped on the wall, and just before hitting the other wall, he stepped on it again. Like a particle spinning in a centrifuge, Louise¡¯s body climbed the walls while spinning. ¡¸If you remember the feeling, it isn¡¯t hard to do it.¡¹ From Hyun¡¯s point of view, this ¡®cliff climbing¡¯ technique wasn¡¯t hard to do it. Anyone could do it as long as they got the timing right and had the guts. But it was easy by Hyun¡¯s standards. However, it was unclear how long it would take for Louise to learn it. The cavity was structured so that the higher it got, the narrower it became. Hyun increased their speed. When he was starting to feel dizzy, Louise¡¯s body had reached a flat surface. Louise was able to calm down after lying on the floor and taking a deep breath. ¡°Ugh¡­ My body, my body has returned to normal¡­!¡± Since she didn¡¯t want to get up, Hyun disassimilated from her and picked her up. After a while, they entered through an entrance in front of them. ¡°Where are you taking me?¡± ¡°Just follow me, and you¡¯ll find out.¡± ¡°I want to get out of this place¡­!¡± ¡°Not yet. If we get out right now, we¡¯ll get ambushed by the opponents waiting for us to come out. Is that okay for you?¡± Louise shook her head. ¡°Right now, there¡¯s nothing we can do, so we need to make some preparations. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Yes, I understand¡­¡± While walking, they noticed that the atmosphere of the place had suddenly changed. There were lanterns fueled by Mana illuminating the road. It seemed like the light was telling them the path they needed to take. ¡°What¡¯s this place¡­¡± Louise asked with suspicious eyes while looking at the decor of the doorknob. It was luxurious. Only the doorknob would probably be worth more than a few hundred gold coins. The item that was as luxurious as one used by the royalty didn¡¯t fit the old and dark dungeon. ¡°How awkward. This isn¡¯t a trap, right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Hyun grabbed the doorknob and turned it around without hesitation. Creak- The door opened and showed what was inside. It was a room that was about the size of an average cafe. Inside the room, there was some unknown sculpture; there were also lots of different weapons displayed. ¡®This place hasn¡¯t changed at all.¡¯ A smile appeared on Hyun¡¯s face. It was a place unknown to even most rankers of Asra. ¡ªThe dungeon¡¯s secret marketplace. ____ ____ Chapter 43 Hard Carry Support Chapter 43 ¨C The Mysterious Girl (4) The place¡¯s interior wasn¡¯t luxurious as one would expect from a fantasy world. Rather than that, it was decorated with modern pieces of furniture. The atmosphere of the place resembled a modern bar. It felt alien, but that made it look more secretive. ¡°This place¡­ is amazing¡­!¡± Louise ran toward a chair and sat down. She smiled comfortably. Even if she was a noble, it would probably be her first time seeing a place with such a trendy modern atmosphere. Hyun let Louise rest for a while. ¡ªA long table that reminded him of a bar. On top of it, there was a hole that resembled a vending machine where you could put in gold coins. Since the place was a secret marketplace, you could buy rare items in it. ¡°Hey Hyun, what¡¯s that?¡± Before he had noticed, Louise had approached him and was looking with curious eyes. Hyun focused on the interface that was on top of the table. He used the buttons to select an item and then pressed okay. Wiing- A column with lenses on each side rose and began emitting a light. Lights came out from opposing directions. As both lights overlapped, a three-dimensional image appeared in the air. It had a luxurious black silhouette. An explanation about the item was shown in 3D. [ Sword of Fire (Unique) ] Wear Restriction: [Lv.200], or [Strength] + [Magical Power] more than 300. Durability: (210/210) Attack: 212 Magical Power Increase: 20% Critical Hit Rate: +5% ¨C Every 30 seconds, make a fire explosion that affects all opponents within a range of three meters. ¨C The explosion deals [Strength] + [Magical Power] as damage. A little puppet show began in front of them. It was an instruction video made of a hologram that showed how to use the item. The moment a small blue doll used the sword¡¯s abilities¡­ Paf! All the red dolls around it burned and fell all at once. Louise began clapping. She looked like a child who was looking at a 3D movie for the first time¡ªshe was very immersed in it. ¡®Not this kind of weapon.¡¯ Hyun had a withered look in his eyes. A magical sword wasn¡¯t an attractive weapon. To begin with, it was a weapon neither Ain nor he could use¡­ They couldn¡¯t even grab it because of the high stat limit. He touched the table, and the image disappeared instantly. ¡°Oh! Why¡­!¡± Louise looked at him with begging eyes, but Hyun ignored her and started looking at the other items on the list. On the screen attached to the table, they could see a list with hundreds of different items. There were explosives, supplies, and rare or unique items. You could even find foods like juice or steak. Since Louise looked at the food sets with intense eyes, he used one gold to buy her a kids meal set. He found what he was looking for when Louise was about to finish eating. [ The Ring of the Executioner (Rare) ] Wear Restriction: None Durability (50/50) ¨C Redirect all attacks that are within a five-meter range to yourself. ¨C Once you put it on, you won¡¯t be able to take it off for 10 minutes. In this video, a blue doll faced red ones after putting on the ring. Suddenly, all the red dolls loosed arrows toward the blue doll. Dozens of arrows were flying while drawing a parabola, but suddenly, when they got closer to the blue doll¡­ Paff-! Just as if they had suddenly gained life, they changed their direction. It was as if the blue doll was pulling the arrows to it as if it were a magnet. Not a single arrow missed. The blue doll became a hedgehog and collapsed to the ground; that was the end of the video. ¡°This one is creepy¡­¡± Louise felt goosebumps. If so many arrows flew toward her, she wouldn¡¯t be able to survive. It was like looking at someone being executed in real-time. But Hyun was looking at that ring with a satisfied smile. Woosh- Hyun poured shining coins on the table. They were platinum coins that were each worth 100 gold coins. ¡®Why is he buying such a dangerous thing?¡¯ Louis couldn¡¯t understand Hyun¡¯s decisions. For her, that ring was just something monstrous. ¡°Do you really want such a cursed item so badly?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the Ring of the Executioner.¡± ¡°Even the name is cursed¡­¡± As all the coins entered the hole next to the table, the item came out as if the table were a vending machine. ¡°Good. all preparations are done.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure why you¡¯re saying it¡¯s good¡­¡± ¡°Get ready. We¡¯re getting out of the dungeon soon.¡± Louise¡¯s shoulders shrugged at Hyun¡¯s words. ¡°Right now¡­?¡± ¡°No, once night comes.¡± Hyun sat down on a sofa that was around there and closed his eyes. How it wrapped around him made it feel like he was sitting on a cloud. [A significant amount of tiredness has accumulated!] [The moment ¡®tiredness¡¯ surpasses 100, the game will forcibly shut down! (Current: 97)] Asrian had a way to sleep without disconnecting from the game. While thinking about the battle they were about to engage in, Hyun fell asleep. * * * * * * In the real world, it was 3:00 pm. But the sun had just set where the dungeon was located. If they wanted to take Louise to a safe place, they had to begin moving immediately. The dungeon had five exit gates in total. Hyun had chosen the one that had the most amount of traps. At first, one would think that they were taking an unnecessary risk, but Hyun had concluded that they had more chances of safely escaping through that gate than the others. ¡®I hope everything goes according to the plan.¡¯ He explained his strategy to Louise before moving. Her face turned pale after listening to it, but he was able to convince her. ¡¸We¡¯ve almost arrived.¡¹ They soon arrived at a particular place. The dungeon¡¯s exit was a wide, round spiral staircase about 20 meters in diameter. He tilted his neck and looked up at the sky. Even though the place was underground, they couldn¡¯t see the ceiling. It was like looking at the babel tower, which people said was so tall that it used to touch the skies. There was an endless staircase at the edge of the tower. ¡­And there was still a long way to the exit. ¡°Is this okay?¡± Louise asked while they were going up the stairs. Hyun, at first, couldn¡¯t understand what she was talking about. But then, her vision became blurry, and her body began to tremble. Tears formed in Louise¡¯s eyes. With ?Assimilation?, you share the other person¡¯s emotions too. When he touched the corner of her eyes, he felt some tears. They were probably Louise¡¯s. At that moment, he finally understood what she was thinking. ¡¸I¡¯m a user,¡¹Hyun said while wiping the tears. I¡¯ve already told you that even if I die, I actually won¡¯t.¡¹ He understood the reason why Louise refused this plan so much. It would be for the best if they could both escape together, but if they did that, they wouldn¡¯t be able to get away from the people following them. Someone had to stay behind and earn some time if they wanted to increase the probability of escaping. So Hyun had decided to sacrifice himself. A user wouldn¡¯t die in real life if he died in the game. While explaining the plan to her, Louise forcibly nodded, but now that the decisive time was coming, she seemed to be having trouble accepting it. ¡¸There¡¯s no time to think about other things.¡¹ One day, Louise would also understand that users are different. But the most important thing, for the time being, was getting out of the dungeon safely. ¡°Hyun¡­¡± Louise suddenly murmured. While ?Assimilating?, you could even hear something said in a low tone of voice. ¡°I want to ask you something shameless.¡± ¡¸What¡­?¡¹ ¡°It¡¯s okay if it¡¯s after you¡¯ve revived. Don¡¯t you want to stay with me?¡± ¡¸I can¡¯t do that.¡¹ Hyun refused. He could feel Louise¡¯s shoulders shrugging. Hyun smiled bitterly. ¡®But I can¡¯t say yes to something impossible.¡¯ After a few days, the main story patch would be applied to the game. In just an instant, five years would pass. But in real life, it would take just a few hours. It basically meant that there would be a discrepancy between the game and real life. Meeting Louise right after the patch would be hard. ¡°I see¡­ It was something impossible¡­¡± ¡¸If you¡¯re alive, we¡¯ll probably meet again¡­ But it will be impossible for the next five years.¡¹ He could feel the air on her skin. ¡ªIt meant they were near the exit of the dungeon. He looked up. Even though they¡¯d been walking for a while, there were still a lot of stairs left. At first glance, the cylindrical exit looked normal, but in reality, it was full of traps. If they stepped on the red stairs, some traps that would even put users above level 200 in danger would activate. Hyun walked very cautiously to avoid the traps. ¡¸Be careful!¡¹ Paf-! Hyun twisted her body because of the sudden strong light that came flying toward them. Something brushed past her hair. ¡°What¡¯s that¡­?!¡± When he looked backward, he saw a sharp dagger on the walls. The moment he saw that, Hyun knew that the battle had already begun. ¡®A sniper? Where?¡¯ Hyun tried to guess the direction from where the dagger had come. The opponents were hidden above in the staircase. The battle had begun suddenly. ¡¸Move!¡¹ Poof! Poof! Louise used ?Steps of the Wind? to move faster through the stairs. As she began to speed up, it looked like the wind was going up and down the stairs. But at that moment¡­ Bang! The entire front of the staircase was destroyed. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Louise, swept away by the shock, fell to the ground while screaming in pain. If Hyun hadn¡¯t taken control, she would¡¯ve probably fallen down the stairs. ¡¸Keep your balance!¡¹ Hyun turned their body around in the air and used the wall to run. Thanks to that, Louise was able to land on the other side of the staircase. ¡°Ugh¡­ A strong wind suddenly pushed me away.¡± ¡¸It¡¯s a bomb.¡¹ Hyun clenched her teeth. It seemed like they¡¯d concluded that it wasn¡¯t enough with ninja stars or daggers¡ªthey¡¯d brought in a weapon that could inflict damage on a very wide area. ¡®I won¡¯t be able to block this with ?One Second Absorption?.¡¯ The skill ?One Second Absorption? was useful for blocking numerous small attacks, but it couldn¡¯t withstand a single attack with highly destructive power. It should be able to block the fragments of the bomb, but if the fire touched them, they¡¯d probably die immediately. The explosions didn¡¯t end with just one. It was like they were being bombarded. Hyun instinctively jumped to the side. The moment they moved, an explosion shook the entire place. The staircase corresponding to a floor disappeared without leaving a trace. They had avoided direct contact with the explosion, but the danger hadn¡¯t disappeared. ¡ªThe follow-up blast after the explosion¡­ The fragments that had scattered up were targeting Louise. ¡®Damn¡­!¡¯ Hyun jumped. Most fragments passed under their feet, but some had flown upwards and were bouncing back at them. Because Louise didn¡¯t have a lot of HP, even slight damage would be critical. ¡®We mustn¡¯t get hit.¡¯ Swing- He twisted her waist in the air. The fragments of the bomb brushed past her calf and shoulders. ¡ªA few tore her clothes away. ¡ªThen some cut her hair and got stuck in the wall behind them. From an outsider¡¯s point of view, it seemed as if all the attacks were flying past them on their own. It was as if she was dancing in the air. ¡®Damn, fuck!¡¯ Hyun cursed while dodging the fragments. A third bomb was flying toward them. The new bomb exploded before they could regain balance. Boom! The flames covered Louise. ¡ªAn ear-drum tearing sound. ¡ªFragments of the bomb flying everywhere. Louise felt as if the world had gotten slower. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Death was approaching her. All the sharp remnants of the bomb were flying toward her, and they were about to tear her down. Louise was scared of them, so she closed her eyes. ¡®Disassimilate!¡¯ Hyun separated from Louise. Whoosh- The fragments changed direction. Hundreds of scattered pieces were centered at a single point, just like the light coming out from a convex lens. ¡ªThe Ring of the Executioner. It was thanks to the effect of the item that drew all surrounding attacks to the person holding it. ____ ____ Chapter 44 Hard Carry Support Chapter 44 ¨C Escape (1) Flap-! Hundreds of sharp pieces scratched his body. But Hyun had already activated ?One Second Absorption?. Thanks to that, he didn¡¯t receive any damage, and it served as fuel for his ?Vision Sword?. ¡®Now¡­!¡¯ Hyun took out the ?Vision Sword? and cut slightly into Louise¡¯s arms. Why did he suddenly attack her? Why was he damaging the one the quest had asked him to protect? It would be normal to ask these questions, but it was part of their plan. Swoosh- Louise¡¯s entire body was enveloped in the wind. It was the buff effect of ¡®The Blood Fairy¡¯s Frenzy.¡¯ Hyun had given Louise his robe and lowered her HP to a point just before 20%. ¡¸Resist a little bit.¡¹ Hyun used ?Assimilation? again. Poof! They caused an explosion in the air and used the reaction to jump as high as possible. From side to side! The stairs had a spiral form, so you could jump over an entire floor if you jumped correctly. Poof-! Poof-! Poof-! With three jumps, they went over three floors instantly. ¡®There they are!¡¯ They saw the enemies that had thrown bombs from upstairs. These people were wearing black clothes and a mask. They had the same look like the people that had been following them yesterday. ?Vision Sword?! Louise¡¯s tiny hands grabbed onto a giant sword made of light that didn¡¯t match her. Hyun slashed without doubting for even a moment. ¡ªA blue light that cuts through space! But they failed to cut the opponent. ¡®Disassimilate!¡¯ The light scattered away and then formed again. Hyun appeared behind the opponent. By the time he appeared behind the opponents, he was already swinging his sword. From the opponent¡¯s point of view, it probably was like being ambushed from behind out of nowhere. ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± The masked man bent down instinctively. The reflexes of a level 200 Thief-related job were so incredible that it didn¡¯t look human at all¡ªit was outside of a normal human¡¯s capabilities. Even though the ambush plan was perfect, the ?Vision Sword? cut through the air. ?Assimilate?! The moment he discovered that the attack had failed, Hyun ?Assimilated? into Louise again. All the inertia that was hanging in Hyun¡¯s body disappeared. Within a tiny lapse of time, Louise swung the ?Vision Sword? forward. ¡ªInertia Cancel. In real life, if an attack with a big movement failed, you wouldn¡¯t be able to attack immediately after it because your center of gravity would be off, but that changed while using ?Assimilation?. From a physical point of view, it was as if an entity repeated ¡®destruction¡¯ and ¡®creation.¡¯ ¡ªOnce in front and once from behind. Since light shone from both sides, even if the opponent were fast, they¡¯d be hit with one of the two attacks. The Vision Sword cut the opponent¡¯s neck. ¡®He didn¡¯t die?¡¯ Even though the attack had been a success, Hyun was still surprised by the result. In Asrian, there was a system that if you inflicted more than 33% of the HP as damage in one hit, your opponent wouldn¡¯t be able to use the body part where the attack landed. If the enemy was alive after being hit in the neck, that meant their HP was at least a hundred thousand. Suddenly, a thought crossed Hyun¡¯s mind. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­ These guys were named?¡¯ Paf-! Suddenly, a light came from the side. Another person was trying to cut them with a sword. Just before the sword penetrated Louise¡¯s heart, she used special steps to do a half turn. Her clothing was torn a little bit. The one that had just attacked Hyun and Louise was familiar to them. ¡ªIt was the first girl that had followed Louise. ¡®So she survived¡­¡¯ Looking at her appearance, it seemed like she hadn¡¯t received much damage. Beep-! One of the masked men took out a flute and blew it. He didn¡¯t know what signal it was, but it definitely wasn¡¯t good news. With the sound of the flute, more masked people began appearing. Above¡­ From below¡­ He could see between three to five people. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Louise took a breath of air. Her legs began trembling. Because she had previously engaged with them, she knew how strong they were. Just knowing that such strong opponents surrounded her was enough to make her lose hope. Louise¡¯s body was about to collapse. Because Hyun was using ?Assimilation?, he knew how Louise felt. He suddenly became annoyed. ¡¸Hey, do you want to die?¡¹ ¡°U¡­ Uh¡­ No¡­!¡± ¡¸I¡¯m a user, so it doesn¡¯t matter, but you¡¯re not. If you don¡¯t get a hold of yourself, you¡¯re going to die!¡¹ After Hyun talked to her via his soul, Louise¡¯s trembling stopped slightly. ¡¸Remember what I previously told you?!¡¹ Hyun looked upward. ¡ªA spiral staircase connected to the edge of the pillar. From the end of the staircase, which was close, they could see the dungeon¡¯s exit. ¡¸The way of climbing here is the same as on the cliff. If your feet stop, you¡¯ll fall.¡¹ Hyun moved forward and walked to the ¡®Red Stairs.¡¯ It was a trap. The red stairs, red railing, red walls, and red columns¡­ Everything that was painted red was a trigger that activated traps. Tak- The moment he stepped on the first red stair, a trap activated. The stairs from the ground to the exit began crumbling like a sandcastle. Seeing such a big spiral staircase crumble in its entirety was like looking at a tall building being demolished. There were only a few staircases left. The opponents that didn¡¯t have anywhere to step began falling. But they quickly adapted and either grabbed onto the walls or created a stepping stone and used that. ¡¸Don¡¯t stop!¡¹ The moment the trap activated, Louise leaped forward with everything she had. Because there weren¡¯t any staircases left, she had to run while using the walls. ¡®It¡¯s the same as that moment!¡¯ Louise tried to remember how that previous movement felt and tried to copy it. While going to the secret marketplace, Hyun had used centrifugal force to climb up there easily. Now that they had disassimilated, she was the one that had to do it. Louise stepped on the walls while clenching her fists. With all of her might¡­ Every time she leaped, she moved approximately 10 meters. Although her movements, which were similar to vortex movements, seemed a little bit unstable, she didn¡¯t fall. ¡­But the opponents were lighter than Louise. They were stepping on the walls and moving freely. It looked as if they¡¯d be able to catch up to Louise very quickly. She reached the place Hyun had told her right before she got into trouble. Tik- The moment Hyun touched a red wall, another trap activated. Thuck-! Arrows were shot from the sides. There were thousands of them in number. There were so many silver lights that they were blocking vision. Although the arrows had successfully slowed the opponents, they had also put Louise in danger. The moment she was about to become a hedgehog¡­ ?Assimilation?! ?One Second Absorption?! Ting! All of the arrows bounced away. ¡°A¡­ Am I alive?¡± ¡¸Stop talking and run!¡¹ Swish-! From the sides, some short swords came flying toward them. Because there was some cooldown time left for ?One Second Absorption?, Hyun used the ?Vision Sword?. He used the sword as a shield to brush away all the incoming attacks. That had been possible because Louise¡¯s body was small. ¡®So there¡¯s approximately 10 of them, right?¡¯ After searching for a place to hide after the staircase crumbled, he was able to count the number of enemies. ¡®Damn, this isn¡¯t a joke!¡¯ The difficulty of the quest was too great. Usually, you were rewarded according to the difficulty of the quest, but he just couldn¡¯t understand the current situation. But Hyun quickly shook away his irrelevant thoughts. There was no time to complain. ¡°Use this!¡± After disassimilating, Hyun gave Louise ¡®The Ring of the Executioner¡¯ he had bought from the secret marketplace. Louise¡¯s eyes widened. * * * * * * That¡¯s because she knew what the effect of that item was. ¡°This¡­?!¡± It was the item she had complained about because of how cursed it was. But¡ªfor the moment¡ªshe followed Hyun¡¯s words without complaining. She trusted Hyun¡¯s words and decisions. As soon as she put on the ring, she could feel her heart squeezing and an unpleasant sensation spreading through her body. Yes, just as if she had been cursed. ¡®Good, let¡¯s do it.¡¯ As Louise put on the ring, Hyun began moving. He approached a place near the red wall and pressed something. Thuck-! Thousands of arrows covered the sight. ¡®?Assimilation?, ?One Second Absorption?!¡¯ As soon as he activated the trap, he ?Assimilated? into Louise. Suddenly, the view changed. ¡®Ah¡­¡¯ Hyun and Louise were both lost for words. Whoosh- The arrow was dragging in all the surrounding arrows. The sight of thousands of arrows moving by themselves just as if they were alive was too unrealistic. They couldn¡¯t see the front because it was covered with a silver light. Thousands of arrows formed a wall. The distance between them and said wall kept getting smaller¡­ ¡®We¡¯re going to bump into it!¡¯ Thuck thuck thuck thuck-! ¡®Ugh¡­!¡¯ Hyun groaned in pain, even though he had blocked every arrow with the ?One Second Absorption?. There was nothing he could do about it. Even though he was invincible with that skill, from a human¡¯s point of view, it was impossible to make an objective judgment in such an overwhelming situation. Three masked enemies took the opportunity to jump at them. ?Vision Sword?. A giant sword formed in Louise¡¯s hands. But that time, it was a little bit different. The ?Vision Sword? was bigger than before, and blue flames spouted from its blade. Hyun had never seen it do that, but it wasn¡¯t the right time to ponder it. At the same time that he used ?Shield?, he swung the ?Vision Sword?. The three opponents were within range and became stunned at the same time. ¡ªStriking at the opponent¡¯s sword was a way to defend. Hyun took the opportunity and slashed them three more times. Every time he swung the sword, blue flames wrapped the opponents. [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 153,942 damage!] [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 151,534 damage!] [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 149,917 damage!] [By consecutively attacking the same part of the body, you¡¯ve dealt more than 33% of the opponent¡¯s HP as damage!] [Level up!] The result of centering the attacks on the opponent¡¯s neck was impressive. Hyun never thought he would level up after killing a single opponent. From the messages he received in his system, he guessed that the opponents should have at least a million HP¡ªthey were at the level of a mid-range named monster. The enemies became warier after one of them died. Hyun disassimilated again and touched the next red wall. Clack- The trap activated again, and they were showered by a rain of arrows. Swish-! At the same time, eight enemies attacked simultaneously! Four of them threw daggers and ninja stars. And another four were charging toward them at a frightening speed with swords in their hands. ¡®We only need to resist this¡­!¡¯ They were getting closer to the dungeon¡¯s exit. Hyun was feeling the tension. He enjoyed the slight dizziness. ¡®A little bit more¡­¡¯ The moment the opponents closed in, Hyun disassimilated and ran toward the enemies. Even though he swung the sword, they didn¡¯t try to counter it. The enemies were also learning. ¡ªThey¡¯d seen their allies get stunned after hitting Hyun¡¯s sword. But even though Hyun¡¯s attack pattern was the same as before, it was slightly different. He swung it again and smashed down the sword from a higher angle. The blue flames drew a half-moon twice. First, it was small. But then, it grew bigger. ?Shield?! Two enemies were within the attack range of the half-moon. Both were stunned! That was more than enough. Because they were going to be stunned for the next three seconds, they were going to fall deep into the abyss. ?Assimilation?! Hyun entered Louise¡¯s body again. He laid down the huge sword and blocked the incoming attacks. Ting-! The four that had launched long-range attacks became stunned at the same time. He saw the four of them losing consciousness and falling down the cliff. They probably would¡¯ve never guessed that launching a ninja star from a distance would be enough to make them stunned. That was the great thing about ?Shield?. ¡®Disassimilate!¡¯ The flow of Hyun¡¯s consciousness changed many times. Such a thing was possible because he used the time by breaking it into decimal units. After Disassimilating, he appeared behind an opponent. Clang-! The enemy became stunned after being touched with the ?Vision Sword?. ¡®Up to here.¡¯ In just a second, he had managed to stun seven opponents successfully. ¡ªThere was only one remaining. The last opponent was already charging toward Louise. ¡®You won¡¯t dodge this!¡¯ Hyun raised his hands as high as possible and smashed down at the opponent. Clang! As the blue flames clashed with the enemy¡¯s sword, Louise¡¯s body soared high into the air because of the chain reaction. ¡°Oh¡­!¡± Louise groaned slightly. Finally, she could see the exit of the dungeon. Was that how a climber who had reached the top of a mountain felt? She could feel something hot circulating through her veins. The wind that was coming from the exit was cold. It was dark outside. It was night, the sun wasn¡¯t there, and she was free from the curse. ____ ____ Chapter 45 Hard Carry Support Chapter 45 ¨C Escape (2) ¡®Good, this is perfect!¡¯ Hyun let out a delighted exclamation. It was the best possible outcome. She had reached the exit with most of the opponents stunned. ¡°Okay, Louise, go! If you move along the valley and erase your footprints, they¡¯ll have a hard time following you! You¡¯ll be able to find a place where the sun doesn¡¯t reach before morning!¡± Hyun had previously told her that, but he reminded her again just in case she had forgotten. ¡°Hyun¡­¡± Just before walking out, Louise turned around. ¡°You¡­¡± Hyun¡¯s heart burned after seeing Louise get sentimental. Was it that she couldn¡¯t get a grasp of the situation? The opponents hadn¡¯t died. They were just stunned. ¡°Run, now!¡± Louise¡¯s body shook at Hyun¡¯s fierce shouting. With a frustrated look on her face and about to burst into tears, she walked toward the dungeon¡¯s exit. ¡°Did you say five years¡­? If I¡¯m alive, I¡¯d like to meet you again in that secret marketplace.¡± After saying those words, she crossed the exit and disappeared. Hyun didn¡¯t look back. The opponents who had been freed from stun had made it closer to the dungeon¡¯s exit. ¡®This is the last trap, huh¡­¡¯ Hyun touched the red wall that was next to him. Clack- As the last trap activated, thousands of arrows poured from each side. That time they weren¡¯t dragged to a single point. That was because ¡®The Ring of the Executioner¡¯ was on Louise¡¯s finger. ¡®Damn¡­! I forgot to tell her to take out the ring! If she¡¯s wearing it while escaping, she could get into trouble¡­ I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll take it off on her own, right¡­?¡¯ He realized it belatedly. ¡ªThat he hadn¡¯t told Louise to take off the ring. It made him somewhat anxious, but he had no other option than to wait. The most important thing was to stall for as much time as possible. ¡®How long can I resist¡­? If it¡¯s one minute¡­¡¯ Hyun looked at the masked enemies that were approaching him and bluffed. He stood in front of the narrow dungeon¡¯s exit. ¡®Until I die, I won¡¯t let anyone get out of here.¡¯ * * * Immediately after walking out of the dungeon, the entrance collapsed. Louise walked to the road behind and swallowed her breath. Hyun had demolished the entrance so that the people following her wouldn¡¯t be able to catch her. The moment she learned that, she wanted to cry. She wanted to stop but kept running. ¡®You¡­ Were really prepared to die.¡¯ Even while running, she could remember what Hyun had said. According to him, since he was a user, it didn¡¯t matter if he died, but Louise knew there was more to it than that. Dying wasn¡¯t a light matter, even for him. Despite that, he had sacrificed himself for her. ¡®No, we will be able to meet again. There are a lot of things I wasn¡¯t able to tell him.¡¯ Louise clenched her fist and shook her head. She had to survive until then to meet again. Just like Hyun had told her, Louise followed the valley while erasing her footprints. If she discovered a dangerous monster in the distance, she waited, standing silently. She stepped on the tree branches and used her wind magic to move. After many hours of doing that, her mana reached its limit. ¡®Ugh¡­ This is hard.¡¯ NPCs from the game weren¡¯t that different from real human beings. If they didn¡¯t eat, they became hungry, and when they ran out of energy, they became exhausted. The vast forest wasn¡¯t somewhere a kid like Louise could explore on her own. Louise¡¯s legs were shaking as if she was about to fall. After she ran out of mana, Louise ran with her own feet, so it was normal for her to get tired. But still, she couldn¡¯t stop moving. Before morning came, she had to find a place where the sunlight wouldn¡¯t touch her. ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± Louise stepped on a stone and fell to the ground. Because her stamina was at its limits, she couldn¡¯t get up immediately. ¡®Ugh, I have no time to do this¡­ I have to keep moving¡­¡¯ In the midst of fainting, Louise could feel the surroundings turn red. ¡®The sun, already?¡¯ Fear rushed in. If she faced the sun there, where there was nowhere to hide, all the efforts they¡¯d made up until then would become meaningless. She wouldn¡¯t be able to meet him again. Louise, who had lost all hope, raised her head and looked upward. ¡°Ah¡­?¡± Louise let out a groan. What she saw was a black sun that emitted a dark light in the middle of a red sky. From the red sky, dark light came out. Louise thought that she must be hallucinating. It felt as if she was dreaming. After the black sun illuminated her, she felt comfortable and cozy, and she ended up falling asleep. * * * * * * ¡®I resisted quite a lot.¡¯ He tried to resist by all means possible until the end, but he soon became light and scattered away. If it weren¡¯t for the narrow dungeon¡¯s exit, he probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to resist even a minute. After dying, he was forced to log out. Hyun fell into a deep sleep. Just before dying, his tiredness was at 96. ¡ªThat meant he had been logged in for too long. Because there weren¡¯t classes that day, Hyun slept for the entire day without eating. He woke up after sleeping for almost an entire day. The sunlight was coming in through the window. ¡®What time is it?¡¯ He checked out the clock. Twenty hours had passed. There was still a lot of time left before the death penalty ended. He also wasn¡¯t sleepy anymore because of how much he had already slept. ¡°Oof¡­¡± He got up while stretching his arms. The dust rose, and then it calmed down. It was silent. After taking a shower, he prepared some ramen for himself. Even after finishing his meal, he was still hungry, so he cooked one more. He turned on the computer and checked out the Asrian community. Except for the duel arena, there wasn¡¯t any new special content. He tried to do different things, but he couldn¡¯t concentrate. His head was full of what had happened the day before. ¡°Tsk¡­ I only suffered losses. After dying, there¡¯s nothing I can do.¡± There wasn¡¯t any reward for the quest to protect Louise. Even while complaining, SeoHyun had a smile on his face. ¡®I wonder if she managed to escape¡­ I guess she did¡­? She should¡¯ve been right next to the valley.¡¯ Hyun tried to calm down. Since it was something that had already passed, he had no other choice but to believe. While he was worrying about Louise, he got a message from the capsule. [You got a new message!] [AIN has sent a conversation request. Will you accept?] ¡®Ain? If it¡¯s a request to game together, I won¡¯t be able to¡­ Since I can¡¯t log in.¡¯ There were 48 hours of penalty for dying. Only 20 hours had passed, so there was still a lot of time left. Hyun spoke to the capsule¡¯s voice recognition device. LeeSeoHyun: I died, so I can¡¯t log in today. There are still 28 hours left. Ain¡¯s voice spread through the room. AIN: What? What were you doing? LeeSeoHyun: I was trying to complete a quest alone¡­ AIN: Hmm¡­ That¡¯s why you should¡¯ve done it with me. LeeSeoHyun: You suddenly disappeared, so there was nothing I could¡¯ve done about it. After receiving a call from Ain, a smile was drawn on SeoHyun¡¯s face without him even noticing it. As he talked to her, he felt that the anxiousness was fading away. AIN: But what did you do yesterday? How did you manage to level up so fast? While talking, Ain suddenly said something strange. He couldn¡¯t understand her, so he asked again. LeeSeoHyun: Level? Are you talking about me? AIN: Yes. Hyun, you¡¯re currently level 95. LeeSeoHyun: Eh? What are you talking about? Because both of them were registered as friends, they could check each other¡¯s levels whenever they wanted. But according to her, Hyun¡¯s level was 95 at the moment. ¡®Is there something wrong?¡¯ More than being happy, he was taken aback by it. Is there a bug? Before he had died, he was at level 70. That meant that, after dying, his level had risen 25 times in one go. The only way to gain experience was either by hunting or completing quests. Because he had died, he could¡¯ve only gained experience by completing a quest. ¡®Louise?¡¯ The only possible explanation was that he had cleared the quest to protect Louise. But he was getting even more confused. ¡®That quest definitely didn¡¯t have a reward¡­¡¯ ¡®What happened¡­?¡¯ Then he thought of a possibility. ¡ªMain Quest. It was his first time seeing those words. Was that the reason why he had leveled up so much? That was the only explanation he could come up with for the moment. ¡®I¡¯ll have to log in to know what happened.¡¯ Hyun was hoping for it not to be a bug. He was scared of having misused a bug and having his account banned because of it. LeeSeoHyun: Leaving that aside, what are you doing? AIN: I¡¯m in the duel arena. I¡¯m doing a few more rounds after finishing my placement tests. Fufu¡­ You¡¯ll probably be surprised at my record. LeeSeoHyun: That¡¯s right. The duel arena has opened its doors¡­ Well, at least you won¡¯t get bored even if I¡¯m not there. AIN: That¡¯s not necessarily true¡­ Hyun: Huh? AIN: Send me a message when you log in. I¡¯ll be burning some time in the duel arena! The conversation ended. SeoHyun was thinking about many things while sitting on the capsule, but he suddenly became tired again. He finally concluded that it¡¯d be better to think about it once he could log in. Hyun decided to push back the thoughts about that for a little bit. * * * ¡ªIt was at the point when SeoHyun was asleep after dying. Because Hyun wasn¡¯t there, there weren¡¯t many things she could do. ¡®Should I go to the duel arena?¡¯ In Asra, she had spent most of the time dueling. The same was true this time. [You¡¯ve entered the duel arena!] [The damage you receive will be reduced by 1/10 in this place!] Every city has a duel arena in it. It was a dark place that resembled a pub. The duel arena worked with a matching system and could only be used by players, So there weren¡¯t many NPCs inside the building. There was a giant portal inside the lobby, and in front of it, many users were trying to get a match. ¡®Were there so many people in the duel arena?!¡¯ Ain¡¯s mouth was agape at sight. There were so many people gathered that it reminded her of a concert. The fact that there were so many people interested in dueling made Ain happy. The duel arena¡­ There were many matchmaking systems, but Ain was mostly interested in 1 vs. 1. After you dueled 10 times, you were put into a category depending on your skills. Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Master, Grand Master, and Pioneer! From bronze up to diamond, each category was divided into five more, but from Master up to Pioneer, there weren¡¯t any subdivisions. They themselves were categories on their own. Grand Master and Pioneer members were fixed at the top 1000 and top 10, respectively, so if you didn¡¯t have a talent for the game, it was a category you wouldn¡¯t be able to reach. Just reaching the category of Master was enough to be praised on the community boards. ¡®Match register¡­ Oh?¡¯ Ain was surprised. In the previous game, you had to wait for at least five minutes before you found an opponent, but the matching had finished in just a second. ¡®It¡¯s fast!¡¯ The sight changed when the portal in front of her began shining. ____ ____ Chapter 46 Hard Carry Support Chapter 46 ¨C The Day One of the Veils Fell Off (1) Ain was standing on top of a rock, under which there was a water current that ended in a waterfall. The falling water broke into droplets that reflected the sunlight. It was a place that one would think belonged to a martial arts novel. The map was chosen from one of Asrian¡¯s top locations, so it was a real place that existed somewhere. She could see the opponent in front of her. [vs. Louis (Bronze. 3)] [Three, Two, One, Fight!] During the countdown, Ain tried to analyze the opponent. Thanks to the experience gained in Asra, she could guess the opponent¡¯s level by judging their equipment. ¡®Hmm¡­ He seems to be around level 20.¡¯ She got bored. In Asra, she used to be matched only with the top players; that¡¯s why she¡¯d rarely fought someone so weak. She could do nothing about it since she hadn¡¯t been placed in a category yet. It seemed like, finally, the opponent had seen her. From his point of view, Ain must have looked like a novice¡ªeven more than him. She wasn¡¯t holding any weapon, and the only protective gear she had was an old and dusty robe. Not only that, but she was a frail-looking female user! ¡°A kid? This is going to be an e¡ª¡± He couldn¡¯t finish the sentence. Ain, who had instantly reduced the distance between them, had used flames to blow away his head. [You¡¯ve won!] [You¡¯ve gained two battle coins!] Ain had returned to the lobby five seconds after the battle began. ¡®What¡­?¡¯ Ain couldn¡¯t believe it. In the battle arena, every user¡¯s damage was reduced to 1/10. It was a system that had been put in place to avoid things like the victory being decided instantly. The damage had been locked by the system. ¡ªThat¡¯s why the 33% rule was rarely activated there. The fact that the opponent had died with one hit even after those debuffs meant that he had lower HP than she had expected. ¡®It would be more fun if I could fight ten guys like this simultaneously.¡¯ Whish- Just like before, her sight changed almost instantly. The map was a forest. [vs. LenaLena (Bronze. 1)] [Three, Two, One, fight!] ¡°Oh, I¡¯m looking forward to a¡­ Ugh!¡± The opponent had bowed as soon as she had found Ain, but she didn¡¯t bow back. The moment she bowed, Ain reduced the distance between them by 20 meters. Even though she was level 67, thanks to the achievement bonuses gained, her stats were similar to those of a user at level 130. Basically, she had the agility of a level 130 user. The moment the claws covered in fire penetrated the opponent¡¯s chest¡ª! [2nd win in a row!] [You¡¯ve gained three battle coins!] [If you keep the winning streak, something special will happen!] Paf- Again, the battle ended as soon as it began. Another match. [vs. Sandor (Silver. 4)] [Three, Two, One, fight!] Swaaa- A heavy rain began pouring in a ruin. In maps like that, where it was raining heavily, the amount of damage fire attacks dealt was reduced. But¡­ Paf- Ain stepped on the roof and then targetted the opponent¡¯s side. When the opponent noticed Ain and tried to dodge, it was already too late. Ain had already successfully landed five fire attacks by the time he activated a skill. All the people she had been fighting until then were newbies with no experience with dueling. It would be impossible for them to catch on to Ain¡¯s speed. * * * * * * Ain¡¯s winning streak continued. The most amazing thing was that she had won five times in just a minute. The moment a battle was decided, she disappeared. Moreover, she went back to the lobby as soon as she finished. Because she kept doing so, she kept disappearing, appearing, disappearing, and appearing. The eyes of a user that was looking from a distance narrowed. Ain hadn¡¯t noticed it, but at a table located in the corner of the lobby, someone had seen her. ¡®What¡¯s up with her?¡¯ It was a weird sight. Once the match was decided, it took at least a minute, even if it was short. Most matches took at least five minutes before the winner was decided. But that girl had reappeared in front of the portal almost instantly! It was hard to classify it as normal play. ¡°From her outfit, I¡¯d guess she¡¯s a Priest.¡± Her appearance resembled the Dark Priest that had appeared on ¡®The Gamez.¡¯ Those past few weeks, most users who wanted to become Dark Priest were going around wearing black robes. Also, during the Count¡¯s Quest, Ain¡¯s face couldn¡¯t be seen very well because of the backlight; that¡¯s why the users hadn¡¯t noticed her. ¡°Isn¡¯t she an intentional deranker?¡± he asked his partner, who was also looking at the girl. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s someone that loses on purpose to lower the ranking. Judging by how she¡¯s coming out as soon as she enters, she¡¯s clearly an intentional deranker.¡± ¡°Why lose on purpose?¡± ¡°She¡¯s trying to fight against only weak newbies! Because of people like that, many people who are just starting to play get demoralized!¡± ¡°Are there many people who do that?¡± ¡°Not really, but there are some people like that from time to time. Judging from her job, I guess she¡¯s a typical user that rides the bus to gain some free experience! People like that are always the ones who do things like this.¡± He said that last thing in a higher tone of voice. Ain had just returned to the lobby after winning her 9th consecutive match. She turned her head around angrily. Behind her, some users were pointing their fingers at her. She approached them slowly. Their eyes meet. Unlike when she talked to Hyun, Ain¡¯s voice was cold and dry. ¡°Are you talking about me? Hmm?¡± A dry tone. Ain replied shortly and looked at them. ¡®What the¡­¡¯ They suddenly felt chills. But when they came back to their senses, they thought about themselves as lame. Now that they looked at her closely, she was a little girl who seemed to be a middle school student. They didn¡¯t want to admit that they¡¯d been intimidated for a moment, so they replied back louder. ¡°Did I say something wrong? You¡¯re clearly an intentional deranker!¡± Ain¡¯s fingers wriggled for a little bit but soon stopped. She remembered that there was a protective system in the duel arena that protected users from taking damage from other users. ¡°What are your ids?¡± Ain asked with cold and sunken eyes. ¡°Why are you asking that¡­?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m curious?¡± Ain didn¡¯t try to justify herself. She also didn¡¯t talk loudly. They had only exchanged a few words, but they were starting to get anxious. They couldn¡¯t understand why she was suddenly asking for their ids. ¡®Is there someone behind her back¡­?¡¯ ¡®Hey, the atmosphere isn¡¯t good¡­ We should act as if we hadn¡¯t seen anything.¡¯ After talking to each other, they took the opportunity to get up. Ain saw them ignore her and leave the duel arena without saying anything. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Because the number of players had increased, the chances of getting into meaningless conflicts had also increased. She hated the people who talked too much despite not having skills. Ain thought it would¡¯ve been great if she¡¯d meet them outside of the duel arena. ¡®Tsk, the flow has been broken.¡¯ She ignored the stares of other people and went to duel again. The last placing match. The moment the portal shone, her surroundings changed. Ain suddenly felt her body becoming lighter. ¡®This¡­¡¯ It wasn¡¯t her imagination. Her body really felt lighter. ¡®A satellite?¡¯ The reason why she felt that the sky was dark despite the sunlight being strong was that space could be seen from there. The reason why her body felt lighter was because of the gravity. She looked up. In the dark sky, she could see the sun and the planet ¡®Asra.¡¯ The scenery of the fight was one of the abandoned satellites that were floating in space. The old structure was floating in space, lonely. Although she wasn¡¯t that familiar with the place, she calmed down. The reason was that she knew where she was. [vs. Karen (Platinum. 2)] [The opponent has won seven consecutive times!] More than the map, she focused on the user. ¡®Magician¡¯s clothes¡­ The level should be around 60.¡¯ The opponent was looking around, probably because she would¡¯ve never guessed that the fight would occur in space. Ain didn¡¯t give her time and leaped immediately toward her. Maybe it was because the gravity was weak there, but just putting a little bit of strength on her ankle was enough to approach the opponent at a pretty fast speed. The moment she got near, she attacked! The flames that covered her fingers hit her opponent¡¯s chest! This opponent hadn¡¯t died with just one hit. Not only that, but her reaction speed wasn¡¯t bad either. The moment she was hurt, she summoned her ?Ice Shield?. She also used her skill ?Emergency Retreat? to back off. But she would¡¯ve never imagined what was about to happen. Crack-! That her Ice Shield would break after just one hit! ¡°Ugh, what¡¯s happening¡­?!¡± Karen shouted before her neck was cut by the fire attack. That was the last thing she said. As soon as she finished the ten matches, her rank was decided. [10 consecutive victories!] [You¡¯ve gained 15 duel coins!] [Congratulations! You¡¯ve been placed in Platinum 1!] [You¡¯re currently among the top 1.3% of players! You¡¯ll be able to read more about it on the status window!] The system message kept going for a little bit. [Because you¡¯ve won 10 consecutive times, the ¡®Battle Aura¡¯ has been activated! You¡¯ll keep it until you lose!] [While the Battle Aura is activated, you¡¯ll gain twice the amount of battle coins, but your stats will be decreased by 10%!] ¡°Woah¡­!¡± A red light began coming out from her body. Every time you won 10 consecutive times, the color would change, and another effect would be added. If you won 20 consecutive times, it would turn red, and if you achieved 30 successive victories, green. Of course, there weren¡¯t many users who could maintain such a winning streak. The battle aura had three effects: ¡ªThe first one was that you gained more battle coins. ¡ªThe second one was a penalty. It decreased all your stats by 10%. ¡ªThe third one was that if you had the battle aura, you would get the attention of everyone around you! As the colors changed, they became more intense, so you gave a tremendous presence just by standing in the lobby. ¡°Woah! It seems like someone has achieved 10 consecutive victories!¡± As a new user with a Battle Aura appeared, the lobby became noisier. Also, the words ¡°Intentional Deranker¡± disappeared. Thanks to artificial intelligence, someone who does something like deranking intentionally wouldn¡¯t be able to gain the Battle Aura. Although, since Ain didn¡¯t care about what other people said, that didn¡¯t matter. ¡®I¡¯d better get some more items.¡¯ After completing the category placement matches, Ain walked toward the battle shop. Next to the bar, many people looked at the items on display. Battle Shop¡­ It was a place where you could use your Battle Coins to buy some equipment. Ain slowly walked while looking at what was available. Because the items were displayed as a hologram, it looked like a futuristic place. Many rare and unique items were catching the users¡¯ attention. It didn¡¯t matter how strong or luxurious an item was, they didn¡¯t catch Ain¡¯s attention. Ain crossed the hallways without even taking a glance at them. She only stopped walking after reaching the place where accessories were on display. ¡°Ah¡­!¡± A pair of rings. She¡¯d been looking for that since she entered the Battle Shop. That ring with a subtle gold color felt more luxurious and mysterious than any other item. Ain took a deep breath after looking at the information window. The name of the item had caught the girl¡¯s attention. [ The Heavenly Couple Ring (Unique) ] Durability 20/20 ¨C All your speed is increased by 4%. ¨C Your Magic Defense increases by 10. ¨C Critical Hit Damage increases by 15%. If the opponent is a user, the damage increases to 30%. ¨C If you¡¯re with a partner with the same ring, all your stats are increased by 20%. ¨C You can summon your partner if both of you have the same ring. (Cooldown Time: 10 minutes) ¨C You can sense your partner¡¯s feelings. ¡°Why is it so expensive?¡± Ain clenched her teeth after reading the price. The number was too big. If it were back then in Asra Online, she would¡¯ve been able to buy it without thinking about it twice, but at the moment, she only had 150 battle coins. But¡­ She really wanted it! ¡®Although one isn¡¯t enough.¡¯ She needed two rings. It was the perfect opportunity to show Hyun what she was capable of and also send him a special message. To reach her goal, she needed more battle coins. A lot more battle coins! ¡®Will I be able to save so much?¡¯ Ain suddenly became motivated. ¡®I can buy it! No, I¡¯ll definitely buy it!¡¯ Her eyes were shining more intensely than on other days. ____ ____ Chapter 47 Hard Carry Support Chapter 47 ¨C The Day One of the Veils Fell Off (2) Ain rapidly went back to the lobby and went to the matching portal. ¡®Register for a duel!¡¯ The map at that time resembled a circus because they were standing on top of numerous dangerous pillars. [vs. Dwen (Diamond. 5)] [The opponent has won four consecutive matches!] Ain was solely focused on her opponent. It didn¡¯t matter on what map the fight was on. She just ran toward her opponent to slaughter him. The opponent was a Thief whose ranking was Diamond 5. The Thief job was great at PvP because of its speed, but¡­ Smash-! Almost instantly, Ain¡¯s claws slashed the opponent¡¯s body and destroyed him. [11th Consecutive Victory!] [You¡¯ve obtained 21 x 2 battle coins!] Just like the message that she¡¯d received previously said, thanks to the ¡®Battle Aura,¡¯ Ain had received double the amount of Battle Coins, but in exchange, all her stats had been decreased. Even after her Agility was decreased by 10%, she was still faster than her opponent. Thanks to the achievement hunting she¡¯d done, her stats were much higher than the average user. ¡®Register!¡¯ Once again, another duel began. That time the scenery was an endless meadow. An opponent who looked like a Warrior was standing on top of a hill. He had a shield in front of him. [vs. Lyrak (Diamond. 5)] [The opponent has achieved three consecutive victories!] Because the placing matches had ended, the speed at which the tier increased had slowed down, so she wouldn¡¯t be able to rank up as fast as before. Ain clenched her fists. That was better. If her rank increased slowly, that meant that she¡¯d meet the stronger opponents later on, so she¡¯d be able to more easily keep the consecutive wins. Smash! Ain¡¯s flame claws penetrated the Shield Warrior¡¯s defense. The opponent tried to resist, but he couldn¡¯t do anything against Ain, who moved extremely fast while doing feints. There was an overwhelming difference in their mobility! Ain kept constantly moving from the front to the rear of the Shield Warrior. It was hard to even keep up with her movements. It probably would¡¯ve been better if he had thrown up the shield on the floor. It didn¡¯t take long before the Shield Warrior became light and scattered away. [12th consecutive victory!] [You¡¯ve obtained 21 x 2 battle coins!] ¡®The couple ring¡­¡¯ Ain didn¡¯t take a rest and kept dueling. [vs. Rewrite (Diamond. 3)] [You¡¯ve won!] [vs. Kakar (Diamond. 4)] [You¡¯ve won!] [vs. Datra (Diamond. 3)] [You¡¯ve won!] ¡­ Ain kept dueling as if she was someone that was crazy about fighting. Some matches ended very easily, in other matches, the opponent used their ultimate attack, so the battle dragged on a little bit, but every single one ended up with Ain¡¯s victory. She was in a kind of trance. The only thing she cared about was defeating the opponent in front of her. Ain got the system message at the same time the energy surrounding her became yellow. [The ¡®Battle Aura¡¯ has become stronger!] [The amount of Battle Coins you can obtain has increased by another 3 times, and all your stats are decreased by another 10%!] The number of battle coins she could obtain was six times the amount, and all her stats would be decreased by 20%. The risk had increased, but the rewards had risen too. ¡°Hmm? What¡­?¡± Everyone had turned their heads around because a yellow aura had suddenly appeared, but when everyone had noticed it, Ain had already disappeared. ¡°Didn¡¯t something shine next to us?¡± ¡°Yes, I also noticed it!¡± ¡°Did someone level up? But this isn¡¯t a hunting ground¡­¡± While there was a little bit of disturbance in the lobby, Ain had appeared in a place that resembled a palace and was facing her opponent. Now her opponents were among the top Diamond rank users. Even though they were part of the top 1% of players, the lower the number became, the stronger they were compared to others. The opponent was an axe-wielding Warrior. The axe had high base damage, but because of their weight, getting back to a fighting position after using them was hard. Ain used that point to her advantage. The moment she pretended to charge forward and then moved to the side¡­ Swing- The ax flew across the air while making a loud noise. ¡®Now!¡¯ Through a feint, she made the opponent move first. Once he fell for the trap, she leaped toward him! [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 333 damage!] [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 352 damage!] [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 317 damage!] [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 351 damage!] [Because you¡¯ve attacked the same body part in a row, you¡¯ve dealt more than 33% of its HP as damage!] [You¡¯ve melted down his leg!] After she attacked the leg four consecutive times, she melted it down. She could see the astonishment in the eyes of the opponent who was falling down. He had thought that his attack had been a success, yet he could feel his body falling. Even after looking at the status window, he didn¡¯t know what had happened. He couldn¡¯t understand why his attack had failed. He also couldn¡¯t understand how his opponent had been able to attack the same body part four times in a row in that short time frame. ¡°Ugh¡­ Damn it!¡± The fact that he was missing a leg meant that he couldn¡¯t fight anymore. He soon became light and scattered away. [21st consecutive victory!] [You¡¯ve obtained 28 x 6 battle coins!] * * * * * * Paf-! Another match. At the top of a very high tower, Ain faced a new opponent. [vs. Telepass (Diamond. 2)] [The opponent has achieved three consecutive victories!] The wind was blowing. The top of the tower was too narrow for the two of them to move freely. It felt as if they were on top of a boxing ring. The only difference was that there was a cliff on the edge of the ring. ¡°¡­¡± The user Telepass was pointing his great sword toward Ain. Ain could feel that the opponent in front of her was stiff. The opponent also could see how many consecutive victories she had achieved¡­ So he wouldn¡¯t rush in without thinking about it twice. If you won against an opponent with a Battle Aura, you could obtain extra Battle Coins. For example, if you could win against an opponent that had won 20 consecutive times, you could earn 1000 extra bonus coins. So it wasn¡¯t just the user who had achieved the consecutive victories that had to be serious; the opponent had to be, too. The opponent probably really wanted to win against her. ¡®I can¡¯t lose against someone like him!¡¯ Ain couldn¡¯t afford to lose even once if she wanted to buy the item she¡¯d been longing for. Whoosh-! A red aura began coming out from the opponent¡¯s body. It was an ultimate attack that increased attack and speed instantly. Swing-! The greatsword covered with a blood-red light cut some of Ain¡¯s hair. Next, it brushed her ribs. After that, he tried to cut her body, but Ain wasn¡¯t there. Swoosh! Once again, he leaped toward her, but he missed that attack too. He couldn¡¯t hit her. She wasn¡¯t dodging after looking at his attack. With a user¡¯s ¡®Agility,¡¯ it was impossible to look at an attack and dodge it from a short distance. She was using her own movements to limit the opponent¡¯s attack path. Thanks to that, she was able to guess the next attack path. That¡¯s how she was dodging and then hitting him with flames. When the opponent took a defensive stance, she had already landed three attacks on him. Ain smiled maliciously. ¡°This is too obvious.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­! This damn brat!¡± Swing! It didn¡¯t matter how much he swung the greatsword. He couldn¡¯t land a single attack. Whenever the opponent missed an attack, she landed one or two attacks on him and then backed off. Continuing the cycle of attacking and then backing off was the best way to take advantage of one¡¯s superior Agility. The Warrior kept trying to resist until his HP dropped to zero, became light, and scattered away. [22nd consecutive victory!] [You¡¯ve gained 28 x 6 battle coins!] Suddenly, her opponents began using ultimate attacks with a long cooldown time. They all wanted to cut her consecutive win strike. Ain preferred that. Because even after that, the results wouldn¡¯t change at all. She had the most fun when the skillful opponents did everything they could, yet she still found it easy. [26th consecutive victory!] [You¡¯ve won against ¡®Izuna Haruko¡¯ who had won 12 consecutive times. You¡¯ve earned 200 x 6 Battle Coins as extra!] From time to time, she won against users that had won more than 10 consecutive times, so she earned a lot of bonus coins. Ain¡¯s smile deepened when she won against a user on a winning streak. And then, the color of the aura that was surrounding Ain changed. [30th consecutive victory!] [The amount of Battle Coins you can obtain has increased by another 4 times, and all your stats are decreased by another 10%!] The aura surrounding Ain became green. At the same time, her category increased. [You¡¯ve obtained the category ¡®Master¡¯!] [You¡¯re currently among the top 0.053% of players.] The system message kept going for a while. She just ignored it and began dueling again. The more her tier increased, the harder it became to win. Most battles began taking more than one minute, and some even took her three minutes. She was starting to feel the debuff. Because her Agility had decreased, her speed had become slower too. And because her Magical Damage had decreased, the amount of damage she dealt had been reduced together with it. Not only that, but her HP had also decreased because of her Vitality going down. Even after all these debuffs, her stats were still higher than the rest¡­ But once she reached the 40th consecutive victory, she wouldn¡¯t be able to overwhelm the rest with her stats. And finally¡­ [The amount of Battle Coins you can obtain has increased by another 5 times, and all your stats are decreased by another 10%!] [The amount of Battle Coins you can earn has maxed out and won¡¯t increase anymore!] Whir- Ain¡¯s body was covered by an intense blue light. Up until then, the aura had shone as intensely as a lamp, but that one was reminiscent of a sun. As Ain, who had finally achieved 40 consecutive victories, appeared in the lobby, everyone¡¯s attention became focused on her. ¡ªA girl that looked like a sun. ¡°Woah, what¡¯s that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a Battle Aura. But it¡¯s my first time seeing a blue one!¡± ¡°That¡¯s crazy! She¡¯s won 40 consecutive times?¡± A few people realized something after analyzing Ain for a while. Ain¡¯s face had been shown on The Gamez¡¯s broadcast. That¡¯s why some people recognized her. ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t she the Dark Priest?¡± ¡°Oh, now that you say it¡­!¡± By the time someone clapped and turned around, Ain had already disappeared. * * * Those days, JaeHoon had spent a lot of time in the Duel Arena. Except for the team¡¯s basic schedule, he spent all his time at the Duel Arena. He was so immersed in it that he reached the Master Tier. JaeHoon¡­ No, Practice¡¯s skill had improved a lot after analyzing the Dark Priest¡¯s video. The more he used what he had practiced in the Duel Arena, the more polished they became. And with that, his victory rate increased too. ¡®If things go on like this, I should be able to reach Grand Master. Right?¡¯ That wasn¡¯t a vain delusion. After all, Practice had won on the Master Tier 21 consecutive times! As he entered the city¡¯s Duel Arena, his body got covered by a yellow aura. That was the ¡®Battle Aura¡¯ he had obtained after winning more than 20 consecutive times. ¡°Woah, yellow!¡± ¡°20 consecutive wins, that¡¯s amazing¡­ Weren¡¯t you in Master Tier?¡± Practice had become someone well known in that city¡¯s Battle Arena. It¡¯s not that he wanted to brag about it, but because he kept dueling constantly, many people had started to recognize him. He had also received some offers to join different parties or guilds, but he had to refuse them all because he was already part of a professional gaming team. ¡®Okay, should I duel today too?¡¯ As soon as the opponent was decided, a map was picked randomly. Transparent tiles had been laid on an infinite floor. It was a map called ¡®Endless Plane.¡¯ Just like its name indicated, it was somewhere that resembled a space where there were an endless amount of transparent tiles on the floor. ¡®Oh, this map is great.¡¯ That was Practice¡¯s favorite map. The empty place that didn¡¯t have any obstacles was perfect for trying out new techniques. While he was thinking that, the opponent appeared. [vs. Ain (Master.)] [The opponent has won 47 consecutive times!] What? Practice thought that he had misread it. Was it even possible to win 47 consecutive times in the Master category? No, based on the consecutive wins, that person probably came straight from the lower categories. Even so, it just didn¡¯t make sense. ¡®Ranker¡­? It¡¯s an ID I¡¯ve never seen in the Hall of Fame.¡¯ He had been lucky to achieve 20 consecutive wins. It was in part thanks to his skill improving a lot. The opponent¡¯s jobs helped out too. Also, from then onwards, all his stats would be decreased by 20%, so he wasn¡¯t sure he would be able to keep up the winning streak. But this person had won 47 consecutive times¡­ ¡°Ah¡­!¡± His pupils widened after looking at the opponent who was covered by a blue aura. A small height and black robes¡­ And a slight smile on her face. In front of him, there stood a girl whose sight he knew very well. ____ ____ Chapter 48 Hard Carry Support Chapter 48 ¨C The Day One of the Veils Fell Off (3) ¡®This person¡­!¡¯ Practice grabbed his sword even tighter. Oof¡­ Practice took a deep breath and tried to calm down. He wanted to take it easy on his first match of the day, but that thought was blown away. ¡®She¡¯s called Ain¡­?¡¯ It was his first time seeing her, but he felt very used to it. It was as if she was his master, after all. ¡®So there¡¯s someone in Master who has won more than 20 consecutive times!¡¯ On the other hand, Ain was also excited at the sight of Practice. The yellow aura coming out from Practice¡¯s body looked like delicious bonus coins to her. If she beat an opponent who had achieved 20 consecutive victories, she would get a thousand coins. On top of that, if she added all the extra bonuses, she would be able to earn 120000 coins at one time! Anyone would get excited. ¡®Practice? What a weird name.¡¯ Ain¡¯s eyes were different than usual. Unlike the opponents she had fought against, Practice was standing in a weird position. His sword was pointing toward his feet. Somehow, that looked sharper. Ain was thinking that when Practice leaped toward her suddenly like a spring bouncing. A sharp thrush split the air. Ain dodged it diagonally. But then, something amazing happened. Clang-! [You¡¯ve received 23 damage!] [You¡¯ve been poisoned! Every 10 seconds, you¡¯ll receive 5 extra damage! The effect lasts for 300 seconds!] ¡®Hmm¡­?¡¯ Ain could feel her shoulders throbbing. Except for an ultimate attack, while maintaining 47 consecutive wins, she¡¯d never received a hit. ¡®This movement?!¡¯ Ain looked at Practice, surprised. ¡ªChanging the direction twice just before stabbing an opponent with a long-range attack. It was a movement she was used to. Changing directions mixed with feints¡­ It was a technique she frequently used while fighting. ¡®His fighting style is similar to mine?¡¯ Ain smiled. Should she test him? Just in time, the opponent attacked again. Ain made a big movement to the side. At that moment¡­ Whish-! The opponent also moved to the same side! Practice was moving just as she¡¯d thought. [You¡¯ve received 22 damage!] [The poison increased! Every 10 seconds, you¡¯ll receive 10 extra damage! The effect lasts for 300 seconds!] In real life, it would probably be impossible to change the direction to a vertical blow while stabbing an opponent. But thar place was Asrian¡ªyou could move in such ways that you wouldn¡¯t be able to in real life. ¡®I was right!¡¯ Ain was sure about it. He was using the same moves she¡¯d been using since Asra. The only difference was that he was using a sword, but the movement was the same. ¡°Did you play Asra?¡± Ain asked him. To use those movements freely, he had probably worked a lot. It was a technique that required a lot of practice. You needed to move very fast, and if you didn¡¯t have a delicate sense, you could suffer damage. ¡°Weird. I don¡¯t remember that ID.¡± Ain tried to remember, but she couldn¡¯t. It was normal. After all, Practice had never played Asra Online. ¡°This is my first time¡­¡± ¡°Really? How strange.¡± ¡°Uhm¡­ Could I register you as a friend?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Ain¡¯s smile deepened. How he used her movements and wanted to register her as a friend¡­ He was an interesting fellow. But Ain had no intention of registering as a friend another man that wasn¡¯t Hyun. Ain used the same answer she¡¯d used many times during Asra Online. ¡°I¡¯ll let you if you beat me.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± The fight resumed immediately. Practice tried to stab again, and Ain dodged diagonally. It was the same situation as before. Practice¡¯s eyes shone. Just as his body remembered, he tried to attack while changing the direction. Practice was about to change the direction of his attack toward the opponent when his sight shook. ¡®What?!¡¯ He had moved exactly the same way, but the result was completely different. He stood up after rolling up on the ground. Then he finally understood what had happened. He wasn¡¯t able to stab. Before he could do it, the opponent had countered his attack. Ain smiled at the dumbfounded Practice. ¡®If I block the attack before you change direction, you won¡¯t be able to do anything.¡¯ The movements Practice was using were hers in the first place. So finding the exact point when the direction was changing wasn¡¯t hard. Once she got the timing right, she could take advantage of his mental state to attack. She could easily read his next movements. However, from Practice¡¯s point of view, before he understood Ain¡¯s movements, he was just getting beaten up unilaterally. Usually, Ain would end the match as soon as the opponent fell, but she waited for him to recover his balance and stand up. ¡®How did she read my movements?¡¯ Practice began wondering while trying to recover his balance. He tried but failed at finding an answer. Then, there was only one thing he could do. He had to move in a more polished way! Whish-! * * * * * * But the moment he tried to stab, Ain¡¯s fingers shone. The only thing Practice could see was a system message. He was lying on the ground. Claws made of fire had scratched him. Practice stood there dumbfounded for a while. He just couldn¡¯t understand how he was being countered. ¡®He can¡¯t deal with this, huh¡­?¡¯ Ain turned off the flames while making a wry smile. From a certain point, the battles became psychological more than anything. That was because the movements were too fast for the human eye. Ain had tried to analyze Practice¡¯s current status. He had just learned how to move, but it seemed like he didn¡¯t understand very well how to fight in Asrian. If he knew that she was waiting for him to change directions and counter it, he could¡¯ve induced her to do it and then countered her attack. The reason why he couldn¡¯t do that was probably because of his lack of experience. ¡®It seems like he has learned it by chance. Or maybe¡­ did he study it alone?¡¯ Ain¡¯s guess was right. It hadn¡¯t been a week since Practice had started to analyze her movements after seeing the video. Also, he had never received the feedback of another person, so he had reached the Master category thanks to his own analysis. That had been enough up until then, but those movements that weren¡¯t polished enough were instantly destroyed by Ain. Ain kept countering Practice¡¯s attacks the same way. Just like a deja vu, the same scene kept repeating over and over again. The moment his sword changed direction, his chest became covered with fire. Practice clenched his teeth and swallowed a groan. Except for the first two times, he hadn¡¯t been able to land a proper attack on her. All his attacks were being blocked before he could even make them. ¡®There¡¯s nothing I can do¡­!¡¯ As his only attack had been completely sealed, he became powerless. He couldn¡¯t even do a simple stab, so there really was nothing he could do. What did he have to do in order to avoid being countered? Yes, the problem is with the timing. ¡®If only my attack isn¡¯t blocked¡­!¡¯ ¡°Do you think you¡¯ll succeed if your attack isn¡¯t cut off at the middle?¡± Practice raised his head after hearing Ain¡¯s voice. ¡°Try to attack me once more,¡± Ain said while moving her fingers. Practice nodded and lowered his sword again. He knew that there was a huge difference between their abilities, so he didn¡¯t insist on his pride. He tried to stab her once more. He changed direction twice. Ain didn¡¯t move from her place. ¡®Did it reach her?¡¯ He was targetting her left shoulder. But the moment when he thought that his attack had been a success¡­ He couldn¡¯t believe it, but he had missed the attack. In just an instant, she had backed off one meter and then returned. It was as if he was looking at something that only appeared in martial arts movies. ¡®Ah¡­!¡¯ Practice was thrilled. That kind of amazing gameplay was why he had dreamed about becoming a professional gamer. ¡°You can¡¯t win, see?¡± She just remained still in her place. It was as if she was inviting him to attack as much as he wanted. Practice nodded and then leaped toward her. But the result didn¡¯t change. As soon as he tried to stab, Practice felt like he was being sucked into the counterattack. The short movement of backing off and then a brief dash was so perfect that it could be mistaken for a skill. He knew she wasn¡¯t continuing her attack on purpose. Yes, she was going easy on him. Despite all that, there was nothing he could do. He felt as if there was a great wall between them. It was his first time feeling this since he began playing Asrian. He never thought that he¡¯d be so overwhelmed by the controlling abilities of an opponent rather than the specs. It felt as if it didn¡¯t matter what he did, he would never be able to touch her. What was even more amazing was that every attack ended up being a critical hit, even while moving so fast. ¡®Were her skills above what she¡¯d shown on the video¡­?¡¯ Now that he¡¯d fought her, he became sure about something. ¡ªHe wouldn¡¯t be able to beat her. Practice was confident that he wouldn¡¯t lose easily against anyone with similar specs, but it was the first time that he didn¡¯t think that. He had no chance of beating her. ¡®I need to learn more¡­!¡¯ After realizing the difference between them, most people would just give up, but Practice wasn¡¯t like that. He wanted to reach her level. That ambition was what allowed him to become a professional gamer. A professional gamer with more experience he knew had said something like this: ¡°Your life as a professional gamer is over the moment you lose confidence in yourself.¡± ¡°You need to think that you¡¯ll eventually be able to beat anyone.¡± Ain looked at Practice, whose HP was about to reach the bottom. Winning was impossible. ¡®I should wrap things up, right?¡¯ It had been a long time since he found someone fun, but she didn¡¯t have time to lose in order to earn more coins. Ain approached Practice to smash him with her fire claws. It was to finish him off. ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± Ain¡¯s eyes widened. Practice backed off a few centimeters and then moved forward¡ªit was as if he was trying to copy her move. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t copy it perfectly. He had leaped forward before the trajectory of her attack had ended. Practice trying out a new attack was like a fire moth jumping right into the fire. [48th consecutive victory!] [You¡¯ve earned 62 x 120 Battle Coins!] [You¡¯ve won against ¡®Practice,¡¯ who won 21 consecutive times. You¡¯ve earned 1000 x 120 Battle Coins as extra!] Even after returning to the lobby, Ain couldn¡¯t brush off the uncomfortable feeling. Rather than her winning the match, it was as if he had committed suicide. ¡°Well, since I¡¯ve won, I guess it really doesn¡¯t matter.¡± For some reason, she thought that she would remember his ID. * * * A few hours before¡­ Ain was rapidly going through the Diamond category. Tarr Tarr was also dueling in the same category. Tarr Tarr. He was the middle school student who had uploaded Hyun and Ain¡¯s footage of killing the hidden named Leopard to Youtube. The number of views that the video gained had stopped at 8 million. From the moment he learned that the people who appeared on that video were users, he had deleted the footage. After that, he¡¯d been looking for the people that appeared in them for a while. People around him had said that it would be better to find the two that appeared in that video. That way, he would be able to explain the situation to them. But meeting both of them was harder than he initially thought. ¡®Am I going to be able to meet them again?¡¯ Tarr Tarr had just filmed the footage. He didn¡¯t even know their names. He was wondering about that when suddenly¡­! The first clue was the Count¡¯s Quest. That incident had become very famous in Korea. That¡¯s why even he had heard about it. The moment he saw the Dark Priest who had appeared as the gates guardian, he knew it was her. ¡®It¡¯s that person!¡¯ But by the time he noticed that, it was already too late. When he reached the place where the battle was taking place, it had already ended. Not only that, but there weren¡¯t any spectators left. He¡¯d blown up a lot of money in teleporting in vain. That made him sad for a few weeks. But who would¡¯ve guessed it? He never thought he¡¯d be able to meet her like this! [vs. Ain (Diamond. 4)] [The opponent has won 16 consecutive times!] She appeared on a duel map that was set on a deserted island. ¡ªA small girl with a black robe. Her hair reached her shoulders. The moment he saw her characteristics, he knew it was her. ¡®She¡¯s here!¡¯ Tarr Tarr came to his senses. He¡¯d finally found one of the protagonists of the video. He was so moved that he remained still for a moment. But unfortunately, Ain¡¯s mind at that moment was only focused on earning as many Battle Coins as possible. The moment the countdown ended, Ain reduced the distance between them. Her hands were covered with fire. ¡°Oh, wait¡­¡± Tarr Tarr, who noticed something was wrong, tried to say something, but her hands were faster. The fire on Ain¡¯s hands began burning Tarr Tarr. As he began feeling his body was being burned with a very hot dryer, he thought his soul was about to disappear. Even during that situation, he tried to say something. ¡°Wait, please!¡± [You¡¯ve received more than 33% of your HP as damage in the same body part! Your left chest melted down!] [You¡¯ve lost!] Just a few seconds after the battle began, Tarr Tarr was already back in the lobby of the Duel Arena. Ain tilted her head at the last minute. ¡®Hmm? It seems like he wanted to say something.¡¯ But that thought soon faded away. She was sure that the only thing he could say in that situation was to beg for his life. If you were going to beg for your life in the Duel Arena, you shouldn¡¯t be dueling at all¡­! Ain was cool-headed. She soon forgot that had happened and kept dueling. At the same time¡­ Far away in the lobby of the Duel Arena, Tarr Tarr was agonizing while grabbing his hair. ____ ____ Chapter 49 Hard Carry Support Chapter 49 ¨C The Day One of the Veils Fell Off (4) After winning 48 consecutive times, Ain entered the Grand Master category. And after reaching 50 victories, the Aura changed from blue to purple. The extra Battle Coin bonus was at its maximum rate, 120, so it didn¡¯t increase anymore. There was a limit to it even in Asra, so she didn¡¯t complain. Right then, Ain was accumulating Battle Coins at a frightening speed! To understand how she had earned so much, one needed to understand the reward system better. In the bronze category, you received 2 or 3 coins per win. In Diamond, the reward was between 30~40. But once you entered Master, you received approximately 60. In the Grand Master category, you received more than 100 coins per victory. On top of that, you needed to add the ¡®Battle Aura¡¯ bonus. For example, if you earned 100 coins and had an x120 bonus, you¡¯d receive 12000 coins. You also couldn¡¯t ignore the bonus that defeating users that had achieved 10, 20, or even 30 consecutive wins gave. After all, each one gave 200, 1000, and 3000 coins! As a result of battling constantly, Ain had accumulated an enormous amount of Battle Coins in her inventory that made her smile. ¡®I can buy one.¡¯ Ain¡¯s speed of earning Battle Coins was unbelievably fast. Even users that spent all their day dueling rarely earned more than ten thousand coins in one day. Taking into consideration the Grand Master category, if you earned 100 coins per battle, you had to win at least 100 times. Even if your win rate was 50%, you had to battle at least 200 times. And what if each battle took three minutes? You had to keep fighting for 10 hours without taking a rest. Also, thanks to the advanced Artificial Intelligence, if it concluded that someone was an Intentional Deranker, that person wouldn¡¯t be surrounded by the Battle Aura. That was why earning Battle Coins was so hard. How people viewed her had changed too. Because she had a purple aura surrounding her, everyone moved away from her path the moment she began to walk. Most people knew their place. If they concluded that someone was in another league, they just looked from a distance. Ain didn¡¯t care about the attention she was getting. She entered the shop to buy the couple¡¯s ring. ¡°I want that.¡± Ain¡¯s short words caused a lot of commotion. The buzz of the users and the reaction of the manager, who was an NPC, was worthy of seeing. The amount of Battle Coins Ain had surpassed logic. Clack- A few users took pictures or videos of Ain buying the unique ring. ¡®Hmm?¡¯ But in Asrian, because of how similar it was to real life, privacy was a serious matter. After hearing the sound of people taking screenshots and seeing the video recordings flash, she turned her head around. ¡°Did you just take a picture of me?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± The user who had made eye contact with Ain froze. Recording another user in the game wasn¡¯t illegal per se, but some people might dislike it. If the other person who was definitely ranker began having a grudge against him, he would be in trouble. ¡°Sh¡­ Should I delete it¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m feeling good today, so I¡¯ll let it slide,¡± Ain said while going out of the shop with a smile on her face. She was wearing on her finger the ring she had just bought. Before the consecutive win rate was broken, she wanted to buy one more of it. She could earn 120 times more coins per victory. But her stats had been reduced by 50%! As her stats had plunged from being comparable to those of a level 130 user to one at 65, she couldn¡¯t relax. In the Grand Master category, there probably wasn¡¯t anyone who had fewer stats than her with the penalty applied. * * * * * * On Reddit¡¯s biggest Asrian community, one thread became a trending topic almost instantly. There were many people who had been looking at Ain since she achieved 40 consecutive victories. There were screenshots that showed her with a blue aura and then the purple one. The moment her name appeared on the Grand Master list, her name was covered with a purple light that showed that she¡¯d won 50 consecutive times. That basically meant that she¡¯d entered the Grand Master territory by winning 50 consecutive times. ¡¸How is it possible that she hasn¡¯t lost even once? I guess there was some sort of luck involved in it, too.¡¹ That commentary summarized what most of the users thought. Asrian¡¯s battle system made it possible that a newbie could win against a more experienced player. If you made small consecutive mistakes, you could lose half of your HP instantly. Even master users in platinum tended to lose at least 1 match out of 10. ¡¸No, it¡¯s pure skill. I¡¯ve seen Bishop Man¡¯s stream. He just couldn¡¯t do anything against her.¡¹ Ain¡¯s existence had become known to the public thanks to her match with a famous streamer ¡®Bishop Man.¡¯ Bishop Man was a level 84 Thief who had become the first person to achieve the Grand Master category as soon as the Battle Arena opened its doors. He was a popular streamer among girls because of his looks, skills, and how he just silently dueled. Although he had lost some viewers after losing against Ain, he was still a popular streamer. ¡¸Where¡¯s everyone who used to say that Bishop Man wouldn¡¯t lose on a one vs. one match against Lattice?¡¹ ¡¸The truth is that he didn¡¯t last even five minutes against a girl no one had heard about.¡¹ Because it was a big community, some users had recognized Ain. ¡¸Isn¡¯t that girl famous too? She looks like the girl who fought against the Darkness Guild¡­ There¡¯s no way Bishop Man would be able to win against someone who beat Darkness.¡¹ ¡¸That was an NPC! She¡¯s a completely different person!¡¹ ¡¸Bishop Man¡¯s fans are now making an NPC human, lol. Stop shielding him so much. The one that hunted down Darkness was an NPC.¡¹ The opinion on the threads was divided into two. Was Ain a new player they¡¯d never seen? Or was she the Dark Priest that had defeated Darkness? Previously, after a long discussion, people on the boards had concluded that the Dark Priest was an NPC. But because someone who had the same job and skill set had appeared, some people said they should reevaluate the previous conclusion. ¡¸I think they¡¯re the same person.¡¹ ¡¸No, let¡¯s think about it reasonably. At that point, Lattice still hadn¡¯t reached level 100 yet. You need to be at that level to change jobs. What I want to say is that Ain and the Dark Priest that fought against Darkness are two completely different people.¡¹ ¡¸But take a closer look! Look at the footage Bishop Man uploaded. Even the skills are exactly the same¡­¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s because she¡¯s also a Dark Priest. There are already five people who have surpassed level 100, didn¡¯t you know? If she also changed her job to a Dark Priest, she also can use the same skills¡­¡¹ ¡¸But on the Hall of Fame, among the people that did the job transfer, there isn¡¯t anyone with the ID of Ain.¡¹ The buzz didn¡¯t seem to end because the user¡¯s level was hidden on the Battle Ranking, unlike the Hall of Fame. ¡¸ There are a lot of users who haven¡¯t registered yet!¡¹ ¡¸Friends. Don¡¯t you think that there are too many coincidences? I also believe that they¡¯re the same person. Their appearance is very similar too.¡¹ ¡¸Why are Bishop Man¡¯s fans so stupid? She¡¯s probably cosplaying to look identical to that Dark Priest. After all, you can customize your looks as you wish in this game!¡¹ ¡¸Well, at least now we know that even among rankers, there are many people who play in silence!¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s true. Even if she¡¯s not that Dark Priest, she isn¡¯t someone who can be taken lightly. Because she¡¯s over level 100, it¡¯s understandable that Bishop Man lost.¡¹ ¡¸I agree. The only reason why everyone is criticizing him now is because of his popularity!¡¹ Darkness Guild. The commotion Ain had caused had reached their ears. They also knew that people were discussing if they were the same person or not on Reddit. Mayday finally spoke after looking at the Bishop Man¡¯s video for a while. ¡°I¡­ Think that she¡¯s a little bit different.¡± Mayday frowned. She had previously fought against the Dark Priest. The despair she had felt that day was greater than that. ¡°I also think the same!¡± Pias also agreed with what Mayday said. ¡°Her movements are different from before. How should I say it¡­ It¡¯s almost as if there are more gaps in her movements? Of course, she¡¯s still great. But previously, it was as if we were fighting against a machine.¡± ¡°Yeah, I also felt the same!¡± Mayday spoke while clapping. ¡°Also, the Dark Priest from that time was someone who looked like a frighteningly cold-blooded person¡­ But this person, on the other hand, is more aggressive.¡± ¡°Yes, their battle style is too different.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Mayday still remembered that day vividly. While battling, she had done her best to launch a surprise attack, but the dark priest had easily dodged them all. It was as if she had eyes in every direction. Not only that, but she had smiled at her. That frighteningly cold attitude couldn¡¯t be seen in the video. Instead of that, she could feel a strange sense of madness in her¡­ She was too different from the person she remembered. ¡°But except for that, there are too many similar things. Her looks, her clothes¡­ Honestly, I¡¯m having a hard time concluding.¡± Mayday¡¯s confusion was understandable. Who would have thought that the Dark Priest of that day was actually Hyun and Ain fused together! It had been an impossible task to figure out Ain¡¯s real identity from the beginning. After all, they didn¡¯t know about the ?Assimilation? skill. ¡°Hmm, I see¡­¡± The guild¡¯s leader, XL, had his arms crossed. XL¡¯s specialty was strategizing, but he didn¡¯t know many things about top rankers¡¯ movements or characteristics. ¡ªThat¡¯s why he left some decisions to the guild¡¯s top rankers. From his point of view, they were clearly the same person, but Mayday and Pais saw some differences in their playstyle. As his doubts deepened, the guild¡¯s vice leader Reina, poked XL¡¯s stomach. ¡°Hey, why are you thinking about it so much? Even if they aren¡¯t the same person, it would be great if we could make her join us. Right?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right.¡± After nodding, XL decided on what they should do next. First, they had to meet her. Once they met with her, they could ask her directly. Then¡­ the fastest way should be to go directly to the Duel Arena. ¡°How many Grand Masters do we have in our guild?¡± XL asked while looking at Mayday and Pias. But somehow, the room became silent. ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯m not sure.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never been to the Duel Arena because I¡¯ve been busy hunting.¡± ¡°Hmm, although I¡¯m at one of the top positions in the Master category¡­ I don¡¯t duel that much¡­¡± Pias seemed to be the only one with the rank of Master. Because PvP wasn¡¯t XL¡¯s specialty, he was only ranked gold. Because of a Priest¡¯s characteristics, Reina couldn¡¯t easily obtain a high ranking in one vs. one combat. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that ¡®Dancing Slayer¡¯ is a Grand Master, but he doesn¡¯t seem to be online right now.¡± ¡°What about the other guild members¡­?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Probably¡­¡± Thump- Reina, who was annoyed, hit the desk. ¡°How is it possible that the number one ranking guild can¡¯t incorporate a single Grand Master?¡± Reina turned her head around and looked at Pias as if he were prey. ¡°Then, Pias, get to Grand Master ranking as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Yes, in you¡¯re in the latter half of Master, you should be able to easily reach Grand Master.¡± ¡°Today, after the meeting, I¡¯ve arranged to go hunting with¡ª¡± ¡°So?¡± Reina¡¯s sharp eyes applied a lot of pressure on Pias. Cold sweat dripped from Pias. ¡°No¡­. I¡¯ll do it. Duel¡­¡± He mumbled. With a sullen face, Pias walked toward the city¡¯s Duel Arena. ____ ____ Chapter 50 Hard Carry Support Chapter 50 ¨C The Day One of the Veils Fell Off (5) Pias had remained in the Master category because he wasn¡¯t very interested in dueling, but because he was skillful, he could rank up whenever he wanted. After all, he was the number 23 player in the Hall of Fame! Until a few weeks prior, he had been in 9th place, but after dying and not being able to log in for two whole days, his rank had gone down. [You¡¯re currently ranked 999!] ¡®Good!¡¯ He reached the Grand Master category after dueling for 30 minutes. He had won 11 times and only lost twice! Because the game¡¯s tempo was so fast, even expert players died from time to time after making some mistakes. The winning streak Pias was maintaining was actually very good. ¡®Now, I just need to wait for her.¡¯ Even though it was just another duel match, Pias¡¯s heart was racing fast. ¡®Is she really the girl from that day? Or is she not?¡¯ Previously, he had said that both had a different fighting style, but the truth was that he wasn¡¯t completely sure. It was hard to believe that there were two users that had such a unique style. ¡®I guess I¡¯ll know the answer once I meet her!¡¯ Two hours after reaching the Grand Master category, Pias faced an unexpected problem. ¡®Why can¡¯t I meet her¡­?¡¯ After reaching the Grand Master category, Pias had fought more than 20 times, yet he hadn¡¯t met anyone with the ID ¡®Ain.¡¯ A certain thought crossed his head. ¡®Maybe, even though we¡¯re both Grand Masters, the system matches you against others with a similar ranking?¡¯ Currently, he was placed 972 in the rankings, but there was no way to know what her placement was. No, actually, there was one way to know it. ¡¸What is Ain¡¯s current ranking?¡¹Pias asked through the guild chatting window. ¡¸969, but why? Haven¡¯t you found her yet?¡¹ Someone answered him immediately after checking the rankings. He was confused. They were almost at the same ranking, yet he wasn¡¯t able to find her. ¡¸She¡¯s been at the 969 ranking for a while. Maybe she¡¯s taking a rest?¡¹ ¡¸Hey, it just changed!¡¹ The moment Ain¡¯s ranking changed, someone shouted through the guild chatting window. ¡¸965th place! Start a match now!¡¹ Pias immediately requested a new duel. After reaching the Grand Master category, normally, it took 30 seconds to find a partner, but right then, an opponent had appeared a second later. ¡®Was it a success?¡¯ In front of Pias, a calm land covered by ice appeared. The cold air gave him a few goosebumps. After looking around, he saw an opponent. ¡­But the system message appeared first. [vs. Ain (GrandMaster.157point)] [The opponent has won 53 consecutive times!] ¡®She¡¯s here!¡¯ Pias¡¯s mind lit up. After seeing her, he immediately messaged through the guild chatting. ¡¸I¡¯ve met her!¡¹ ¡¸What?! Turn on the stream!¡¹ It was the strategy Darkness had decided just in case they met Ain. If they made Pias start streaming, the rest of the guild could see what was happening in real-time. XL, Reina, Mayday, Bear Shield, and other top members of Darkness entered Pias¡¯s streaming. After the stream began, the first thing that they could hear was Ain¡¯s voice. ¡°I¡¯ve met you before, right?¡± The moment Ain mumbled those words, the chatting window of the guild went up a page. ¡¸See? She¡¯s the same Dark Priest!¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re right. See how she remembers Pias¡¯s face.¡¹ ¡¸Try to make her join us. First, ask her if she¡¯s part of any guild!¡¹ ¡¸Everyone, calm down. I¡¯ll be the only one talking.¡¹ The Darkness Guild¡¯s leader changed the permissions so that only he and the vice-leader could speak. ¡¸Pias, first let her know that we have no desire to fight.¡¹ Srng- Pias¡¯s lance vanished. He had changed to non-combat mode. Ain looked at him strangely. Pias opened his mouth before she made the first move. ¡°Wait, I¡¯m not here to fight. We¡¯ve been looking for you.¡± ¡°Looking for me?¡± Ain looked at Pias with suspicious eyes. She thought that no one would be looking for her except for Hyun, but there was a weird guy in front of him who suddenly appeared and said that, so she became a little bit interested. ¡°Hmm¡­ What level are you?¡± ¡¸Pias, you can¡¯t ask things like that! That¡¯s of bad manners. Say sorry to her!¡¹ XL became angry because of what Pias had just said. All the other members who were watching his stream grabbed their respective heads. But soon, the atmosphere changed after hearing Ain¡¯s answer. ¡°Level 67.¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡¸Hmm¡­?¡¹ Everyone was frozen by what Ain had just said regarding her level. Reina was the first one to come back to her senses. ¡¸Don¡¯t be fooled. She¡¯s clearly lying! Hey Pias, try to fight her. Let¡¯s see if she¡¯s really level 67.¡¹ ¡¸Reina, be quiet!¡¹ XL intervened quickly. * * * * * * He felt the need to have the possibility of muting even the vice leader. ¡¸Of course, she wouldn¡¯t reveal her real level. After all, she didn¡¯t even put her name on the hall of fame. Stick to our plan and try to make her join us.¡¹ But Pias wasn¡¯t looking at the guild chat window. He was just asking the questions he had on his mind. That¡¯s how shocked he was. Pias and Ain were looking at each other, but somehow, he felt she wasn¡¯t telling a lie. ¡°Are you really level 67? I¡¯m having a hard time believing it.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°You were the one who fought against us at that mountain, right? Did you get stronger thanks to a special quest?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°Then it doesn¡¯t make even more sense. How can you be level 67 when you¡¯re so strong?¡± ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± ¡°It¡¯s impossible!¡± Pias shouted. After thinking about something, Ain asked a question. ¡°What level are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m 98.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Quite high.¡± ¡¸Pias, I¡¯ve told you that you should try to make her join us! Why are you talking about so much nonsense?¡¹ Did XL¡¯s shout reach the heavens? Ain talked about their main topic first. ¡°I guess you¡¯re asking me this¡­ Because you want to invite me to your guild. Right?¡± ¡°Uh, yeah. That¡¯s true, but¡­¡± As the counterpart talked first about what he wanted, Pias couldn¡¯t think of what to say next. Then Ain said something more. ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want to?¡± Pias was proud of being part of Darkness. They hadn¡¯t lost the number one position since the game opened its doors; they were by far the strongest guild. He never thought she¡¯d refuse so easily. ¡®Is it possible that she doesn¡¯t know about ¡®Darkness¡¯?¡¯ Pias tried to explain again. ¡°If it¡¯s you, you can give you all our support! Five pieces of equipment and three accessories. Eight items in total, all up to unique!¡± ¡¸Yes, well done, Pias. First tell her what we can do for her. Maybe then we¡¯ll be able to change her opinion.¡¹ Suddenly, Ain interrupted Pias. ¡°Even so, you¡¯re all weak.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°Even if you call yourselves the strongest guild, I¡¯m not really interested in joining in. And it¡¯s probably a place full of rabble.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Pias¡¯s eyes sank deeply at Ain¡¯s harsh words. Maybe she hadn¡¯t had any bad intentions, but Pias felt as if something inside him had been cut off. ¡°I¡¯m going to cancel my previous words.¡± Clang- As Pias changed to combat mode, a giant spear appeared around his hand. ¡°You probably won thanks to a quest bonus. Or did you think you¡¯d stay in that place forever?¡± ¡°Probably.¡± Pias came out strongly, but Ain just replied with a snort. She found it funny. As long as Hyun was with her, there¡¯s no way they would lose. While fighting alongside him, she had never lost. ¡°I¡¯m currently level 67. On top of that, I also have a penalty. You¡¯re level 98, so why don¡¯t you try to defeat me?¡± ¡°I was planning to do that even if you didn¡¯t say it.¡± ¡°Hng, then things would get funny if I win. Right?¡± ¡¸This¡­ isn¡¯t good.¡¹ XL smiled bitterly while watching the stream. He understood how Pias was feeling. They couldn¡¯t stay still after she made fun of Darkness. Pias, just like him, was one of the founding members of Darkness, so they¡¯d been together since the beginning. He understood his feelings, so he couldn¡¯t criticize him for his actions. Although he wished he could control them a little bit better. ¡¸Yes, that¡¯s preferable. That vixen¡­ I don¡¯t like how she underestimates us. Pias, just destroy her!¡¹ Reina came to support Pias. ¡¸She probably thinks she¡¯s some sort of king because she got lucky at the beginning. Later on, the difference between the users will narrow down! Ain? Good, I¡¯ll remember that name!¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s going to happen¡­¡¹ XL let out an anxious moan. From a standard point of view, what Pias and Reina said was true. There was always the possibility that they had received help from the quest. Even if there was a big difference at the moment, as time went on and the growth rate slowed down, the specs of the top-rated players would eventually get similar. But then¡­ why was it? He was feeling uneasy. Was he worrying too much? ¡®If things were going to get like this¡­ It probably should¡¯ve been better not to have met her.¡¯ That thought crossed XL¡¯s mind. With a scary atmosphere, Pias and Ain¡¯s battle continued. And after a struggle, Pias ended up losing. From an outsider¡¯s perspective, it could¡¯ve looked like a defeat by a narrow margin. But everyone knew that the opponent had a 50% debuff on all her stats. Even without help from the quest, she was on top of Pias. It was the moment when she proved that she was a top-tier ranker. After returning to the lobby, Pias couldn¡¯t overcome his anger and hit the floor hard. He could feel his eyes tearing up. * * * In SeoHyun¡¯s room. He spent most of his time sleeping while waiting for the penalty to end. ¡®Is the server maintenance about to end?¡¯ Luckily for him, his penalty ended at the same time the main story patch was over. The patch would take two hours to be implemented. Either way, SeoHyun wasn¡¯t going to be able to log in, so he felt that the penalty was cut down by two hours. ¡®I¡¯m going to be able to log in as soon as the patch finishes!¡¯ He spent the rest of the time on the computer. The atmosphere of the users ahead of a large-scale patch was like the eve of a storm. On the community boards, you could see some ex Asra players explaining the content that was about to be added. Because there wasn¡¯t any information on the official page, those types of threads became trending almost instantly. Among the new things added, the biggest difference was related to the ¡®forces.¡¯ Most people were also asking questions related to that. ¡¸What force should I choose?¡¹ ¡¸Can we change forces later on?¡¹ ¡¸Am I going to be left behind if I don¡¯t choose a force? I¡¯d like to play as neutral, just like I¡¯ve been doing up until now¡­¡¹ The story began five years in the future when the world had been split into two forces. ¡ªThe heavens and abyss. If you picked either one of those, it was hard to change it later on. So just like the job hunting process, users had to be serious about it. ¡®Should I log on?¡¯ After looking at the time, he laid down on the capsule. He had already thought about it, so he didn¡¯t have doubts, unlike the rest. [Starting Asrian.] Instead of going directly to the play screen, a word saying ¡°loading¡± could be seen. Once the update finished, the logo of NFM appeared and then disappeared. ____ ____ Chapter 51 Hard Carry Support Chapter 51 ¨C The Heavens and the Abyss (1) The main story¡¯s opening video began. There was a vast space in front of Hyun that was impossible to see in its entirety at first glance. In the middle of the space, he could see the planet Asra going around the sun. Hyun felt as if he were looking at a 3D movie. He looked around. ¡®Woah, the quality is great!¡¯ Looking at the universe from such a distance made him feel as if he were a god. Because he was in space, it took him a while to get used to the flow of time. It didn¡¯t take even a minute for Asra to go around the sun. Also, just like a top, it rotated many times per second. The camera¡¯s position was fixed behind Asra, so he felt as if he was racing along with it through the outskirts of the sun. Hyun was enjoying the video when some letters appeared in front of him. Flap-! Suddenly, the camera closed upon the planet. The planet¡¯s surface was red. It was hellish scenery¡ªflames and magma covered everything. That was probably how the planet looked when it was born. The flames on the surface died instantly. Soon, the magma solidified. Instead of that, a blue sea began to rise. Trees and grass grew, withered, and grew again. Many years passed in just a few seconds. Time began accelerating again. Parts of nature started to be destroyed. In its place, he could see artificial things rising. The history of humanity had begun. Flap-! As the screen changed again, ominous beings began appearing one by one. Transcendents. And among those, the beings called demons. Most of them had either horns or a tail. Among those, there were some Hyun knew about. Those beings that were surrounded by a black energy rose from the ground and soared to the heavens. Once again, the scenery changed. Now they were somewhere deep in the ground. Even though it was deep underground, it showed a neat grandeur. It was a place that resembled a dungeon. ¡®Wait, it¡¯s the dungeon!¡¯ Hyun realized. ¡ªA huge column that connected the Abyss with the surface world. The moment he saw the endless spiral stairs, something flashed in his mind. ¡®It¡¯s the place I escaped from with Louise!¡¯ Tap- Tap- The sounds of the steps going up the stairs echoed through the entire place. Hyun turned his head around to where the sound could be heard. Two people were going up through the stairs. Because their bodies were overflowing with black energy, their faces couldn¡¯t be seen. Even so, Hyun knew about their identities. One was tall, and the other one short. The tall one scattered away and entered the short one. That was probably his skill ¡®Assimilation.¡¯ ¡®Is that¡­ Really me and Louise?¡¯ Even Hyun, who knew Asrian¡¯s story, was confused about this. He couldn¡¯t understand why he was in the opening video. He also couldn¡¯t understand why he and Louise looked like demons. In the video, they didn¡¯t look like humans made of flesh and bones¡ªthey looked like an entity formed by black energy. Then what happened next was just as Hyun remembered. Gwoo-. Soon, the spiral staircase crumbled as if it were made of sand. The two beings of the Abyss, who Hyun thought were him and Louise, began climbing the walls toward the surface. From time to time, the two devils became one. ¡ªA demon was copying the traces of the movements he had done a few days prior. He still remembered a few of them. Everything on that video matched what had happened that day. The masked enemies were portrayed as divine beings of light. The demon, who he thought was Louise, hesitated at the dungeon¡¯s entrance before going outside. Because the expression was hidden, only Hyun knew that she was hesitating. And then the video ended, and Hyun appeared on the main plaza of Leton Village. As soon as he logged in, he was flooded with messages. Ting-! [You¡¯ve cleared the quest ¡®Protect Louise¡¯!] [There are no rewards!] [You¡¯ve stopped the main event, ¡®Great Reincarnation¡¯!] [Your stats have increased by +10!] [You¡¯ve stopped the main event, ¡®Protect the Heavens.¡¯!] [Your stats have increased by +10!] [You¡¯ve activated the hidden event, ¡®Evil Gathering¡¯!] [Your skill points have increased by +20!] [You have strongly interfered with the cause and effect of the world.] [You¡¯ve indirectly experienced changing history!] ¡­ [Five years have passed since that day. The world has divided into two forces. The ¡®Heavens¡¯ and the ¡®Abyss.¡¯ From now on, you can pick sides!] [You can decide your side by going to a church that belongs to either the ¡®Heavens¡¯ or the ¡®Abyss¡¯ and getting a Rune.] [Each side will support you in different ways and also give you a ¡®special buff¡¯!] * * * * * * Hyun came to his senses after a while. He couldn¡¯t understand the situation very well, so he opened the status window. He had gone up 25 levels and also received achievement bonus stats and skill points. ¡®What happened?¡¯ Hyun couldn¡¯t hide his smile. But he also felt relentless. He felt that he wouldn¡¯t feel calm until he understood what had happened. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right!¡± Hyun remembered something. His promise with Louise. Shortly before parting ways, Louise had said that they should meet in the dungeon¡¯s secret marketplace. ¡®I guess I¡¯ll know what happened once I meet her.¡¯ Because he had respawned in a town near the place where he died, it didn¡¯t take him a lot of time to reach the dungeon. Hyun tried to suppress his excitement and began running. He went through a road that resembled a maze and then jumped up the cliff. He could definitely feel that his Agility had increased a lot. After reaching the secret marketplace, he opened its door. Creak-. He pulled the doorknob and looked inside, but there was no one there. For a moment, Hyun felt his heart sink. ¡®She isn¡¯t here? Did something wrong happen?¡¯ While he thought that, he saw something on top of the table. A black robe. It was the Cloak of the Blood Fairy he had given to Louise to make her run faster. On top of the robe, there was also the Ring of the Executioner. Next to it, there was a small bag with some gold coins. And finally, there was a letter. Hyun read that first. ¡¸I hope you understand that my writing isn¡¯t good. -It¡¯s been a little bit over a year since that day. -I don¡¯t think that I¡¯ll be able to keep the promise to meet you again in five years. -I¡¯m about to leave somewhere far away, so I thought I¡¯d at least leave a letter.¡¹ A relieved smile appeared around Hyun¡¯s mouth. It was because he knew that at least something unexpected hadn¡¯t happened. ¡¸I¡¯m not very good at writing, so I won¡¯t overextend it. -I¡¯ve left all the items you lent me on the table. -If this place is as hard to find as you¡¯ve said, no one will probably come here. I have no one else to hide them, so I¡¯m going to leave them here. -I¡¯ve also left the 20 gold coins you lent me. -I hope no one else takes them.¡¹ He remembered He had sold her the bread you received as a beginner. He had completely forgotten about that. ¡¸Could I talk a little bit about myself now¡­? -I don¡¯t understand why, but people from the world view me as a demon. -Because the Holy Kingdom has placed a reward on me, I even have a hard time moving at night. -The thing I said about soon leaving to somewhere far away is related to that.¡¹ The bottom of the paper was slightly more wrinkled than the rest. It was as if a single tear had dropped and dried down. ¡¸Hyun, I want to see you again. I really want to see you. -One day, I began to think about my life. -I don¡¯t really remember my childhood, so the only time I had fun was the short time I spent with you. -It was so fun that I almost forgot that we were being chased. -Don¡¯t you want to see me? I want to meet you once more.¡¹ The letter ended there. No, now that he looked closely, some small letters were behind it. ¡¸If you have some time, can you come and find me? -I won¡¯t be able to tell you where I¡¯m going. -Since I also don¡¯t know where I¡¯m traveling to.¡¹ Ting-. The moment Hyun finished reading the letter, he got a quest message. [ ] ¨C Go and find her. But you won¡¯t be able to get a clue about her location or know whether she¡¯s alive or dead. ¨C Still, will you accept the quest? (Y/N) * Attention: If you find out that Louise is dead, you¡¯ll have failed the quest! Hyun frowned. It was as if the quest was trying to make him give up. He knew this was reckless. Searching for a person in this vast world was like looking for dust in the sand. But even if it wasn¡¯t right then, he should be able to meet her one day. Right? As long as she was alive. [You¡¯ve accepted the quest.] [Because you¡¯ve made such a big impact, you cannot remain neutral! You lean toward the Abyss! (Currently: -73)] [You¡¯ve been automatically placed on ¡®Abyss.¡¯] Fwoosh- Suddenly, a rune that looked like fire appeared on Hyun¡¯s hand. Even if a fire was burning on his hand, he didn¡¯t feel hot. That meant he was part of the forces of the Abyss. Things like that tended to happen if your actions leaned too much toward one side. ¡®So Louise is part of the forces of the Abyss?¡¯ Hyun smiled bitterly. It was his first time being part of the Abyss. That made it difficult to approach areas such as the Sky Castle or the Holy Land. Abyss, underground¡­ It was where demons roamed. That meant he wouldn¡¯t be able to walk freely in front of high-ranking heaven officials. ¡®Well, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be able to change sides in the future.¡¯ Depending on a quest or your actions, you could change sides. For the average user, it would be almost impossible. But to him, who had nearly every bit of information and strength, it wasn¡¯t out of reach. ¡®Did Louise say that she got mistaken by a demon¡­? If I can solve the misunderstanding through the quest, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be able to change the trait.¡¯ He still wasn¡¯t sure about Louise¡¯s true identity, but since she had appeared in the opening video, she was clearly someone important to the story. Getting to influence her should be the easiest way to change sides. But since he was temporarily locked on the Abyss force, Hyun thought he should try to think about everything he could do. ____ ____ Chapter 52 Hard Carry Support Chapter 52 ¨C The Heavens and the Abyss (2) As the main story of Asrian began, Korean communities exploded. But among all the people, non realized that the entity covered by black energy was a user. Even Ain didn¡¯t realize that it was Hyun. Everyone just looked at the video as if it were a movie scene. Even users that normally skipped the story were focused on it. That¡¯s how immersive the video was. ¨C Woah¡­ It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve forgotten how to breathe while watching a video. ¨C It was cooler than most action movies. Especially that last scene of fighting while climbing up the walls. ¨C Can you really make motions like that with just the game engine? ¨C It really is a fight between angels and demons. A few of them tried to guess about future events. The developers had said that, on the video, there was a huge clue in regards to the history of Asrian. That¡¯s why many users tried to analyze it. ¨C In the last scene, you can see a demon escaping to the surface world. She¡¯s probably going to make the world fall into a conflict. ¨C Then the next story is about fighting against demons? I¡¯m going to side with the Heavens after all. ¨C If you choose to side with the Abyss, maybe you¡¯ll be on the same team with that demon.¡¹ ¨C But how do we participate in the story? Also, what force is it better to join? After the patch, the prologue video and picking sides made the communities explode. The one that made order of the chaos was, once again, the ex Asra player, Steel Rock. ¡¸I¡¯m Steel Rock, a former Asra Online player. I was once ranked 20. I¡¯m currently placed 819 on the Hall of Fame. ¡°I¡¯m going to make a brief explanation since everyone seems confused.¡± ¡°First, unlike most other RPG games, Asra Online¡¯s story isn¡¯t fixed!¡± ¡°What am I talking about?¡± ¡°The Heavens and the Abyss constantly fight against each other, and depending on the results of certain fights or events, a new future can be born.¡± ¡°To put it simply, Asrian¡¯s history will change depending on the faction the user belongs to!¡± ¡°You just have to join the side you want to help, but I don¡¯t recommend staying neutral.¡± ¡°The buff each force gives you is quite useful, so joining either side ASAP will help you in regards to gameplay.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve put the buff each side gives below, so consider these before deciding. ^^¡± [ ] ¨C Increase resistance to cold and thunder by 10%. ¨C Increase experience received by hunting or quests by 15%. ¨C You can receive help from NPCs that belong to Heaven¡¯s faction. (*Take into consideration: Most human countries belong to Heaven¡¯s Force!) ¨C Increase resistance to fire and wind by 10%. ¨C Increase rewards obtained by achievements by 30%. ¨C You can hide the faction you belong to by changing the rune. (*Take into consideration: You won¡¯t be able to fool some high-ranking priests or some named NPCs!) Steel Rock¡¯s guide was of great help to people that had just begun playing Asrian. That was because he had explained the concept of both forces in easy terms. In the community boards, there were already exclusive boards for ¡°Heaven¡± and ¡°Abyss.¡± Among the users who hadn¡¯t picked a side, many kept asking an endless number of questions. ¨C Among the Abyss Force¡¯s bonus, what¡¯s the ¡®Achievement Reward¡¯? ¨C I¡¯m also not sure. While playing, I¡¯ve never received an achievement bonus. ¨C Oh, I have! I received it once I killed a Slime on a field. I got a notification that said that I had obtained an achievement and got an extra one strength! ¨C Hmm¡­ 30% of 1 strength. Does that mean your strength goes up by 1.3%? Is it just rounding up? ¨C It¡¯s trash¡­ Most users picked to side with the Heavens. An extra 15% of experience obtained was something that most users lusted after. 15% may sound like a little, but as time went on, the effect would become greater. Every six days of play, you basically would¡¯ve gained an extra one compared to others! Most users seemed to agree. Except for people with certain jobs like Assassin, they would benefit more from choosing to side with the Heavens. * * * * * * Stardust Team. Every player and the coaches were gathered to discuss what force to choose to side with. Thanks to hiring someone who had played Asra Online for three years, they were able to discuss things in depth. ¡°There doesn¡¯t seem to be any reason to wonder about it any longer.¡± According to what they¡¯d talked about, there was only one benefit from being part of the Abyss: That you could hide the force you belonged to by hiding the rune. You could benefit from that if you were a solo player, but it wasn¡¯t useful to someone that belonged to a professional gaming team. On the other hand, siding with the Heavens gave you clear benefits, so there was no reason not to select it. ¡°Then¡­ all the members of Stardust are going to side with the Heavens.¡± The decision was made without any objection. Everyone nodded at the director¡¯s words. * * * Hwarang Guild. Until a few weeks prior, it was South Korea¡¯s number one guild. A lot of professional teams had begun playing Asrian recently, so you couldn¡¯t say that they were the number one by an overwhelming difference anymore¡ªbut they still maintained the number one position. Immediately after the main story patch, there was a notification for all the members of the Hwarang Guild. * * * Darkness Guild. The Guild¡¯s leader, XL, vice-leader Reina, and members in the top 20 rankings¡­ five people in total were gathered. They were discussing what side to pick. ¡°You either choose the Heavens or the Abyss¡­¡± Mayday said while thinking very deeply. A few days before, she had reached level 100, completed the job ascension quest, and obtained the job ¡®Psychokinesis Sorcerer.¡¯ With a Rank of second, she was the member with the highest level in the Guild, so everyone took her words seriously. ¡°From the point of view of the Guild, siding with the Heavens would clearly be better¡­¡± Mayday murmured with regret. ¡°But I¡¯m personally more attracted to the Abyss.¡± ¡°Why is that, Mayday?¡± XL asked, and she answered. ¡°Fufu¡­ That¡¯s clearly because of the achievement bonus! You may not know this, but I¡¯m an achievement killer! Achievement killer!¡± Mayday shared with them part of her status window with the rest. The status window was normally considered private information, but everyone there were people that had been together with her since Darkness was created¡ªthey were people she could trust. Everyone¡¯s mouths were wide-opened after looking at her status window. ¡°What, why do you have so much Magical Power?! It doesn¡¯t look like you ignored other stats¡­!¡± ¡°She even has a lot of Strength, which should be a useless stat for a Magician.¡± ¡°This is all thanks to achievement bonuses.¡± Mayday¡¯s explanation was like so. Her level was 102, but her stats were closer to those of a player at level 130. That was all thanks to her obtaining many achievements while playing. If you added the bonus that the ¡®Abyss¡¯ gave, her stats would be on par with a level 140 player. ¡°Huff¡­! I¡¯ve never cared about achievements!¡± Said Pias, who was 20 on the rankings, agonizing. The other reacted in similar ways. ¡°I didn¡¯t even know that there were things like that. I¡¯ve never received one, after all,¡± Reina mumbled while shrugging. ¡°How the second Ranker plays is definitely different from others.¡± ¡°Yes, as leveling up becomes progressively harder, eventually the influence that the achievement bonus gives you will be bigger.¡± ¡°This means that there¡¯s a chance that most top rankers will choose to side with the Abyss!¡± XL listened to what Mayday said carefully. Maybe his ability to analyze things was better, but he knew that he lacked in gaming sense compared to the top rankers. That¡¯s why he had felt the need to listen and learn from other rankers. XL quickly organized his thoughts. ¡°Good, I¡¯ve decided. Most of our Guild will choose the Heavens, but a few will belong to the Abyss. Mayday, please lead those who choose the Abyss.¡± ¡°Eh? Are you sure about this?!¡± ¡°Of course.¡± XL had concluded after thinking enough. ¡°There aren¡¯t many people on our Guild that can benefit from being part of the ¡®Abyss.¡¯ Maybe a few people with jobs related to a Thief, especially those related to Assassin.¡± ¡°Yeah, I agree.¡± Reina agreed. Among the effects of the Abyss, there was one that allowed you to hide which force you belonged to. It was a buff that Assassins should welcome. Even if it weren¡¯t for the achievement bonus, most would probably choose to side with the Abyss. ¡°It¡¯s harder to retain the number one position rather than getting it. To remain at the top, we need information from both sides. Also¡­¡± XL¡¯s eyes shone sharply. ¡°We still don¡¯t know which side those two with the greatest influence belong to.¡± ¡°Two? Ah!¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m talking about Lattice and Ain!¡± The moment those names came out of XL¡¯s mouth, everyone became tense. In Pias¡¯s eyes, who had a quarrel with Ain a few days before, a cold fire seemed to be burning. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if they¡¯re enemies or allies. It will be easier to deal with them if we have them close to us. We need to look for both sides.¡± It was just as XL said. There¡¯s a saying that, rather than an opponent in front of you, an ally that attacks you from behind is scarier. And if it was an enemy that attacked you from behind, it was even scarier. ¡°Which side do you think they¡¯re going to choose?¡± Bear Shield asked. Mayday thought about it silently for a while. ¡°I personally wish they choose to side with the Heavens¡­ If they pick Abyss, I think they will become hard to deal with.¡± ¡°Is it because of the Achievement bonus?¡± Mayday nodded. XL and Reina also became nervous. They were thinking the same thing as her. Even Mayday, ranked number two, had extra stats that accounted for over 30 levels. How many achievements did Lattice have, the number one in the rankings? Just thinking about that gave them goosebumps. * * * ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± Somewhere. At someone¡¯s question¡­ The main spoke with an arrogant smile on his face. ¡®Abyss, of course.¡¯ Fwoosh- A fire rune appeared on his hand. * * * The discussion about what side it was better to choose continued for many days. According to a survey done in a community, the ratio between Heaven and Abyss was eight to two. Only 20% of the players had chosen the Abyss. There were many reasons why they¡¯d given up on the many bonuses the Heavens gave. ¨C I can¡¯t give up on the Necromancer job, so I decided to side with the Abyss. If you pick the Heavens, you can¡¯t transfer jobs to one related to black magic. ¨C Me too. I¡¯m thinking of converting to Dark Priest!. ¨C I¡¯m going to become an Assassin. ¨C I picked Abyss after seeing that it gave a 30% extra achievement bonus. In the latter part of the game, achievement bonuses will become more important than experience, so I¡¯m not sure why everyone¡¯s so desperate for the 15% extra experience. ¨C Am I the only one that chose the Abyss because it¡¯s cooler? There were many reasons why some users had picked the Abyss, but most agreed that it was better to side with the Heavens. ¨C People belonging to the Heavens will reach a higher level faster than the Abyss. Is it that they don¡¯t know how big the 15% extra experience is?? ¨C People belonging to the Abyss can¡¯t receive help from NPCs easily. In the Heavens, you¡¯re going to receive full support from them, so everyone that has chosen the other side is stupid. ¨C The people that belong to the Abyss will roam around while hiding like rats. Why are they even playing them? It seems like they want to change the game genre from RPG to a survival one, lol. Most countries are going to side with the Heavens. The tone of the users that had chosen the Heavens was rough, but they weren¡¯t completely wrong. Because there wasn¡¯t almost any country that sided with the Abyss, users who had picked this side had to watch over their shoulders constantly. The advantage that the Heavens had became clearer a few days after the patch was over. ____ ____ Chapter 53 Hard Carry Support Chapter 53 ¨C Heaven Invasion (1) ¡°I, Emperor Carlos announce that, until the Abyss that has taken root in Asra disappears completely, I will give my full support to all users that belong to the Heaven¡¯s Force!¡± ¡°The Holy Kingdom will also help users that belong to Heaven¡¯s Force! We cannot stay still and watch the actions of those evil people!¡± That¡¯s how most human forces, except for a few, joined in one big alliance. The ¡®Knights Road,¡¯ which was in the Empire¡¯s capital, was a place that was forbidden to users before the patch, but after the Emperor¡¯s support, it became accessible to users that belonged to the Heaven¡¯s Forces. ¡°Support users that belong to the Heaven¡¯s Forces!¡± After Emperor Carlos¡¯s announcements, users were allowed to use the Empire¡¯s training facilities. For a user, that was of great help. You could learn many skills like ?Imperial Basic Sword Art? from the NPCs! Not only sword the art, but you could also learn archery, magic, and holy magic, among other things, so it was something that every user of the Heaven¡¯s Forces welcomed. But that required a lot of NPCs. Even if there were a lot of inhabitants of Asra, the workforce of the Empire was limited; that¡¯s why they couldn¡¯t fully support novice users under level 50. They also received a simple ¡®Heaven¡¯s Quest,¡¯ so there weren¡¯t many complaints, but it was true that they¡¯d received less support compared with top users. The top-tier rankers that were part of the Heaven¡¯s Forces received more benefits and support than those offered by top Guilds, so everyone was trying their best to reach a higher place in the rankings. * * * Mina-san¡­ Noris¡­ They were both Japanese users and sisters in real life. Mina-san was a Magician. Noris was a Warrior. They had reached level 50 just before the patch. And thanks to that, they¡¯d gotten the benefit of being able to walk on the Knights Road. It wasn¡¯t like they¡¯d received special treatment, but just being able to walk on that road was a huge opportunity. They had received a quest that allowed them to learn a free skill! [Heaven¡¯s Quest: Let¡¯s learn the Imperial Basic Sword Art!] ¨C Hit the scarecrow and increase your swordsmanship proficiency (Currently 49%) ¨C If you fill the proficiency bar, you can learn the ?Imperial Basic Sword Art? Lv.0. Noris had received a skill quest related to sword art and Mina-san to magic. Mina-san always felt a little bit sad because of the low amount of magic she could use. You didn¡¯t need to use skill points on skills obtained by quests, which made Mina-san even happier. ¡°Finally, 50%! Oof¡­ I never thought that I¡¯d train so hard¡­¡± Users inside the game wouldn¡¯t run out of breath, even if they moved roughly, but spending an entire day hitting a scarecrow was tiring labor by itself. ¡°Eh? 50% already? Fast!¡± Mina-san, who had just filled 30%, was surprised. She had also spent hours hitting the scarecrow with magic. Unlike Noris, Mina-san was a Magician. Every time she ran out of mana, she had to rest, so the progress was slower. ¡°Sister, you¡¯re amazing!¡± ¡°It¡¯s going up 20% by an hour¡­ But I just wish boring things like this ended more quickly.¡± Noris said while looking at the side of the training center. There, she saw a user receiving personalized training from an imperial soldier. Tsk- Noris felt envious at the sight. ¡°I also want to receive personalized tutoring!¡± The truth was that having someone to teach you was better and faster than learning on your own. Users who received personalized tutoring from an imperial soldier could fill the proficiency bar 10 times faster. ¡°This is too boring. I don¡¯t want to spend the entire day hitting a scarecrow.¡± ¡°But sister¡­ There¡¯s nothing we can do about it. That user is probably in Diamond at least on the Battle Arena.¡± There were two ways by which NPCs categorized the potential of users: The first one was the ranking in the Hall of Fame, and the second one was the ranking in the Duel Arena! But unless you were among the top 1000 in the Hall of Fame, NPCs wouldn¡¯t notice you. That meant that most of the judgment was done based on the duel ranking. Since NPCs couldn¡¯t check a user¡¯s stats, checking out the duel ranking was probably the most convenient way to judge a user¡¯s potential. Because of that, there was a boom in dueling among users that were part of the Heavens Forces. ¡°I want to reach Diamond¡­¡± ¡°Me too¡­ But it¡¯s impossible with our level¡­¡± ¡°I know that.¡± Noris had spent many hours in the Duel Arena¡­ And had learned the harsh reality. After doing more than 200 matches, she had barely managed to get up to Platinum 5. ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, you¡¯re among the top 1% of players if you reach Diamond.¡± ¡°That¡¯s amazing. Those people are probably professional gamers or people related to that field, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure about it, but even Platinum, which I barely managed to get into, was full of monsters. Oh, people in Platinum are among the top 5%.¡± ¡°They¡¯re people from another world. We need to learn to conform with our current position.¡± From the Empire¡¯s point of view, checking out the duel ranking was the best way to know which user to support. There were more benefits to users that had a higher ranking than Diamond. Users with the rank of Master, who were among the top 0.05%, received training from a knight that was in the category of leader. The hours you needed to train were longer, but the skill was stronger than what those of lower tiers could learn. But what if it was a user that was a Grand Master? The top 1000 players¡­ From there, the treatment NPCs gave you changed completely. Grand Master users were treated almost like nobles, so low-ranking officers bowed to them. Asrian¡¯s NPCs were scarily similar to real humans. Just like a user tried to get the attention of an NPC, they also tried to get the attention of a user they liked. For example, if the person was a Grand Master¡­! The growth rate of users was faster than NPCs. NPCs knew that even if there was a user weaker than them, they could become very famous and influential in the future. What if a very affectionate user towards you becomes someone very successful in the future? It wasn¡¯t a coincidence that many male users and female NPCs and female users and male NPCs had close relationships. But to enjoy all those benefits, there was a requisite. That requisite was to belong to the Heaven¡¯s Force! Even if you ranked high in the duel ranking or were among the top users in the Hall of Fame, if you were part of the Abyss, you couldn¡¯t receive support from the Heaven¡¯s Forces. * * * * * * The problem wasn¡¯t just not receiving support, but there was also a chance of you being attacked or murdered at the hands of an NPC. At the entrance of the Knight Road, there was a gatekeeper and a high-ranking priest. The priest checked for the Rune. The Heaven¡¯s Rune was blue lightning. And the Rune of the Abyss was a red fire. A high-ranking priest could see just by taking a glimpse whether the Rune was real or not. There had been cases of users that belonged to the Abyss who had been killed after trying to fool the priest. ¡°I¡¯m glad we¡¯re part of the Heaven¡¯s Force,¡± Mina-san murmered. ¡°People who belong to the Abyss cannot obtain all these benefits even if they rank high. Right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯ve heard.¡± ¡°That¡¯s too bad¡­¡± ¡°The highest-ranking NPC on the Abyss is a demon. Right? I don¡¯t think that a demon would willingly help out a human.¡± ¡°It¡¯s weird to call it an NPC¡­ Shouldn¡¯t we call demons monsters¡­?¡± Noris and Mina-san were talking when the training grounds suddenly became noisy. Both sisters looked at the side from where the noise was coming. ¡°Hmm? Did something happen?¡± Tens of users who were training stopped practicing and walked toward the entrance. Not only users, but NPCs were also looking in that direction. A few soldiers bowed their heads to show respect. One user walked through the crowd. The dark robe, which looked as if it had been covered with black paint, had become quite famous among the users. Noris shouted while looking at the girl. ¡°Oh, I know who she is!¡± ¡°Since even you recognize her, I guess she¡¯s someone very famous.¡± ¡°Yes, she is! Did I see her on the internet¡­?¡± Even though Noris was Japanese, she often watched foreign streams or videos of rankers from other countries. The video of that girl dueling had become a trending topic on a foreign community board. That video had left an intense mark on Noris¡¯s memories. ¡°That¡¯s amazing¡­ Do you remember her ID?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ What was it¡­ It started with A. Ain¡­? Yeah, I think that was her ID!¡± * * * A few hours before. Hyun was sending Ain a message. In Asra Online, both Hyun and Ain belonged to the Heaven¡¯s Forces, so if he didn¡¯t tell her anything, she would probably choose that side. If he didn¡¯t want them to end on different sides, he needed to hurry and tell her. ¡®Wait¡­!¡¯ Hyun got an idea just before sending her a message. ¡®Do we need to be on the same team? Maybe, could we use that strategy¡­?!¡¯ Hyun tried to order his ideas. Ain was taking a rest from dueling when Hyun sent her a whisper. Ain: Oh, you came? Ain¡¯s voice seemed more subdued than usual. The reason why she was in a bad mood was that she had lost. And because of that, she wasn¡¯t able to earn as many coins as she wanted. Even Ain couldn¡¯t overcome the consecutive victory penalty. LeeSeoHyun: Are you hurt? Your voice sounds weak. Ain: I¡­ Lost my consecutive win rate¡­ LeeSeoHyun: Really? Well, I guess even you lose from time to time. So how many consecutive victories had you achieved? Hyun didn¡¯t know that Ain was saving up coins to buy the couple¡¯s ring, so he just didn¡¯t give it importance, but what Ain said next surprised him. Ain: 60 victories¡­ Ah, did I think too much? I should have just attacked with everything I had! LeeSeoHyun: What? What did you do?! 60 consecutive victories? Oh, wait¡­! While talking, Hyun remembered his previous line of thought. If Ain¡¯s duel ranking was high, couldn¡¯t he get away with his plan more easily?! LeeSeoHyun: So, what¡¯s your current duel ranking? Ain: Grand Master. LeeSeoHyun: That¡¯s great. I was about to ask you to increase your tier. Ain: I know. It¡¯s because of the Heaven¡¯s Quest requirement, right? LeeSeoHyun: Obviously! AIN: But you need to increase it too. LeeSeoHyun: No, I¡¯m okay. Ain: Hng? Why? LeeSeoHyun: Because I¡¯m Abyss. Ain was surprised at Hyun¡¯s answer. Because Hyun hated uncertainty, she was sure he would choose to side with the Heavens. AIN: What happened that you changed sides? I¡¯m glad you told me! If you hadn¡¯t said anything, I would¡¯ve picked Heavens. LeeSeoHyun: You should choose Heavens. Ain: Eh? But¡­ Hyun, you said that you¡¯d chosen Abyss. LeeSeoHyun: Yes, I¡¯m Abyss. And you, Heaven. Okay? Hyun spoke in short sentences since Ain was having a hard time understanding. ¡®With this, she should¡¯ve understood. Right?¡¯ No, it would be better to explain her things in more detail. Hyun was about to explain to her when Ain quickly asked him a question. ____ ____ Chapter 54 - Heaven Invasion (2) Chapter 54 ¨C Heaven Invasion (2) AIN: W-Wait¡­! Then what¡¯s going to happen with me? LeeSeoHyun: What are you talking about? AIN: Did you get another girl?! It¡­ It¡¯s not like she¡¯s dragging you, right?! ¡®Another girl? She¡¯s not technically wrong.¡¯ After all, Louise was the reason why he was part of the Abyss. LeeSeoHyun: Hear me slowly. Hyun explained things slowly to a panicking Ain. This was what he was thinking: If he used ?Assimilation? and entered Ain¡¯s body, wouldn¡¯t he be able to mix among the Heaven¡¯s Forces and freely move? Even a high-ranking priest shouldn¡¯t be able to see through ?Assimilation?. Only the Transcendents could see the soul directly. That meant that if he entered Ain¡¯s body through ?Assimilation?, even if he was part of the Abyss, he should be able to move mixed among the Heaven¡¯s Forces. LeeSeoHyun: Just because we belong to different forces doesn¡¯t mean our party will be disbanded. We can do this because we¡¯re one. After talking to her for a while, he could finally calm her down. * * * Knight¡¯s Road¡­ Users had named that place ¡®Heaven¡¯s Academy.¡¯ It was a place where NPCs taught and helped Heaven¡¯s users. It was also where NPCs that came from the Empire to teach users stayed. Having the support of an NPC or not made a huge difference. Hyun thought that an NPCs backing was more important than the extra 15% experience. On the Abyss side, you couldn¡¯t expect things like that. The reason why he had picked the Heavens in Asra was because he had prioritized the relationship with NPCs. ¡¸Good, let¡¯s go.¡¹ There was a gatekeeper and a high-ranking priest in front of the Knight¡¯s Road entrance. Hyun had used ?Assimilation? and was hidden inside her. The long line shrank, and it was finally Ain¡¯s turn. As the gatekeeper blocked the road, the priest next to him talked to her. ¡°Show me your hand. This is just a formality, so I hope you don¡¯t get offended by it.¡± After nodding, Ain took out her gloves and extended her hand. Then he shared part of her status window with the gatekeeper. ¡°Grand Master¡­¡± The gatekeeper¡¯s voice trembled. ¡°Woah, you¡¯re only the third Grand Master I¡¯ve seen! But even if you¡¯re someone amazing, here in the Knight¡¯s Road, you have to show proof that you¡¯re part of the Heaven¡¯s Forces¡ªnot even the Emperor is an exception.¡± After saying that, he checked out Ain¡¯s hand. At that moment, his eyes got wider, and he stared at it closely. ¡°This¡­?!¡± The moment the high-ranking priest looked at Ain¡¯s Heaven¡¯s Rune, his face became pale. The gatekeeper next to him took out his sword after looking at the priest¡¯s reaction. He probably thought that the high-ranking priest had discovered someone belonging to the Abyss who had their identity hidden. ¡°Put the sword down!¡± After the priest shouted at him, the gatekeeper put his sword down. As the entrance became noisier, everyone¡¯s attention turned toward it. The high-ranking priest took Ain¡¯s hand to take a closer look at the Rune. How he was checking out a girl¡¯s hand so closely looked strange from the outside, but he didn¡¯t seem to care. Ain was just frowning at the feeling of him touching her hands. ¡°Heavens, this is a perfect Heaven¡¯s Rune!¡± After a while, the high-ranking pries opened his mouth again. ¡°It¡¯s the rune of a heavenly being!¡± Why the high-ranking priest was surprised was understandable. Normally, Heaven¡¯s Runes engraved on a user¡¯s hands looked like a blue-colored lightning tattoo. But on the Rune engraved on Ain¡¯s hands, not only could you see the lightning and cold air, but the entire Rune was shining on its own. It was the symbol of a Heavenly Being. The reason why Ain had received the Rune of a Heavenly Being was simple. ¡ªAfter clearing the Suspicious Old Man¡¯s request, she had obtained the title of Heavenly Being. ¡®How¡­?¡¯ The high-ranking priest seemed confused. A Heavenly Being was someone that lived in a different reality from humans. They lived in the Heavens, in the sky. But sometimes, they descended to earth. They weren¡¯t in the category of an Angel, who were Transcendents, but they were beings above humans. Obviously, a user couldn¡¯t become a Heavenly Being. But in front of him, there was a girl who had the Rune of a Heavenly Being. The high-ranking priest was deeply immersed in thoughts at the sight of a girl who broke his common sense. ¡¸You remember what I¡¯ve told you, right? Don¡¯t make any mistakes.¡¹ Said Hyun, who was currently ?Assimilating? to Ain. Before going there, he had already prepared an answer for her. Ain wasn¡¯t confident in her acting skills¡­ But she decided to follow Hyun¡¯s script. ¡°I think I know why.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­? What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Why my rune is different.¡± The high-ranking priest focused his attention on Ain¡¯s words. Ain started to tell the story Hyun had made for her. ¡°One day, I was being chased by a demon¡­ It was so strong that it wasn¡¯t something that I could face. I was sure I was going to die when, suddenly, someone appeared. With just one spell, that being killed lots of demons.¡± Ain tried to describe the Heavenly Being¡¯s attack by remembering a scene from Asra. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * ¡°It looked like a tornado made of ice. I don¡¯t remember it very well, but it was an incredible Magic. Right where the demons disappeared, thousands of ice pieces were scattered away.¡± ¡°Just as expected from a Heavenly Being. I think I know who it was just from the description of the Magic.¡± The high-ranking priest shook his head while listening to Ain¡¯s words. ¡°So what happened next?¡± Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks Ain looked at the sky and acted as if she was trying to remember. ¡°Hmm¡­ He said something like he saw potential in me¡­ He tried to take me somewhere, but I refused. I was quite busy at that time.¡± ¡°Oh my¡­¡± The gatekeeper, who was listening to Ain¡¯s story with great interest, grabbed his head while frowning. His face was full of regret as if the girl¡¯s mistake of letting the opportunity of visiting Heaven go had been his. Ain kept talking a little bit more. ¡°After that, he said he¡¯d come back to get me and asked me if I was willing to help, so I answered him yes, and then he placed his hands on my head¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± ¡°I felt something very cold and tingling entering my body. When I noticed it, he had already disappeared.¡± Ain mumbled while looking at the Rune on her hand. ¡°Did he give me this Rune back then? At that moment, I thought he had attacked me, so I was about to complain.¡± ¡°I see, now I understood.¡± They ended up convincing the high priest. The reason why he ended up believing Hyun and Ain¡¯s lie was that they¡¯d used information from ¡®Asra Online.¡¯ But he had no way of knowing that. ¡¸How was it?¡¹Ain asked Hyun with confidence while the high priest called for someone from inside. How she spoke with confidence as if asking him to praise her gave Hyun a headache. ¡¸No, but can¡¯t you talk with another tone?¡¹ ¡¸What?¡¹ ¡¸Just at first glance, that high priest looks like he¡¯s at least 50 years old. You should speak to him more formally.¡¹ ¡¸Who cares? It¡¯s not like he¡¯s a real person or anything.¡¹ Wouldn¡¯t talking to them in such a way anger the NPC? In one way, Hyun¡¯s concern made sense, but in the another, it didn¡¯t. The formal language was present only in a few languages, including Korean. In Asrian Online, where every language was translated instantly, it was something that didn¡¯t matter. The only problem was when two Korean users were talking to each other. While Hyun and Ain were chit-talking, the Heaven¡¯s NPCs had finished the formalities. A soldier approached Ain. ¡°I¡¯m Rudas, the one in charge of guiding you! Feel free to ask me any questions you have!¡± Because the high priest had sent a special message, Rudas talked to Ain as if she was her superior. On the Heaven¡¯s Forces, the influence of being a Heavenly Being was that big. The gatekeeper gave Rudas a remainder just in case. ¡°A Heavenly Being has chosen this person, so be respectful.¡± ¡°Of course!¡± ¡°Also, this is the high priest Andro¡¯s certification. This should be enough.¡± When the word ¡°Heavenly Being¡± came out, Rudas stood up straight. NPCs also understood a user¡¯s potential growth rate and influence. If it was a user with this much influence¡­ Maybe she could become someone huge who could change their life, so it was understandable that Rudas was so nervous. Although Rudas was older than Ain, he still showed proper respect toward Ain. ¡°Your ID is complete! With this, you¡¯ll be able to prove your identity!¡± Ain received a crystal from the soldier that was the size of her thumb. ¡°Mrs. User¡­¡± ¡°Ain.¡± ¡°Yes. Mrs. Ain, should I talk to you about the Knight¡¯s Road?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Okay.¡± Ain nodded. The truth was that neither Hyun nor Ain needed an explanation about the Knight¡¯s Road since they had been there previously, so even without an explanation, they could guess about most things. Ain nodded while the soldier excitedly talked alone. Meanwhile, she was talking with Hyun. ¡¸You¡¯re amazing¡­ You¡¯re really good at tricking people.¡¹ ¡¸Haha, this much is nothing,¡¹Hyun said while laughing confidently. He was relieved they were able to reach that place. The possibility of meeting high-ranking NPCs or priests was quite low, and in the worst case, he could always ?Assimilate? into Ain. No one would think that someone from the Abyss has managed to enter the Knight¡¯s Road. Hyun mumbled while looking at the road. ¡¸There are already a lot of users.¡¹ ¡¸There are probably lots of NPC, too.¡¹ ¡¸I guess so. This is, after all, a city of the Empire.¡¹ Because the Knight¡¯s Road had a chic atmosphere, it was a place that was often frequented by nobles. Although the game was based in a medieval city, it didn¡¯t feel rustic. The reason behind that was that there were a lot of magic circles applied on the streets. Among them, some had effects that couldn¡¯t be seen in real life. ¡¸Woah, to think we¡¯d be able to ride this again.¡¹ The world of Asrian was crafted with such details that even the same thing couldn¡¯t be compared to the one in Asra. Hyun and Ain had taken the ¡®Cloud Boat¡¯ and were moving to the building in front of them, on the other side. The ¡®Cloud Boat¡¯ was a device that looked like an escalator that moved with Magic. It was used to move through the sky from end to end. As the Cloud Boat¡¯s altitude became higher, the entirety Knight¡¯s Road could be seen. Hyun was overwhelmed by the splendor and grandeur of the city. Because a scenery that didn¡¯t seem to exist in real-life unfolded, they couldn¡¯t take their eyes off it. Ain also was looking at the scenery with her mouth wide open. ¡°The Knight¡¯s Road is one of the many things we¡¯re proud of.¡± In the soldier¡¯s voice, they could feel the pride of a citizen of the Empire. After a few minutes, the Cloud Boat reached a building so big that it looked as if it would touch the sky. The Cloud Boat stopped on the building¡¯s balcony; the soldier¡¯s explanation kept going on. ¡°Fourth floor of the Knight¡¯s Hall¡­ It¡¯s the free training center.¡± ¡¸Amazing¡­¡¹ Hyun was honestly surprised. Looking with his own eyes through virtual reality made him realize just how big the Empire was. When looking down from the railing, the height of the building seemed to be at least 100 meters. How it only had four floors just showed how big and spacious it was inside. Because they had the help of Magic, the buildings had surpassed the limits of modern architecture. ¡°I¡¯m not in charge from this point onwards, so I¡¯m going to retire. If you present your ID anywhere, you shouldn¡¯t have any inconvenience!¡± After saying that, the soldier took the Cloud Boat and left the place. But they didn¡¯t feel the need to get a new attendant. Both Hyun and Ain, thanks to their experience in Asra, knew about most things. ¡°Good, then let¡¯s start,¡± Hyun mumbled as they found a place where no one was around and he disassimilated. Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only In the Knight¡¯s Hall, there were a lot of facilities that elite knights could use. But because of the Emperor¡¯s order, its access had been limited to users that had at least a ¡®Master¡¯ battle ranking. Everyone that qualified lusted over it. From a user¡¯s point of view, there were many things they could take advantage of in the Knight¡¯s Hall. ____ Chapter 55 - Heavens Invasion (3) Chapter 55 ¨C Heaven¡¯s Invasion (3) ¡°What do you want to do first? Achievements? Getting a new skill? Or¡­ Maybe level up?¡± If one could use the Knight¡¯s Hall, there was no need to hunt until reaching level 100. Training in that place gave you more experience than hunting. So why would anyone hunt? ¡°Hmm¡­ Should we start by clearing all the achievements?¡± Among the bonuses that being part of the Abyss gave, there was one that increased the rewards by 30%. Usually, users that belonged to the Abyss couldn¡¯t get access to the Knight¡¯s Hall, but Hyun somehow managed to get inside. He could benefit from both the Heaven¡¯s achievements and the bonus that being part of the Abyss gave. In other words, profit. ¡°I think we need to farm some experience for you first, Ain.¡± Because they¡¯d played those past few days separately, the gap between Hyun and Ain¡¯s level had widened. It was important for a party to have similar levels for safety reasons, so increasing Ain¡¯s level was the current priority. Not only that, but to use the Heaven¡¯s facilities, Hyun needed Ain¡¯s ID, so he couldn¡¯t move independently. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s level up first. It¡¯s not like it¡¯s going to take a lot of time so.¡± Hyun and Ain were about to move to the next place when someone grabbed his attention. ¡°Oh¡­?!¡± At the sight of someone unexpected, Hyun¡¯s eyes widened. At first glance, he thought that he¡¯d made a mistake, but after watching closely, he became sure it was that guy. He never thought he¡¯d be able to meet him in Asrian since the game¡¯s world was so big. ¡°Kim JaeHoon¡­?¡± JaeHoon had also seen Hyun. He was also thinking about the same thing. After Hyun spoke to him first, a joyful expression blossomed on JaeHoon¡¯s face. ¡°Are you¡­ Lee SeoHyun?!¡± JaeHoon was wondering if that was the case, and it was, indeed. He was more surprised since the world of Asrian was as big as the real world. Even if there were millions of players, the number of NPCs was far greater than that. So it was obvious that he wasn¡¯t expecting to see him. ¡°It¡¯s really you!¡± ¡°Woah, I never thought I¡¯d see you here!¡± The reason why they¡¯d been able to meet each other was because of their battle ranking. After the patch was over, every user with a high battle ranking started to gather around that place, so that¡¯s why they¡¯d been able to meet each other. Even considering that, there were tens of ¡®Heaven¡¯s Academies,¡¯ so the probability of both of them meeting was still low. Because they were inside the game, they decided to call each other by their nicknames. ¡°Practice? That¡¯s a really professional gamer-like name.¡± ¡°Hey, it¡¯s even weirder using an abbreviation of your real name as ID.¡± At that moment, Ain, who was listening silently next to Hyun, wriggled her eyebrows. It was then that Practice noticed Ain¡¯s presence. He was so happy he met Hyun that he didn¡¯t notice the surroundings. ¡°Eek¡­?!¡± When he saw her, his eyes opened even wider than when he met Hyun. There, he could see a girl who he knew very well. As their eyes met, she just greeted him by raising her hand. ¡°Y-you¡­?¡± Practice asked while stuttering. Ain smiled triumphantly. ¡°Me? I¡¯m in the same party as Hyun.¡± ¡°SeoHyun, no, you¡¯re in the same party as Hyun¡­?¡± ¡°Why are you so surprised?¡± Ain, who found Practice¡¯s attitude weird, asked him while tilting her head. Her confusion was understandable. Sadly, she didn¡¯t remember Practice¡¯s face. She just couldn¡¯t memorize the faces of all the people she¡¯d fought against in the Duel Arena. That¡¯s why she couldn¡¯t understand why Practice was looking at her like that. ¡°Hmm, what a weird guy.¡± ¡°Hey, how can you talk like that to someone you¡¯ve never seen¡­! He isn¡¯t an NPC. He¡¯s a real person!¡± While Hyun was warning her, Practice understood what was going on. She probably didn¡¯t remember his face. It was understandable that she hadn¡¯t recognized him. After all, he had been standing stupidly with his mouth wide-opened. After recognizing his mistake, Practice spoke up again. ¡°Don¡¯t you remember me? We met in the duel arena!¡± Practice tried to imitate the moves he¡¯d used in the Duel Arena. Ain remembered after seeing the attack that changed direction twice. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re that guy!¡± ¡°You do remember me, right?¡± ¡°I remembered.¡± ¡°What? You guys have met each other before?¡± Hyun couldn¡¯t believe what was going on. By pure coincidence, he had met his friend in Asrian. But somehow, they knew each other. ¡®What a coincidence¡­ No way, maybe it isn¡¯t?¡¯ When he thought about it, maybe it wasn¡¯t that strange. Everyone there was a user with a rank that was at least or higher than Master. Practice was aiming to become a professional gamer, and Ain was someone who loved dueling, so it wasn¡¯t weird for both of them to know about each other. ¡°But who¡¯s that person?¡± At Hyun¡¯s sudden question, everyone¡¯s attention became focused on one place. In that place, there was a girl with blue hair who was wearing glasses. That woman had been standing there since the moment Practice approached him. Practice, who realized his mistake, smiled awkwardly. ¡°Oops, I forgot to introduce Jini.¡± Practice immediately introduced his partner. Just like Hyun and Ain always moved together, Practice also had party members with whom he played. And among those, the closest one was the one in front of them, Jini. She began to introduce herself. ¡°ID Jini, I¡¯m part of Stardust. My position is Priest.¡± ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re also a professional gamer.¡± Hyun scratched his head. She had blue hair and facial features that resembled those of a westerner. She was clearly a foreigner, so Hyun wondered why she was in a ¡®Korean¡¯ professional gaming team. But the explanation that followed made it clear. Although she had some European blood mixed on her, her nationality was Korean. But since she had just returned to Korea after living most of her life in a foreign country, her Korean wasn¡¯t good, so she asked for understanding. ¡®Ain¡­?¡¯ * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * Leaving Practice aside, she had become excited after realizing that she was Ain. From the moment she saw Ain, her gaze was fixed on her. Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks Even without Practice¡¯s introduction, she was able to recognize her. That was because Ain¡¯s face had already been publicly known thanks to various communities. Inside Stardust, it had been a hot topic that Practice had improved a lot after studying Ain¡¯s movements. Not only that, but they¡¯d learned a little bit more about her thanks to a coach that had experience playing Asra Online. ¡®I can¡¯t believe I get to see her in a place like this.¡¯ Jini clenched her fist. She had already seen Ain¡¯s fighting video that had trended on Reddit. She also checked out Ain¡¯s previous videos in which people thought that she was an NPC. How she moved in a battle as if she were dancing was almost like an art in itself. The first time she saw it, she was shocked by it, and the more she looked at the videos, the more fascinated she became. The coach had said that Ain¡¯s experience in PvP and know-how couldn¡¯t be compared to an average professional gamer. Jini had also tried to learn from her movements, but she had soon reached her limits. ¡ªA harmony made of a mixture of irregular movements. Even for Jini, who had good eye-sight, it was hard to analyze Ain¡¯s movements. Jini never thought she¡¯d get the opportunity to see her right when she was struggling. ¡°You¡¯re Ain, right? It¡¯s an honor to meet you.¡± Ain was a little bit flustered at Jini¡¯s reaction. ¡°Are you talking about¡­ Me?¡± ¡°Yes. You¡¯re very famous, didn¡¯t you know?¡± In just an instant, Jini asked numerous questions. Among them, there were some private ones that didn¡¯t have anything to do with the game. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, how old are you?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ That¡­¡± Ain looked at Hyun and tried to brush off the question, but she ended up revealing her age. ¡®She¡¯s 17?¡¯ If she was 17, that meant she was in 11th grade, so she was two years younger than him¡­ With that height and appearance, she was a high school student? ¡®How is this possible?¡¯ While Hyun was shocked, Jini kept asking him questions. And finally, she asked her if she wanted to join Stardust. ¡°No¡­ I¡¯m not interested in joining any team.¡± Ain refused while looking at Hyun. Jini noticed Hyun¡¯s presence because Ain was constantly looking toward someone. ¡®This person?¡¯ At first, because her attention was focused on Ain, she hadn¡¯t noticed Hyun¡¯s presence. But after looking at Ain closely, Jini noticed that she was very aware of Hyun. She saw her constantly taking glimpses at Hyun. It looked as if she had left all the decisions to him. Then, finally, she took an interest in Hyun. ¡®Hyun¡­? I feel like I¡¯ve heard that name somewhere¡­¡¯ The first impression she had about him was that he was just Practice¡¯s friend. A few before, Practice had proudly said that he made a new friend who played Asrian. But once she asked him for details, he avoided answering any further. The reason was that his friend didn¡¯t want public attention. ¡®Hyun¡­?!¡¯ At that moment¡­ Jini remembered something that a coach who had experience in Asra Online said. There was a user on the previous game who was a legend. According to what the coach had said, that user had done many unbelievable things that escaped logic and reason. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re Hyun?¡± As Jini shouted while pointing at Hyun, Practice sighed. Hyun had asked Practice to hide his identity if possible. He never thought that Jini would find out about him like that. ¡°Please, don¡¯t tell the rest of the team about Hyun. Since he doesn¡¯t want to¡­¡± Practice asked Jini with an awkward smile. ¡°Of course, that¡¯s not an issue!¡± Jini¡¯s sparkling eyes were then focused on Hyun. ¡®Is this user really that amazing?¡¯ According to the rumors, his skills and abilities were on another level compared to the rest, but it was hard to believe based on his average look. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to join Stardust?¡± ¡°No.¡± Just like she had done with Ain, Jini started talking to Hyun. Hyun was sweating while answering her questions. At the same time, he was thinking about a possibility. ¡®Her job is Priest?¡¯ The only bad thing about playing alone with Ain was that there were many quests that they couldn¡¯t do alone. But what if there was a Priest with them? Suddenly, Hyun remembered a certain quest. ¡ªA Heaven¡¯s Quest with an incredible reward that they couldn¡¯t try to do it yet. ¡®Because of the story¡¯s flow, this should be the only opportunity to get this quest. If it isn¡¯t now, it should naturally disappear!¡¯ The original plan was to increase Ain¡¯s level in the Knight¡¯s Hall and then complete the achievements one by one. But there didn¡¯t seem anything wrong with changing the plans slightly. That user, Jini, seemed to have a positive image of him and Ain, so it should be okay to drag her into his plan. He cut Jini¡¯s non-stopping questions and asked her something. ¡°Have you ever heard about hidden quests? Fufu, how about we join parties and do one now?¡± At Hyun¡¯s grim smile, Jini and Practice¡¯s eyes widened. Hidden Quest! Practice had previously experienced the feeling of extreme growth thanks to a hidden quest Hyun had given him. There was no way professional gamers didn¡¯t know the meaning of a hidden quest. ¡°Can¡­ You tell someone else so easily about something like a hidden quest?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just like Jini says! It¡¯s too burdensome to us if you suddenly say that!¡± Practice seemed upset, but Hyun shook his head. Because he wanted to show off a little bit, he didn¡¯t tell them he needed a Priest. ¡°That¡¯s okay. I probably know about hundreds of hidden quests. This much is nothing.¡± ¡°Even so¡­¡± Practice tried to deny Hyun¡¯s request but ended up accepting it. Jini gulped and looked at things unfolding. It didn¡¯t take long before things went as Hyun wished. ¡°Ugh¡­ I¡¯m definitely going to pay this debt back.¡± ¡°Haha, it¡¯s not a debt. Don¡¯t worry.¡± And that was how a party of four was formed in the lobby. Jini was thinking about numerous things while looking at the relaxed Hyun. Rankers usually didn¡¯t share the information that only they knew easily. Since he had never lost the number one ranking in Asra Online, she was sure he would be similar to them¡­ But Jini¡¯s expectations were wrong. He never lost the number one position despite having such a great personality. Did that mean that his skills are even more amazing? Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only Since she didn¡¯t know Hyun¡¯s plans, that was the only explanation she could come up with. ¡®Good. Anyway, this is a great opportunity to see his play style from close.¡¯ Two veterans from Asra and two professional gamers. At first glimpse, it seemed like the strongest possible party. No one would¡¯ve imagined that they would find trouble from the start. ____ Chapter 56 - Knight Commanders Quest (1) Chapter 56 ¨C Knight Commander¡¯s Quest (1) The party used the elevator that was powered by magic to go to the top of the Knight¡¯s Hall. The entire place was very magnificent and had an aristocratic atmosphere, but that last floor was even more luxurious. ¡ªIt was an atmosphere worthy of the Empire. In front of two gothic pillars, two knights were guarding the hallway. ¡°Hyun¡­ The atmosphere here seems heavy¡­¡± ¡°Yeah. There only seem to be NPCs here.¡± Practice and Jini mumbled. Just as the two said, the last floor had a solemn atmosphere that made it look as if the time here was frozen. Anyone could¡¯ve guessed that it was a place where a very important person was. ¡°This is the place where the second Knight Commander is, so it¡¯s normal that the security is tight.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that someone really important?¡± ¡°Yes, the Knight Commander is a very important named NPC.¡± A little while before, Hyun had said that he would receive a hidden quest from the Knight Commander. How was he thinking in approaching someone a normal user would have trouble getting close to? Except for Ain, the other two were watching Hyun with a little bit of doubt. ¡°If you know how to do it, it isn¡¯t hard. I¡¯ll show you what I can do, so just watch.¡± Hyun made an unpleasant smile and called Ain. Up until then, unless it went against her ambition, Ain had never refused Hyun¡¯s petition. It was the same that time. ¡°You¡¯re planning to use ?Assimilation?, right?¡± ¡°Yes, lend me your body for a while.¡± Paf-! Practice and Jini were surprised when Hyun became light and scattered away. They looked around because they thought that Hyun had suddenly disappeared. ¡°Here.¡± After looking at both of them wandering around, Ain pointed at herself. ¡°Right now, I¡¯m simultaneously Hyun and Ain¡ªwe¡¯re both sharing a single body.¡± At first, Jini and Practice couldn¡¯t understand the situation, but they soon realized what was going on. They could hear Hyun¡¯s unique way of speaking in Ain¡¯s voice. Hyun explained ?Assimilation? to them. It was a skill that allowed you to share your body with another person. Jini was shocked after hearing that, while ?Assimilating?, both people shared their senses, among other things. ¡®Then¡­ Does that mean that Hyun can do whatever he wants with Ain¡¯s body?¡¯ Her opinion about Hyun was about to change. ¡°He doesn¡¯t do anything weird to your body, right?¡± ¡°What are you talking about. It¡¯s not me but Ain who does those sort of things.¡± ¡°Eh¡­? What does that mean¡­¡± ¡°N-no? H, Hyun, why are you making such lies¡­?!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you remember? There was one incident a few days ago.¡± Hyun and Ain used the same body to top up each other¡¯s voices. It was curious how they could perfectly tell who was saying what despite using the same voice. ¡°Ain, are you okay¡­?¡± Jini asked Ain once more because she was worried. ¡°Oh¡­ Yes?¡± Ain avoided looking at her and remained silent. Jini, who noticed something based on Ain¡¯s reaction, stopped asking any more questions. ¡°Wait, if you¡¯re both controlling one body¡­ That means¡­!¡± Practice said while clapping. ¡°The reason why I thought that there were two types of movements mixed in that video¡­ Is because one of those was yours! Yeah, that was the secret behind that unbelievable multi-tasking!¡± The effect of showing them ?Assimilation? was huge. It was truly a skill that went against common sense, and it was by far Hyun¡¯s favorite skill. ¡°Everyone, please wait here.¡± Hyun, who had ?Assimilated? to Ain, walked toward a guard. It was time to receive the hidden quest. As Hyun approached the guards, they made an X and blocked the way. ¡°You can¡¯t go through here.¡± ¡°Are you a user? Go back. Users aren¡¯t allowed in here.¡± Even though the guards had blocked their path, Hyun wasn¡¯t surprised at all. There were some pre-requisites to activate a hidden quest. What was needed was a ranking over Grand Master, to have the runes of a Heavenly Being, and to say the keyword. Hyun was relaxed because he already knew all the requisites. ¡°Fufu¡­ There¡¯s something I need to tell the Knight Commander.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± As Hyun began talking, the Knight became more vigilant. From the outside, the girl looked pure and innocent. But the girl¡¯s tone of voice was strangely unpleasant. That happened because it was Hyun who was talking. ¡¸¡­¡¹ Ain just silently watched Hyun do as he pleased. Practice and Jini also looked at him suspiciously from a distance. The only one who didn¡¯t notice how strange he looked was Hyun. Hyun didn¡¯t realize that the Knight was looking at him as if he was someone suspicious. ¡°I came here to deliver the message of the Heavenly Being Radiette to the Knight Commander. If you see the ID, you¡¯ll notice that I not only have the category of Grand Master, but I also have the rune of a Heavenly Being. So¡­ I¡¯m going to pass through.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Thanks. Then¡­ Eh, what did you say?!¡± ¡°I said that you can¡¯t pass.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to say anything further.¡± ¡°Wait, there¡¯s something weird here¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bother me anymore. I already told you that you can¡¯t pass.¡± Hyun was dumbfounded at the unexpected answer. How the conversation flowed was different from what he remembered. He had told the Knight every pre-requisite, yet was denied. ¡®What happened¡­? Is there another pre-requisite I don¡¯t know about?¡¯ Now that he thought about it, there was another strange thing. The Knight tried to kick him out while frowning as soon as he opened his mouth. Even if the pre-requisites were different, he didn¡¯t remember even being denied the opportunity to explain himself. Maybe¡­ had they blocked the hidden quest with a patch? Two people were looking at the troubled Hyun from a distance. ¡°As expected, the way to obtain a hidden quest isn¡¯t normal¡­ Do you need to make yourself noticed by making the NPC angry?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s what¡¯s happening. Maybe something went wrong?¡± Jini just nodded while Practice tilted his head. After a while, Hyun came back to where they were while scratching his head. Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks It seemed like he tried it a couple more times but ended up failing again. He used Ain¡¯s voice to mumble, ¡®there¡¯s no way this is happening¡­¡¯ ¡®What went wrong¡­? Rank over Grand Master, Heavenly Being, Radiette, was there something else I needed¡­? I¡¯m sure there wasn¡¯t.¡¯ What Hyun didn¡¯t think about was that Asrian¡¯s AI was more advanced than the one Asra had. Because NPCs in Asrian were more advanced, they judged the users based on what they saw and felt. From a guard¡¯s point of view, letting someone pass who laughed suspiciously was not doing their job properly. Hyun would¡¯ve never guessed that he had failed in obtaining the hidden quest because of the first impression. Practice tried to give his opinion. ¡°What about trying it again¡­? This time in a more relaxed tone of voice.¡± Ain suddenly spoke. ¡°What if I try it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably not going to work.¡± Hyun shook his head. ¡°It probably will have the same result. All I can think is that the quest has been blocked because of a patch.¡± ¡°But¡­ I¡¯m better at acting than Hyun.¡± ¡°If you can¡¯t trust me, I¡¯ll have to show you.¡± Second try. Hyun disassimilated and let Ain do everything. Ain waited a little bit for the Knight to change. She concluded that she wouldn¡¯t be able to convince the guard Hyun had talked to. After the guards changed, Ain walked toward them, and once again, they blocked her path. ¡°Users can¡¯t pass through.¡± ¡°I have a favor to ask.¡± ¡°Hmm? A favor?¡± * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * Ain¡¯s sentences were composed of short words, but at least they didn¡¯t have an unpleasant tone of voice. Rather than that, because of the clear tone of voice, everyone would just think of her as a girl of her age. ¡°I want to meet the Knight Commander.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ That¡¯s going to be hard. He isn¡¯t someone anyone can see.¡± ¡°But¡­ Heavenly Being.¡± ¡°Heavenly Being?¡± ¡°The Heavenly Being Radiette has asked me to send him a message.¡± Ain¡¯s way of speaking in short sentences was surprisingly effective. The guard¡¯s expression became more serious when she mentioned the Heavenly Beings. ¡°Are you telling the truth?¡± ¡°Yes, this is the evidence.¡± Ain showed her hands. There, you could see a blue lightning that shook like a wave. The Rune of a Heavenly Being, unlike an average Heaven¡¯s Rune, emitted a white light. At that moment, they developed absolute trust in Ain¡¯s words. ¡°This¡­!¡± After looking at the Rune in Ain¡¯s hands, the Knight¡¯s eyebrows shook. ¡°I¡¯m going to guide you to the Commander¡¯s room.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Ain said while turning around and pointing at the rest. ¡°I have allies with me. Can they also come?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ There¡¯s no problem.¡± Fufu, Ain made a triumphant smile while turning around. Hyun couldn¡¯t believe what was happening. ¡°What happened? Can we just pass¡­? Is it that the Knights can let someone pass or not based on their preferences?¡± ¡°Well, it ended up in success, so it really doesn¡¯t matter anymore, right?¡± Practice said while patting Hyun on the shoulders and smiling. Even though Hyun thought about it for a while, he couldn¡¯t find the reason. Well, just like Practice said, the plan had succeeded, so it didn¡¯t matter anymore, right? They got up and followed Ain. * * * Everyone faced the Knight Commander. They were let in because, even if the four of them attacked at the same time, they wouldn¡¯t be able to harm him. At the current point of the game, the Knight Commander was overwhelmingly stronger than the users. Thankfully, in Asrian¡¯s language, there were no honorifics, so it didn¡¯t matter that Ain was talking to the Knight Commander informally. After listening to Ain¡¯s words, the Knight Commander¡¯s expression became serious. ¡°Hmm, it seems like, with every day that passes, the forces of the Abyss are planning even more evil things. But did you say that Radiette saw you with good eyes? You can be proud of that. After all, Heavenly Beings are never wrong.¡± Suddenly, the Knight Commander frowned. A great portion of the soldiers was unavailable because of an important schedule. But if what this girl said was true, they¡¯d have to move quickly. That was why Hyun had concluded that it was the only time they¡¯d be able to do this quest. ¡°We¡¯re lacking in soldiers, so there¡¯s nothing I can do about it. If you¡¯re not busy at the moment, can you accept my request? First, I want to entrust you with a reconnaissance mission.¡± Ting- After the long conversation was over, everyone got a notification. [<Heaven¡¯s Hidden Quest: Explore the Evil¡¯s Seed Dungeon>] ¨C Incredibly, the Empire¡¯s Knight Commander has made a request to a user! This is probably the first time something like this has happened. The quest¡¯s mission is to explore a certain place. According to what the commander said, it is a place where a seed of evil has bloomed. Receiving a quest from the Knight¡¯s Commander is something rare! [Reward] ¨C Heaven¡¯s Medal of Honor x 10 ¨C Skill points based on the performance (Minimum +1 ~ Maximum +10) ¨C Increase confidence based on the results. ¡°Woah!¡± After reading the rewards, Practice took a deep breath. ¡°It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen something like this¡­ Ten skill points?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s only if they reward us with the maximum amount.¡± Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only ¡°This¡­ Is amazing.¡± Jini also couldn¡¯t keep her mouth closed because of the surprise. It was the first time she¡¯d seen such a huge reward while playing Asrian. With 10 Heaven¡¯s Medal of Honors, you could buy a unique item from the Heaven¡¯s Market. It truly was an incredible reward. ____ Chapter 57 - Knight Commanders Quest (2) Chapter 57 ¨C Knight Commander¡¯s Quest (2) On top of that, a skill bonus! Hyun and Ain were used to receiving stats or skill points as bonuses, but that wasn¡¯t the case with most users. ¡®Can he really share a quest like this as if it were nothing?¡¯ Jini¡¯s thought deepened. She had misunderstood him a couple of times, but that was probably the real him. She was once again amazed by Hyun. ¡®Even if he doesn¡¯t care¡­ I can¡¯t just keep receiving!¡¯ Even among Stardust members, Jini was famous for being fast and making calculations. She could judge the situation very fast. Once again, Jini made calculations very fast. Even if the reward was good, maintaining a good relationship with Hyun was more important. Then, what should she do next? ¡®¡­¡¯ While Jini was thinking with her eyes closed, the Knight Commander continued his explanation. ¡°Have you ever heard about the Seed of Evil?¡± They all shook their heads. The Knight Commander nodded as if he were expecting that answer. Then he kept explaining important things about the quest, so everyone focused their attention on him. ¡°The Seed of Evil refers to an entity. From that, a demon is born, and the forces of the Abyss receive strength because of it.¡± ¡°Seed¡­ It¡¯s a rather ominous word.¡± ¡°It¡¯s ominous indeed. But because it¡¯s a seed, it doesn¡¯t show its true form on the outside. It usually hides its true appearance.¡± The Commander took a deep breath and lowered his voice. ¡°According to the rumors, it usually takes the appearance of a little girl. It only shows its true colors in certain situations.¡± ¡®A little girl¡­?¡¯ Hyun¡¯s eyes widened at that word. ¡°That¡¯s right. The demon called Seed of Evil usually moves while looking like a little girl, so you wouldn¡¯t notice her even if she¡¯s walking mixed among normal human beings¡­ But there¡¯s one way to differentiate her.¡± The more the Knight Commander¡¯s explanation went on, Hyun began feeling uneasy. The words ¡®demon¡¯ and ¡®little girl¡¯ made him remember the face of someone. What the Knight Commander said next just confirmed that his worst fear was right. ¡°It¡¯s borrowing the strength of the sun. The seed germinates and takes the form of evil under the sun. This is the message from the angels that the oracle told us. I¡¯ve asked you to explore that place because we¡¯ve received a piece of information that the Seed of Evil appeared at that place.¡± Hyun¡¯s foreboding was right. The one the Knight Commander was talking about was Louise. That¡¯s right, since the first time he had seen Louise, she had a curse that made her avoid sunlight. He wished it was just coincidence, but the probability of that was low. ¡°Hyun¡­?¡± Ain was surprised by Hyun¡¯s sudden, stiff expression. She didn¡¯t ask him there, but he was making an expression she¡¯d rarely seen him make despite the fact they hung out together all the time. * * * Hyun, Ain, Practice, and Jini. Because it was an improvised party, after making simple preparations, they left to do the ¡®Commander¡¯s Quest.¡¯ Since it was the weekend, the two that were part of Stardust could freely move. ¡°So the Seed of Evil¡­¡± Even while moving to the quest¡¯s place, Hyun¡¯s mind was full of thoughts. A few days ago¡­ No, in Asrian¡¯s time, it was more than five years ago. Louise, crying alone in the dungeon, had reminded him of a little animal who had lost her mother. He still remembered how she asked him with a trembling voice to accompany her. ¡®That girl is really a demon?¡¯ Demons were pure evil and manipulative beings. They felt no remorse after killing and enjoyed watching the world fall into chaos. In Asra, the demons looked at humans with dichotomous eyes. Humans that serve them and humans that don¡¯t¡­ Most of those that served them were users that had chosen to side with the Abyss. There were also some weird NPCs, but that didn¡¯t mean that they thought favorably about users that belonged to the Abyss. The humans that served them were peons, and the rest were targets that must be killed. The exact way to call a demon was probably the peak of all evil. Because of Louise¡¯s personality, it was hard to think of her as a demon. ¡®Why are things getting so complicated¡­¡¯ Compared to Asra, the quest¡¯s content, settings, and goal were similar, but there were some differences. Especially in things related to Louise. That was something that wasn¡¯t in the previous game. It seemed like, after the patch, the story of Asrian had begun to change. The forces of the Abyss had become stronger, and the relation between the Heavens and the Abyss had worsened. And on top of that, an NPC he hadn¡¯t heard about had appeared, So it was different from the world he remembered. He couldn¡¯t understand what triggered such changes. ¡®Even if I think about it, I probably won¡¯t be able to find an answer.¡¯ Even if he thought about the things that changed, thinking about the previous game probably wouldn¡¯t help. He could only use the past as a reference. ¡®I¡¯ll probably learn the truth if I see Louise once more¡­¡¯ That¡¯s right. He felt that, once he met Louise, the truth behind everything would be revealed. Based on the Knight Commander¡¯s explanation, he referred to Louise when he talked about the Seed of Evil¡­ So if he followed the trays of the Seed, he would probably be able to find hits about Louise. ¡®First, let¡¯s focus on the quest.¡¯ Hyun took the rest of the party and moved to where the quest indicated. The place where the Knight Commander told them that the Seed of Evil was discovered was the Lulumea Mountain, which was near the north pole. It was a place that was located thousands of kilometers away, so they had no other choice but to use teleport. Snowstorms rage throughout the year in the outskirts of the polar region. Moving to the place where the quest took place from the teleport gate wasn¡¯t easy. Not only were they in the middle of nowhere, but because there were lots of different monsters, they kept battling. ¡°I¡¯m out of mana.¡± Before they reached where the quest would take place, Ain smiled awkwardly and murmured. The Close-Range Magician¡¯s weakness! The desperately huge Mana consumption rate had grabbed Ain¡¯s ankle. There was a reason behind why Hyun and Ain hadn¡¯t hunted monsters for a while. The Close-Range Magician was bad at farming monsters. ¡°Already? It¡¯s only been 30 minutes since we started fighting¡­!¡± Practice shouted in surprise while countering a monster¡¯s attack. Clang-! Jini, who was blocking a hairy goblin¡¯s attack with Holy Magic, shouted. The Ain that existed in Jini¡¯s memories was someone who just annihilated users while laughing, but how was it that she was laughing because her Mana had plummeted? Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks ¡°Can¡¯t you fight without Mana?¡± Ain nodded. Jini started to feel uneasy at the sight of Ain nodding with confidence. Hyun tried to defend her partner. ¡°Well, after all, Ain is also a Magician¡­ So she can¡¯t fight without Mana.¡± ¡°I see¡­ I never thought that I, a priest, would have to be in charge of the party¡¯s offensive.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll leave the small fights to both of you. Ain and I aren¡¯t suited to dealing with mobs.¡± He could support them with ?One Second Immortality?, ?Shield?, and ?Powerless Wave?, but since the hunting speed didn¡¯t increase that much, Hyun didn¡¯t feel the need to participate. Instead, they decided to guide the way. But Hyun didn¡¯t seem confident, he was looking around the snowy mountain. ¡°Hmm¡­ Wasn¡¯t it here¡­? It¡¯s been too long, so I don¡¯t remember it very well. Ain, do you remember?¡± ¡°If Hyun doesn¡¯t know, neither I do.¡± Ain shook her head. The two members of Stardust just stayed still without being able to say anything. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * How were things going to develop? It seemed like they were lost. ¡°Oof¡­ But it¡¯s cold here.¡± Practice, who had eliminated the nearby monsters, rubbed his hands because of the cold. Jini was also suffering because of the strong chill. There was a message in the status windows of both Stardust members. [You¡¯re feeling an extreme cold! All your movements have become 20% slower, and your HP recovering speed has decreased!] Whish- Another gust of cold wind swept through where they were standing. Practice was horrified at the cold weather of the north pole created by mother nature. ¡°Woah, this isn¡¯t a joke! It feels like a typhoon was blowing in the middle of winter!¡± It was a cold that was hard to experience even in real life. Practice, who noticed Hyun and Ain¡¯s clothes, was horrified. ¡°Oh my god, Hyun¡­ Aren¡¯t you cold while dressed like that? Ain too.¡± The two seemed okay, although they were wearing very light clothes. They looked completely different from him and Jini. Both of them were shaking because of the cold, although they were wearing thick clothes. ¡°Oh, this? It¡¯s because of a title. That¡¯s why Ain and I don¡¯t feel cold.¡± One of the effects of being a Heavenly Being was that they didn¡¯t feel cold. That was why both of them were okay, despite the extreme cold. ¡°A title like that¡­ Truly amazing¡­ No, I also want that¡­¡± Jini, who was listening to the conversation, spoke while trembling because of the cold. Practice also tried to rush Hyun because of the cold weather. ¡°You still haven¡¯t found it? I feel like I¡¯m about to die¡­!¡± ¡°Oh, I think I found it! It¡¯s that way!¡± Everyone ran toward where Hyun was pointing at. They all wanted to clear the quest as soon as possible. Whir- Thanks to Jini¡¯s buff, they reached the destination very quickly. ¡°This¡­ is the top of the mountain.¡± ¡°Judging by the crater¡¯s shape, it seems like the volcanic activity stopped a long time ago.¡± When they entered the basin-shaped place, there was no wind blowing, so even though it was cold, they were able to endure it. Both members of Stardust had calmed down a lot. Finally, the quest was about to start. They were thinking that when Ain¡¯s words made their heart sink. ¡°Hyun, are you sure it¡¯s here? I think that it isn¡¯t¡­¡± Said Ain while looking around. ¡°This place is the ¡®Ice Thorn Dungeon.¡¯ Isn¡¯t this an area where monsters over level 300 appear?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Jini and Practice, who were listening to Hyun and Ain¡¯s conversation, opened their mouths in surprise. ¡°Hyun, wait. Wasn¡¯t the place where our quest going to take place the ¡®Evil¡¯s Seed¡¯ Dungeon that began from level 80?!¡± It was just as Practice was saying. There was no way someone as influential as a Knight Commander would send them to do a quest that they wouldn¡¯t be able to beat, so it was improbable that he¡¯d send them to a place where monsters over level 300 appeared. Then, did that mean that Hyun had brought them to the wrong place and had them suffer in vain? ¡°Wait, don¡¯t sit on the cold floor!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe the former first ranker lost the way¡­¡± ¡°No, we aren¡¯t lost. We came to the right place!¡± Because the rest were starting to panic, Hyun began explaining. ¡°If you read the quest, you¡¯ll see that it says that the reward will depend on the result.¡± ¡°Yes, it does say that.¡± Practice nodded after reading the quest. Hyun kept explaining. ¡°Our mission is to explore. What is the success while talking about exploring? First, we need to define that. In real life, that would be the amount of information you could find. But in a game, there must be a clear indicator.¡± Hyun took a deep breath. ¡°It¡¯s the travel distance.¡± ¡°Distance¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. The success depends on how deep you can go in the dungeon.¡± Hyun¡¯s explanation was something like this: The most important thing in Asra or Asrian at ¡®exploration¡¯ quests was exploring as much of the map as possible. Basically, the most effective way to clear them was trying to reach the end of the place. ¡°The ¡®Evil¡¯s Seed Dungeon¡¯ is extremely long. The deeper you go, the harder it becomes. If we tried to do it in a normal way, it would probably take us a month or maybe even more.¡± ¡°A month¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s obvious that we can¡¯t use that much time; that¡¯s why we¡¯re trying to take advantage of something. These two dungeons are connected through many passageways.¡± Hyun took a deep breath and kept talking. ¡°We¡¯re going to use this dungeon and take a passageway that will allow us to reach the end of the Evil¡¯s Seed Dungeon!¡± ¡°Hyun, but this dungeon has monsters over level 300¡­ Isn¡¯t it going to be impossible from the beginning?¡± Practice, who was listening to Hyun¡¯s explanation, asked. Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only It was a reasonable question. Jini was about to ask the same thing. Instead of answering, Hyun looked at the sky. He was waiting for the right moment. ____ Chapter 58 - Shortcut (1) Chapter 58 ¨C Shortcut (1) ¡°Ain, how many minutes do we have until the dungeon opens?¡± ¡°Approximately 10 minutes¡­¡± ¡°Damn, I have no time to explain it. Well, it really doesn¡¯t matter. You¡¯ll soon realize how to go through an area with monsters over level 300.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± While the rest of the party had question marks on top of their heads, a few seconds passed. Kwaa-! Suddenly, they began falling. ¡°Wh-What¡­!¡± ¡°Kyaa! The floor¡­?!¡± A hole appeared on top of the crater where the party was standing. As if there had been a trap from the beginning, they were sucked into the pit of the crater. A waterfall made of snow dropped through the volcano¡¯s crater! Seen from the sky, it looked like a demon¡¯s throat that devoured everything on earth. The party, which was swept away by a torrent of snow, began falling. The dungeon¡¯s only entrance was a hole so deep that its end couldn¡¯t be seen. It was the Ice Thorn Dungeon. A place where monsters that were over level 300 roamed around. ¡°This¡­¡± Even though the party kept dropping from the top of the mountain, after a few seconds, they kept falling. ¡°How long are we going to keep falling?!¡± Practice shouted while feeling uneasy. Most people weren¡¯t used to the sensation of falling down. As the feeling of floating covered their bodies, they felt as if the wind was entering their body through their pores. ¡°Everyone, keep yourself balanced! We¡¯re going to be falling down for a while,¡± Hyun shouted to the rest. At first, Practice and Jini didn¡¯t understand Hyun¡¯s words. But then, they understood. They could see the ground only after 10 seconds had passed since they began falling. After seeing what was down there, Jini and Practice¡¯s hearts sunk. What was waiting for them wasn¡¯t a flat surface. It was a very steep slope. It looked like the hardest course of a ski resort. To make things worse, they¡¯d have to go through there with speed inherited from the fall! ¡°Be careful. The floor is made of ice.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± Jini wanted to ask something. After falling down from the sky, they had to slide through a cliff-like slope. Was that the only way to enter this dungeon? But because of the current situation, she couldn¡¯t get herself to ask the question. Hyun and Ain, who had high Agility stats, were naturally sliding down as if they were ski-jumping Olympic athletes. ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± Practice also stumbled, but he managed to get into position and slide down the slope. But Jini, who was a Priest, had only focused on her Magical Power and Vitality, so she lost her balance and started rolling down. ¡°Kyaa!¡± From the party interface, they could see Jini¡¯s HP dropping. ¡°Tsk,¡± Ain said while rolling her tongue. She complained while picking up Jini. ¡°This happened because you didn¡¯t increase your Agility!¡± From the outside, the sight of the smaller Ain picking up a woman bigger than herself looked funny. But in Asrian, your physical abilities depended on the stats you had, so it wasn¡¯t a weird sight to see. ¡°Wait, this is too fast! Ugh, I almost fell again!¡± Practice shouted while moving his arms. His body was sliding so fast that he couldn¡¯t properly control it, and it made his mouth dry. It was a normal reaction. After all, they were sliding down a very steep cliff. ¡°Is this a racing game?!¡± Jini, who had finally come back to her senses, asked, dumbfounded. Just like Jini said, their speed was faster than the speed of most racing game cars. The dungeon was structured like a bobsled track. It was a hellish race where you couldn¡¯t step on the brakes. The only good thing was that it was 50 meters wide, so there was no risk of hitting the wall. ¡°Hyun, can¡¯t we take a break?!¡± Practice asked with a nervous tone of voice. ¡°We can¡¯t. First of all, there¡¯s no way to stop, and we need to maintain this speed.¡± Hyun immediately refused Practice¡¯s request. Practice hated Hyun because of it, but those thoughts quickly disappeared. He saw giant monsters following them. It was an army of monsters that were over level 300. Monsters of an overwhelming size were trying to get them as if they were food. ¡°You¡¯ve asked me how we¡¯re going to go through the dungeon, right?¡± Hyun answered the question Practice had asked him before they entered the dungeon. How would they go through a dungeon full of monsters over level 300? They weren¡¯t even at level 100. ¡°You go through it like this.¡± The answer was to pass through the section before they got surrounded by monsters! With the momentum of the fall and going down a steep cliff without any brakes, they were going as fast as a bullet. Suddenly, demons appeared from the sides and blocked them. Crack-! They were aggressively scratching the ice. But the attacks didn¡¯t reach Hyun or the rest of the party thanks to their incredibly fast speed. They were way past the demon¡¯s attack range in the blink of an eye. Before demons could approach them, they were slipping down the underground cavity. The speed was way above what a normal human could experience in real life. [You went through the area of the middle boss ¡®Lamia¡¯!] [You¡¯ve explored 12% of the dungeon!] Just like Hyun said, both dungeons were connected from the inside. The message they got wasn¡¯t from that place but from the Evil Seed¡¯s Dungeon. Because they shared the depth, they could explore the dungeon in such a way. Jini was horrified at the message. ¡°12%? Didn¡¯t we go through at least five kilometers?!¡± ¡°The Evil¡¯s Seed Dungeon is extremely large. Just like I said before, if we went through the normal route, it would have taken us at least a month at least,¡± Hyun answered. ¡°That¡­!¡± The party went through all the opponents very quickly. All the monsters near the entrance couldn¡¯t keep up with their speed and fell down. So there were just the four of them sliding down the ice. Although there was no one chasing them, they couldn¡¯t slow down. Hyun shouted again when two paths appeared in front of the party. ¡°We need to take the left route!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Crack¨C Ain changed direction first while scratching the ice. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * Because of the inertia, Practice almost couldn¡¯t change directions and fell to the right side. But thanks to Hyun, he could join the rest of the party. Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks After making sure everyone had taken the correct route, Hyun spoke with a very serious voice tone. ¡°It¡¯s going to get dangerous from here, so everyone, please be careful.¡± ¡°How can it get more dangerous than now¡­?!¡± ¡°The monsters that appear from this point onwards react faster than those before.¡± Twirl-! Suddenly, something flew toward Hyun. Hyun quickly changed direction and avoided being hit. The party turned their heads after the danger was over. Just then, they saw what had flown toward Hyun. ¡°A frog¡­?¡± A monster with a disgusting appearance was flicking its tongue. What had targetted Hyun was that monster¡¯s tongue. Just like a bear snatching a salmon from a torrent, it had tried to grab Hyun. Soon, they got far away from the monster. But the appearance of that ugly demon had gotten imprinted in the group¡¯s memories. ¡°Everyone saw it, right? You have to dodge that thing very well.¡± ¡°Dodging something so fast¡­? It seemed too close.¡± ¡°Well, we¡¯re going through at a very fast speed, so each one will probably be able to attack us once. It isn¡¯t as hard as it seems.¡± Swoosh-! Another tongue came flying toward them. That time, it was targetting Ain. Ain jumped up with Jini in her arms. ¡°Ugh?!¡± Jini subconsciously screamed at the same time that Ain jumped. Although Jini was surprised, because she was a professional gamer, she didn¡¯t close her eyes. She was a professional gamer because she could react to any situation. Ain flew for a short while because she¡¯d jumped from the slope. She could make acrobatic movements in the air thanks to her high Agility stat. Crack¨C A short while after jumping, she landed on the track and matched the speed of the rest. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I have more Agility than Hyun.¡± Hyun nodded. If it was Ain, she could probably go through the area even with Jini in her arms. The two looked at each other and then changed the formation. Hyun at the left, Ain at the right. They left Practice in the middle. Because the edges were more dangerous, they¡¯d placed Practice in the middle. It wasn¡¯t that they were underestimating him. Everyone would have trouble imitating something they¡¯d seen only once, so they wanted him to get used to the current speed. ¡°Don¡¯t relax.¡± Twirl, Twirl-! As they entered the frogs¡¯ territory, tongues flew to them from both sides. Any user under level 300 would instantly die. Not only that but they would get eaten by the monster. It was a horrible way to die. Jini, who was already disgusted by the monster¡¯s appearance, was horrified. ¡°Please, dodge them. You¡¯re the only one I can trust¡­!¡± It seemed like she¡¯d imagined herself entering the monster¡¯s digestive system. But because her Agility was low, all she could do was rely on Ain. ¡°I¡¯m concentrating, so please remain silent.¡± Ain went through the middle of a lot of monsters. She saw the monsters targetting them from the front and the sides. Swoosh-! The moment three tongues flew toward them, Ain threw Jini into the air. ¡°Huh¡­?!¡± She avoided the first one by moving diagonally and dodged the second one by blending her back. The last one she brushed away with her arm. Then, she jumped again. Another tongue was about to wrap around Jini. But before it could do it, Ain grabbed Jini. ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± Jini, who had been grabbed by Ain, took a deep breath. She was so surprised that she couldn¡¯t find any words to say. Ain landed on the floor and kept sliding down. At the same time, many attacks went flying toward Hyun too. No, there were probably more monsters targetting Hyun. Hyun laughed at the sight of the numerous tongues flying toward him. ¡°You¡¯re not going to get me.¡± The tongues of many level 300 monsters tried to smash where Hyun was standing. That horrifying sight was probably a death sentence for Hyun. But Hyun¡¯s body wasn¡¯t there anymore. Just before being hit by the tongues, Hyun had ?Assimilated? into Ain. Hyun had chosen the more dangerous side because he had the most OP skill to avoid being hit, ?Assimilation?. When he ?Disassimilated?, he inherited Ain¡¯s inertia. As long as he remembered that, he wouldn¡¯t have any trouble. ¡®Damn, he¡¯s going to get hit!¡¯ A tongue flew toward Practice. Practice still hadn¡¯t gotten used to sliding down. The moment he was about to get hit by the tongue¡­ ¡®?Disassimilation?!¡¯ Hyun suddenly appeared in front of Practice and blocked the flying path of the tongue. He had received the hit in place of Practice. The long tongue managed to grab Hyun in the air. Practice¡¯s heart sunk after seeing Hyun in trouble, but he was worried about nothing. While being dragged by the tongue, Hyun scattered away into light and entered Ain. As long as Hyun had the ?Assimilation? skill, the average attack wouldn¡¯t be able to get him. Krrrr-! The demonic frog cried angrily. But the only thing it could do was angrily look at its prey getting away. ¡°Oof, thanks, Hyun¡­!¡± ¡°I told you these things won¡¯t be able to get me.¡± Soon, tongues stopped coming from the sides. They had successfully gone through the demonic frogs¡¯ territory. Numerous system messages appeared in front of the party. [You went through the Demonic Beast Kendanis¡¯s area!] [You went through the dark bridge!] Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only [You went through the middle floor!] [You¡¯ve crossed the blood river!] [You¡¯ve explored 42% of the dungeon!] There was still a long way to go. ____ Chapter 59 Hard Carry Support Chapter 59 ¨C Shortcut (2) ¡°Are we halfway there¡­?¡± What Hyun murmured woke up the rest of the party, who were overwhelmed by the number of system messages. Just like he said, monsters that were more dangerous than those before would be waiting for them from that point onwards, so they couldn¡¯t relax yet. ¡°To the right!¡± Once again, the road was divided into two possible ways. As Hyun shouted, the party scratched the floor and changed the direction in which they were sliding. Practice had started to get used to the speed. The dungeon was structured so that they had no other option but to go down constantly. If they made a mistake, they wouldn¡¯t be able to meet each other again, so they had to be careful that they didn¡¯t get far away from each other. ¡°Good, everyone managed to follow!¡± [In just 12 minutes and 37 seconds, you¡¯ve traveled 30 kilometers!] [It¡¯s an amazing achievement! Your Agility has gone up by 3 points!] Suddenly, everyone got a notification from the system. The message Hyun received was a little bit different from the rest. The content was almost the same, but the number of stats received differed. Thanks to the bonus of being part of the Abyss, he received an extra 30% of the achievement bonus! In reality, it was 3.9, but it had been rounded up. Practice was surprised after reading his message. ¡°30 kilometers?! We already passed the mountain¡¯s height!¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. It¡¯s been a while since we entered the dungeon. We¡¯re currently in the territory of the Abyss.¡± Even while talking, they kept descending at a speed close to falling. The deeper they went, the closer they got to the Abyss. The color of the floor had changed from transparent as glass to a blood-red one. From a distance, they looked like drops of water dripping from the surface of a giant ruby. ¡°This place¡­ Looks like a demonic territory,¡± Jini said while looking around nervously and biting her lips. Thousands of torches that burned while emitting green light illuminated the passageway. No, it was too steep to call it a passageway. It was as if they were going through the entrance of hell. The party kept falling as if they were being swept down to hell¡¯s mouth. ¡°What¡­?¡± Practice couldn¡¯t keep his mouth shut at the sight that appeared before him. ¡°It¡¯s getting steeper?!¡± ¡°This is just a cliff!¡± The terrain in front of them was so steep that it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to call it a cliff. It was no different than falling into the Abyss. Practice and Jini were horrified. Not only because of the unbelievable angle of the terrain but also because, although they were in the same situation, Hyun and Ain were calm. ¡°We¡¯re surrounded by a red color.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The red color is like a warning. We¡¯re about to enter the territory of the middle boss.¡± Hyun explained the meaning to the rest. ¡°You¡¯re kidding, right¡­? The middle boss during a situation like this? I can barely move!¡± Practice shouted. Even while talking, he tried his best to get the balance. To move, he needed a place where to steep foot, and on such a steep road, that was impossible. ¡°Well, leave this place to Ain and me.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a way, right?!¡± ¡°Probably.¡± Hyun remembered the plan once again. How was he planning to go through the middle floor boss¡¯s territory? It was the most important and hardest part. However, Hyun had been able to come up with an answer to many difficult situations, so he was sure he would be able to come up with a solution again. ¡°It¡¯s coming!¡± Kaaaaaa-! A monster suddenly came flying from the underground. With its wings wide-opened, the giant and hideous bird looked like it was at least 20 meters. The sharp cry made it look as if it were saying that they were entering its territory. [You¡¯re exposed to a very strong Abyss¡¯s power!] [You can¡¯t resist because of the huge difference in power!] [All your stats have been decreased by 20%!] ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± Practice subconsciously groaned¡­ There was a system in Asrian that made you feel scared while facing an extremely strong opponent. Jini was also overwhelmed. ¡°We can¡¯t escape! This boss can keep up with our speed!¡± ¡°It¡¯s this fast?!¡± The monster was keeping up with the party¡¯s speed, who were basically in the middle of a free fall. Up until then, they¡¯d avoided facing monsters thanks to the speed of the fall, but now that they¡¯d encountered one that was faster than them, they couldn¡¯t use the same strategy. ¡°Hyun, do we have to fight against this?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s impossible for us to beat it!¡± ¡°Then¡­?¡± ¡°We have to resist until we get through its territory!¡± Hyun shouted. Because he¡¯d asked them before the quest began, he knew the skills of both Stardust members. ¡°Jini, please use ?Bind? on all the party members!¡± ?Bind? was an exclusive skill of the Priest¡ªit was a skill that bound everyone¡¯s bodies with a solid light. Those connected by the rope of light couldn¡¯t separate more than a certain distance. Usually, it was a skill used to tie the feet of an opponent, but because it had low durability, it wasn¡¯t a very useful skill. ¡°Done!¡± As Jini activated her skill, a rope that tied the party members together appeared. ¡®Wouldn¡¯t tieing our bodies together make things more difficult since it limits our movements?¡¯ Despite thinking that, Jini didn¡¯t doubt using her skill for even a second. That was because she¡¯d developed a trust in Hyun. Kwaaa-! As soon as Jini used her skill, the monster began flapping its wings. A gust of wind so strong that it made it difficult to keep their eyes open came from the front. The monster was trying to separate them with brute force. Practice almost lost his balance and was about to bounce away, but the rope tied to his waist supported him. That was the effect of ?Bind?. * * * * * * The theory was similar to Cao Cao¡¯s strategy in the Battle of Red Cliff. In that historical battle, Cao Cao had tied his boats with steel chains. ¡°Keep resisting!¡± Skreeeee-! The monster¡¯s attack had just begun. Thorns appeared on its giant wings. Each of the thorns was thick like a spear¡ªthey were formed by magical energy that emitted a dark aura. Bang-! As the monster flapped its wings, hundreds of thorns flew toward them. ¡®Now!¡¯ Hyun had been prepared to act from the moment the monster opened its wings. Just before the monster launched its attack, Hyun used ¡®The Ring of the Executioner.¡¯ He then unbound from the rope and dashed up the slope by himself. Whir-! Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks The thorns that were scattered away gathered in one place. The effect of the ring that dragged all attacks to where the person wearing the ring was had activated. ¡®It¡¯s just like that time¡­ But it was different from before.¡¯ While escaping with Louise, he had used ?One Second Absorption? to protect against all attacks¡­ But right now, he couldn¡¯t use the same strategy. The opponent in front of them was a level 400 boss monster. Just being touched by one thorn would be enough to kill them. ¡®I can¡¯t get hit.¡¯ Before his body got destroyed, Hyun scattered away into the light! Hyun had ?Assimilated? into Ain. Even after Hyun disappeared, the thorns moved because of inertia and were stuck on the slope behind them. Bang! Boom! As the thorns hit the wall, the entire surface moved because of impact. ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± ¡°Eek!¡± Although their bodies were shaking, the rope kept them together. Thanks to that, they could maintain their balance while going down a shaking slope. Jini, who was in Ain¡¯s arms, smiled bitterly. ¡°This¡­ First, it was a racing game, then a shooter¡­!¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t over yet!¡± Hyun shouted while ?Disassimilating?. The pattern of the boss attacking with thorns kept repeating for a while. Because the rest of the party couldn¡¯t move due to the ?Bind?, Hyun had to control the direction of the thorns. Flap-! Once again, the monster launched the thorns, and Hyun jumped. The Ring of the Executioner was still on Hyun¡¯s finger. Whir-! The ring dragged all the attacks to a single point. And once more, just before he could get hit¡­ ¡®?Assimilation?.¡¯ He disappeared¡­ ¡®?Disassimilation?.¡¯ And appeared again. It looked like Hyun was using teleportation. Although many thorns flew constantly, none hit any of the party members. Smash-! As the thick thorns got stuck in the slope, part of it fell down. Unfortunately, one of the thorns tore down the rope that was binding Practice. ¡°Damn¡­!¡± After losing his balance because of the intense vibration under his feet, Practice was about to bounce up. ¡°Ain¡­! Can you do it?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to ask these sorts of things!¡± At Hyun¡¯s shout, Ain jumped upward. The moment she jumped, the surface under her feet crumbled. Two thorns had gotten stuck on the slope, and the terrain surrounding them was crumbling. In the air, Ain was grabbing Jini with one hand, and with the other, she snatched Practice. ¡°?Bind?!¡± Jini immediately used her skill on Practice. Ain kept floating for a few seconds until she could land on the slope, and then she kept sliding. ¡°Ain, don¡¯t get too far away from me!¡± Hyun gave Ain a warning. To use ?Assimilation?, she had to be within 20 meters. If the distance between them increased, the skill wouldn¡¯t activate. Then he would die at that place immediately. ¡°Don¡¯t separate from me too much!¡± Kaaaa-! Because its attack wasn¡¯t working as it wished, the monster cried out angrily. As the sharp cry pierced Hyun¡¯s eardrums, he became more focused. He knew what that cry meant. ¡®It¡¯s the final phase¡­!¡¯ Flap-! As the monster curled up and then opened its wings, many thorns flew toward them. The attack pattern of the thorn attacks was irregular. Sometimes, it was a surprise attack, and in cases others, a continuous fire. ¡®If I get hit even once, it¡¯s over.¡¯ Whir- The Ring of the Executioner cried sadly. At the same time, the complex attack pattern of the monster changed directions while mid-air. Thanks to Hyun dragging all the attacks, a safety zone was created in the middle of the barrage. While hiding in the safety zone created by Hyun, the party kept sliding downward. [You went through the Fire Shrine!] [You found a sky in the middle of the Abyss!] [You¡¯ve found a shadow road!] [You¡¯ve explored 93% of the dungeon!] ¡°We¡¯re almost there!¡± Hyun shouted. ¡°Look down!¡± At Hyun¡¯s shout, everyone saw that there were three possible paths. The red scenery ended from there. That meant that the territory of the middle boss ended there. ¡°Take the middle road!¡± While looking at the monster, he pointed the direction to go to the rest of the party. The attack pattern of the middle boss was getting more violent. ?Assimilation? used 50 mana. Hyun¡¯s mana was almost empty. Smash-! The monster tried to smash Hyun with its claws. From its point of view, it was probably angry. Since it didn¡¯t matter how many thorns it sent flying, he just dodged them all as if he were a mouse. As the monster¡¯s claw scratched the slope, an enormous vibration shook the party members. ¡°Kyaa!¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± All the party members, including Ain, were swept away because of the vibration. The party floated in the air as if they were leaves being swept away by a typhoon. Although, thanks to ?Bind?, they didn¡¯t separate. ¡°That¡¯s the wrong way!¡± Unfortunately, the direction they were falling was not the one Hyun had indicated. Hyun¡¯s heart sank. If they went to the right, they would reach the Ice Thorn¡¯s Dungeon¡¯s next area. It was a place where monsters that were over level 400 appeared¡ªit was the beginning of the Hell of the Abyss. ¡®There aren¡¯t any more crossroads after this¡­!¡¯ Kieeee-! The monster that was following them cried angrily. As the road became narrower, it couldn¡¯t follow them anymore. Boom- As the giant body hit the walls, it caused a huge shock. An earthquake shook the entire place. ?Disassimilate?! But right then, Hyun couldn¡¯t hear anything. Paf-! He appeared next to Ain. While falling down, he pushed Ain¡¯s body with all his strength. Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only ¡®A little bit more¡­¡¯ Because of ?Bind?, Jini and Practice were also thrown together with Ain. ____ ____ Chapter 60 Hard Carry Support Chapter 60 ¨C Shortcut (3) It was a close call. While falling from the sky, the party had managed to go through the middle hole as if they were diving into it. ¡®Did everyone enter the right one?¡¯ They quickly passed through the three possible pathways, soon disappearing from their sight. It seemed like, except for Hyun, everyone had entered the middle hole. Even after going through the pathway, the party kept sliding down for a while. The steep slope began easing. The speed at which they were sliding down began decreasing. They reached a completely flat surface as if they¡¯d reached the bottom of a ski resort. The race had finally ended. ¡°Oof¡­ That last one was dangerous.¡± Hyun, who had come out from Ain¡¯s body, sighed in relief. If he had used ?Assimilation? a little bit later, he would have gotten far away from the rest of the party. Because of the Ice Thorn Dungeon¡¯s structure, you couldn¡¯t go back once you had already gone through a road. But if the target was within 20 meters, he could use ?Assimilation?. That¡¯s why, at the last moment, even though Hyun couldn¡¯t see Ain, he could join them by using ?Assimilation?. ¡°Is it finally over¡­?¡± Practice and Jini had also started to calm down. Practice sighed in relief. He shook his head while having a look of dismay on his face. ¡°I think I understand how you guys usually play¡­¡± Even from the point of view of a professional gamer, that wasn¡¯t a normal gaming style. If he thought it was just ¡®a little bit dangerous¡¯¡­ Hyun¡¯s idea of risk was different from those of an average person. Hyun tried to avoid looking at Jini. ¡°Ugh, I mean¡­ What just happened.¡± Did he proceed too recklessly without an explanation? Yes, anyone would be surprised if things went on like that without receiving a proper explanation beforehand. He was about to say sorry because of his lack of explanation when unexpected words came out of Jini¡¯s mouth. ¡°Hyun¡­ You.¡± After trying to calm down, Jini spoke. Hyun was an unbelievable player. How he moved, his judgment, his timing, even a professional gamer would be no match to him. ¡°You have no intentions to become a professional gamer, right¡­?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± She thought that it was too bad that a user like him had no intentions of becoming a professional gamer. But she couldn¡¯t force him. Since she thought of maintaining a good relationship with him, she didn¡¯t want to bother him by asking something he wasn¡¯t interested in. Jini began thinking. ¡®Yes, even if I can¡¯t bring him to Stardust¡­¡¯ The next thing Jini thought about was that video that had become a hot topic in their team. The last battle of the Count¡¯s Quest. It seemed like Practice had studied Ain¡¯s movements from that video, but she was a Priest, so she focused her attention on how Ain dealt with the long-range attacks. ¡ªHow she made any long-range attack ineffective was way over the level a Priest or Magician wanted to reach. And now, she had discovered that the one who had done that was Hyun. ¡®If I can learn from that play, even a little bit¡­!¡¯ Just like Practice, Jini had also tried to analyze the video. But it was hard to understand the principle¡¯s behind Hyun¡¯s movements since he saw space in a complex way. While moving from a distance, you had more freedom than those at close range, so analyzing it was that much harder. Not only that, but Hyun also moved while taking into consideration the flow of the battle. So without a proper explanation, it was even harder to understand them. ¡®Finally, the perfect chance has come!¡¯ Jini had made up her mind. Maybe it would be rude to ask something like this the first time they met each other. But Jini was a very passionate professional gamer. Jini, who had reached a conclusion inside her head, shouted. ¡°Hyun, please teach me!¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Practice, who was listening next to her, seemed surprised. Ain¡¯s expression was similar to Practice¡¯s. ¡°Eh¡­? What do you mean¡­¡± As Hyun answered with a question, Jini understood she¡¯d made a mistake. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry! I said it too suddenly¡­! But I¡¯m being honest! Even if you don¡¯t want to become a professional gamer, you can teach someone. Right?¡± After looking at Hyun¡¯s gameplay style, it seemed like the professional gamer switch had turned on. The way she continued to mumble what she felt resembled a girl who longed for an idol. The impression Hyun had left on her was that strong. How his perfectly calculated movements flowed like water¡­ Jini could see the meticulous calculations behind Hyun¡¯s movements. The reason why she suddenly asked him that was because she was fascinated with Hyun¡¯s gameplay. ¡°You want me to teach you¡­?¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll pay you accordingly!¡± Hyun, who finally understood what Jini meant, began thinking deeply. Hyun had never thought about teaching someone else. Actually, that was the first time someone had asked him that. By her looks, Hyun knew Jini was serious about it. ¡®It¡¯s too sudden, but¡­¡¯ Hyun began wondering about it seriously. Because he had just entered University, he wasn¡¯t used to deals like that. Once Hyun thought of Jini¡¯s request as a quest, he felt like his thoughts were being organized. ¡®Hmm¡­ I guess I have nothing to lose.¡¯ From Hyun¡¯s point of view, it was normal that both average and professional gamers lacked in terms of basics. The battle theory Ain and he had learned over the years wasn¡¯t something that one could learn in a short period of time. Just learning one thing would probably take them a lot of time, so it wouldn¡¯t be too much of a bother to him. Even if he taught them advanced things, they wouldn¡¯t be able to learn them. Also, he had no intention of teaching them those things easily. Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks ¡®What do I have to earn?¡¯ Hyun began making some calculations. He included the tuition fees Jini mentioned and extra benefits he could get inside the game in his calculations. ¡®Wait, it isn¡¯t a bad deal at all!¡¯ Jini flinched at the sudden change in Hyun¡¯s atmosphere. Hyun was laughing suspiciously. After a while, Hyun nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°R-Really?¡± ¡°After all, you¡¯re someone who JaeHoon knows.¡± Hyun talked as if he was making her a favor. ¡°But I have a few conditions.¡± ¡°Conditions¡­?¡± ¡°First, you must show me your status window. I need to know your specs before teaching you.¡± Showing your status window meant more than showing someone your ID in real life. ¡ªBecause your stats and skills were like your patrimony. Especially for a professional gamer, that must have been a hard requirement to follow. ¡°I have no issues with that!¡± Jini nodded without thinking about it twice. It was because she was that passionate about learning. After nodding, Hyun kept talking. ¡°The other one is that you need to help me when I ask you.¡± ¡°When?¡± ¡°Whenever¡­ It can be helping with a quest or fighting against another user. The number of times I¡¯m going to ask you¡­ Well, we can define that later on, right?¡± Jini seemed to think about that requirement for a little while but ended up nodding. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter as long as it doesn¡¯t overlap with the team¡¯s schedule. No, as long as it isn¡¯t an important meeting, I¡¯ll ignore the schedule!¡± ¡®Is she serious¡­?¡¯ Hyun began having doubts after hearing her smooth answer. From what he heard from JaeHoon, Asrian¡¯s professional gamers seemed to have a very tight schedule¡­ * * * * * * Anyway, if she could manage her schedule, it wasn¡¯t a bad deal. Jini probably ranked high among Priests, so being able to count on someone like that whenever he wanted was a great benefit. ¡°Hyun, can I also learn¡­?¡± Practice, who had been listening silently, suddenly asked. He was surprised when Jini had suddenly asked Hyun that, but as things flowed weirdly, he also decided to ask him. ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°R-really?!¡± ¡°One or two. It really doesn¡¯t make a difference, so it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Practice seemed moved at Hyun¡¯s answer. It looked as if he were about to cry. If he let him be, he was probably going to bow, so Hyun quickly waved his hands to dissuade him from doing that. Hyun felt a little bit awkward. He had received many things from JaeHoon. Not only whenever they met, but he had also paid for the dinner and taken him home in his car. But the only thing Hyun had done for him was tell him about a quest that helped him level up a little bit. Not only that, but he¡¯d made him abandon the Count¡¯s Quest since it interfered with his goals. ¡®I think that I also need to provide a little bit.¡¯ While thinking that, simultaneously, Hyun was thinking about how to use Practice¡¯s abilities. Calculating the profits and losses within the game was part of Hyun¡¯s nature, so there was nothing he could do about it. That¡¯s how he made a deal with Practice that was similar to the one he¡¯d done with Jini. While smiling generously, Hyun was excited on the inside. * * * They still needed to discuss the pay, but they decided to talk about that once the quest was over. The atmosphere of the party had improved. The two professional gamers couldn¡¯t hide their happiness from being taught by Hyun. Hyun seemed satisfied because of a similar reason. Only Ain looked at Jini with suspicious eyes at first but then stopped. After recovering their Mana and HP, the party started to move again. The Ice Thorn Dungeon had many steep slopes, but the Evil¡¯s Seed Dungeon was the complete opposite. It was a maze that was so long and complex that you just couldn¡¯t see its end. The probability of getting lost if you relaxed too much was high, and finding the correct road would take a lot of time too. It was very time-consuming. Especially when they had to go through a passageway from where malice came out. They had to wait for Jini¡¯s Mana to replenish to recover HP. It was impossible to predict how long it would have taken them if they hadn¡¯t used a shortcut. They were exploring such a dark maze. Sometimes, they smashed down some walls to shorten the time. In many cases, the thick-looking walls were surprisingly lax. The reason why they could find spaces like that was thanks to Hyun¡¯s memories. But no matter how much they walked, the dungeon exploration rate didn¡¯t seem to advance. ¡°The remaining 2% is not decreasing,¡± said Ain, who was bored of just walking. ¡°It¡¯s a very long dungeon. If we¡¯d done the quest normally, it would have taken us a month at least.¡± The progress rate increased an hour after they began exploring the maze. As they crossed a bridge made of skulls, a door that seemed to be 15 meters wide appeared in front of them. ¡®Seeing it vividly like this is kind of creepy.¡¯ Hyun remembered the past while looking at the devilish decorations that were on the door. The Door of the Deceased¡ªits name was probably something like that. From what he remembered, the red frame was made of dried corpses. Jini, who had a weak stomach, wanted to vomit after noticing that. Practice also had a dark expression on his face. Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only Only Hyun and Ain were okay. Ain, who was next to Hyun, rather than disgusted, seemed excited. ____ ____ Chapter 61 Hard Carry Support Chapter 61 ¨C The Last Gatekeeper, Betty (1) ¡°Hyun, do you remember this place? We¡¯ve cleared this one together before.¡± ¡°Really? From what I remember, I was alone.¡± ¡°Hng¡­? Alone?¡± Ain stared at Hyun. Hyun ignored her stare and tried to remember. Oops, now that he thought about it, he had indeed come to that place with Ain. ¡°No¡­ We did come here together. That¡¯s right. Even back then, we were together.¡± But there were some differences with that time. He could immediately find a difference. From what he remembered, in Asra, a mid-range boss was blocking the door¡­ But right then, there didn¡¯t seem to be one. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it seem like the map has changed a little bit?¡± ¡°Yes, I was thinking the same thing.¡± Hyun nodded at Ain¡¯s question. From what he remembered, in Asra, the dungeon¡¯s name was different. He didn¡¯t remember the name, but he was sure that if it were something like Seed of Evil, he would¡¯ve remembered it. ¡®Why did it change?¡¯ Asrian had slight differences from the previous game. The first one was the appearance of an unknown NPC called Louise. The existence of a symmetrical world¡­ Even the name of the dungeon had changed¡­ He had a strange feeling as if he was missing something. He felt that if he thought about it a little bit more, he would be able to connect all the parts. Hyun was thinking about all the different pieces of evidence separated like a puzzle. ¡°So this is the last one.¡± Practice¡¯s mumble brought Hyun back to reality. He looked up at the Door of the Deceased and mumbled. ¡°At first glance, this seems like a place where a boss would be.¡± ¡°It does.¡± Just like Practice said, there was only one enemy left before they cleared the quest. It was the opponent that was behind the door. They wouldn¡¯t be able to beat the last part of the quest by using tricks, so it was the place where the party would fight the final battle. Before the battle began, Hyun started to explain. ¡°The last opponent is a named called ¡®Betty.¡¯ It¡¯s a humanoid bat monster that uses Magic. In Asra, we used to call her bat girl.¡± ¡°Betty¡­?¡± Jini, who was listening to Hyun¡¯s words spoke. The moment she heard the name Betty, her face became darker. After seeing that, Practice asked her a question. ¡°Is there something you know about her?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve previously heard information about the named Betty.¡± Stardust had a database of many monsters. It was made with the help of the coach that had experience in Asra Online they had just incorporated. Betty was a name she¡¯d found out by going through the information. ¡°It¡¯s a named boss that¡¯s level 235. You need at least 10 users that have completed the second job ascension to try to beat it.¡± ¡°A level 235 boss? Really?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure!¡± Jini showed the rest of the information about Betty that was in Stardust¡¯s database through one of the functions of the capsule. ¡°Oh, my god¡­¡± Practice¡¯s mouth dropped open. ¡°What, why is everyone suddenly so scared?¡± At Hyun¡¯s question, Practice carefully asked him. ¡°Hyun, can we really beat it¡­?¡± ¡°Of course, the giant bird we meet in the Ice Thorn Dungeon was a level 400 named boss.¡± ¡°But we didn¡¯t fight it.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ That¡¯s true, but it¡¯s okay. If it¡¯s our party, I think we¡¯re going to be able to beat it.¡± Jini became more relaxed after listening to Hyun¡¯s affirmation. She started to accept Hyun¡¯s words as the truth at some point. His judgment was probably more precise than hers! Following her common sense would probably make things harder, so she decided not to think about it too much. If you look closely, Ain didn¡¯t doubt Hyun¡¯s words. Although she spoke roughly from time to time, you could feel that she trusted Hyun. Before they entered, Hyun explained to them the strategy to beat Betty. The theory behind the strategy was perfect. The problem was that it was perfect only in theory. Neither professional gamers nor average users thought about every single possible variable like Hyun. Humans often made mistakes, which was why the prepared strategies failed most of the time. ¡®Does he always prepare so much?¡¯ When Hyun¡¯s explanation was over, Practice and Jini were lost for words. The reason why he prepared the strategies with so much detail was that he was sure there wouldn¡¯t be any mistakes? ¡®This is a strategy that, if you didn¡¯t have skills and self-confidence in yourself, you wouldn¡¯t be able to come up with.¡¯ ¡®An average user would probably be committing suicide if they tried to copy it¡­!¡¯ Guooo-. The Door of the Deceased opened, and the room¡¯s interior was revealed. The entire floor was covered with lava. And in the middle of it, there was a giant island. ¡°Everyone, watch out for your feet.¡± Hyun warned the rest. The only way to get to the island was by crossing a narrow bridge. If they missed a step, they¡¯d fall into the lava. Jini, who had low Agility, was having a hard time moving. From a certain point, the party started to receive messages. Hyun, who was the only one who belonged to the Abyss, had 10% of resistance to fire, so the message he saw was a little bit different. Even if they remained still, their HP would go down. If the pain sensor was adjusted to real-life levels, there would be so much heat surrounding the place that humans wouldn¡¯t be able to resist it. To keep their HP up, Jini had to use recovery skills frequently. ¡®Too hot. We¡¯re surrounded by a sea of fire.¡¯ Practice moaned because of the heat that the lava transmitted. Hyun and Ain couldn¡¯t feel cold thanks to the ¡®Heavenly Being¡¯ title, but they weren¡¯t immune to heat. Boom-! The moment the party crossed the bridge, the doors closed. Then a wave of lava swallowed the bridge they¡¯d just used. ¡°Don¡¯t panic.¡± Even if Hyun hadn¡¯t said it, they would¡¯ve been calm. Hyun had already told them that the moment the battle began that there would be no way to exit. The island that would soon become a battlefield was the size of a football field. Wham-. As a lava waterfall began to flow from all sides, the party moved to a safe place. ¡°Watch out!¡± Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks As Jini shouted, magma began coming out from the mouth of a strange-looking statue. Tsss-~ As Practice subconsciously moved his body, he could hear the sound of rock melting. ¡°This is really a hell of fire.¡± The place seemed like it would be interesting to see if it weren¡¯t for the fire surrounding it. Thanks to Roman-style architecture, the island looked like an abandoned underground city. The party went up the stairs. From the terrace of the building, they could see the entire island. * * * * * * Hundreds of lava waterfalls covered the entire city. That was the most fantastic scenery Hyun had seen since he began playing Asrian. ¡°Amazing¡­¡± Ain was mesmerized by the hundreds of lava waterfalls. The lava kept raising, and it began to swallow the city¡¯s buildings one by one. Then a tsunami of lava struck everything and left it all in ruins. ¡°It¡¯s coming.¡± And once it finally stopped¡­ Boom-! Something dropped from the sky as if it were a meteorite. The silhouette of the demon slowly extended its wings and raised its body. Jini mumbled while biting her lips. ¡°Betty¡­¡± The ¡®Evil¡¯s Seed¡¯ Dungeon¡¯s final boss. The guardian of the area, Betty, had appeared. Betty had the appearance of a woman and black wings. It looked like a bat. As Betty extended its wings, the energy of the Abyss began spreading through the entire place. ¡°Kiik¡­ Servants¡­ Of Heaven¡­¡± [You¡¯ve encountered a massive Abyss¡¯s presence!] [You offer very little resistance!] [All your stats have been decreased by 20%!] The message Hyun and Ain received was a little bit different. [A Heavenly Being isn¡¯t easily intimidated by the energy of the Abyss!] [All your stats have been decreased by 5%!] ¡®There¡¯s nothing we can do about the difference in specs.¡¯ The deeper they went, the harder the dungeon became. Because Betty was the dungeon¡¯s final boss, it had overwhelming specs. ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter.¡¯ He wasn¡¯t expecting to be able to overcome Betty¡¯s Abyss energy perfectly. The strategy he was thinking of wasn¡¯t about beating it with specs, but was a way to overcome the gap. ¡°Jini, start!¡± ¡°I know!¡± Before Hyun spoke, Jini was in front of the party. ¡°To think that a day would come when I, a Priest, would be in the front!¡± While shaking her legs, Jini didn¡¯t back off. She was doing her best to face the Abyss¡¯s energy emitted by Betty. Why was Jini in the front? It would be normal to ask that question, but Jini was just moving as Hyun had ordered her. ¡°Jini, you must always be in front of Betty.¡± Just before entering the room, Jini thought she had misheard Hyun¡¯s words. To think that he¡¯d ask her, a Priest who needed to be protected by the rest of the party, to be in the front! But after listening to Hyun¡¯s explanation, she understood why. ¡°Betty¡¯s scariest skill is ¡®Rear Leap.¡¯ It instantly teleports to the back of the party and smashes the target with the tail. We won¡¯t be able to dodge or block it with our current level.¡± ¡°Then, there¡¯s no way to counter it. Right¡­?¡± Practice had murmured in worry. ¡°The target of the Rear Leap is always fixed: it¡¯s the one that¡¯s furthedy away from it. Basically, the one that¡¯s at the back of the party!¡± At the back of the party, there usually was either a Priest or a Magician. That¡¯s why there was a huge chance that Jini would become the first target of the boss. ¡°Understood? You must always be in the front.¡± Paf-! The moment Betty disappeared, Jini shrugged her shoulders. If it weren¡¯t for Hyun¡¯s warning, she would¡¯ve moved to the back of the party or used a defensive skill on herself. Using a survival skill while in danger was a habit that most Priest¡¯s had in common. ¡®It¡¯s going to be okay.¡¯ But right then, she had placed all her trust in Hyun. She didn¡¯t try to avoid it. If she suddenly became the target, she would end up dying. There was nothing to do. But if Hyun¡¯s guess were correct, Betty would appear at the party¡¯s rear! Boom! Betty¡¯s tail smashed down half of the building¡¯s terrace where the party was. Concentric circles spread through the sea of ??lava. The power of a level 235 named boss was truly awe-inspiring. They would¡¯ve probably all died if it weren¡¯t for the previous preparations. ¡®Good, everyone¡¯s safe.¡¯ Hyun was at the party¡¯s rear. The moment Betty disappeared, he used ?Assimilation?, so Betty ended up hitting the air. ¡®Now!¡¯ At that moment, Betty had finished casting. It was her skill, ?Bind?, which made two targets stick together. The rope made of light that she shot without considering her own safety successfully landed on Betty. Betty, who was about to take flight, was trapped by Jini¡¯s rope. ¡°I¡¯ve stuck it to the floor!¡± Jini shouted joyfully. Binding an opponent that moved at an incredible speed required a high level of control. It was something that you could only do if you knew where the opponent would appear. While Betty was stuck, Practice¡¯s sword hit its neck. [?Mind Beat? has successfully critical hit!] [The opponent has fainted for a bit!] At that moment¡­! Ain used her flames to hit Betty. A pair of flames hit the giant bat¡¯s body. Kaaaa-! As Betty moved in pain, the rope that was binding her broke. That was enough for the moment. Before it could take flight, Ain had landed more than 10 successful attacks on its body. Betty, who was near the ceiling, looked at the party. Suddenly, Hyun shouted. ¡°Jini, don¡¯t be in the rear!¡± Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only Jini, who was taken aback, rapidly moved to the front. Shortly after that, Betty disappeared. ____ ____ Chapter 62 Hard Carry Support Chapter 62 ¨C The Last Gatekeeper, Betty (2) ?Assimilation?! Crack- A strong shock split the land. The rock Hyun was using as a stepping stone was crushed, and the lava split to both sides. It was like the miracle that Moses had performed. For a little while, they could see the floor under the lava. Being covered by lava had no effect on Betty. ¡°Ugh, the magma¡­!¡± Practice moaned. Suddenly, magma had splashed and reached where they were standing. He had been approaching Betty just at that moment, so he received quite a lot of damage from the lava. The lava scattered away by Betty reached Ainas well. ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± Ain reflexively turned her body around in the air. The red drops passed right next to Ain, but thanks to her smooth movements, she dodged them all. ¡®Damn, it¡¯s coming again!¡¯ Skreee-! Betty, who was circling around in the air, flinched. Hyun looked around. Who was the person furthest away from Betty? It was Practice. He was lingering at the edge of the map. He couldn¡¯t get quickly into formation because he was covered in lava. At his teammate¡¯s crisis, Hyun¡¯s mind flashed. ¡®I¡¯m the only one that can deal with this!¡¯ Paf-! Hyun ?Disassimilated? and appeared in a certain place. ¡ªOver the sea of lava. That was the furthest away place that he could find from Betty. Then, Betty¡¯s tail smashed into the air. Whish-! There was a sound of air exploding. Maybe the speed of Betty¡¯s tail smash was faster than the speed of sound. The good thing was that place was three meters away from the surface, so no one was affected by the lava splashing. ¡¸Everyone, get into formation!¡¹Hyun shouted through the party chat window. Because they were all skillful, everyone reacted quickly. Jini went to the front and faced Betty. Practice and Ain positioned themselves diagonally. Hyun was at the rear of the party. It was the standard formation while fighting against Betty. Every party member thought that if they didn¡¯t lose concentration, they might be able to kill Betty. ¡°Good. Everyone, check your position! Don¡¯t overdo yourselves!¡± While following Hyun¡¯s orders, the party kept slashing Betty¡¯s HP. Hyun lured it, then Jini and Practice locked it, and finally, Ain was in charge of dealing damage. As time went on, the party members became expectant of victory rather than being scared. ¡°Kaaa! What a¡­ Bothersome¡­ I¡¯ll send you all flying¡­!¡± From time to time, Betty changed the attack pattern. As Betty spread her wings, a huge whirlwind rose around her. It was a hurricane that ravaged the underground city! The wind scattered the wreckage from buildings and droplets of lava. The whirlwind was so strong that it could easily blow away a human. If they remained still, they¡¯d be blown away and fall into the lava. ¡°Jini!¡± ¡°I know!¡± But Hyun was also expecting that attack pattern. Jini used ?Bind? on the entire party and locked them to the ground. Even a strong wind wouldn¡¯t be able to scatter away the party members that had been tied with each other. Whish-! Suddenly, Betty¡¯s tail appeared sideways behind Hyun. It was a surprise attack! But even in the middle of that strong wind, Hyun had looked closely at Betty¡¯s movements. There were no weak points in a focused Hyun. Crash! Crash! Crash! Five pillars of the building fell like domino pieces. Even while fighting, Hyun didn¡¯t fail to notice the slowly tilting ceiling. ¡°Everyone, dodge!¡± As Hyun shouted, Ain and Practice, who had been about to approach, flinched. Boom! A chandelier made of heavy metal fell over Betty. One of the pillars that sustained one side of the building had been destroyed, and with that, the ceiling had collapsed. Perhaps it was thanks to Hyun¡¯s warning, but no one was swept away by the collapse of the ceiling. The floor was sinking into the lava because of the impact generated by the ceiling falling, so the party quickly fled the place. Practice who was looking at where Betty was, spoke to Hyun in a low voice. ¡°Is it dead¡­?¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± Rattle, Rattle- The giant rocks began moving, then, Betty suddenly rose from the lava. They could see the HP bar on top of its head. It had 30% of HP left. Kaaaa! Betty angrily cried and rushed toward them. Its movements had gotten faster because it didn¡¯t have that much HP left. It began attacking the rear more, and the whirlwind also go stronger. But that didn¡¯t surprise the party. If they followed Hyun¡¯s strategy, the way of dealing with Betty wasn¡¯t different, even if it had gotten faster. While fighting, Practice even had time to think about something. ¡®Amazing.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t believe what was happening. They weren¡¯t even level 100; yet they were about to hunt down a named boss monster over level 200. ¡®How is this even possible?¡¯ He tried to analyze the current situation from a professional gamer¡¯s point of view. Why they were able to hunt Betty¡­ It was thanks to Hyun¡¯s strategy and Ain¡¯s unbelievable damage output. ¡®Without those two, it would¡¯ve been impossible.¡¯ Maybe they could replace Ain¡¯s damage dealing¡­ But there wasn¡¯t any user that could replace Hyun. The ?Assimilation? skill was incredible, but what was even more amazing was how Hyun used it. Even if someone else was given that skill, how many users could use it the way he did? First, he was sure he wouldn¡¯t be able to do it. Maybe he could catch up in regards to reaction, but Hyun¡¯s ability to analyze the situation and basic moves were on another level. Those were things that he needed to work on. ¡°Good, everyone, keep focused until the end!¡± Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks The same battle format went on for a few minutes. * * * * * * The good thing was that Betty wasn¡¯t particularly smart, so it didn¡¯t have many attack patterns. Maybe it would work with a group of average users, but Hyun had gone there with the perfect strategy to counter all of its movements. And that long battle was finally reaching the end. ¡®This is the last!¡¯ Whish-! The moment the tail hit the air¡­! Jini¡¯s ?Restraint?, Practice¡¯s stun, and Ain¡¯s flames poured over her. ¡°We got it!¡± As Ain shouted, Betty¡¯s health bar reached 0. * * * One of Asrian¡¯s developers, Robert, looked at Hyun¡¯s gameplay. Robert watched the screen with sweat on his hands. He was amazed by the strategy Hyun was using to deal with the named boss. While monitoring, something unexpected happened. ¡®Wait, what?!¡¯ The developers could check all the progress of relationships inside the game at a glance. Just before Hyun¡¯s party was about to beat Betty, the system screen turned red. That meant that a transcendent had gotten closer. It was something that only appeared on the developer¡¯s screen. ¡®Why so suddenly? What¡¯s happening?¡¯ Robert began analyzing the logs. Shortly after that, he got a grasp of the situation. Asrian, by itself, was like a separate independent world on its own. The normal relationships were crumbling, and a new event had been born. The incidents related to the Seed of Evil had completely changed. ¡®Why so suddenly¡­?¡¯ The reason seemed to be the involvement of a transcendent, but he couldn¡¯t get a detailed explanation. Mari, after seeing Robert tilting his head, asked. ¡°Is there a bug?¡± Robert had been monitoring one user recently. That user was the one with the ID ¡®Hyun¡¯. He was the first user who was able to change the story¡¯s flow, so it was normal for the developers to be interested in him. Analyzing his movements made him realize something: The Great Demon of Deception, Keidrial had a huge interest in him! ¡°A transcendent got involved.¡± From the beginning, Keidrial was looking out for Hyun¡¯s movements. But that was the first time she¡¯d gotten directly involved. ¡°Is it normal for a transcendent to be so interested in a particular user?¡± At Robert¡¯s question, Mari asked. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just like I¡¯ve said. There¡¯s a demon that has a great interest in the user Hyun.¡± ¡°Well, demons are also AIs with free will, so it isn¡¯t impossible, I guess!¡± ¡°Mari, look at this.¡± Robert put something on the screen. It was data that analyzed Keidrial¡¯s movements since the servers had opened. Surprisingly, the traces of Hyun and Keidrial matched. The graph traces showed not only the physical path of the characters, but also their interest in certain objects, areas, or even a person. It added thsy interest and showed it as a number. ¡°Wow, the interests of both are almost the same!¡± ¡°See? You can¡¯t say that this is just a coincidence, right?¡± ¡°Of course! It¡¯s almost as if she was a stalker!¡± The graph only showed the result of the relationship. It didn¡¯t show the details. Even Robert, one of Asrian¡¯s developers, didn¡¯t know everything about what was happening. Why was a Great Demon so interested in a particular user? He felt he¡¯d have to watch a little bit more closely to know the answer to that question. After all, the quest hadn¡¯t ended yet. * * * At the same time¡­ Something special happened to Mayday, the user placed 2nd in the Hall of Fame, a member of the Darkness Guild. ¡®This¡­¡¯ Mayday was surprised. While walking through the plaza, the people surrounding her had suddenly disappeared. The world turned red, and the sun had become black. She was suddenly left alone in an unknown world. ¡®I¡¯m not dreaming¡­!¡¯ She had become the second user in Asrian to enter the ¡®Symmetrical World.¡¯ At first, she thought it was a bug. Mayday tried many things, such as the Guild¡¯s chatting window, but everything was working just okay. ¡¸Oh, Mayday? Are you okay?!¡¹ ¡¸Mayday, why did you suddenly disappear while hunting?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m also not sure why¡­¡¹ Mayday answered the Guild¡¯s chat window while looking around. She was on top of endless stairs rather than on the streets of a big city. A road to the sky¡­ On the edge of it, there was an endless cliff. ¡®Where am I¡­?¡¯ Mayday thought she¡¯d been teleported to somewhere. ¡­But she couldn¡¯t guess where she was. She felt as if she¡¯d been sent to another world¡ªit didn¡¯t look like any place in Asrian she¡¯d been to. After a short while, she got a quest message. [Hidden Quest: Devil¡¯s Deal] ¨C The Great Demon of Deception wants to borrow your soul. ¨C To accept the quest, walk along the road. ¡®What?!¡¯ Mayday took a deep breath. She was surprised because of a word that appeared in the quest. Great Demon. Wasn¡¯t it the strongest transcendents? Even though her heart was beating fast, she got immersed in deep thought. She couldn¡¯t understand why she¡¯d gotten that quest. ¡¸Mayday, are you okay?¡¹ ¡¸So this means you can¡¯t return?¡¹ ¡¸It¡­ Seems like I¡¯ve received a huge quest. It says Great Demon¡¯s Hidden Quest.¡¹ ¡¸What? Great Demon?!¡¹ What Mayday mumbled had a huge effect on the chat window. Suddenly, the chat window went up a page. She received many questions. Like how she managed to obtain the quest and the details about it. Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only Everyone knew what the word Great Demon meant. Mayday read the quest¡¯s details again while holding her breath. ____ ____ Chapter 63 Hard Carry Support Chapter 63 ¨C An Unforeseen Occurrence (1) ¡°The Demon of Deception¡­¡± Mayday, who was 2nd in the rankings, knew most of the relevant information. The Demon of Deception had one of the highest rankings in the Abyss, together with Darkness and Chaos. Why was that demon suddenly interested in her? Was it because she was a user that belonged to the Abyss and was currently 2nd in the rankings? She had recently got an achievement for getting fame among the members of the Abyss. Maybe it was related to that? Anyway, she had no intentions of letting the opportunity go. Mayday slowly climbed the stairs. The black sun disappeared the moment Mayday reached the top of the stairs. Paf-! In an instant, her body disappeared. When Mayday opened her eyes, the entire world was covered by lava. It was an underground city covered by fire. There were fire waterfalls, and the buildings were immersed in lava. [Deception is looking at you!] [You¡¯ve moved to the last floor of the Evil¡¯s Seed Dungeon!] [In an instant, you¡¯ll receive an order from the Demon of Deception!] ¡®What¡¯s that?!¡¯ In front of Mayday was a named boss with black wings and a tail, Betty. She flinched a little bit but soon noticed that it wasn¡¯t moving. ¡®A demon¡­ No, a monster?¡¯ Behind that monster, there was someone. There were three users.,, The reason why she didn¡¯t see four was that Hyun was currently using ?Assimilation?. Mayday held her breath after looking at a girl that was among the users. Someone that Darkness would never forget. Ain was in front of her. It was at that moment that the quest was formed. [Hidden Quest: Protect the Evil¡¯s Seed Dungeon!] ¨C The Great Demon ¡®Deception¡¯ orders you! Protect this last territory from the forces of Heaven! ¡®What?!¡¯ After reading the message, Mayday¡¯s face became pale. ¡®Wait, this is impossible!¡¯ From what she read, it seemed like the forces of Heaven she had to fight against were those three people, and Ain was among them. But¡­ Mayday had also seen Ain¡¯s videos that had been going around on the internet. How she smiled before giving the opponent a final blow made her remember what happened that night during the Count¡¯s Quest. Even if she¡¯d surpassed level 100 and done the job ascension, would she be able to beat Ain? No matter how much she tried to think positively, the possibility was low. Not only that, but Ain wasn¡¯t alone. She was with another two party members. ¡®I can¡¯t win!¡¯ Mayday¡¯s face became pale because she thought she¡¯d have no chance of winning that fight. Not only that, but there didn¡¯t seem to be a way to cancel the quest. She was happy when she received her first hidden quest, but this wasn¡¯t what she wanted. The moment she was thinking that, she got another system message. ¡®Yes?¡¯ When Mayday answered while being puzzled by the question, something amazing happened. She felt her body turning into light and scattering away. Then the sight in front of her changed. The moment she looked down, she became surprised. ¡®Wait, this isn¡¯t my body?!¡¯ Her entire skin was black. Not only that, but she had wings and a tail. Amazingly, even if the body didn¡¯t seem like a human¡¯s, she could move it at her own will. Mayday opened her status window. Betty Lv.235 (It¡¯s currently Assimilating with Mayday Lv.109) HP: 2512000/2512000 Mana: 340000/340000 ¨C Thanks to her high loyalty, she was once a candidate to become the Demon of Deception, but she ended up becoming a monster that defends a territory. Betty will forever listen to the orders of its owner and protect its territory. [Strength 243] [Agility 212] [Vitality 1500] [Magical Power 45] [Rear Leap] ¨C Teleports to the rear of the opponent and smashes using its tail. ¨C Deal 170000 damage and sends the opponent flying. [Abyss¡¯s Wings Flap] ¨C Generate a strong whirlwind. [Lava Resistance] ¨C Receives 99.9% less damage from lava. Mayday was surprised by what she was seeing on her status window. Just looking at the stats was enough to know that it was a named boss monster. She never thought she¡¯d be able to control such a monster of her own will. At first, she was confused, but after grasping the situation, she calmed down. ¡®Yes, this is a hidden quest of a Great Demon. So this should be the bare minimum!¡¯ She didn¡¯t understand how exactly it worked, but it seemed like, thanks to the demon¡¯s power, she was able to possess a monster named Betty. Among hidden quests, there were some like this that had a special event, so it wasn¡¯t that weird. Mayday had a smile on her face while looking at Ain. ¡®Yes, if it¡¯s like this¡­ I can win against her!¡¯ Ain¡¯s bad relationship with Darkness was at a point of no return. Ain¡¯s words underestimating Darkness had damaged the pride of the guild members. As one of the founding members of Darkness, she also felt the same way. She wanted to get revenge on Ain because of what happened during the Count¡¯s Quest. ¡®This is the perfect opportunity, no. It may be the only one!¡¯ She still didn¡¯t understand very well how the quest worked, but she was sure about something. Now that she¡¯d become Betty, she was superior to Ain. Because Ain had turned into her enemy, she had to kill her at least once and stop her growth rate. Mayday¡¯s gaze was fixed on Ain. * * * * * * For the first time since they began fighting, something unexpected happened. Even though Betty¡¯s HP was at 0, it didn¡¯t disappear. It was just standing still. ¡°Is it over?¡± Practice carefully asked him. ¡°I don¡¯t think so¡­¡± Hyun said while looking at Betty, who wasn¡¯t moving at all. Even though it had died, it didn¡¯t become light and scattered away. Rather than that, it was emitting dark energy while standing still. Even Hyun couldn¡¯t understand what was happening. ¡®Why hasn¡¯t it died?¡¯ Betty, whose HP was at 0, didn¡¯t seem either alive or dead. Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks The party members were watching it anxiously from a distance. Suddenly, Mayday appeared behind Betty. ¡®What?¡¯ Hyun¡¯s eyes widened after seeing who had suddenly appeared. ¡®Mayday¡­?!¡¯ She was currently 2nd in the rankings and was Darkness¡¯s strongest Magician. Hyun remembered all the information about the Hall of Fame rankers, so she knew it was Mayday when she saw her. ¡®Why is she here¡­?¡¯ Hyun suddenly started to feel uneasy. They were currently doing a Heaven¡¯s Quest. On the other hand, it was widely known that Mayday was part of the forces of the Abyss. Hyun suddenly thought about a possibility. ¡®No way, did we get overlapping quests?!¡¯ Because the forces of Heaven and Abyss were fighting against each other, from time to time, some overlapping quests appeared. It was similar to what happened during the Count¡¯s Quest. If Mayday had received a quest that overlapped with the Knight Commander¡¯s quest, it wasn¡¯t weird that they got to face each other. Paf- Mayday¡¯s body suddenly scattered away and entered Betty¡¯s body. ¡°Wait, that skill!¡± Hyun was so surprised that he shouted using Ain¡¯s voice. It was a skill effect he¡¯d seen hundreds of times. It was his ultimate attack. Mayday had suddenly ?Assimilated? into Betty. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the skill you use, ?Assimilation?¡­?¡± Among the party members, it was Ain who noticed the skill¡¯s identity the first. Because she¡¯d been the target of the skill, she identified the effects of the skill. It seemed like the members of Stardust didn¡¯t understand the gravity of the situation yet. ¡°Hyun, what¡¯s happening? It seems like the boss has revived!¡± ¡°Just now¡­ I think I saw Mayday¡¯s face for a short while¡­¡± ¡¸It¡¯s ?Assimilation?¡­¡¹ Cold sweat dripped from Hyun¡¯s forehead. He quickly explained to the rest what had happened. ¡¸It seems like Mayday has ?Assimilated? into Betty.¡¹ ¡°?Assimilation?? The skill you have?¡± ¡¸Yes, maybe we¡¯ll have to fight the boss once more¡­¡¹ ¡°No way¡­¡± Jini couldn¡¯t help but find the whole situation absurd. A user ?Assimilating? into a boss monster¡­ It sounded too ridiculous. But she couldn¡¯t doubt Hyun¡¯s words. Paf- Mayday¡¯s new body wholly disappeared after Hyun finished his explanation. It was Betty¡¯s ?Rear Leap? skill activating. ¡¸Damn, everyone, dodge it!¡¹ Boom-! When Hyun shouted, Mayday was already at the rear and about to smash using the tail that was as strong as steel. The good thing was that Mayday still wasn¡¯t used to Betty¡¯s skills. ¡°Ugh!¡± The tail attack that had failed smashed the ground. Practice groaned as pieces of rock rose. ¡¸Don¡¯t think about the formation!¡¹ Hyun shouted. ¡¸The formation has no meaning anymore!¡¹ Because it was a user who was controlling Betty, the situation was completely different. Now that the boss monster didn¡¯t have an attack pattern anymore, being in front of it wasn¡¯t safe anymore. Ain, who also understood that, carefully asked Hyun. ¡°Hyun, is there a way to beat this?!¡± But there was no time to answer. Smash-! The tail once again scratched the ground. The rocks that were smashed rose like waves. ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± Jini, who was hurt by the rocks, groaned. The only good thing was that the tail didn¡¯t hit her. But before they could relax, a strong wind came to where they were. Betty¡¯s second skill¡­ A strong whirlwind appeared in the underground space. ¡®This¡­ Skill link?!¡¯ Hyun¡¯s face became pale. Because Mayday had smashed the ground in the middle, the party¡¯s ?Bind? had broken. Then, immediately, she¡¯d sent some whirlwinds their way. It wasn¡¯t hard to imagine what was going to happen next. ¡¸We¡¯re doomed¡­!¡¹ Whish- As a strong wind rose, everyone¡¯s bodies were blown away. The lava waterfall that had risen to the sky was falling like rain. ¡°Ugh¡­?!¡± Jini, who had the lowest Agility among the party members, was in danger. In a short period of time, a lot of messages saying she¡¯d received damage appeared. Because the party members had scattered away, there was no way to help them! The moment the whirlwind was over, Jini¡¯s HP was almost at zero. ¡°Are you okay?!¡± Practice tried to get close to her, but he didn¡¯t have enough time to do it. Paf-! Mayday was targetting Practice next. Boom- They could hear the supersonic sound of the tail cutting through the air! Crack-! [The durability of ¡®Neo Long Sword¡¯ became 0, so it broke!] [You¡¯ve received 1053 damage!] ¡°Ugh¡­ What¡¯s this!¡± Practice couldn¡¯t believe what was happening. It was a good thing that the tail hadn¡¯t hit him, but his sword ended up breaking. He never thought the broken sword¡¯s remains would hurt its owner! It was the first time he¡¯d seen a message like that. Even during that, Betty¡¯s attacks weren¡¯t over. Practice tried to concentrate. ¡®What pattern is it?¡¯ Betty was flying low with its wings wide-opened. Among the boss patterns Hyun had told him, there wasn¡¯t anything like that. But he couldn¡¯t keep standing still without doing anything. Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only Practice noticed something when he tried to pull out his sword. ¡ªIt had broken into pieces because its durability had reached 0. ____ ____ Chapter 64 Hard Carry Support Chapter 64 ¨C An Unforeseen Occurrence (2) ¡®Oops!¡¯ Practice took out his shield a little bit late to protect the front. Boom-! The impact of Betty¡¯s claws shook his entire body. ¡®Ugh, heavy¡­!¡¯ Practice started feeling powerless. The moment the claws hit his shield, he was pushed back. Receiving consecutive attacks from someone with more than 200 stats in Strength and Agility¡­! He tried to resist while clenching his teeth, but he couldn¡¯t come to his senses because of the effect of the impact. Paf-! When a lot of damage had accumulated, Mayday disappeared. ¡¸From behind, dodge!¡¹ By the moment Hyun shouted, Mayday¡¯s tail had already hit Practice from behind. It was Betty¡¯s skill, ?Rear Leap?. Mayday had immobilized Practice with a normal hit and then used the boss¡¯s skill. Boom-! There was a huge explosion in the air. Hyun tried to use ?One Second Absorption? on Practice, but it was useless in the face of immeasurable damage. [You¡¯ve received 103,928 damage!] [You¡¯ve died!] [You¡¯ll be able to log in again in 48 hours!] Practice¡¯s body became light and exploded in the air before vanishing. ?It was a series of consecutive attacks that targeted the opponent¡¯s psychology. It was a technique that would get anyone if it were their first time facing something like it. After killing Practice with one hit, Mayday smiled. ¡®At last¡­ I landed an attack!¡¯ The destructive power of a named boss was more lethal than imagined. It was true that she¡¯d borrowed the strength of the quest, but she couldn¡¯t believe that she was able to use such overwhelming specs with her own will! The current situation made her smile. ¡®This is the worst.¡¯ On the other hand, Hyun clenched his teeth. Originally, Betty was a low-IQ monster. The reason why it had a ridiculously strong skill was to cover its low IQ. But what would happen if a user controlled Betty? That would mean that a boss capable of breaking the game¡¯s balance had appeared. Even if the one controlling the boss were an average user, it would make things more difficult. But the opponent was the person ranked 2nd in the Hall of Fame. What should he do to overcome the difference in specs? He couldn¡¯t think of an answer. ¡°I¡¯m almost out of mana!¡± To make things worse, Ain shouted that. Anyone would panic under such circumstances, but rather than giving up, Hyun clenched his fists. Among all the strategies he¡¯d thought of, there was one in which he took into consideration the worst possible outcome. Back then, he wasn¡¯t expecting something like that to happen, but it wasn¡¯t like he was out of options. Hyun quickly shouted. ¡¸Jini, use all your buffs on me¡­ No, I mean Ain!¡¹ ¡°Understood!¡± Whir- A purple light came out from Jini¡¯s wand and covered Ain¡¯s body. ?Retrogression?. It was the Priest¡¯s ultimate attack¡ªit made an ally¡¯s body return to the state it was 10 minutes before. It couldn¡¯t modify the cooldown time of skills, but it could change the amount of HP and Mana left. Soon, Ain¡¯s mana was replenished. ¡°Use all the other buffs too! Quickly!¡± Jini felt a little bit of chill after looking at Hyun¡¯s eyes. Up until then, it didn¡¯t matter how hard the situation was. He had always remained calm. But right then, he was different. Wouldn¡¯t the face of a general in a battle where one couldn¡¯t see the next step look like that? Jini took a deep breath and used all her buff skills. ?Increase HP?, ?Natural Healing Power Boost?, ?Mana Regeneration Boost?, ?Increase Critical Hit Chance?¡­ Luxurious effects kept shining one after the other. ¡°Hyun, you need to give me a call later on. Okay?!¡± After Jini shouted, Mayday¡¯s body disappeared. The Priest could become very annoying if left alive, so it was normal for her to become the next target. Boom-! As the monster¡¯s tail crushed Jini, she became light and was devoured by the death effect. [You¡¯ve received 138,472 damage!] [You¡¯ve died! You will be able to log in again in 48 hours!] There was an explosion in the air, and Jini scattered into light as well. ¡­But it wasn¡¯t time to care about her death. ¡¸Ain, use the ultimate attack!¡¹ ¡°I was getting ready¡­!¡± Ain, who was waiting for Hyun¡¯s orders, nodded. Giant flames devoured her entire body. Fwoosh-! Ears and tails made of fire appeared. It was the form of an incarnated wolf that tripled the damage of all fire attacks. Crack-! As Ain activated a Magic, claws that were over one meter long appeared on her hands. In Hyun and Ain¡¯s ultimate attack, there was an effect that increased skill levels by one each. Support, Close Range Magician¡­ If both ultimate attacks were activated, the ?Flame Claws? became level 7 and evolved to ?Efreet¡¯s Claw?. That was how Ain looked after Hyun and she had used all their skills. And it was how they were going to deal with Mayday, who was controlling the boss¡¯s body. Hyun opened the status window. After activating her ultimate attack, Ain¡¯s HP went down little by little. ¡¸We have to finish this as soon as possible.¡¹ As the situation became more dangerous, Hyun¡¯s head became colder. An incredible amount of possible strategies came to his mind and disappeared. Among an endless amount of possibilities, Hyun found one possible solution. It was a risky strategy, but right then, they had no other way than try it. ¡¸You just focus on dodging the tail.¡¹ ¡°The tail? But it¡¯s faster than my reaction speed.¡± ¡¸You still have to do it.¡¹ ¡°I may make a mistake¡­¡± ¡¸I won¡¯t blame you, don¡¯t worry.¡¹ ¡°Then I¡¯ll just put my trust in Hyun¡­¡± Ain took a deep breath. How you avoided being hit from an attack you couldn¡¯t dodge was by moving in an unpredictable way. Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks * * * * * * Ain stepped on the city building¡¯s roofs very quickly. She kept moving erratically¡­ The moment Mayday disappeared, she jumped! Paf-! The tail brushed her foot. As the wind whip exploded the air, the buildings around there became ash. ¡®I dodged it!¡¯ Ain stepped on a spire-shaped roof near there and got her balance. The fact that she had dodged it once didn¡¯t mean there wasn¡¯t any more danger. It was different from an AI that gave you some time to relax. The opponent was a human being. ¡ªShe kept attacking without giving her time to rest. Ain changed direction again after Betty¡¯s figure disappeared. Whish-! The tail moved through the air while making a sonic boom. The instant death-inducing whip passed over Ain¡¯s chest. She hadn¡¯t been hit, even though her movements had been a little bit slower because she hadn¡¯t remained still. Her claws, tail, and rocks had barely torn apart some clothes. Mayday couldn¡¯t hide her surprise at Ain¡¯s movements. Even though she was attacking at speed one couldn¡¯t possibly fathom reacting to¡­ She wasn¡¯t able to land an attack. After backing off a little bit, Mayday opened her mouth for the first time. ¡°Wonderful movements. I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re able to dodge this.¡± While being ?Assimilated? to Betty, her voice sounded grotesque, as if a demon was speaking. ¡°But¡­ you know what?¡± Just like that time, she felt a wall. But unlike back then, she wasn¡¯t feeling despair. There was no need for that. Up until then, she¡¯d just used the skills of the boss. She hadn¡¯t used any of her skills. ¡°I have a new job. I¡¯m now a Psychokinesis Sorcerer.¡± As Mayday moved her hand, the rock pieces scattered away in the lava city began floating in the air. Tens of rock pieces soon became hundreds; then they surrounded Ain. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to dodge all this!¡± The moment Mayday closed her fist, all of the rock pieces attacked her simultaneously. There was no way she¡¯d be able to dodge it all! Hyun immediately used his ?One Second Absorption?. Tap Tap Tap- As all the rocks hit Ain¡¯s body and bounced away, Mayday¡¯s eyebrows twitched. ¡®She didn¡¯t take damage?¡¯ Even back then, from time to time, Ain showed a ridiculous defense that defied common sense. What skill was that? She didn¡¯t know the details of it, but she was sure she wouldn¡¯t be able to block every single attack. ¡®It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m sure at least one will be able to damage her!¡¯ Mayday knew that it wasn¡¯t a fair fight. Her specs had received a huge buff thanks to the Great Demon¡¯s Quest. It was obvious that she was going to win, but just winning had no meaning. It wasn¡¯t time to get desperate for victory. She had to find Ain¡¯s weak point. If she¡¯d faced her with her regular specs, the fight would¡¯ve ended without her being able to try all this. Mayday started to use her psychokinesis. Whap-! Suddenly, Ain¡¯s attack came flying toward Mayday. ¡ªIt was the giant Efreet¡¯s Claw that was about to smash her. But Ain¡¯s claw suddenly stopped mid-air. It was thanks to a skill Mayday had activated. ¡®It isn¡¯t moving¡­?!¡¯ Ain felt like a transparent rope was blocking her. ?Air Restraint?. It was a skill of the Psychokinesis Sorcerer that blocked weak or light things. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Ain quickly backed off. She immediately charged again. She tried to smash her again, but her movement was blocked once more. She had been restrained by the same skill again. Mayday smiled after seeing Ain having trouble landing attacks on her. ¡®Does this work¡­?¡¯ Yes, even if not every single attack worked on her, she just had to find the ones that did. The truth was that Mayday had chosen to become a Psychokinesis Sorcerer because of Ain. She was sure Ain¡¯s job was related to Magician. Wouldn¡¯t a Magician with low strength and close-range skills be weak to psychokinetic attacks? Mayday¡¯s guess was correct. Although ?Efreet¡¯s Claw? looked giant and grotesque, it had no weight. Basically, it was easy food for her. ¡®Good, I¡¯ve found a skill that works on her!¡¯ Mayday became excited. She decided to slowly search for an opportunity. Both claws intertwined. Ain¡¯s fight with Mayday looked like a match between two monsters. But unlike what it looked like from the outside, it wasn¡¯t a brute, mindless fight. On every single attack, there were lots of mind games involved. Whish- Mayday once again used the ?Rear Leap?. It was the attack that took out Practice! Ain tried to jump again, but right then, Mayday had another card. The moment Ain jumped, she tied her up with psychokinesis. ¡°Oof, you shouldn¡¯t carelessly jump like that!¡± Mayday smiled while seeing Ain struggle in the air. A Magician with low strength had no way to free herself from psychokinetic attacks. No, maybe some Magicians had skills that allowed them to do that, but that didn¡¯t seem to be Ain¡¯s case. ¡°Will you be able to dodge while being tied in the air?¡± After locking Ain in the air, Mayday raised her claws. A Close-Range Magician that had a weak body would probably die instantly after receiving Betty¡¯s attack. The moment death was approaching her¡­ Even Ain dripped with a cold sweat. ¡°Hyun, I might really die!¡± ¡¸It¡¯s okay.¡¹ Whish-! Mayday¡¯s claws scratched the air. Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only ¡¸I¡¯ll move from now on.¡¹ The reason why Mayday¡¯s attack failed was that Hyun had taken control of the body and used a skill. ____ ____ Chapter 65 Hard Carry Support Chapter 65 ¨C An Unforeseen Occurrence (3) ¡¸Psychokinesis¡­ It seems like she really thought about it.¡¹ Hyun smiled. While Ain was struggling with facing Mayday, Hyun was thinking of a way to beat her. In the previous game, there were also many jobs related to Psychokinesis, and there were also many ways to counter them. The solution Hyun thought of involved a skill he¡¯d seen during the awakening quests. [?Wind Barrier? Lv.0] ¨C You can create a wind barrier in any place within 10 meters. ¨C The higher the skill level is, the thicker the barrier becomes. What¡¯s the most effective way to face a monster that flies? That¡¯s when he thought of using the skill, ?Wind Barrier?. When he reached that conclusion, he used skill points. It wasn¡¯t weird that, in the Support¡¯s skill tree, there was a skill that the Close-Range Magician also had. It wasn¡¯t weird for different jobs to have skills in common. ¡°Isn¡¯t she acting weird?¡± Ain mumbled in a low voice. ¡°She suddenly isn¡¯t using the boss¡¯s skill.¡± She correctly analyzed Mayday psychologically. She wasn¡¯t using any dangerous skills to obtain as much information about Ain as possible. Because she had so much battle experience, she saw through Mayday¡¯s passive strategy. ¡°It seems like she isn¡¯t properly attacking on purpose.¡± ¡¸I also felt that. It seems like she wants to see our cards¡­ It would be better if we hid as much as we can.¡¹ Hyun smiled. ¡¸Even so, we have no intention of losing. Right?¡¹ Hyun approached Mayday. Whir- He felt like his body was trapped by a spider web. ?Air Restraint?. Thanks to that skill, Ain hadn¡¯t been able to get close to Mayday. But things had changed. Hyun placed a ?Wind Barrier? behind her. At the same time, he stepped on the air and leaped forward. ¡®What¡­?!¡¯ Mayday was surprised after seeing Ain use some kind of boost in the air and reduce the distance between them. Because the ?Wind Barrier? was half-transparent, Mayday didn¡¯t realize what was going on. She couldn¡¯t understand how Ain had beat her psychokinesis. Because she didn¡¯t understand what was happening, the moment Ain charged toward her, she extended her hands again. ¡®Ah¡­!¡¯ That time, she saw it! She was stepping on something that was in the air! ?Air Restraint? was a skill that could stop light things, but the moment the thing you had restrained began moving fast, the target could easily break free from the skill. ¡®This doesn¡¯t work?¡¯ Fwoosh- Mayday¡¯s eyes widened after seeing the flames approach. A pair of claws were reflected on her eyes pupils. The moment she inhaled, she received tens of flame attacks! Now that she had the speed boost that the Priest gave her and even the buff of the Support, the damage output of the Close-Range Magician was beyond imagination. [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve received 19,382 damage!] [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve received 19,915 damage!] She received consecutive attacks. Mayday was surprised after seeing Betty¡¯s HP, which was over two million, go down very fast. ¡®What¡¯s up with this damage?!¡¯ The HP had gone down by more than a hundred thousand. Because she had more HP than before, she could experience firsthand the destructive power of the claws. Mayday quickly flew away. She wanted to get away from Ain¡¯s attacks. Tap. Tap. Since she was in his attack range, Hyun had no intentions of letting her go. He made a foothold in the air and approached Mayday while moving in a zigzag pattern. Suddenly, the only thing above him was the ceiling. The entire lava city was under him. ¡¸We don¡¯t have a lot of time left. You know that, right?¡¹ ¡°Yes, I know¡­!¡± Because Ain¡¯s ultimate attack consumed HP, they couldn¡¯t drag the fight too much. Ain was more used to frenetically fighting against an opponent, so he decided to leave things to her. He just placed Wind Barriers so she could use them as a bridge. ¡¸All right, go on a rampage!¡¹ Air battle¡­ In the sky, a human and a bird intertwined. No, you couldn¡¯t call Mayday¡¯s form that looked like a bat a bird. The fact that the ?Wind Barrier? skill had become the key to making the strategy successful didn¡¯t change. The flow of the battle changed. Mayday, rather than surprised, was horrified. She couldn¡¯t believe that a user that couldn¡¯t fly could follow a boss that could do it in such ways! Ain, from time to time, used the ceiling as a stepping stone and turned her body over. The one responsible for those movements was Hyun, of course. The reason why Hyun was in charge of moving was that he had to use the ?Wind Barrier? skill to create a path. Ain was in charge of attacking. At first, legs and arms moving each on their own sounded ridiculous. ¡ªBecause a human¡¯s body moves in complex harmony. But if you could read each other¡¯s thoughts, something like that became possible. ¡®How long is she going to follow me for?!¡¯ Mayday was stunned by Ain¡¯s movements that reminded her of a stuntman. The weak point of a user was that they weren¡¯t used to the movements of a flying being. In real life, no human had wings. Mayday, who was 2nd in the rankings, was no exception. Maybe the real ¡®Betty¡¯ would¡¯ve been able to leave Hyun behind, but Mayday was a human. Her first mistake was choosing to fly to get away from them. The two million HP kept going down. * * * * * * The claws that were over one meter long overwhelmed Betty thanks to their attack range. Because the opponent constantly reduced the distance between them, she interfered with her casting, so she wasn¡¯t able to use ?Rear Leap?. Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks Just then, she¡¯d tried to use that skill twice, but a critical hit had canceled the skill activation. To make things worse, they were a hundred meters over the air. Even if she created a whirlwind on the surface, the wind wouldn¡¯t be able to reach where they were fighting. ¡®Yes, maybe going down is a better idea¡­ Coff?!¡¯ It was at that moment¡­ Mayday suddenly felt suffocated. Ain had taken the opportunity and used her claws to grab Mayday. ¡¸Well done, Ain!¡¹ Whir- Hyun made a platform that was parallel to the ground. He kicked it while upside down and jumped. Towards the ground, faster than falling down! Platforms that connected the sky and surface vertically appeared and then disappeared. The purpose of those was to increase the speed at which they fell. The speed was so fast that Betty¡¯s wings couldn¡¯t resist the inertia. ¡®What¡­!¡¯ [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve received 20,382 damage!] [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve received 19,937 damage!] Even while falling, she kept receiving damage from the fire claws. An ominous premonition flashed through Mayday¡¯s mind. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­ Am I going to die?¡¯ Boom-! Mayday fell vertically onto the roof of a building. Just as if a meteorite had fallen, piles of rocks were scattered in all directions. Because Betty and Ain both had high Agility stats, the damage received wasn¡¯t that big, but she couldn¡¯t block the abnormal status generated from the impact. [A great impact has shaken your head!] [For 10 seconds, you won¡¯t be able to recover from fainting!] Mayday¡¯s head was upside down; her mind was blown away. Immediately, Ain¡¯s claws began scratching the unconscious Mayday¡¯s body. ¡ªAll attacks ended up in a critical hit. ¡®No way, am I really going to lose?¡¯ Mayday¡¯s HP, which only had 1/4 of the starting amount, soon bottomed out. It was truly an extreme amount of damage. Mayday was feeling chill at sight. It was so overwhelming that she couldn¡¯t tell who the named boss really was. [You¡¯ve lost all your HP! The ?Assimilation? has been canceled!] [You weren¡¯t able to resist for even 10 minutes! The Great Demon of Deception is disappointed in you!] [You didn¡¯t receive any reward!] While Mayday was astonished, her HP reached 0. She soon became black energy and scattered away. She was in the middle of the city¡¯s square when she opened her eyes again. It was where Mayday had been before accepting the Great Demon¡¯s quest. * * * A few hours after she was unexpectedly defeated by Ain¡­ It was possible that the news of the Guild¡¯s strongest member, Mayday, losing would cause a great commotion. That¡¯s why Mayday decided to show the recording to only the most important Darkness members. Nobody could hide their surprise. ¡®What skill is it¡­?¡¯ XL, who was watching the video, suddenly stood up. The reason was that he had felt a very strong chill. Ain was using the skill she¡¯d used during the Count¡¯s Quest of her own free will. Those claws that dealt an unbelievable amount of damage! XL had thought that skill was something exclusive to that quest. After all, on all the videos on Reddit about Ain, she had never used that skill, so it was normal that he had concluded that. ¡®So that wasn¡¯t a temporary skill that she received thanks to the help of a quest?¡¯ All his guesses shattered away. A transformation skill that had an incredibly destructive power¡­ That was probably an Awakening Skill. ¡®What grade awakening skill is it? Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s over four¡­¡¯ After incorporating a few Asra Online users, members of Darkness had learned about the Awakening Quests. According to what they said in Asrian Online, the difficulty of those quests had increased a lot. In the previous game, a few users had been able to clear the 4th Awakening Quest Trial. But in Asra, there didn¡¯t seem to be a single user who had successfully managed to do it. In the communities, some users had said they¡¯d been able to clear the 4th Trial, but some further investigations had revealed that they were lying. ¡®What kind of damage¡­?¡¯ The sight of a million HP going down was unbelievable. Mayday had ?Assimilated? into a monster named Betty. According to the information they¡¯d been able to get, it was a level 235 named boss. Ain¡¯s attack was high enough to penetrate the defense of the boss monster. Ain was able to deal such incredible damage thanks to Hyun¡¯s skill that lowered the opponent¡¯s defense, but there was no way the members of Darkness would know about it. ¡®Did she clear the 5th Trial¡­?¡¯ If it¡¯s an Ultimate Attack like that, couldn¡¯t it be possible that she¡¯d successfully managed to clear the 5th Trial? That was the only possible explanation for that mind-blowing amount of damage. Some of the people watching the footage laughed in disbelief. They couldn¡¯t believe that it was from the same game they were playing. But the reason why they were all so confused was that they didn¡¯t know about Hyun, who had ?Assimilated? into Ain while fighting against Mayday. To know about the extra stats that ?Assimilation? gave and the ?Powerless Wave? that lowered the opponent¡¯s defense, they had to read the status window, but there was no way to do that. ¡°If it¡¯s such a balance-breaking Ultimate Attack, it probably has a weakness. It may have a very long cool-down time¡­ Or maybe it lowers your level each time you use it.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t make any conclusions. We have to think and be prepared for the worst possibility. We don¡¯t know when we¡¯ll have to fight her again.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ I can¡¯t make a proper guess because we have no information!¡± XL opened his mouth after all the important members had given their thoughts. XL spoke with a serious tone. ¡°Let¡¯s incorporate an Asra Online ranker.¡± ¡°What? A ranker?¡± XL answered Reina¡¯s question. ¡°Ain was also a ranker on the previous game, right? Maybe a fellow ranker knows more about her. Right? Maybe that person will have more information about the Ultimate Attack Ain is using.¡± Given the circumstances, XL¡¯s opinion was the most reasonable. But there was only one problem¡­ ¡°But where are we going to find a ranker?¡± Fu- XL laughed at Mayday¡¯s question. Finding users and operating the Guild was the thing he was the most confident about. ¡°These past few days, I¡¯ve been thinking about expanding operations. We¡¯re going to have no problem in regards to incorporating new members.¡± Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only After looking at XL¡¯s smile, everyone reached the same conclusion. ¡ªTheir leader had already finished not only the preparations, but he had already put his plan into action. ____ ____ Chapter 66 Hard Carry Support Chapter 66 ¨C An Unforeseen Occurrence (4) [You¡¯re the first ones to defeat the last gatekeeper, ¡®Betty¡¯!] [You¡¯ve cleared it as a party of four!] ¨C Betty blindly obeyed the Great Demon of Deception, but in the end, she was just used as a throwaway card. Even still, she won¡¯t hate her. Betty will be reborn again, and she will protect this place until the end. [You¡¯ve received an achievement for being the first to defeat Betty!] [The vitality of surviving players has gone up by 6!] But thanks to the Abyss¡¯s buff, the message Hyun got was slightly different. Soon, Betty¡¯s body started to become blurry; then it finally became a black smoke and disappeared. Now that Mayday¡¯s soul wasn¡¯t there, she¡¯d definitely died. There were some items left behind where she died. ¡ªA high-ranking monster¡¯s leather and the nucleus of a monster. They decided to put all items that needed to be processed in Hyun¡¯s inventory. Hyun¡¯s eyes shone after discovering one item. The Robes of the Praying Priest. There was an item with that name in his inventory. Hyun got excited after opening the information window. ¡®These stats¡­?¡¯ Many thoughts were starting to appear in his mind, but he decided to check it later. He would make a decision later, after looking at it in more detail. ¡°Oof, I almost died,¡± Ain said while sighing in relief. She had less than 10% of her HP left. They were lucky that they were able to stun her at the last moment. There were a lot of dangerous moments, but incredibly, the plan ended up succeeding. ¡®You¡¯re really amazing, Hyun.¡¯ Hyun had ?Disassimilated? from her. She thought while looking at him¡­ That it was the same as before. ¡ªHe always found a solution whenever she thought there was no way to win. The thought of using skill points during such a situation and making a foothold in the air to run were all things she would¡¯ve never thought of. He had probably never stepped on air in Asrian Online. Even though it was his first try doing it, he had managed to do it perfectly. ¡®I won¡¯t be able to catch up easily, right?¡¯ She used to think that, thanks to ?Assimilation?, she¡¯d soon be able to catch up to him. But that seemed distant. ¡®I¡¯m glad I stayed with him.¡¯ Hyun¡¯s voice stopped Ain¡¯s thoughts. ¡°Ain, let¡¯s move. If we stay here, you¡¯ll end up dying because of the heat.¡± ¡°Ugh, you¡¯re right!¡± Ain was receiving damage from the heat of the lava. They began moving immediately. Even though the fight had ended, they still had more work to do. As the level of the lava sea fell, the floor of the underground city became visible. Hyun and Ain walked through the road that appeared when the lava split. Soon, the door that led to the end appeared in front of them. That was the only way out of this area. ¡°There won¡¯t be any more fights.¡± As Hyun approached the door, it automatically opened. [You¡¯ve explored 100% of the dungeon!] [It is an astonishing achievement! You¡¯ve managed to clear the Evil¡¯s Seed Dungeon in 4 hours, 21 minutes, and 35 seconds!] [If you report to the Knight Commander, you¡¯ll be able to get the highest reward!] Slam! The moment she crossed the door, it closed. But neither Hyun nor Ain looked back. They were overwhelmed by the sight in front of them. ¡°How pretty¡­¡± Ain mumbled. In a relatively narrow room, there was a purple jewel that had an incredible presence. There were torches on both sides of the one-meter-big jewel that reminded them of a cake. ¡°Is that jewel the Evil¡¯s Seed?¡± ¡°That¡¯s unexpected¡­ I thought that the phrase ¡®Evil¡¯s Seed¡¯ referred to a person.¡± Hyun thought of Louise while looking at the shining jewel for a while. Then he shook his head. ¡°Maybe I was wrong.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ If it¡¯s purple, is it then an amethyst? But it looks like a diamond.¡± As if she was possessed, Ain walked toward the giant jewel and touched it. At that moment¡­ Everything that surrounded them scattered away and disappeared. Hyun shouted in surprise. ¡°Huh? Ain? Where are you?!¡± Hyun tried to grab Ain¡¯s hands, which were disappearing, but there was only air. ¡°Wait, is this¡­ A video?¡± For a moment, he thought that an accident had occurred, but soon, he discovered that there was the scene of an event being reproduced in front of him. After learning about his mistake, Hyun felt relieved. ¡®I see. If you touch the jewel, a video is reproduced.¡¯ Some quests showed you the game¡¯s story in such ways. Hyun focused his attention on what was happening in front of him. The video was made with a technique that made it seem as if someone had filmed the scene. From that, Hyun knew that it was something that had happened in the past. ¡®This place¡­¡¯ Hyun¡¯s eyes widened at the sight of a familiar place. There were countless light pillars that went from the ground to the sky all over the world. Even though it was a place so beautiful that one may think that it wasn¡¯t real, Hyun was used to this scenery. ¡ªThe Heavens. In Asra, he was free to enter and leave that place as he wished. Hyun felt a little bit melancholic at the video¡¯s scenery. ¡®The quality of the video¡­ Is a little bit bad.¡¯ The video was shaky at times. It was a bit disappointing for a game like Asrian, which was made with a very sophisticated virtual reality technology. Suddenly¡­ The video closed in on a familiar face. ¡ªA girl with a pitiful atmosphere. He couldn¡¯t understand why, but that face seemed familiar. Only after thinking for a while, he learned why. ¡®Louise¡­ Is that Louise?¡¯ The reason why he didn¡¯t identify Louise immediately was that her height and appearance were different from what he remembered. In that video, she seemed to be around seven years old. Surprisingly, there was a pair of wings made of tens of crystal pieces on Louise¡¯s back. It was a pair of brilliant and transparent wings that were proof of an angel. That¡¯s right, the Louise that appeared in that video was an angel. Not only that, but she had transparent wings that were exclusive to Royal class Angels, the category under the Archangel. He wasn¡¯t expecting to see Louise like that. ¡®She¡¯s an Angel? But I don¡¯t remember that name among the list of Royal Angels¡­¡¯ Hyun frowned while trying to remember. In Asra, there wasn¡¯t anyone called Louise, so maybe that meant that the world was different from before. But Hyun saw something else that surprised him even more. The Heaven¡¯s area where Louise was started to become crimson. And then¡­ the Sun turned off. Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks No, more than turning off, it started to emit black energy. The Abyss had devoured an important part of the Heavens. Suddenly, the most sinister creature in existence was standing in front of Louise. ¡ªA being with giant horns and a pair of wings that were redder than the blood. ¡®A demon¡­?¡¯ The moment the demon turned her face around, its face flashed past the screen. Hyun didn¡¯t miss that moment. ¡®That¡¯s Keidrial!¡¯ * * * * * * Even though her face appeared for only a few seconds, Hyun recognized it. She was the one that had made him choose the Support job. She was one of the demons with the highest rank in the Abyss, so there was no way he wouldn¡¯t remember her face. Keidrial approached Louise. The little Louise recoiled and was pale. Maybe her legs were loose, but Louise slumped down. ¡®This isn¡¯t good¡­¡¯ Hyun didn¡¯t notice that his heart was beating faster than when he was facing Mayday. ¡ªThat¡¯s how focused he was on the video. Keidrial extended her hands and grabbed Louise¡¯s little head. Intense, dark energy entered her. ¡®Ugh¡­!¡¯ Kyaaaaaa-! An eardrum-piercing scream echoed through the place where light and darkness were mixed together. It was more horrifying because it didn¡¯t sound like a human¡¯s scream. Keidrial looked down at Louise, who was in pain. But that lasted only for a few moments. Louise¡¯s wings, which were made of crystals, drooped. When Keidrial withdrew her hands, Louise¡¯s eyes were out of focus, and from her body, black energy that resembled that of a demon¡¯s emerged. ¡®Is Louise¡­ Okay?¡¯ Paf- A portal opened from behind. Keidrial dragged Louise and disappeared after entering the portal. The crimson-dyed Heavens returned to white, and the event video ended. ¡°¡­¡± Even after the video ended, Hyun kept staring blankly at the air for a while. ¡°Hyun.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Are you okay?¡± He came back to his senses only after Ain had called out to him many times. ¡°Huh¡­? Yes, I¡¯m okay.¡± ¡°Did you see the video? I couldn¡¯t understand what was happening,¡± Ain asked him with narrow eyes. ¡°Hyun, it seems like you know something.¡± ¡°Yes, but I¡¯m not sure¡­¡± Hyun said while shooking his head. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you once I organize my thoughts.¡± The big jewel Ain touched had turned black. On top of the jewel that had lost its shine, there was an old necklace. Hyun frowned. ¡°Wait, why is this here¡­¡± ¡°You know it?¡± ¡°Probably¡­¡± Usually, he wouldn¡¯t have known what it was, but after looking at footage related to Louise, he immediately recognized it. He approached it and grabbed it. After looking at it closely, he became sure of it. That¡¯s right¡­ That was the necklace she had worn. It was the necklace she cherished so much. ¡®It¡¯s definitely that.¡¯ He was sure she wouldn¡¯t throw away an item she cared so much about. Then why was that necklace there? He opened the information window after picking it up. [Shabby Necklace] ¨C It¡¯s a necklace that has an evil pattern. You shouldn¡¯t expect it to have a special effect. Maybe you could sell the gold decorations it has and receive some money? Even though it didn¡¯t mention Louise¡¯s name, Hyun was sure the necklace belonged to her. Then, he suddenly got a system message. Hyun rapidly opened his status window. There were two new lines in the main quest he¡¯d received before. ¨C You¡¯ve obtained an item that¡¯s registered somewhere. ¨C Maybe it could become a hint? ¡®A hint¡­?¡¯ The new sentences that were added weren¡¯t very helpful. ¡®What¡¯s going on¡­¡¯ ¡®Hyun, it seems like you like that necklace?¡¯ Hyun was thinking, he heard Ain¡¯s voice. ¡°Me?¡± ¡°You¡¯re holding it tight even now.¡± Hyun had been standing still for a while with the necklace clutched in his hand. Ain was thinking about something deeply while looking at Hyun. A teleportation circle appeared on the floor. As the countdown approached 0, many thoughts crossed Hyun¡¯s mind. * * * ¡°Did you guys really find the ¡®Evil¡¯s Seed¡¯ in just one day? That¡¯s incredible! Even if it were me, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to reach the dungeon¡¯s end in one day!¡± [The Knight¡¯s Commander¡¯s affection rate has increased a lot!] [If you have his trust, all the other people in the Empire will trust you, too!] [You¡¯ve obtained rewards!] ¨C Heaven¡¯s Medal of Honor x 10 ¨C Bonus skill points + 10 ¡°Haha, if you have no requests, come to see me! You¡¯re always more than welcome!¡± Hyun and Ain, who had finished their work, walked the long corridor and left the top floor. Even while giving the report about the quest, Hyun was still thinking about the footage related to Louise. What was the meaning of the things he saw? What was Louise¡¯s relationship with the demons? What was the use of the necklace? Lots of thoughts were lingering around his head. He felt that his head would be a mess for the entire day. He couldn¡¯t forget the sight of Louise screaming because of pain. The thing that made Hyun come back to his senses was a sudden question Ain asked him. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to try the cloth?¡± ¡°Huh¡­? What?¡± ¡°The item that the boss dropped,¡± Ain answered. Hyun had a habit of examining in detail if he got a useful item while playing. But even though they¡¯d obtained an item after defeating a level 235 boss, he hadn¡¯t checked it yet. That was something weird for Hyun to do. ¡°Oh yeah, the item.¡± Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only After hearing Ain¡¯s words, Hyun remembered the new item. ____ ____ Chapter 67 Hard Carry Support Chapter 67 ¨C Realizing his worth (1) ¡°Was it this?¡± [The Robes of the Praying Priest (Unique)] Requisite: [Empathy 100] {It¡¯s the robe of a priest who prayed to the demons. There¡¯s a powerful strength sleeping within it.} Durability (140/140) Defense: +97% ¨C The item¡¯s capabilities are sealed. ¨C Capabilities when [Skill: Pray] reaches level 6. Unlike The Ghost Commander¡¯s Robe of Darkness, the new cloth had a harmonious combination of black and white colors. Although the overall color was black. The reason why that average-looking robe was special was the wearing pre-requisite it had. ¡®The requisite is having Empathy?¡¯ At first, he couldn¡¯t believe what he was seeing. If the requisite was having a stat that was exclusive to the Support, that meant only he could wear the item. Basically, it was an item exclusive to the Support. Who would¡¯ve imagined that there was an item with such low versatility? At first, he had doubts about the item, but after thinking about it for a while, he found a connection. ¡®Now that I think about it, ?Assimilation? is also a Support¡¯s skill.¡¯ That¡¯s right. He had obtained it after defeating Mayday, who had been ?Assimilated? to a named boss. Support, ?Assimilation?, Empathy¡­ He wasn¡¯t sure how the three things were connected, but he didn¡¯t think that it was a coincidence that the requirement to wear it was having Empathy. ¡°Hyun, you¡¯re¡­ Not going to throw away the equipment you¡¯re wearing now. Right?¡± ¡°Hmm? Do you want it? Oh, that¡¯s right. My equipment has Magic embedded in it! I don¡¯t have a use for it anymore, so do you want it?¡± Hyun answered at Ain¡¯s mumble. ¡°Th-then shall I use it¡­?¡± Because Hyun was so concentrated on analyzing the new item, he didn¡¯t see the corners of Ain¡¯s mouth going up. Among the items description, the last part caught his attention the most. ¡®Raise the level of ?Pray??¡¯ According to the description, once he reached level 6 of ?Pray?, the item would unlock new abilities. Although it was troublesome, he had to do it. It was the first unique robe he had obtained. Not only that, but he had received it after defeating a level 235 named boss! Not only that, but items with restrictions often had a special ability. Even if unlocking an item was bothersome, it was something that had to be done. ¡®I must go up two more levels.¡¯ Thankfully, fulfilling the pre-requisite wasn¡¯t a hard task. Hyun had raised the level of ?Pray? whenever he had free time. Thanks to that, it was currently at level 4. Not only that, but the proficiency bar was half-filled. ¡®Okay, let¡¯s do this.¡¯ Hyun went to the temple that was nearest to the Empire. He remembered a chapel where you could raise the level of ?Pray? quickly. It wasn¡¯t a lie that the Empire had a history of hundreds of years. The chapel was full of people praying until late hours. Hyun also closed his eyes and began praying. But why was it? It didn¡¯t matter how much he concentrated¡ªhe felt that the proficiency bar wasn¡¯t increasing. No, he felt it was increasing slower than when he was praying alone while lying on the square bench. ¡®Was it always this slow¡­?¡¯ There was no progress. Hyun tried to remember the teachings he received in the Twilight Temple. Praying was the act of feeling empathy with the will of a Transcendent¡­ That¡¯s right, Transcendent¡­ He had to feel the presence of a Transcendent. ¡®Wait, if Louise is an angel¡­ Then she¡¯s also a Transcendent?¡¯ At that moment, Hyun became surprised. The progress rate had changed. ¡®What happened?¡¯ He looked at the skill window once more. He felt that the proficiency bar had gone up a lot after thinking about Louise. It was an incredible result considering that, during 10 minutes, there hadn¡¯t been a change in proficiency. ¡®Is Louise¡­ Related to the proficiency of praying?!¡¯ From that moment, Hyun began praying while thinking about Louise. He remembered that day, before the patch, the incidents that happened five years before, and lowered his consciousness. Hyun emptied his thoughts and went to the state your mind is just before you go to sleep, and then he felt that his mind was being filled with the feelings of someone else. The sensation of feeling someone else¡¯s feelings was similar to that day. But unlike the ones he felt that day, they were of a different kind. Back then, he felt fear and frustration. But this time, he could feel sadness and a deep longing for what was past. Was it because of Empathy? Hyun was so immersed in praying that he couldn¡¯t feel time flow. In just an instant, the proficiency bar was almost half-full. Hyun didn¡¯t notice that he had shed some tears while praying. That was because the system immediately erased a user¡¯s tears, unlike those of an NPC¡¯s. * * * * * * Two days were short, but it was too much time for a gamer that played Asrian. It was especially longer for players that had received a penalty for dying. He knew how it felt because he had also experienced it firsthand. So SeoHyun felt sorry for both Stardust members. After all, they had died because of a quest he¡¯d taken them to. Hyun was thinking about what to tell them, but after looking at JaeHoon¡¯s expression, he discovered he was worrying about nothing. ¡°So you ended up killing that bat boss?! You¡¯re amazing!¡± JaeHoon became excited after hearing that the quest was a success. Because he had died, he hadn¡¯t received the achievement bonus for being the first ones to kill Betty, but it seemed like neither member of Stardust cared about that. Hyun smiled after seeing JaeHoon¡¯s bright expression. ¡°There were some dangerous moments¡­ But we got lucky in the end.¡± ¡°Woah, you¡¯re amazing. I¡¯ll tell it to Jini also. Oh, yeah. She was asking for your contact.¡± ¡°Oh, feel free to share it with her.¡± ¡°Really?¡± JaeHoon pressed his smartphone with a smile. He was probably sending a message to Jini. Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks ¡°Haha¡­ She says thank you.¡± SeoHyun scratched his cheeks. The truth was that it had been him who had proposed that they do the hidden quest, so he felt it was his fault that they had died. He wasn¡¯t sure what they¡¯d say¡ªthat was why he felt weird about them saying thanks. He told that to JaeHoon, and he just laughed. ¡°Why are you worrying about things like that? No one would complain after receiving 10 free skill points.¡± ¡°Really¡­?¡± If he were asked to choose between 10 skill points and logging in for two days, he would always pick the second option. But what Hyun didn¡¯t realize was that his perspective differed from the rest of the users. ¡°I don¡¯t care about dying. These past few days, I¡¯ve been focusing too much on gaming, so I wanted to take some free time. Even if my job is being a professional gamer, I can¡¯t be playing for the entire day. Right?¡± JaeHoon just brushed off the incident. That¡¯s how the conversation ended. But something unexpected happened when he got home. SeoHyun¡¯s eyes widened after reading a message in the capsule. The moment he clicked on it, an unbelievable message unfolded. SeoHyun was so surprised that he couldn¡¯t blink for a moment. ¡®Wh-What! Jinny? Did she really send this¡­?¡¯ The capsules had an option to link bank accounts, so it was possible to send money if you knew the other person¡¯s ID. But rather than that, SeoHyun was surprised because of the amount of money. ¡®Seriously, $50,000?!¡¯ Surprised, SeoHyun sat down on the floor. He wasn¡¯t able to do anything for a while. Judging from the ID, the only person capable of doing something like that was Jini¡­ But he couldn¡¯t understand why she¡¯d sent such a huge sum of money. Ting! The notification alarm sounded when SeoHyun couldn¡¯t get his act together. ¡®What?!¡¯ He reflexively turned his head toward the screen. He could hear Jini¡¯s voice from the speaker within the capsule. ¡°I¡¯ve heard the news from Practice! So you¡¯ve cleared the quest?¡± ¡°Jini? That¡¯s not the issue here¡­¡± Hyun asked after looking at the amount of money that appeared on his capsule¡¯s account. ¡°What¡¯s this? Is this the fee for the classes? Then it¡¯s too much!¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not the class fee.¡± ¡°Then¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s for clearing the hidden quest!¡± ¡°What?!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve asked my fellow teammates how much they would pay for 10 extra skill points in Asrian Online¡­ Most of them answered a number that was around $50,000 USD. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve sent that to you.¡± SeoHyun¡¯s head throbbed after listening to Jini¡¯s explanation. To be honest, that amount of money frightened him. Was it okay for him to receive such an amount of money? He had indeed played the biggest role, but it wasn¡¯t that the rest of the party had done nothing. ¡®We were able to clear the quest because we all did our part.¡¯ While fighting against Betty, Ain¡¯s Mana had plummeted. If it weren¡¯t for Jini¡¯s Ultimate Attack, ?Retrogression?, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to withstand Betty¡¯s attacks. And Practice also kept stunning Betty so that Ain could attack safely. Also, the plan wouldn¡¯t have been possible without Ain¡¯s high damage output. Everyone had done their part during the quest. But Jini had sent money only to him. It was a huge sum of money. Jini also knew that wasn¡¯t a reasonable amount of compensation. Jini also knew her teammates were joking while talking about what the skill points were worth. Despite all that, Jini had decided to do it because she knew the worth of the user Hyun. ¡®I must think well.¡¯ From the first moment she met him, Jini had watched Hyun closely. ¡ªAs a user and as a person. Hyun¡¯s mental calculations in stuff related to the game were incredibly fast. That was something easy to see, considering how he thought about and executed creative plans. But it still seemed dull in stuff related to real life. She¡¯d noticed that he didn¡¯t realize his own realistic worth. Maybe it was because he was still a freshman and didn¡¯t have much real-life experience. Could she take advantage of his lack of experience? She thought that for a short while, but quickly shook her head. That would be penny-wise, pound foolish. The most valuable thing was Hyun himself. Once the game was out of its early stages, he¡¯d soon realize what he¡¯s worth. She¡¯d rather not do things that would make him hate her later on. ¡®No, I should rather tell him what his worth is.¡¯ She¡¯d decided to send him that money because she wished for the relationship to continue. A one-sided relationship where one kept owing the other part couldn¡¯t last long. That¡¯s why Jini had decided to clear up her debts. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m sure you will make a lot more money than that in the future.¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Also, I still have more money to pay. We haven¡¯t decided on the price of the classes.¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t need to¡­¡± ¡°Hmm, how much should we make it per class¡­ Maybe ten¡­¡± ¡®Ten¡­? She¡¯s obviously not talking about ten dollars, right?¡¯ SeoHyun suddenly got nervous. As sums of money he¡¯d never had appeared on his head, he began feeling headaches. To be honest, he still hadn¡¯t processed the $50,000 USD Jini had given him. If, on top of that, he received more money for the classes, wouldn¡¯t he feel pressured to teach her for the entire day? SeoHyun shook his head. ¡°No, I don¡¯t need more money! It¡¯s not like I have something incredible to teach you or anything!¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I guess you won¡¯t have much time either. Although I¡¯m okay with you giving me some tips.¡± Jini nodded her head. Maybe he was still feeling overwhelmed, so she decided not to discuss the price of the classes. Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only But she decided she wasn¡¯t going to take advantage of his goodwill. Only by having a thoroughly calculated deal would she be able to keep having a relationship with him. ____ ____ Chapter 68 Hard Carry Support Chapter 68 ¨C Realizing his worth (2) ¡°I¡¯ll contact you again when I¡¯m able to log in.¡± What Jini did shook Hyun. ¡ªIt made him think a lot. He couldn¡¯t concentrate on gaming at all. Sometimes, his heart sank for no apparent reason. But slowly, he started to stabilize. ¡®Yes, Asrian is different from Asra¡ªa game no one played.¡¯ After reaching that conclusion, Hyun began checking out some item marketplace websites. Items he thought were worthless were selling for huge sums of money. He learned the position an Asrian ranker had a little bit. Of course, as time went on, the price of gold would drop because of inflation, and that would make the price of items fall. Maybe the items he had were worth tens¡­ No hundreds of thousands of dollars. Not only that¡­ Rankers received a lot of money by appearing on shows, commercials, etc. He felt like he was seeing a new world. ¡®I think I can be a little bit more confident. Right?¡¯ As time passed, he became calmer. And from a certain moment, instead of feeling uneasy, he began feeling pride. ¡®Yes. Even though it was in Asra, I¡¯m the former ranking number one.¡¯ After a few days, he began smiling more frequently. He also did that while logged in to Asrian, so Ain asked him. ¡°Hyun, you seemed to be happy. Did something good happen?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Well, something like that.¡± Hyun, who had solely focused on gaming, started learning his position a little bit. * * * The next day¡­ Finally, both Stardust members were able to log in. Ain was late that day. so only the three of them were gathered together. ¡°I feel like we¡¯re receiving more attention than before¡­¡± Practice said while walking through the Knight¡¯s Hall. Just like he¡¯d said, they were receiving a lot of attention from the NPCs around there. Some low-ranking soldiers even bowed their heads when they saw them. After clearing the Knight Commander¡¯s Quest, their reputation among NPCs had risen. Hyun added some explanation. ¡°We¡¯re probably the first users to clear a quest from the Knight Commander. Being the first ones to do anything increases reputation.¡± ¡°That means that if your reputation increases, the NPCs¡¯ interest in you grows too. Right? As expected from a hidden quest. And Hyun, who cleared such a quest, is incredible as well!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve done it alone.¡± Hyun smiled bitterly at Jini¡¯s praise. For the moment, only Ain knew that he belonged to the Abyss. Who would think that, among the first users to spread their name through Heaven, there was one who belonged to the Abyss? Of course, it would¡¯ve been better if his reputation among the Abyss had risen. ¡®But this isn¡¯t bad. Right?¡¯ Hyun tried to think positively. If he had a good reputation among Heaven¡¯s Forces, people would be less suspicious of him, and the probability of him being outed as a member of the Abyss would decrease too. A few days before, he had swapped his old dark robe for a clean looking black and white one, so no one would probably mistake him again for being a Dark Priest. The Robe of the Praying Priest was luxurious, yet classy, so it suited a user with a good reputation. ¡®It¡¯s here.¡¯ They soon reached the gymnasium, which was located on the third floor of the Knight¡¯s Hall. There was no one there. Only the top knights were allowed there, so it was a place forbidden to most users. They could enter there thanks to a message from Knight Commander Ollie. It seemed like the Knight Commander was quite surprised by how fast they¡¯d cleared the quest. Especially Ain. Thanks to her showing the rune of a Heavenly Being, it seemed like he completely trusted her. It was a piece of cake for Hyun to control the Knight Commander while being ?Assimilated? to Ain. That¡¯s why he let them use the place. Just a glance was enough for Hyun to know that the place completely differed from the public gymnasium on the 4th floor. Practice and Jini were lost for words. ¡°The floor and the walls are made of marble¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s an enchanted marble. Most physical attacks won¡¯t be able to leave even a scratch.¡± ¡°More than a gymnasium¡­ This looks like a giant palace.¡± The place was full of numerous fitness equipment, a place to spar, somewhere to rest, and a lot of magical equipment they weren¡¯t sure what they were. It was too much for only three people to use. There were two reasons why Hyun had chosen that place: The first one was that he wanted to increase the level of ?Pray? in a quiet place where there wasn¡¯t anyone around. The second was that he wanted to teach both Stardust members comfortably. ¡®Since things have gotten like this, I should teach them properly. Right?¡¯ The truth was that, when he had received Jini¡¯s request, he wanted to end it with just a few recommendations¡­ But right then, that would make him feel guilty. He couldn¡¯t ignore those two looking at him with shining eyes. Practice invited him to eat almost every day¡­ And he was thankful to Jini for what she did the other day. Not only that, but they¡¯d accepted his request. ¡ªThat they would help him when he asked it. From what he¡¯d seen up until then, it seemed like teaching them would be helpful for him in the future. ¡®Well, even if I teach them properly¡­ In reality, It¡¯s nothing that impressive.¡¯ What Hyun wanted to teach them first were some basic movements. Even though Asrian was a virtual reality game, it was fundamentally different from real life. Because neither of them had experience with the previous game, Asra Online, there was a chance that their movements were similar to those of real life. First, Hyun asked Practice a question. ¡°What¡¯s your Agility?¡± ¡°Hmm? My Agility right now is¡­ Exactly 50.¡± ¡°Good. If you have 50 Agility, it should take you five seconds to run 100 meters. Right?¡± ¡°Yes, something like that.¡± In real life, those numbers would¡¯ve been impressive, but in Asrian, that speed was normal. At that moment, Hyun smiled and asked another question. ¡°Then, how many times can you go back and forth a distance of one meter in 5 seconds?¡± ¡°Back and forth¡­?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s 100 meters in five seconds, can you do it 50 times?¡± ¡°Wait, the calculations are weird¡­?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. The speed while running straight and changing directions can¡¯t be the same!¡± They both couldn¡¯t hide their surprise at Hyun¡¯s question. Of course, he also knew it was impossible. He¡¯d asked that question because he wanted to teach them how to move in Asrian. Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks ¡°Good, then how about 20 instead of 50?¡± ¡°20 times¡­?¡± Practice tilted his head while frowning. It looked like he couldn¡¯t get an estimate, but Hyun relieved him of his worries. ¡°From here to here,¡± Hyun said while drawing a one-meter line with a stick. ¡°Run back and forth from here to there as fast as possible.¡± Practice immediately followed Hyun¡¯s orders. Whish-! The speed at which he moved from left to right was fast enough to leave an afterimage, but it didn¡¯t last long. ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± It took two seconds until his feets got entangled, and he lost his balance. He was able to move back and forth only five times. Practice got up and tried to do it again¡­ But it didn¡¯t matter how many times he tried, the result was the same. Ultimately, he had no choice but to laugh and click his tongue. ¡°Haha, I can¡¯t do it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you rely too much on your senses.¡± Practice listened to Hyun¡¯s words while getting up. What Hyun was saying was something he had never heard. It wasn¡¯t mentioned in the communities, and the coaches hadn¡¯t told him either. ¡°As the game progresses to the latter half, there are going to be situations that will be hard to deal with using a normal human¡¯s reflexes, so the solution is to make as few decisions and judgments as possible¡­ But senses are also some kind of judgment.¡± To abbreviate Hyun¡¯s explanation: The reason why Practice fell so much was that he tried to balance himself. Even if you took 0.1 seconds to process a piece of information, that made your thought process slower, and the next movement ended up being delayed. In real life, you could probably process the information and make a judgment almost simultaneously, but in Asrian, it was impossible. Then what you had to do was ignore the sense of balance on purpose! You needed to move while thinking you were controlling a virtual character, not your real body. * * * * * * ¡°You need to put away your senses to think faster. In my case, I¡¯m used to doing it thanks to the previous game¡­ But it seems most users are having trouble differentiating Asrian¡¯s movements from those of real life.¡± How many users were capable of not feeling discrepancy with the game¡¯s movements? That is where a dilemma appeared. While moving, one couldn¡¯t help but feel that weird sensation. Asrian had a technology that recreated sensations, that ended up becoming poisonous for gameplay. ¡°The problem is that your body must move as you imagine¡­ But you can overcome that with enough training.¡± Wiinnggg- As Hyun pressed a switch inside a Magic Circle, dolls rose from the ground. When they noticed, Hyun was already holding a short sword. Paf-! Suddenly, Hyun moved at a speed at which his body couldn¡¯t be seen. Practice and Jini¡¯s mouths gaped after seeing the result. In just one second, Hyun had managed to cut five dolls that were two meters apart. He had cut exactly on their necks. ¡°Woah¡­¡± ¡°Amazing¡­!¡± After taking a break, Hyun explained. ¡°You need to think about the path from start to finish and then move at once.¡± The theory behind the movements Hyun explained to them was comparable to typing. While typing, rather than thinking about each separate letter, you think about the whole sentence. The theory behind successfully chaining movements was similar to that. After thinking of the entire process, you moved only with your thoughts. ¡ªThat¡¯s what he meant by leaving your senses behind. ¡°This is the basis of all movements.¡± When Hyun finished explaining, Practice and Jini had serious expressions on their faces. The two seemed to be lost in their thoughts for a while¡ªthey were blankly staring at the air. Hyun waited until they finished processing what they saw; then he gave them a task. ¡°Let¡¯s start with the basics.¡± The one-meter back and forth that Practice had failed¡­ The goal was to do it successfully 10 times in five seconds. At first glance, moving back and forth seemed like nothing. But it was perfect for getting used to the basic movements. ¡°It¡¯s hard¡­¡± Even after listening to Hyun¡¯s explanation, Practice was having a hard time doing it¡ªhe kept falling to the ground. That was because his thoughts couldn¡¯t catch up to his movements. ¡°That¡¯s because you need to get used to it.¡± But Practice was still doing it better. Hyun found something that surprised him. The first two movements Practice performed were incredibly fast and reliable. ¡ªThat was because he had subconsciously learned it while trying to copy Ain. It was the result of trying to change the direction of the movement twice while attacking. ¡°It¡¯s harder than what it seems¡­¡± Jini, who was next to him, murmured. Even though Jini was a priest, she¡¯d raised her Agility to 30 That was because Hyun had said that even Priest or Magicians needed some Agility to increase survivability. The low Agility stat meant that her movements were slower, so that should make things easier for her, but she was having more difficulties than Practice. ¡®I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll get used to it soon.¡¯ Hyun wasn¡¯t worried. They were both professional gamers; that meant that they were both talented people. He was sure they would learn faster than the average person. ¡®Then¡­ I should increase the proficiency bar of ?Pray?.¡¯ While they were both practicing moving, Hyun was at one side of the gymnasium with his eyes closed. Because he had ?Pray? at level 6, increasing it wasn¡¯t an easy task. That was why he tried raising the proficiency bar whenever he had free time. That¡¯s how Hyun spent the next following days inside the Knight¡¯s Hall. When Ain wasn¡¯t there, he prayed. When she logged in, they completed Heaven¡¯s Achievement Quests together and raised their stats. He also didn¡¯t forget to check on Jini and Practice for at least for 10 minutes each day. Ting. He kept receiving the message that made his heart flutter for a few days. After sending him $50,000 USD, Jini continued to send him payments for the classes. It had only been three days since he had begun teaching them, but that was already the second time she¡¯d sent him money. If it were the Hyun from before, he would¡¯ve gotten scared by the sum of money¡­ But after receiving $50,000 USD, he could look at it with relative calm. ¡®I told her I didn¡¯t need the payment for the classes¡­ Does this mean that she wants to be taught more rigorously?¡¯ Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only Then it may be better if he invested a little bit more time in it. Hyun decided to increase the time of the classes from 10 minutes to 20. ____ ____ Chapter 69 Hard Carry Support Chapter 69 ¨C Realizing his worth (3) Practice and Jini practiced whenever they had some free time. The basics of moving¡­ The content by itself wasn¡¯t hard to understand, but it wasn¡¯t easy to master. After four days, they started to get a grasp of it. Although they couldn¡¯t be compared to Hyun and Ain since, thanks to their experience, for them it was as easy as breathing. Just the fact that they were able to take the first step on a new level was meaningful by itself. ¡®That¡¯s right. Because Asrian is so similar to real life, I didn¡¯t think of it as a game.¡¯ Up to that point, Jini had covered her lack of mobility with skills. But that way of doing things had limitations. During the Knight¡¯s Quest, she had been a load weight carried by Ain. The task Hyun gave her solved that dilemma. Magicians or Priests didn¡¯t raise their Agility because they didn¡¯t have skills that required it. But according to Hyun, increasing Agility was important by itself. It seemed like he wanted to say that investigating movements while having a high Agility as the foundation was one of the reasons why he used to be the number one ranking player by an overwhelming difference. ¡®Well, Ain has a job related to Magician, but she¡¯s very agile.¡¯ Jini tried to remember the movements of them both and began practicing again little by little. At first, it was moving one meter back and forth. Once she got used to it, the next level. She tried to move while drawing a square, curves, or a circle. ¡°Woah, that was great!¡± Hyun, who was watching the practice, was impressed. Practice had succeeded in cutting three dolls with a sword in an instant. Practice, who was progressing a bit faster than Jini, was training moving in zigzag patterns while swinging the sword. Practice, who didn¡¯t fall for the first time, shook his head. ¡°That was a close one¡­ If I had more Agility, I would¡¯ve probably fallen.¡± ¡°Your specs are always changing, so you need to get used to the changes.¡± ¡°There¡¯s really nothing easy.¡± Both members of Stardust went to the third floor of the Knight¡¯s Hall every day. After all, learning the know-how of the former number one wasn¡¯t an opportunity that came easily. Hyun felt awkward. For a while, there would be nothing he could teach them. Of course, the moves he and Ain had developed through the years were complex enough that they¡¯d be able to write a thesis on them, but teaching more complex movements to people who hadn¡¯t even mastered the basics could become counterproductive. It would probably take them months before they could pass to the next step. If they weren¡¯t professional gamers, it probably would¡¯ve taken them years. ¡®I won¡¯t need to help them for a while.¡¯ Even while teaching them, Hyun didn¡¯t leave aside his plans. He reached level 6 of ?Pray? after a week. Whap. Strong energy started to come out from The Robes of the Praying Priest. That was the signal that showed that the item had been unlocked. When the light died down, a couple of lines had been added to the item¡¯s description. [ ] ¨C When you¡¯re about to die, you become immortal for 3 seconds. ¨C The time for being reborn after dying decreases by half. ¨C If you¡¯re using ?Assimilation?, these effects are applied to the target. ¡®This¡­¡¯ Hyun¡¯s eyes widened after reading the item¡¯s description. First, on the Priest¡¯s Robe, it mentioned ?Assimilation?. At that point, couldn¡¯t he call that an item exclusive to the Support? Later on, he needed to revise the connection between Empathy, ?Assimilation?, and ?Pray?. Right then, it was more important to check out the item¡¯s specs. ¡®This is amazing.¡¯ The word ¡°immortal¡± caught Hyun¡¯s attention. Unlike his skill, the item allowed him to be immortal for real. He would be able to save his life thanks to the effect of an item. ¡®Not only that, but it decreases the death penalty.¡¯ What Hyun was the most afraid of was the penalty for dying. In Asrian, any user that died wouldn¡¯t be able to log in for 48 hours. He had already experienced it once, so he knew how critical that could be. But that item allowed him to reduce it for 24 hours. Of course, he should avoid dying if possible, but even if he did, he could recover faster than the others. Just from the item¡¯s description up to that point, the item seemed to be worth more than a unique. But what was more incredible was that the item still had hidden specs! ¡®There¡¯s more?¡¯ Hyun was surprised. ?Pray? level 9¡­ As the level of skills increased, they became progressively harder to level up. Not only that, but Asrian, unlike the previous game, had sensory synchronization, so it was obvious that increasing the skill level of ?Pray? would be harder than before. It took Hyun a week to increase the level of ?Pray? from 4 to 6. Of course, it wasn¡¯t like he had spent the entire time praying¡­ But getting it to 9 would probably take him a couple of months. ¡®What kind of item has so many hidden specs?¡¯ Another thing that surprised him was that an item with such incredible abilities had just a unique category. Just being able to reduce the time of the death penalty should be enough to categorize it as legendary. He didn¡¯t even want to think about how much he could sell it for if it didn¡¯t have the Empathy restriction. Thanks to Jini, he had learned the value of Asrian-related things in real life. ¡®It came again.¡¯ He received another message. It was a notification that Jini had sent him money. Those past few days, Hyun hadn¡¯t taught them many things. It was mostly answering some doubts they had. Despite that, Jini kept sending him money. To be honest, he felt somewhat burdened, but he didn¡¯t stop her from doing it. She must have come up with a value after thinking about it. Maybe it was him who wasn¡¯t fully aware of his own worth. Also, he¡¯d learned the sweet taste of money those past few days. ¡°Did something happen?¡± Ain asked him. She began wondering because Hyun had suddenly stopped and was immersed in his own thoughts. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks Hyun opened his mouth but stopped. Ain was still underage. * * * * * * Maybe things could get troublesome if they talked about stuff related to money. That was something he, an adult, had to think about and find an answer to. ¡®Now that I think about it, I was able to reach here thanks to Ain¡¯s help.¡¯ Just like Jini had compensated him, must he also compensate Ain? He decided not to forget about that. That was probably the most important thing. He would compensate her once he found some stability. Hyun kept thinking while walking through the Knight¡¯s Hall. ¡®Was it worth it to keep going to University?¡¯ From what he¡¯d seen, many people lived just by playing Asrian. There were things like buying and selling items, competitions, analysis, streaming, among many other options. People generated a lot of content related to Ain because there was a lot of demand for it. He had experienced being number one in the rankings, so Hyun was sure he could do anything better than them. It was weird for Hyun to care about real-life things while inside the game. It was at that moment¡­ A childlike voice interrupted Hyun¡¯s thoughts. ¡°Oh! I found you-!¡± Someone had shouted while pointing at him, but Hyun was so immersed in his own thoughts that he didn¡¯t notice it. ¡°Wait, please!¡± As Hyun and Ain passed by him, he quickly followed them. That¡¯s when Hyun finally saw the identity of the person calling to him. ¡°What? He¡¯s just a kid.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ He¡¯s a little one. Hyun, do you know him?¡± ¡°Not at all. Hey kid, I¡¯m busy right now, so I don¡¯t have time to play with you.¡± His identity was TarrTarr. He was the person who had filmed the video of Hyun and Ain hunting down Leopard. ¡°Wait, wait, please! Do you know for how long I¡¯ve been looking for you? It¡¯s been more than a month!¡± TarrTarr still didn¡¯t know Hyun¡¯s name. ¡ªBut he knew Ain¡¯s. That was because Ain had become a hot topic on Reddit many times. ¡°You¡¯re Ain, right?¡± ¡°Eh? It seems like he¡¯s been looking for you.¡± Hyun said while looking at Ain, but she just shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not interested in people I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Really? By how people you don¡¯t know recognize you, it seems like you¡¯ve become quite famous.¡± ¡°Really famous! I¡¯m sure almost every Reddit user knows her.¡± ¡°Reddit¡­?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know Reddit? It has one of the biggest Asrian communities¡­ That¡¯s also where I uploaded a video of you two!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I see. It seems like he¡¯s fan enough to record a video of you. Maybe he¡¯s a stalker?¡± ¡°Not really interested¡­ I don¡¯t need anything like that.¡± ¡°Hey kid, you heard what she said. You better go.¡± After that small talk, Hyun and Ain were about to leave. TarrTarr couldn¡¯t believe the current situation. He felt like a criminal confessing his crime while telling them that he¡¯d recorded footage of both of them¡­ But he wasn¡¯t expecting a reaction like that. Wasn¡¯t anyone going to say anything about copyright, privacy, sue him, or even talk about profits from the video¡­? TarrTarr shouted while trying to catch up with Hyun and Ain. ¡°Is that all? Don¡¯t you have anything else to say? For example, about the profits gained from the video¡­¡± ¡®What, profit from the video?¡¯ Usually, he would just ignore whatever a bothersome kid was saying to him, but those past few days, Hyun had been quite sensitive to money-related topics. He stopped. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Profits. I recorded a video of you two, so I thought you¡¯d be interested in topics regarding the money generated from it.¡± ¡°We¡¯re interested, of course.¡± After noticing Hyun¡¯s sudden change of atmosphere, Ain looked at him closely. As Hyun¡¯s conversation with the kid that had suddenly appeared started to prolong, Ain complained. ¡°Hyun¡­ We¡¯d decided to clear the rest of the Heaven¡¯s Achievements today¡­ Let¡¯s get going.¡± ¡°Oh, sorry. I have some stuff to discuss with this kid¡­ You have to increase levels and catch up with me anyway, so farm some experience for a little while.¡± ¡°Alone? Until when?¡± ¡°Just a little bit? Hey kid, come here.¡± Hyun grabbed TarrTarr and moved to somewhere where they could talk more comfortably. As Hyun took some time to listen, he heard TarrTarr¡¯s name and what he¡¯d done until then, among other things. TarrTarr also told him that he had secretly recorded the footage of him fighting against Leopard. Hyun didn¡¯t understand things related to privacy, so at first, he couldn¡¯t understand what was wrong. Even though TarrTarr was a lot younger than Hyun, he knew more things about stuff related to real life. ¡°See this video? It has eight million views. The amount of money you can earn is approximately one dollar per thousand views. If only I had monetized the video, it would¡¯ve generated at least eight thousand dollars!¡± ¡°Wait, how much?¡± Only after adjusting the translation settings did Hyun understand TarrTarr¡¯s words. ¡°What the¡­ one video generated eight thousand dollars?!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± After understanding everything, Hyun¡¯s eyes changed. Tarrtarr was so startled that he backed down. ¡°Then¡­ Among the eight thousand dollars, there¡¯s my part, obviously. Right?¡± ¡°No. I didn¡¯t monetize it. It isn¡¯t even my video, so I can¡¯t do it as I wish. Also, I¡¯ve put this video as private.¡± ¡°What¡­ Does that mean?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t earn anything!¡± Boom- Hyun subconsciously slammed the table. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you do it?!¡± ¡°Should I ask for monetization?¡± ¡°Obviously!¡± TarrTarr flinched at Hyun¡¯s shout. After looking at TarrTarr reaction¡¯s, Hyun calmed down. Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only Now that he thought about it, it wasn¡¯t his fault. After all, he was unaware of the fact that you could earn that much money in such ways. ____ ____ Chapter 70 Chapter 70 ¨C The Road Leading Up To Fate (1) ¡®No, this isn¡¯t something to get excited about.¡¯ As the older one there, Hyun tried to calm down. First, he needed to get to know who the kid was. ¡°Your ID is TarrTarr?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You¡¯re in middle school, right? ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Hyun began wondering how someone younger than him knew so much about YouTube. As the conversation got longer, he discovered that his knowledge exceeded that of a middle school student. Because TarrTarr¡¯s explanation had some complicated and specialized terms mixed in it, Hyun felt dazed from time to time. ¡°Were you always interested in video editing?¡± TarrTarr seemed excited at Hyun¡¯s sudden question. ¡°Yes! I learned from my dad, and I also entered the school club!¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Hyun¡¯s mind began thinking fast. He remembered the rumors he¡¯d heard before. Content business¡­ Nowadays, many people earned several times the annual salary of an average office worker just by producing and uploading videos to YouTube. And it seemed like TarrTarr had a little bit of know-how in regards to those things. He also seemed to feel in debt. ¡®Maybe that would work?¡¯ Hyun thought of a strategy. If it were just uploading a bunch of videos, he wouldn¡¯t take the risk of getting his freedom taken away like professional gamers did. There also wouldn¡¯t be tears of blood for selling gold or items for cash. The more he thought about it, the clearer the plan became. ¡®Wait¡­¡¯ As Hyun was thinking, he found the first issue. ¡®What should I do with Ain?¡¯ The Support couldn¡¯t do much by itself without a damage dealer like Ain. Except for when he had rescued Louise, Ain had always been next to him. ¡®Will Ain collaborate with my plan?¡¯ ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Huh¡­?!¡± Hyun was surprised by Ain¡¯s sudden appearance from behind. ¡°That video seems entertaining!¡± Ain was looking with interest at the YouTube hologram video. On the screen, there was the video of Hyun and Ain hunting down Leopard. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right! I was also trying to say it to you!¡± ¡°I also have something to tell you. Ain, please sit down for a moment.¡± ¡°Hmm, what¡¯s happening?¡± The three sat down at a round table. Ain heard from TarrTarr about things related to content production and from Hyun about some plans they¡¯d do from then on. Hyun was thinking of convincing Ain with time, but the conversation was cut short because of what she said next. ¡°It was about earning money with YouTube?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t like it¡­?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± After looking at the footage where she appeared, she quickly lost interest. ¡°But I don¡¯t want to show myself to people I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°Really?¡± After hearing Ain¡¯s answer, Hyun scratched his head. As the plans scattered away, Hyun¡¯s voice seemed down. ¡®Then, should I cancel the plans?¡¯ At that moment, Ain smiled. It seemed like she¡¯d noticed something. ¡°Hyun, is it because you need money?¡± ¡°Huh? It¡¯s not that I need it, but¡­¡± ¡°Then you want to earn more. Right?¡± ¡°Well, anyone wants that. Right? But I¡¯m not going to make you do something against your will.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Ain¡¯s smile deepened. ¡®He won¡¯t do it because I don¡¯t want to¡­?!¡¯ ¡®Does Hyun know it?¡¯ In Hyun¡¯s words, there seemed to be an underlying premise that he always had to be with someone. But Hyun didn¡¯t seem to be bothered by that. If it¡¯s like this¡­ Maybe she could let Hyun do as he wished. It was sad that they had to be apart for a while, but it would probably be okay. Ain tried to hold the laughter and said, ¡°Hmm¡­ If you want to, you can do it alone.¡± ¡°I alone?¡± ¡°I need to catch up to you anyway. Your level jumped up a lot suddenly.¡± ¡°Then you¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be trying to catch up to your level.¡± Hyun didn¡¯t know what to say to Ain¡¯s words. ¡°Ain, if¡­¡± ¡°Oops, I need to go out. Do what you want for a while!¡± [¡®Ain¡¯ has logged out.] After Ain suddenly disappeared, Hyun finished the sentence. ¡°You¡¯re not here¡­ What should I do alone¡­?¡± After Ain left, only the two were there. Unlike before, Hyun was just silent. In the end, it was TarrTarr who spoke first. ¡°I¡­Think that I should take that video down. From what I¡¯ve heard from other people, if the other party is sensitive in matters related to portrait rights, it¡¯s better to erase the video.¡± ¡°Yes, that sounds right.¡± Click. [Do you want to delete this unlisted video? Y/N] Hyun sighed after looking at thousands of dollars being erased. At the same time, he began looking at footage he could use. ¡®Oof¡­ Alone, when was the last time I was alone?¡¯ Hyun tried to remember. From what he could recall, there were only three instances. ¡ªThe main quest he did with Louise. ¡ªThe time he ?Assimilated? into the acrobat doll. ¡ªAnd that time when he hunted down ghosts, but that footage had already been deleted. Because the capsule¡¯s memory wasn¡¯t unlimited, footage older than a month was automatically deleted. ¡®There are only two other usable videos.¡¯ In the end, he ended up with just two possible candidates, but he felt uncomfortable with releasing either of them. In the recording with Louise, how he activated and deactivated his skill, ?Assimilation? appeared. And the video of the acrobat doll, if users saw the information about it, they¡¯d probably be able to guess his ?Assimilation? skill.¡¯ ¡®Should I just upload it?¡¯ For a moment, Hyun was thinking about whether he should just reveal his ?Assimilation? skill, but he ended up shaking his head. ¡®No, I shouldn¡¯t do that. I don¡¯t know what would happen if I did that.¡¯ ?Assimilation? was the Support¡¯s main skill and his last trump card. He should hide it until he either becomes so strong he doesn¡¯t care anymore or he learns another trump card. But recording a video of a Support without using ?Assimilation? was kind of pointless. ¡®What should I do¡­?- -¡® Hyun began thinking deeply. Was there a way to record a quality video without using ?Assimilation?? Because Hyun¡¯s eyes had become intense, TarrTarr subconsciously shrank. ¡°TarrTarr.¡± He finally opened his mouth after a while. ¡°Yes¡­?¡± Then Hyun said something strange. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t sue you for uploading that video to YouTube.¡± ¡°S-sue¡­?!¡± ¡°I mean, I won¡¯t do it, but instead¡­¡± * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy * * * Neither Hyun nor TarrTarr knew if one could be sued because of that, but it really didn¡¯t matter. With a kind smile, Hyun calmed TarrTarr down. Then he kept talking. ¡°But instead, I want you to answer my question honestly.¡± ¡°Y¡­ Yes¡­ O-of course!¡± As TarrTarr¡¯s mouth became dry, Hyun began asking him questions. ¡°Let¡¯s say that someone tells you a very big secret and asks you to maintain it no matter what¡­ Could you do it?¡± ¡°Secret¡­?¡± ¡°No, this kind of question makes no sense.¡± Hyun smiled after thinking of another way. He had a skill that allowed you to know if someone was lying to you. That skill was ?Assimilation?! Since it allowed you to read the other person¡¯s feelings. Of course, the moment he used it, information about that skill would be revealed, but Hyun could solve that issue easily. ¡®It wasn¡¯t hard!¡¯ Ting-. At that moment, TarrTarr received a message. [Player ¡®Hyun¡¯ wants to control your soul.] [Will you accept? Y/N] TarrTarr stared blankly, then carefully asked. ¡°Control my soul¡­? What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°Oh, just accept it. I¡¯ll explain it to you later.¡± ¡°Weird¡­¡± With trembling hands, and full of doubts, TarrTarr accepted the message. Then he immediately received another message. [Player ¡®Hyun¡¯ wants control priority.] [Will you accept? Y/N] ¡°Should I accept this, too?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± [Player ¡®Hyun¡¯ has sent a friend request.] [Will you accept? Y/N] ¡°This too¡­?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­¡± TarrTarr felt like he was being forced to sign a suspicious contract, but he ended up doing as Hyun said. After accepting him as a friend, Hyun sent him a whisper. ¡¸Close your eyes.¡¹ ¡°The eyes¡­?¡± ¡¸Yes, don¡¯t open them. And from now on, answer only via whisper.¡¹ Paf! The moment ?Assimilation? activated, TarrTarr felt slightly uncomfortable. Since his eyes were closed, he didn¡¯t know what was happening outside. He also couldn¡¯t see the status window. Hyun asked a question while focusing on his trembling feelings. ¡¸Did you ever feel the urge to check another person¡¯s status window?¡¹ ¡¸Never.¡¹ ¡¸Are you good at keeping secrets?¡¹ ¡¸Yes, probably?¡¹ ¡­ The interrogation-like questions kept going on for a while. ¡®Weird.¡¯ Hyun began wondering. Even though he had asked tens of questions, TarrTarr feelings didn¡¯t shake even once. Was he telling lies without batting an eye? Or had he really not lied? ¡®I¡¯m sure ?Assimilation? isn¡¯t broken.¡¯ But a question Hyun asked him answered the doubts he was having. ¡¸Are you regretting coming to see me?¡¹ ¡¸Ah¡­¡¹ ¡¸Hmm?¡¹ ¡¸N-no¡­ That¡¯s¡­ Not true.¡¹ It was at that moment when TarrTarr¡¯s calm feelings became turbulent¡­ After feeling the nervousness spread through the body, Hyun finally accepted the situation. ¡®Okay, I¡¯m sure he won¡¯t be a problem.¡¯ Paf! After ?Disassimilating?, he nodded. ¡°You can open your eyes.¡± ¡°What¡­ Was that?¡± Hyun smiled at the confused TarrTarr. ¡°Even if I don¡¯t tell you, you¡¯ll soon figure it out.¡± * * * Novice Dungeon of the Necromancer¡­ It was a place where a lot of monsters that ranged from level 30 to 200 appeared. Because you could stay there from when you were a novice until you finished the second job ascension, many users stayed there for a long time. ¡®Good, should we start?¡¯ Paf-. Suddenly, Hyun disappeared. TarrTarr was surprised after seeing him disappear. ¡¸Hold on for a moment. Let me check your status window.¡¹ He couldn¡¯t control his own body. It felt as if another person was forcibly using it. Only after a while did TarrTarr understand what was going on. ¡°No way. Are you currently inside my body?!¡± ¡¸Yes, it¡¯s a skill called ?Assimilation?. With this skill, I can enter and control another person¡¯s body.¡¹ ¡°Wait, this is weird! I came here because you told me you would show me your gameplay!¡± ¡¸That¡¯s exactly why I¡¯ve borrowed your body.¡¹ TarrTarr kept complaining for a while, but Hyun checked the status window while ignoring him. TarrTarr Lv.59 (¡®Hyun¡¯s soul is currently Assimilating!) HP: 2065/2065 Mana: 370/370 Job: Thief [Strength 28(+2)] [Agility 60(+129)] [Vitality 30(+5)] [Magical Power 29(+8)] Oh, stats aren¡¯t bad at all. Yes, a thief should have double the amount of Agility compared to other stats¡­¡¹ Thanks to ?Assimilation?, stats were kind of unbalanced at the moment, but his base stats were good. Hyun began checking out his other stats. Because the combination of the skills of a Thief was very important, if you picked the wrong ones, you could ruin your character. Skill List ¨C [?Combo? Lv.4(+1)] ¨C Increase the combo by 1 every time you land a consecutive attack on an opponent in less than a second. If you fail even once, the combo is reset. ¨C Depending on the number of the combo, the speed of the attack and movement increases. [Increase Critical Hit Chance Lv.2(+1)] [Increase Critical Hit Lv.1(+1)] [?Three Consecutive Cuts? Lv.0(+1)] Hyun sighed after reading the skills. TarrTarr felt uneasy at Hyun¡¯s reaction. ¡°Is there something wrong¡­?¡± ¡¸The skills¡­ Are bad.¡¹ ¡°Why?¡± Hyun began explaining while grabbing the head. ¡¸If you¡¯re trying to become combo specialized, you shouldn¡¯t have learned the ones related to critical hit; you should¡¯ve focused on the speed passives!¡¹ ¡°Is it that bad? I¡¯ve picked them after checking out the communities¡­¡± ¡¸Yes, you should stop entering the community boards. There probably isn¡¯t anyone there with common sense.¡¹ TarrTarr suddenly became scared. Anyone would feel that way if someone you thought of as a great master told you that the character you¡¯ve grown with such great care was ruined. ¡¸Your ultimate attack is good. Is this a third-level awakening skill?¡¹ Awakening Skill ¨C [?Trance? Lv.0] {Passive} ¨C Depending on the combo, your attack increases. That was TarrTarr¡¯s ultimate attack. It was so simple that you could describe it with just one sentence without any fancy rhetoric, but depending on how good you were, it could become extremely effective. ____ Chapter 71 Hard Carry Support Chapter 71 ¨C The Road Leading Up To Fate (2) ¡¸How many combos can you do?¡¹ ¡°Combos? Wait¡­ I was able to do 280!¡± TarrTarr proudly answered. It was true that he was lucky to achieve that, but among Thieves, only the top 1% of users had received the achievement for doing 250 combos. So he was proud of it. ¡¸Hmm¡­¡¹ However, Hyun responded in a lukewarm way. ¡¸Did you know that there are limits to the maximum combo?¡¹ ¡°There¡¯s something like that?!¡± ¡¸Yes¡­ Thief would be the strongest job if you could just do an infinite amount of combo with no restrictions.¡¹ TarrTarr didn¡¯t know about the things Hyun told him next. ¡¸ There are surprisingly a lot of limitations to the combo system. For example¡­ If you move from a certain area, the combo resets. The opponent you¡¯re attacking has to be within 50 meters¡­ Most tricks are blocked¡­ But I¡¯m sure you knew about these things.¡¹ ¡°I knew a few of them¡­ But I wasn¡¯t aware of the ones you mentioned!¡± After seeing TarrTarr answer innocently, Hyun felt he didn¡¯t need to explain anymore. ¡¸Well, I guess that as long as you record the video properly, you don¡¯t need to understand everything.¡¹ Hyun walked toward the entrance of the dungeon. TarrTarr had begun to trust Hyun and let him do as he wished. Novice Dungeon of the Necromancer¡­ From the name, it seemed like a hunting place where low-level monsters appeared, but the truth was that it was the perfect place for a beginner to die. The first enemies to appear were level 30 skeletons, but as you advanced through the dungeon, the monsters started to get stronger. In the middle of the dungeon, level 50 skeleton archers appeared! In the latter half of the dungeon, you even had to deal with level 70 mage skeletons! If you reached the middle-boss area, you might encounter an undead army that had a level over 100. Most of the time, users only farmed within the first and second half of the dungeon¡ªmaybe until the area with skeleton mages. Some parties that had rankers hunted in the area of the middle boss, but they were the exception. And because the patch had just happened, most users were doing quests related to the forces they belonged to, so the hunting grounds were empty. ¡°Are we going to the dungeon alone?¡± ¡¸Why?¡¹ ¡°No¡­ It¡¯s just that I thought it may be good if we had a Priest in the party.¡± ¡¸ There are only weak monsters here, so there¡¯s no need to receive healing.¡¹ If it were him, he would¡¯ve never imagined entering the dungeon without a party, but since Hyun was so confident, TarrTarr just kept his mouth closed. The first part of the dungeon was easy. ¡ªThere was only one or two level 30 skeletons. Hyun took out TarrTarr¡¯s weapons. He had swords that were about 40 centimeters long in each hand. ¡¸Is the weapon magic grade? It seems like you also don¡¯t have a lot of money.¡¹ ¡°But those are quite expensive.¡± ¡¸Once you earn some money, it would be better if you changed the weapons first.¡¹ Hyun was used to dual-wielding swords. Thief was the first job he¡¯d picked when he first began playing Asra. He began using a long sword in the latter part of the game, but until he reached level 200, just like TarrTarr, his main weapons used to be dual swords. Swipe- Hyun ravaged the skeletons with the swords he had in both hands. Even if there were a lot of level 30 monsters, they were no threat at all. Dozens of lights shone at the same time. ¡®It feels great.¡¯ That was the first time he used dual swords while moving, but he felt very comfortable as if he¡¯d done it before. That meant that he had gotten used to the slight differences between Asra and Asrian. [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 153 damage!] [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 144 damage!] Four combo, five combo, six combo¡­ As Hyun passed by while brandishing the sword, skeletons piled up, and after a while, they disappeared. He cut, twisted, stabbed, and cut again! The attacks didn¡¯t stop¡ªthey kept flowing like water. [?Combo? Lv.4(+1)] ¨C Depending on the number of the combo, the speed of attacks and movement increases. Thanks to that skill, TarrTarr¡¯s speed increased but suddenly stopped. They had beaten all the monsters around them. The moment Hyun cleared all the monsters in one area, the number of combos had reached 180. ¡°Woah¡­¡± TarrTarr couldn¡¯t hide his surprise after seeing Hyun annihilate the skeletons. He was surprised by the fact that his character could move like that. Because he enjoyed looking at other people¡¯s gameplay, he¡¯d seen many videos of rankers, but he¡¯d never seen someone use dual swords in such a clean way. ¡°Done! I can edit this and upload it!¡± ¡¸What are you talking about?¡¹ ¡°We¡¯ve recorded the video, so let¡¯s get out of the dungeon.¡± Hyun tilted his head at what TarrTarr said. ¡¸Huh? We¡¯re moving to where we¡¯re going to record the video.¡¹ ¡°What?¡± ¡¸I¡¯ve been a Support for too long, so it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve used weapons¡­ I hope the video comes out okay.¡¹ Hyun said while scratching his head as he started to walk forward. Because Hyun had control priority, TarrTarr was forced to follow him. Hyun eliminated level 40 skeletons as if they were nothing. Even though they were movements he¡¯d already seen, TarrTarr was still surprised by it. He was wondering if the character was really his. All the scenes were being saved in TarrTarr¡¯s capsule memory. ¡°This is great! With just some editing, it will look great!¡± ¡°Woah¡­ So you can link the attack in such ways¡­¡± ¡°Can we rest for a little bit? Fighting like this must be tiring¡­¡± Hyun let TarrTarr talk and focused on defeating the enemies in front of him. To be honest, he was starting to get excited about fighting. ¡®This feels great¡­¡¯ Being ?Assimilated? to Ain and experiencing the Close-Range Magician wasn¡¯t bad, but the fighting style he originally enjoyed was this one. ¡ªThe sensation of his body moving faster than the speed at which he could think! Even though it was his first time using the Thief job in Asrian, he remembered all the complex movements he used in the previous game and started doing them. By the time Hyun stopped fighting, all the skeletons around them had become experience points. ¡®I¡¯m in good condition today.¡¯ Suddenly, stairs that lead to the underground appeared. Hyun walked toward them without doubting for a moment. ¡ªIt was the next area of the dungeon. ¡°You can record from now on. Check that the recording option is on. I¡¯m going to properly start now.¡± Hyun, who seemed bothered talking via whisper, just said it with TarrTarr¡¯s voice. * * * * * * Even TarrTarr¡¯s cutesy voice sounded odd when Hyun used it. Although the tone of the voice hadn¡¯t changed, its atmosphere was completely different. ¡°I don¡¯t think we should go there¡­¡± TarrTarr said anxiously. ¡°Even parties don¡¯t frequently go down there¡­ Because there are so many monsters, a single mistake can make you get surrounded by monsters and die. And a thief alone¡­¡± ¡°I know that.¡± Hyun said while smiling. The place they were going to was called the dungeon¡¯s ¡®Core.¡¯ It was a place where monsters respawned faster than anywhere else. Basically, it was one of the most dangerous parts of the dungeon. He suddenly began remembering the past. Hunting at the core for the entire day, going to eat, hunting again, and then eating again¡ªthat used to be his routine. Back then, his job used to be Thief. According to Hyun¡¯s knowledge, it was the best place for a Thief oriented to ?Combo? like TarrTarr to hunt. ¡°You just have to trust me. Just focus on recording.¡± TarrTarr quickly reached the next area. As soon as they went down, a level 50 skeleton soldier appeared. TarrTarr calmed down. That was because, instead of walking toward the core, Hyun approached an enemy that was separated from the rest. But that relief suddenly became doubt. ¡°Huh?!¡± Hyun put both weapons away¡­ And then suddenly started to punch the skeleton. ¡°You can¡¯t deal damage without a weapon¡­¡± ¡°You can.¡± As if he were a professional boxer, Hyun punched the skeleton while dodging its attacks and led it toward the wall. Just like Hyun said, although it was little, he was definitely dealing damage. [You¡¯ve dealt 5 damage!] [You¡¯ve dealt 3 damage!] ¡°I¡¯m working on a combo.¡± ¡°That¡­ Shouldn¡¯t work.¡± TarrTarr looked at Hyun, who was controlling his body, with doubt. He had also tried doing that, so he knew the result. Hyun was trying to lower the damage output to increase the combo. If it worked, more Thieves would¡¯ve obtained the combo achievement. But the truth was that it wasn¡¯t that easy. Only 1% of all Thiefs had the achievement of doing more than 250 combos, and there was a reason for that. ¡°I¡¯ve also tried that before.¡± But Hyun ignored TarrTarr and just focused on hitting the skeleton. 25 combo, 26 combo, 27 combo¡­ He kept punching the skeleton while moving with proper steps as if his job was a Fighter. If someone were next to them watching, they wouldn¡¯t have guessed that TarrTarr¡¯s job was Thief. No, they would probably be confused without being able to tell what his job was. Hyun took out the swords again once the number of combos approached 50. [49 combo! You¡¯ve dealt 89 damage!] [50 combo! You¡¯ve dealt 103 damage!] [You¡¯ve dealt too many consecutive weak attacks to the same opponent!] [You can¡¯t get any more combo from his opponent!] The moment he defeated the opponent with exactly 50 combos¡­ He received that message! It was a system that blocked users from exploiting tricks. You would soon reach the limit if you attacked a normal monster with weak attacks. There was no way Hyun wouldn¡¯t know about that. ¡®Now!¡¯ Hyun had been waiting for the moment to reach 50 combos. He grabbed a stone on the floor and threw it toward a skeleton warrior in the distance. The stone flew toward it and hit the skeleton warrior on the forehead. As the message appeared, Hyun moved forward at a frightening speed. He hit the next opponent with his punch and started to push it toward the corner. TarrTarr watched with his mouth gaping at how Hyun connected the combo. ¡°Was that timing calculated?¡± Hyun didn¡¯t answer TarrTarr¡¯s question because he was too focused on hitting the skeleton. Even without Hyun answering his question, TarrTarr soon discovered the answer. Just the moment he was about to reach 100 combos, Hyun took out the double swords. [99 combo! Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 235 damage!] [100 combo! Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 241 damage!] [You¡¯ve dealt too many consecutive weak attacks to the same opponent!] [You can¡¯t get any more combo from his opponent!] The moment Hyun reached 100 combos, he quickly moved toward the next target. He didn¡¯t forget to throw a stone. All those movements connected naturally, and the number of combos pilled up. ¡®Oh, my god¡­¡¯ TarrTarr¡¯s mouth was gaping. The proper fight hadn¡¯t even begun yet, but he was already feeling chills after looking at the combos pilling up. Because it was his job, he knew how difficult it was to do something like that. ¡®Something like this was possible¡­?¡¯ Every single movement up to 0.1 seconds was calculated. Just one mistake would be enough to break the combo, but Hyun was using every single second to draw the perfect picture. 237 combo, 238 combo, 239 combo. TarrTarr soon discovered something else. He was so impressed by the movements, the timing, and other physical stuff that he hadn¡¯t noticed it yet. ¡®He had already planned out the entire fight route?¡¯ ____ ____ Chapter 72 ???? / Raporte11-14 minutes 25.04.2022 REAPER SCANS Hard Carry Support [Translator ¨C Daniel Shin] [Proofreader ¨C ilafy] Chapter 72 ¨C The Road Leading Up To Fate (3) The dungeon core was a hunting ground where lots of skeletons came out, so even if you were with a full party, you had to fight non-stop. There had been many cases of parties making a mistake regarding the route taken, grabbing the attention of a massive crowd of undead monsters, and ending up dying. However, Hyun was focusing on fighting against only a single skeleton at a time. Hyun¡¯s movements were more complex than what TarrTarr thought. Not only that, but there were some things Hyun still hadn¡¯t told him. [You¡¯ve knocked down the same kind of monsters using a similar patron.] [You won¡¯t get any more combo from a skeleton soldier for the next 5 minutes.] He received a system message when he defeated the 5th skeleton warrior. There were more restrictions to making a combo work than what TarrTarr had initially thought. For example, TarrTarr didn¡¯t know that there was a restriction to the number of combos you could obtain by fighting the same kind of monsters. ¡®Okay, next.¡¯ Hyun had already planned out the entire thing, so he started moving without doubting for a moment. Swipe- Clang! [251 combo! You¡¯ve dealt 21 damage!] The novice dagger he threw hit the ¡®skeleton warrior.¡¯ After grabbing the weapon from the floor, he began hitting it with his fists. [280 combo! You¡¯ve dealt 3 damage!] [281 combo! You¡¯ve dealt 2 damage!] [New Record! You¡¯ve broken the previous combo record!] While doing that, he broke TarrTarr¡¯s previous record. TarrTarr was so overwhelmed by what he saw that he just watched while trying to hold his breath. Before, it was against the ¡®skeleton soldier,¡¯ and now the target was the ¡®skeleton warrior.¡¯ There didn¡¯t seem to be an end to Hyun¡¯s combos. [300 combo! You¡¯ve obtained the achievement ¡®Skilled Soldier¡¯!] [400 combo! You¡¯ve obtained the achievement ¡®Veteran Weapon¡¯s Specialist¡¯!] One of the skills of a Thief, ?Combo?, had the characteristic that it increased the speed of your attacks as the number of combos increased. That meant that, while hunting, the speed of the attacks increased, the number of combos also increased, and at the same time, that made the speed go up even more. That¡¯s how Hyun looked at that moment. [500 combo! You¡¯ve obtained the achievement ¡®Mercenary Master¡¯!] [You won¡¯t get any more combo from skeleton warriors for the next 5 minutes.] ¡®Okay, next!¡¯ Hyun¡¯s sight was rapidly placed on the next target. That time, it was the skeleton sentry¡¯s turn! 770 combo, 771 combo, 772 combo. TarrTarr felt more scared than chills while the number of combos increased. ¡®How long is this going to go on for?¡¯ He felt an alien feeling. For a moment, he had forgotten that he was recording a video and had become a spectator. [1000 combo! Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 792 damage!] [You won¡¯t get any more combo from skeleton sentries for the next 5 minutes.] [You¡¯ve obtained the achievement ¡®Frenzy of Consecutive Attacks¡¯!] [Your Agility has increased by 1!] ¡®It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen a thousand combo in real life!¡¯ TarrTarr had seen many videos of famous Thief rankers, but he had never seen someone reach a thousand combo so easily. There were videos of some users that had surpassed the 1000 combo mark. But the gameplay of those people, rather than clean, looked desperate. On the other hand, Hyun¡¯s gameplay made him think that maybe he would be able to copy it one day. ¡®Although I¡¯m sure I won¡¯t be able to do it if I try it¡­¡¯ And there was another thing that TarrTarr noticed. From the moment the number of combos surpassed a thousand, it became even harder to maintain it. [The speed is too fast!] [Only attacks faster than 0.8 seconds will count towards the combo!] That was when Hyun began properly moving. While running, he threw the weapons in his hands. Clang-! [1001 combo! You¡¯ve dealt 53 damage!] The dagger, after hitting the skeleton mage, bounced into the air. Hyun then proceeded to reduce the distance between them. He grabbed the dagger that was in the air and slashed it three times with both hands. [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 803 damage!] [You¡¯ve dealt 573 damage!] [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 803 damage!] From the moment the skeleton mage became dust, the real battle began. The dungeon¡¯s core was the place where monsters respawned faster. As he jumped right into the middle, he caught the undead monsters¡¯ attention, and they began charging toward him. ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± TarrTarr was overwhelmed by the hellish sight. There was an army of hundreds of undead monsters in front of him. That was probably how the only human to survive a fight against monsters felt. ¡°Oof¡­¡± After taking a deep breath, Hyun began moving. He slashed again and again and then cut the incoming army of skeletons. While fighting an army of undead, you didn¡¯t need fancy techniques. Enemies that weren¡¯t afraid of receiving attacks were the perfect target for accumulating combos. ¡®I just need to be careful about being surrounded.¡¯ Whoosh- Suddenly, there was a blue aura coming out of TarrTarr¡¯s feet. Hyun had used the Support¡¯s skill, ?Powerless Wave?.¡¯ Thanks to its effect, the defense of enemy monsters became 0. Even if there were some elite monsters mixed among the crowd, thanks to that skill, they were no different from normal monsters. [1157 combo! You¡¯ve dealt 703 damage!] [1158 combo! You¡¯ve dealt 1053 damage!] As the speed went up, the number of combos increased exponentially. [1300 combo! You¡¯ve obtained the achievement ¡®High-Speed Run¡¯!] [1500 combo! You¡¯ve obtained the achievement ¡®Reaper¡¯s Blade¡¯!] [Your Agility has increased by 1!] Notifications of new achievements kept appearing. To Hyun, the decimal point appeared rounded up. [Your Agility has increased by 2!] ¡°Woah¡­¡± A muffled sound came out of Tartar¡¯s mouth. He couldn¡¯t keep track of what was happening. How many times per second did he change direction? Swipe- As the sight changed instantly, he felt he was about to get motion sickness. It was hard to keep an eye on the screen. The only thing that he could clearly see was the current number of combos. The number of combos was increasing ridiculously fast. TarrTarr began wondering about something. ¡®How can he increase the number of combos so fast?¡¯ ¡®Ah¡­ That¡¯s it!¡¯ He finally understood after a while. ¡ªThe snowball effect of combos! A snowball that rolls on a slope grow in size more rapidly as time goes on. ¡ªIncreasing the number of combos was no different from that. Now that the number of combos had surpassed a thousand, the speed had reached a point wherem with TarrTarr¡¯s current abilities, he wouldn¡¯t be able to control it. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * But if he could do it, the speed would just keep increasing. [2000 combo! You¡¯ve obtained the achievement ¡®Subconscious Multiple Attacks¡¯!] [It¡¯s getting harder to be aware of the speed¡­!] [Only attacks faster than 0.7 seconds will count towards the combo!] The army of the undead was defeated and scattered away, but they were constantly respawning. That was the scary thing about the core. If you couldn¡¯t defeat the monsters faster than the speed at which they were being respawned, you would end up surrounded by them and ultimately die. Whoosh- As a spooky sound echoed through the entire place, hundreds of small skeletons rose from the ground. ¡®Skeleton Dwarves.¡¯ After discovering the identity of the new enemies, Hyun smiled bitterly. Although they were cute on the outside, they were one of the most brutal opponents that appeared in that dungeon. Not only were they faster than the other undead, but they were also fearless and came in a group of tens. ¡ªThey were like the piranha of the undead dungeon! Hyun smiled after seeing the group of hundreds of undead coming at him. ¡®This is fun.¡¯ Fwoosh- When the number of combos surpassed two thousand, a brilliant light appeared and covered both TarrTarr¡¯s hands. ¡ªIt was the Thief¡¯s passive ultimate attack, ?Trance?. That skill that increased the damage depending on the number of combos had started to emit a luxurious effect. How much was the damage now that the number of combos had surpassed two thousand, and on top of that, ?Powerless Wave? was active? ¡®Good, I can kill everyone with one hit!¡¯ The swords shone in both of TarrTarr¡¯s hands. As a silver wind blew, tens of skeleton dwarvess fell, and many system messages appeared. [You¡¯ve dealt 1338 damage!] [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 1912 damage!] [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 1848 damage!] [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 1859 damage!] [You¡¯ve dealt 1295 damage!] One hit, one kill! The scene resembled one of an action movie in which the speed of reproduction was increased by two. There was one reason why hunting in the dungeon¡¯s core was so hard. ¡ªIt didn¡¯t matter how many monsters you¡¯d killed, they kept appearing one after the other. And once the party¡¯s formation was broken and their mana plummeted down, the party would naturally die. But right then, TarrTarr was fighting alone against the undead army and was in an advantageous position. In other words, he was as effective as a full party. Thuck- Thuck- While fighting against the monsters in front of him, an arrow came flying. Even in the midst of a frantic fight, Hyun saw the new enemies that had appeared in the distance. ¡®Long-range mobs?¡¯ Hyun quickly changed the movements. He began moving shorter, faster, and irregularly. He moved in zigzag and leaped forward and backward. He never stayed still. And then he jumped to where the skeleton archers were standing. The dual swords shone. As he cut and stabbed, the skeleton archer disappeared. Two cuts were enough! Normally, level 65 skeleton archers wouldn¡¯t die so easily, but thanks to the combo¡¯s effect, his damage output had been multiplied to more than ten, so a critical hit was enough to kill them. As the two swords cut through gracefully as if they were dancing, the skeleton archers began dying in masses. [3000 combo! You¡¯ve obtained the achievement ¡®Road of the Swordsman¡¯!] [Your Agility has increased by 1!] [You can¡¯t control the speed anymore¡­!] [Only attacks faster than 0.6 seconds will count towards the combo!] ¡®Finally, the three thousand combo¡­¡¯ Hyun stopped fighting after receiving that message. After seeing skeleton mages approach him, he quickly took a decision. ¡®I¡¯m going to get out of here.¡¯ He quickly changed the direction and started running away. While doing that, he maintained the combo. TarrTarr¡¯s movements got slower. ¡ªThe speed had been reset after breaking the combo. But that only happened after they reached an area with no monsters. ¡°Uhmm¡­¡± TarrTarr made strange noises with his mouth wide-opened. Hyun smiled and began explaining. He thought that TarrTarr was wondering why he had suddenly stopped fighting. ¡°With your current specs, it¡¯s harder to go beyond the three thousand combo safely. It would¡¯ve been different if you¡¯d learned passives related to attack speed or moving speed. Without those, it¡¯s hard to maintain 0.6 seconds.¡± But TarrTarr wasn¡¯t hearing Hyun¡¯s explanation. After ordering his thoughts, he finally asked him. ¡°Can¡­ I really upload this video?¡± ¡°What are you talking about? Didn¡¯t we come here to record a video to upload?¡± ¡°Y-yes! That¡¯s true, but¡­¡± TarrTarr got immersed in thoughts. He remembered what had happened after he uploaded the footage of the hidden named boss monster. The members of the guild he used to belong to had criticized him for doing that. ¡°If I upload this video¡­ Won¡¯t everyone learn about your know-how? And just for a little bit of money¡­¡± ¡°You were worried about that?¡± After ?Disassimilating?, Hyun appeared in front of TarrTarr and made an unpleasant smile. Chapter 73 Chapter 73 ¨C Ways to Earn Money (1) ¡°It¡¯s okay. Let them try copying.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°Most of them probably don¡¯t even know the basics about moving¡­ I wonder how long it will take before someone that can imitate me appears.¡± Even if his know-how was revealed, and if someone who could imitate him appeared, it didn¡¯t matter. To accumulate thousands of combos, you had to give up many things. It was a way of playing that had many limitations. Not only that, but the Thief was a weak job for PvP. If more users that began converting their characters to a combo accumulating one, it meant that they¡¯d just make things easier for him. From Hyun¡¯s point of view, it was as if dangerous opponents were getting out of his way of their own volition. ¡°Not only that, but accumulating thousands of combo is hard if the opponent isn¡¯t an undead. These were monsters that didn¡¯t defend themselves; that¡¯s why I was able to obtain so many combos.¡± ¡°Is that way you picked the necromancer¡¯s dungeon¡­?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Hyun added something more to his answer at TarrTarr¡¯s mumbling. ¡°I also used to hunt around this place frequently.¡± ¡°You used to¡­?¡± TarrTarr tilted his head at Hyun¡¯s words but soon came to a realization. ¡°Oh! Were you perhaps an Asra Online user?!¡± ¡°Well, yeah.¡± TarrTarr was surprised as Hyun answered as if it were nothing. Asra Online¡­ It was a game that NFM had offered in Korea, but there wasn¡¯t a lot of information about it. After Asrian came out, Asra¡¯s servers had almost immediately closed. Not only that, but it didn¡¯t have a lot of users, so most top guilds had made great efforts to incorporate people with experience in Asra. Finally, TarrTarr understood the doubt he had from the moment he filmed the Leopard footage up until then. ¡°I see. That¡¯s why you were so good since the beginning!¡± ¡°Okay, calm down. Did you record the video properly?¡± ¡°Yes, of course! Just the thought of editing and uploading it is making me excited.¡± ¡°Good, but there¡¯s still something we haven¡¯t talked about¡­ And that¡¯s how this business partnership will work.¡± Whew- After taking a deep breath, Hyun¡¯s eyes shone. Why had he let him record footage where he did 1500-count combos? Hyun rapidly ordered his thoughts. If he provided the footage and TarrTarr edited and uploaded it. How should they distribute the earnings? ¡®Is eight and two good enough¡­?¡¯ Of course, he would get eight. After all, only he would probably be able to provide such high-quality footage. Thinking about his own worth, maybe he could offer a nine to one. Hyun decided to get more self-confidence and make a deal. ¡°In regards to the earnings¡­ Hmm¡­ Maybe we can adjust it in the future, but let¡¯s start with nine to one.¡± ¡°Oh, that? Just take everything.¡± ¡°Hmm, yeah. Maybe nine to one was too much¡­ Wait, what?¡± Hyun thought for a moment that he¡¯d heard wrong. ¡ªBut he hadn¡¯t. TarrTarr answered while making an innocent smile. If it were him, he would¡¯ve never imagined answering that. ¡°While hunting, you¡¯re increasing my levels and getting me new achievements. That¡¯s more than enough!¡± ¡°I¡­ I guess that¡¯s true¡­?¡± ¡°And video editing is my hobby, so as long as many people see it, I¡¯m okay.¡± Hyun was moved by what he said. At first, he¡¯d thought he was just a bothersome little kid, but in reality, he was a nice kid. He felt ashamed of himself for trying to get as much money as possible. Hyun quickly added. ¡°No, but I can¡¯t leave you with nothing. Think of it as a tip. Hmm¡­ Is 10% okay with you? I¡¯m sure this will also help you to maintain your motivation,¡± Hyun said with a generous smile. He could smile because, at the time, he didn¡¯t know how much money that was. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy * * * After saying goodbye to Hyun, TarrTarr contacted someone. ¡ªArneng. They¡¯d first met in the guild TarrTarr used to belong, and after that incident, he had always offered TarrTarr some advice. As time went on, Arneng had become a brotherly figure to TarrTarr. Also, Arneng had a YouTube channel he used to earn money and live. Thanks to that, he¡¯d given some suggestions to TarrTarr about how to deal with the footage of another person. Arn: What? Is that true? TarrTarr: Yes! Arneng laughed while talking through the capsule¡¯s messaging system. TarrTarr¡¯s story began from when he met Hyun and Ain. It seemed like neither of them even knew that they¡¯d become a viral sensation. And even after knowing what had happened, they didn¡¯t seem to care about it. After hearing that you could earn a lot of money with YouTube, the eyes of one of the two changed, but even that wasn¡¯t enough to grab the other person¡¯s interest. Arneng laughed at their non-conventional reaction. Of course, it wasn¡¯t that he thought they were dumb. It was because he discovered how those people treated the game. Arn: I see¡­ If you want to reach a level like that, you need to be so immersed in it that you can¡¯t see anything but the game. I¡¯m sure they¡¯re both weird people. TarrTarr: Despite having unique personalities, they seemed like nice people. Arn: Yes, I¡¯m glad. Not only the worst scenario didn¡¯t happen. It seems like you won¡¯t get into any trouble at all. It¡¯s especially good that you won¡¯t get into trouble because of the portrait rights. While talking through the capsule, they soon reached the last topic. ¡ªThat he would use Hyun¡¯s footage to edit a video and upload it to YouTube. But that time, unlike before, he would turn on the monetization! Arn: Nine to one? Really? Haha, it seems like that friend doesn¡¯t know what he¡¯s worth! Arneng laughed after hearing TarrTarr¡¯s story about how they would distribute the earnings. Arn: You¡¯ll probably earn more money than me from now on! TarrTarr: Really?! Arn: It¡¯s hard to tell since I haven¡¯t seen the footage¡­ But if he can keep the quality of the fight against the named monster, even 10% should be enough to earn more than the average salaryman. Arneng knew about the potential of the two because he¡¯d seen the Leopard video. He was confident about his skill of judging other users. Although he was also a top user, those two were probably above the level of a ranker. Even Arneng, who¡¯d seen the footage of many top rankers, had shaken his head after looking at their videos for the first time. He thought that, even if he tried hard for many years, he wouldn¡¯t be able to catch up to them. A gameplay footage of such a level being uploaded to YouTube? And on top of that, continuously? He wasn¡¯t sure how many videos TarrTarr was planning to upload, but he could imagine the number of views he¡¯d be able to get. People were always drawn to what was special and the best. Arn: I¡¯ll give you one tip¡­ Suddenly, Arneng couldn¡¯t help but make a mischievous smile. Arn: I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯re going to keep going through this route, but there¡¯s something you need to know if you¡¯re planning to become a YouTuber. TarrTarr: What¡¯s that? Arn: Uploading a video after editing it is okay¡­ But you can get more people¡¯s attention by splitting the video or creating a narrative. You¡¯ll know what I¡¯m talking about if you look at my channel. Of course, you shouldn¡¯t exactly copy what I do. It would help if you thought of your own strategy, but thinking about these topics will help you develop your own know-how. Arneng told TarrTarr some suggestions based on his experience. With his eyes shining, TarrTarr tried to remember every suggestion. * * * Those days, Hyun¡¯s routine was defined. While Ain was online, it was more effective trying to get either an achievement or doing a quest. But since she was still in high school, they couldn¡¯t be together for the entire day. When she wasn¡¯t there, he either stayed on the 3rd floor of the Knight Hall praying, planned some business with TarrTarr, or focused on EXP farming. One of the biggest advantages of belonging to the Heavens was that one could easily reach level 100 just by staying in the Knight Hall. After a few days, Hyun finally reached his goal. He was moved by the fact that he was able to reach that point with the Support job. [You¡¯ve reached level 100! The job ascension quest has been opened!] Hyun (Lv. 100) HP: 5500/5500 Mana: 860/860 Job: Support (Hidden) Propensity: -62 (Abyss) [Strength: 25] [Agility: 87] [Vitality: 55] [Magical Power: 86] [Empathy: 249] <Skill List> [?One Second Absorption? Lv.8] ¨C <+ Expand> [?Shield? Lv.0] ¨C <+ Expand> [?Powerless Wave? Lv.2] ¨C <+ Expand> [?Wind Barrier? Lv.0] ¨C <+ Expand> [?Pray? Lv.7] ¨C <+ Expand> [¡ù You have 64 unused skill points!] <Title> Heavenly Being ¨C <+Expand> Hyun smiled after checking out his status window. ¡®The stats are similar to those of a level 200 user!¡¯ Of course, that was only if the level 200 user had never received an achievement bonus. Considering that most users never received an achievement bonus, Hyun wasn¡¯t wrong. ¡®I was lucky.¡¯ He was able to increase his stats a lot thanks to having cleared the main quest that was related to Louise. All his stats had been increased by 20. The Support had 5 stats, so they¡¯d gone up by 100 points in total. It was true that Vitality and Strength weren¡¯t important for the Support, but there was nothing wrong with having some points in them. After finishing checking out his stats, he began learning the details about the job ascension. [Job Ascension] <The Support shines while being together with someone else!> ¨C You¡¯ve never been with someone stronger than you! This is the perfect opportunity to prove your existence! ¨C Get recognition from an NPC that¡¯s over level 100! ¨C The stronger the NPC you receive recognition is, the stronger power you¡¯ll be able to awaken! Maybe receiving the recognition of an ¡®Angel¡¯ is a possibility? After all, they¡¯re relatively generous to humans. [Reward: One of the top Support¡¯s jobs, 1 awakening skill point] (* You can use the awakening skill point to level up a skill or change it for a new awakening skill.) ¡°Get the recognition of an NPC¡­?¡± Hyun tilted his head after checking out the quest¡¯s window. But the doubts soon disappeared, and he made an unpleasant smile. ¡°But I¡¯ve already been recognized by a strong NPC!¡± The Commander who was in charge of the Knight¡¯s Hall, Ollie. He was the first one he thought of. After clearing the ¡®Evil¡¯s Seed¡¯ quest, the Hyun and the rest of the part¡¯s recognition amongst the Heaven¡¯s Forces had increased. The trust Ollie had in them had especially increased a lot. He was an NPC that was over level 400! He happened to meet the quest¡¯s pre-requisite. ¡®Fufu, this is great. If it weren¡¯t for this, I¡¯d probably have a lot of trouble.¡¯ Hyun laughed at the quest¡¯s description. Receiving the recognition of an angel was one way of doing it? Of course, Transcendents like angels or demons were the strongest beings in the game. It was better to be recognized by the strongest possible NPC. So going to find either one of them was probably one way¡­ ¡®A way? Don¡¯t joke with me!¡¯ There was no way such important entities could recognize a level 100 Support! ¡®There¡¯s no way.¡¯ After reading the word ¡®angel¡¯, he thought of Louise, but soon shook his head. He didn¡¯t know how strong the weak Louise had gotten. He also didn¡¯t know when he would be able to meet her. Hyun quickly erased the word ¡®angel¡¯ from his head. Following what the system said exactly was probably dangerous. Hyun was able to make that decision because he¡¯d suffered too many times from phishing. ____ Chapter 74 Chapter 74 ¨C Ways to Earn Money (2) Swish- He took the elevator toward the last floor of the Knight¡¯s Hall and immediately went toward Commander Ollie¡¯s office. After he had obtained recognition, the guards didn¡¯t block him. ¡ªThat was because they also remembered the faces of Hyun¡¯s party. ¡°Oh, are you alone today?¡± After he¡¯d cleared the quest that had been troubling Commander Ollie so much, he always welcomed the visit of one of the party members. Hyun quickly brought up the main point before the story got too long. ¡°Commander, I¡¯ve been wondering about something¡­ What do you think about me?¡± ¡°Hmm? Well, I think you guys are quite skillful and trustworthy.¡± [The Knight Commander doesn¡¯t trust you completely.] [To gain his recognition, you¡¯ll have to put in a little bit more effort.] [How much Ollie trusts you: 56%] Suddenly, Hyun received some system messages. He took a deep breath and asked once again with a serious voice tone. ¡°Do you really think I¡¯m trustworthy¡­?¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯m saying it under my name.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Hyun, who was talking to the Knight Commander, frowned. ¡®This guy is lying to me!¡¯ While Hyun was cursing Ollie inside, he was making a graceful smile. As if he knew what Hyun was thinking, Ollie mumbled in a low voice. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for you guys. I¡¯ve been hearing a weird rumor these days.¡± Hyun did his best to change his expression. It seemed like the Knight Commander was about to give him another quest. ¡®Even if he doesn¡¯t completely trust me yet, I¡¯ll probably be able to revert that if I complete another quest.¡¯ Just as Hyun thought, Ollie began saying things that resembled a quest intro. ¡°Have you ever heard about an existence called a demon?¡± ¡°Demon¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, demons are both cunning and evil. Not only that, they¡¯re so strong that a human can¡¯t go against them.¡± Because those were all things Hyun already knew about, he just nodded. He had chosen the Support job because Keidrial had deceived him. ¡°The problem is that, after remaining silent for hundreds of years, the reports of people seeing them have recently increased. If the rumors are true, the Empire must respond in advance.¡± Ollie¡¯s sharp eyes met Hyun¡¯s. ¡°I know you have a talent for ¡®infiltration.¡¯ That¡¯s also probably why you¡¯ve been able to find the Evil¡¯s Seed, so I want to give you a similar task.¡± Ting-! {Heaven¡¯s Hidden Linked Quest: Search for the Traces of Evil} ¨C The Knight Commander is asking you to bring more information about the traces of evil. [Reward] ¨C Heaven¡¯s Medal of Honor x 15 ¨C All stats +6 ¨C The Empire¡¯s Knight Commander¡¯s Necklace (* The fact he¡¯s entrusting someone with his necklace means he completely trusts that person.) ¡°Okay.¡± Hyun immediately replied. [You¡¯ve accepted the Knight Commander Ollie¡¯s Quest!] Anyway, to complete the job ascension quest, he had to be recognized by the Commander. As soon as Hyun replied, just as if he¡¯d been expecting this answer, he took out a certain item and gave it to him. ¡°Accept this.¡± It was a little glass bottle that had a liquid inside. ¡°It¡¯s a potion that can erase the Heaven¡¯s Rune that¡¯s on the back of your hand. The effect lasts for an hour.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re giving me this, that means¡­¡± ¡°Yes, you¡¯ll have to go to the Hates Valley this time. There¡¯s a rumor that says that a demon has appeared there. It¡¯s a place frequented by followers of the Abyss, so this potion should be useful for you.¡± After giving him a leather poach, Ollie kept talking. ¡°Maybe you¡¯re going to need these things. Inside here, there¡¯s a piece of the monster¡¯s skin and nails. They¡¯re things we¡¯ve found at the place where people said that a demon had appeared.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°First, go to the Abyss Repository. It¡¯s a place where you can find all information related to the Abyss. Go there and find more traces of the demon.¡± Those were all things Hyun already knew about, so he just nodded. ¡°These are all the clues we have. I know it will be hard, so don¡¯t be afraid to fail.¡± ¡°Leave it to me.¡± As soon as Hyun left the Knight Commander¡¯s room, he called TarrTarr. Because the Knight Hall was the last place he was at before logging out, they found each other soon. He asked him the most important question first. ¡°Did you upload the video?¡± ¡°Yes, I finished editing it and just uploaded it.¡± ¡°Really? Let¡¯s see it.¡± TarrTarr turned on the hologram. There was a new video on a YouTube channel with the ID TarrTarr. Because he didn¡¯t want to manage it, he had asked TarrTarr to use the channel he was already using. Not only that, but he didn¡¯t give him the footage. It was TarrTarr who had recorded it on his own. People say that the quality of the footage was better in terms of quality if the editor recorded it, but the truth was that he just thought it was too bothersome. ¡°Woah¡­¡± A groan came out of Hyun¡¯s mouth as he watched the video. Even though he had direct it himself, TarrTarr¡¯s edited video had the ability to draw a user¡¯s attention. ¡°Woah, it really looks like a movie. No, it looks more amazing than one.¡± Since Hyun had almost never seen a movie, it was hard for him to make a precise comparison, but he knew that the video was incredibly well made! ¡°Hmm?¡± After watching the video again, Hyun found something weird. ¡°Where¡¯s the first part? It seems you¡¯ve only used the footage recorded after surpassing a thousand combos¡­ It doesn¡¯t show how the combos were stacked at the beginning.¡± ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t include that on purpose.¡± ¡°Eh, why? I¡¯m sure that¡¯s what people will wonder the most about.¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly why,¡± TarrTarr said while smiling. That was a strategy he¡¯d come up with after listening to Arneng¡¯s advice. But since Hyun didn¡¯t understand it, TarrTarr explained it to him again. ¡°Look at this.¡± Even though the video didn¡¯t have that many views, many people were commenting on it. Hyun read the comments through the auto-translate option. ¨C Woah, I was lost for words while watching. ¨C Who¡¯s this? ¨C This person seems to be almost as good as me! Most people were writing short exclamations or jokes, but some wrote about the missing first part. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * ¨C Where¡¯s the first part of the video? ¨C Can¡¯t you also upload the first part? ¨C I could also do it if I could kill skeletons in one or two hits, had amazing controlling abilities, and practiced a lot¡­ But for this to be even possible, first you must have the ultimate attack ¡®Trance¡¯ and surpass a thousand combo points! So, my point is¡­ How can you stack so many combos?! ¨C Hmm, I also have Trance¡­ But after looking at this video¡­ I decided to keep doing what I¡¯ve been doing. ¨C Crazy combo snowball effect! After looking at countless similar comments, Hyun understood what TarrTarr was saying. While feeling a little bit of a chill, he looked at TarrTarr, who seemed to be enjoying people¡¯s reactions. Hyun began thinking that maybe TarrTarr had more talent for it than he initially thought. Ain had to do her best to reduce the level gap between them for a while, so Hyun started to wonder if he should use him as a temporary damage dealer. ¡®Should I take TarrTarr to the Knight Commander¡¯s Quest?¡¯ If he recorded while doing a quest together¡­ He should be able to upload tens of high-quality videos. Right? To gain the confidence of the Knight Commander, he had to do at least one more quest. Right then, there wasn¡¯t anyone else, so maybe moving with TarrTarr wasn¡¯t a bad idea. It was nighttime for TarrTarr, so it was a great time for him to game! * * * A few days ago, Salon had reached level 90 as a Thief. He proudly smiled after reading his name in the Hall of Fame. He couldn¡¯t believe that his name was near rank 900. ¡°Oof¡­ I finally became a ranker.¡± Salon had a very good gaming sense. After all, he was the first user to find the Count¡¯s Quest, which had become a hot topic some time ago. Of course, because of the big mistake he made, all party members ended up dying. To make himself accountable, he ended up leaving the party. The party members who had been together with him since the beginning tried to convince him otherwise, but he felt responsible for the mistake he¡¯d made. But right then, he thought that he had made the correct decision. ¡°Maybe I¡¯m more suited to hunting alone.¡± During the Count¡¯s Quest¡­ He had almost lost his mind after being annihilated by the Dark Priest. Once the news that the Dark Priest was actually a user came out, he didn¡¯t see a way to catch up to her. But that struggle helped him improve. ¡®If I don¡¯t have a talent for PvP¡­ I will try to become the best at what I¡¯m good at!¡¯ At first, he was hunting to empty his mind. But unexpectedly, he discovered that he had a talent for solo playing! His level began increasing at an incredible speed. In one week, he went up eight levels. Then, it was 10. In RPG games, leveling up became harder as time went on, but Salon was leveling up faster as time passed. ¡®What happened?¡¯ Salon was impressed by his speed of growth. The truth was that he had an idea about what the reason was. The main reason why he was growing at such speed was that he was getting better at playing. In PvP, because the opponents were people, there were a lot of changes and variables, but monsters moved in a relatively simpler way. Optimizing fights that didn¡¯t have many variables was Salon¡¯s specialty. And among that, the thing he was the most confident about was comboing! Salon was a combo-specialized Thief. While hunting alone, he started to have more time to think, and he also had more time to investigate about combos. That¡¯s how he started to develop one or two personal techniques, and after practicing a lot, he became one of the top combo-specialized Thieves. ¡®Is it that other people aren¡¯t aware of this way of doing things?¡¯ After discovering his talent, he wrote some posts in the communities or even uploaded videos. But the reaction from other people was the same. They struggled with even the easiest movements. Even famous rankers could barely imitate his movements after practicing for a long time. Not only that, but because of some videos, some people had categorized him as a bug user. It was a video where he wiped out a group of hundreds of enemies. Some people said the damage output was too strong compared to the level. Those people said that he was using some sort of damage hack. ¡®What a pathetic bunch, so if there¡¯s something you don¡¯t know, is it either a hack or a bug?¡¯ Because the comments were getting more aggressive, he had revealed his ultimate attack. It was his secret. He had obtained it after clearing the third level of the awakening quest. [?Sword of Despair?] ¨C Depending on the number of combos, the damage slightly increases. ¨C If less than 2000 combo, increase the combo consideration time by 0.5 seconds. Compared to the other third-level awakening quest ultimate attack, Trance, the number of increased damage wasn¡¯t that high, but the attack speed by which it was decided if an attack ended up in a combo or not increased, so it was safer in terms of stacking combos. That was also the reason why he wasn¡¯t overwhelmed while facing an army of monsters alone. In the video people thought was a bug, the number of combos was almost at a thousand. Thanks to that, the damage output was increased by 2.5 times; that was why he was able to kill all the enemies in one or two hits. The effects of Salon revealing his know-how were bigger than he initially thought. The preferences for ultimate attacks completely changed¡ªespecially among combo-oriented Thieves, picking ?Sword of Despair? became a must. ¡¸How should I proceed in the awakening quests to obtain the ?Sword of Despair??¡¹ The Thief boards were full of questions like that. There was also a strategy that allowed users always to obtain ?Sword of Despair? as a reward. ¡®He¡­ With this, you could say that I¡¯ve become relatively famous. Right? It seems like the number of users that recognize me has increased as well.¡¯ As time went on, Salon¡¯s presence grew. In some of the boards where he was active, some people used the word ¡®Name¡¯ on him as a nickname. One day¡­ A video caught his attention on YouTube. It was a video that was on the suggested videos list. Chapter 75 Chapter 75 ¨C Ways to Earn Money (3) Salon laughed the moment he saw the title. {AlphaGo Level Of Control! The Ultimate Combo Thief Has Appeared!} That video with an eye-catching title, despite having been uploaded just then, already had 30 thousand views. AlphaGo was the name of an old AI that played Go. It had become the basis for most modern AI. So, from a certain point, it became a word to describe an AI with a high IQ. ¡®Another click-bait title. I¡¯m just going to watch it because it caught my attention.¡¯ Woah- The moment Salon clicked, he was awed. Unlike the cheap title, the video was of great quality. The video showed a user running in slow motion toward an army of undead monsters. The video showed Hyun running toward the battlefield after reaching a thousand combo. The scene of jumping alone toward the enemy made him look like the last samurai. The user¡¯s face had been mosaiced because of privacy, which made him look more mysterious. ¡®This is quite cool!¡¯ The moment the user landed on the floor, the speed of the video became normal. The battle began. From the moment the user cut a skeleton mage three times, the video began flowing at a speed that made it seem as if it¡¯d been fast-forwarded. ¡°Hmm?¡± Salon¡¯s eye shone. The movements of the user that appeared on the video, although he was just stabbing and cutting, were unbelievably short. Even though he wasn¡¯t using any active skills, the movements looked fancy. ¡®Woah, he¡¯s good.¡¯ Salon looked at the video closely. The video varied from a first-person to a third-person perspective. While looking at it, Salon noticed something. ¡°Wait¡­ His ultimate attack isn¡¯t ?Sword of Despair?.¡± The user¡¯s attacks were getting much stronger as the combos stacked. The skeleton archers that needed three hits were suddenly dying with just single attacks. It was unreasonably high damage! Salon¡¯s heart began beating faster. The reason was that he had figured out what the ultimate skill of the user appearing in the video was. ¡°He learned ?Trance??¡± Although ?Sword of Despair? and ?Trance? were similar in terms of use case, they were different. ?Sword of Despair? extended the time in which combos were counted up until two thousand, so it was more reliable than ?Trance?, but in exchange, the damage you dealt was lower. ¡®How did he stack combos without ?Sword of Despair? at the beginning?¡¯ The time you had to stack combos was a second. As they began stacking, your speed increased, so it didn¡¯t matter later on, but the problem was the beginning! Stacking combos at the beginning should be hard because of the slow speed, but the user of the video was at a thousand¡­ No, more than two thousand combos! ¡®What kind of magic did you use at the beginning!¡¯ Salon kept looking at the video with great attention. The speed at which the user was moving was starting to get hard to follow. If it weren¡¯t for the slow-motion segments the editor had placed in certain areas, there would¡¯ve been things he would have missed. The number of combos at that point was probably at least two thousand¡­ Or maybe even three thousand! Salon had never been able to stack so many combos. To be able to do so many combos, you had to find a place where monsters appeared in masses, but you couldn¡¯t face such a big army with the ?Sword of Despair?. The main reason was the lack of damage. Monsters weaker than you didn¡¯t count toward the combo, so they had to be at least the same level or higher. But if opponents kept appearing and the number increased, you would easily be surrounded and defeated. ¡®Did I pick wrong¡­?¡¯ After looking at the video many times, he began wondering about that. If only he could accumulate a thousand combos while knowing ?Trance?¡­! Maybe he would have also been able to run toward an army of monsters in a cool way like that. ¡®Of course, I¡¯ll have to practice¡­ But I should be able to copy that within a month. Probably¡­ Right?¡¯ Thankfully, there was something called an ¡®Awakening Point.¡¯ By using it, you could either level up your Ultimate Attack or change it for another one of the same level. The ?Sword of Despair? and ?Trance? happened to both be Ultimate Attacks that belonged to the third level. He still had a chance to change it. ¡®Damn, but how did you do the first part!¡¯ The only problem was reaching a thousand combo. Without knowing how he had done it, he couldn¡¯t confidently say whether ?Trance? was better or not. Salon began reading the comments on the video. There, he could see many users that were complaining about the same thing. Since the first part of the video wasn¡¯t uploaded, some people were saying that a bug had been used. Although those kinds of people were the ones Salon hated the most, he agreed with them that time. ¡®Hmm¡­?¡¯ After opening the video description, Salon read a message the video¡¯s uploader had left. TarrTarr: It seems like many people are wondering about the missing part. Since so many asked for it, I will upload the first part this week : ) please give some love to the channel TarrTarr from now on! After reading it, he calmed down. ¡®Okay, if you¡¯re going to upload the rest, I¡¯ll click on it one more time. This guy seems to be a Thief master, just like me¡­ Should I subscribe to him? I think that I¡¯ll be able to get useful information from time to time.¡¯ From that day onwards, every time he got a notification, he entered TarrTarr¡¯s channel. But because the video he wanted was uploaded later, he had to watch another three videos about other topics. The fun thing was that Salon also watched the other videos of TarrTarr from start to finish without skipping. Hyun looked at TarrTarr proudly. Although he was still in middle school, for Hyun, he was someone more talented and capable than most adults. That meant he was someone that could be of great help to him. ¡®Did he say that the amount earned was 0.00077 per view?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t believe that the video had generated $200 USD on just the first day. According to TarrTarr, the video was soon going to get momentum, and once that happened, it was hard to guess how many views it would obtain. Of course, Hyun was satisfied with the current earnings, but hearing TarrTarr¡¯s affirmation scared him sometimes because it didn¡¯t feel real. ¡®What would happen if I uploaded multiple videos simultaneously¡­?¡¯ Just the thought of money coming his way made him excited. That¡¯s why Hyun had decided on the next objective. ¡°Good job, TarrTarr. Now that I think about it, I haven¡¯t taken good care of you. So that¡¯s why¡­¡± Hyun said to TarrTarr as if he were doing him a favor. ¡°Why don¡¯t you come with me to do a hidden quest? You can also record some videos while we¡¯re doing the quest. Let¡¯s kill two birds with one stone.¡± ¡°Hidden Quest¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s the Knight Commander¡¯s Quest¡­ This one allows a party of two people, so that¡¯s why I thought of taking you.¡± ¡°R-Really?!¡± ¡°Of course. You¡¯re editing for me, so you have enough right to come with me.¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± TarrTarr suddenly hugged Hyun. Hyun wasn¡¯t expecting that kind of affection, so he pushed him a little bit with an uncomfortable expression on his face. Then he shared the quest with TarrTarr. [ {Heaven¡¯s Hidden Linked Quest: Search for the Traces of Evil} ] ¡°It¡¯s my first time seeing a hidden quest!¡± ¡°If you¡¯re at my level, you don¡¯t care about normal quests.¡± ¡°As expected from a stagnant water from Asra!¡± ¡®¡­?¡¯ At that moment, Hyun began wondering how the auto-translating option inside the game worked. He already knew that TarrTarr wasn¡¯t Korean. But what did he say that it translated to stagnant water? ¡®Well, I guess the important thing is that he recognizes my greatness¡­¡¯ He contacted Ain first before doing the quest. ¡¸Ain, I just reached level 100¡­ So I¡¯m going to do my job ascension quest. I may be a little bit late.¡¹ ¡¸Job ascension? Should I help you?¡¹ ¡¸No, this isn¡¯t a quest another person can help me with¡­ Also, you still haven¡¯t gotten to 100. Right? Let¡¯s continue with our plans once we finish our respective job ascension quests.¡¹ ¡¸Hmm¡­ But if it¡¯s just leveling up, it won¡¯t take me long.¡¹ ¡¸No, since the Close-Range Magician is also a hidden job, we don¡¯t know what kind of job ascension quest you¡¯ll get. It could take you long.¡¹ ¡¸Then I¡¯ll call you again after finishing the job ascension.¡¹ ¡¸If you¡¯re bored, you can go to the duel arena or level up a little bit more.¡¹ ¡¸It seems like it¡¯s going to take you a long time?¡¹ Hyun flinched at Ain¡¯s sharp question, so he thought about the answer carefully before replying. ¡¸Not necessarily¡­ But it could take me long if I¡¯m unlucky.¡¹ ¡¸Well, I guess it doesn¡¯t matter since I can also do my job ascension quest.¡¹ Ain replied after remaining silent for a little while. ¡®Okay, good!¡¯ After completing the preparations, Hyun told TarrTarr about the things they¡¯d to do next. The goal of the quest was to infiltrate the Abyss. According to the Knight Commander Ollie, the place where the demon appeared was the ¡®Hates Valley.¡¯ It was one of the few places where humans lived that had sided with the Abyss. Although it was called a valley, in reality, it was a giant city where people that belonged to the Abyss roamed around. On the quest windows, all the missions were explained in great detail. [ ¨C Once you reach the Hates Valley, go and look for the Abyss Repository. There, you¡¯ll be able to find the answer. ] ¨C To enter the Abyss Repository, you¡¯ll need the permission of the dukes, so you¡¯ll probably have to enter the tournament that the Abyss organizes. TarrTarr became surprised after hearing Hyun¡¯s explanation. ¡°Eh?! We¡¯re going to infiltrate the Abyss?!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°But I belong to the Heavens?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m part of the Abyss.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m part of the Heaven¡¯s Forces! But wait¡­ If you¡¯re part of the Abyss, how did you get in here?¡± Because TarrTarr¡¯s voice was getting loud, Hyun covered his mouth. Thankfully, it seemed like there weren¡¯t any NPCs around. Before things got bigger, Hyun explained it to him. ¡°With this skill.¡± Paf- Hyun scattered away into light and entered TarrTarr¡¯s body. Once they became one, he murmured with TarrTarr¡¯s voice. ¡°I was hiding in Ain¡¯s body.¡± ¡°I see. But it¡¯s going to be impossible with me. Maybe things would be different if I could use ?Assimilation?. But even if you use ?Assimilation? on me, you won¡¯t be able to change the runes on my hands.¡± ¡°What if I could?¡± Hyun raised his hands. When he did that, it was TarrTarr¡¯s hands that were raised. ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± TarrTarr was surprised after looking at the backs of his hands. There was a red rune burning in the place where blue lightning should be. What happened? Why had he suddenly become part of the Abyss?! Because TarrTarr was surprised, Hyun kept explaining. ¡°Since I¡¯m part of the Abyss, I can change the runes as I wish.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Then.¡± ¡°Yes, as long as I don¡¯t ?Disassimilate?, you¡¯ll be able to enter the territory of the Abyss.¡± Paf- After Hyun {Disassimilated?, TarrTarr¡¯s rune turned back to the blue lightning that symbolized the Heavens. TarrTarr¡¯s eyes trembled slightly after he saw the runes change. Chapter 76 Chapter 76 ¨C The Duke¡¯s Tournament (1) The Heavens and The Abyss¡­ As the world was split into two factions, users had to decide the faction with whom they would side. There was also the option of remaining neutral, but if you did that, you wouldn¡¯t be able to receive the bonus that each faction gave. So most users ended up choosing to side with either one of them. At first, the user¡¯s rate was about seven to three. But as time went on, the number of users that belonged to the Abyss went down, and the rate was at eight to two. The reason why most people chose the Heavens was because NPCs that belonged to that faction gave users a lot of support. Of course, there were also NPCs in the Abyss that gave you quests. But unlike the ones that belonged to the Heavens, who were very generous, the Abyss NPCs were quite picky regarding whom they gave their support. The most famous NPC that belonged to the Abyss was the Duke. The few users whom the Duke liked could receive support comparable to the ones that the Heavens gave. Although a Duke was one of the noble titles, one day, followers of the Abyss began calling themselves Dukes. That¡¯s why the meaning of that word had changed. Because of that, the title of Duke was no longer used in the Heavens. The word ¡®Duke¡¯ was used to describe people who had gained special powers after signing a contract with the devils. Although they were humans, those people had surpassed the limits of an average person, and thanks to that, they occupied an important place within the ranks of the Abyss. There were cases of NPCs who were a couple of hundred years old. And compared to demons or monsters, they were more generous to humans. The reason was that, from time to time, they gave their support to users. ¡®It¡¯s gonna be okay if it goes according to the plan.¡¯ Hyun smiled after checking out the details of the quest. The system message asked him to reach the Abyss Repository. The Abyss Repository was a place that was normally forbidden to users. But if one had the support of the Duke, the story changed. That¡¯s right. The first step was getting close to the Duke. ¡°So this is the territory of the Abyss¡­¡± ¡¸Yes, this is one of the few places where users that belong to the Abyss can step foot.¡¹ Hyun and TarrTarr were at the place called Hates Valley. It was a city that had two million people living in it. It was a place where people that belonged to the Abyss gathered in. TarrTarr looked around, surprised. ¡°This is unexpected.¡± ¡¸What?¡¹ ¡°Because it¡¯s a territory that belongs to the Abyss, I was expecting it to be like a creepy ghost town, a place where at night zombies came out, or a place with people fighting the entire day¡­ But this looks rather normal.¡± ¡¸I don¡¯t know about zombies¡­ But there are indeed people fighting the entire day.¡¹ Without leaving time to enjoy the cityscape, Hyun kept walking toward somewhere. Because TarrTarr didn¡¯t have control priority, he moved along with Hyun. ¡°Where are we going?¡± ¡¸To a place where there are fights all the time. It just happens to be today.¡¹ [ {Search for the Traces of Evil} ] ¨C You¡¯re lucky! There happens to be a festival in the Hates Valley! ¨C Soon, the 4th tournament organized by the Duke will take place! ¨C You must end within the top rankings! If the Duke recognizes you, maybe the road that leads to the Abyss Repository will open¡­? Hyun opened the quest window so that TarrTarr could also see it. The description of the quest had changed. Asrian¡¯s system told you about new milestones depending on the situation. Following each milestone was the normal way to clear a quest. ¡°Abyss Repository¡­?¡± ¡¸Yes, but it isn¡¯t a place that can be accessed by most people.¡¹ Just like the countries that belonged to the Heavens had their own social system, the ones that were part of the Abyss were also organized in a certain way. How were the people that belonged to the Abyss maintaining the order of such a big organization without showing themselves? One of the reasons was the existence of the Abyss Repository. Because the place was just like the heart of the Duke¡¯s holdings, its access was obviously forbidden to most users. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be easier to defeat the person guarding the Repository and infiltrate it?¡± ¡¸What kind of nonsense are you talking about¡­?¡¹ Hyun shook his head. ¡¸Do you know what level the Dukes are? There¡¯s one whose level surpasses 400. That means he¡¯s at the same level as the Knight Commander who gave us the quest. Do you think we will be able to damage them at all?¡¹ ¡°Not at all.¡± After hearing that one of them was level 400, TarrTarr changed his opinion immediately. He had barely surpassed level 60, so they were at a level that couldn¡¯t even be compared to. ¡¸We must pass the test and get recognized by them.¡¹ ¡°By whom?¡± ¡¸The Dukes¡­ Yes, to put it simply. The attention of the Dukes is focused on the few users that can pass the survival test.¡¹ ¡°Eh, survival?¡± ¡¸You don¡¯t need to be afraid. It¡¯s called survival, but in reality, no one dies. The tournament is also referred to as a festival.¡¹ ¡°Oof, that¡¯s a relief.¡± Both of them soon reached their destination. Around the old and luxurious tower, there was a line of users. After waiting five minutes, TarrTarr¡¯s turn finally came. It couldn¡¯t be seen from a distance, but as they got closer, they saw that there was a teleportation magic circle inside the tower. Someone with a black robe murmured after seeing TarrTarr. ¡°Did you come here to participate in the tournament?¡± As he nodded, the other person said something more. ¡°The back of your hand.¡± TarrTarr extended his arm. On the back of his hand, there was a fire symbolizing the Abyss. ¡°Okay, no problem. The cost is 50 gold.¡± After receiving the money, the men lead them to the magic circle. As he started chanting, a dark veil that appeared from the magic circle devoured them. Suddenly, a completely different scenery was in front of them. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * [You¡¯ve entered room 147!] It was an unfamiliar spacious place. With a notification message, TarrTarr appeared in that place. ¡°Another person came!¡± ¡°He seems young.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ From the gear, he seems to be around level 50. Not bad, but he isn¡¯t someone I should be wary about.¡± ¡°More than that, for how long are we going to wait? It¡¯s already been a while!¡± ¡°Shut up, Luke. It¡¯s going to start when the time comes¡­¡± As he felt the people talking behind, TarrTarr¡¯s eyes widened as he began exploring the surroundings. What caught his attention first was a mana lamp that covered his entire field of vision. Fluorescent fires were hanging on the ceiling and walls. The fancy lights in a dark place made it look like an arcade. It was as if they were in a modern world rather than a fantasy one. ¡°Woah¡­!¡± TarrTarr was in awe after finding another thing. In the corner of the place was a table that resembled one that you¡¯d find in a bar. And on the other side of it, instead of alcohol bottles, he could see lots of different items. ¡°This is also part of the Asrian lore, right?¡± TarrTarr murmured after looking at the modern furniture. There were many luxurious tables and chairs, and there were also many unknown magical circles placed. If Hyun had to pick somewhere similar to there, it would be the secret shop he¡¯d gone to with Louise. TarrTarr tried to think of a similar place he knew of within his knowledge. ¡°This place¡­ Looks like a club? And a very fancy one.¡± ¡¸Huh? How do you know that? Did you ever go to a club?¡¹ ¡°Of course not, but I¡¯ve seen many of them in movies.¡± ¡¸I guess that makes sense¡­?¡¹ Suddenly, TarrTarr noticed something that was in the ceilings. ¡°Is that a CCTV?¡± What TarrTarr¡¯s fingers pointed to was a crystal device that worked with magical power. That thing was rotating in all directions as if it were an eye. Hyun quickly lowered his hands. ¡¸It¡¯s something similar, while inside here, you won¡¯t be able to escape the sight of the Dukes.¡¹ ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± ¡¸They can also hear. So if it¡¯s something you don¡¯t want them to hear, say it via whisper.¡¹ ¡¸How much free time do they have that they¡¯re doing stuff like this?¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t you think you¡¯d develop weird hobbies if you spent a couple of hundred years in a gloomy place?¡¹ The waiting room was so big that it could comfortably host more than 500 people. The users around them were spending their free time on the sofas that were placed everywhere. The weird thing about the place was that there wasn¡¯t any sort of door or window. Basically, the room was perfectly enclosed. ¡¸Rest for a little bit. It¡¯s going to start soon.¡¹ Hyun placed TarrTarr¡¯s body on a sofa. He glanced at the electric sign on the wall. [ {Currently, there are ¡®146923¡¯ users participating!} ] {Remaining time before the tournament starts: 314 seconds} At the top of the lobby, the number of people participating was displayed. ¡¸The number of users seems to be over a hundred thousand, yet there doesn¡¯t seem to be many people around us. Why¡¯s that?¡¹ Hyun immediately replied to TarrTarr¡¯s question. ¡¸Realistically, there¡¯s no way they¡¯d put so many people in one place¡­ Since this place is virtual, they can create thousands of these simultaneously. You go to school, right? Think of it as a classroom that has a certain number of students.¡¹ ¡°Looking for a party. I¡¯m a level 53 Warrior!¡± ¡°Do you want to join us? Someone couldn¡¯t come, and we¡¯re currently at three!¡± Before the tournament started, there were lots of people searching for partners. But no one approached the young-looking TarrTarr. On top of his age, his items didn¡¯t seem good, either. A few moments later, all users focused their attention in one place. A voice came out from the speakers that worked with magical power located throughout the room, and a screen that resembled those of a movie theater¡¯s covered the stage. [ {The 4th Tournament is Starting!} ] A red fluorescent text appeared. A creepy sound came out every time a letter appeared on the screen. [ ¨C Anyone can have the honor of becoming a Duke¡¯s attendant as long as you can stand out! ] ¨C There are ¡®151,831¡¯ users that were gathered to receive the affection of the Dukes! {Number of people participating in the 4th Tournament: 151,831} ¡°Ugh¡­ A lot of people came.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t it seem like the number of people participating increases each time?¡± ¡°I guess this means that the number of people confident in their skills has increased significantly.¡± As the number of people participating appeared, the room became noisy. The explanation on the screen kept going on despite that. [ ¨C Sadly, not everyone will receive the affection of the Dukes. You¡¯ll receive the treatment you deserve based on your results. ] {Rewards of the 4th Duke¡¯s Tournament} 1 ~ 10th place: Duke¡¯s Affection. (The rate depends on your ranking.) 11 ~ 100th place: Medal of Darkness x500, Demon¡¯s Token 1 101st place ~ 0.5%: Medal of Darkness x200 0.5% ~ 3%: Medal of Darkness x80 3% ~ 10%: Medal of Darkness x30 10% ~ 20%: Medal of Darkness x12 20% ~ 30%: 100 gold The list of rewards kept going from under the 30% marker. A thousand medals of darkness could be exchanged for a unique item, and 200 could be exchanged for a rare one. Also, a Demon¡¯s Token was a currency above the medals. ¡°They say that you should dream big, so should I aim for the 100th place¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just going to aim for the top 10%.¡± While users were talking about the rankings, the message kept going. [We¡¯re going to distribute the perks before the battle begins because it would be unfair if everyone started in the same place!] A system message appeared in front of everyone. It seemed like both TarrTarr and Hyun were considered as only one participant. {Is your battle ranking above ¡®Grand Master¡¯? (Y/N)} ¡°No.¡± Hyun quickly answered. TarrTarr speaking could cause him trouble. [ {Are you within the top 1000 places in the Hall of Fame? (Y/N)} ] {Last question. Is there any transcendent, either an angel or a demon, that recognizes you? (Y/N)} ¡°Yes¡­¡± Hyun thought about about that question. If what he saw in that video was true, and Louise was indeed an angel¡­ And if she still remembered him, this should be the correct answer. [Checking out the world¡¯s principle of causality¡­] [It turned out to be true!] [You¡¯ve received an extra 1000 points!] Slide- Suddenly, lots of coins began falling from an empty place that opened in the air. Hyun was surprised by it and began looking around. By how no one else reacted, it seemed only he could see the falling coins. Hyun kept looking at the golden coins falling from the sky. Chapter 77 Chapter 77 ¨C The Duke¡¯s Tournament (2) After a while, all the coins disappeared and were replaced by a message. [You¡¯ve gained 1000 points!] [The points are a special currency that can be used in the tournament! Don¡¯t spend them too carelessly!] Once all the choices ended, a few more coins came out of the air. It was at that moment that everyone else started murmuring. All the other users were looking at their feet, just like Hyun had just done. After looking at them, Hyun confirmed that everyone else was experimenting with the same thing as him. [You¡¯ve received 100 points!] [Current Points: 1100p] [You can check your current ranking in the status window.] As the screen changed, just like the hall of fame, the rankings of everyone appeared from the number one. As countless IDs appeared, many people sighed. TarrTarr was also surprised. ¡¸I¡¯m¡­ 21¡­?¡¹ His ID was on the top. Although it was a joint 21st place. ¡¸The current rankings are pointless.¡¹ ¡¸Is that so¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Everyone with 1100 points is probably seeing themself at the 21st position.¡¹ Just like Hyun said, most users had, at the moment, either 100, 1100, or 2100 points. But in a few moments, the rankings would start changing quickly as if it were the stock market. There was no point in thinking about the rankings yet. [ ¨C Then, the 4th Duke¡¯s Tournament is going to start! ] {Remaining Time: 180 minutes} Wham-! As the tournament began, an entire wall lifted, and a place that had been hidden showed itself. The new place that appeared was bigger than the waiting room. Even Hyun, who had experienced and enjoyed many large-scale things while playing Asra, was mesmerized for a moment. He had never been to that place, but he¡¯d seen it a couple of times in movies. ¡®A casino? Suddenly?¡¯ That was the first word that came to his mind. Hyun knew about the Abyss¡¯s quests only by rumors he¡¯d heard or from information he¡¯d gotten, but he had never experienced them. Asrian¡¯s detailed production excited him as if he¡¯d come to a real casino. ¡®I see. This is why they said that the points are the currency.¡¯ It seemed like the coins that fell like a waterfall were chips you could use in the casino. Hyun, who had understood the concept of the tournament, smiled. ¡®Yes, I¡¯m finally getting a grasp of things!¡¯ After a while, TarrTarr, who had finally come back to his senses, asked. ¡¸Hmm¡­ What should we do first?¡¹ ¡¸Huh? You should prepare to record, obviously.¡¹ ¡¸Oh yeah, that¡¯s right. Record¡­¡¹ Hyun slowly walked through the corridor. Tens of magic circles were next to each other as if they were an arcade attraction. And just like a real casino, there were also some NPCs working as ¡®dealers.¡¯ Hyun quickly looked around the entire place. From what he knew, each magic circle led them to one virtual quest. Basically, where the tournament took place was a game center where many games were gathered. Depending on your results, you could either gain or lose points. You could also get quests as a party or alone. There were raids where tens of people collaborated. In some of them, a special rule even allowed PvP! There were many interesting things to see, but there was no time to waste. After all, there was a time limit of three hours. ¡®Is it this way?¡¯ Hyun quickly walked toward the one he¡¯d decided on previously. Where Hyun stopped was a place where it said ¡®Virtual Historical Battle.¡¯ The magic circle was decorated as a slot machine. Even Hyun, who had no experience with that kind of thing, quickly learned how to operate it. A hologram with a simple explanation appeared in front of them. [ {Virtual Historical Battle (1 person)} ] Difficulty: [Easy], [Normal], [Hard] Betting Limits: Depending on difficulty 1 ~ 20p / 10 ~ 100p / 50 ~ 500p ¡¸Woah! Do we have to gamble? It¡¯s my first time doing it! I somehow feel we¡¯re doing something wrong, making things more exciting!¡¹ TarrTarr was excited since that was the first time he¡¯d experienced coming to a casino. ¡¸But are we going to be okay? My parents always say that you¡¯re always going to lose while gambling.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s going to be okay,¡¹Hyun said while smiling. ¡¸What your parents are talking about is about real gambling¡­ But here, we¡¯re guaranteed to win.¡¹ Hyun walked toward the magic circle and said something more. ¡¸This is a gamble where skills matter.¡¹ After exchanging 500 points with chips in an exchange center around there, Hyun put them all in a device that looked like a slot machine. He bet the maximum amount possible on the highest difficulty. As TarrTarr was surprised by Hyun¡¯s confidence, he said while smiling. ¡¸If you¡¯re sure you¡¯re going to win, wouldn¡¯t it be better to bet the maximum possible amount? You just need to think about how to record and edit the footage.¡¹ While Hyun made that affirmation, a message appeared. [You¡¯ve chosen the difficulty!] [Select the ¡®theme¡¯ of the stage!] Many monsters appeared as small holograms in front of them. What Hyun picked was a skeleton that was cutely drawn as a caricature. [You¡¯ve picked the ¡®undead invasion¡¯!] [The stage will soon begin! Three, Two, One¡­] At the same time he picked, the count down began. A virtual fight was about to start in a virtual reality game. Suddenly, Hyun¡¯s, no, TarrTarr¡¯s body was standing on top of a fortress that had become ruins. ¡¸This¡­¡¹ ¡¸Yes, it¡¯s a game inside a game.¡¹ As he turned his head around, he saw a group of injured soldiers repairing the fortress¡¯s walls. The place was probably a battlefield. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * A message began explaining the context of the battle. {Warning! The necromancer who ruled over these lands was killed! The army of the undead is no longer under control! Defend the fortress until the help sent by the Duke arrives!} = Depending on the results, the number of points you receive will increase! [Eliminate All] [Eliminate Elite Monsters] [The state of the fortress] [The number of survivors inside the fortress] [Additionaly endured time] {Time before the Duke arrives: 598 seconds} Hyun looked around and tried to get a grasp of the situation. There were currently about 20 soldiers who were engaging in battle. On the other hand, there was an endless amount of undead monsters coming from the distance. Not only that, but the number of monsters increased as time passed. If there wasn¡¯t a cliff behind the fortress, it would¡¯ve probably fallen already at the hands of the undead army. ¡¸Are you recording?¡¹ ¡¸Yes!¡¹ ¡¸Then should I begin?¡¹ Roll- The head of a skeleton that had been climbing the fortress walls rolled down next to him. One undead had climbed up between the soldiers. The skeleton grabbed his head and then charged toward TarrTarr. ¡¸Did you bring that weapon?¡¹ ¡¸Yes, I have it!¡¹ Hyun had asked TarrTarr to prepare to novice¡¯s dagger. From time to time, it was hard to attack opponents with high defenses with just your fists. To stack combos reliably, a weapon that dealt little damage like that was perfect. Two combo, three combo, four combo. As Hyun began stacking combos, a soldier approached him, looking at him pitifully. ¡°It seems like you¡¯re having troubles. I¡¯ll help you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t come near. I don¡¯t need your help!¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± The soldier thought for a moment that he had misheard. No, he had definitely misheard. He was about to approach the kid who was struggling with a weak soldier, when¡­ ¡°Woah¡­!¡± He backed off at the sight of Hyun, who had swiped off the weapon. ¡°Just leave this side alone.¡± Hyun was starting to get angry at the random guy who was bothering him while he was trying to stack combos. ¡°Attacking an ally, what are you thinking?!¡± The soldier who had gotten tired shouted, but the boy just stood still. Just as if he were a sculptor, he kept hitting the skeleton with an old dagger. ¡°Is he just someone crazy¡­?¡± The soldier who had concluded that returned to his position while tilting his head. But as Hyun continued doing his work, the rest of the soldiers began to notice him. Some of them were starting to get angry at Hyun. Everyone was fighting while risking their lives, yet he was just playing in the middle of that situation! But unlike what they thought, Hyun was more serious than anyone else. ¡¸It seems like the people around us are angry¡­¡¹ ¡¸Yeah, they probably are.¡¹ Even if everyone looked at him angrily, Hyun didn¡¯t seem to care. Hyun could ignore the rest and did what he wanted because he was sure of himself. [For the next 5 minutes, you won¡¯t be able to gain combos from Infiltration Skeleton Soldiers!] ¡°Stop doing useless things and fight properly! Can¡¯t you see that everyone is fighting while bleeding?!¡± A soldier who was tired walked toward them. He was approaching TarrTarr while warning him for doing what he wanted, separated from the rest. Clang-! The soldier approaching TarrTarr while menacing him collapsed while grabbing his tingling hand. Hyun had swung his sword while suddenly turning around. The soldier lost the weapon because of an impact he wasn¡¯t expecting. ¡°I¡¯m going to help you soon, so wait,¡± Hyun said while looking at the soldier on the floor. As their eyes met, the soldier took a deep breath. What he saw were incredibly cold eyes. Not only that, but the speed at which he changed weapons was so fast that he couldn¡¯t see it. ¡°If you¡¯re so strong¡­ Why aren¡¯t you helping?¡± The soldier who had lost his weapon asked him while lifting his head. Just one confrontation was enough to know. That person was at least twice as strong as him, no, even more than that! The strength of the impact was because of the effect of ?Trance?, which increased the attack as the number of combos increased, but because the soldier¡¯s level was low, he didn¡¯t know that. ¡°Tsk, leave that guy alone!¡± ¡°The Duke has promised to come to help us. We just have to join our strengths and resist the best we can!¡± As time passed, the number of skeletons climbing the wall increased. One or two became three and four. The soldiers were starting to struggle. ¡°Ugh¡­ It¡¯s hard to resist!¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to be annihilated before the Duke comes to help!¡± In the end, one of the walls ended up collapsing. Suddenly, skeletons entered the fortress and surrounded some of the soldiers. ¡°Diorite! Can you sneak out?!¡± ¡°Just give up! If you enter there, we¡¯re also going to get surrounded!¡± About twenty soldiers were left. They gave up on the fortress¡¯s wall and were moved to a place where they would be able to defend easily. The eyes of the surrounded soldier showed despair. At that moment¡­ ¡°He can be saved.¡± Someone suddenly passed through next to them while mumbling. Everyone¡¯s attention got focused on that someone. It was that guy¡­ The crazy guy who had been doing nonsensical things was running alone toward the army of the undead to save an ally who was in trouble. Chapter 78 Chapter 78 ¨C The Duke¡¯s Tournament (3) ¡°What¡­?¡± The soldiers couldn¡¯t believe what they were seeing. The sight of skeletons collapsing every time the boy swung his sword didn¡¯t seem real. One hit, one kill! Even if they tried with all their strength, they needed at least 10 cuts to defeat an opponent, so they couldn¡¯t understand why the undead couldn¡¯t withstand those light-looking attacks. The reason was that Hyun had surpassed a thousand combos. That was the power of a combo Thief that had learned ?Trance?. [Only attacks faster than 0.8 seconds will count towards the combo!] Hyun could feel his body getting faster. With so many opponents, he didn¡¯t have to worry about the combo being cut short. Paf-! As the two swords flashed, the skeletons that were surrounding the soldier became dust and scattered away. The eyes of the soldier that was saved met TarrTarr¡¯s. ¡°Th-thank you¡­¡± He was the soldier who had accused Hyun just a few moments before of being crazy. Hyun spoke to him as the man seemed to be feeling a mixture of emotions containing regret, gratitude, and shame. ¡°Don¡¯t get far away. It¡¯s dangerous.¡± That soldier, who had been close to dying, seemed to be getting hope from Hyun¡¯s words. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to call him a savior. Hyun was cutting the skeletons that were climbing the walls at an incredible speed. Not only that, but he immediately leaped toward another soldier who was in danger. For some reason, the soldier¡¯s eyes teared up. ¡®There are too many dangerous places.¡¯ Hyun looked around while helping the soldiers who were in danger. The walls of the fortress had been completely destroyed. The battle wasn¡¯t simply about defending the fortress anymore. It was slowly becoming more complex. The reason was that all the defending walls had suddenly collapsed. The soldiers tried to hold while forming a circle. Hyun alone was running in the outskirts while reducing the number of undead monsters. 1280 combo! 1291 combo! As TarrTarr¡¯s swords started to get faster, more and more undead monsters began gathering. ¡°A knight¡­?¡± Someone murmured after seeing Hyun fighting a horde of undead. Yes, if he wasn¡¯t a knight of the Duke, it wouldn¡¯t make sense that he had so much power! Only after a while, the soldiers started to wonder about Hyun¡¯s identity¡ªand that seemed to be the most reasonable explanation. ¡°The knight is supporting us¡­!¡± ¡°Yes, the Duke hasn¡¯t abandoned us! He sent us the knight before he arrived!¡± The soldiers didn¡¯t find out that TarrTarr¡¯s level was similar to theirs because they were low-level soldiers who didn¡¯t know about the ?combo? skill. Those that had accused Hyun were feeling ashamed. They had bashed the knight without knowing his true intentions! They felt ashamed for having talked without properly knowing about the situation. [ {Time before the Duke arrives: 239 seconds} ] Hyun didn¡¯t have time to think about what the soldiers were saying. He just kept slashing the necks of the undead, broke their bones, and cut their souls! The number of combos began increasing faster. But it wasn¡¯t still enough to face the army of undead that were flocking like ants. ¡®Switch.¡¯ Hyun sheathed TarrTarr¡¯s two short swords. And he took out a sword that was over two meters long. A sword that was even taller than TarrTarr appeared. Claymore¡­ The two-handed sword wasn¡¯t a weapon that matched a Thief. Although its attack range was bigger, you became slower. And thus, taking advantage of the Thief¡¯s speed became more difficult. Of course, that was disadvantageous if you wanted to accumulate combos. Even so, Hyun had prepared that sword just in case. In case something like this happened! Clink-! As he swung the sword, he cut through every opponent in front of him. With just one attack, he defeated five undead, and with that, he gained five extra combo counts. ¡®Just like I thought, one hit is enough!¡¯ Hyun yelled for joy inside. The things he¡¯d prepared for the tournament were working. Because he had surpassed two thousand combos, that giant sword had become the perfect weapon to annihilate the army of undead. Slash-! As he swung the sword, everything around was cut. All of the undead within the attack range of the sword turned into dust while making chilling screams. Even though the movements were big, they weren¡¯t slow. It was thanks to the increased speed obtained by accumulating lots of combos. The look of TarrTarr wielding Claymore freely made him look like a Knight who had received a buff in wind-type attacks. ¡®The doesn¡¯t seem to be an end to this.¡¯ Boo- Booo- White ghosts began flying while crying loudly. Sometimes there were some horrible-smelling zombies and ghouls mixed with the skeletons. As time went on, stronger undead started to appear. The zombies aimed to do a surprise attack, and the ghosts were roaming around in the air, targetting the human¡¯s heads. From time to time, an arrow from a skeleton archer came flying through. ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± The sword of a skeleton penetrated the chest of a soldier. The rusty sword had completely penetrated his body. ¡°Hans, no!¡± The moment the sword pierced his chest, the soldier died. Thud- His body didn¡¯t disappear; it just remained there on the floor. After seeing him die, the remaining soldiers thought of the same thing. One of them could be the next one to die. ¡°There are too many enemies!¡± ¡°Mr. Knight, when is the rest of the support coming?!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s try to resist a little bit more!¡± The last person that spoke was Hyun. It was a quest that recreated a historical battle. The only ones that could see the remaining time were Hyun and TarrTarr, both users. [ {Time before the Duke arrives: 103 seconds} ] The number of incoming undead had increased. Even if he cut five enemies simultaneously, that place was soon covered by other ones. The dead monsters¡¯ bodies were already taller than a soldier, and a disgusting smell was coming from them. [3052 combo! You¡¯ve achieved a new record!] The speed at which Hyun defeated the undead monsters had increased, but the rate at which new ones appeared was even faster. ¡°Coff¡­!¡± Another soldier fell. But no one seemed disturbed after seeing that. No, they didn¡¯t have time to see it. They just felt that death was near. They didn¡¯t have time to relax. Being sad was a luxury at that moment. [ {Time before the Duke arrives: 50 seconds} ] It was at that moment that Hyun heard a cry that made him feel as if his heart was about to sink. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * Booooooo-! Two ¡®Black Ghosts¡¯ had appeared and were rushing toward the middle of the fortress. ¡®That¡­!¡¯ The moment he saw the two monsters emitting chilling energy, he immediately stood in front of the soldiers and shouted. ¡°Everyone, stand behind me!¡± The soldiers also felt their hearts sink as they saw the black figures getting closer. If they come face to face with those, they¡¯d surely die! Their survival instincts were sending them a warning. The soldiers who felt danger approaching started to move immediately. ¡®I need a light weapon!¡¯ Hyun quickly changed his weapon to the pair of short swords. Vroom-! A dark energy brushed past his hair. The elite black ghost¡¯s instant kill attack¡­ But it didn¡¯t hit him. Hyun knew all their attack patterns. After dodging the attack, Hyun cut one of the two ghosts¡¯ necks with both hands. It scattered into the air with a horrible scream. ¡®One more!¡¯ There was another ghost left. The robe of the remaining ghost began fluttering. Tens of dark knives came flying in his direction in a second! But even those weren¡¯t able to touch Hyun. He could dodge the because he knew their patterns, but from the soldier¡¯s perspective, they looked like movements that were far above the level of a human. The look of Hyun dealing with overwhelmingly strong monsters looked like a knight that appeared in myths. [4000 combo! You¡¯ve obtained the achievement ¡®Reality of the Sword God¡¯!] [Your Agility has increased by 1!] ¡°Ugh!¡± An arrow struck one of the soldiers in the head, and he collapsed on the floor. After that, he was attacked by the undead around, and his body was disfigured. ¡°Ugh¡­! Let me go!¡± A ghost had grabbed a soldier by the neck and was taking him up. The ghost threw him right in the middle of the undead. Everyone could imagine what was about to become of him. Ting-! The notification window changed after five soldiers had lost their lives. [ {Time before the Duke arrives: 0 seconds} ] [You¡¯ve successfully cleared the highest difficulty of the undead defense!] [Oops, it seems like the Duke had to attend a very important event today, so he won¡¯t be able to get here!] [If you¡¯re lucky, the Duke will revive you as an undead, so don¡¯t lose hope.] * Hint: The time you can resist will greatly influence the number of points you¡¯ll receive! Hyun smiled bitterly. ¡®As expected, this is how it¡¯s gonna be done.¡¯ When the quest started, there was a part that had said that the extra time resisted will count towards the number of points gained. The moment he read those words, a thought had crossed his mind. Was it possible that the Duke wouldn¡¯t appear even after the quest¡¯s time was over? Hyun¡¯s prediction was right. The window that showed the remaining time had been replaced with another thing. [ {Extra Points: x1.12} ] ¨C As time goes on, the number of extra points obtained will increase. ¡°When is the Duke going to come!¡± ¡®He¡¯s not coming¡­¡¯ Hyun couldn¡¯t answer that. After looking at the undead that were slowly approaching them, Hyun sighed. Bones that emitted blue light¡­ A small skeleton who was wearing a robe¡­ ¡®A lich came?¡¯ Only one lich had appeared. Although it may not look that menacing, its appearance in the battle was basically as if death itself had appeared. Even in Asra, the lich was among the most bothersome monsters. Whir- A dark energy began spreading as the lich pointed its wand to the front. The bodies of the undead touched by that dark energy were revived. And the place where there were the most amount of corpses¡­! It was the place where the soldiers were standing while forming a circle. ¡°Argh!¡± As tens of monsters were suddenly revived, two soldiers that became isolated screamed. As the horde of undead swallowed their colleagues, no one had a way to know if they¡¯d died or not. ¡°Ugh¡­ This is hell!¡± ¡°Did the Duke abandon us¡­?¡± As countless reviving lights began rising from everywhere, the soldiers started to die one after the other. Only three soldiers, Hyun included, were left alive when the lich¡¯s mana plummeted. {Extra Points: x3.15} ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°Redment? Did you die?!¡± ¡°Mr. Knight¡­¡± As Redment was devoured by the undead, only Hyun and another soldier were left alive. It seemed he was in shock after losing all his colleagues. His hands weren¡¯t moving. ¡°Isn¡¯t the Duke going to come?¡± He asked Hyun with eyes that showed he¡¯d lost all his hope after looking at the corpses of his deceased colleagues. Clang-! Only the sound of Hyun fighting against the countless undead echoed through the battlefield. ¡°This¡­ Is a tragedy.¡± After saying that, the last remaining soldier grabbed the sword and pointed it toward himself. The sword penetrated his stomach and emerged out of his back. Even if there wasn¡¯t blood on the sword, it was still a shocking scene. ¡°Huh¡­?!¡± Not only TarrTarr, but Hyun was also surprised by what happened. ¡®An NPC committed suicide¡­?¡¯ Even Hyun, who had played Asra for 8 years, had never seen anything like that. Of course, even back then, the NPCs had an intelligence comparable to a human¡¯s. But it was the first time he had seen one acting in such a human way. Was it that he hadn¡¯t noticed the expressions in Asra because the graphics weren¡¯t so detailed? ¡®What the¡­?¡¯ Hyun could feel his heart beating faster. No, maybe that was how TarrTarr was feeling? After all, he was currently using ?Assimilation? on him. But Hyun felt that even if he weren¡¯t using ?Assimilation?, he would be feeling similarly. Chapter 79 Chapter 79 ¨C What¡¯s Hidden in the Tournament Arena (1) [ {Extra Points: x 5.05} ] Before they knew it, the power of the undead appearing had increased. TarrTarr, who had finally come out of shock, asked Hyun. ¡¸What should we do¡­?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m not sure¡­¡¹ Hyun looked around but didn¡¯t know what to say. It seemed like the quest would end when he died. The number of undead would probably increase until he died. Although even if it were a Duke, he for sure wouldn¡¯t be able to control such a big army. Since it was a virtual battle, maybe the number of possible enemies was set as infinite. [{Extra Points: x6.01} ] ¡¸Let¡¯s try to resist for as long as we can.¡¹ From far away, a monster named Balrok was approaching them. ¡®Isn¡¯t that a monster rather than an undead?¡¯ The fact that a level 380 monster had appeared meant that there was no more hope. No, the biggest issue was if they¡¯d be able to hold up until it arrived. ?Vision Sword?. Even while thinking that, Hyun had absorbed damage to pull out the sword made of light. A sword of over two meters cut down the building next to them and blocked the space. He did the same in the other directions, too. To resist as much time as possible, it would be better to block their surroundings with obstacles. After all, he wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand an attack from multiple high-ranking monsters. [You¡¯ve received 329 damage!] [You¡¯ve received 294 damage!] Skeletons managed to enter through the cracks even though he¡¯d created a barricade in all directions. Since the cooldown time of the ?Vision Sword? was at 0, he used it to cut down the building¡¯s remnants. Their sight was blocked from the falling rocks, but that was the same for the enemies. [ {Extra Points: x7.54} ] Making a mess of the battlefield was more effective than he initially thought. As he hid between the remnants of the fallen fortress, the undead were having trouble finding Hyun. The undead, whose intelligence was low, were just digging through remnants where there wasn¡¯t anything underneath. But those strategies worked only until Balrok swiped everything with green fire. [You¡¯ve received 59281 damage!] [Someone who¡¯s receiving the protection of a transcendent doesn¡¯t die easily!] [For three seconds, your HP will be fixed at 1!] [You¡¯ve died!] A hot light of emerald color devoured everything. TarrTarr¡¯s body, which had been entangled with a bunch of undead, became ash and instantly scattered away. Before dying, the effect of ¡®The Robes of the Praying Priest¡¯ that gave him immortality had activated, but it didn¡¯t make any difference. [Calculating the results.] But that was a game inside a game, so there wasn¡¯t any death penalty. Even after dying, messages kept appearing. [ ¨C State of the Fortress after clearing: 12% (x1.12) ] ¨C Number of survivors after clearing: 16 people (x1.59) ¨C The total number of killed monsters: 4110 (x5.11) ¨C Elite monsters killed: 54 (x2.07) ¨C Time resisted after the quest was cleared: 167 seconds (x10.6) ¨C Amount bet: 500 points. {Result: 500 x 199.67} [Congratulations! You¡¯ve received 99835 points!] [Since you¡¯ve successfully cleared it, you won¡¯t be able to challenge the same theme again!] * * * The first combat was over. TarrTarr¡¯s body had returned to the tournament arena. Hyun was immersed in his thoughts while the results were being calculated. The title ¡°Virtual Historical Battle¡± was, as the name indicated, virtual. Even if he knew that, Hyun was still shocked by what he¡¯d seen. An NPC had committed suicide. Before the undead could devour him, he had chosen to take his life. How close were the NPCs to real humans? Was that also a difference between Asra and Asrian? TarrTarr¡¯s voice woke Hyun, who was deeply immersed in his own thoughts. ¡¸What¡¯s happening¡­?¡¹ On the ceiling and all the walls, there was the number 77777 showing, and a celebration broke out. TarrTarr, who was just looking around dumbfounded, came back to his senses after looking at the sudden messages that appeared. [You¡¯ve set a new record in the Virtual Historical Battle!] [You¡¯ve obtained a lucky chip!] [You can exchange the lucky chip for 77777 points!] While reading the message, TarrTarr finally understood what all that commotion was about. The reason behind all that commotion was them. ¡°What? Who got a jackpot?¡± All the users around them stopped what they were doing and gathered around the virtual historical battle magic circle. What they saw there was a shockingly high score. ¡°Someone broke Lattice¡¯s record?¡± After someone shouted that, everyone¡¯s attention got focused on the leaderboard. The ID in 1st place was an unfamiliar one. 1st place. TarrTarr: 99835 points ¨C Defend against undead (57 seconds ago) 2nd place. Lattice: 71619 points ¨C Royal Castle Invasion (9 days ago) 3rd place. Flame Hell: 58194 points ¨C Immortal Knight (3 days ago) ¡­ ¡°TarrTarr?¡± After looking at the rankings, everyone tilted their heads. TarrTarr, who had barely reached level 70, wasn¡¯t a ranker in the Hall of Fame. Not only that, he wasn¡¯t even a Grand Master in PvP. He was just an average user. It would be normal if no one knew about him. But that wasn¡¯t the case. Someone shouted while pointing at the ID. ¡°Huh? I¡¯ve seen that name somewhere before!¡± ¡°Yeah, me too!¡± Channel TarrTarr. Some people in the tournament arena had seen the video he had uploaded. ¡°What? Was he a famous player? No wonder¡­¡± ¡°Yet¡­ From what I remember from the video, he seemed to have good skills. But I didn¡¯t know he was this good.¡± ¡°Maybe¡­ is defend against the undead easier to get points than the other ones¡­?¡± ¡°Still, getting to the 1st place is amazing.¡± At that moment, Hyun and TarrTarr didn¡¯t know that the video they uploaded was getting much attention. The reason was simple. It took time for the video to spread through the communities of other countries. Even in the Korean communities, it took TarrTarr¡¯s video a while before it became popular. But as time went on, views started to come. And it went from ten thousand to a million views in just a few hours. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * The Duke¡¯s tournament was an event that gathered the interest of both Abyss and Heaven¡¯s users. The scale and content were enough to capture the attention of users. It didn¡¯t take long before the news that someone had beaten Lattice¡¯s record spread. The scoreboard had been shown through streams or some users who were taking part in the tournament. Just at that moment, TarrTarr¡¯s video began to get some momentum. The hot topic in the communities was that a user appeared on both sides. As the video became famous and TarrTarr¡¯s name became a hot topic again, all communities became flooded. {The Appearance of a New Master?} {Is a Scouting War Between Top Guilds going to start?} News about TarrTarr had surpassed the communities and was also being covered on game-related websites. Arneng¡­ He was the one who had given TarrTarr some advice in regards to YouTube. He couldn¡¯t hide his surprise while watching the current situation unfold. ¡°What¡¯s happening¡­? It seems somewhat wrong¡­¡± Arneng watched TarrTarr¡¯s video only after it had become a hot issue and was very surprised by it. He couldn¡¯t forget the scene of that guy hunting skeletons with a godly level of control. He even wondered if that really was TarrTarr. It was as if he was a completely different person. It was understandable for him to react like that since he didn¡¯t know about ?Assimilation?. ¡°What are you doing while going around¡­?¡± It didn¡¯t matter how much he thought about it or how many times he watched it¡ªhe couldn¡¯t come up with an answer. While feeling astonished, Arneng kept reading different threads on the community boards. * * * ¡°We must incorporate him, no matter what. This time, we mustn¡¯t fail.¡± The guild leader, XL, said to the rest with a serious look on his face. They were also eyeing the new emerging figure TarrTarr. People from Darkness had begun considering Ain two steps more dangerous than they¡¯d first thought. That day, Mayday looked as if she was about to cry. And the guild leader, XL, started to reconsider his evaluation of the top users. ¡°If we can incorporate TarrTarr, we should be able to mitigate the error of losing her.¡± ¡°Sorry¡­¡± Pias, who was next to him, looked depressed. After all, because of him, they¡¯d become enemies with Ain. He never thought that being unable to suppress the feeling of shame would bring such results. ¡°It¡¯s okay. We cannot do anything about the past. We just have to do things right this time.¡± ¡°Did you say that his ID is TarrTarr? Since he broke Lattice¡¯s record, I guess he will surely enter the top 10.¡± Bearshield picked up on the important point. Because of how popular the Duke¡¯s tournament was, many people were currently streaming it. From what they could see, he currently had almost 100 thousand points! There was almost no chance of someone taking the number one position from him. That meant that he was for sure going to receive the biggest reward. The ¡®invitation.¡¯ ¡°Once the tournament is over, I guess he will also participate in the banquet. Let¡¯s approach him there.¡± ¡°So the banquet is where the battle will take.¡± They were always the first to jump into the recruitment competition, which was also why they¡¯d managed to maintain the first position in the rankings. XL¡¯s sixth sense was telling him something. If they lost him, they could end up losing the crown for the first time. * * * Berard¡­ He was a veteran who had once reached 5th place in the rankings on Asra. He had gotten to know TarrTarr because of the day¡¯s incident. After watching the video on TarrTarr¡¯s channel, he couldn¡¯t hide his surprise. ¡°Who¡¯s this?¡± He remembered the name of the most famous users of the previous game, but among them, there wasn¡¯t anyone with the ID TarrTarr. But from what he¡¯d seen in the video, that guy was using techniques that only a few Asra rankers were able to do. ¡°Can¡­ You do that?¡± Steel Rock, who was next to him watching the video asked him. Even though he had also played the previous game, since his rank wasn¡¯t that high, he couldn¡¯t make a correct judgment. ¡°I¡¯m not a combo Thief¡­¡± ¡°Then if you change your skills to a combo one, could you do it?¡± ¡°I probably couldn¡¯t. Although those look easy, they aren¡¯t things that you can easily do, even with lots of practice.¡± ¡°Then¡­ Does that mean that this guy is the 2nd Lattice?¡± When they saw Lattice¡¯s growth rate, there was something they wondered about. Was he an Asra Online user? But after investigating, they concluded that he wasn¡¯t. He had been able to reach that place thanks to his talent, luck, and money. Was TarrTarr that kind of player? ¡°Maybe he¡¯s on an even higher level.¡± ¡°What?¡± Berard began explaining. ¡°From what I¡¯ve seen, that guy is level 70. He achieved a hundred thousand points on the Virtual Historical Battle with low specs and non-special items. Do you think that is even possible?¡± ¡°What, level 70¡­?!¡± ¡°Yes, it doesn¡¯t make sense. He¡¯s going to be someone dangerous if he becomes our enemy. He¡¯s already crazy good. I don¡¯t want to imagine how much better he will become once he grows.¡± Everyone could see TarrTarr¡¯s information with just a simple search. Although his ID wasn¡¯t in the hall of fame, his overall ranking appeared. A level 70 Thief. With a PvP ranking of Master. But those pieces of information were worthless. Maybe he had begun playing Asrian late. Or perhaps he still hadn¡¯t shown his true abilities. ¡°Why is his level so low? Did he start playing late?¡± ¡°That¡¯s probably the reason. But the talent is real. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he becomes a ranker by next week.¡± ¡°This reminds me of someone,¡± Steel Rock said while laughing in disbelief. Why was it that he thought of that name? ¡°Are you talking about Hyun?¡± Chapter 80 Chapter 80 ¨C What¡¯s Hidden in the Tournament Arena (2) ¡°Yes, is there a possibility that TarrTarr is Hyun?¡± Berard thought for a little while, but it didn¡¯t take him long to come up with an answer. ¡°I think that probability is low. If Hyun were playing Asrian, he would have probably started from day one. If he¡¯s at level 70 at this point, he isn¡¯t Hyun.¡± ¡°Yeah. Not only that, but he also seems very young. Just because he¡¯s wearing a mask doesn¡¯t mean he can hide his age. Hyun played the previous game for eight years, right?¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯s why we must bring him to our side.¡± ¡°TarrTarr? But he wasn¡¯t an Asra user.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Berard and Steel Rock were part of a guild that had gathered old Asra users. It was a guild you couldn¡¯t join if you had no experience in Asra. Although, at the moment, they were moving quietly while maintaining a low profile, Berard thought that even the number one guild, Darkness, was below them. But what if they could incorporate TarrTarr? Even in the previous game, those two were the biggest obstacle. With TarrTarr, maybe they would be able to face them. * * * ¡®Are they going to be okay?¡¯ Hyun looked at the users with worrying eyes. After he established a new record in the ¡®Virtual Historical Battle¡¯ with undead as the theme, the number of users that picked the same mission increased significantly. ¡®The missions that have undead as enemies are especially bothersome¡­¡¯ He had chosen undead because it was the best way to use TarrTarr¡¯s skill at its fullest, not because it was easy. The fact they weren¡¯t afraid of dying was great to stack combos. But that was also what was scary about them. He was sure there wouldn¡¯t be many users capable of dealing with a horde of skeletons attacking aggressively. ¡®Well, I guess that isn¡¯t something I should be worried about.¡¯ He currently had a hundred thousand points. He was ranked first. But he had no intentions of being satisfied with that. ¡®I guess I can move on to the next stage of my plan.¡¯ Because the tournament was created with a casino as a theme, there were a wide variety of installations. Hyun went to a bar that was in the corner of the room. There wasn¡¯t anyone except for the bartender inside the shop. It was obvious. There probably weren¡¯t many people willing to spend the time drinking alcohol in the middle of a tournament with a time limit. ¡®What are you going to order?¡¯ The bartender asked him as soon as he took a seat. Despite TarrTarr¡¯s young look, the bartender offered him a drink without doubting for a moment. ¡°Give me the most expensive one.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s the most expensive¡­ I recommend the ¡®Pitch Black Frenzy.¡¯ It costs 500 points.¡± ¡°Give me that.¡± While TarrTarr was looking dumbfounded, Hyun had finished ordering. After the drink came out, he drank it at once. ¡°One more¡­¡± ¡¸What are you doing? Just because we¡¯ve earned some points, we mustn¡¯t waste them!¡¹ ¡¸Who said it was over? We¡¯re just getting started.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying! It isn¡¯t even tasty¡­ No, that¡¯s not the issue here¡­¡¹ ?Assimilation? made you share the senses, so they could also taste what the other person was eating or drinking. From a certain point of view, it was as if Hyun was forcing TarrTarr to drink alcohol. ¡¸I can¡¯t believe one cup is 500 points¡­ You remember that we only had 1100 points at the beginning, right?¡¹ ¡¸Be quiet. These are the points I earned.¡¹ Hyun brushed off TarrTarr¡¯s complaints. Because what Hyun said was true, TarrTarr kept watching quietly. ¡®How much is he planning to drink?¡¯ In just an instant, he¡¯d spent 2000 points. As expected, was gambling all about earning a lot and spending it as if it were nothing? The number of points was a lot, but TarrTarr felt tortured because he also had to feel the bitter taste of alcohol. ¡®This isn¡¯t even tasty¡­¡¯ ¡¸Ugh¡­ It really tastes horrible.¡¹ ¡¸Then why did you¡­!¡¹ It was at that moment¡­ Ting-! After Hyun had drunk five cups, he received a system message. [You¡¯ve spent 2500 points!] [You¡¯ve become the 21st VIP member of the ¡®Darkness¡¯s Rest Area.¡¯] ¡®Huh? VIP?¡¯ While TarrTarr was confused by the sudden message that had appeared, he could hear the bartender¡¯s voice. ¡°It seems like you really like this place. I¡¯d like to present other items if you¡¯re okay with it.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ Of course, cough.¡± ¡°Oh, then I¡¯ll get you the list!¡± Tap! As the bartender flicked his finger, a shop interface appeared in front of Hyun. Amazingly, the items that appeared on the list weren¡¯t alcohol or food. They were items. Although they had a duration of three hours, there were even uniques! At first glance, one may think that the user¡¯s specs would determine the results of the survival test, but that wasn¡¯t exactly the truth. In that place, there were many ways to reduce the gap in the specs. Secret market, auction place, gambling, etc. That bar was also one of the hidden secrets of this tournament arena. The bartender had said that TarrTarr had become the 21 VIP member, which meant that there were other users who knew about that place through the previous game. ¡¸Woah¡­ So they sell these types of weapons.¡¹ TarrTarr¡¯s mouth was agape. ¡¸They¡¯re all unique items! The price is also very cheap!¡¹ ¡¸But you can¡¯t take them outside.¡¹ It was just as Hyun said. All items here were single-use only. Once the tournament ended, they would be destroyed. TarrTarr was disappointed after hearing that you could only use the items in the tournament. ¡¸Do we need to buy them? As long as we get into the top 10, we¡¯re going to be able to receive the recognition of the Dukes. I believe that we already have enough points.¡¹ ¡¸Yeah, that¡¯s true. We¡¯re not going to buy any of these things.¡¹ It was just as TarrTarr said. But that place had another secret. One that not even Asra veterans knew about. Hyun took out the lucky coin and gave it to the bartender. ¡°Oh, that?!¡± The bartender¡¯s eyes shook after looking at the rainbow light emanating from the chip. More than surprise, in his expression, there was happiness and expectations. ¡°Lucky Chip¡­! Are you going to give me this?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a tip.¡± The bartender seemed worried for a moment, but soon, his expression changed for a smile. ¡°Then I just can¡¯t stay still while doing nothing. I promise to give you the best possible treatment I can.¡± [You¡¯ve become the first VVIP client of Darkness¡¯s Rest Area!] [You¡¯ve received 50000p as a bonus for being the first member!] [Exclusive VVIP items had been added to the list!] A smile appeared on TarrTarr¡¯s face. It was Hyun¡¯s smile, who was using ?Assimilation?. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * ¡®There was no way another user knew about the conditions of becoming a VVIP member.¡¯ After all, that was information he¡¯d gotten from the Heaven¡¯s ¡®Interloop¡¯! The only user in Asra who had access to that place was him. ¡®I¡¯m glad I searched before coming.¡¯ Before Asrian opened, Hyun had spent many hours in the Interloop. It was a place that had lots of information about Asrian¡¯s vast world and history. There was so much information in the Interloop that, even if you had many years, you wouldn¡¯t be able to read it all. But he only had five days. Hyun had taken a screenshot of all the information he considered as important. Luckily, among those, there was information about the tournament. The Darkness¡¯s Rest Area and VVIP members were among those. TarrTarr¡¯s eyes widened after reading the new items that had appeared. ¡¸What¡¯s this. There¡¯s a legendary category?¡¹ ¡¸What are you talking about? It¡¯s obviously the next category after unique. Although it doesn¡¯t change the fact that they¡¯re single-use only.¡¹ On the VVIP member list, there weren¡¯t only weapons. There was also a wide variety of items. There were also some items that could be useful if used correctly. [Point Bag (XL)] ¨C There¡¯s a random amount of points between 10 ~ and 5000. ¨C They¡¯ll get destroyed 10 minutes after the 4th tournament ends. ¨C The probability of getting a high number of points is low! Maybe the more you buy, the more you¡¯ll lose? (Price: 50 points) [Free Usage of Darkness¡¯s Rest Area] ¨C You can order any drink or food within the Darkness¡¯s Rest Area. (Price: 10000 points) [Trick] ¨C You can manipulate the points and positions shown in the rankings. ¨C You won¡¯t be able to influence the real positions. (Price: 2000 points) While looking at the list, TarrTarr took a deep breath. ¡®What¡¯s this?!¡¯ [Reversal of Potential] ¨C Except for the awakening skill, you can reset all the skills and points invested. (Price: 100 thousand points) ¡®Skill reset?!¡¯ TarrTarr had mixed feelings from the moment he heard that his skill tree was ruined. Since there was no way to reset the skill points, he had given up. But now, he¡¯d seen a way to do it. After reading TarrTarr¡¯s thoughts, Hyun quickly said. ¡¸Don¡¯t even think of asking me to buy that.¡¹ ¡¸R¡­ Right?¡¹ ¡¸Obviously, we still have many things to buy.¡¹ TarrTarr tilted his head. ¡¸Is there a need to buy something? We¡¯re already ranked 1st.¡¹ ¡¸Look at this.¡¹ Hyun used TarrTarr¡¯s fingers to go down through the interface. The lower they went, the more expensive things became. The moment they reached the bottom, an item with golden letters appeared. ¡¸At the bottom of the VVIP shop, there¡¯s this item¡­¡¹ ¡¸Soul Replication Elixir¡¹ ¨C You can generate a 2nd skill tree slot permanently. ¨C Each slot consumes skill points separately. (Price: 2.5 million points) ¡®Hmm?¡¯ TarrTarr thought he¡¯d seen wrong. After coming back to his senses, more than surprised, he seemed annoyed. ¡¸There¡¯s a weird item at the bottom.¡¹ ¡¸A weird item?¡¹ ¡¸They¡¯ve placed an item that one won¡¯t be able to buy. As if they were bragging about it. The effect also is just too much.¡¹ ¡¸Who said that you can¡¯t buy it?¡¹ Fufu¡­ After noticing that Hyun was smiling, TarrTarr asked. ¡¸Are you really thinking of buying it?¡¹ ¡¸Although it¡¯s a lot¡­ Maybe I¡¯ll be able to do it before the tournament ends.¡¹ Before starting to play Asrian, Hyun had thought of a few things he had to get no matter what. In this game, there were some items, titles, and skills with an outstanding effect. When should he obtain what? If the title ¡®heavenly being¡¯ was the first one, that elixir was the second. ¡®If, with the same points, I can have two different skill sets¡­ The possible skill combinations increase by more than ten times!¡¯ Its worth was probably more than a legendary or epic item. 2.5 million points may seem unreasonable for an average user. But for him, it wasn¡¯t. ¡®Should I get going?¡¯ Hyun bought ¡®Trick¡¯ and modified the points so it would look like he had just around 100 thousand. From then on, he had to move carefully. Then he began spending the rest of the points as he had originally planned. [Hell Difficulty Ticket] ¨C You can unlock a new difficulty of the Virtual Historical Battle. (Price: 3000 points) He bought three copies of that item. He still had many points left. The next step was getting the best items possible. After all, challenging the hell difficulty with TarrTarr¡¯s specs was like committing suicide. [Dagger of a Mythical Assassin] [Armor of a Mythical Assassin] [Ring of a Mythical Assassin] ¡­ Hyun used all the points to buy the legendary set item of the Mythical Assassin. They were automatically placed on TarrTarr¡¯s body the moment he bought them. Individually, the set items of the Mythical Assassin weren¡¯t impressive. But once you gathered all 6 pieces, it had an effect so great that it went against common sense. A dark energy surrounded TarrTarr and then entered his body. He felt his body getting lighter. ¡ªIt was because his stats had increased a lot. ¡®Let¡¯s get started.¡¯ A smile appeared on Hyun¡¯s face. Chapter 81 Chapter 81 ¨C What¡¯s Hidden in the Tournament Arena (3) [?Divine Magic? was activated!] ¨C The duration of combos has doubled. ¨C The amount of damage dealt by critical hits has increased by 300%. ¨C Attack range has increased by 300%. ¨C You absorb 2% of damage dealt as HP. ¨C You receive 500 less damage from undead opponents. ¨C All your stats increase by 150. ¨C Your main stat increases by an extra 150. ¨C You can use the active skill ?Biological Time Stop?. [?Biological Time Stop?] ¨C Locks your current combo rate for 1 minute. {Cooldown Time: 5 minutes} For a combo Thief, that set was a dream-made reality. But in reality, gathering all set pieces was almost an impossible task. So it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that it was an item you could only use in the tournament. ¡¸From now on, you don¡¯t need to record.¡¹ Even if the money was good, it shouldn¡¯t be uploaded. There was a lot of information related to Asrian. And among that information, there were some that could shake up the game. What he was doing was part of the latter half! Hyun had no intention of releasing information about the VVIP. ¡¸Don¡¯t upload it, understood?¡¹ ¡¸Y-yes. Of course¡­!¡¹ TarrTarr, who was overwhelmed by his stats, just nodded at Hyun¡¯s serious voice tone. ¡®Good. It¡¯s been a while, so let¡¯s do it properly.¡¯ He checked out the time. The tournament duration was three hours in total, so there were still two and a half hours left. Hyun once again walked toward the Virtual Historical Battle and put the hell difficulty ticket he¡¯d bought into play. Doom- While making an imposing sound, the interface turned red. ¡®I should be able to beat it, right?¡¯ According to the information of the Interloop, the hell-difficulty missions were created with real Asrian history as background. The fact that there were stages that used real Asrian history was good news for him. Hyun¡¯s knowledge covered all past and future incidents of the game. ¡®Since I have to use combos¡­ I should rather fight monsters with low IQ like undead.¡¯ One couldn¡¯t choose the same theme twice. That¡¯s why, that time, the enemies chosen were golems. They were low-IQ monsters created by injecting Magical Power into an inanimate object. Because they also didn¡¯t care about themselves, it should¡¯ve been possible to stack lots of combos. [You¡¯ve picked ¡®Breaking the Elian Gate¡¯!] [You¡¯ve chosen the hell difficulty!] [The bet points are fixed at 5000p!] Whap- The scenery suddenly changed. In front of them, a magnificent city of the Heavens appeared. They could see the clouds moving underneath them. After a while, they got a message that described their mission. [ {The Abyss¡¯s forces on the land are currently cornered! Within two hours, destroy the golem¡¯s city, reach the core, and destroy it! The whereabouts of the battle on the land is in your hands!} ] ¡®As expected, it¡¯s a place I know about.¡¯ Hyun, who was borrowing TarrTarr¡¯s body, smiled. If you knew the map, there was no point in going straight. ¡®If the video won¡¯t be uploaded, I don¡¯t need to be careful. Right?¡¯ Hyun used ?Wind Barrier?, one of the Support¡¯s skills, and used it to skip over an impossible route. He wanted to take the shortest possible route. With an Agility that reached 400 and ?Wind Barrier?, he could fly through the sky like the protagonist of a martial arts movie. Boom-! Hyun moved forward by demolishing the outer wall of the castle. It only took him about five minutes to reach the middle of the map. ¡®The current speed seems faster than Ain¡¯s.¡¯ As long as you had the set of the Mythical Assassin, you didn¡¯t need to do the initial combo stacking. The place that started in the middle was the Plains of Silence. Lots of golems flocked, but as soon as TarrTarr¡¯s dagger touched them, they were cut into pieces as if they¡¯d gone through a blender. The set had an effect that increased the attack range and critical hit damage by three times! On top of that, there was TarrTarr¡¯s ultimate attack, ?Trance?! [Calculating a new combo record!] [5000 combo! You¡¯ve obtained the achievement ¡®One Who Pioneers the Path of the Sword¡¯!] [Because you lack skill level, the number of combos won¡¯t increase anymore!] [Your Agility has increased by 3!] Ten minutes after the fight began, he reached the max number of combos. But the message Hyun got was different. [Your Agility has increased by 4!] ?Biological Time Stop!? While moving through areas where there weren¡¯t enemies, he used the item¡¯s effect. Once again, he used the ?Wind Barrier? to run up a cliff that was over a hundred meters tall. He finally reached the final part of the map. While getting to the place where the core was, Hyun never lost the 5000 combos. ¡®This is the last part.¡¯ Paf-! The rocks that formed the boss golem crumbled as two lights cut the front. Although the dagger was just 50 centimeters long, thanks to the Mythical Assassin¡¯s set, its attack range had increased to two meters. The black energy that surrounded the two daggers made him look like a demon who was duel-wielding swords. [You¡¯ve received 1523 damage!] From time to time, he received damage from an attack coming from the sides, but he didn¡¯t care about that. Thanks to the 2% absorption that the set had, TarrTarr¡¯s HP was constantly being filled. Now that he was dealing a mind-blowing amount of damage thanks to the effect of the combos and ultimate attack, he could recover that amount of damage in a few seconds. Boom-! As TarrTarr cut the dungeon¡¯s core in half, all the golems around began crumbling. Even elite monsters over 10 meters tall became ash and scattered away with the wind. It took him only 27 minutes to clear the hell difficulty. [Calculating the results.] ¨C Total Number of Killed Monsters: 10954 (x 2.09) ¨C Elite Monsters Killed: 112 (x 2.12) ¨C Remaining Time: 92 minutes 58 seconds (x 30.9) ¨C Amount Bet: 5000 points {Result: 5000p x 136.91} [Congratulations! You¡¯ve obtained 684,550 points!] [You¡¯ve established a new record on ¡®Breaking the Elian Gate¡¯ (hell)!] [You can¡¯t obtain lucky chips on the hell difficulty!] The surroundings were quiet once he came out after clearing the hell difficulty. It seemed like all the users who had challenged the Virtual Historical Battle in hard difficulty had failed. Hyun saw a few users mumbling after losing a bunch of points. ¡°The efficiency of this is too bad.¡± ¡°Ugh, yeah. I¡¯ve completely messed up this tournament. Can I even earn back what I spent?¡± Because there wasn¡¯t a leaderboard that showed the hell difficulty scores, the average users didn¡¯t know about TarrTarr¡¯s success. After looking at TarrTarr, who had an absent expression, they thought he was in the same position as them. ¡°Tsk tsk, it seems like he also messed up. I think I¡¯ll just go to the battle-themed one and do my last effort.¡± * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * ¡°Me too. I¡¯ll try to get to the top 30% at least.¡± After noticing that TarrTarr was still in front of the Virtual Historical Battle¡¯s magic circle, they gave him some advice. ¡°It seems like you¡¯ve also lost a lot of points¡­ It¡¯s better if you give up. While trying to earn back what you¡¯ve lost, you¡¯ll lose what you¡¯ve got left.¡± Of course, Hyun wasn¡¯t going to listen to them. Paf- After choosing hell difficulty again, Hyun disappeared. After seeing how TarrTarr ignored their advice, they shook their heads. ¡®To make stacking combos easier, I should pick a mission that takes the least possible time. Right?¡¯ He only had two more hell-difficulty tickets. Hyun was thinking of choosing only the missions where he could take the most advantage of TarrTarr¡¯s specs and skills. ¡®So there¡¯s one more undead mission.¡¯ Hyun picked a dinosaur character made of bones. Although it was also an undead, the mission was different. If the previous goal was defending, that time it was to attack. As soon as the mission began, Hyun moved forward. Boom-! The middle boss, who had tens of millions of HP, kneeled down and was defeated. After defeating the boss, Hyun took a breath. Even while doing that, the 5000 combo didn¡¯t break. It was thanks to using the ?Biological Time Stop? skill at the correct timing. ¡¸These¡­ Items are too OP.¡¹ Hyun answered at what TarrTarr suddenly said. ¡¸It¡¯s a legendary set that consists of six pieces. In real life, you wouldn¡¯t be able to get it, even if you used lots of money. Not only that, but it probably has a level restriction of more than 300.¡¹ Hyun mumbled while quickly going through the middle boss area and fighting against new enemies. ¡¸Basically, this is probably the only time I¡¯ll have the opportunity to properly use legendary set items!¡¹ Smash- Smash- Smash-! As he swung both hands as if he were doing a sword dance, the enemies disappeared as if he¡¯d used an eraser. ¡¸But isn¡¯t it too bad about the 5000 combo limit? Don¡¯t you have any skill points left? Raise the ?Combo? skill.¡¹ ¡¸But I don¡¯t have any unused skill points.¡¹ ¡¸Tsk tsk, why did you increase the critical hit damage-related skills?¡¹ Skreee-! Suddenly, bird-type monsters made of bones came flying in their direction. Level 300 flying monsters weren¡¯t weak by no means, but as Hyun moved his hands a few times, the bones were shattered into fragments. Thanks to the set¡¯s effect, the attack range of the daggers was similar to those of a grand sword of the same category. All enemies that approached TarrTarr got turned into pieces. ?Biological Time Stop?! The cooldown of the set¡¯s skill was at 0, so Hyun used it to move to where the boss was. Bone Dragon¡­ A monster with a giant body showed itself. As soon as it appeared, Hyun made quick, consecutive attacks. [You¡¯ve dealt 105128 damage!] [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 451942 damage!] That ridiculous amount of damage was possible thanks to having stacked lots of different buffs. But the main reason the damage output was so high was the ultimate attack, ?Trance?! The legendary daggers had a level 300 restriction, and on top of that, there was the effect of ?Trance?. That¡¯s why he was able to do attacks with such high damage consecutively. Boom-! The sight of the Bone Dragon being defeated in just a few minutes wasn¡¯t something you could easily see. {You¡¯ve defeated the Necromancer¡¯s rebellion! Your achievement will be remembered in the Abyss¡¯s history!} [Calculating the results.] ¨C Total Number of Monsters Killed: 5411 (x1.54) ¨C Elite Monsters Killed: 459 (x3.32) ¨C Remaining Time: 50 minutes 19 seconds (x25.9) ¨C Amount Bet: 5000 points {Results: 5000p x 132.42} [Congratulations! You¡¯ve obtained 662,100 points!] [You¡¯ve established a new record in ¡®Seal the Ancient Dragon¡¯s Soul¡¯ (hell)!] ¡®So, as time goes on, it becomes less efficient. Huh?¡¯ Hyun smacked his lips after looking at the points obtained. It took him 40 minutes to clear this mission. It took him a lot more time than the mission in which he had to defeat the golems. Yet he gained less points. Hyun had already cleared the most effective missions, so maybe that was an obvious result. ¡®Well, I guess there¡¯s nothing I can do about it¡­ Since I can¡¯t repeat the same mission twice.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t that he hadn¡¯t retried the same mission because he didn¡¯t want to. It was that he couldn¡¯t. If one wanted to do the same mission, they had to wait until the next tournament. But since your points were reset, it just didn¡¯t make sense. Hyun looked at the remaining time. ¡®I guess this is going to be the last one.¡¯ Hyun looked at the missions left in the Virtual Historical Battle. There was one left that seemed good. [ {Iluna Moon Invasion} ] Iluna was one of Asra¡¯s moons, and it was where one of the fiercest battles between the Heavens and the Abyss had taken place. According to history, the battle had ended with the Heavens winning. From the Abyss¡¯s point of view, it was one where you had to die if you wanted the mission to end. [Prepare for a counterattack from the Heavens!] As soon as it started, TarrTarr was standing on top of the moon where the eclipse was going to take place. He looked up at the dark sky. Light pillars caught Hyun¡¯s attention. Just like during the Count¡¯s Quest, the light pillars were beamed toward the space. And inside the light beam, one girl had her eyes closed and hands together. ¡®Praying¡­?¡¯ Judging by the silhouette, the girl looked like a Priest. Just because it was Hyun, it didn¡¯t mean he knew every little detail about Asrian¡¯s history, so he didn¡¯t know the name of the woman that was praying. He guessed that she was probably a saintess. As the woman kept praying, the lights of Heaven kept getting stronger. Suddenly, the light pillars pierced space, opening a void. The doors of Heaven had opened. Dolls that had wings made of light began descending. Every single doll was a puppet of the angels; they were all over level 300. The surface¡¯s monsters looked up at the sky and burned their fighting spirit up. That was a chance to experience what they said was one of the fiercest battles between the Heavens and the Abyss. Chapter 82 Chapter 82 ¨C Turning Point (1) ¡¸Woah¡­¡¹ TarrTarr¡¯s mouth was agape. Hyun had the same reaction. A fantasy war atmosphere as vivid as that was something you could only feel in Asrian. ¡¸It¡¯s too bad that this video can¡¯t be uploaded¡­¡¹ ¡¸You can¡¯t. Hell difficulty recreates real history, so there is a lot of hidden information.¡¹ At first glance, the number of dolls falling from the sky easily surpassed the thousands. The moment the dolls descended, the war began. Hyun participated in the war as a member of the Abyss. [5000 combo! Because the skill level is low, the number of combos won¡¯t increase anymore!] Because the dolls of Heaven, like the golems and undead, didn¡¯t have a conscience, they were great for stacking combos. In a war of an overwhelming scale, there were enemies everywhere, so he didn¡¯t have to worry about maintaining his combo. Hyun stood in the forefront of the battle and showed a splendid performance. Lots of dolls became light and scattered away after the dagger cut them. He could only use normal attacks, but the truth was that he didn¡¯t need anything else other than a normal attack. That was how a combo Thief fought. ¡®Ugh¡­ Danger!¡¯ A magic circle suddenly appeared under Hyun¡¯s feet, and he quickly moved to the side. As soon as he moved, bolts of lightning began falling one after the other as if it were raining. Slam- As strong energy hit, the surface melted into magma. Although the lightning had barely touched him, he received almost 10 thousand damage. ¡®Is it an angel¡­?¡¯ The moment he lifted his head and looked up¡­ Hyun and TarrTarr felt chills spreading through their body. It was the first time they saw and felt the energy of a Transcendent. It not only filled the entire world but also spread a brutal power. Angel¡­ The entities with wings made of crystal just quietly looked down at the army of the Abyss, which included them. ¡¸Oof¡­ We won¡¯t even be a match.¡¹ Although there was only one enemy, its presence was equal to more than tens of thousands. The moment an angel appeared, the balance of the fight tipped toward the Heavens. Tens of Baloks shot flames toward the angel. Even while covered by green flames, the angel kept calmly walking toward them while stepping in the air. Slash-! A huge blue sword was drawn horizontally. It looked as if the world was divided into two. Hyun knew the name of the skill it had just used. ?Space Divider?. Although it looked like a simple hand gesture, it was a technique that annihilated thousands of opponents by hitting the air. All monsters around them were cut in half and returned to being black energy. TarrTarr, who was in the middle of the Abyss¡¯s army, shared the same fate as the others. [You¡¯ve died!] Without feeling pain, TarrTarr¡¯s body, which was cut in half, started to fall until it became light and scattered away. Then he received a message that said that the quest had ended. {xxxx years ago. Many souls that belonged in the Abyss fell asleep in Iluna, but the Abyss still has a chance to step a foot into the surface. One day¡­} [Calculating the results.] ¨C Total Number of Monsters Killed: 1362 (x13.6) ¨C Elite Monsters Killed: 11 (x12) ¨C Amount Bet: 5000 points {Result: 5000p x 163.2} [Congratulations! You¡¯ve obtained 816000 points!] [You¡¯ve established a new record in Satellite Iluna Invasion (hell)!] ¡®Tsk, only this much?¡¯ Hyun was let down by the points gained. Although the mission had taken him more than an hour, the number of points gained was less than expected. Compared to the previous two missions, it lacked in terms of effectiveness. [You have 2171385p in total!] [ {Time left until point settlement begins: 10 minutes 20 seconds} ] The time limit for the tournament was almost at its end. It was also about time Hyun made a decision. The price of the elixir was 2.5 million. He needed 400K more points to buy that, but obtaining those in just 10 minutes was almost impossible. ¡¸Well, don¡¯t worry¡­ Next time, if you come with Ain, you¡¯ll probably succeed. So don¡¯t get discouraged.¡¹ TarrTarr quietly mumbled. TarrTarr said that just in case Hyun was discouraged, but Hyun answered him with another question as if he were asking him what he was talking about. ¡¸What?¡¹ ¡¸That strange item you wanted to buy.¡¹ ¡¸Who said I won¡¯t be able to buy it? I have enough time.¡¹ ¡¸But you need tp get 400 thousand points in 10 minutes¡­ Do we have time to do another mission?¡¹ ¡¸Another mission? In 10 minutes? What are you talking about?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s my point!¡¹ Hyun ignored TarrTarr and walked toward the Darkness¡¯s Rest Area. The bartender smiled after seeing the only VVIP client. The item Hyun wanted to buy was the closest one to gambling. {Order List}- [Point Bag (Small) x 5000 (Price: 10 points)] [Point Bag (XL) x 1000 (Price: 50 points)] Each one had between 1 ~ 500 and 10 ~ 5000 points. Hyun bought them all. The bartender looked at Hyun with worrying eyes. ¡°As a seller, I shouldn¡¯t be saying this¡­ But you shouldn¡¯t expect to receive lots of points from the bags.¡± Just like he said, the chance of getting lots of points from the bags was low. If you looked at it in terms of profit and loss, you would be at a loss. But even after hearing the bartender¡¯s warning, Hyun just smiled. [ {Time left until the point settlement begins: 8 minutes 21 seconds} ] While everyone was desperate to increase as many points as possible in the time that was left, Hyun was preparing the next plan while taking it easy. As previously mentioned, in the tournament, there were lots of different ways to overcome the difference between users in terms of specs. There were other places like the Darkness¡¯s Rest Area; among them were some shops, places where you could gamble, and even an auction house! If you used those things correctly, anyone could rank higher than they normally could. ¡®So it¡¯s here.¡¯ The place Hyun reached was an auction house that was inside the casino. Hyun placed all the point bags he¡¯d bought at the VVIP auction house for 10 times their original price. ¡¸Huh?¡¹ TarrTarr didn¡¯t understand Hyun¡¯s auctions. He had thought that Hyun bought the point bags because he was lacking some and because he had nothing to lose. Without answering TarrTarr¡¯s doubts, Hyun walked toward the Darkness¡¯s Rest Area and ordered a beverage. The taste of that beverage that costed 50 points was quite good. ¡¸Watching people just before the tournament is about to end is also very fun.¡¹ While leaning on a chair, Hyun looked at one of the tournament¡¯s most popular events¡ªthe death match. It wasn¡¯t suitable for combo Thieves like TarrTarr, but because you could always find a match, the Death Match was good as a last resort¡ªthat¡¯s why there were lots of users. ¡¸Will it sell?¡¹ ¡¸What?¡¹ ¡¸What you¡¯ve put in the auction house. It clearly says that the possibility of earning points is low. I was wondering how many people were willing to buy the point bag.¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re worrying too much.¡¹ Hyun laughed at TarrTarr¡¯s worries and opened the window with the list of rewards. {Rewards of the 4th Duke¡¯s Tournament} 1 ~ 10th place: Duke¡¯s Affection. (The rate depends on your ranking.) 11 ~ 100th place: Medal of Darkness x500, Demon¡¯s Token 1 101st place ~ 0.5%: Medal of Darkness x200 0.5% ~ 3%: Medal of Darkness x80 3% ~ 10%: Medal of Darkness x30 10% ~ 20%: Medal of Darkness x12 20% ~ 30%: 100 gold ¡­ The list went under 30%. If you didn¡¯t make it to the 50%, you wouldn¡¯t even receive 50 gold, which was the fee to enter the tournament. ¡¸Do you get it now?¡¹ Showing the rewards was Hyun¡¯s way of answering TarrTarr¡¯s question. If he understood the tournament¡¯s reward system, he would understand the reason behind his actions. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * [The tournament has ended!] [Point calculations will begin in 10 minutes! Please finish all the preparations before then!] As the alarm that announced, the ending spread, and the tournament arena became noisy. Because all the magic circles had lost their light, there were no longer ways to increase points. The users had just finished inspecting what they¡¯d earned and were quietly waiting for the tournament to come to an end. While checking out his ranking, Hyun smiled while drinking the beverage. * * * ¡°Ugh¡­! Just for 91 points¡­!¡± Restine, one of the participants of the 4th tournament, sighed. He opened the ranking window. His current position was 105. He¡¯d tried his best until the tournament ended, but in the end, he couldn¡¯t enter the top 100. ¡°If I had been quicker at the end, I would¡¯ve been able to get at least 100 more points!¡± But there was nothing he could do about it. Because he wasn¡¯t able to enter the top 100, he would receive the same reward as the person who placed 750. Since the reward system was built in an escalated system, from the 100th ranking up to 0.5%, players were treated equally. Even if the person who was placed 750 only had half the points he had, they would receive the same reward. If he hadn¡¯t tried his best, he wouldn¡¯t even be bothered by that. ¡°Hmm?¡± As he swallowed the bitter taste, he noticed that the atmosphere was weird. Tens of users were gathered in a corner and were heated up. ¡°What¡­ Is there something left?¡± Restine wondered why there was so much noise when the tournament had already ended, so he decided to approach the crowd. It was in front of the auction house. Many users were sighing, and others were shouting in excitement. ¡°Huh? If it¡¯s already over, why is everyone here?¡± From what he knew, in the tournament¡¯s auction house, you could only exchange points with items you could use only while the tournament was going on. Basically, from the moment it officially ended, there was no point in using it at all. You couldn¡¯t sell all the buff items for even one point, even though they were selling for more than 300 during the tournament. But Restine subconsciously approached the desk and saw the list of items for sale through the interface. His eyes shook. [Point Bag (XL)] (Fixed Price: 500 points) ¨C There¡¯s a random amount of points between 10 ~ and 5000. ¨C They¡¯ll get destroyed 10 minutes after the 4th tournament ends. ¨C The probability of getting a high number of points is low! Maybe the more you buy, the more you¡¯ll lose? {Left: 648} ¡°Huh, what¡¯s this?!¡± Thanks to the AI, the interface showed each user what they needed the most. He was confused for a while but soon came back to his senses. It wasn¡¯t important why it was in the auction house. Suddenly, a certain thought crossed his mind. ¡®Wait¡­ It doesn¡¯t matter how much I lose. There¡¯s almost no chance I¡¯ll drop below 750! What if I hit the jackpot even once¡­?¡¯ There were two types of point pockets. Restine first used 100 points to buy a [Point Bag (Small)] and opened it immediately. Inside, there was a ridiculously small number of points, but that didn¡¯t discourage him. He bought another one. [You¡¯ve obtained 3 points!] [You¡¯ve obtained 2 points!] [You¡¯ve obtained 32 points!] ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± He had spent 400 points, yet could only recover about 10% of what he had spent. Restine took a deep breath and spent 500 points to buy a [Points Bag (XL)]. As if he were praying, he closed his eyes and opened it. A miracle happened. [You¡¯ve won! You¡¯ve obtained 1593 points!] ¡°Nice!¡± The moment he got the points, Restine passed the 100th place cut line, and his ranking went up to 92. Under the celebrating system message, Restine shouted excitedly. After a while, he finally calmed down and looked around. Only a few users were able to win something like him, most of them were clicking their tongues or shaking their heads. He felt bad for being excited while so many people were saddened by the results, so he quickly walked away from the auction house. Then, suddenly, he began wondering about something. ¡®Why was this on the auction house?¡¯ From what he¡¯d seen, there were hundreds of those. Sometimes, some of the point bags you received as compensation were put in the auction house, but it should¡¯ve be impossible for a user to put hundreds of them up. Was it an event from an NPC related to the tournament? He thought about it for a while but couldn¡¯t come up with an answer. The situation Restine was experiencing was happening simultaneously throughout the entire tournament area. Chapter 83 Chapter 83 ¨C Turning Point (2) The auction house¡¯s network was connected to all the other tournament venues, so the point bags sold out really fast. That was an effect created by the escalated reward system. Anyone would roll the dice at least once if they had nothing to lose. Even users whose ranking wasn¡¯t going to change either way bought a bag just for fun. ¡¸A-amazing¡­!¡¹ TarrTarr couldn¡¯t hide his surprise. ¡¸It sold out¡­¡¹ In a tournament with 150 thousand participants, hundreds or even thousands wasn¡¯t a high number. After the items sold out, there were some people that put out the same item for an even higher price. Those were put out by some people who¡¯d bought many copies of Hyun¡¯s item. ¡¸See, I told you not to worry.¡¹ After he pressed the pay-out button, a number of around a million got converted into points after discounting the commission. [You¡¯re ranked 1st! You currently have 2981385p points!] It was an overwhelming number of points. But thanks to buying ?Trick? in the VVIP marketplace, people just saw a number of around 100 thousand in the rankings. Everything had worked as he had planned from the moment he entered the tournament arena until then. [Soul Replication Elixir] ¨C You can generate a 2nd skill tree slot permanently. ¨C Each slot consumes skill points separately. (Price: 2.5 million points) ¡°Th¡­ Thank you.¡± The price of the Soul Replication Elixir was 2.5 million. The moment one sold, it went out of stock. ¡®Hmm?¡¯ When Hyun was about to close the buy interface, he noticed something. Because he was using ?Assimilation?, he immediately knew. TarrTarr¡¯s sight was fixed in a certain item. TarrTarr¡¯s easy-to-read reactions made Hyun laugh. ¡¸What, you want that?¡¹ [Reversal of Potential] ¨C Except for the awakening skill, you can reset all the skills and points invested. (Price: 100 thousand points) ¡¸I¡­ Was wondering if you were going to use the remaining 400 thousand points.¡¹ ¡¸Say it clearly. You want it or not?¡¹ ¡¸O-of course I want it! You said that my skill tree was ruined!¡¹ Hyun paused for a while and then started speaking again. ¡¸Let¡¯s think about it slowly. Items that reset your skill tree are extremely rare. If it weren¡¯t for me, would you even be able to unlock the VVIP marketplace?¡¹ The truth was that there were some other ways to reset the skill tree¡­ But there was no need to talk about those right then. TarrTarr struggled for a while but then finally answered. ¡¸It would¡¯ve probably been impossible¡­ Right?¡¹ ¡¸Of course! Getting a Lucky Chip isn¡¯t an easy feat. Of course, if you¡¯re at my level, the story changes.¡¹ ¡¸Y¡­ Yeah¡­¡¹ TarrTarr followed Hyun¡¯s words with an uneasy look on his face. He was expecting his wish to be denied, but the flow of the conversation had suddenly changed. ¡¸But we¡¯re collaborators. Did you think that I wouldn¡¯t even do something like that for you?¡¹ Hyun left enough points to retain the ranking and then bought three copies of ¡®Reversal of Potential.¡¯ Why wouldn¡¯t he use points that were going to disappear either way? From the beginning, that was the only thing worth buying from the VVIP marketplace. So there weren¡¯t any other options. ¡¸Fufu¡­ Big brother is going to be generous with you. You don¡¯t need to pay me back immediately. I¡¯m going to take a cut from your salary in the future. Okay?¡¹ From the three, he gave one to TarrTar and kept the other two. Checking out what those were worth was very easy¡­ He could just upload one to a marketplace and then take it out. Seeing TarrTarr happy made Hyun feel relaxed, and a warm smile was drawn on his face. [The point calculations have ended!] [1st place! You¡¯ve won the tournament!] [Congratulations! You¡¯ve received an invitation to the Duke¡¯s party!] As he received the message with the results, the 4th tournament organized by the Abyss ended. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * The party began at night. It was still afternoon. Hyun decided to use his free time to finish some things. The moment he used the Soul Replication Elixir he bought in the Darkness¡¯s Rest Area, his body was covered by light. Hyun felt as if he¡¯d woken up after being unconscious for a short while. Then he finally received the message. [An extra skill tree slot has been generated!] [You have 132 unused skill points in the 2nd skill slot!] Hyun smiled after seeing the empty skill tree. It was hard not to smile. ¡®Things are going faster than planned.¡¯ Even in the game¡¯s latter half, there weren¡¯t many ways to add another skill tree. He was sure that, even among Asra players, he was the only one who knew about the Soul Replication Elixir. And the fact that he was able to get it at level 100 was an incredible achievement! That basically meant he could use double the number of skill points compared to others. Until then, most skill points were invested in the ?Vision Sword?, and he had used the remaining ones to level up other skills. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that he¡¯d used ?Assimilation? for everything. ¡®It wouldn¡¯t be bad to pick skills with another concept.¡¯ He wouldn¡¯t rely only on ?Assimilation? anymore. Just when he was questioning his identity, he had gotten a massive amount of points. ¡°You¡¯ll have to wait a lot because it¡¯s probably going to take me a while,¡± Hyun said to TarrTarr, who was looking at him from the side. As soon as the tournament ended, TarrTarr had reset his skills and picked them just like Hyun told him to. ¡ªExtreme combo thief setting. Although it wasn¡¯t that good for PvP, if your control was good, you wouldn¡¯t lag behind the other classes while hunting. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m just going to be here watching!¡± ¡°It makes me uncomfortable. That¡¯s why I was asking you to go and play somewhere else.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll do that!¡± Even though Hyun had asked him to stop bothering him, TarrTarr seemed excited. After Hyun was left alone, he began thinking about possible skill combinations. ¡®First, I should fill it with buff-type skills. Right?¡¯ Although the Support was similar to a Priest, it didn¡¯t have a way to recover HP. But thanks to it being a hidden job, the efficacy of the supporting skills was incomparable. Hyun always thought that it was a bummer that he hadn¡¯t been able to properly use the other skills thanks to having focused mostly on ?Assimilation? or ?Vision Sword?, so that was a perfect chance for him. ¡®I also have the option to reset the skills, so there¡¯s nothing to be afraid of!¡¯ He had focused on ?Vision Sword? because he wanted to be able to deal lots of damage¡­ But if he looked at it from an efficiency point of view, he could¡¯ve probably come up with a stronger combination. The true value of the Support job came from its exclusive skills! Hyun thought about all the possible skill combinations. But he had already thought of the best possible one, so it didn¡¯t take him long. [?Impact Amplification? Lv.3] ¨C Increase the damage of allies that are within a range of two meters by 2x. ¨C The amplification lasts 10 minutes. {Mana Required: 80} The first skill he thought of was one that buffed. If ?Powerless Wave? reduced the opponent¡¯s defense, ?Impact Amplification? increased the damage allies dealt. ¡®Although it¡¯s useless without ?Assimilation?¡­¡¯ The bad thing about amplification skills was that they had hard pre-requisites. While in a battle, a Support couldn¡¯t always be next to an ally. Right? But if you had ?Assimilation?, the story changed. There was no reason not to learn the best possible buff skill. Hyun didn¡¯t doubt for a moment and used 30 points. But he still had 102 points left. ¡®Now, I should pick a utility one.¡¯ Hyun checked out the skill list once more. Since the time he used to play Asra, Hyun liked skills that could create an unforeseen variable. The skill he found this time was one that could let him stylishly lead the battle. [?Invisible? Lv.2] ¨C Makes the target invisible for two seconds. ¨C While using ?Invisible?, all attacks become critical hits. {Cooldown Time: 120 seconds} [?Biorhythm Acceleration? Lv.3] ¨C Increase the speed of a target by 250%. {Cooldown Time: 120 seconds} Invisibility and a skill that accelerated! According to the skills¡¯ explanations, both had a range of 20 meters. They didn¡¯t require mana, and the cooldown time for both was 120 seconds. If amplification-type skills worked great with ?Assimilation?, those two skills were great because he could use them in all conditions. As he spent 30 and 40 points respectively, the second skill tree became filled with four new skills. The reason why he¡¯d spent so many points on them was that it was better to make the main skills stronger rather than having lots of useless ones. The duration of ?Invisible? depended on the skill level, so everything was decided in an instant. That¡¯s why one second could make a huge difference in a battle. ¡®What would happen if I used both skills simultaneously?¡¯ Hyun tried to think of the combination between ?Invisible? and ?Biorhythm Acceleration?, but then he noticed something. His body started trembling because of expectation. There was a good way to test the new skills he had learned. ¡¸TarrTarr, come here.¡¹ ¡¸Did you finish?¡¹ ¡¸Do you want to PvP?¡¹ The moment he heard the word ¡°PvP¡±, he seemed troubled. ¡°I¡¯m a combo thief, so I¡¯m weak in PvP¡­¡± ¡°And I¡¯m a Support, so who cares? It¡¯s not like you¡¯re really going to die.¡± And that¡¯s how TarrTarr and Hyun¡¯s duel began. Since it was a friendly battle, one could play with various settings, but Hyun decided to leave things as they were. That meant both sides were on equal terms. ?Powerless Wave?. Before the battle began, Hyun used a skill. The reason he didn¡¯t use ?Impact Amplification? was that he soon discovered that it didn¡¯t work on himself. [Three, Two, One, fight!] ¡®?Invisible?, ?Biorhythm Acceleration?!¡¯ The moment the countdown reached 0, he used the other two skills and immediately ran towards TarrTarr. Paf-! When Hyun¡¯s figure disappeared, TarrTarr looked around, surprised. It was to find Hyun, who had suddenly vanished. It was at that moment¡­ [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve received 52 damage!] [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve received 51 damage!] [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve received 55 damage!] [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve received 60 damage!] [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve received 49 damage!] ¡­ ¡°Ugh, wh-what¡¯s happening?!¡± TarrTarr shouted in surprise. After using ?Invisible?, Hyun had started to attack at a very high speed. Before he could find a way to counter, thanks to the consecutive attacks, the battle had ended before the duration of ?Invisible? was over. When Hyun¡¯s figure appeared, TarrTarr just stared at him blankly. ¡°Was the novice dagger this good¡­?¡± It wasn¡¯t just TarrTarr who was dumbfounded. Hyun was also in the same state. He didn¡¯t expect the skill combination he had just created to work so perfectly! It wasn¡¯t TarrTarr¡¯s fault he¡¯d lost. The battle had ended the moment the opponent¡¯s figure disappeared. Who could¡¯ve reacted to that type of strategy the first time they saw it? ¡®I didn¡¯t use any amplification buff. This meant that in a real battle, the damage output would be even higher¡­!¡¯ Hyun¡¯s heart was beating faster. He was in a good mood. The expectations regarding the new skill tree were getting bigger. To be honest, Hyun had been underestimating the Support¡¯s skills up until then. Even if the effects were great, they were all designed to support others. Right? He didn¡¯t feel okay investing points in a skill that he couldn¡¯t become the target of. But as he learned ?Assimilation? and started to unlock the Support¡¯s skills, he had no other option but to change his opinion. Hyun¡¯s heart began beating faster as he took a glimpse of the true potential of the Support. Chapter 84 Chapter 84 ¨C Toward the Depths of the Abyss (1) ¡®I should try it a few more times.¡¯ Hyun dueled TarrTarr once more to verify a few more tests. Thsy time, Hyun¡¯s figure also disappeared as if it were a ghost. As Hyun became invisible, TarrTarr swung his sword in the air, but there was no way Hyun was going to be hit by those kinds of attacks. Whish-! In the blink of an eye, tens of attacks flew in his direction, and that battle also didn¡¯t last more than two seconds. ¡°Wait, so¡­ What happened?¡± ¡°?Invisible?¡­ And a speed buff on top of that.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t fair!¡± TarrTarr shouted. It was because he had taken the role of a punching bag without knowing the reason for a while. Hyun, who had gained a new skill, couldn¡¯t stop smiling. It was the first time he felt like that after starting to play Asrian. TarrTarr had become tired before the party even began due to Hyun¡¯s excitement. * * * [Invitation from the Darkness] ¨C You¡¯ll be transported immediately to the banquet hall. (Remaining time: 3 minutes 12 seconds) After the tournament ended, that item was in TarrTarr¡¯s inventory. ¡ªIt was an invitation given to the top 10 users. Hyun and TarrTarr had to participate in that party. The first reason was that they still hadn¡¯t received the reward for winning the tournament, and the second was to reach the Abyss Repository, which was the quest¡¯s destination. ¡¸Are you ready?¡¹ After he used the ticket, a portal opened in front of them. The moment they stepped in, the scenery around changed. [The barrier is encroaching upon the surroundings!] [Since your level is low, you can¡¯t resist! Your stats have temporarily been decreased by 50%!] ¡¸Ugh¡­!¡¹ TarrTarr took a deep breath. As he stepped in, he felt an intense energy tightening around his body. A few moments later, he finally could grasp the situation. There was a luxurious palace in front of them. Hyun immediately recognized the place. The Dark Palace. That place, bigger than the king¡¯s palace, didn¡¯t have windows because it was located in a place so deep in the Abyss that humans couldn¡¯t reach it. A middle-aged man wearing a suit was waiting for them. ¡°This way.¡± Thanks to following the butler, it didn¡¯t take him long to reach where the party would take place. A luxurious door opened at the end of the corridor. ¡°The winner of this tournament, TarrTarr, has come.¡± The moment they entered the banquet hall, a voice amplified by Magical Power echoed through the room. All the NPCs that belonged to the Abyss and the users that came before¡­ All the Dukes that were behind looked at TarrTarr, who had just entered¡­ TarrTarr was feeling pressured by everyone looking at him, but he advanced while trying to ignore them. ¡°It¡¯s the rumored winner.¡± ¡°He won despite looking weak¡­ Is this because he¡¯s a user?¡± The NPCs murmured while looking at TarrTarr. Because he¡¯d won the tournament, no one in the Abyss didn¡¯t know about TarrTarr. It was the same for the users. TarrTarr was already known as someone talented, thanks to YouTube and the community boards. ¡°I didn¡¯t notice it in the video, but he really is a kid. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s even in high school¡­¡± ¡°They say he¡¯s level 70¡­ If that¡¯s true, he¡¯s incredibly talented.¡± While everyone was murmuring, something that surprised everyone happened. One of the five Dukes in the banquet hall suddenly approached TarrTarr. It was so quick that it seemed like magic. ¡°So you¡¯re the winner.¡± NPCs couldn¡¯t hide their surprise. It was unusual for a Duke to move before the party began. The banquet hall became silent. While everyone was holding their breath, the Duke said something more. ¡°Will you serve me? If you do so, I¡¯ll give you all the pleasures that the world has to offer.¡± The NPCs were surprised once more. Was that user who seemed like a kid that impressive? ¡¸Please say something!¡¹ That time, even TarrTarr couldn¡¯t hide the surprise on his face. Because he¡¯d let Hyun make all the decisions until then, he tried to ask him again. But Hyun thought about something that he thought would be fun. ¡®It should be okay if I let him make the decision. Right?¡¯ Accepting or refusing the Duke¡¯s proposal had its benefits or drawbacks. Accepting increased the risk but also the rewards. Refusing the proposal had no risk, but the rewards obtained also decreased. That would become a turning point for TarrTarr. If it were him, he would accept the proposal. But since TarrTarr was part of the Heavens, maybe it would be better if he refused. Since he belonged to the opposite force, the risk would get bigger. ¡®He should decide his path.¡¯ There was also another reason¡­ Hyun thought it¡¯d be fun to see him dumbfounded. TarrTarr¡¯s innocent reactions were stimulating Hyun¡¯s mischievous side. Hyun whispered while laughing. ¡¸Hey, you seem popular. Even the Duke is desperate to scout you.¡¹ ¡¸So what should I answer?!¡¹ ¡¸Do as you wish. This guy doesn¡¯t even know about my existence. So what do you want me to say?¡¹ ¡¸So I should say it on my own?¡¹ ¡¸Yes.¡¹ Hyun could feel that TarrTarr¡¯s heart was starting to beat faster. Was he wondering about what to answer? But as time went on, TarrTarr wasn¡¯t able to answer easily. But thankfully, another Duke opened his mouth. ¡°Stop it, Bahmir. The party hasn¡¯t even begun yet.¡± ¡°Digitalis, what do you want?¡± ¡°The private talks should take place after the rewards are given out.¡± While everyone was holding their breath, the two Dukes looked at each other. The reason why no one could interfere was that those two were the ones who had the highest hierarchy in the place. ¡°Oof, a useless procedure.¡± Bahmir shrugged his shoulders and went back to his place. Just then, the atmosphere relaxed a bit. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * The banquet hall became noisy again, and the award ceremony continued. The reward was given according to the rankings, so TarrTarr¡¯s turn was last. [You¡¯ve received the rewards!] Reward ¨C 50000 gold, Medal of Darkness x3000, Demon¡¯s Token x5, the Core of a High-Ranking Monster. The rewards for 1st place couldn¡¯t be compared to the rest of the players. Although they would soon enter Hyun¡¯s inventory, they were with TarrTarr for the moment. Soon, the award ceremony came to an end, and the proper party began. It was the perfect chance for users to gain the Duke¡¯s affection! Users that belonged to the Abyss could only expect support from the Dukes. In some community posts, they mentioned that, rather than winning the tournament, gaining affection from the Dukes was more important. How NPCs treated users varied greatly depending on their affection toward them. ¡°It seems like I hurried too much before.¡± Just as expected, as soon as the party began, Bahmir approached TarrTarr. ¡°Did you finish thinking?¡± TarrTarr had been asking for help from Hyun for a while through whisper. But Hyun just kept watching TarrTarr suffer. He just gave him some vague advice, but he didn¡¯t seem to have the intention of helping. TarrTarr nervously gulped. ¡°Hmm¡­ You know.¡± Bahmir frowned a little bit. He thought that TarrTarr was testing him. If it were his subordinate, he would have executed him, but he wasn¡¯t going to do that. ¡°As expected from a user, but it¡¯s okay for you to be a little bit more arrogant.¡± Bahmir made an offer again. He saw how TarrTarr had defeated each quest, so he thought highly of him. Because he couldn¡¯t see Hyun¡¯s soul inside TarrTarr, he thought that the skills and control shown were his. ¡°If you serve me, I¡¯ll show you that everything you¡¯ve received up until now is nothing¡­¡± ¡°That¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Sh-should I¡­?¡± TarrTarr was overwhelmed by the pressure applied by the Duke and subconsciously ended up accepting. A smile appeared on Bahmir¡¯s face. ¡°Haha, good decision! You won¡¯t regret it!¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°TarrTarr, from today, I¡¯ll name you as my knight! The contract has been made! I guarantee that there are no lies in my words.¡± [You¡¯ve obtained the title ¡®Duke¡¯s Knight¡¯!] ¨C You deal extra 5% damage to the ones that belong to Heaven! The reason why only TarrTarr got the title was that he had mentioned his ID. Hyun smiled. Should he make a joke? Before TarrTarr answered, Hyun had already prepared two different opposing answers. While making sure not to laugh, Hyun said while making a big deal out of it. ¡¸Hey, you belong to Heaven. How can you accept becoming the underling of a Duke?!¡¹ ¡¸What?! But you told me to do as I wish!¡¹ ¡¸I thought that you¡¯d refuse for sure¡­¡¹ ¡¸What¡­ Can¡¯t I cancel it?! Also, why didn¡¯t you help me from the beginning..?!¡¹ TarrTarr was about to cry. Bahmir and TarrTarr were both smiling. Lots of messages appeared in front of TarrTarr. [Your soul¡¯s string has been connected to Bahmir!] [You¡¯ve unlocked a new job, ¡®The Knight of Death¡¯! You can change to it from level 100 onwards!] [From time to time, the Duke will get to you through the soul¡¯s string!] After reading all the messages, TarrTarr¡¯s voice trembled. He should be happy that he had unlocked what seemed like a hidden job, but he couldn¡¯t comprehend the last part very well. ¡¸Did I screw up¡­?!¡¹ ¡¸Yes, probably¡­ The fact that, as a member of the Heaven¡¯s, you became the Duke¡¯s servant is a little bit¡­ There are no precedents of something like this.¡¹ To be honest, he hadn¡¯t screwed it up. The ¡®Knight of Death¡¯ was a job that was considered one with great potential, even in the previous game, so who could say that he had screwed up? Not only that, but he had gained the Duke¡¯s affection. And with that, he gained extra benefits! The reason why users preferred the Heavens was simple: Even without gaining the affection of NPCs, you could receive help. But if they could earn the affection of a Duke, a user belonging to the Abyss could receive as much help as a ranker that belonged to the Heavens. That was if you could overcome some risks. ¡®I should tell TarrTarr to change forces as quickly as possible.¡¯ The biggest penalty was that TarrTarr belonged to the Heavens. If he did something that benefited the Heavens, there was a chance that he would be considered a traitor. In the worst case, he would end up executed. Of course, Hyun was not going to let that happen. He still had lots of things to do with TarrTarr, so he was going to reduce the variables as much as possible. ¡®I guess it¡¯s a relief that I¡¯m part of the Abyss.¡¯ While Hyun and TarrTarr were thinking, Bahmir disappeared as fast as he had appeared. But the interest in TarrTarr from people around didn¡¯t decrease. The other Dukes? No, it wasn¡¯t them. There wasn¡¯t an NPC who dared to droll over a user that had already been targetted by Bahmir, one of the highest-ranking beings. ¡°You¡¯re TarrTarr, right?¡± The ones interested in him were the other users. Berard, the user who had reached 5th place in the rankings in Asra. He had been waiting for Bahmir to go away in order to approach TarrTarr. ¡°My ID is Berard, although I¡¯m just a normal user compared to you, but I¡¯m ranked.¡± ¡®Berard?¡¯ The one that was surprised after hearing that username wasn¡¯t TarrTarr, but Hyun. TarrTarr still hadn¡¯t come back to his senses. Berard¡­ There was no way he wouldn¡¯t remember that ID he¡¯d seen for many years. Hyun looked at his face carefully. Did Berard always look like that? The user with whom he played Asra Online seemed unfamiliar. Hyun was covered by an unfamiliar mood. Chapter 85 Chapter 85 Toward the Depths of the Abyss (2) Hyun quickly brushed off the nonsensical thoughts. Whether Berard used his real-life appearance or had changed it wasn¡¯t important. Now that he thought about it, compared to the shock he¡¯d felt when he met Ain, it was nothing. He¡¯d said he was a ranker, so it was probable that the Berard in front of him was the one he knew. ¡°Hmm? Do you know me¡­?¡± ¡°No, I just thought that if you¡¯re a ranker, you¡¯re probably an amazing person.¡± ¡°Fufu, I ranked 2nd in the third tournament. I still have a long way to go.¡± Berard went straight to the point. That¡¯s how much he wanted to scout the user in front of him. ¡°I approached you because I wanted to ask you to join our guild. Although it¡¯s closer to a gathering than a guild at the moment¡­¡± Berard cut the conversation at that point for a moment. After looking TarrTarr¡¯s reaction, he kept talking. ¡°It¡¯s a guild created by ex-Asra Online users.¡± Hyun shrugged his shoulders. It was the first time he¡¯d heard that. He was expecting ex-Asra players to move to Asrian, but he wasn¡¯t expecting them to create a guild. Berard smiled after seeing the other person¡¯s surprise. He thought that if it were that type of reaction, he¡¯d have an easy time convincing him. ¡°As expected, you know about Asra Online. All the information other guilds treat as confidential is nothing to us.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°If you join us, we¡¯ll tell you all the information we know.¡± Of course, Berard had no intention of telling him everything. But it wasn¡¯t a lie that he¡¯d do his best to help TarrTarr. Giving him huge benefits and preventing them from leaving was one of the recruitment techniques. To be able to face those two who were probably somewhere growing constantly, they had to incorporate as many people as possible. They had to do it as soon as possible since the game was still in its infancy. ¡°If you join us, we¡¯d probably become invincible!¡± ¡°Wait, don¡¯t you think you need to listen to our offer, too?¡± Everyone turned their head around after hearing a familiar woman¡¯s voice. After seeing who it was, they couldn¡¯t hide their surprise. TarrTarr and Berard were both surprised, but the one who was surprised the most was Hyun. He didn¡¯t know what to call it. Was this fate? Or an ill-fated one? It wasn¡¯t an unfamiliar face. ¡®Mayday? Why is she here?¡¯ Because she was wearing a hat, no one noticed her presence. Mayday had ended up 2nd after Lattice in the first tournament. That meant that, just like Berard, she had fulfilled the pre-requisite to obtaining an invitation. ¡°So you¡¯re Berard¡­ Your best ranking was 5th.¡± ¡°What, how do you know that?!¡± ¡°Did you think we wouldn¡¯t now? That¡¯s not everything we know¡­¡± The Darkness guild had recently succeeded in incorporating an Asra ranker. Thanks to that, the guild¡¯s database had grown a lot. That was why Mayday knew about Berard even though his name wasn¡¯t in the hall of fame. ¡°See? We don¡¯t lack in terms of information, so there¡¯s no need to listen to that person.¡± ¡°But still, we¡­¡± ¡°No. Not only that, but we have a ranker who was better positioned than you.¡± Mayday once again interrupted Berard. What she said next was a surprise to everyone. ¡°According to him, his ¡®average¡¯ ranking was 4th¡­ Berard, your ¡®best¡¯ ranking was 5th, right? You know who I¡¯m talking about, right?¡± ¡°Wh-what?!¡± Berard was horrified. He wasn¡¯t sure if she was telling the truth or not, but seeing how she knew about his past, she didn¡¯t seem to be lying. Mayday once again looked at TarrTarr and said something that turned Berard¡¯s proposal into nothing. ¡°And there¡¯s more! We¡¯ll give you a sign-off bonus of a million dollars for a contract of six months. How about that?¡± ¡®What, a million?!¡¯ Hyun¡¯s chin almost dropped after hearing the proposal. TarrTarr¡¯s reaction wasn¡¯t that different from his. Just a few words were enough for Mayday to swing things over to her side. ¡°Fufu, this much is nothing. Our guild¡¯s sponsor is an impressive company! After six months, you¡¯ll want to stay in Darkness.¡± ¡°Fu, you want to do something with only that much money?¡± Said Berard, who had been listening on the sides. ¡°He¡¯s someone who can earn millions in six months. Trying to convince him with just that? Nonsense.¡± Berard¡¯s answer just created lots of question marks inside Hyun¡¯s head. ¡®What is this guy talking about? How am I going to earn millions?¡¯ Hyun and TarrTarr hadn¡¯t logged out from the game even once that day. So they didn¡¯t know about what was happening outside. They didn¡¯t know that there were articles about how TarrTarr had beaten Lattice¡¯s record in the Virtual Historical Battle. ¡ªAnd how the YouTube views had exploded with that! Because they didn¡¯t understand the situation, it made sense that what Berard was saying sounded like nonsense. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯ve said that a million is what we¡¯re going to pay him after joining Darkness. There¡¯re obviously other bonuses! For example, we won¡¯t restrict personal profits, whether through broadcasting or other things.¡± While Hyun was listening to Mayday¡¯s words, dumbfounded, he heard TarrTarr¡¯s voice, who seemed in a hurry. ¡¸Check this out! The video¡¯s views¡­ Have surpassed seven million!¡¹ ¡¸What?¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t know what happened, but suddenly, the number of comments has increased a lot, too!¡¹ It seemed like TarrTarr had checked out the YouTube channel through the capsule¡¯s search window. Because Hyun¡¯s capsule wasn¡¯t the newest model, he could only use the internet if he logged out or was in rest mode, so he couldn¡¯t immediately check it out. ¡¸S-seven thousand dollars?!¡¹ ¡¸No, the views have surpassed seven million.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s that! Wait¡­ I¡¯ll be back.¡¹ ¡¸R-right now?!¡¹ ¡¸Yes.¡¹ ¡¸¡¯Hyun¡¯ has changed his status to rest mode.¡¹ * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * As soon as SeoHyun exited the capsule, he began typing on the keyboard. As he logged in to TarrTarr¡¯s channel, he saw a number so big that it was hard to read at first sight. ¡®Seven million views in 10 hours? Is this possible?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t believe what his eyes were seeing. Every time he refreshed the page, the views increased. As he took a closer look at the other videos on TarrTarr¡¯s channel, all the other four videos had also surpassed a million views. The total amount of views was about 15 million. ¡®What¡¯s happening?¡¯ It took SeoHyun a while to understand what was going on. He understood what was going on only after reading a post on a community board that he¡¯d often used to enter. The commotion, which began in a foreign community board, had spread worldwide in less than 10 hours. Although it was in just one area, users were shocked that a level 70 player had been able to surpass Lattice, who was the overwhelming 1st place in the rankings. ¡®Can something like this happen?¡¯ Hyun was surprised by people¡¯s reactions because he didn¡¯t think that Lattice was particularly amazing. He also didn¡¯t think that breaking the record in the Virtual Historical Battle was a big deal. He thought of it just like establishing a new high score inside one of the many mini-games in the tournament venue. There was a big difference in perception because Hyun¡¯s standards differed from those of an average user. After looking at the community boards closely, Hyun once again discovered something. ¡ªThe users who were at the top of the rankings were admired as if they were some kind of gods. The ones who were at the top of the rankings like Lattice and Mayday, and Ain and a few other users who had been the center of attention¡­ And just that day, TarrTarr¡¯s name had joined that group. ¡®I see¡­ This is what he meant by earning millions!¡¯ Hyun finally understood Berard¡¯s words. The amount of money top rankers earned was mind-blowing. SeoHyun looked at the number of views. If he could earn $7,000 USD in 10 hours, in 24 hours, he would be able to earn at least 10 thousand dollars¡­ If he added all five videos that had recently been uploaded, the amount of money would probably increase to 20 ~ 30 thousand dollars. What would his old self say if he heard that this was the amount of money he could earn in just a day? ¡®This is crazy¡­!¡¯ ¡¸User ¡®Hyun¡¯ is online.¡¹ ¡¸TarrTarr! Are you here?¡¹ When Hyun logged in, TarrTarr was struggling because of Berard and Mayday¡¯s proposal. ¡¸What should I do about these people?¡¹ ¡¸What? Are these guys still here? Just ask them to leave.¡¹ As Hyun got the control priority, the shy boy¡¯s eyes suddenly changed. Mayday and Berard flinched after noticing the sudden change in the aura. While trying to back off, they heard Hyun¡¯s firm refusal. ¡°I¡¯m going to refuse to negotiate furthermore. I¡¯m not interested, so please return to your respective places.¡± ¡°Why? Why so suddenly¡­?¡± Mayday shouted. ¡°Is it the money? Okay, we¡¯ll pay you two million plus the same conditions! This is the most money I can prepare!¡± ¡®Two million¡­?¡¯ Hyun¡¯s heart was about to change, but he could refuse the temptation because he¡¯d seen the bigger picture. ¡®I can¡¯t send TarrTarr to somewhere else.¡¯ ¡ªEspecially because he couldn¡¯t allow him to join another guild. TarrTarr knew all his information. And on top of that, he was one of the few users who knew about the ?Assimilation? skill. He wanted to avoid information about him leaking as much as possible. Not only that, but TarrTarr had to edit videos for him so he could earn money. ¡°No, it¡¯s not about the money.¡± ¡°Then why¡¯s that? Tell me if there¡¯s anything we can do for you¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have intentions of joining any guild. I¡¯m more comfortable playing solo.¡± ¡°What are you¡­?!¡± Mayday wanted to refute Hyun, but he was quicker. While Berard and Mayday looked at TarrTarr¡¯s back, dumbfounded, Hyun quickly left the banquet hall. ¡®Oof¡­¡¯ He walked around near the waiting room. Even as time flowed, he couldn¡¯t calm down. The number of views roamed around his head as an image of a bag full of money. ¡®If I can earn 30 thousand per day¡­ If it goes like this, could I really earn at least 900 thousand per month?¡¯ After thinking about that unrealistic number, he felt something. He hadn¡¯t yet felt how big Asrian was, even though he¡¯d seen analytics about it on the news and many community boards. As that approached him as money, he understood what kind of game it was. ¡®This isn¡¯t just a popular game¡­ This is like a world on its own!¡¯ He¡¯d already felt it once when he¡¯d received 50 thousand from Jini, but as the number passed to the hundred thousands, the feeling changed. Becoming number one in the rankings of such a game¡­ wasn¡¯t it comparable to becoming an emperor for real? Hyun became immersed in his own thoughts for a while while remembering his time in Asra. * * * ¡¸You failed?¡¹ The leader of Darkness, XL, couldn¡¯t believe Mayday¡¯s report. ¡¸I never expected he was going to refuse with such conditions.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s not it. That person didn¡¯t even listen to me until the end. He just left the room. He said something about enjoying playing solo¡­?!¡¹ After listening to a more detailed explanation from Mayday, XL didn¡¯t know what to say. Bear Shield, who was with him, began laughing. ¡°It seems like he¡¯s still a kid¡­ I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s because he thinks it¡¯s cooler this way or he¡¯s clever.¡± ¡°Even if he¡¯s little, there¡¯s no way he didn¡¯t understand the value of that contract.¡± ¡°Then is it possible that he refused because he¡¯s waiting for us to improve it?¡± The executive staff members fell deep into thought. It was hard to understand the user TarrTarr¡¯s intentions. Chapter 86 Chapter 86 ¨C Toward the Depths of the Abyss (3) The vice-leader of the guild, Reina, spoke to someone next to her. In the room of executives, there was one man that hadn¡¯t been there before. ¡°Keiji, what do you think?¡± Keiji was a user who had played the previous game. He had just recently joined Darkness. He had once ranked 2nd. He was a real veteran. Of course, he was only placed 2nd for a short while, but that was enough of a reason to make him an offer to join them. Reina asked for his opinion. ¡°Is there a chance TarrTarr was an Asra user?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not possible.¡± Keiji shook his head. If he¡¯d been an Asra user, he would¡¯ve at least ranked 3rd. But he knew the person who¡¯d been ranked 3rd in Asra, and he knew that person had quit playing. Although 2nd place in the rankings varied frequently, the user whom people thought about when talking about 2nd place had already become famous through numerous combat videos through the different community boards. And the 1st¡­ ¡®I¡¯m sure it isn¡¯t him.¡¯ If he really was level 70, he wouldn¡¯t show himself like that. That¡¯s if he didn¡¯t care about receiving all the hate from ex-Asra users. Considering everything, he was sure TarrTarr was a new Asrian user. ¡°He¡¯s probably the same kind of person as Lattice. Although it seems like he started playing late.¡± ¡°Hmm, I see.¡± XL sighed. If what Keiji said was true, they had to make him join them no matter what, but it didn¡¯t seem like Mayday was going to bring good news. After thinking for a while, Mayday spoke through the guild chat. ¡¸Are you still in the banquet hall, Mayday?¡¹ ¡¸Yes.¡¹ ¡¸Then try to look for him again. Maybe he¡¯s looking for a better deal.¡¹ XL calculated the max amount of money Darkness could pay him on the calculator. Once they could make a connection with him, he was sure they¡¯d be able to convince him easily, so he planned to put on as much effort as possible into their first meeting. * * * Hyun stopped thinking. He remembered the second reason why he had participated in the banquet. Although he had received the reward, he still hadn¡¯t reached the Abyss Repository, which was the quest¡¯s destination. ¡®Time to move.¡¯ The Dark Palace¡­ The place, which was the base of the Abyss and was hundreds of meters underground, was so vast that it didn¡¯t look like it was underground. ¡¸It¡¯s scary¡­¡¹ TarrTarr trembled a little bit after looking at the monsters guarding the different paths. Although the palace was incredibly big, the place users were allowed access to was relatively small. The banquet hall, the waiting room in front of it, and the square. Those were the places users had access to. If you tried to access other places, you would¡¯ve to face the wrath of high-level monsters. ¡¸So where¡¯s the Abyss Repository?¡¹ TarrTarr asked since they¡¯d been roaming around the same area for a few minutes. According to Hyun, they¡¯d participated in the tournament so they could access the Abyss Repository. But no matter how much he looked around, he could only see a few shops and non-sensically big sculptures. The only thing worth seeing was a volcanic waterfall curtain. How it poured out from the ceiling and scattered into the depths of the Abyss was so impressive that it was like an art piece that you wouldn¡¯t be able to replicate in real life. ¡¸Wait, it¡¯s going to open soon.¡¹ While TarrTarr was distracted, Hyun was looking at one place. At that moment¡­ As the lava waterfall stopped, the path hidden behind it showed itself. But that place wasn¡¯t a place that users could enter. It was a place that was guarded by strong monsters. The moment he did something suspicious, it would become impossible to go through the security. But the current Hyun could do it. ¡®?Invisible?, ?Biorhythm Acceleration?!¡¯ Hyun used both skills and leaped toward the path that had appeared behind the waterfall. Tap-! Because of the step, a weak sound spread through the place. At that moment, the minotaur there turned its head around. ¡°¡­¡± But it couldn¡¯t see anyone. Whoosh-! The monster relaxed after the lava waterfall began falling again. Three seconds had passed. During those seconds, Hyun had moved more than a hundred meters away from there and hid. It was thanks to ?Biorhythm Acceleration?, which increased his speed by 250% for two seconds. ¡¸Oof, oof¡­!¡¹ It was for a short while, but TarrTarr felt a speed that was enough to make his vision shake. ¡¸I told you to give me a warning before moving!¡¹ ¡¸Ssh, be quiet.¡¹ Hyun made TarrTarr quiet down. They couldn¡¯t relax yet. The Abyss Repository was a place where all of the important information about the Abyss was gathered, so it wasn¡¯t a place a user could easily gain access to. If they followed the normal procedures, it would probably take months before they were granted access to it, so that¡¯s why Hyun thought of infiltrating the place. ¡¸Don¡¯t relax yet.¡¹ While calming down TarrTarr, who was making a big fuss out of it, Hyun prepared to move again. 120 seconds¡­ It was the amount of time he had to wait until the cooldown time of ?Invisible? and ?Biorhythm Acceleration? was reset. Paf-! As TarrTarr¡¯s figure melted into the air, an invisible race began. While trying to make as little noise as possible¡­ Hyun jumped through the gap between the two minotaurs guarding the path. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * ¡°¡­!¡± Clang-! Both minotaurs crossed their spears and blocked the path. That happened at the same time Hyun was crossing through the middle of them. Even if he tried to make footstep noises as low as possible, he couldn¡¯t hide the pressure generated by them. The moment they felt something strange, they¡¯d blocked the pathway. Just before ?Invisible?¡¯s time came to an end, Hyun jumped up. ¡¸Did we get found out..?¡¹ ¡¸No, not yet.¡¹ While hiding on the ceiling crossbeam, Hyun quietly looked down. It seemed like both monsters were talking about something. After a while, they saw the gate of the passageway opening. Hyun and TarrTarr couldn¡¯t understand what they were saying, but the situation seemed positive. ¡¸I thought we were found out¡­¡¹ ¡¸There aren¡¯t many beings who can see through ?Invisible?. Although if it was a Duke, he¡¯d probably know.¡¹ Hyun walked along the crossbeam of the palace and moved toward their destination. ?Invisible? lasted for two seconds¡­ But the distance he could move in that time was 200 meters. That meant he could cross the gates without being discovered as long as it wasn¡¯t a winding road. Hyun used a giant column and immediately moved up to a high-up equivalent of a 4th floor. Dust that was nearby rose and then settled. Not a single monster was able to see the intruder. The pattern of moving for two seconds and then resting for two minutes kept repeating. As if he were an assassin moving along the ceiling, he sometimes passed through places where humans couldn¡¯t. Even while going through an empty engine room, he didn¡¯t relax. ¡®TarrTarr has signed a contract with the Duke.¡¯ If the Duke wished, he could move to where his knight was. If that happened while he was moving along the palace¡¯s ceiling, he would be in trouble. But he had to leave that to luck. ¡¸It¡¯s here.¡¹ It had been 30 minutes since they began moving. Hyun stopped moving at a dead end. ¡¸It¡¯s here?¡¹TarrTarr asked. The reason why he was so confused was that the place where they¡¯d arrived was an empty vault. Not only was there not any sort of massive facility, but there wasn¡¯t even a monster guarding it. It was a place surrounded by colorless walls. ¡¸But there¡¯s nothing¡­¡¹ ¡¸Yes, that¡¯s right. That¡¯s why there isn¡¯t a risk of being found out.¡¹ ¡¸¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Just keep waiting.¡¹ While TarrTarr was confused, Hyun began walking slowly toward a wall. And in that state, he used a skill. ¡®?Disassimilation?.¡¯ Paf- The distance for using ?Assimilation? was 20 meters. Hyun¡¯s body crossed the wall and reached an empty place. It was also a place where there wasn¡¯t anyone, but it wasn¡¯t empty. Equipment with complex magic circles drawn on them were spreading remnants of Magical Power. A giant marble ball was floating in the air and drawing a three-dimensional magical circle in the air. This place full of all sorts of other weird things was the place known as Abyss Repository. * * * Duke Bahmir remembered TarrTarr¡¯s play. The one he remembered the most was the last battle. The battle between both forces at the satellite Iluna had ended with the Abyss forces losing. According to the historical records, the Abyss army could only resist for about 15 minutes. But thanks to a user taking part in it, the duration of the fight was extended to 60 minutes. He was amazed at how someone who looked so shabby could use his strength in such a skillful way. ¡°A user¡­¡± Users weren¡¯t afraid of dying, and they had unlimited potential. You couldn¡¯t judge them by their outer appearance. An extremely small number of users may even surpass him one day. ¡ªSo he couldn¡¯t treat them in the same way as normal people. Rather than punishing them, he had to motivate them with rewards. ¡°Fufu, I¡¯m going to make sure you don¡¯t regret becoming my knight.¡± The Duke could use the soul¡¯s string to go and find his knight. Bahmir was thinking that he should try to go and see TarrTarr immediately. At that moment, Hyun and TarrTarr were moving to the Abyss Repository. That would be fatal for both of them since they were trying to infiltrate. ¡°Hmm?¡± At that moment, the Duke frowned. One of the guards had sent a signal that said something unexpected had happened in his sector. Bahmir didn¡¯t know, but that was one of the traces Hyun had left while trying to infiltrate the Abyss Repository. Lots of suspicious things accumulated, and the tail was eventually revealed. ¡°Hmm, interesting.¡± He had received a detailed report through the soul conversation. Bahmir vaguely understood what was going on in the Dark Palace. ¡°It seems like someone has infiltrated, but you¡¯re not sure who it is?¡± The tips of Bahmir¡¯s lips raised. ¡°Is it an agent of the Heavens¡­? I¡¯m not sure who it is, but since you stepped foot in the Abyss, you better be prepared for the consequences.¡± He decided to leave his interest in TarrTarr to the side for a while. It wouldn¡¯t be late if he got to him after solving the case. The moment a magic circle was drawn under his feet, he disappeared. * * * The activation of ?Assimilation? didn¡¯t depend on sight but on distance. He had penetrated the Abyss Repository¡¯s thick walls thanks to that characteristic of ?Assimilation?. ¡®It seems like I found it successfully.¡¯ Hyun ignored TarrTarr¡¯s complaints and kept walking. Although it was the place where many important items of the Abyss were gathered, Hyun didn¡¯t know what everything was. He didn¡¯t need to know, either. He only had to follow what the quest mission was saying. ¨C Once you reach the Abyss Repository, search for the magic marble ball. Because the message had very kindly incorporated a picture, it didn¡¯t take him long to find it. The magic marble ball was a ball of three meters shaped like a globe. Rather than the earth, there were Asra¡¯s lands and seas drawn on the globe. [The magic marble is a weapon that tracks a target with magic!] [You have something with magic on it in your inventory!] [If you put the medium on the altar, you¡¯ll be able to find the target¡¯s location!] ¡°I¡¯ve found you.¡± Hyun smiled with satisfaction. Chapter 87 Chapter 87 ¨C Clue (1) ¡®I think I understand.¡¯ From there onwards, Hyun didn¡¯t need indications from the quest. Hyun remembered he had received some items from the Knight Commander. The items with magic it was referring to were probably those. ¡®Is this it?¡¯ He took out a piece of the skin of a demon and placed it on the altar. But nothing happened. A single message appeared. [The magic on the medium is too weak, so it¡¯s impossible to track the soul!] ¡®This isn¡¯t it.¡¯ Although it¡¯d failed to activate, Hyun wasn¡¯t disappointed. He had one more item he had received from the Knight Commander. He took out the monster¡¯s claw and put that on the altar. Ziinngg-. At that moment, a small red dot appeared on the globe. Just as if it were a GPS, it pointed to a certain place. The monster¡¯s coordinates were shown thanks to the unique magic emitted by it. ¡°Huh? What?¡± Hyun mumbled after checking out the location of the red dot. ¡°It¡¯s here?¡± The red dot was located in the middle of the empire¡¯s capital. According to the Knight Commander, that monster had appeared together with a demon and then disappeared. The fact that such a creature was in the capital meant that the entire city was exposed to a possible demon¡¯s attack. From the Heaven¡¯s point of view, it was clearly a dangerous situation. Who would¡¯ve thought that a demon would be hiding in their territory?! ¡°Tsk tsk, they do say that it¡¯s darker under the lamp¡­¡± A quest was created. ¨C This is serious. The Empire is in danger! Please tell this to the Knight Commander as soon as possible! ¨C Once you report to him, you¡¯ll be known as the one who saved the Empire! The red dot soon disappeared. The magic remaining in the claws had disappeared. Hyun was about to return when something weird happened. ¡°Oh¡­ What?¡± [There¡¯s one more item in your inventory that has been registered in the ¡®magic marble ball¡¯!] [There¡¯s one more item in your inventory that has been registered in the ¡®magic marble ball¡¯!] Although he had finished everything he had to do, he kept receiving that same message. He placed the claws on the altar once again, but nothing happened. It was the same with the skin piece. [There¡¯s one more item in your inventory that has been registered in the ¡®magic marble ball¡¯!] But the message didn¡¯t stop. ¡®Was there something else?¡¯ While tilting his head, Hyun kept placing all the items related to the Knight Commander on the altar. But there was no reaction from the marble ball. ¡®Wait, maybe?¡¯ Hyun, who had thought of something, took out something from his inventory. Louise¡¯s necklace¡­ That item he¡¯d found in the Evil¡¯s Seed Dungeon was the necklace that the little Louise of five years past had considered very important. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Hyun groaned shortly. When he took the necklace out of his inventory, it began vibrating. Whir- Whir- He felt he was going to drop it if he didn¡¯t hold onto it tightly. While struggling, he managed to get the necklace close to the altar. Thud-! The altar pulled the necklace to it as if it were a magnet. At the same time, the marble ball activated, and in the Asra globe, a red dot appeared. Ting-! [Main Quest, ¡®In Search of Louise¡¯ has been generated!] ¨C You¡¯ve discovered Louise¡¯s location. Hyun moved forward as if he were possessed. The red dot on the globe was more intense than the one that had appeared when he placed the claws on the altar. ¡°The¡­ Sea?¡± Amazingly, the place where the dot had appeared wasn¡¯t on the land, but in the middle of the vast sea. It was the equivalent of the Pacific Ocean of the Earth. Did that mean that Louise had sunk? Even he, who had been a ranker on the previous game, didn¡¯t know about a place hidden in the sea. ¡°This¡­ Doesn¡¯t make sense.¡± Hyun was troubled. Now that he thought about it, Louise was the only one from whom he couldn¡¯t get information, even with his knowledge of Asra. When he¡¯d met her, he hadn¡¯t even know her name. At first, he thought she was an extra NPC. But later on, he discovered that she was a Royal ranking Angel. Louise always exceeded his expectations. Then it was possible that, unexpectedly, there was a place hidden in the middle of the ocean that he didn¡¯t know about. ¡°How am I supposed to go there¡­?¡± There probably wasn¡¯t a teleportation gate in the ocean. He would run out of mana, even if he learned a flying skill. Should he take a ship? But the world¡¯s oceans, unlike Earth¡¯s, were full of dangerous monsters. Even if he managed to dodge the monsters, he could be devoured by the sea. ¡®Huh? Wait¡­¡¯ While thinking about how to cross the sea, Hyun suddenly felt that something was strange. He felt that the red dot that was in the middle of the sea was moving. ¡®Didn¡¯t it move a little bit?¡¯ Because the magic marble globe had the latitude and longitude drawn, it was easy to check the coordinates. At first, the red dot was in the middle of the globe. But after a while, it seemed like it was off the center. ¡®I didn¡¯t see it wrong, right?¡¯ Hyun waited for a little bit more while standing still. After a while, the red dot kept getting further away from the center. He kept waiting and became sure that it had completely moved away from the center. ¡®It¡¯s moving!¡¯ If Louise was the red dot, it meant that she was still moving. ¡®Fast¡­!¡¯ Although the scale ratio must¡¯ve been huge, it was easy to see the red dot moving. She was probably moving at a speed of tens of kilometers per second. Was she moving at that speed under the sea? Or on top of it¡­? Neither option made sense. While thinking for a while, he suddenly felt like a hammer had hit him in the head. ¡®No¡­ It¡¯s possible!¡¯ Because the map was made with flat surfaces, you wouldn¡¯t know at which height the target was. That¡¯s why, up until then, he¡¯d thought that she was under the sea. But what if she wasn¡¯t under¡­ but up? He looked again with a different point of view. That time, he asked himself, ¡°what if she was somewhere above?¡± * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * ¡®The moon!¡¯ That could explain the mind-bending speed and the strange location of the dot. Yes, there wasn¡¯t a place hidden under the sea. He had to look up into the sky. ¡®Which moon is it?¡¯ The Earth only had one moon, but Asra had two. No, except for the Empire, a few countries had a satellite made of Magical Power. So there were more options. What was Louise¡¯s orbital path? Hyun grabbed his head and thought about it again. More than ten minutes had passed since he started watching the red dot, when¡­ Bang! The door of the Abyss Repository opened while making a strong noise. The noise of monsters¡¯ footsteps started to spread through the room. ¡®Oh, damn¡­!¡¯ Hyun quickly put the necklace away. He leaped toward the wall from where he¡¯d come. Grrr-! While leaving behind the cry of monsters, he used his skill. ?Assimilation?! Just as if he had suddenly appeared, he quickly disappeared. The monsters entered the Abyss Repository after that. A few moments later, even Bahmir arrived. ¡°You didn¡¯t catch the intruder?¡± Bahmir got angry after receiving the report. ¡°There¡¯s no place to escape from here. Find the intruder!¡± In the Abyss Repository, teleport magics were blocked. But what Bahmir didn¡¯t consider was that ?Assimilation? worked in a completely different way from teleportation-type skills. That¡¯s why they couldn¡¯t find him, no matter how much they searched. ¡°What about traces?¡± ¡°That¡­ over here¡­!¡± The only thing clear was that someone had infiltrated the Abyss Repository. There had been records of someone using the magic marble ball. At Bahmir¡¯s orders, they began looking at the search records. According to the record, the tracking magic had been used twice. Bahmir frowned after looking at the records. ¡°It was clearly an agent from the Heavens.¡± There was a red dot on the magic marble ball. Now he understood what was going on. It seemed like the one who had infiltrated had discovered the existence of the monster that was hidden in the Empire¡¯s capital. That was a plan that tens of Dukes had been planning for a while. The location of the monster that was as strong as a demon had been discovered. ¡°I should order for it to retreat immediately.¡± ¡°Then the plan¡­¡± ¡°Discarded.¡± How they¡¯d lost a great chance would affect the Dukes negatively. But now that they¡¯d been found out, it was better if they retreated. ¡®What¡¯s the second one?¡¯ According to the record, the infiltrator had tried to search the location of another thing. The problem was that even Bahmir didn¡¯t know what that was. The identity of the presence that was in the middle of the sea¡­ ¡°Is it¡­ One of the Transcendents?¡± Because of the strange location, there was a huge chance that the dot was a demon. But he didn¡¯t know who from the Heavens had gotten an item of the Transcendent and why that person was trying the location of a demon. Bahmir¡¯s thoughts deepened, and his eyes narrowed. * * * [You¡¯ve canceled the large-scale event ¡®Gray Invation¡¯!] [All your stats have increased by +7!] As soon as he exited the Abyss Repository, Hyun got more than one notification. [Because of your actions, your tendency has changed!] [You¡¯ve gotten closer to the Abyss. (Current Tendency: -83)] Hyun felt suspicious. If he¡¯d canceled the Abyss¡¯s plans while doing the Knight Commander¡¯s quest, shouldn¡¯t he get closer to the Heavens? At first, he thought that it was a system error, But he soon concluded that was impossible. Louise¡¯s quest. The so-called main quest was so influential that it was able to overwrite the Knight Commander¡¯s quest influence and dragged him closer to the Abyss. ¡¸My tendency started to change!¡¹ TarrTarr shouted. Because he hadn¡¯t influenced it, he didn¡¯t receive the achievement bonus. But just because he¡¯d provided a tiny help, TarrTarr¡¯s tendency had changed by a huge margin. [You¡¯ve gone a little bit away from the ¡®Heavens.¡¯ (Current Tendency: 11)] The tendency of the user changed a little bit depending on the actions. But TarrTarr¡¯s tendency had gotten cut in half. That was enough to know how influential Louise¡¯s quest was. ¡®Louise¡­¡¯ Hyun tried to remember details about her. Even back then, his tendency changed when he got entangled with her. After all, he had ended up as a member of the Abyss because of her. Five years ago, after helping Louise escape, he changed history and, thanks to that, received lots of stats and skill points. ¡®What¡¯s her real identity?¡¯ In the end, both hidden quests he had received from the Knight Commander were related to her. Also, the quest that asked him to go and search for her was called a main quest. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that she was at the center of all incidents. But even then, he didn¡¯t know her identity. In the Evil¡¯s Seed Dungeon, he saw her as an angel. She wasn¡¯t an Archangel but a Royal ranking Angel. Then how could she have such a big influence? Also, if Louise was indeed an Angel, why was it that every time he got involved with her, his tendency got closer to the Abyss? ¡®I guess I¡¯ll discover the answer once I meet her.¡¯ Even while moving away from that sector, Hyun¡¯s head was not easily unraveled. Chapter 88 Chapter 88 ¨C Clue (2) After TarrTarr disappeared, Mayday left the banquet hall and was looking for him. The Guild¡¯s leader, XL, had improved the conditions and had asked her to try to make a new deal with him. When she heard the amount of money, her first thought was that if he really was worth that ridiculous sum of money. But after thinking about it, she concluded that it was a fair deal. ¡®Well, we indeed do not have lots of Thieves, so if we could make one with great control and abilities, the potential of Darkness would increase a lot!¡¯ Although TarrTarr¡¯s level was low, that wouldn¡¯t be a problem with the guild¡¯s support. It shouldn¡¯t be hard to cover him with rare and unique items. And with the speed at which he hunted, it shouldn¡¯t take him long to catch up. Although admitting it hurt her pride, she thought his growth potential was probably higher than hers. ¡®Where is he?¡¯ She exited the banquet hall and roamed around but couldn¡¯t find TarrTarr. The only places users were allowed to in the Dark Palace were the banquet hall and the square in front of it. There was no reason for him to be that hard to find. ¡®Maybe he already left¡­?¡¯ Mayday started to become impatient. Users who had received an invitation to the Dark Palace not only checked it out but also needed to check out the ¡®medal¡¯ and ¡®token¡¯ shops. Since he¡¯d won the first tournament, he probably needed more time than the rest. ¡®He isn¡¯t anywhere!¡¯ Even though she¡¯d searched for him everywhere, she couldn¡¯t find TarrTarr. There weren¡¯t many users who¡¯d been invited to the Dark Palace, so the chance of her looking past him was slim. Mayday quickly ran toward the return portal. There, she saw a familiar face. ¡°Huh, why are you here¡­¡± Berard was in front of the gate as if he were a guard. ¡°Fufu, Mayday. It seems like you also want to make a new proposal! But be prepared for it because we¡¯re also going to offer him good conditions.¡± ¡°What are you saying?!¡± The moment she saw Mayday, he understood the situation. TarrTarr had already left the Dark Palace! By Berard¡¯s reaction, she assumed that he¡¯d been waiting for him in front of the gate from the moment he left the banquet hall. Despite that, they hadn¡¯t been able to meet each other. That meant he had really left the Dark Palace without looking around! ¡®Was he serious when he said he preferred playing solo¡­?!¡¯ Mayday and all the other executives of Darkness thought he¡¯d said that to get a better deal. They weren¡¯t expecting him to leave so easily. Mayday could feel the strength leaving her body. A few moments later, she just used the return portal and left. Berard¡¯s eyes narrowed after seeing that. ¡®What¡­ Why did she do that?¡¯ He suddenly began feeling uneasy. Berard, who felt something was off, started looking around the banquet hall and lobby. Obviously, it was to find TarrTarr, but just like her, he couldn¡¯t find him. ¡°Damn¡­! This means that he already left this place!¡± Berard also clenched his teeth and left through the return portal. If TarrTarr really couldn¡¯t understand what the proposal was worth because he was still a kid, he had to find a way to contact him faster than Darkness. After a few minutes, the one whom those two were looking for appeared in the square in front of the banquet hall. The party organized by the Duke was still going on. ¡¸Oof, we made it in time!¡¹ ¡¸Let¡¯s look around. There seem to be many cool-looking things around here. Also, it seems like there are many interesting shops outside.¡¹ ¡¸Even if you didn¡¯t say it, I was planning on doing that.¡¹ Tasting the delicacies that Asrian had to offer was one of the things Hyun enjoyed the most since the game had even recreated the sense of taste. He spent the remaining time checking out the items for sale in the square in front of the banquet hall. He used the medals and tokens obtained as a reward for winning to buy some items. While doing that, an hour passed. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * The next day¡­ Once again, SeoHyun was with JaeHoon, who was inviting lunch as a form of payment for the classes. No, for the advice given. The $50,000 USD he had gotten from Jini was in his bank account, and there was a chance that he would be able to earn millions with the videos uploaded, but he had no reason to refuse free lunch. ¡®So today¡¯s menu is sashimi¡­¡¯ Even while eating, SeoHyun kept thinking about the previous day¡¯s play. While doing a Heaven¡¯s quest, he had received a hint about Louise, but he hadn¡¯t been able to solve it. He¡¯d sent the footage of the gameplay to his smartphone. Even though he watched it whenever he had free time, he hadn¡¯t been able to find an answer. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± JaeHoon asked him since he was looking at his smartphone even while eating. ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s just that there¡¯s something bothering me. You see, what happened is¡­¡± SeoHyun explained what had happened. Some parts of the story surprised JaeHoon, and others made him laugh. The story soon reached the part related to Louise. He hadn¡¯t told them everything in a detailed way, but JaeHoon understood why SeoHyun was so deeply immersed in his thoughts. ¡°So you need to find someone, but you don¡¯t know in which moon that person is, Right?¡± ¡°Yes. Getting to one of them is hard in itself and takes a long time¡­ So I can¡¯t go to both.¡± JaeHoon wasn¡¯t surprised after hearing about the world outside of the planet. After incorporating an ex-Asra player, Stardust had obtained tons of information, and the fact that there were worlds outside of the planet was something that had been spread through numerous community boards. ¡°So this is that moon¡¯s movement.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± SeoHyun showed the recorded footage to JaeHoon. It was a marble ball that recreated Asra¡¯s surface. The red dot was moving as if it were a GPS. The red dot¡¯s movement became clear as the video¡¯s speed increased. Hyun was about to put his smartphone away when JaeHoon, who had been watching the video closely, smiled. ¡°I think I know where that is.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The moon you¡¯re looking for. I think I know which one it is.¡± ¡°R-really? How?!¡± SeoHyun finished eating a piece of sashimi he had in his mouth and got closer to JaeHoon. While smiling, JaeHoon said. ¡°You can know its trajectory by looking at the traces.¡± JaeHoon continued his explanation. The position of the red dot changed depending on the movement of Asra and the orbit of the moon. So by tracking the traces of the red dot, they could calculate the moon¡¯s orbit. To be honest, SeoHyun didn¡¯t understand what JaeHoon was saying very well, but he knew that JaeHoon had always been good at math and physics. JaeHoon began explaining while increasing the reproduction speed of the video. ¡°If there are two variables, the orbit and rotation, then the trace should change both longitude and latitude, but right now, only the longitude is changing.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Before SeoHyun became more confused, JaeHoon simplified the explanation. ¡°The target moon isn¡¯t orbiting around Asra. To be more precise, the moon and Asra have the same orbiting speed.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°From what I know, there¡¯s exactly one moon like that.¡± JaeHoon thought about the information of the Asra world he¡¯d seen in the Stardust¡¯s database. He¡¯d been fascinated for a while about Asra¡¯s world, which was just as vast as the real world, but at the same time, different. Even among those, he couldn¡¯t forget about a very peculiar moon. ¡°The land of the eclipse, Iluna.¡± That was the name of that peculiar moon. The sun, Asra, and Iluna were always in a straight line. That phenomenon was why there were lots of solar eclipses in Iluna. The reason why Asra¡¯s people called Iluna the ¡®Phantom Land¡¯ was that since it didn¡¯t reflect the sunlight, you couldn¡¯t see it, even at night. ¡®Eclipse¡­?¡¯ After hearing JaeHoon¡¯s explanation, lightning flashed in Hyun¡¯s mind. He couldn¡¯t understand all the complex words, but the moment he heard the word ¡°Eclipse¡±, he remembered something. ¡®That¡¯s right. Why didn¡¯t I think of that?¡¯ The day they were being chased by the masked enemies, Louise told him she had a curse while making a sad smile. Stigma of Light¡­ It was a magic that made your location known the moment sunlight touched your skin. It was a magic from which you could be freed from only after death. However, there were some NPCs with very specific skills that could help. ¡®Iluna is a place that isn¡¯t reached by the sunlight!¡¯ He knew from first-hand experience that in Iluna, eclipses happened very often. He blamed himself for not having thought about something so obvious. As the entangled threads untied, the whole picture began to fit. All the clues he¡¯d missed¡­ The only place in the world where the sun didn¡¯t reach was beneath the ground. But since the Abyss¡¯s base was beneath the ground, Louise couldn¡¯t stay there for a long time. After all, angels belonged to the skies. Iluna was probably the only place where Louise could stay. ¡°JaeHoon, I think you¡¯re right¡­! You really are a genius!¡± ¡°Huh¡­? O-okay. I¡¯m glad¡­¡± JaeHoon was surprised by Hyun¡¯s sudden change of atmosphere but smiled with him. The first moment they talked to each other with Asrian as a topic, there was a weird atmosphere between them. But right then, Hyun and JaeHoon had become real friends that enjoyed talking about the game. JaeHoon was the only person with whom Hyun talked about doubts he had regarding the game. Not only that, but JaeHoon had no intentions of using the knowledge Hyun had taught him in his gaming team. Seeing his friend smile because his doubt was solved made him feel good, which made him smile. * * * Asrian¡¯s developer, Robert Connor, was once again spending time while sitting down. Technically speaking, his job was solving bugs or reacting when something urgent happened, but since day one, there hadn¡¯t been an error, so it was as if he was being paid for playing around. Except for Robert and Mary, most developers didn¡¯t show up to work if there wasn¡¯t a patch or something urgent that needed to be done. ¡®Finally¡­!¡¯ With great interest, Robert looked at Hyun, who had infiltrated the Abyss Repository. The magic marble ball reacted at Louise¡¯s necklace, and the moment the red dot showed in it, he could feel his heart beating faster. ¡®I guess he¡¯ll soon realize what moon that dot is pointing towards¡­ He¡¯ll probably realize it immediately.¡¯ Robert believed Hyun was going to guess it correctly because he thought he was a very intelligent player. Then his next destination would be Iluna. ¡®So it¡¯s going to happen like this?¡¯ Mary approached Robert, who had a serious expression on his face. ¡°It seems like you¡¯ve seen something interesting.¡± ¡°Yes. Mary, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re going to find it interesting too. Check this out.¡± Robert could see the current location of influential NPCs and users. Since he was a developer, he could see all actions of NPCs and users at one glance. ¡°Oh¡­!¡± Mary exclaimed after looking at the screen. According to the information, many important figures were gathered in Iluna or they were planning to go there. Those were all beings that could influence the world. Even a few Transcendents were interested in it! Mary clapped after noticing something. ¡°Now that I think about it, Lattice is at Iluna right now!¡± ¡°Exactly. This means that something big is about to happen.¡± ¡°Interesting! Is war about to happen?¡± ¡°Maybe¡­ Haha, I¡¯ll show you another interesting thing.¡± Robert changed the screen again and put on the screen information related to Keidrial. One of the most influential NPCs, the Great Demon of Deception. Robert was very interested in the relationship between Keidrial and Hyun. After looking through much information, he discovered that Keidrial had shown a very peculiar action pattern since the beginning. And he confirmed that once more. The moment Hyun discovered Iluna, she suddenly became interested in it too. All her actions were in some way related to Hyun. ¡°This demon again¡­ Is she somehow resentful to him?¡± ¡°Because the data of the Transcendents is so vast, it¡¯s hard to analyze them. So I¡¯m not sure about that. I guess we¡¯re going to discover it soon if we keep watching.¡± Robert¡¯s only role currently was eating the meals provided by the company. But still, he was happy because he was never bored. Chapter 89 Chapter 89 ¨C Ain¡¯s Transformation (1) ¡°I never imagined that there was a monster hidden in the middle of the city! I¡¯ll immediately send people to investigate!¡± [The affection rate of Knight Commander Ollie has increased a lot!] [If he trusts you, all the other people in the Empire will recognize you too!] [You¡¯ve obtained rewards!] ¨C Heaven¡¯s Medal of Honor X 15 ¨C All Stats +6 ¨C The Empire¡¯s Knight Commander¡¯s Necklace ¡°Once again, you have my thanks! If it weren¡¯t for you, a great crisis would¡¯ve come in the Empire¡¯s way!!¡± As soon as Hyun logged in, he went to the Knight¡¯s Hall and received the reward for completing the quest. But receiving the rewards wasn¡¯t the only reason he had gone there. There was another reason. Hyun asked him the same question as before. ¡°Commander, with this¡­ Do you recognize me¡­?¡± The Knight Commander¡¯s answer changed from before. ¡°To be honest, I was a little bit suspicious about you. It was because your partner was too good, but my thoughts have changed. You¡¯re also someone very exceptional.¡± [The Knight Commander Ollie trusts you 100%!] [Will you accept his blessing and change jobs? Y/N] Hyun didn¡¯t immediately accept and fell deep into thought. According to the quest¡¯s explanation, the stronger the NPC from which he received the recognition, the better. The Knight Commander¡¯s level was 400. It was quite high. It didn¡¯t matter where he went. Being recognized by a level 400 NPC would be hard. ¡®I don¡¯t need to change jobs immediately. Right?¡¯ Even considering that, Hyun decided to push the job ascension back. After thinking of going to Iluna, he changed his thoughts slightly. ¡®I guess I¡¯ll be able to meet a Heavenly Being easily. Maybe even an Angel¡­¡¯ Even though the Knight Commander was clearly a high-ranking NPC, he ranked lower compared to a Heavenly Being. If he compared him to an Angel, a Transcendent being, the quality dropped even more. Hyun thought that Louise would¡¯ve gotten very strong those past five years. Since he¡¯d helped her before, it should be easy to be recognized by her. Right? Hyun felt that the issue would be solved once he met her. ¡®Okay, I should start moving!¡¯ Hyun received the reward and left the Knight Commander¡¯s room, then he sent Ain a message through Whisper. ¡¸Ain, once you¡¯re done with what you¡¯re doing, come to the Knight¡¯s Hall. It¡¯s finally time for us to start moving!¡¹ He thought if he should send TarrTarr a Whisper, but he decided not to do that. The footage would probably be better if the editor recorded it, but TarrTarr had lots of things to do at the moment. He had to finish editing the new videos, and if he wanted to change forces on top of that, he would need time. ¡°Hyun, I¡¯m here!¡± Hyun was surprised at the voice he suddenly heard and turned around. Ain was behind him. smiling. ¡°Woah¡­ You came really fast! It hasn¡¯t even been a minute since I sent you a message!¡± ¡°It just happened that I was around here.¡± ¡°Really¡­?¡± Now that he thought about it, there was something he needed to tell Ain. First, he had a short conversation with her, but it seemed like she hadn¡¯t heard anything related to the tournament through the community boards. Even while playing Asra, Ain wasn¡¯t interested at all in the community boards, so it wasn¡¯t strange for her not to know what had happened. ¡®It should be okay if I talk to her about it. Right?¡¯ Hyun tried to bring out the other day¡¯s topic once more. That topic was uploading videos! Ain had said that she didn¡¯t want to show herself¡­ But maybe that was because she didn¡¯t know about Asrian¡¯s potential very well. ¡®Maybe she¡¯s changed her opinion.¡¯ He thought it was too bad that they could be earning hundreds or even millions per month, but they weren¡¯t doing anything at all. It wasn¡¯t only because of his ambition, but it was also for her. Hyun began talking about the logical reasons he¡¯d been thinking and preparing for about three hours. But after saying a few words to change the topic, he could see Ain¡¯s smile deepening. Ain talked about it first. ¡°Hyun¡­ You¡¯re trying to talk again about uploading gameplay footage to YouTube. Right?¡± ¡°How did you¡­ Wait, but I haven¡¯t reached that point yet¡­¡± ¡°If you want to do it, I don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°R-really¡­?!¡± Hyun did his best not to smile. But he couldn¡¯t hide it from leaking. There was no need to say all the excuses he had prepared before. Who would¡¯ve thought that it would be solved so easily? While Hyun was smiling, Ain said something. ¡°But¡­!¡± Hyun took a deep breath. Finally, she was about to bring that topic out. It was obviously about the money. Right? But what Ain said was totally unexpected to Hyun. ¡°Record the video, so that your face doesn¡¯t appear in it.¡± ¡°Me¡­? Not you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Hyun tilted his head at Ain¡¯s weird condition. If she cared about privacy, shouldn¡¯t she have asked to hide her own face¡­? He thought maybe he¡¯d heard wrong, but it was just like he had understood. ¡®She¡¯s saying we should only upload footage where I¡¯m using ?Assimilation??¡¯ That wasn¡¯t something hard to do because, in most cases, since he was a Support, he was using ?Assimilation?. But more than that, how they would distribute the money was more important. ¡°Another condition¡­?¡± ¡°Hmm, that we upload mostly videos where you¡¯re using ?Assimilation? on me¡­?¡± ¡°What about the money generated from the videos?¡± ¡°That¡­ Do it as you see fit.¡± Surprisingly, Ain had left the money distribution to him. Hyun had a hard time controlling his facial expression, but thankfully, he was able to hide it. ¡®This is a perfect opportunity to take a huge cut¡­¡¯ For a while, he became overly ambitious, but he soon shook his head. He didn¡¯t want to ruin the relationship he¡¯d built with her just because of money. ¡®No. I¡¯d rather split fairly. If we take out TarrTarr¡¯s part¡­¡¯ TarrTarr had a huge debt with him. According to his calculations, he wouldn¡¯t need to pay TarrTarr for a very long time. Even considering that he split the profits in half for each, it would be settled in 55 to 45. After settling that matter quickly, Hyun nodded while making a serious face. ¡°Okay. Ain, I¡¯ll give you 45% from all the videos where you appear. Because we need to pay our editor, it isn¡¯t going to be exactly half.¡± Ain nodded without thinking about it. Hyun was excited. He immediately sent a whisper to TarrTarr. ¡¸Hey, TarrTarr, I have an extra job for you! Maybe we could make about 20 videos. I¡¯ll send you the footage, so categorize it and edit it as you consider it best.¡¹ He could hear TarrTarr agonizing as an answer, but Hyun was in a good mood because he¡¯d been able to make a deal very easily, so he changed the settings so whispers wouldn¡¯t reach him. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * ¡®Should we start moving¡­?¡¯ After he was done with the preparations, his head again became full of thoughts about the quest. Hyun told Ain that he was going to Iluna. Ain seemed excited to hear that. ¡°Then we¡¯re going on a trip?!¡± ¡°Are you coming?¡± ¡°Obviously. Isn¡¯t it better for you too if I come?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡± Once again, Ain replied without hesitation. Honestly, it would be more beneficial for her to try to level up while staying in the Knight¡¯s Hall. Wouldn¡¯t going together with him to help be detrimental to her? ¡°If you help me with my quest¡­ Maybe it will slow down your growth.¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay. While you weren¡¯t here, I got a lot stronger!¡± Ain opened her status window so Hyun could see it too. Ain smiled proudly. Ain (Lv. 102) HP: 11352/11352 Mana: 2610/2610 Job: Elemental Berserker (Hidden) Tendency: 67 (Heaven) [Strength: 25] [Agility: 120] [Vitality: 86] [Magical Power: 261 (+15)] ¡®What¡­?!¡¯ From the moment he read Ain¡¯s job, his heart began beating faster. Elemental Berserker¡­ The job with a stylish name grabbed Hyun¡¯s attention. Wasn¡¯t the job he wanted something like that? While feeling a little bit envious, he kept reading the rest of the information. [?Flame Claws? Lv.6] ¨C {+Open} [?Steps of the Incarnate? Lv.1] ¨C Leap instantly up to 30 meters and burn everything in your path. [?Vitality Absorption? Lv.5] ¨C Absorb a certain % of the inflicted damage as HP and Mana. ¨C The lower your HP, the higher the %. [?Latent Potential Increase? (Agility) Lv.3] ¨C Use 80% of your maximum HP and increase your [Agility] by 30% for 10 minutes. ¨C While active, you cannot recover HP with an ally¡¯s skill. ¨C You can overlap it up to 3 times. [?Latent Potential Increase? (Magical Power) Lv.4] ¨C Use 80% of your maximum HP and increase your [Magical Power] by 40% for 10 minutes. ¨C While active, you cannot recover HP with an ally¡¯s skill. ¨C You can overlap it up to 3 times. {?Awakening Skill? Lv.1} ¨C {+Open} {¡ù New Effect!} ¨C While active, ignore attacks with (Fire/Ice/Thunder/Wind) characteristics. [¡ù You have 32 unused skill points!] Chapter 90 Chapter 90 ¨C Ain¡¯s Transformation (2) ¡°That guy was being searched for being an assassin¡­ Even if I had left him alone, he would¡¯ve been executed soon.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Even after listening to that explanation, it took Hyun a while to calm down. The face of the soldier who took his own life in the Virtual Historical Battle came to mind. Just before he was ripped apart by the undead, the expression he had while piercing his own stomach with a sword was as if¡­ ¡°Hyun¡­?¡± Ain asked after seeing that Hyun¡¯s expression had darkened. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, don¡¯t worry.¡± After listening to Ain¡¯s voice, Hyun came back to his senses; then he smiled while shaking his head. * * * Iluna. It was a land you couldn¡¯t reach unless you crossed space. You couldn¡¯t even reach it with teleport. To move across space, you needed a new magic called ?Warp?, but that wasn¡¯t one you could easily encounter. The second best option after ?Warp? was using a shuttle. Even though you could use the Shuttle to move through space, at that point of the game, that was something reserved only for high-ranking NPCs. The reason was that the ticket was too expensive. Maybe things would change in the future once inflation devalued the price of gold. It would be a completely different story if he used real-life money¡­ But Hyun had no intentions of doing something so crazy. ¡®But it isn¡¯t like there¡¯s no way.¡¯ Hyun, master of tricks, once again found a hole. ¡®If I can use a Heavenly Being¡­¡¯ A Heavenly Being was someone who belonged to the sky. All people that belonged to the Heavens looked up to and worshipped the Heavenly Beings. With the help of a Heavenly Being, obtaining a shuttle ticket would be easy. ¡®It would be great if the title worked¡­ But I guess it¡¯s still too early.¡¯ The problem was that they weren¡¯t strong enough at the moment to be perceived as Heavenly Beings by NPCs. In fact, one NPC had referred to Ain as someone whom a Heavenly Being had recognized. What they needed at the moment wasn¡¯t the title ¡®Heavenly Being,¡¯ but the strength of one. Thankfully, Hyun had a triumph card: his knowledge of Asra. He knew the best places to hunt, all kinds of hidden pieces, Asra¡¯s history, and the most important NPCs, among many other things. But more than that, he had the most relevant information about the Interloop saved in his capsule¡¯s memory. Hyun was planning to use all that to reach Iluna. ¡°It really suits you.¡± Ain had changed her appearance just like Hyun had asked her to. If she refused, he was planning to search for another way to do it, but Ain accepted it without hesitation. The face and body size remained almost the same. But since her hairstyle had changed to a round bob, her atmosphere had changed quite a bit. ¡°So¡­ How does it look?¡± ¡°It looks good.¡± Hyun brushed off Ain¡¯s reaction and logged into the capsule¡¯s hard drive. On the image taken from the hard drive, there was the image of an NPC that resembled Ain. ¡®They look almost identical.¡¯ Not only was their outer appearance similar, but the clothes were very alike too. Because she was wearing white clothes, unlike the black robes she usually wore, Ain looked like a novice Priest apprentice. ¡°Who is she? I remember seeing her somewhere.¡± ¡°Huh? She¡¯s an NPC from Asra.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯m glad she isn¡¯t a user.¡± Ain was looking over her shoulder at Hyun¡¯s image. While trying to ignore her, Hyun used ?Assimilation? and hid inside Ain¡¯s body. For some reason, he felt awkward looking at her. Ain also didn¡¯t question Hyun, and she remained calm, so nothing else happened. ¡®So it¡¯s here.¡¯ After walking for a while, Hyun and Ain reached a place. ¡ªThe Forest of the Giants. In that place where everything was big, the trees were so tall that they seemed to pierce the sky. That place, which was as if it was forbidden for humans to enter, was a land ignored by both the Heavens and the Abyss. No one knew the reason why everything there was so big. They only knew that place as somewhere where giant monsters lived. In terms of level, monsters around the area were at a range between 200 and 300. But because they had the characteristic of being very big, they were stronger than other monsters of the same level. Despite that, they didn¡¯t give more experience, so the place was bad for hunting because of the poor effectiveness. Except for a few users doing quests, most users didn¡¯t come around that area. There was one reason why Hyun had gone there: The Forest of Giants was one of the few places where you could meet a ¡®Heavenly Being.¡¯ ¡®?Powerless Wave?, ?Impact Amplification?.¡¯ While assimilated, Hyun used both skills. Two auras began spreading around Ain. Because he¡¯d used two buff skills on top of ?Assimilation?, Ain¡¯s damage output had increased around three or four times. After finishing the preparations, Hyun explained the plan to Ain. ¡¸You remember, right? From now on, everything will depend on your acting skills.¡¹ ¡¸I just have to grab the attention of the Heavenly Being, right?¡¹ ¡¸Exactly.¡¹ The way Hyun was planning to do that was by fishing. But rather than catching a fish, they were planning to catch a Heavenly Being. The reason Hyun had been the number one in Asra by an overwhelming difference wasn¡¯t only because his gaming sense was good. He knew how to use even tiny information most users would¡¯ve missed. There probably weren¡¯t many users that knew so much about the main NPCs other than him. According to his expectations, the Heavenly Being would end up falling for the trap. ¡®He probably¡­ Won¡¯t be able to ignore it.¡¯ While holding his breath, Hyun was waiting for something to happen. Stomp- Stomp-! Soon, the sound of huge footsteps could be heard along with the rumble of the ground. The monster that had appeared in front of them was a giant wolf. Just at first glance, it seemed bigger than four meters. Imagining how big it was once it stood up would frighten anyone. ¡¸Ain, I¡¯m going to leave it to you.¡¹ * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * Hyun just looked at Ain from the inside. The reason why they¡¯d gone there wasn¡¯t to gain experience. After all, that place was lackluster in terms of hunting efficiency. ¡®It would be better if I stayed still, right?¡¯ He¡¯d clearly felt it the other day in the Knight¡¯s Hall. His acting skill was horrible compared to other people. From there onward, he had to leave things to Ain. Fwoosh-. Two giant claws appeared on Ain¡¯s hands. The claws, which were so big that they seemed grotesque, looked like weapons that were designed to fight a giant from the beginning. Now she could use ?Efreet¡¯s Claw? without using her ultimate attack. On top of that, she¡¯d gotten a new skill. ?Latent Potential Increase?. Ain¡¯s HP instantly dropped to 20%. A bloody atmosphere spread throughout her entire body. It was a scene that happened as the Elemental Berserker¡¯s Magical Power exploded. In that state, Ain looked at the giant wolf. The wolf immediately began attacking. The moment its claws whipped through the air, Ain¡¯s claws hit its body. [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 59291 damage!] ¡®Hmm¡­?¡¯ Hyun blinked after reading the system message. ¡®She can deal around 60,000 damage in one hit¡­?¡¯ Usually, the giant monsters were very resistant to hits, so it was hard to damage them with an average attack. After making some calculations, he understood why the unreasonably high damage had occurred. ¡®It¡¯s because of the buffs.¡¯ The monster¡¯s ability to take hits came from its high defense. But thanks to ?Powerless Wave?, its defense became 0, so its biggest strength had disappeared. On top of that, there was the buff of ?Impact Amplification?, which doubled the attack, and the Elemental Berserker¡¯s own buffs. All of that made the damage output incredibly high. Boom-! While Hyun couldn¡¯t hide his surprise, intangible energy came from Ain¡¯s body. Thanks to ?Vitality Absorption?, she kept recovering HP, and thanks to that, she could keep using the ?Latent Potential Increase?. 2nd overlap, 80% Magical Power increase! Boom-! 3rd overlap, 120%! Even after the Magical Power had increased at its maximum, her specs kept changing. Ain had two types of ?Latent Potential Increase?. One was the one that increased her Magical Power, and the other one increased her Agility. She could increase her Agility up to 30%, 60%, and finally 90%! In just a few seconds, she overlapped her skills six times. Ain was soon covered by thick, bloody energy. The scene of her slaughtering a wolf while covered in a mad aura really made her look like a Berserker, the mad warrior. ¡¸I¡¯m asking just in case, but you know we didn¡¯t come here to hunt. Right?¡¹ ¡¸Oh, yeah¡­!¡¹ ¡¸¡­?¡¹ Ain almost deviated from the original plan. But she soon remembered the goal and stopped her momentum. According to Hyun, the first step was staging a crisis. Ain kept making noise until a large group of monsters gathered. It didn¡¯t take her long before a group of predators surrounded her. If she were an average user, death would be imminent. ¡®It¡¯s kind of strange¡­¡¯ Hyun¡¯s eyes narrowed. Although they were surrounded by monsters, he wasn¡¯t feeling any sense of danger. He soon understood the reason. Because Ain¡¯s Agility was too high, she couldn¡¯t fake a scene as if she were in danger. The weakest point of the giant monsters was their mobility. But Ain didn¡¯t allow them to attack, so a dangerous situation didn¡¯t come. ¡¸Try to act as if you are in danger¡­¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s no way I¡¯d be in danger with just this.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s why I said just act as if you were in danger.¡¹ ¡¸Well, I¡¯ll try it.¡¹ After saying that, Ain suddenly stopped moving. She didn¡¯t dodge the incoming attack. After receiving an attack from the tail of a giant anaconda, her body flew into the air. [You¡¯ve received 9159 damage!] After receiving a huge hit, she flew about 50 meters, and then she hit the tree and rolled on the floor. Cough! Even the scene of vomiting blood was perfect. ¡ªEven though a user wouldn¡¯t receive such a realistic wound. ¡¸What¡¯s that¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Tomato juice. I saw it being sold on the market.¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡¹ ¡¸Perfect, see?¡¹ Because of ?Assimilation?, Hyun could taste the flavor of the tomato juice. While he was tasting it, he began feeling uneasy. Maybe her acting skills were worse than his? Maybe she¡¯d been lucky at the Knight¡¯s Hall when she¡¯d convinced the guards. Perhaps it would have been better if he¡¯d played this role. While he was thinking that¡­ Whish-! All the monsters froze in an instant. After a while, the monsters became icy dust and scattered away. A man¡¯s footsteps could be heard from inside the forest that had recovered its peace. The moment Hyun saw his face, he subconsciously clenched his fists. ¡°So you didn¡¯t die.¡± The man mumbled while looking at Ain. He was very tall. Even though he was only wearing a robe with white and blue colors, he looked very dignified. It was their first time meeting him since they¡¯d started playing Asrian. * * * All the people who belonged to the Heavens served the Angels and looked up to the Heavenly Beings. The Angels were Transcendents¡ªthey were above humans. But the Heavenly Beings, except for their life span and physical abilities, were very similar to humans. The Heavenly Beings ate and drank just like humans. Not only that, but they also felt human emotions and formed families. It was the same for the Heavenly Being Radiette. Radiette¡¯s past was famous among Asra users. The reason was that Radiette¡¯s side story had appeared once as an event quest. {Radiette¡¯s Lover} According to the story, Radiette¡¯s lover was surprisingly a human that belonged to the Abyss. And she wasn¡¯t a normal human, but a Duke. That was obviously a forbidden relationship. After the Heavens decided to have her executed, Radiette rebelled against the Heavens but ended up being sentenced to 100 years in prison. At first, he¡¯d received a 150 years sentence, but he had always been someone very dignified and had achieved many things for the Heavens, so they¡¯d reduced his sentence. After that, he¡¯d gone to the Giant¡¯s Forest, a place where something like forces didn¡¯t exist, and that is where he lived for another 100 years. But one day¡­ A scene melted his feelings that had been frozen. ¡®What¡¯s up with this noise?¡¯ The senses of a Heavenly Being transcended the ones of a human being. Was a dull human trying to cross the Giant¡¯s Forest again? At first, he¡¯d planned to ignore it. But he was surprised after looking at where the noise was coming from. The person in the middle of the monsters was a young girl. The girl resembled someone from his past from hundreds of years ago. ____ Chapter 91 Chapter 91 ¨C Iluna¡¯s Unexpected Event (1) Radiette took a deep breath. Now that he looked at her closely, it wasn¡¯t just the face that was similar. The girl wore clothes very similar to those she¡¯d worn until the last moments. ¡®Did she really come back to life¡­?¡¯ For a moment, Radiette thought about some things that didn¡¯t make sense but soon began laughing bitterly while shaking his head. ¡®There¡¯s no way.¡¯ A human that had died 200 years ago couldn¡¯t return to life. The person over there fighting the monsters was someone who just happened to be very similar to her. ¡®Nothing will change¡­¡¯ Radiette tried to ignore her, but he couldn¡¯t. Suddenly, the girl received an attack from a giant monster and ended up rolling on the ground. At that moment¡­ Radiette, who had decided to turn away his attention, was suddenly moving toward the surface. Whish-! The moment the Heavenly Being went into action, the ground froze. Silence¡­ Save for one place, cold air seemed to envelop the entire world. ¡°¡­¡± The girl¡­ No, Ain, was looking at Radiette, who had suddenly appeared. ¡¸I¡¯ve forgotten¡­ What was next?¡¹ ¡¸What you¡¯re good at, fight!¡¹ ¡¸Oh yeah, that¡¯s right¡­!¡¹ Once again, just like Hyun had told her, she began acting. Fwoosh-! Ain activated ?Efreet¡¯s Claw? and charged toward Radiette. It obviously didn¡¯t work. A Heavenly Being was someone that was just under a Transcendent. There was no way a user who had just completed the first job ascension could face one. Ain¡¯s attack, which had been slaughtering giant monsters, whipped the air. Although she had used ?Latent Potential Increase?, she couldn¡¯t even touch the tips of his clothes. Radiette dodged the attack while twisting his body a little bit as if he were walking. He didn¡¯t even counterattack. ¡°It¡¯s useless.¡± After discovering that normal attacks didn¡¯t work, Ain changed her attack pattern. Ain faked moving back; then rushed back in. ?Steps of the Incarnate?. The new skill she¡¯d learned after the job ascension let her reduce the distance between her and a target that was within 30 meters. The moment she charged in, she used ?Efreet¡¯s Claws? to smash him! Even Radiette couldn¡¯t dodge that attack. ¡°I told you that it¡¯s useless.¡± Radiette grabbed Ain¡¯s giant claws with a very calm expression on his face. Tsss- The claws that¡¯d been burning as if they were lava suddenly cooled down. ¡°Tsk¡­!¡± Ain quickly disabled the attack and then activated it again. At the same time, as if one had poured oil into a fire, heat began coming out from the claws. ¡ªBut it went off immediately. Radiette had grabbed the claws and covered them with cold air. ¡¸Hyun, use those!¡¹ He understood Ain¡¯s words and immediately used his skills. ?Invisible?, ?Acceleration?. As the two skills activated, Ain¡¯s figure became invisible. Oof¡­ But Radiette sighed and closed his eyes. ¡°Okay, if you aren¡¯t planning to stop, then just do as you wish.¡± Radiette stood still and received all of the attacks. Pow Pow Pow- In just a few seconds, tens of attacks hit him. Thanks to the combined effect of ?Latent Potential? Increase and ?Biorhythm Acceleration?, it looked like Ain was moving at the speed of light. [You¡¯ve received 319 damage!] [You¡¯ve received 304 damage!] Surprisingly, every time Ain attacked, it was she who received the damage. The heat of the flames seeped into Radiette¡¯s protective shield and turned into nothing. Every time she hit the protective shield, the cold air ended up burning Ain¡¯s hands. [You¡¯ve received 299 damage!] ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what you do. It¡¯s just going to hurt you¡­¡± A few moments later, the effects of ?Invisible? and ?Acceleration? deactivated, but Ain kept attacking. ¡ªShe was moving and attacking just as Hyun had told her. The reason why she was suddenly attacking Radiette was because of event footage he¡¯d seen while playing Asra. The Heavenly Being and the Duke¡­ The first encounter between the two was just like this. Hundreds of years ago, Radiette had once stood still and received all of the attacks of a woman. ¡ªUntil that woman got tired. ¡°Oof¡­¡± Ain, who was just harming herself, kept attacking until her HP had almost plummeted. Hyun frowned at the slight sense of pain. Inside the game, the pain you felt was reduced to almost nothing, but if your HP plummeted to the bottom, you started feeling sore. Ain stopped attacking, and then, finally, Radiette opened his mouth again. ¡°Are you satisfied? Return. There¡¯s no need to fight in this place, girl from the Abyss who controls the fire.¡± Fire and Wind were elements of the Abyss. Radiette had said that because Ain was covered by fire and a bloody-red light. Ain corrected Radiette¡¯s misunderstanding. ¡°I¡¯m not part of the Abyss.¡± ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°Do you want to check it out?¡± The moment Ain took off one of her gloves, a rune that belonged to the Heavens appeared. That rune, which was more defined and had stronger Magical Power than the normal ones, was one that represented the Heavenly Beings. Radiette, known for being always calm, was surprised, and his eyes widened. ¡°A¡­ Heavenly Being?¡± Radiette¡¯s confusion deepened. Since the girl had used fire to attack him the moment she¡¯d seen him, he¡¯d thought that the girl obviously belonged to the Abyss¡¯s Forces. But if she wasn¡¯t a member of the Abyss, then why did she attack him? His confusion was soon cleared. What Radiette heard next was something he¡¯d never expected to hear. ¡°I wanted to know how strong a Heavenly Being is.¡± ¡°What¡­!¡± The girl¡¯s answer matched the voice of that day hundreds of years ago. In the past, Radiette had heard that same answer to the same question. How did the girl in front of him know about that?! ¡®I should be the only one who knows about that day¡­¡¯ No one knew the details of their past. There was no chance that she had told others what had happened. Radiette¡¯s eyes began notably shaking after a girl who resembled her started to talk as if she remembered that moment. Only after calming down could he open his mouth again. ¡°You were wondering how strong a Heavenly Being is¡­? Aren¡¯t you one yourself?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a user.¡± ¡°User¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, I became a Heavenly Being by pure chance¡­ I¡¯m not a real one like you.¡± Radiette¡¯s eyes began shining after hearing Ain¡¯s answer. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * Although he had been cut off from the world for hundreds of years, he knew about the prophecy that said that users would appear. They were basically people from another world. If she was a user, maybe she could see the world from a third-person perspective, one that was inclined towards neither the Heavens nor the Abyss. Radiette asked her a question he¡¯d been wondering about for a very long time. ¡°Let me ask you something¡­¡± Nod- ¡°Do you think the Heavens and the Abyss can live in harmony?¡± ¡®I¡¯m already doing that.¡¯ That was the first thought that crossed Ain¡¯s mind. Since Hyun was currently ?Assimilated? into her, they were, in a sense, harmonizing. But she couldn¡¯t tell him the details of ?Assimilation?, so after thinking about it for a while, she answered in another way. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you¡¯re part of the Abyss. Although it isn¡¯t common¡­ Many users collaborate and play with other users that belong to the opposing force.¡± Although at first glance it may sound like an answer that didn¡¯t tell much, that was enough to surprise Radiette. He also thought similarly, nut back then, even mentioning that was a sin by itself. ¡°On the other hand, there are people from the same force who fight against each other.¡± The Heavens were the absolute good, and the Abyss was the target they had to eliminate. This was how Radiette thought long ago, and he had never questioned it. It was the Archangel who had designated the Abyss as evil, and there wasn¡¯t any human or Heavenly Being that could go against the will of a Transcendent. But users thought differently. An Angel was just another NPC. The oracle¡¯s messages weren¡¯t different from those from an event. The habitants of Asrian couldn¡¯t easily understand the users¡¯ way of thinking. But the one NPC who thought similarly to users was Radiette. ¡°Does that mean that the Abyss is fundamentally different from evil?¡± ¡°There are bad people everywhere; it¡¯s the same for the Heavens. And there are many good people that belong to the Abyss, too.¡± At Radiette¡¯s repeating question, Ain answered immediately. She didn¡¯t even need to think about it. The Knight Ain had killed during her job ascension quest was someone that was being hunted for being a killer. There wasn¡¯t something like absolute good or absolute evil. ¡®He¡¯s suddenly asking weird things.¡¯ Ain tilted her head after hearing the questions. After she¡¯d revealed herself as a Heavenly Being, Ain wasn¡¯t answering as Hyun had told her¡ªshe just spoke her honest thoughts. But that ended up moving Radiette. Radiette, known for always remaining calm, couldn¡¯t even hide his tremble. ¡°I see¡­ So this is how a user thinks.¡± After thinking for a while, nodding, it seemed like he¡¯d understood something. ¡°There are a few more things that I want to ask you. It may take some time¡­ Is that okay with you?¡± ¡¸Hyun, is it okay?¡¹ ¡¸Yes, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡¹ As Ain nodded, Radiette activated a magic. As a light covered them, they were teleported to somewhere. ¡ªIt was a resting place on top of the Giant¡¯s Forest. Radiette¡¯s house was hanging on the branches of a tree just as if it were a bird cage. It was a shabby home for an existence like a Heavenly Being to live in. However, it was a quiet and cozy place. Radiette and Ain talked about quite serious topics there. He asked various questions, and from a certain point, Hyun began answering them. ¡°After listening to your stories, I wish I could experience your world¡­ It seems like a world that has been blessed,¡± Radiette mumbled while smiling. A Heavenly Being was someone who belonged to the sky. In general, they didn¡¯t harmonize with humans, and neither of them listened to the other¡¯s opinion. The reason why Radiette was able to talk about his honest opinions was that Ain resembled his ex-lover, and that made his mental barrier crumble. From a certain point, the conversation moved away from topics related to the Heavens and the Abyss. ¡°Are you still wondering about the strength of a Heavenly Being?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m okay.¡± ¡°Fu, users really do as they want.¡± The topic of the conversation changed constantly. He also asked her how she was able to get the Rune of a Heavenly Being. There was no reason to lie, so Hyun just told him the truth. This Heavenly Being, probably someone rare, had a way of thinking that was very similar to a user¡¯s. ¡®Is it about time?¡¯ While talking, Hyun tried to get the conversation to a certain topic. Two hours had passed when Radiette finally asked Hyun the question he wanted. ¡°Is there any place you want to visit?¡± ¡°I want to go to Iluna,¡± Hyun quickly answered. At that moment, Radiette¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°For what reason?¡± To tell the truth, he wanted to go there because of Louise¡¯s quest, but he thought that it was better not to mention that. ¡°I¡­ Just want to visit it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s better if you don¡¯t go there right now.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Radiette thought silently for a while but then began explaining. ¡°Do you know that Iluna can¡¯t be seen¡­? The reason for that is because the sun can¡¯t reach it.¡± The reason why Earth¡¯s Moon shone was that it reflected the sunlight. On the other hand, Iluna couldn¡¯t be seen, even at night. ¡°However, Iluna¡¯s outline began appearing a few days ago, which means that the orbit of the eclipse is off. This is proof that an unexpected event is about to happen on Iluna.¡± ¡°Unexpected?¡± Although Hyun was bad at science, he understood what Radiette wanted to say. Iluna¡¯s Unexpected Event¡­ When Hyun heard those words, he remembered something about Asra¡¯s history. According to the history of the previous game, Iluna was usually a quiet and peaceful place. But because of an incident, that peaceful land had become hell. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­ Is it that event?¡¯ At the same time, a certain face came to Hyun¡¯s mind. ¡®Louise¡­!¡¯ If by ¡°Unexpected Event¡±, he was referring to that¡­ Iluna would soon become a dangerous place. Since they were the words of a Heavenly Being, he couldn¡¯t just dismiss them. Hyun¡¯s heart started to beat faster. ____ Chapter 92 Chapter 92 ¨C Iluna¡¯s Unexpected Event (2) ¡®There isn¡¯t time!¡¯ What if Louise stayed in Iluna until the event ended? Hyun didn¡¯t think that she¡¯d be able to survive. He had to make a decision quickly. Ain¡¯s eyes sank deeply. ¡°What if I want to go anyway?¡± ¡°You could die.¡± ¡°That means I can go, right?¡± ¡°Are you planning to go no matter what?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Radiette fell into deep thoughts after hearing the girl¡¯s answer. If she went to Iluna right then, there was a huge chance that she would end up dying. ¡®It¡¯s funny that I have this kind of worry.¡¯ After noticing what he was thinking about, Radiette laughed inside. Users revived after dying. Not only that, but the girl was a stranger. She just happened to be similar to the person in his memories. It had been hundreds of years since that day, so the wounds of that day had faded. But he had flinched the moment he¡¯d seen her. That meant that there was still a lingering feeling left in his mind. Maybe it was his last chance to get rid of that remorse that was lingering in his mind? After a while, Radiette answered. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you¡­ I stayed in this forest for too long.¡± The moment he was able to get the help of the Heavenly Being Radiette, Hyun celebrated inside. * * * [Laillai is about to take off! Flight duration is three hours!] Fwoosh- While honking the horns, the shuttle rose into the sky. It was the sign of the shuttle departing from the gate located in the capital of the Holy Kingdom. Because of the high price of the ticket, at the moment, there wasn¡¯t any user that could board it. ¡ªExcept for a very few wallet warriors. ¡°Mr. Radiette, it¡¯s an honor meeting you.¡± ¡°Bless you.¡± Radiette was very popular among NPCs. The other Heavenly Beings were also almost equally popular, but Radiette was more famous because of his past achievements. For a while, he had committed sinful actions, but the story of him locking himself away from the rest of society to think about his mistake was a famous story, even in the Heavens. It had been 10 years since the last time a Heavenly Being had visited the Holy Kingdom, so Radiette received lots of attention. Ain, who was next to a Heavenly Being, also received lots of attention. The good thing was that, thanks to Radiette, they had been assigned to first class. A few NPCs were mumbling among them while looking at Ain. If Ain hadn¡¯t changed her hairstyle and clothes, the NPCs that belonged to the Heavens would¡¯ve probably recognized her. Not only was she a Grand Master in PvP, but she had twice cleared a quest from the Knight Commander¡ªshe had gained some reputation thanks to that. To be more precise, it had been Hyun and TarrTarr who had cleared the second one, but since the Knight Commander thought of them as one party with Ain, her name had also spread. ¡°Since she¡¯s with a Heavenly Being, she¡¯s also probably one.¡± But despite her fame, the NPCs weren¡¯t able to recognize her. Although it really didn¡¯t matter since Ain was distracted, looking at the virtual space. ¡°How long are you planning to stay in Iluna?¡± Suddenly, Radiette asked him a question. Hyun, who was also looking at the window, answered him. ¡°If my business goes fast, one day; if not, maybe a week?¡± ¡°One week is too long.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Iluna getting clearer means it¡¯s moving further away from its normal orbit. It will soon be lit up by the sun,¡± Radiette said while referencing Heaven¡¯s sacred books. In the sacred books, it was written that Iluna would turn into hell the moment light reached it. Once Iluna was covered by fire, it would end up being devoured by the Abyss. But rather than the topics related to the Abyss, Hyun focused on another thing: The sun¡­ The reason why Louise was staying on Iluna was probably because she was under a curse that made it so her location would become known to her enemies if the sunlight touched her. But what if the eclipse disappeared? Iluna wouldn¡¯t be a safe place for her anymore. ¡°Since when did Iluna¡¯s orbit start to change¡­?¡± ¡°It hasn¡¯t been long¡­ But the speed is increasing each day. In about four days, it will be completely off, and that¡¯s why I¡¯m saying that one week is too long.¡± While Hyun was starting to feel uneasy, Radiette continued the explanation. ¡°There¡¯s a record of something similar happening thousands of years ago. It took 500 years before the orbit normalized.¡± Hyun could feel his lips getting drier after listening to Radiette¡¯s explanation. He never thought that there would be a time limit to the quest of searching for Louise. Not only that, but he didn¡¯t have much time. What if he hadn¡¯t received the Evil¡¯s Seed Dungeon from the Knight Commander? What if he hadn¡¯t been able to get a clue from the Abyss Repository? If there had been a delay in any sector¡­ Everything would¡¯ve ended before he was able to meet Louise again. ¡®No, should I be glad I got to know it now?¡¯ Hyun breathed slowly. Hyun¡¯s eyes slowly sank. He was thinking of a way to find Louise as fast as possible once they reached Iluna. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * Iluna¡­ The moon, which had a radius about half the size of earth¡¯s moon, didn¡¯t have night or day. Phantom Land¡­ ¡ªIt was the name people from Asra used to refer to Iluna. There weren¡¯t many people who knew about the existence of Iluna, even among users. But there was someone who had just become the first user to arrive at Iluna. The number one ranking player in the Hall of Fame! It was Lattice. ¡®It¡¯s hard getting used to this place¡¯s weather.¡¯ Because it wasn¡¯t reached by light, the temperature was always below 0. Although some Magic Circles could control temperature, it required too much Magic Power to heat such a large mass of land. Because Lattice didn¡¯t have the title of Heavenly Being, he felt the cold just as it was. {Quest: Demon Djonial¡¯s Test} ¨C Destroy the 7 Magic Circles that exist on Iluna! (Amount Destroyed: 4) If it weren¡¯t for a quest, he wouldn¡¯t be staying in such a frozen land. A user who had received the quest of a demon¡­ The reason why Lattice had been able to reach the place was thanks to his reputation, which had increased thanks to his ranking in the hall of fame and winning the Duke¡¯s Tournament. ¡®A low-ranking demon, huh.¡¯ Lattice, thanks to his own information network, had learned about the information of the most relevant NPCs. He remembered the names of the known Transcendents especially well, so the moment he read the name of the demon, he knew its identity. ¡®Well, I guess this is my limit for now.¡¯ Up until then, Lattice had successfully completed missions step by step. Everything had always been easy for him. He had skills, luck, money, and lots of other things, so failure wasn¡¯t even an option for him. The reason why he was able to reach his current position was his perfectionist nature. He had always succeeded because he had planned everything carefully so that he wouldn¡¯t fail. Whap-! The moment Lattice put the demonic crystal in, the energy of the Abyss started to spread through the Magic Circle. Even if everything was going according to his plan, Lattice wasn¡¯t smiling. To be able to talk about perfection, he was missing something. Subconsciously, Lattice murmured a name. ¡°Come, Hyun.¡± He murmured that ID out of nowhere. While investigating information related to Asra Online, there was a name that he read everywhere. His accomplishments were so amazing that it was hard to tell if they were truth or rumor. ¡ªThat¡¯s why Lattice was especially impressed by them. He didn¡¯t know where he was at the moment or what he was doing¡­ But if he were playing Asrian and had the goal of reaching the top, they would meet one day. Was Hyun someone that was a match for himself? As another Magic Circle of Iluna was immersed in darkness, Lattice¡¯s eyes also sank into the fading light. * * * [We¡¯re about to enter Iluna¡¯s atmosphere!] Paf- The shuttle shot a huge beam of light. After receiving the beam of light, Iluna began showing itself. ¡°Oh, my¡­¡± Radiette frowned after looking at the sight of Iluna through the window. ¡°There isn¡¯t a lot of light left¡­ What happened?¡± On Iluna, there were seven magical circles where there were columns of light that rose to the sky. The magic circles controlled the orbit and also worked as lighthouses, but right then, there were only two left. ¡°It seems like the situation is far worse than I thought.¡± All the other Heavens NPCs couldn¡¯t hide their surprise after seeing what was happening. Only a few Holy Knights that knew what was going on were able to remain calm. It was at that moment¡­ The incident began without any warning. ¡°Kyaa!¡± Suddenly, a scream spread through the shuttle. Everyone¡¯s gaze turned to where the scream was coming from. There, one of the flight attendants was morphing. ¡°Back off!¡± Radiette pulled in Ain. He was looking with gleaming blue eyes at the girl whose figure was transforming. ¡°What¡¯s happening?! An accident?!¡± ¡°Is that person okay?¡± With everyone looking, the flight attendant¡¯s skin began turning dark. Then, horns and a tail appeared on her body. Finally, wings that seemed to contain a pitch-black darkness spread. A violent energy began swirling from her black wings. That figure belonged to someone who represented the Abyss. ¡°Oh¡­!¡± The Priests, who were the first ones to feel the presence of the Abyss, put their hands together. They began naming all the Angels while trembling. ¡°No¡­¡± ¡°How could something like this happen¡­!¡± The figure of the flight attendant had fully morphed into that of a demon. Not only her face, but her aura had changed as well. Fwoosh-! The flames of hell spreading from her feet began melting the shuttle. Hyun uttered in surprise. He knew the name of the demon who had just appeared. The owner of the sharp wings was¡­ ¡®Keidrial¡­?!¡¯ One of the three highest-ranking demons that belonged to the Abyss. The Great Demon of Deception had suddenly shown herself. Her appearance had a huge effect on the shuttle. Not only were the normal NPCs frozen, but even Knights and Magicians with high levels had pale faces and couldn¡¯t move. Except for Hyun, Ain, and Radiette, it was probably their first time seeing a demon. Demons hadn¡¯t made an appearance for hundreds of years, so they were like an existence from myth or legends! ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± Just making eye contact made someone faint. To people who belonged to the Heavens, a demon was synonymous with death. They were frozen because of fear. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­ Is she Deception?¡¯ Among NPCs, only Radiette was calm. However, he was also dripping cold sweat¡­ He could remain calmer than the rest because he was a Heavenly Being. ¡°Don¡¯t panic. The demon probably won¡¯t be able to do anything here¡­!¡± Radiette shouted toward the rest. A Transcendent was an existence on par with a god. They had enough strength to change the flow of the world, but they could only intervene indirectly. Just by appearing there, she had probably used a lot of her strength. ¡°A Heavenly Being? You¡¯re a clever kid.¡± After finishing her transformation, she looked around while smiling. ¡°That¡¯s true. I have no intention of harming you. I came here today to see the face of someone.¡± Most couldn¡¯t look at the joyful expression of the Great Demon. Except for two¡­ ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Suddenly¡­ Keidrial¡¯s gaze fixed on Ain and didn¡¯t leave her for a while. It was as if she was looking through her soul; then she mumbled. ¡°There¡¯s two today as well.¡± Hyun felt his heart sink. Keidrial, who was a Transcendent, could see through the soul. He was sure she¡¯d seen him ?Assimilated? to Ain. ____ Chapter 93 Chapter 93 ¨C The Land of Eclipse Dyed by the Abyss (1) ¡®Does she remember me¡­?¡¯ Hyun and Keidrial had already met each other before. While picking a job, he had called ¡®Deception¡¯ by her real name, and because of that, he¡¯d seen her true self. Hyun remained silent because there was nothing good to be gained by recalling that incident. Thankfully, Radiette intervened. ¡°Return.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I know you can¡¯t use your strength.¡± If a Transcendent wanted to go against the law of cause and effect, they had to pay a price equal to it. By looking at the fire burning around her, it was clear that she was burning a huge amount of her ego. She wasn¡¯t planning to take a huge penalty just for killing some humans there. Radiette knew it, so that¡¯s why he was able to remain calm. She had made an impressive appearance, but that was it. ¡°I can¡¯t use my strength?¡± The Demon of Deception made a creepy smile after listening to Radiette¡¯s words. ¡°What if I can¡­?¡± Then, she slowly lifted her claws. Radiette frowned. If a Transcendent intervened in the world without obtaining Empathy through prayer or a ceremony, it lost a lot of oneself. Just making a little bit of influence was enough to lose strength equivalent to hundreds of years. It was fatal damage. There was no way that a greedy Demon would make such a choice, but one never knew, so Radiette was nervous. ¡°Fufu, you¡¯re right. I have no intention of wasting my ego.¡± While everyone was holding their breath, she turned her eyes toward Ain. Hyun took a deep breath while feeling chills at the same time. He felt that she was analyzing his soul. ¡°It would¡¯ve been great if I had more time, too bad¡­¡± After saying that, just as suddenly as she¡¯d appeared, she vanished. As the Demon disappeared, the flight attendant¡¯s body returned to normal. Only then could they relax after feeling a choking pressure. But the dangerous situation wasn¡¯t over just because the Demon had disappeared. ¡°We¡¯re in trouble!¡± The Great Demon had left a huge mark just by appearing. The fire and dark energy she¡¯d poured out had melted the shuttle. Everyone¡¯s faces turned pale as a portion of the shuttle got cut out, and the scenery outside became visible. The probably was that no human could survive if thrown into space. Bzzt-! Before a difference in pressure occurred, Raidette created an ice shield and covered the hole. ¡°Is a crash landing possible?¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ll do my best!¡± The good thing is that it had happened when they¡¯d almost reached Iluna. Whish- As they entered Iluna¡¯s atmosphere, the wind hit, and shook the shuttle. ¡°The cracks are getting worse¡­¡± Radiette gritted his teeth and murmured. Those who understood the meaning became either pale or serious. ¡°The strong ones protect the weak.¡± Crash-! The moment Radiette said that, the shuttle fell apart in midair. The destroyed pieces of the shuttle began falling, attracted by the gravity force of Iluna. ¡®Damn¡­ What is this!¡¯ Hyun and Ain were swept away by Iluna¡¯s air currents. Not only was it not reached by the sunlight, but there was also a blizzard in the sky, so they couldn¡¯t see anything. ?Wind Barrier?. Hyun created a foothold in the sky and regained his balance. Judging from the situation before the crash, they were probably thousands, or maybe tens of thousands, of feet above the surface. If they were swept away by the air, they could end up dying, so it was important to slow down their speed. ¡¸Ain, please find Radiette!¡¹ ¡¸I also can¡¯t see anything!¡¹ ¡¸Use your flames.¡¹ ¡¸Ugh¡­ Okay!¡¹ Ain activated ?Efreet¡¯s Claws? in both hands. She thought that if she waved a pair of flames in the middle of the darkness, Radiette would be able to find them for sure. ¡®I can¡¯t see him.¡¯ Ain waved her hands for a while, but there weren¡¯t even any traces of Radiette. The powerful winds of the blizzard hit their ears with force strong enough to cover the entire world. The moment they¡¯d been swept away by the wind, everyone scattered away, so there was a chance that the distance between them had increased. ¡¸Is it too late to find him?¡¹ The winds that covered Iluna¡¯s atmosphere were more than ten times faster than those of a typhoon. If they were swept by it even once, they would end up dragged away by it. Hyun looked at the ground. He thought that, once they were on the ground, they¡¯d be able to meet Radiette. While letting his body drift through the wind, the current of air entered a downward stream. Hyun and Ain passed through a translucent membrane. Paf-! At that moment, the snow blizzard suddenly stopped. The wind also calmed down. Iluna became silent as if it had become static. After passing through the barrier, the flow of the atmosphere completely changed. Status Quo Barrier¡­ * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * The enormous magic circle that enveloped the satellite had been created by a Transcendent in the past. The main job of the barrier was to maintain an atmosphere similar to the one in Asra on Iluna. Thanks to that, even though the sun didn¡¯t reach inside the barrier, there was always a brightness similar to a sunset. There weren¡¯t any strong wind currents, it didn¡¯t snow frequently, and the gravity was similar to Asra¡¯s. Hyun felt that their speed of descent had increased since they¡¯d gone through the barrier. It was as if they were skydiving. But with Ain¡¯s Agility, he probably didn¡¯t have to worry about receiving damage from falling. ¡¸It seems like we¡¯ve gotten quite far away.¡¹ Hyun first tried to see their location. After they entered the barrier, the view had gotten clear. He could see remnants of the shuttle falling on the horizon with smoke trailing from it. It seemed like they¡¯d been swept away in a completely separate direction from the rest because of the strong wind currents. Radiette was probably near the place where the shuttle had fallen. ¡¸Hyun, look down!¡¹ Ain suddenly shouted. ¡¸Look at the people that are beneath us!¡¹ Just like she¡¯d said, Hyun found a group of people on the ground. They were all looking up. Were they the people who had fallen before them? He thought that for a little while but soon discovered he was wrong. ¡®Ugh¡­! ?Wind Barrier?!¡¯ Hyun quickly created a wall in the air and stepped on it right before a giant flame brush passed them. Someone under them had cast a magic aimed at them. ¡¸Who are they¡­?¡¹ Hyun¡¯s eyes were filled with nervousness. They¡¯d almost gotten hit with a strong magic because he¡¯d been lost in his thoughts. After coming back to his senses, he looked down. ¡¸Who are they? Why are they attacking us?¡¹ ¡¸Hmm, aren¡¯t they part of the Abyss?¡¹ Ain mumbled. They got a clearer view of the people as they got closer to the ground. They were wearing robes of Magician NPCs that belonged to the Abyss. ¡ªThey were the opponents he always used to face while playing Asra. ¡¸If the Abyss is here¡­ It seems like the unexpected event is really happening.¡¹ ¡¸Definitely. This doesn¡¯t seem normal.¡¹ Iluna¡¯s Unexpected Event¡­ The fact that they were there, in a territory that belonged to the Heavens, was proof that something weird was going on. After feeling the hostility coming from them, Hyun murmured. ¡¸It seems like we¡¯ll have to fight.¡¹ ¡¸Should I use the Ultimate Attack?¡¹ ¡¸No, save it.¡¹ Several projectiles came flying in their direction, but Hyun used the ?Wind Barrier? to step on and dodge the incoming attacks. Boom! Ain¡¯s body soon hit the ground as if she were a meteorite. [Fall! You¡¯ve received 5271 damage!] Hyun quickly looked around. He soon realized their level based on their appearance. He¡¯d faced many NPCs that belonged to the Abyss, so he could correctly guess their levels just by looking at their clothes. ¡¸They¡¯re all around level 200!¡¹ Grrr-! A giant bear with claws sharp as a demon rushed in their direction. It seemed like there was either a Summoner or a Hunter among the opponents. A bear was a tank summon with high HP¡­ For most people, it was a troublesome opponent to face, but for Hyun and Ain, it was easy prey. Fwoosh-! Two claws made of fire appeared on Ain¡¯s hands. ¡®Amplification buffs!¡¯ The moment Hyun activated the skills, two auras of different colors spread. ?Powerless Wave?, ?Impact Amplification?. Ain, powered with both buffs, used her claws to attack the bear. Both of their claws were targeting each other! But Ain¡¯s claws were bigger than the bear¡¯s. The bear screamed in pain after receiving many attacks because of the difference in the reach. [You¡¯ve received 1049 damage!] [You¡¯ve received 1102 damage!] [You¡¯ve received 749 damage!] Because there were lots of attacks coming from the sides, Ain was also receiving damage, but it wasn¡¯t enough to influence the result of the fight. [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 46039 damage!] After all, the amount of damage Ain received was less than the HP she recovered! ¡¸Can you resist?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m not going to die with just this!¡¹ The HP that appeared on Ain¡¯s interface was varying quickly. The moment she received damage, it was immediately filled. As Hyun and Ain¡¯s new skills combined, their damage output couldn¡¯t be compared to the past. After learning the situation they were in, the opponents stopped attacking for a while ¡ªAnd then they centered all their attacks on one point. Lots of magic, arrows, and weapons began pouring to one point. After looking at the numerous projectiles flying toward them, Ain¡¯s voice became urgent. ¡¸Hyun, I can¡¯t resist this!¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s okay, leave it to me.¡¹ ?One Second Absorption?, ?Shield?. Hyun activated both skills and turned the claws 360 degrees. Ting-! He brushed off some of the attacks with the claws, and the rest were absorbed with his skill. Ain didn¡¯t receive any damage at all. On top of that, there was the effect of ?Shield?. Half of the opponents were stunned. As a gap of three seconds appeared¡­ ¡¸Ain, now!¡¹ ¡¸Now?!¡¹ Boom-! Ain used the ?Latent Potential Increase?. Hyun used ?Invisible? and ?Biorhythm Acceleration? at the same time. Fwoosh-! Invisible flames spread. Ain targeted a Magician that was in the back row. ¡°Coff¡­!¡± Because a strong shield surrounded the Magician, he didn¡¯t die even after receiving multiple attacks from Ain. Paf- After feeling his life was at risk, he used a teleport scroll to escape. Tsk- Ain clicked her tongue. The reason was because killing a high-level human opponent NPC gave a lot of experience. ¡¸Don¡¯t overdo yourself!¡¹ Even after ?Invisible? and ?Biorhythm Acceleration?¡¯s effects had ended, Ain tried to charge toward the opponents. Hyun used control priority to stop her. ¡¸Look around. More enemies are coming in our direction.¡¹ ¡¸Hmm¡­ Yeah, that¡¯s right.¡¹ The opponents that were five had multiplied by seven¡­ No, eight. As time went on, the number of enemies increased. Ain suddenly murmured. ¡¸Was this a land of the Abyss¡­? Where are all of our allies?¡¹ ¡¸The current state of Iluna is weird! Let¡¯s go over there for now!¡¹ Hyun and Ain started to run toward where the shuttle had fallen. But that place was plain. Because there weren¡¯t any obstacles, it was a place that benefitted the pursuers. Ain¡¯s steps were constantly delayed because of the relentless attacks from the enemies. ¡¸Be careful¡­!¡¹ Smash-! A metal thorn of three meters rose in front of Ain. If Hyun hadn¡¯t quickly slowed down, that thing would¡¯ve penetrated them. ?Metal Edge?¡­ That thing that rose from the ground had the effect of stunning, so it was a close call. ¡®Isn¡¯t it easy¡­?¡¯ After taking a glance behind, Hyun saw another Magician flying toward them who had almost finished casting. ____ Chapter 94 Chapter 94 ¨C The Land of Eclipse Dyed by the Abyss (2) Whap-! The moment the opponent pointed the wand toward them, Hyun felt his body start to become sticky. [You couldn¡¯t resist!] [Your speed is decreased by 25% for 100 seconds!] The enemy¡¯s formation was very well thought out. ¡ªEspecially the Magician¡¯s chained attacks. Fwoosh-! As one of the opposing Priest¡¯s waved his arms, red energy suffused the rest of the enemies. ?Blood Gallop?. It was a skill that increased an ally¡¯s speed. Even Hyun was starting to feel a sense of danger. The prey was getting slower, and the pursuers faster, so the likely outcome was obvious. ¡®Ugh, ?Wind Barrier?!¡¯ Hyun created a foothold in the air and stepped on it. He was thinking of jumping into the air, up to a point where attacks couldn¡¯t reach him¡­ But as soon as he tried to do that, his plan was foiled. Swish-! Thousands of thin thorns flew toward the sky. The damage each one dealt was low, but it was enough to destroy the ?Wind Barrier?. As soon as a foothold appeared, it was destroyed. The enemies weren¡¯t dumb. Even in Asra Online, some humanoid NPCs were as intelligent as a real person. They could easily counter a skill they¡¯d seen previously, especially if they were trained. ¡®I can¡¯t escape through the air¡­?¡¯ Hyun gulped while falling down. It seemed like the opponent¡¯s formation was optimized for pursuing. Hyun made a decision. Rather than dying while escaping, it was better to face the enemies. ¡¸Ain, this can¡¯t continue like this.¡¹ ¡¸Should we fight?¡¹ ¡¸Yes!¡¹ Fwoosh-! As soon as Hyun answered, Ain used ?Efreet¡¯s Claws?. But the bear summon that had served as a source of HP wasn¡¯t there anymore. The enemies had learned how the ?Vitality Absorption? skill worked. If they were average users, they would¡¯ve probably felt that there was no way out of it. Hyun and Ain were nervous but not desperate. They¡¯d gotten through numerous dangerous situations like that one in Asra Online. Crash-! Ain activated one more ?Latent Potential Increase?. That time, she raised her Agility. The blood-red aura surrounding Ain got more intense, but her HP dropped to less than 10% in exchange. Was it a suicide attack? No, Hyun quickly understood Ain¡¯s intentions. ¡¸Leave it to me. I¡¯ll move.¡¹ They didn¡¯t need to talk to know each other¡¯s thoughts. If one began moving first, the other one naturally did their best to support. It was the result of playing as a pair for a very long time. Fwoosh-! ?Steps of the Incarnate?. A skill that instantly closed a gap of up to 30 meters. A road of fire was drawn across the plains. In a flash, Ain was in the middle of the enemy formation. A smile was drawn on Hyun¡¯s mouth. ¡¸Good, now!¡¹ Hyun put as many enemies as possible within the attack¡¯s range. The reason why charging with ?Steps of the Incarnate? and swiping the enemies away with the claws looked like one movement was because Hyun and Ain¡¯s timing coincided perfectly. [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 46293 damage!] [You¡¯ve dealt 22293 damage!] [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 45293 damage!] A flaming tornado appeared in the middle of the enemy¡¯s formation. Every time Hyun spun the claws, countless system messages appeared. While leaving the movements to Hyun, Ain concentrated on using the skills. She used ?Latent Potential Increase? each time her HP reached the maximum amount. Surprisingly, that timing, rather than seconds, was in the milliseconds. In an instant, two more ?Latent Potential Increase?s overlapped. Even after that, her HP was full. ¡®One more.¡¯ Crash-! Ain once again used the ?Latent Potential Increase? while backing off and attacking. The last one was Agility. On top of the ones she¡¯d already used, her ?Latent Potential Increase? had overlapped five times, and the energy coming out from her had turned into a bloody dark-red color. ¡°¡­¡± The enemies started to get worried. They¡¯d noticed the change in Ain¡¯s atmosphere. Unlike users, humanoid NPCs only had one life. The hurt ones moved to the back and received healing from their partners; then the ones whose HP had dropped to less than half left the battle. Despite all that, the number of enemies didn¡¯t decrease¡ªthe battlefield was constantly refilled with new opponents. ¡®There¡¯s no end.¡¯ * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * Hyun was overwhelmed by the endless attacks from the enemies. The only good thing was that Ain had previously completed her job ascension. If it weren¡¯t for that, her Mana would¡¯ve already plummeted. Whir-. At that moment, the enemies that were in the back had finished casting. Hyun felt an unpleasant sensation spreading through his body. [You couldn¡¯t resist!] [Dark Spirits started to devour your soul!] [You¡¯ll receive 109 damage every second for 60 seconds.] [You couldn¡¯t resist!] [You¡¯ve been exposed to a weakening curse!] [For 120 seconds, the amount of damage you receive increases by 15%!] The most bothersome things were curses or debuffing skills. The resistance to debuff depends on your level, skill, or an item¡¯s effect. For someone like Ain, whose level was lower than the opponents, that was something critical. But the scariest thing was that they had more than one type of debuff skill. Goooo- The moment one raised the wand and pointed to the sky, menacing black energy started to gather around him. Hyun knew what skill it was just by the effect around it. ?Chains of Darkness?. It was a skill that locked your feet and blocked you from moving for about five seconds. Before the dark energy finished gathering, Hyun shouted. ¡¸Stop that spell no matter what!¡¹ Ain reacted immediately. As the flames cut the darkness, the dark energy scattered away. Although the casting was interrupted, the dangerous situation wasn¡¯t over yet. Because Ain had forced the movement, she had no other way but to throw her body into the middle of the enemies. The moment her weakness was exposed, numerous skills came flying toward her. ?One Second Absorption?, ?Vision Sword?!¡¯ Hyun quickly summoned a big sword of light. A blue light cut the air. Because the ?Vision Sword?¡¯s attack range was bigger than ?Efreet¡¯s Claws?, it successfully hit numerous opponents. Ain¡¯s HP, which had been near the bottom, quickly replenished. ¡¸Hyun, are those ready?¡¹ ¡¸What? ?Invisible? and ?Acceleration??¡¹ ¡¸Yes!¡¹ At Ain¡¯s urgent voice, Hyun gave a realistic answer. ¡ªAlthough it wasn¡¯t the one she was hoping to hear. ¡¸Even if I use that, it will be hard to get away since this is a plain.¡¹ ¡¸Ugh, is that so¡­?¡¹ The terrain¡¯s characteristics put Hyun and Ain in a dangerous situation. ?Invisible? and ?Acceleration? lasted for two to three seconds. There wasn¡¯t a place where they could hide. Even if they could gain some distance, they would probably be caught up to quickly. ¡®Although we still have the Ultimate Attack left.¡¯ Hyun thought of the last resort. The best way to shake off the enemies was to push them away with an overwhelming attack. Wasn¡¯t there any other option? It was when Hyun was thinking about a solution¡­ ¡¸Hyun, someone is approaching us!¡¹ Hyun turned his head around at Ain¡¯s shouting. Someone was approaching them at an amazing speed from the far end of the plains. He was moving so fast that it seemed like the flow of the air bent. ¡¸Another enemy?¡¹ ¡¸No, it¡¯s different¡­!¡¹ In the blink of an eye, it came from the end of the horizon to near them. Bzzt-! One of the enemy¡¯s vanguards froze instantly. The ice statue soon turned into white dust and scattered away. After one enemy died, Hyun finally discovered the identity of the new person who had appeared. ¡°Radiette¡­!¡± Just as Hyun had guessed, he had landed where the shuttle had fallen. But Hyun was surprised because of another reason. ¡ªHe was a Heavenly Being, yet he was frowning as if he were in pain. Judging by how he was grabbing his chest, it seemed like he had been hurt somewhere. Because a Heavenly Being, an overwhelming existence, had appeared, the enemies escaped. Radiette didn¡¯t pursue them. No, he probably didn¡¯t have the luxury to do that. ¡ªHe was breathing heavily. ¡°Oof¡­ Don¡¯t go over there.¡± Radiette stopped her as Ain was about to go to the gate at the main magic circle. ¡°There are too many opponents over there. You won¡¯t be able to get in.¡± ¡°Even for a Heavenly Being¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. Do you understand how dangerous Iluna is at the moment?¡± Who could put the life of a Heavenly Being in danger? Hyun tried to think of a few opponents, including demons. If an existence like that was on Iluna, that probably meant that the Unexpected Event was about to happen. ¡°We¡¯re in danger here, too. If only there were somewhere where we could rest¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s a village to the west.¡± ¡°Really?¡± After seeing Radiette¡¯s reaction, Hyun discovered something. ¡ªRadiette knew less about Iluna than he did. In one way, it was obvious. After being kicked out from the Heavens, he hadn¡¯t left the Giant¡¯s Forest even once. ¡°It seems like you know more than me. Is this also because you¡¯re a user?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s true in a sense, but¡­¡± ¡°Then lead the way.¡± Ain and Radiette began moving in the direction Hyun had indicated. ¡°Too slow.¡± Radiette spoke and then grabbed Ain¡¯s body. Although he had been injured, it seemed like he didn¡¯t feel burdened by Ain¡¯s body. As Radiette began properly running, they crossed through the plains as fast as the wind. They reached their destination after ten minutes. They thought something was wrong after looking at the remnants of the buildings. ¡°There¡¯s no trace of life¡­¡± The senses of a Heavenly Being were way above those of a normal human being, so what Radiette said was true. Ain and Radiette walked through the town that had turned into ruins. ¡¸Hyun, was this also done by the Abyss?¡¹ ¡¸Probably.¡¹ All of the destruction caused in the village was probably done by monsters. If monsters were already freely roaming around, how much had the unexpected event progressed? ¡¸There are only two controlling magic circles left.¡¹ After realizing that, Hyun¡¯s face darkened. There were originally seven magic circles that controlled Iluna, and they were placed at the center of a giant hexagon. Each magic circle shot a beam of light up into the sky, thus becoming visible from both the sky and the ground. There were only two light beams left¡­ ¡°There aren¡¯t any bodies. Except for the buildings that have been wrecked, there aren¡¯t any signs of a battle,¡± Radiette said while looking around. ¡°There¡¯s a possibility that people left the town before the disaster happened. Judging by how the snow has covered the footsteps, it seems like it has been quite some time¡­ There doesn¡¯t seem to be any casualties.¡± Then Radiette pointed in a direction with his finger. It was one of the places where one of the magic circles that controlled Iluna was located. ¡°Let¡¯s go over there.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a little bit far away, is that okay¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, there¡¯s no problem.¡± The moment they decided on their next destination, Radiette grabbed Ain and began running. Because time had passed, Radiette had recovered a lot of his HP. Thanks to that, his breathing had normalized. The speed at which he ran was faster than what Hyun thought, so it took him less than an hour to reach the destination. ¡°There are definitely lots of people around here.¡± A Heavenly Being¡¯s senses not only allowed him to notice the presence of people, but also to guess the number of people very precisely. Hyun looked at the walls of the city. There were clearly people inside, but they still didn¡¯t know what force they belonged to, so they had to be careful. ¡¸I hope the Abyss hasn¡¯t taken this place.¡¹ ¡¸No, it¡¯s of the Heavens!¡¹Ain said after finding someone wearing a blue Priest robe. After taking a closer look, there were Knights and Soldiers wearing the armor of the Heaven¡¯s forces. ¡¸It seems like this place is still okay.¡¹ Yes. How this city looks was probably how the rest of Iluna used to look, too. They hadn¡¯t seen any Heaven¡¯s NPCs after reaching Iluna, so their presence was very welcome. ____ Chapter 95 Chapter 95 ¨C Priestess (1) ¡°Are you¡­ A Heavenly Being?¡± The guard was looking sharply at the two figures approaching. When he realized Radiette¡¯s identity, he changed his posture to a more cordial one. Because both Radiette and Ain had the runes of a Heavenly Being, it didn¡¯t take them long to prove which side they were on ¡°It isn¡¯t good¡­¡± Radiette frowned while looking around. That was the only city on Iluna that had a temple. Usually, it was a comfortable and relaxing place, but at the moment, it was full of anxiety and fear. ¡°Ah¡­!¡± Everyone turned their heads around after hearing someone groan. That place beyond the horizon was where one of the two remaining magic circles was. The light beam that was rising to the sky suddenly disappeared. The sight of the magic circle becoming powerless could be seen from all over the city. ¡°The light turned off¡­¡± ¡°That means that it¡¯s our turn next?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have much time! Monsters are soon going to attack the city!¡± The city was filled with panic and nervousness as the light pillar disappeared. The people of the city had realized that they were the Abyss¡¯s last target. Hyun, Ain, and Radiette also saw that. ¡°This is the only remaining place.¡± Radiette couldn¡¯t hide a bittersweet expression. Hyun had a similar expression on his face. While playing Asra, he hadn¡¯t felt it, but there, everyone around him felt real, so he felt as if he was assimilating their feelings. What made Hyun come back to his senses was a quest notification that¡¯d suddenly appeared. Ting-! [{Quest: Iluna¡¯s Crisis}] ¨C 6 of the 7 magic circles have been destroyed! If the last one is destroyed, this will no longer be a territory of the Heavens. ¨C But it isn¡¯t over yet. The Priests who felt Iluna¡¯s crisis are trying to summon an angel. ¨C Go with the Heavenly Being to the Heavens¡¯ Altar! The Priests will thank those that arrive to help! {Reward} ¨C The Priest NPCs will completely trust you. ¨C You¡¯ll be recognized by a Heavenly Being and a Transcendent. Hyun¡¯s eyes widened after reading the quest description. ¡ªIt was because of a certain part of the quest details. ¡®Angel summon¡­?¡¯ * * * The preparations were over. The army was also fully prepared. There was only one place left¡­ They were about to start the last step when the demon received an order it couldn¡¯t refuse. ¡°The law of cause and effect is balancing. Wait until I order you.¡± It was an order from Keidrial, the Great Demon of Deception. She only said that and didn¡¯t give any more details. After thinking about it for a while, the demon started to laugh. That¡¯s right. Even if there were a delay, the result would be the same. Everything would end up going as they planned, so there was no need to hurry. * * * ¡®Is this the end?¡¯ That new quest he¡¯d received was one of the easiest since he¡¯d started playing Asrian. The quest would be over after he took Radiette to the temple at the city¡¯s center. ¡°It¡¯s an honor to meet you, Mr. Radiette.¡± The Priests greeted Ain and Radiette. ¡°But the person with you¡­¡± Just because she was with a Heavenly Being, Ain received a lot of attention. ¡°If someone asks you, just say you¡¯re a Heavenly Being. That will save us time.¡± ¡°Can I do that?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t a lie, right?¡± When she thought about it, that was true. From then on, whenever an NPC asked who she was, Ain said she was a Heavenly Being. Radiette nodded. The moment they learned about Ain¡¯s identity, the NPCs were moved. ¡°Two Heavenly Beings visiting the temple simultaneously!¡± ¡°Could we please know your name?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Ain.¡± Ain ended up saying her ID. ¡°Ain¡­? I think I heard about¡­ Oh!¡± It was a coincidence that an NPC knew about that name at Iluna¡¯s temple. He was one of the Priests that the Holy Kingdom had sent. It seemed like he¡¯d heard about Hyun and Ain¡¯s achievements for the Empire. ¡°An Empire user¡­¡± ¡°What you¡¯re thinking is probably right.¡± * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * ¡°I see. I heard that there was a user who was recognized by a Heavenly Being¡­ But I never thought that you¡¯d continue the bloodline! It¡¯s an honor to meet you!¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± It seemed like the Priest had misunderstood something, but since Ain didn¡¯t correct him, the topic flowed into the next. The Priests treated her as if she were noble. The fact that Ain was a user had already been revealed, but no one treated her less because of it. It was obvious if you considered the weight that the words ¡°Heavenly Being¡± had in the Heavens. ¡°Now we have three Heavenly Beings here. It feels like the fog of darkness is slowly being lifted!¡± The topic completely changed after an old Priest said something. ¡°Wait, three? Is there someone else?¡± Radiette asked back in surprise. ¡°You didn¡¯t know? The Heavenly Being Mrs. Maria is also staying here.¡± ¡°Maria¡­ Is here?¡± Radiette¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡ªIt was because an unexpected name had come out of the Priest¡¯s mouth. ¡°I¡¯m going to meet her right now.¡± ¡°Let me guide you.¡± The Priest bowed. There wasn¡¯t an NPC of the Heavens that could refuse a Heavenly Being¡¯s request. Radiette looked at Ain. ¡°I¡¯ll go alone. Is that okay?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡± As Ain nodded, Radiette followed the Priest through the corridor. Ain was left alone. The Priests wanted to talk to the new Heavenly Being, but they couldn¡¯t get themselves to do it because it looked like Ain didn¡¯t like talking. Ain was talking with Hyun through whispers. ¡¸Hyun, didn¡¯t you say that you have a quest to complete on Iluna? We came here because of that.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right, Ain. Now is the perfect opportunity.¡¹ ¡¸Opportunity?¡¹ ¡¸Let¡¯s sneak into the temple.¡¹ ¡¸Huh¡­? So suddenly?¡¹ Ain seemed confused by Hyun¡¯s sudden words. ¡¸I just got a hunch. It seems like I¡¯ll be able to find her here.¡¹ ¡¸Who?¡¹ ¡¸Hmm¡­ It¡¯d take a long time to explain. I¡¯m going to do it now, so rest for the moment.¡¹ They were lacking time if he wanted to explain to her everything related to Louise from start to finish. Before Ain could say anything, Hyun used two skills. ?Invisible?! ?Acceleration?! The moment the skills were activated, Ain, who was calmly sitting on the sofa, disappeared. ¡°She vanished¡­!¡± ¡°Where did she go?¡± ¡°She probably had something to do. We don¡¯t need to worry about her.¡± The Priests were surprised after Ain suddenly disappeared, but that was all. Since they recognized Ain as a Heavenly Being, they thought there was probably a good reason behind her actions. That¡¯s how Hyun could easily reach a place deep within the temple. ¡¸Hyun, do you know where we¡¯re going?¡¹ ¡¸No, it¡¯s my first time here¡­ But I think I know.¡¹ Iluna¡¯s only temple wasn¡¯t small, even compared to the main temple of the Holy Kingdom. It was big and luxurious. It was as if the majesty of the Royal Palace had fused with the church¡¯s holiness. The statues and chandeliers that decorated the hallways were made with transparent crystals. One could tell the financial power of the Holy Kingdom by looking at how they wasted money on expensive crystals. ¡®It should be around here¡­ There are no more possible places¡­!¡¯ Hyun wandered around the insides of the temple. Thanks to ?Invisible? and ?Acceleration?, Hyun could go through places that were forbidden to even high-ranking Priests. They¡¯d probably let a Heavenly Being in¡­ But Hyun chose to sneak in just in case. Ten minutes had passed. Hyun and Ain reached a place where there wasn¡¯t anyone around. ¡¸It¡¯s quite dark around here. It looks like an old museum.¡¹ ¡¸Judging by the fact that there isn¡¯t any dust, it isn¡¯t an abandoned place.¡¹ ¡¸Fufu¡­ Maybe there¡¯s a secret passageway? There¡¯s always something incredible around these kinds of places!¡¹ Both of them walked through the empty place. At first, Ain was looking to see what Hyun would do, but now, she was having fun. It was because the memories of both of them wandering through unknown places came to her mind. The dark temple had a mysterious and charming atmosphere. ¡®If it¡¯s now¡­ It should be okay, right?¡¯ Ain suddenly fell into relaxing thoughts. ¡®It¡¯s going to be okay, right?¡¯ Ain was about to take action when suddenly¡­ Paf-! Suddenly, flames erupted and spread light through the darkness. Hyun and Ain looked at the place where flames had appeared. They saw a girl who was about the same size as Ain standing in an awkward position there. She had a small flame in the palms of her hands. ¡°Ah¡­!¡± Paf-! The unknown girl mumbled some words and quickly smothered the fire in her hands. They could only hear the girl¡¯s voice in the place that had darkened again. ¡°D-did you see¡­?¡± ¡°What?¡± Ain asked while tilting her head. ¡°My¡­ Magic. Flame is, in reality, an element of the Abyss. However, I can use it by mere coincidence. I¡¯m not of the Abyss, but the Heavens¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± Ain, who still couldn¡¯t understand, shrugged her shoulders. ¡°I don¡¯t care. I¡¯m also part of the Heavens and can use flames.¡± After replying that, Ain tried to ignite a fire in her hands. Crack-! But instead of that, ?Efreet¡¯s Claws? came from her hands. She had forgotten that, because Hyun was using ?Assimilation? on her, the skill level had increased and thus evolved. ¡°Oh, this isn¡¯t it.¡± ¡°H-hic¡­!¡± ¡°Oh?¡± The girl started to walk backward after looking at Ain¡¯s hands, which had become similar to a monster¡¯s. Surprised, Ain tried to approach her, but that only made the girl collapse. ¡°Oh, is it because of these¡­?¡± After discovering that the reason behind her reaction was ?Efreet¡¯s Claws?, Ain asked Hyun. ¡¸Hyun, ?Disassimilate? for a little while. I was trying to show her another thing¡­ But this weird thing ended up coming out.¡¹ But from the moment Hyun saw the girl, he couldn¡¯t properly hear Ain¡¯s words. Was it her? At first, he had some doubts since her height and face were different from his memories. But after looking at her reaction, he was sure of it. The face she made while frightened hadn¡¯t changed at all. ¡®I¡¯ve found her.¡¯ He was sure of it. The girl in front of him was Louise. In those five years, she had grown a lot. She was at the same height as Ain. When they¡¯d first met, she was around 10-years-old, so considering that she was 15, the growth rate was understandable. ¡°Louise? You¡¯re Louise, right?¡± Hyun asked her using Ain¡¯s voice. But that only made her even more scared. ¡°N-No¡­ I don¡¯t know a person by that name. If you want to kill her, that¡¯s another person!¡± ¡°What are you talking about? It¡¯s obvious you¡¯re Louise.¡± Hyun finally laughed. He thought it might be fun to tease Louise a little bit more but decided to stop. It wasn¡¯t appropriate to play a joke at a reunion. To calm Louise down, Hyun took off Ain¡¯s gloves and showed her the rune. ¡°Y-you¡¯re a Heavenly Being!¡± Then, finally, Louise wiped her tears and stood up. ¡°Ugh¡­ I thought an enemy had infiltrated¡­ I¡¯m glad you weren¡¯t.¡± ¡°Louise.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m Priestess Louise.¡± ¡®Priestess?¡¯ Although an unexpected word came out of Louise¡¯s mouth, Hyun started to wonder if she remembered him. But Hyun was part of the Abyss. He didn¡¯t know what would happen if he ?Disassimilated? while in the territory of the Heavens. Radiette was someone very sensitive, so if he became suspicious of them, the situation could worsen. ____ Chapter 96 Chapter 96 ¨C Priestess (2) Because he couldn¡¯t temporarily ?Disassimilate?, Hyun decided to show Louise another thing. Whoosh- Hyun used ?One Second Absorption? on Louise¡¯s body. As a blue light rolled over her body, Louise became surprised and moved her shoulders. ¡°This Magic¡­!¡± Louise remembered it. ¡°This¡­ I miss it a lot! You¡¯re the second person I¡¯ve who can use it!¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m probably the first one. Who else would use a skill like this¡­?¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°Louise, haven¡¯t you realized it yet?¡± Hyun took out a paper he¡¯d saved in his inventory. Although it was a letter Louise had left for him years ago, it had been only a month since he¡¯d read it. The moment Louise realized what the paper was, her eyes began shaking. ¡°This¡­¡± Louise suddenly asked with a louder voice. Hyun felt expectant while looking at Louise¡¯s shaking eyes. ¡°Do¡­ you know someone named Hyun?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Hyun¡­¡± Frustrated, Hyun told Louise the truth, but it seemed like she was having a hard time understanding it. Hyun took out The Blood Fairy¡¯s Cape, The Ring of the Executioner, and the bag with gold Louise had left for him. ¡ªIt was all the stuff Louise had left in the secret marketplace. ¡°Oh¡­ Those are¡­!¡± ¡°Have you finally realized it¡¯s me?¡± Louise had finally understood the situation. The person who had used that scary fire skill in front of her was Hyun, the one she¡¯d been thinking about. He had really come. Louise couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°Hyun, are you really Hyun¡­? Why did you suddenly turn into a girl? Is this also one of the abilities of the so-called users¡­?¡± Oof¡­ Hyun grabbed his head at the words of the still innocent Louise. He activated a skill. ?Assimilation?. The moment he used it, Hyun¡¯s soul went from Ain¡¯s body to Louise¡¯s. Louise had previously accepted for Hyun to use his skill on her, and it seemed like he still had control priority. Both souls began talking inside Louise¡¯s body. ¡¸Now, do you believe me?¡¹ ¡°Yes, it was this feeling¡­!¡± ¡¸I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t show myself here for a few reasons.¡¹ It was Hyun¡¯s voice as Louise remembered it. ¡°It¡¯s really you¡­!¡± She could also feel that it was like she couldn¡¯t move her own body. The reason was that the control priority of ?Assimilation? still hadn¡¯t been canceled. The first moment she¡¯d experienced it, she was scared. She thought that maybe a demon had taken control of her body. But she had missed even that unnatural feeling. ¡°Hyun¡­ You really came.¡± Tears started to flow from Louise¡¯s eyes and drip down her chin. Melancholy? Happiness? Or maybe another type of feeling¡­? She also couldn¡¯t understand why she was crying. ¡°I never thought you¡¯d be able to find this place¡­¡± That skill shared the target¡¯s body state. Without realizing the weird gaze Ain was giving at him, Hyun had been infected a little bit with Louise¡¯s feelings. ¡ªThat¡¯s why it took more time than expected. ¡ªThat¡¯s why Ain had to remain still while Hyun was ?Assimilated? into a girl she¡¯d never seen. * * * While Hyun and Ain were moving through the temple¡¯s interior, Radiette met with Maria. ¡°So it was really you.¡± Just like Radiette, Maria was a Heavenly Being famous among people. She looked like the definition of someone noble and holy¡ªshe was probably the closest one to the people¡¯s image of a Heavenly Being. According to rumors, her personality was as benevolent as her appearance. If Radiette had distanced himself from the world, Maria was a Heavenly Being who was very interested in it. ¡°I never thought you¡¯d be on Iluna.¡± Maria smiled at Radiette¡¯s mumbles. ¡°I can be anywhere. Since there are people everywhere.¡± While they¡¯d still been in Heavens, Radiette and Maria were what you would call friends. Obviously, their relationship had never evolved into anything else. Radiette had a person he loved, and Maria didn¡¯t know how to love only one person. The reason why these two with opposing personalities became friends was probably that they were interested in how the other one lived. Because of their opposing opinions, there had been times when they¡¯d discussed an entire day away. ¡°Even after hundreds of years, you¡¯re still the same. Are you here to help the humans?¡± Maria nodded while smiling. Radiette laughed at her simple answer. ¡°It must be comfortable being you. You¡¯re so consistent that you probably don¡¯t need to think a lot.¡± ¡°Oh, but I also think lots of different things.¡± ¡°You still don¡¯t know how to take a joke.¡± Their past selves would¡¯ve probably spent hours talking about lots of non-important things. But right then, they didn¡¯t have the luxury of doing that. It was Radiette who spoke first. ¡°This battle, the Heavens won¡¯t be able to win it.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple. The difference in power is too overwhelming.¡± Radiette still remembered the sight he¡¯d seen from Iluna¡¯s atmosphere. ¡ªThe army of the Abyss was waiting with their mouths opened for the sky to fall on the gate. When he thought about it, it was good that the demon had suddenly forced them to crash-land the shuttle. If it weren¡¯t that, everyone there would¡¯ve died as soon as they landed on Iluna at the hands of the Abyss¡¯s army. ¡°Except for this city, they¡¯ve taken control of everything¡­ Even if there are two Heavenly Beings, the result will probably be the same.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t just Heavenly Beings.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°What if there was an Angel¡­? Wouldn¡¯t the situation turn 180 degrees?¡± ¡°Is that true?¡± Radiette had a serious expression on his face. Summoning an Angel wasn¡¯t something you could do at any time. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it.¡± For an Angel to be involved, one of two things had to happen. ¡ªThe first one was Ego. For an overwhelming existence like a God to appear, that entity had to consume part of its Ego. But that option wasn¡¯t very effective. The damage the Great Demon of Deception could exercise was damaging the shuttle. The second one was Empathy. It was getting Empathy through ?Pray?. Usually, you needed a lot more Empathy to summon a high-ranking Angel. ¡°Isn¡¯t the number of Priests too low for summoning an Angel?¡± Radiette pinpointed the problem very precisely. To summon a low-ranking Angel, they would probably need thousands of high-ranking Priests. But there, there were only about a hundred of them. With only that much Empathy, there was no way they¡¯d be able to summon an Angel. ¡°The Priests aren¡¯t going to ?Pray?,¡± Maria said while smiling. ¡°We have a Priestess.¡± ¡°A Priestess¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, the Priestess will ?Pray?. If the rest support her, we should be able to summon an Angel.¡± Not every ?Prayer? was the same. The ?Pray? of a Priest who had prayed for his entire life was worth a hundred times that of a normal person. Then, the ?Pray? of a high-ranking Priest was worth more than a thousand times. Also, there were some people who¡¯d received the love of Transcendents from the moment they were born. ¡ªThose were the ones called Priestesses. Was it that their voice immediately reached the ears of Transcendents? There had been cases throughout history of Priestesses who¡¯d been able to summon angels by themselves. Of course, the abilities of the Priestesses that had appeared throughout history differed greatly. ¡°How skillful is the Priestess?¡± Maria thought a little bit before answering Radiette¡¯s question. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. After I brought her here, I¡¯ve never seen her praying.¡± ¡°A Priestess that doesn¡¯t ?Pray?? That means you don¡¯t know her capabilities!¡± ¡°No, I do know that. After she started to live here, she received three oracles. Isn¡¯t that amazing? She didn¡¯t even ?Pray? but received an oracle.¡± ¡°What the¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but I think her abilities are close to those of a Saintess.¡± ¡°A Saintess?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad I brought that kid to the Heavens. What would¡¯ve happened if that kid fell into the Abyss¡¯s hands?¡± Radiette was still suspicious. There had been only one recorded case of a Saintess throughout history. If what Maria said was true, that meant all his worries had been for nothing. With the presence of just the Saintess, the course of the battle could change. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * [You¡¯ve cleared the quest ¡®In Search of Louise!¡¯] [You¡¯ve canceled the main event, ¡®The Darkness Buried in the Sky¡¯!] [You¡¯ve gained 20 skill points!] [Your tendency is getting closer to a deeper Abyss. (Current: -91)] Hyun received quite a lot of message notifications, but he decided to think about the details later on. Hyun talked with Louise through the soul while Ain was looking on silently. Although it had been just a couple of weeks for him, it had been more than five years for her. Louise¡¯s conversation was getting longer. ¡°Fufu, that¡¯s how I reached this temple. And at the same time, I received a job.¡± ¡¸Priestess?¡¹ ¡°That¡¯s right. Isn¡¯t it cool? Even I have something I can do right.¡± Hyun knew what a Priestess was. There was no way he wouldn¡¯t know about the people who had a big role in battles throughout history. But he had a hard time believing Louise¡¯s words. ¡¸Weren¡¯t you an Angel?¡¹ Hyun remembered the footage he¡¯d seen of Louise at the end of the Evil¡¯s Seed Dungeon. In that video, he¡¯d seen Louise losing her wings and being dyed by the Abyss. As Hyun told her that, she tilted her head. ¡°Me, an Angel¡­? Hyun, what kind of nonsense are you talking about¡­?¡± It didn¡¯t matter how much he explained to her. It seemed like Louise didn¡¯t understand. At that moment, Hyun remembered something, and then he changed the question a little bit. ¡¸Louise¡­ Do you remember your childhood?¡¹ ¡°Childhood¡­ What ages are you referring to?¡± ¡¸Between seven and eight.¡¹ ¡°There probably isn¡¯t anyone who remembers something that happened at such ages. Right?¡± ¡¸Doesn¡¯t everyone remember that¡­? How old are you?¡¹ ¡°Fifteen¡­ I don¡¯t remember things that happened more than eight years ago.¡± After talking with her, Hyun learned something. ¡ªLouise didn¡¯t remember her childhood. She thought it was normal that one didn¡¯t remember incidents that happened when they were eight. ¡®There¡¯s something¡­¡¯ He began feeling a headache. Had someone done something to hide Louise¡¯s past? Or maybe she¡¯d lost her memories after suffering an accident. That would probably explain why she didn¡¯t remember her childhood and why she¡¯d forgotten that she was an Angel. ¡®I think she used to be an Angel.¡¯ Hyun decided to think of Louise as an Angel for the moment. ¡ªAn Angel who had lost her childhood memories. Usually, Angels didn¡¯t ?Pray? because doing so went against their own ego. But what if one lost their memories? Shouldn¡¯t an Angel that had forgotten its identity be able to ?Pray?? Also, even if she¡¯d lost her memories, her Empathy as a Transcendent probably couldn¡¯t be compared to a human¡¯s. That meant that the effect of her ?Pray? probably couldn¡¯t be compared to a normal human¡¯s. This was probably why Louise thought she was a Priestess. ¡®Although there are some loose ends¡­ I guess this makes sense for now.¡¯ Hyun made a provisional judgment. Louise was an Angel who had lost her memories. While ?Assimilated?, Hyun opened Louise¡¯s status window. After seeing the details, he smiled bitterly. Louise (Lv. 100) HP: 3000/3000 Mana: 3240/3240 Job: (???) [Strength: 2(+3)] [Agility: 21(+9)] [Vitality: 24(+6)] [Magical Power: 190(+137)] [?Steps of the Wind? Lv.4(+1)] ¨C {+Open} [?Slight Fever? Lv.1(+1)] ¨C {+Open} ____ Chapter 97 Chapter 97 ¨C Priestess (3) ¡®I think I¡¯ll need to give up on my plan of her recognizing me.¡¯ The condition for the job ascension was to be fully recognized by an NPC stronger than him. Also, the quest said that the stronger the NPC, the better the power he would awaken. According to the status window, Louise didn¡¯t fulfill the conditions for his job ascension. But if one asked if Louise was a strong NPC, he would have to shake his head. Had she lost her strength while she was an Angel after losing her memories? Anyway, he couldn¡¯t leave the job ascension quest to Louise. ¡®Should I visit the Knight Commander again? Or maybe, should I tell Radiette about the ?Assimilation? skill and then somehow try to convince him? The remaining experience will be accumulated, so it really doesn¡¯t matter if I push back the job ascension.¡¯ ¡°Hyun¡­¡± Ain, who had remained silent for a while, called out to Hyun, who was immersed in his thoughts. ¡°Hyun.¡± ¡¸Hyun?¡¹ Hyun returned to his senses after Ain called him in numerous ways. ¡¸Yes? Did you call me?¡¹ ¡¸Come back to me, quickly.¡¹ After listening to her words, he ?Assimilated? to Ain. As soon as Hyun came back, Ain asked him a question. ¡¸Do¡­ You want to hang out?¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ ¡¸Now that I think about it, I¡¯ve never seen you personally.¡¹ ¡¸Wait, are you asking to meet me in real life? Not the game?¡¹ Instead of answering, Ain nodded. Meeting Ain in a place that wasn¡¯t Asrian¡­ Before being surprised, Hyun began wondering about Ain¡¯s intentions. She had previously said some random things in the past¡­ But it was the first time she had said something like that. ¡¸Why so suddenly?¡¹ ¡¸Ehmm¡­ Uhmm¡­ Because.¡¹ Hyun¡¯s doubts started to morph into anxiousness. Ain always murmured like that before doing something he had never imagined. ¡¸I just want to?¡¹ ¡¸You just want to¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Are you busy?¡¹ ¡¸Well, I do have free time¡­¡¹ Hyun felt a little bit awkward. He had no reason to refuse Ain¡¯s request. He still felt a little bit weird meeting people he knew from video games in real life, but since he¡¯d always hung out with her anyway, it should probably be okay. Yes, meeting her in real life at least once should be okay. Hyun made that decision. ¡¸If we¡¯re going to meet, let¡¯s make it that day¡­ Soon, Asrian¡¯s announcement festival is going to be held.¡¹ A few days ago, a piece of news was uploaded to the official page. NFM was going to organize an Asrian Festival. Rumors said that developers were going to announce something huge that day. Because it was Asrian¡¯s first offline event, many people were planning to travel to Korea. ¡¸I also have time that day.¡¹ As a date was arranged, Ain started to play with her hair. When the conversation seemed to have ended, Ain said something more. ¡°Hyun, I¡¯m asking this just in case. Except for me and him¡­ Tarr Tarr, have you used ?Assimilation? with any other user?¡± ¡°N-no¡­?¡± ¡°Leaving NPCs aside, a female user is¡ª¡± ¡°I won¡¯t do it!¡± Hyun quickly answered before Ain could finish her sentence. Even the dull Hyun understood the reason behind the topic. ¡®Hmm¡­ This?¡¯ Hyun had started to feel it more frequently¡­ But was Ain interested in him? It was a thought he had in the corner of his mind. At first, he thought it was his imagination, but as time went on, he started to become sure of that after looking at her actions. Hyun could feel his heart beating fast, but because of ?Assimilation?, he wasn¡¯t sure whose reaction it was. While being ?Assimilated? to Ain, that feeling didn¡¯t disappear for a while. * * * After it was decided that they¡¯d summon an Angel with the Priestess¡¯s Praying, the two Heavenly Beings started planning their strategy. Radiette first gave his honest opinion. ¡°Even if we summon an Angel, it must be a Bishop¡­ Or at least higher than Plain ranking.¡± Asra users called the categories elite, high, middle, and low, but the correct way of calling Angel¡¯s rankings was the one mentioned above. Radiette said they had to summon a middle-ranked Angel at minimum. ¡°If we summon a Servant or one with a lower ranking¡­ ¡± Even the lowest-ranking Angel was stronger than a Heavenly Being, but they weren¡¯t strong enough to change the flow of the battle. They could end up losing, even if they managed to summon an Angel. ¡°We¡¯ll have to trust our Priestess.¡± ¡°Oof, there¡¯s no other way. Huh?¡± They only had one chance to summon an Angel. Even if she were a Saintess, she probably wouldn¡¯t have enough mental strength to summon more than one Angel. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy * * * Click- The door opened when the two Heavenly Beings were deep into their thoughts. There was a mixture of surprise and happiness in the Priest¡¯s face who had just entered. ¡°Mrs. Maria, we just got an oracle!¡± ¡°An oracle¡­? Now?¡± ¡°Yes! It seems like the Angels are protecting us!¡± ¡°Was there a Priest who prayed?¡± ¡°No, this time came without any warning. Just like before!¡± Radiette and Maria quickly went to the altar. It seemed like the situation was over. The light had already died down. The content of the oracle was drawn as light in the air. The two Heavenly Beings, and a few high-ranking priests, could decipher the content. As Maria read the oracle, the Priests shouted in happiness. ¡°Oh¡­! An Angel has promised us victory!¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad. I¡¯m really glad¡­¡± The oracles didn¡¯t lie. If an oracle said that the Heavens would win, that was what would happen. It was like reading the history of the future. Everyone who had panicked after seeing Iluna¡¯s light turning off shouted in happiness. The oracle ignited hope. ¡°An oracle¡­¡± Radiette was suspicious about it. While everyone was happy, only he wasn¡¯t feeling comfortable. He went through the content of the oracle many times and then asked a question. ¡°Do oracles come in such a direct way these days? The oracles I know are very confusing and make their interpretation hard.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah. That¡¯s right. They used to be like that.¡± A high-ranking Priest answered Radiette¡¯s mumble. ¡°But recently, the Oracles we receive are quite simple. Haha, thanks to that, interpreting them has gotten easier.¡± Maria nodded and added an explanation. ¡°That¡¯s right, Radiette. After we brought in the Priestess, the oracles got clearer.¡± ¡°Is it the Priestess again¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. I believe this is one of the abilities of the Priestess.¡± Even Radiette had no choice but to give in. If they really didn¡¯t need to interpret the oracle, did that mean that they could just follow the Angel¡¯s instruction? Radiette started to wonder about the limits of the Priestess Maria they had brought in. ¡°It seems like all our worries have been magically solved.¡± The two Priestesses read the contents of the oracle more carefully. Judging by the content of the oracle, it seemed like the forces of the Abyss were going to start moving by midnight the next day. If they knew the exact time at which the battle would start, they would be able to prepare for many things. And there was one more piece of information they were able to get¡­ ¡°The ¡®Iluna¡¯s Center¡¯ mentioned in the oracle is the center of the hexagram. Right?¡± ¡°Yes, it probably refers to the main magic circle.¡± Thousands of years ago, the Abyss had once invaded Iluna. There was a record that said that, back then, they were able to summon an Angel at the magic circle located in the center. According to the sacred texts, after the Angel appeared, tens of thousands of monsters were cut in half. The Heavens ended up winning in just an instant. Maybe that historical scene would repeat. ¡°This is going to be easy.¡± After reading the oracle completely, Radiette laughed. The Priestess should take one Heavenly Being and Pray. ¡ªThat condition was easy to fulfill. The Abyss army was probably getting ready to invade the last city. So there was a huge chance that the main magic circle would be empty. He¡¯d be able to take the Priestess there safely for sure. ¡°I¡¯m going to be okay alone.¡± ¡°No, you can¡¯t go there.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Maria shook her head. ¡°You must protect this city. If the light turns off, there¡¯s no meaning in summoning an Angel.¡± ¡°What are you talking about, Maria? You can stay here and protect the city.¡± At Radiette¡¯s question, Maria made a sad smile and showed him the back of her hand. The rune of the Heavenly Being shining faintly. ¡°Maria, you¡­¡± A Heavenly Being was an existence that was between a human and the Angels. Whenever they influenced the world, their life was cut short. The reason was that their ego was cut short each time they intervened in the world. Maria had always looked at humans. Maria¡¯s life span being shorter than Radiette¡¯s was, in a sense, expected. After noticing the decision in her eyes, he sighed. ¡°It seems like you recently did something.¡± ¡°I have no regrets. I was able to meet the Priestess and bring her here. And then, there¡¯s you, who will replace me for sure.¡± ¡°No¡­ Once this is done, I¡¯ll return to the forest.¡± ¡°But that won¡¯t be today.¡± Maria laughed while saying that. Radiette wasn¡¯t sad about Maria dying. If she wished it to be so, she should¡¯ve been able to live for another 500 years at the minimum. She had chosen to die, so he had no reason to be sad because of that decision. ¡®Then, there¡¯s going to be only one Heavenly Being with the Priestess¡­?¡¯ Radiette read the oracle and swallowed a bitter smile. The oracle contained the will of an Angel, but he couldn¡¯t help but think that they were being swayed by it. * * * After they parted ways with Louise¡­ Hyun and Ain returned to the place where they had originally been. ¡¸¡­¡¹ There was an awkward silence between them. After the previous conversation, the atmosphere around them had gotten weird. Even Ain, who usually told embarrassing jokes, was silent. Hyun, who felt uncomfortable with the silence, mumbled for himself. ¡¸Hmm¡­ Should I send the footage of the fights on Iluna to TarrTarr¡­? He has probably already finished editing, so it should be okay if I send them to him.¡¹ While Hyun was earning time, Radiette appeared. Next to him was a woman who, judging by her appearance, was clearly a Heavenly Being. ¡°So you¡¯re that user.¡± Maria smiled kindly while looking at Ain. ¡°I have a gift for you. Will you follow me?¡± ¨C Her gift is for you, for herself, and for the Heavens. Hyun and Ain got the same message at the same time. After reading the content of the quest, Hyun realized something and, with a serious expression, nodded. After a while, they entered an empty room. ¡ªIt was a big, white, empty place. Maria, who finally stopped her steps, opened her mouth. With a serious expression on her face, she began talking. ¡°There was something I wanted to ask you. In a sense, the gift is just the hook.¡± ¡°A favor?¡± ¡°Did I hurt your feelings?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± After answering, Hyun looked at Maria¡¯s expression. He wondered why she¡¯d suddenly called Ain, but he decided to leave that doubt behind for the moment. Instead, he thought about the word that appeared in the quest. Legacy. What was she thinking at the moment? There was no way he¡¯d know. Maria¡¯s expression hadn¡¯t changed. She had the same gentle smile. ¡°You¡¯re free to refuse, but I hope you don¡¯t.¡± [The Heavenly Being ¡®Maria¡¯ wants to teach you a skill!] [Will you accept? Y/N] ____ Chapter 98 Chapter 98 ¨C The Road that Leads (1) ¡°Okay.¡± As Ain answered, Maria¡¯s face brightened. Maria soon extended her hands to the sky. Spark- A transparent sword appeared in her hand with a flash. ¡°Look closely.¡± Maria pointed the sword forward. Vzzt- Vzzt- The sound of lightning kept getting louder. As the amount of electricity increased, Hyun felt the sword was getting heavier. And the moment the transparent sword was completely covered by lightning¡­ Slam-! Maria¡¯s sword flashed from side to side. And with that, lightning shook the place. The electricity gathered in the sword was all discharged at once, leaving a burning mark on the ground. [You¡¯ve witnessed the swordsmanship of a Heavenly Being!] [Because you lack understanding of swords, you cannot learn this skill just by looking!] [Because you have the title ¡®Heavenly Being,¡¯ the progression rate has gone up a lot!] [Progress: 50%] ¡®This¡­¡¯ Hyun¡¯s mouth fell open after looking at Maria¡¯s sword. It wasn¡¯t because of its power. ¡ªIt was because he knew what that skill was. ¡°Did you see?¡± Hyun nodded. ¡°How much did you understand?¡± ¡°About half.¡± ¡°Well done. If you¡¯re a Heavenly Being, it shouldn¡¯t take you long to learn it. Although it may be hard to master it completely.¡± After Maria finished talking, she shook her hands. Then the sword scattered away into the air and disappeared. ¡°To be honest, I also haven¡¯t completely mastered this sword technique. I won¡¯t be able to since¡­ This was created by a Transcendent.¡± ¡®I guess so.¡¯ ¡°But if it¡¯s a user whose growth potential is endless¡­ Maybe, one day, you¡¯ll be able to do it.¡± Maria grabbed Ain¡¯s hands from behind. Paf- She passed the transparent sword to Ain. It meant that she, a Heavenly Being, would teach a skill to a user. ¡°Lightning hides its destructive power in silence. It¡¯s more destructive and scarier if the opponent can¡¯t easily move.¡± [You¡¯ve received the teachings of a Heavenly Being!] [The progress rate increases even faster!] Suddenly, a scarecrow appeared in front of them. Following Maria¡¯s hand gesture, Ain began hitting the scarecrow. Slam-! Slam-! She attacked three consecutive times, but Maria shook her head. ¡°The lighting is quite sensitive, so the moment it touches a target, its strength discharges. Instead of hitting numerous times, do it just once.¡± [You¡¯ve received the teachings of a Heavenly Being!] [The progress rate increases even faster!] ¡¸Hyun, isn¡¯t this¡­ That?¡¹ While receiving Maria¡¯s teachings, Ain sent Hyun a message through a whisper. ¡¸This is the skill you used before, right?¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡­¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s great. You always wanted to use a sword.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s true¡­ But I wonder how much I¡¯ll be able to perfect this as a Support.¡¹ ¡°Lock the power of lightning in the air. Gathering it and making it explode at once is the point of this technique.¡± Even while talking, the progress rate kept increasing. Because Hyun was ?Assimilating? to Ain, their progress rate increased at the same time. ¡®I thought she was an NPC with no weight on history.¡¯ Hyun had played Asra Online for eight years, but he only knew her name. Maybe there was more information about her in the interloop, but he¡¯d never thought of searching. In the previous game, he never had a reason to go to Iluna so quickly. And he had never heard of a quest related to Maria. It was also the first time he learned that she knew this sword technique. Maria¡¯s teachings kept going on for a few hours. After time passed and the progress rate became 100%, a new item was added to both of their skill lists. [?Angel¡¯s Basic Sword Art? Lv.0] ¨C If you do not attack for 8 seconds, this attack will deal 130% damage. [¡ù The level of this skill increases with proficiency rather than points!] The moment light emerged from Ain¡¯s body, Maria smiled. But her teachings were not over yet. ¡°I¡¯m going to teach you a little bit more.¡± Maria had a varied way of teaching. Sometimes they dueled, and she critiqued the way they wielded the sword. Thanks to the Heavenly Being¡¯s teaching, Hyun and Ain¡¯s proficiency rates increased significantly. Because Ain¡¯s level of tiredness had reached a limit, she changed her mode to rest. But Hyun, who was used to that kind of thing, kept learning without taking a break. Hyun was so moved by Maria¡¯s teachings that he decided that, if Maria asked him for something, he¡¯d try his best to fulfill it. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy * * * While Hyun and Ain were learning from Maria¡­ All countries that belonged to the Heavens were starting to get nervous. ¡ªAll because of Iluna! Before the shuttle of the Holy Kingdom crashed, all countries that had sided with the Heavens had a sentiment that something was about to happen there. Among those countries, the Holy Kingdom was especially worried. ¡°How could something like this¡­¡± The hands of the Archbishop of the Holy Kingdom shook while looking at Iluna as it became visible. Iluna was a place where Empathy resonated more easily than in Asra. The main magic circle was like a sacred place for the Holy Kingdom. The reason was that praying there made making contact with a Transcendent easier. Officially, that was a neutral place for all the Heavens¡¯ countries, but in reality, it was under the control of the Holy Kingdom. The Holy Kingdom¡¯s specialty was Holy Magic, so losing Iluna wasn¡¯t too different from losing their capital city. ¡°Is that day about to repeat¡­?!¡± Thousands of years ago, the Abyss had tried to invade the sky. In the past, they¡¯d barely been able to defend Iluna thanks to numerous sacrifices. But now¡­ If that day repeated, how would things end? The Unexpected Event in Iluna was a hot issue among all other Heavens countries. Because NPCs talked about Iluna the entire day, that news also got into the users¡¯ ears. The rumors among NPCs spread through the community boards via specialized game sites. There was no way users, who were searching day and night for information about quests, would miss that news. ¡¸Where¡¯s Iluna? Is it a moon?¡¹ ¡¸They say it¡¯s a place that¡¯s good for Priest-related jobs to grow. You can find more information in the main post.¡¹ ¡¸It seems like we won¡¯t be able to go there anyway. Doesn¡¯t that mean that it shouldn¡¯t matter to us?¡¹ A moon¡­ Many users didn¡¯t know you could reach such a place inside the game. While users were starting to get disappointed after learning that going to Iluna was hard, the biggest event in Asrian¡¯s history was generated. All Heaven¡¯s users who had completed the job ascension received the same message. [Heaven¡¯s Alliance Quest: Iluna Support] ¨C The Pope says to the users: Iluna is currently in danger! ¨C Iluna isn¡¯t just a simple moon, it¡¯s a sacred place where lots of holy energies gather! We cannot lose it to the Abyss¡¯s forces! ¨C More than half, no, most of you will probably die. However, since you¡¯re free from death, would it be okay if I asked for your help? ¨C Around midnight, the Holy Kingdom will create a ¡®Warp Portal¡¯ that connects to Iluna. The names of those who join the fight will be recorded in the main temple forever. [¡ù Only users over level 100 who have completed job ascension can join.] : Will be distributed based on personal merit ¨C {+Open} Iluna¡¯s Quest¡­ The quest generated by the Holy Kingdom was called like that among users. The reason why there wasn¡¯t a lot of excitement despite the level requisite being high was that the reward wasn¡¯t that impressive. According to the calculations someone made, you had to be among the top 25% to make a profit for participating in the quest. ¡¸Isn¡¯t this a trap quest?¡¹ ¡¸The rewards are kind of lackluster¡­ Well, it isn¡¯t like I can participate or anything, so it really doesn¡¯t concern me.¡¹ At that moment, about 1500 users from Heaven had completed the job ascension. That meant that half of the users who fulfilled the pre-requisites were rankers. People thought that rankers weren¡¯t going to participate because of fear of wasting time. ¡ªBut the result was the opposite. ¡®Streaming material!¡¯ ¡®Just being among the top 10% will be enough. Magician-related jobs are very active in wars, so this is perfect for me!¡¯ ¡®If my name is put on the walls of the main temple, my reputation will go up. Right?¡¯ Although users only saw the rewards in front of them, rankers analyzed the quest from many points of view, and most of them concluded that it was better to participate. Their decision had a huge effect. People related to gaming shows were busy trying to scout rankers who were going to participate. Korea¡¯s biggest gaming channel, ¡®The Gamez,¡¯ also tried to schedule the broadcast. On a few channels, regular shows were pushed off by specials related to Iluna. It was the same on the community boards. As time went on, conversations related to Iluna increased. ¡¸News! Lattice is on Iluna right now!¡¹ ¡¸What? Wasn¡¯t Lattice an Abyss user?¡¹ ¡¸There really seems to be something happening on Iluna!¡¹ From a certain point, all community boards about Asrian worldwide became full of threads related to Iluna. People were more excited than when the Count¡¯s Quest happened, since the scale of the event was even bigger! It was enough to grab the attention of users who were tired of hunting or doing quests. As things were getting hotter, a peaking event happened. One video shook all of the communities worldwide. The one who had uploaded a video with that short title was Tarr Tarr! Tarr Tarr had quickly edited the footage Hyun had sent to him. Also, instead of using the channel TarrTarr, he created a new one called AIN. The reason why he decided to upload the video as soon as possible, and the reason why he created a new channel, was that Tarr Tarr¡¯s sense of judgment had gotten better. The video began zooming out from the moment Ain started to fall from Iluna¡¯s sky. As soon as she landed, the fight against the forces of the Abyss began. Users who clicked on the video couldn¡¯t close their mouths for a while¡ªthey were surprised by the amazing production and how skillful Ain was. Ain¡¯s video quickly started to spread through the rest of the communities. ¡¸Woah, she also started YouTube. I¡¯m sure she¡¯s going to earn lots of money, lol.¡¹ ¡¸Ain and Lattice are on Iluna? How did they get there?¡¹ The fight between Ain and the forces of the Abyss gave people lots of things to analyze. The opponent¡¯s skills or strategies were at a level users hadn¡¯t yet experienced. Ain¡¯s ability to fight at a close range was as surprising as always. Many people tried to guess Ain¡¯s specs by looking at the effects of her skills. ¡¸What skill is that? Is that also one of the Dark Priest¡¯s skills?¡¹ ¡¸I can¡¯t imagine what level the enemies are.¡¹ Because Tarr Tarr had hidden some parts of the interface, many numbers didn¡¯t appear. Users had to guess the level of the enemies through Ain¡¯s previous data. ¡¸The opponent seemed to be between level 100 to 150. Ain¡¯s fire probably deals at least ten thousand damage.¡¹ ¡¸Is doing ten thousand damage at around level 100 even possible? It¡¯s not like she¡¯s using an Ultimate Attack.¡¹ ¡¸What? That doesn¡¯t seem to be a skill of a Dark Priest.¡¹ A few users with good eyes looked suspiciously at the unknown skill¡¯s effects. Although they weren¡¯t able to guess precisely¡­ They had felt it before, but looking at Ain¡¯s footage while fighting made their blood boil. Most users watched the video from start to finish as if they¡¯d been possessed. The sense of reality that created the illusion that they were part of the fight made their hearts beat faster. What everyone felt after looking at the video was the same: ¡®Was Ain always this good¡­?¡¯ She¡¯d gotten famous thanks to PvP. But most users thought that she lacked a little bit compared to Lattice. ¡ªThe reason was that PvP and real battles were different. But after watching Ain fighting in a real battle, everyone¡¯s opinions started to shake. ¡®We don¡¯t know who¡¯ll win if they fight against each other!¡¯ There was a piece of interesting information going around in the communities. ¡ªBoth of them were on Iluna at the moment. On top of that, Ain belonged to the Heavens, and Lattice was part of the Abyss¡¯s Forces. Everyone couldn¡¯t help but think of a certain possibility¡­ ¡®Could both of them end up fighting against each other?¡¯ Of course, that would happen only if they ended up encountering each other, but only the thought of that battle taking place made them excited. Users were waiting for the Asrian-related programs that would start at around midnight with high hopes. ¡ªHopes that the fight they were imagining would happen. ____ Chapter 99 Hard Carry Support [Translator ¨C Daniel Shin] [Proofreader ¨C ilafy] Chapter 99 ¨C The Road that Leads (2) [Proficiency rate has maxed out, the skill level is increasing!] After a while, Hyun lay down on the floor, feeling satisfied. ¡®Finished¡­¡¯ Ain ended up laying on the floor in a weird position, but she didn¡¯t mention anything to Hyun since she was also tired. Increasing that last level took them a while. As a skill¡¯s level increased, raising the proficiency rate became harder, and the level they¡¯d just raised it to took them about five hours of non-stop training. ¡ªEven with the help of the Heavenly Being Maria. [?Angel¡¯s Basic Sword Art? Lv.5] ¨C If you do not attack for 8 seconds, this attack will deal 210% of the damage. [¡ù The level of this skill increases with proficiency rather than points!] Because Ain used the rest mode frequently, she couldn¡¯t learn as much as Hyun. That resulted in Hyun and Ain reaching levels 5 and 4, respectively. They couldn¡¯t do anything about her low skill level. There had been times when she¡¯d stayed in rest mode for too long and ended up being forcibly logged out. If he had suddenly been forced to disassimilate and had been left alone with a Heavenly Being as a member of the Abyss, things could¡¯ve gotten ugly. ¡®Because they¡¯re the same skill, they can¡¯t be overlapped.¡¯ Hyun started to analyze the new skill. Judging by how the skill wasn¡¯t active on Ain¡¯s status window, it seemed that, while ?Assimilation? was active, only the skill with the highest level appeared. ¡®I guess it would be too OP if they could be overlapped.¡¯ A damage increase that could be activated once every eight seconds¡­ Although the effect didn¡¯t seem like much, that was because its skill level was still low. Hyun knew from first-hand experience in the previous game how strong the skill could become if it evolved. Not only that, but the current effect wasn¡¯t bad either, so Hyun was satisfied. ¡°Good news.¡± After Ain and Maria exited the room, Radiette¡¯s face had become slightly brighter. ¡°The Holy Kingdom is about to open a Warp Portal that leads to Iluna.¡± ¡®Warp?¡¯ ¡°Warp Portal? But¡­¡± Hyun had doubts, and Maria had a vague expression on her face. ¡ªIt was because she knew the main problem of a warp portal. ¡°How many will come through¡­?¡± The warp portal didn¡¯t last long. The Holy Kingdom most probably didn¡¯t have the power to open a warp portal two consecutive times. If the Heavens lost, that would mean that everyone who had crossed through the portal would die. Were the Empire and the Holy Kingdom sending their soldiers to die? Even if they sent reinforcements, they couldn¡¯t expect their strongest knights or magicians to reinforce Iluna. Radiette extended his explanation. ¡°It seems like the Pope used his head. He¡¯s going to send users to Iluna. If it¡¯s them, they probably won¡¯t be afraid of death.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡¸Hyun, is the Pope¡¯s quest referring to this?¡¹ Ain shared her quest window with Hyun. It was Iluna¡¯s Quest, which had become a hot topic among users on the community boards. ¡¸What, when did you receive something like this?¡¹ ¡¸While learning the sword technique.¡¹ ¡¸Can you share it with me?¡¹ ¡¸Fufu, do you want it? Sadly, I can¡¯t, because you¡¯re part of the Abyss.¡¹ Ain¡¯s quest window showed the remaining time until the quest started. Hyun felt a little bit bittersweet that he¡¯d been left out of the quest because he was part of the Abyss. Ain noticed Hyun¡¯s mood and smiled. ¡¸Hyun¡­ Is it because you didn¡¯t receive the quest?¡¹ ¡¸Hmm? No¡­?¡¹ ¡¸The rewards of the quest are mostly gold and items. I can share them with you.¡¹ ¡¸What? Y¡­ You will?¡¹Hyun asked back in surprise. Ain replied while playing with her hair. ¡¸We¡¯ve shared the same body for a while. And¡­ Hyun, you¡¯re sharing half of the profits generated from the videos with me.¡¹ After hearing Ain saying something unexpectedly wholesome, Hyun smiled. ¡®Well, I guess it¡¯s normal?¡¯ If it weren¡¯t for him, she probably wouldn¡¯t have thought about going to Iluna and would be spending her time dueling. If the reward was given out depending on merit, he thought he also had a right to claim some of it. Of course, that was Hyun trying to justify himself. Radiette¡¯s voice calmed down the excited Hyun. ¡°According to the oracle, the Heavenly Being and Priestess must ?Pray? at the same time at the main magic circle.¡± According to the oracle¡­ Radiette said it with a serious voice while looking at Ain. By how Radiette bit his lips, Hyun understood Radiette¡¯s feelings, who was struggling to talk. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ But could I leave it to you?¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Yes. There isn¡¯t anyone else.¡± Hyun looked at Maria. He understood after seeing Maria nod with a sad expression on her face. It was what Maria had wanted to ask them. To be honest, Hyun had no reason to accept the proposal. It would be Maria¡¯s fault if he didn¡¯t fulfill the promise since she had given out the reward before the quest ended. ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Hyun didn¡¯t refuse. Before he knew it, he was treating Maria as a real human being instead of an NPC. Hyun wasn¡¯t cold enough to refuse a desperate favor. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * Four people in total were going to the main magic circle. First, there was Ain (Hyun) and Louise. And with them, there were two Priests. The Priest had the job of helping with the Priestess¡¯s ceremony. ¡°I¡¯m counting on you¡­¡± Louise made an awkward smile. Ain also smiled awkwardly. It was the first time they¡¯d officially met. ¡°It¡¯s an honor to be able to take part in such a historical event before dying.¡± ¡°Same here. It¡¯s an honor!¡± The two Priests greeted them. One was a very old man, and the other one was his apprentice. The old man was one of the high-ranking Priests. And the apprentice was a girl of around 20 years old who had lots of talent. They were skillful people, even among the Heavens, who had been chosen to support the Heavenly Being and the Priestess. Before they¡¯d finished their preparations, Radiette said something. ¡°Ain¡­¡± Hyun and Ain were surprised by his voice. They¡¯d said her name when they¡¯d first met, but he¡¯d never called Ain by her name. Which meant it was the first time he¡¯d used her name to call her. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Thanks to you, I was able to sort it out,¡± Radiette said while looking over Ain from head to toe. ¡°Too small.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Also the age¡­ Although you¡¯re similar, that¡¯s it.¡± Radiette shook his head. ¡°I guess I don¡¯t need to worry about a user¡­ But either way, don¡¯t die.¡± After Radiette finished talking, the four got ready to leave. Next to them there was the carriage they were going to use. In front of the carriage, instead of a normal horse, there was a sacred animal called a dragon-horse. The carriage was also of high quality. There was more than enough space for the four of them. The two Priests rode at the front, and Louise sat in the middle, and Ain at the back. ¡°I¡¯ll be staying here, but I¡¯ll help you a bit.¡± As Radiette extended his hand toward the carriage, the wind hitting their faces suddenly stopped. And with that, the inside of the carriage became silent. ¡ªAn invisible protective shield had surrounded the carriage, blocking everything outside. ¡°It probably won¡¯t break.¡± ¡°Then, we¡¯re leaving!¡± As the female Priest urged the dragon-horse to move, the carriage started to gain speed. Whoosh-! They were moving at an incredible speed. The scenery changed quickly. Although Hyun had never driven a sports car, he thought riding one would probably feel like that. The snow that was accumulated in the plains was flung into the air from the carriage¡¯s wheels. The reason why it didn¡¯t shake despite moving so fast was probably because of the magic applied to the carriage. The carriage kept moving toward the main magic circle. The oracle had said the Priestess should go with a Heavenly Being and ?Pray? with them in the main magic circle. But going there wasn¡¯t an easy task. They soon encountered a group that belonged to the Abyss. ¡°Everyone, hold tight!¡± Boom-! As the carriage hit the enemies, they bounced toward the air. It seemed like the shield applied by Radiette was very effective¡ªthe enemies that were hit by it were left trembling. The defense shield even deflected the opponents¡¯ long-range attacks. Even while that was happening, the dragon-horse kept running like crazy. From the city toward the magic circle in a straight line, the word ¡°sprint¡± really fitted the situation. ¡°Hyun¡­ Look over there.¡± A while after the sprint began, Louise suddenly opened her mouth. Her finger was pointed toward the horizon. Louise¡¯s face was full of fear. ¡°The sun is shining¡­! Wh-what should I do¡­?!¡± Everyone turned their heads around at Louise¡¯s urgent voice except for the Priest driving the carriage. Just as she said, the land they¡¯d passed through had started to slowly change colors. The sunlight was falling from the sky. It was a phenomenon that was happening because Iluna¡¯s orbit had changed, which made the eclipse change from a full one to a partial one. As the sun began illuminating Iluna, the land was separated into light and darkness. ¡ªThe black and white boundary was closing in on the carriage. The old Priest groaned. ¡°Oh, my god, to think that the sun is going to illuminate Iluna¡­!¡± Even if the speed of the carriage was fast, it couldn¡¯t be faster than the rotational speed of Iluna. The sunlight started to catch up with the carriage. As the distance with the light grew narrower, Louise¡¯s face became pale. Hyun quickly shouted in Ain¡¯s voice. ¡°Is there any place where we can hide from the sun?¡± ¡°Is it okay as long as the sunlight doesn¡¯t reach the carriage?!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The female Priest quickly changed the carriage¡¯s direction. They changed the direction to a gap between cliffs, and a few seconds later¡­ Fwoosh-! The sun illuminated Iluna. For the first time in a few thousand years, Iluna¡¯s plains full of snow were covered with sunlight. The party was covered by the shadow of a nearby cliff. The carriage started to slow down. ¡°How long will the sun stay up?¡± The female Priest answered at Hyun¡¯s mumble. Even in the temple, she was famous for being intelligent. She was good at numerous disciplines on top of theology. ¡°We¡¯re going to enter the eclipse zone in three minutes!¡± ¡°Too tight¡­¡± Hyun bit his lips. ¡°We¡¯re going to stop for a little bit!¡± The Priestess pulled the reins and stopped the carriage. They couldn¡¯t advance anymore because the shadowed area had ended. ¡°Oof¡­¡± Louise, while hiding in the shadow, sighed in relief. The party looked at the bright Iluna and anxiously waited for the light to disappear. Just like the Priestess said, it took three minutes before the weather returned to the early evening weather. ¡°Giddy-up!¡± The carriage began moving fast again. Whir- The moment the high Priest¡¯s magic activated, the dragon horse¡¯s speed picked up. Hyun wondered if he should use ?Biorhythm Acceleration? but decided not to. An irreversible accident might happen if the dragon-horse couldn¡¯t control the buffed speed. Even without the sun, the road was hard. Members of the Abyss and monsters tried to attack them Clang-! In the end, Radiette¡¯s shield ended up breaking. ¡°Be careful, Hyun!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Fwoosh-! Ain activated ?Efreet¡¯s Claw?. The fire claws brushed off all the incoming arrows. At the same time, she activated the other claw as well. The two opponents trying to launch a surprise attack entered her attack range and screamed in pain. As they rode further away from the enemies screaming in pain, Ain talked to Hyun via the soul. ¡¸Hyun, keep watching my back!¡¹ ¡¸Try to resist. I¡¯ll use it at the right time!¡¹ Soon, monsters tried to attack all at once. Whir. The effect of ?Biorhythm Acceleration? covered Ain¡¯s body. At that moment, Ain¡¯s hands moved so fast that they couldn¡¯t be seen. The fire claws whipped through Iluna¡¯s blizzard! It was a ferocious attack that tore apart and burned tens of monsters. Chapter 100 Hard Carry Support [Translator ¨C Daniel Shin] [Proofreader ¨C ilafy] Chapter 100 ¨C The Road that Leads (3) After Ain¡¯s claws knocked away all of the monsters, Louise could finally relax a little bit. ¡°Are we not there yet?¡± ¡°We¡¯re almost there!¡± The party left the carriage near the center city. ¡°Go where you want.¡± As the Priestess whipped the dragon-horse, the empty carriage began zooming toward the plains. ¡ªThe empty carriage would grab the enemy¡¯s attention. They took that opportunity to reach the outskirts of the city. The high-ranking Priest¡¯s voice trembled after looking at the center city, which was completely in ruins. ¡°Everything was destroyed¡­¡± The place where the main magic circle was also had the biggest city on Iluna. It was a place where hundreds of thousands of people lived. That place where lots of people had lived had become the territory of the dead. ¡°There are enemies left inside the city!¡± The student Priest shouted after spotting an enemy in the distance and prepared to fight. But Hyun quickly lifted his hand and stopped her. ¡°We can¡¯t do a frontal assault.¡± Hyun remembered all the details of what Radiette had originally planned. He also hadn¡¯t forgotten that they had to reach the main magic circle before midnight. ¡°We don¡¯t have enough time. From here on, we¡¯ll have to move while hiding.¡± ¡°Ms. Heavenly Being, is there a way?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll have to create one.¡± Whir- Hyun once again used a buff. Boom-! Ain used one of the ?Latent Potential Increase? skills. The road that led to the main magic circle wasn¡¯t easy. ¡ªThere was a lizard monster blocking a road they had to go through. By looking at its form and color, Hyun immediately knew its level. ¡¸I¡¯ll move.¡¹ ?Invisible?, ?Acceleration?. Hyun leaped toward it After activating both skills. [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 98249 damage!] [You¡¯ve dealt 22948 damage!] [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 46291 damage!] The first critical hit was much stronger than the rest thanks to the new skill they¡¯d learned. A level 5, ?Angel¡¯s Basic Sword Art? almost doubled the damage output of their attack. The lizard monster¡¯s body scattered away into darkness without even being able to scream. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± After Ain¡¯s ?Latent Potential Increase? overlapped four times, they didn¡¯t need to use ?Invisible?. The claws of a beast covered with a bloody-red aura cut through the monster¡¯s neck. [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 151837 damage!] [You¡¯ve dealt more than 33% of the target¡¯s HP as damage!] With that, they separated the guard monster¡¯s head from its body. The ?Angel¡¯s Basic Sword Art? worked better as a surprise attack rather than in a battle. Killing a monster that was alone wasn¡¯t hard at all for Ain. The ?Efreet¡¯s Claws? purified numerous monsters. No, should he call it ?Angel¡¯s Claws?? She cut the neck, tore the body, and melted the hearts of enemies they encountered along the way. ¡°It¡¯s here!¡± While initiating the least amount of battle that was possible, the party reached the main magic circle. The structure of the magic circle was more complicated than imagined. If he¡¯d come alone, he would¡¯ve lost his way because the main magic circle was formed as a labyrinth. ¡°Ka! Kaaaa!¡± From a distance, they could hear the cries of monsters. It seemed they¡¯d discovered that Hyun and the rest had entered. The high-ranking Priest created a protective shield of light in the corner of the magic circle. They began the ceremony to summon an Angel from their hiding spot. ¡°Louise, are you ready?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never prayed, but I¡¯ll probably be able to do it.¡± Hyun suddenly remembered that Louise didn¡¯t have the ?Pray? skill. Instead of using a skill, Louise took out a paper that had a very long phrase written on it. It seemed like she hadn¡¯t been able to memorize the long prayer. ¡°We¡¯re ready anytime!¡± The two Priests, who were standing on each side of Louise, activated an unknown magic. Fwoosh- As the two Priests pointed their wands to one place, a sphere of light appeared. Whish- The light coming from the sphere connected to Louise¡¯s body. It was the same ceremony as the one used thousands of years ago. In the past, an Angel summoning ceremony had been held at that very place. Iluna was the place closest to the Transcendent¡¯s word, which was why it was also the place where it was easier to empathize with them. The Priestess began praying after midnight. ¡®Should I also ?Pray? next to her?¡¯ * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * Hyun remembered the contents of the oracle. One Heavenly Being, and one Angel who had probably lost her memories. The oracle had said that they should pray at the same time, so it was probably referring to Louise and him. To ?Pray?, he had to descend into his consciousness. But because he was currently ?Assimilated? to Ain, he couldn¡¯t close his eyes. It was easier to lower his consciousness if he could close his eyes. Hyun entered the game settings and blocked sight as a sense. ¡¸I¡¯m going to close my eyes for a little bit, so if anything dangerous happens, tell me.¡¹ ¡¸No problem.¡¹ Hyun asked Ain to remain alert and slowly began emptying his thoughts. ¡®Was it at level 7?¡¯ Hyun recalled the level his ?Pray? was at. After reaching level 7 in the Knight¡¯s Hall, he¡¯d been able to increase it by one more level. ?Pray? level 7 was probably the highest among all users. The only effect it had was increasing the chance of making a casting successful, so only a few beginners learned the skill. He never thought he would increase the proficiency of the skill so much. ¡®As expected.¡¯ The moment he began to ?Pray?, a foreign feeling entered him. ¡ªIt was the feelings of another person. The first time he¡¯d used ?Pray?, he¡¯d been surprised by the feelings running wild, but now he could analyze the situation with a cool head. ¡®These feelings were probably Louise¡¯s.¡¯ His proficiency rose the fastest when he was close to Louise or thought about her. After all, using ?Pray? was about empathizing with a Transcendent. Even if she¡¯d lost her memories, hadn¡¯t Louise been an Angel in the past? ¡®She¡¯s probably feeling this same thing, right?¡¯ When Hyun had used ?Pray? in the Twilight Temple, he¡¯d felt pain and frustration. While using the skill in the Knight¡¯s Hall, he¡¯d felt melancholy. Hyun suddenly giggled. He couldn¡¯t believe Louise¡¯s current feelings. Her heart was beating fast. Rather than fear, she was excited. It was similar to the excitement one felt before leaving for travel¡­ Why was she feeling something like that while being surrounded by enemies? Hyun let the feelings flow. He had heard that, even for a high-ranking Priest, it wasn¡¯t easy to completely immerse yourself in the energy of a Transcendent. That was what was happening inside Hyun¡¯s consciousness. Fwoosh-! A huge pillar of light surrounded Louise and Ain. A holy light started to leak from the two while they were praying. Louise had her hands together with her eyes closed in the middle of the blinding light. She looked like a mythical saint who appeared in legends. ¡°Ah¡­!¡± A blue light penetrated Iluna¡¯s atmosphere and rose to space. The old high-priest cried after seeing history repeat itself in front of his eyes. His apprentice also stared blankly at the sky. They¡¯d seen numerous ceremonies throughout the years but had never seen such a strong holy light. The female Priest, who was looking with her mouth agape, suddenly mumbled. ¡°High Priest, this¡­!¡± ¡°Yes, we¡¯re lucky. There probably aren¡¯t many living Priests who have seen this with their own eyes.¡± In the Heavens¡¯ history books, it was written like this: When the light filled the world, the Heavens¡¯ legions covered half of Iluna. With the single swing of an Angel¡¯s sword, the Abyss scattered into the light. Was what was written in the books real? Or was it maybe exaggerated with some metaphors mixed in? The high Priest soon discovered that the history books had recorded things just as they happened. A giant door appeared in the sky. Countless dolls of light started to come out. Hundreds¡­ No, thousands! It was an army that could be controlled only by an Angel above Royal ranking. ¡°Look carefully¡­ They¡¯re soon going to descend¡­!¡± Even after the dolls spread over Iluna, the door remained open. The two Priests looked at the door while holding their breaths. According to the books, after the dolls, an Angel would appear. They¡¯d received oracles for hundreds of years, but nobody had ever seen an angel. The two Priests held their breaths while trying to control their heartbeats. ¡®Hmm¡­?¡¯ While waiting for an Angel to descend, the high Priest¡¯s eyebrow wiggled. Something was strange. Even though the Angel still hadn¡¯t descended, the door was starting to close! After a while, it returned to its original state. The holy light suddenly turned off. The Angel hadn¡¯t descended. The high Priest came to his senses after hearing his apprentice¡¯s screams. ¡°High Priest! Both of them disappeared!¡± ¡°What?!¡± It took him a while to notice. The two who had been praying had suddenly disappeared! The high Priest looked around without understanding what had happened, but they weren¡¯t there, it was as if they had never existed in the first place. The faces of the two Priests paled. Until a little while before, both of the missing people had been praying. Where had they gone in that short period?! Only one person had seen what happened from start to finish. ¡®Where¡¯s this?¡¯ Ain was looking at a world tinted with a red color. It¡¯d happened suddenly. Because the scenery had changed completely, it was as if they¡¯d been teleported while using ?Pray?. She was looking at the Symmetrical World. Ain, flustered, called out Hyun. ¡¸H-Hyun¡­?!¡¹ Because his consciousness was in a lowered state, it took him a while to hear Ain¡¯s shout. Ain¡¯s voice was trembling. ¡¸We suddenly appeared in an unknown place!¡¹ After coming back to his senses and looking around, Hyun was surprised. ¡ªA red world that was illuminated by a black sun. He had been there before. But why at that moment? Why had they suddenly gone to the Symmetrical World? Hyun¡¯s eyes widened after looking at the system messages. Because he had blocked his sight, he hadn¡¯t been able to read the messages. [The skill¡¯s proficiency has reached 100%!] [The level of ?Pray? has increased to 8!] ¡®What¡­?!¡¯ For a moment, he couldn¡¯t believe it. It¡¯d taken him a few weeks to raise ?Pray? to level 7. Not only that, but he had gotten ?Pray? to level 7 only a few days before then. How could it already be at 8? To make things weirder, the proficiency rate of ?Pray? was already half-full¡­! ?Pray?¡¯s proficiency rate was increasing at an unreasonably fast pace. But he didn¡¯t know why. ¡®What happened?¡¯ At that moment, he remembered the words of the suspicious female Priest he¡¯d seen at the Twilight Temple. He tried to recall his memories from that day. The female Priest who¡¯d taught him the skill had clearly said this: Usually, ?Pray? reaches the Angels¡­ But praying in the Symmetrical World made ?Pray? reach the demons. ¡®Wait, demons¡­?¡¯ After remembering that, Hyun looked right next to him. Hyun inhaled in surprise. Louise, who was praying with her eyes closed, was surrounded by a demonic energy instead of a holy one. The dark energy covering her body was growing so much in size that it looked as if it were about to devour her. ¡°Stop praying!¡± Hyun shouted urgently. She didn¡¯t wake up even after he grabbed her shoulders and shook her due to the extremely low state her consciousness was in. Louise only returned to her senses just before she was about to be engulfed by the dark energy. Chapter 101 Hard Carry Support [Translator ¨C Daniel Shin] [Proofreader ¨C ilafy] Chapter 101 ¨C Iluna¡¯s Quest (1) Because many rankers were going to participate, Iluna¡¯s Quest became a worldwide hot issue. Since everyone¡¯s attention was focused on it, ¡®The Gamez¡¯ had found themselves in the perfect situation to attract as many viewers as possible. Thanks to ¡®The Gamez¡¯ having a very close relationship with NFM, they could show a wider variety of angles compared to other channels. ¡°Long time no see. Today¡¯s stage is going to be the moon, right?¡± ¡°Yes, users are calling it Iluna¡¯s Quest.¡± Stardust¡¯s Kim SooYong had once again been invited to comment. They weren¡¯t going to miss out on professional knowledge about the game. Before the show officially began, the anchor, Im SeongJun, started to lift the mood. ¡°Who would have thought that the stage would move to space?¡± ¡°Even inside the game, Iluna is the most alien place. There¡¯s always an eclipse going on there.¡± ¡°That¡¯s amazing. Haha, I¡¯m sure there isn¡¯t any place like that in real life.¡± Iluna¡¯s endless plains that appeared on the screen were covered by snow. Users were starting to appear one by one in that snowy city. The moment the camera closed in on a famous user, the chat window became noisier. After the atmosphere had been decently hyped up, anchor Im SeongJun, brought up a new topic. ¡°I heard that Stardust is going to participate in this quest. Commentator Kim SooYong, is that true?¡± ¡°Haha, how did you already know?¡± ¡°I have lots of informants!¡± Kim SooYong scratched his head awkwardly and then began talking as if he had no other choice. ¡°That¡¯s true. Two members, Practice and Jini, are going to participate.¡± ¡°Woah, the names of famous users have been brought up! They¡¯ve recently entered the top 500 worldwide, right?¡± ¡°Yes. Both of them are growing at an amazing pace. It¡¯s as if their potentials suddenly exploded.¡± ¡°Oh, speak of the devil, they¡¯re appearing on camera now!¡± The cameras that NFM had provided the news channels flew around while filming what they wanted. Basically, they were drone cameras. After noticing the camera, both users waved their hands. Recently, they¡¯d become so famous that any Asra maniac had probably heard about them. The moment they¡¯d entered the Hall of Fame, they¡¯d achieved Grand Master category in dueling, so it would be weird if they hadn¡¯t gotten famous. Of course, because of the characteristics of Jini¡¯s job, she was limited to three-on-three duel formats. ¡°The growth rate of these two, even from the point of view of a professional gamer, is amazing. I¡¯m sure that they¡¯ll become key players in tournaments organized in the future.¡± ¡°You used to be the idol of many gamers, so if you say so, it must be true. I¡¯m already excited about their future!¡± Because Kim SooYong had been invited, Practice and Jini appeared a lot on camera. Even after the quest began, they often showed what was happening from their point of view. ¡°Okay, then let¡¯s talk about the contents of the quest.¡± After showing the viewers around Iluna enough, Kim SooYong began explaining the contents of the quest. Kim SooYong really knew a lot. He understood the ripple effect of Iluna¡¯s Quest, how NPC countries saw Iluna in regards to politics, the oracle that had descended on Iluna, the Angel, and the role of ?Pray?. ¡ªThis was information that even most rankers didn¡¯t know. Just that short explanation made having invited Kim SooYong worth it. ¡°To put it simply, users must stall for time while the NPCs are performing a ceremony.¡± ¡°Yes. Because users have low Empathy, their ?Pray? wouldn¡¯t have much effect.¡± ¡®Pray? Empathy? What are those?¡¯ There weren¡¯t many people who understood what Kim SooYong was saying. They only knew basic information about the quest. Not only did most of them not know about the game world¡¯s history, a vast majority didn¡¯t even know that ?Pray? was a skill that existed. After noticing the atmosphere, Im SeongJoon changed topics. ¡°So, this time, Darkness isn¡¯t going to participate?¡± Just like he said, many rankers were appearing on camera, but users of the Darkness Guild couldn¡¯t be seen anywhere. Kim SooYong quickly answered. ¡°Yes, it seems like they¡¯re not going to participate this time.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s too bad.¡± Not many users knew that Darkness had decided not to take part in the quest to avoid conflict with Lattice and Ain. ¡°But still, there¡¯s a lot of high-quality players present. The Crimson and Claymore Guilds that are appearing right now on camera are each ranked 2nd and 4th worldwide.¡± ¡°Oh, it seems like Salon has come too. He¡¯s a user famous for playing solo, right?¡± ¡°Yes, many guilds have tried to scout him, but he rejected every offer. Salon is a user famous for having very strong beliefs.¡± As time went on, the number of users increased a lot. There were a total of around 1000 people that appeared! Salon, who was a combo thief, was also among them. Salon looked around. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * There were many high-ranking Priest NPCs you wouldn¡¯t easily see in normal circumstances. Not only that, but there were lots of famous rankers around him as well. ¡®I¡¯ve also finally entered their stage.¡¯ A few days before, after reaching level 100 and completing the job ascension, Salon had received an awakening skill point. There were two possible uses for awakening skill points: ¡ªThe first one was to make your current ultimate attack stronger, and the second one was to change it for one of the same category. Among those two options, Salon had chosen the second one. He¡¯d changed the ultimate attack he loved so much, ?Sword of Despair?, to ?Trance?. There was only one reason why he¡¯d made that decision: It was because he¡¯d been surprised by TarrTarr¡¯s video. ¡®Isn¡¯t that guy around here?¡¯ Salon searched for TarrTarr, but he couldn¡¯t find him. ¡®Well, I guess that¡¯s a possibility.¡¯ He soon nodded. TarrTarr¡¯s skills were above most rankers, but his level seemed low compared to his overwhelming abilities¡­ Maybe he wasn¡¯t able to fulfill the level 100 deadline. Then that meant it was a huge opportunity for Salon. ¡®They said that most enemies here were either undead or monsters, right?¡¯ According to the quest¡¯s description, there were only a few humanoid NPCs. Among monsters, there were some that had high intelligence, but most didn¡¯t. The overwhelming majority of monsters were most likely undead with low intelligence, like skeletons or ghouls. Basically, it was the perfect setting for a combo thief like him. ¡®I wonder what the reaction will be once I upload this quest¡¯s video. I guess it¡¯s going to receive lots of views.¡¯ Salon, who wanted to get more famous, smiled. But if TarrTarr were aiming for the same thing, his performance would be diminished. Salon kept watching the faces of new users that were appearing through the warp portal. TarrTarr didn¡¯t appear, not even at the end. Seeing that, Salon was convinced he hadn¡¯t participated in Iluna¡¯s Quest. ¡®I¡¯m lucky. This is the perfect opportunity to gain fame both inside the game and in real life!¡¯ A smile was drawn on Salon¡¯s mouth. He knew he wasn¡¯t as good as TarrTarr. Even if he was someone prideful, he had eyes to analyze things objectively. ¡®Ugh, it will take time¡­ But I¡¯ll catch up to you, eventually!¡¯ He was sure that, once he got used to his new ultimate attack, he would be able to surpass TarrTarr. No, he had to believe that. After feeling frustrated in PvP, hadn¡¯t he decided to be the best in regards to hunting? It was when he was thinking that¡­ ¡°Oh, aren¡¯t you Salon?¡± Salon, surprised, turned his head around after hearing a woman¡¯s voice. Although it was the first time he¡¯d seen her in real life, he knew who she was. ¡ªTop 100 Magician user, Ramitel. She was one of the Crimson Guild¡¯s top rankers. As a streamer, her popularity was higher than Salon¡¯s. ¡°It¡¯s really you! I¡¯m a huge fan!¡± ¡°R¡­ Really?¡± ¡°Yes, I watch all your videos. I¡¯ve also seen the most recent one! Was the title¡­ ¡®A thesis about combos, written by a Heavens user¡¯?¡± Salon¡¯s eyes widened after listening to Ramitel¡¯s words. He couldn¡¯t believe that she, who had millions of subscribers on YouTube, remembered the title of his video! Salon felt something burning inside him. ¡®She saw my strategy video¡­?!¡¯ Salon was more famous among top-rankers rather than average users. The main reason was that most of his strategy videos couldn¡¯t be replicated by average users. There were some users who used Salon¡¯s videos as study material, especially among rankers whose main thing was hunting. Many bits of information were useful in Salon¡¯s videos, even for people who weren¡¯t combo Thieves. ¡°If you¡¯re alone, do you want to form a party with me?¡± ¡°Wh-what¡­? A party?¡± After a few words, Ramitel offered Salon the opportunity to form a party with her. She was among the top five streamers on one platform. If he could make a connection with her, Salon could use it to increase his fame and popularity! ¡°No¡­ Uhmm, You see¡­ I feel more comfortable playing alone?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be shy.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true. I¡­ Prefer hunting alone.¡± He thought about it for a while but decided to refuse. A combo Thief shone the most while playing alone. Salon smiled bitterly as they parted ways. Still, him refusing her offer probably made him look like a lone hunter. Right? Ramitel was a streamer, so that scene was probably broadcasted, too. He began wondering how many people had seen that scene. ¡®I hope I get more fame.¡¯ As long as he appeared cool, he was satisfied. ¡®Now I only need to get good battle footage to make everything perfect.¡¯ Smiling, Salon quietly waited for the quest to start. * * * Unlike users, who were excited about the event, there was a heavy atmosphere among NPCs. A battle that would decide whether they lived or died was about to happen, so there was no way they would be able to remain calm. All users on Iluna received a message when a wave of monsters began rushing in. Ting-! ¨C There¡¯s only 1 magic circle left. Defend it with your life! ¨C The Holy Kingdom will forever remember your bravery. Even if your soul is turned into ashes and scattered away! As the Abyss¡¯s army began their invasion, a black wave rolled through the plains. If you looked at the scene from the top of the city, it would look as if the white land was being colored pitch-black. Kuooo- The number of enemies was enough to make you tremble. Most of them were either skulls or ghouls, but among them, there were also a few high-ranking monsters, and there were even some in the back that rankers hadn¡¯t seen before. It was as if all the monsters of the world were gathered there and were attacking the city. ¡°It finally began,¡± Radiette, who was standing at the end of the wall, mumbled while looking down. He was the strongest being on the battlefield. If it weren¡¯t for him, all humans there would¡¯ve been killed almost immediately at the hands of monsters. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how long we¡¯ll be able to hold on¡­¡± Swoosh-! An endless number of ice grains fell around the wall Radiette stood upon. The Abyss¡¯s army transformed from ice to dust, and from dust to black energy, and then scattered away. After looking at Radiette¡¯s overwhelming strength, the Priests gained courage and shouted. ¡°The Heavenly Being Radiette is supporting us! Fight until you cannot anymore!¡± ¡°Oh, Heavens, please give us strength¡­!¡± The Priests began waving their wands. As spheres of light grew in size from everywhere around the castle, the entire place was soon covered by their illumination. The attack that was the most effective against undead, ?Incineration?, fell from the castle walls all at once. An explosion of light covered the plains. Everyone closed their eyes for a short while because of the sheer amount of light that was blinding them. As the light died down, the soldiers were astonished after looking at the sites where the attacks had hit. Chapter 102 Hard Carry Support [Translator ¨C Daniel Shin] [Proofreader ¨C ilafy] Chapter 102 ¨C Iluna¡¯s Quest (2) ¡®What, it didn¡¯t work¡­?!¡¯ The Holy Knight who had ordered the attack scrunched his eyebrows. A black fog from the back had defended the undead from the light. A ¡®leech¡¯ that was in the rear of the wave of monsters had devoured Priests¡¯ attack without even leaving a trace. Taking advantage of the opportunity, countless skeletons started to climb the walls. A commander that was nearby shouted with all his might. ¡°They¡¯re coming! Prepare for close-range combat! Push all these evil beings back to the ground!¡± The outskirts of the city looked like a scene from Hell. Skeletons climbed the walls, and the ghosts descended from the skies. Ghouls, thanks to their jumping abilities, were able to jump over the wall without much effort. High-ranking Holy Knights and Priests did their best to defend, but they weren¡¯t able to block all the incoming monsters. ¡®We¡¯re being pushed back¡­!¡¯ One of the Heavens¡¯ Commanders clenched his teeth while looking around. They knew it would be hard to resist for a long time from the beginning. The city was too big, and there weren¡¯t a lot of soldiers. In battles like that, the defense line would crumble helplessly, and then the walls would be destroyed by the hands of monsters. ¡®Users were of help, but¡­¡¯ The reason why the walls hadn¡¯t crumbled immediately was thanks to the support of users. The top rankers were defeating the incoming monsters one by one in an effective way. The users and soldiers worked together and formed a defensive line. But in the eyes of the commander, even they didn¡¯t seem reliable. ¡®It¡¯s not enough with this.¡¯ Among the Heavens¡¯ troops, users were a minority. ¡®There¡¯s too many of them.¡¯ Radiette was thinking the same thing while looking at the battlefield. There weren¡¯t a lot of things that users could do. Suddenly, he remembered Ain. ¡ªHow bravely she¡¯d waved her flames toward him. Radiette analyzed the users who were fighting on the castle walls against the monsters. ¡ªBut none could be compared to her. Some caught his attention, but they weren¡¯t good enough to change the battle¡¯s flow. Radiette looked at the horizon. The main magic circle was still quiet. It seemed like there wasn¡¯t yet news from the Priestess. Had there been a problem with the Angel summoning? That was also a possibility. Fulfilling the oracle¡¯s prophecy wasn¡¯t an easy task. There were probably some monsters placed in the main magic circle. And Ain¡­ Although Ain was a Heavenly Being, she wasn¡¯t as strong as him. If, by any chance, they¡¯d met a high-ranking monster, they would¡¯ve found difficulties fulfilling their mission. ¡®They¡¯ll soon storm in.¡¯ Radiette clicked his tongue. Cracks were starting to form in some parts of the walls. As one part was being torn apart, another one started to break, too. If things continued like that, the last city would end up falling. But the Heavens still had one card left. Radiette looked to the center of the city. Maria was on top of the highest place of the temple with her eyes closed and a serious expression on her face. ¡®Maria¡­¡¯ Even Radiette didn¡¯t know what Maria was thinking. The only thing he was sure of was that Maria was going to burn her life force to defend the Heavens¡¯ believers. ¡®If that¡¯s your choice, I¡¯m not going to try to stop you.¡¯ Radiette stopped fighting for a little while and fixed his gaze on Maria. Thanks to his superior senses, Radiette was able to see her eyebrows scrunched in focus. As an old friend, he had decided to witness her last moments. A Heavenly Being was half-human and half Transcendent. But unlike Transcendents, they couldn¡¯t receive ?Pray? empathy from humans, so to exercise influence over the world, they had to use their ego. The soul was made of ego. Using the ego was like using part of your soul. Maria had decided to use all of her remaining ego. After all, even if she used all her ego, they probably wouldn¡¯t be able to change the result. ¡°Hmm? Wait¡­!¡± It was at that moment¡­ Radiette suddenly shouted with a voice that was full of hope. He saw a ray of light rising from the horizon. It was in the direction of the main magic circle. ¡®Finally¡­!¡¯ The ray of light pierced Iluna¡¯s atmosphere, passed through the magic control circle, reached space, and opened the doors of the Heavens. ¡®They¡¯re descending!¡¯ An Angel was about to descend. It seemed like Ain and the Priestess had succeeded! ¡°Wait, Maria!¡± Radiette¡¯s voice reached Maria, who was getting ready to burn her existence. ¡°Yes¡­?¡± As Maria stopped, her shining body returned to normal. Radiette pointed toward the sky while smiling. ¡°Look over there.¡± At the end of where his finger was pointing, numerous light dolls were emerging from the gates of the Heavens that had opened. ¡ªValkyrie. An army of the Heavens that could be led only by an Angel that was at least of Royal ranking. Thousands of dolls flew through Iluna¡¯s skies to support Iluna¡¯s last standing city. Each Valkyrie shone with a bright light that made them look like little suns. Tens of holy little suns illuminated the last city, which had been getting darker. The people fighting in the city witnessed the scene. A few users didn¡¯t understand what was going on and looked confused. But was there any NPC that belonged to the Heavens who didn¡¯t know about that legendary battle that¡¯d happened thousands of years ago? ¡°Those are, don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± In the past, when Iluna had been about to fall into the hands of the Abyss, an Angel had descended after sending an army of Valkyries. ¡°An Angel is coming down!¡± ¡°Oh, God is helping us!¡± ¡°Offer your lives! The Angel¡¯s army is going to watch our backs!¡± The news that the army of God had descended reached everyone¡¯s ears. The morale of the commanders and soldiers who were fighting all over the place rose. When the Valkyries appeared, the battle¡¯s flow reversed. The silver dolls flew through the sea of monsters. Those who were pierced by their holy lances scattered into dust. The Priests prayed while crying. They were finally relieved and moved by the fact that they were seeing the mythical fight repeat right in front of their eyes. All NPCs couldn¡¯t help but tremble. ¡°Haha¡­¡± * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * Radiette, who was laughing while looking at the sky, turned his gaze toward Maria. ¡°Now you won¡¯t need to sacrifice yourself.¡± ¡°Royal Angel¡­¡± ¡°Yes, if a Royal Angel descends, this fight is over!¡± The fact that Valkyries had appeared meant that a Royal Angel would soon descend. A Royal Angel wasn¡¯t as strong as an Archangel, but they had enough strength to blow up an entire city. Both Heavenly Beings were sure about the battle¡¯s outcome. Soon, once the Angel appeared, Iluna would be covered by light once again. ¡°There¡¯s something strange¡­!¡± Radiette was sure of their victory when Maria shouted. ¡°The doors are closing!¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± Surprised, Radiette turned his head around toward the horizon, and his face turned pale. The Angel was supposed to have appeared after the Valkyries. That meant that, for an Angel to appear, the doors of the Heavens had to remain open. But why was it? Right then, even though an Angel still hadn¡¯t appeared, the gates of the Heavens were closing! Maria¡¯s lips fluttered as the blue light turned off. ¡°The descent¡­ stopped.¡± ¡°What happened¡­?¡± At Radiette¡¯s question, Maria shook her head. Even they, who¡¯d been alive for hundreds of years, had never heard about a case when only Valkyries descended without an Angel appearing. But what happened next horrified both Heavenly Beings. ¡ªA dark-red magic circle had appeared on Iluna¡¯s surface. ¡°It isn¡¯t over yet¡­!¡± A blood-red magic circle, big enough to devour a city, was quickly spreading through the city¡¯s walls. The soldiers and even the High Priests weren¡¯t aware of what was happening. The blood-red magic circle¡¯s start and end then connected. The magic circle that was surrounding the city emitted ominous energy. ¡°No!¡± Radiette and Maria felt their hearts sink. At that moment, inside Radiette¡¯s head, a certain face appeared. ¡ªThe Great Demon of Deception. While in the shuttle, the Great Demon of Deception had appeared for an unknown reason. Was that somehow connected to what was happening now? ¡®How could a demon summoning circle¡­!¡¯ A demon summoning circle hadn¡¯t appeared for thousands of years. The only ones who knew it was a demon summoning magic circle were the two Heavenly Beings, Radiette and Maria. After all, most people had only encountered demons while reading myths and legends. ¡°What¡¯s that grotesque thing¡­¡± ¡°What, I¡¯m suddenly in a bad mood.¡± Even if they didn¡¯t know what the magic circle was, they could feel its ominous energy. Both the Heavens¡¯ people and users could feel that breathing was getting harder. The energy coming out from the magic circle was applying pressure on them. Crack-! Outside of the city walls, hundreds of shadows rose, and from the shadows, bizarre-looking monsters that resembled ball-jointed dolls appeared. ¡ªReapers. They were the Demon equivalent of Valkyries, and each one of them had a scythe as big as its body. If Valkyries brought hope, Reapers brought desperation. After reaching the city, the Valkyries leaped downward. The light and darkness clashed. ¡ªWhite and black mixed together and created a huge impact. It looked as if the darkness was devouring the light. The Valkyries were cut by the scythes of the Reapers and disappeared. It was simply because the Reapers outnumbered the Valkyries. ¡®We¡¯re in danger!¡¯ After discovering what the dolls were, Radiette gulped. Maria¡¯s face also turned pale. The Reapers were already bad news, but the problem was what was about to happen. Just like only a Royal Angel or one with a higher ranking could lead the army of Valkyries, only a demon with a rank higher than Royal could control the Reapers. There was a chance that a demon of a higher ranking would appear. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me, is it Deception?¡¯ It wasn¡¯t important which Demon appeared because, once it did, it would be the end. The city, the people, and everything that belonged to the Heavens would disappear without being able to resist. Just when they thought that all hope was lost¡­ ¡°Wait, the ceremony is stopping once again¡­!¡± Radiette shouted again. Things were getting absurd. Just like the Angel summoning ceremony, the Demon summoning ceremony had started to stop. ¡ªIt was the result of Hyun stopping Louise from praying while inside the Symmetrical World, but those on Iluna didn¡¯t know about that. ¡®What happened¡­?!¡¯ After a little while, that magic circle also disappeared without leaving a trace. Just like the doors of Heaven had closed, the doors of Hell had closed as well. ¡ªBoth Angel and Demon summoning ceremonies had been canceled. Things that couldn¡¯t be understood with even a Heavenly Being¡¯s knowledge kept happening. ¡®Is this also because of Ain and the Priestess?¡¯ He had no way of knowing what had happened in the main magic circle. While Radiette was troubled, he heard Maria¡¯s voice. ¡°The time has come.¡± Maria closed her eyes and heard the cries coming from the city. Screams echoed through the city walls. Maria, who was a Heavenly Being, could feel the humans¡¯ despair more than anyone else. Although the Demon summoning ceremony had been canceled, she knew the situation hadn¡¯t improved. The Reapers who had been summoned were killing the people that belonged to the Heavens¡­ So she had to act quickly before the situation worsened. As Maria unleashed her strength, wings that resembled those of an Angel appeared from her shoulders. The strong energy covered the city with subtle light. She was the Heavenly Being who had been protecting Iluna before Radiette. Even before the battle had begun, she had decided to burn her ego in order to protect the people that lived there. Fwoosh-! A strong light covered the entire battlefield. The ray of light that began from the city center started to spread as powder, and Maria¡¯s body faded the more the light spread. Once the whole city was covered by light, Maria¡¯s body disappeared without her being able to say any last words. Radiette closed his eyes after seeing his old friend die. One could feel Maria¡¯s remnants from the warmth light that had covered the city emitted. Her will was inside the brilliant light. Although she was a Heavenly Being, because she¡¯d paid the expensive price of using all her ego, she was able to exercise an influence that matched the one that a Transcendent could. ¡®So this is what you wanted.¡¯ Radiette could feel people within the city walls disappearing. All of the people who had become war victims were being sent back to Asra. Kids, normal people, and Priests with no fighting ability were in that group. Maria thought of the people inside the city until the very end. ¡ªShe¡¯d sent all the people who couldn¡¯t fight back to Asra. On the other hand, she¡¯d given people that stayed on Iluna the power to fight against the Abyss. All those who belonged to the Heavens could feel an unknown power rising within their bodies. Users who belonged to the Heavens were receiving numerous buff messages. ¨C The sacrifice of a Heavenly Being has set a fire in your heart! You¡¯ll never be able to forget what happened today! [All your stats have increased by 100 points!] [Your MAX HP has increased by 8000!] [The natural recovery rate of your HP and Mana has increased by 10 times!] [All of your attacks deal 300 more damage!] [A random skill of yours was strengthened!] [These buffs last for an hour!] ¡°What¡­¡± Users who were struggling while fighting didn¡¯t know what to say for a while. All those who were watching the stream had the same reaction. Each one of the buffs applied to the users was stronger than the average ultimate attack. Even rankers had never experienced receiving so many buffs at the same time. Chapter 103 Chapter 103 ¨C The Darkness Planted in a Pure White (1) ¡°This is me¡­?¡± Users participating in the fight felt as if their bodies had gotten lighter. Asrian¡¯s system, which used the brain waves of users, had boosted their moods. Sometimes, a pleasant twitch happened. They felt like they were going to be able to defeat any opponent. That¡¯s right, the fight for Iluna¡¯s destiny had just begun. * * * ¡°Where are we¡­?¡± Louise looked around after waking up. Once she stopped praying, the dark energy surrounding her scattered into the air. The red magic circle also disappeared. It was good that the unknown magic was canceled, but it was too soon to relax. Hyun started looking around with a serious expression while trying to understand the situation. The world that had a red sky and black sun¡­ ¡®This is the Symmetrical World¡­¡¯ He remembered what the female Priest had taught him. ¡ª The world was divided into those four dimensions. People lived in the real world. But if you prayed to a demon, you could access the Symmetrical World. That happened if, while praying, your soul changed toward the Abyss. When that happened, you reached the Symmetrical World. ¡®But the level of ?Pray? isn¡¯t high enough.¡¯ From what he¡¯d heard, your level of ?Pray? had to be in the double digits to open the gate of the Symmetrical World. Not only that, but it wasn¡¯t like he had been praying to a Demon. The Angel summoning ceremony was about calling an Angel from the Heavens to the surface. ¡®Maybe¡­¡¯ Hyun thought of a possibility. ¡®Is it possible that Louise¡­?¡¯ Louise¡¯s prayer was probably stronger than his. After all, the Priestess¡¯s prayer could directly reach the Transcendents¡¯ ears. Even if he couldn¡¯t, maybe Louise had the ability to open the doors of the Symmetrical World. ¡°Who did you pray to¡­?¡± Hyun asked. However, with a tearful expression on her face, Louise just shook her head. ¡°Ugh, I just¡­ Did as they asked me to. I didn¡¯t think of anyone in particular¡­¡± ¡°Did you pray to a Demon?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way I would Pray to something like that!¡± Louise said while raising her voice. From her reaction, she didn¡¯t seem to be lying. But then, how had they entered the Symmetrical World? Hyun felt frustrated at the situation. He suddenly remembered the female Priest who had taught him about the Symmetrical World. She was the only one he knew who had knowledge related to the place. Because things he couldn¡¯t understand kept happening, he wished she¡¯d appear to explain things to him. It was at that moment¡­ ¡°Long time no see!¡± Hyun was surprised at the voice that appeared out of nowhere and subconsciously turned his head around. Louise jumped up, and Ain got ready to fight. A familiar-looking woman had suddenly appeared in front of the group. He couldn¡¯t forget that tight Priest uniform with huge cleavage. ¡°You¡­¡± Hyun couldn¡¯t hide his surprise. They do say that a tiger appears when you talk about it¡ªshe was that weird Priest he¡¯d met in the Twilight Temple. Her seductive way of speaking, despite her being a Priest, hadn¡¯t changed. She looked at Ain and Louise alternately. ¡°So you¡¯re here!¡± She fixed her gaze on Ain. Hyun felt chills when their eyes met. She wasn¡¯t talking to Ain, but him. ¡®She can see through ?Assimilation??¡¯ Hyun changed the target of ?Assimilation? to Louise just in case. He almost got goosebumps. The moment he changed the target of ?Assimilation?, her eyes moved from Ain to Louise. ¡°Oh, Louise. Long time no see!¡± The female Priest greeted Louise. Her sudden appearance and weird actions made Hyun alert. When he thought about it, Louise had been locked in the Twilight Temple. Maybe she was part of the same team as the masked Assassins who had been chasing them. Hyun quickly questioned Louise through the soul. ¡¸Louise¡­ Do you know her?¡¹ ¡¸No, she isn¡¯t someone I know¡­¡¹ ¡¸Really? But she seems to know you.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m serious!¡¹ Sadly, he couldn¡¯t get any information about her from Louise. ¡°I¡¯m not going to devour you, so you don¡¯t need to be so defensive.¡± Did she notice he was on alert? She spoke first. ¡°You learned ?Pray? from me as if it was nothing¡­! Why are you so wary of me now?¡± The female Priest spoke jokingly, but Hyun couldn¡¯t get himself to fully trust her. Was it because his senses had gotten sharper due to his high state of alert? Hyun¡¯s tone of voice changed. ¡°You¡­ What are you?¡± ¡°My name? I¡¯m Rutia! Didn¡¯t I tell you the last time¡­? Please don¡¯t forget from now on.¡± Hyun began thinking. He¡¯d never heard the name Rutia while playing Asra. Just like Louise, she was an unknown variable. Could he trust her? Was she someone trustworthy? She was the NPC who had taught him about ?Pray? and the Symmetrical World. But she¡¯d never told him her real identity. ¡®Although she doesn¡¯t seem to be an enemy¡­?¡¯ Maybe she was frustrated because Hyun kept doubting her, the female Priest, Rutia, stretched out her chest and spoke again. ¡°I¡¯ve helped you before!¡± ¡°You?¡± * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * ¡°I helped you while you were lost in the middle of the forest¡­ But it seems like you didn¡¯t know that was me.¡± ¡°That was you¡­?¡± According to her words, while he was escaping with Louise from the Twilight Temple and had gotten locked in the forest labyrinth, it was her who had helped them. After listening to a reasonable explanation, Hyun could lower his defensive stance slightly. There¡¯s no way she would¡¯ve known what happened at that moment if she weren¡¯t there. ¡°Why did you help us?¡± ¡°That¡­¡± After slightly licking her lips, she continued talking. ¡°I¡¯m that kid¡¯s guardian.¡± ¡°Guardian? You?¡± ¡°Yes. I can¡¯t tell you the exact details¡­ But I promise you that I¡¯m not lying.¡± Hyun looked at Louise and Rutia alternately. From Louise¡¯s expression, that seemed to be the first time she¡¯d heard about it¡­ But Louise had lost her memories. Maybe, before she¡¯d lost them, Rutia had really acted as her guardian. ¡®I don¡¯t think it¡¯s all a lie.¡¯ But there was something he was sure about. ¡ªRutia didn¡¯t think of Louise as her enemy. If she wanted to harm her, she probably could¡¯ve already done it. Hyun concluded that was enough for him not to think of her as their enemy. ¡®Let¡¯s hear her explanation first.¡¯ After quickly ordering his thoughts, Hyun asked her the thing he wanted to know the most. If Louise wasn¡¯t the culprit, she was the second most suspicious person. ¡°Then was it you who opened the doors to the Symmetrical World?¡± ¡°Of course not!¡± Rutia shook her hands. It was an unexpected answer. From what he knew, Rutia had the ability to move between both words freely, so Hyun was sure she was the culprit. It was then that an unexpected name came out of her mouth. ¡°Do you know Keidrial?¡± ¡°How did you¡­?¡± Hyun was really surprised. That was the first time he had heard that name from the mouth of an NPC. All the people from Heavens, even the Heavenly Beings, called her Great Demon of Deception. He had never heard someone calling her by her name. But what she said next surprised him even more. ¡°The reason why the Symmetrical World was opened, the reason why this kid can¡¯t be touched by the sun¡­ It¡¯s all because of Keidrial.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­? But what Louise has is the Stigma of Light¡­¡± ¡°No, it isn¡¯t a magic like that!¡± Louise¡¯s shoulder shrugged at Rutia, who vehemently denied it. Hyun nervously waited for the next words. He felt that something important was about to come from her mouth. As the surroundings became quiet, she coughed once and continued. ¡°It isn¡¯t a magic. The seed of Darkness has been planted in her.¡± ¡°Seed¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. Keidrial planted ¡®Darkness¡¯ in this kid¡¯s subconsciousness. It¡¯s usually hidden but activates once the requirements are met.¡± Rutia¡¯s explanation was something like this: Praying makes you go close to your subconscious. But if that subconscious is contaminated while praying, the direction of your ¡®Empathy¡¯ can change directions. That¡¯s how, without knowing, you could get close to the Abyss while praying instead of the Heavens. ¡°The reason you entered the Symmetrical World is that the direction of her prayer changed.¡± In a sense, it was similar to hacking. The seed planted in her subconscious was a viru, and the key to activating that virus was prayer. ¡°Planting the seed is a strategy that ¡®Deception¡¯ often uses.¡± According to her, Louise had been engulfed in darkness for a while. She couldn¡¯t pray to an Angel from the beginning. Because of the Evil¡¯s Seed, all her prayers would end up reaching a Demon. According to Rutia, that was why the Symmetrical World had opened. ¡°Is something like that really possible¡­?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t impossible!¡± He couldn¡¯t easily believe in her. If it had been the first time he had seen her, he wouldn¡¯t have trusted her words. ¡®Wait, maybe it¡¯s that?¡¯ Suddenly, a memory came back to Hyun. In the video of the Evil¡¯s Seed event, Keidrial had placed her hands on Louise¡¯s head. ¡ªAnd Louise screamed in pain. Louise¡¯s scream that had spread through the Heavens gave Hyun chills. ¡®I remember!¡¯ After she was done screaming, demonic energy had surrounded Louise. Was that evidence that she had an Evil Seed planted in her? If that was what happened, Louise not remembering her childhood was probably because of Keidrial. You probably couldn¡¯t have your memories intact while your consciousness was being contaminated. ¡°But there¡¯s one more condition that can activate the Seed.¡± Rutia¡¯s explanation kept going on for a little bit. ¡°That¡¯s the sun!¡± What Rutia said overturned Hyun¡¯s hypothesis. He thought Louise had received a curse called Stigma of Light. Several clues became intertwined again. ¡°The sunlight activates the Evil¡¯s Seed. It would be good if the light only influenced the seed¡­¡± Without realizing it, Hyun was clenching his fists. He didn¡¯t know why, but he didn¡¯t want to hear what she was about to say next. ¡°The consciousness that has been contaminated with Darkness burns together with the seed and cannot go back to its original state.¡± ¡°Does that mean¡­ That she¡¯ll die?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Rutia just nodded at Hyun¡¯s question. The knot had finally untied, but he didn¡¯t feel good about it. ¡®Was she speaking the truth¡¯? He could doubt her words, but he thought the chances of them being true were really high. There were too many things that matched to dismiss it as nonsense. ¡®So it wasn¡¯t a Stigma of Light¡­¡¯ But he still hoped Rutia¡¯s words were a lie. He wished she was wrong. If her words were true¡­ That meant that Louise¡¯s situation was worse than he¡¯d initially thought. The destiny of the little girl who¡¯d lived her entire life alone was harsher than he¡¯d imagined. Ba-dump- Ba-dump- Hyun¡¯s heart began beating faster. ¡¸H-Hyun¡­ Are you okay¡­?!¡¹Louise asked, flustered. Because of ?Assimilation?, she had felt her heart rate increasing. ¡®If the sun touches her, she¡¯ll die¡­?¡¯ The truth was that Hyun had felt relieved when he¡¯d met Louise on Iluna. The Stigma of Light was a magic that tracked the target¡¯s location via the sun. He thought it would take a lot of time for the unknown people targeting her to reach Iluna and that he could use that time to hide her once more. Even if Iluna became the territory of the Abyss, he¡¯d already thought of a way to escape. But Rutia¡¯s words made Hyun¡¯s plans useless. Things wouldn¡¯t become dangerous after the sun touched her. If that happened, everything would be over. ¡®Oof¡­!¡¯ Hyun tried to calm down. He took a glimpse at Louise¡ªshe was looking at him anxiously. Was it that she didn¡¯t understand the situation she was in? Hyun already knew what was going to happen thanks to his experience in the previous game. In Asra Online, the battle on Iluna had ended with the Abyss¡¯s Forces winning. Of course, there was no guarantee that history would repeat, but the strategies of both factions was probably similar to the ones each had in the previous game. Because the Angel summoning ceremony had failed, the chances of the Heavens Forces winning was low. If everything went according to history, the sun would soon shine over Iluna. But Louise couldn¡¯t stand under the sun, and she couldn¡¯t survive amid monsters. Death was approaching Louise. Chapter 104 Chapter 104 ¨C The Darkness Planted in a Pure White (2) Hyun imagined Louise¡¯s death. He suddenly felt strange. It was as if a cold, sticky liquid had gone through his body. He had never felt something so unpleasant since he¡¯d started playing the game. ¡°Oof¡­¡± He¡¯d seen enough NPCs dying. In Asrian, humanoid NPCs could die. He was surprised when he¡¯d seen the soldier committing suicide, but it wasn¡¯t shocking enough to be embedded into his mind. But what about now? Why was he feeling so agitated at the thought of an NPC dying? Was it because of the time they¡¯d spent together while he was trying to protect her? At the thought of Louise dying, he felt as if a close friend was about to die. ¡°How¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Can I save her?¡± Hyun asked without realizing it. He really wanted to overcome the current situation. ¡°Is there a way to save her¡­?¡± A level 100 user couldn¡¯t influence the result of the battle. That¡¯s how strong the Abyss army that was invading Iluna was. ¡°You think that the Heavens will lose?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°I see.¡± It looked as if Rutia was thinking about something; then, as if she¡¯d made a decision, she began speaking. ¡°I may be able to help you a little bit.¡± Hyun slowly raised his head after hearing Rutia¡¯s words. ¡°Follow me.¡± Soon, Rutia began walking toward somewhere. Ain looked at her suspiciously. Louise also couldn¡¯t hide her anxiety. ¡®What if it¡¯s a trap?¡¯ Hyun was also startled for a moment but shook his head. ¡®We have no other choice at the moment.¡¯ The party began following Rutia and walked through the Symmetrical World. They crossed numerous portals and even walked through a bridge that went over a red lake. The scenery around changed quickly as if they were in the middle of a dream. ¡°Where are we going?¡± Hyun asked Rutia after they¡¯d been walking for a while. ¡°In the two worlds, the opposing one looks distorted,¡± Rutia answered with a smile. ¡°What?¡± ¡°One step here doesn¡¯t equal one step in the other world¡ªit can be longer or shorter.¡± Rutia¡¯s answers were vague and hard to understand. Hyun, who more or less caught what she wanted to say, assumed that what she meant was that they could use the Symmetrical World to shorten travel distance. Although he didn¡¯t know the exact theory regarding the difference in space density yet. Hyun was about to ask for more details when Rutia asked a question. ¡°If you could use Teleport, where would you want to go?¡± ¡°Teleport? Can you use it?!¡± ¡°To be more precise, it isn¡¯t Teleport, but it¡¯s very similar. I can send you anywhere on Iluna.¡± ¡°Really¡­?¡± At Rutia¡¯s words, Hyun¡¯s head began working faster. The reason why he was feeling so helpless was that he couldn¡¯t do anything. What did it matter if they got out of the Symmetrical World? By the time they returned to the city, the whole situation would probably be already over! But what if they could be sent anywhere? Hyun tried to remember the battle that¡¯d taken place in Asra Online. ¡®We must go there!¡¯ The largest battlefield was, of course, where the last magic circle was located, but small battles were happening all over the place. But even among them, there was a place where a battle that could be called a turning point happened. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that one of the reasons why the Heavens had lost was because they had made a huge mistake. If he could change the result of that battle, maybe he could find a way to save Louise. ¡®If I can buy enough time¡­¡¯ He glanced at Louise, who was next to him, and started to make some calculations. ¡®If it¡¯s us¡­ Maybe we can do it¡­!¡¯ The chances of Louise surviving were slim, but that was a huge difference from having no chance. Was it possible or not? He wouldn¡¯t know until he tried, but it was worth trying. To make this possibility real, Hyun began thinking about numerous things. All without realizing the stares everyone else was giving him. * * * While the last city was noisy because of the battle¡­ Steel Rock, who had been a ranker in Asra Online, was at the top of the tower located in the main temple. Usually, there would be some high-ranking Priest NPC guarding the place, but it was silent. Maria had sent the people who couldn¡¯t fight back to Asra, and the rest were busy fighting, so that¡¯s how Steel Rock had been able to climb up the tower without anyone bothering him. ¡®Just as expected, there isn¡¯t anyone here.¡¯ After climbing up the stairs, Steel Rock finally reached the top and looked around. There, the last magic circle was beaming a light toward the sky. It was the city¡¯s heart. The moment that magic circle went off, the Heavens would immediately lose. ¡®I¡¯m glad it¡¯s safe.¡¯ Steel Rock sighed in relief. According to the previous game¡¯s story, Iluna¡¯s Quest was supposed to happen three years after the main story. But why had the incident been moved forward? No one knew the reason. Steel Rock was worrying about if something unexpected had happened because of the circle, but after looking at the magic circle, it seemed like things hadn¡¯t changed yet compared to the past. ¡®I guess he will soon appear.¡¯ * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * The reason why the Heavens lost in the previous game wasn¡¯t that the defense lines had been defeated. ¡ªIt was because the magic circle had suddenly lost its light. It happened because of a spy. Because of that guy¡¯s betrayal, the final light had been extinguished, which had made the Heavens¡¯ army lose their morale as they had been defeated shortly after. ¡®Haha, how much contribution rate will I receive?¡¯ Unlike back then, Steel Rock knew the future. If he could eliminate the spy that would soon appear, he would receive a lot of merit. Asrian¡¯s merit system was precise and escalated. The end result probably wouldn¡¯t change, but there probably wouldn¡¯t be a user who could match his contribution rate thanks to him having protected the last magic circle. In the guild he was part of, easy strategies like that were shared fairly, and now, it was Steel Rock¡¯s turn. ¡°Hmm? Did he already appear?¡± He was spending time while sitting down. Steel Rock felt that someone was getting closer. A shadow reflected on the walls was drawing near. Steel Rock took out his weapon. According to his memory, he should be able to deal with the spy. By killing him, he probably would be able to increase the life of the magic circle a lot, and thanks to that, he would probably receive a lot of contribution. But it didn¡¯t take long before his expectations went wrong. ¡°What¡­?!¡± As the figure of the spy emerged from the shadows, Steel Rock¡¯s sword fell from his hands in surprise. Although he could only see his silhouette, he knew who that person was. The Magic Swordsman wielding a blue longsword was someone every Asrian user knew. He could feel a sharp energy that couldn¡¯t be felt through screenshots. ¡ªIt was Lattice. The user who had never lost the 1st position in the rankings after starting to play Asrian. ¡°Hmm? Is anyone here?¡± Lattice laughed after seeing Steel Rock. ¡°So you¡¯re an Asra user.¡± Surprisingly, Lattice knew Steel Rock¡¯s face. Because they¡¯d never seen each other, Steel Rock replied in surprise. ¡°Why are you¡­¡± ¡°What? Is there any reason why I shouldn¡¯t have come here?¡± Lattice said sarcastically. His voice was as cold as the blue longsword he was wielding. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re doing here¡­ But if you don¡¯t want to die, move on. I don¡¯t want to be pursued by the guard again, so I¡¯ll let you go.¡± Steel Rock understood what was going on. He never thought Lattice would take on the spy role and appear there! That was the worst possible outcome. ¡°Or do you want to die? I don¡¯t care either way.¡± ¡°N-no¡­ Wait¡­!¡± Steel Rock shouted after seeing Lattice approach him. Steel Rock thought it was unfair. Why did something like that happen when it was his turn?! According to the guild¡¯s policy, it was entirely his fault if something unexpected happened. If he gave up there, he would lose a huge amount of contribution rate. With the hopes of saving himself, Steel Rock proposed something. He tried using the information as bait. ¡°Wait! I¡¯m going to give you information worth as much as the contribution rate of this quest¡­! So can you just let me have this one?¡± But Lattice just laughed at Steel Rock¡¯s words. ¡°That¡¯s funny.¡± Swish- Lattice took out his sword. ¡°I just wasted time.¡± Lattice¡¯s sword was about to cut Steel Rock. A word came out from Steel Rock¡¯s mouth, which made Lattice stop his sword. ¡°Hyun¡­! Do you know who Hyun is?¡± The moment he heard that name, Lattice¡¯s hands stopped. The blue longsword stopped at Steel Rock¡¯s neck. ¡ªHis last resource had worked. ¡®As expected, he knows him¡­!¡¯ If it was a user like Lattice, he¡¯d probably heard that name before. Just like he thought, Lattice reacted the moment he heard Hyun¡¯s name. Steel Rock took that opportunity and kept talking. ¡°I¡¯ll give you information about Hyun¡­ You¡¯ll probably end up fighting against him one day.¡± ¡°Hyun¡­¡± Steel Rock¡¯s last card made Lattice think. He silently thought for a while. After a while, he answered back with a smile. ¡°What information?¡± ¡°What about things like fighting style or weakness¡­?¡± The truth was that even Steel Rock didn¡¯t know the answers to those things. Although he remembered Hyun¡¯s fighting style, the only weakness he could think of was that he¡¯d lost a couple of times against Ain. ¡°No¡­ It doesn¡¯t matter who it is. No one can be my opponent. I guess you don¡¯t have any other useful information.¡± After refusing that last offer, Lattice¡¯s eyes shone. Steel Rock¡¯s eyes changed. ¡°This damn guy!¡± Even until the end, he couldn¡¯t give up on the quest. He thought that, maybe if he landed a surprise attack on him, maybe he would be able to win. In a fight among users, there were cases of a victory being decided in an instant. If he was lucky, he would be able to kill him and monopolize the contribution rate. After thinking that, Steel Rock began moving. Paf-! Steel Rock¡¯s weapon drew a huge line. ¡®Damn, did it miss¡­?¡¯ After feeling his sword cut through the air, he immediately backed off. Even though Steel Rock didn¡¯t enjoy PvP, he knew the main movements people used back then in Asra. An average user would¡¯ve probably died immediately, but the opponent was Lattice. Immediately after that, Steel Rock felt strange. [You¡¯ve received 33% of your HP as damage!] [Your waist has been cut!] [You¡¯ve died!] [You won¡¯t be able to log in for the next 48 hours!] Steel Rock discovered he¡¯d died after reading the system messages. While his field of vision was tilting, he could hear Lattice¡¯s voice. ¡°It isn¡¯t only you who knows about those silly techniques.¡± Lattice had managed to cut him from behind. His blue longsword had cut Steel Rock¡¯s body in half. He wouldn¡¯t have been able to do that if he hadn¡¯t been able to guess what his attack would be. Swish-! ¡°Boring.¡± After ensuring that Steel Rock had died, he sheathed his sword. He knew about the top 50 rankers from the previous game. The first Asra Online user he¡¯d met had been easier to defeat than he¡¯d initially thought. ¡°Was he someone who only focused on hunting?¡± According to his information, Steel Rock had once reached the 20th place in the rankings. He was too weak, even considering that was the best possible ranking he had been able to achieve. He naturally thought of something. The ID that guy mentioned before dying¡­ Hyun, the former number one, what kind of person was he? Lattice tried to think rationally. Had he overestimated him? He thought that was a possibility. The number of players in Asrian couldn¡¯t be compared to the previous game, which was why the number of talented players was low as well. ¡®Maybe he¡¯s weaker than expected.¡¯ After ordering his thoughts, he approached the magic circle. The lives of the Heavens¡¯ forces were at Lattice¡¯s hands. ¨C Destroy the 7 Magic Circles that exist on Iluna! (Amount Destroyed: 6) He was finally about to finish the quest that he had dragged out so much. Destroying the magic circles was an easy task. He had to put the stones he¡¯d received from a Demon in the middle of the magic circles; once he did that, the heavenly light started to die down. Lattice suddenly found the situation funny. The result of the battle would be decided there and not at the city¡¯s walls. Countless lives were being lost pointlessly. ¡®A useless struggle.¡¯ Lattice didn¡¯t doubt for a moment and slowly walked toward the magic circle. At that moment, a red light shone from behind him. Chapter 105 Chapter 105 ¨C Battle at the Top (1) Lattice reflexively turned around. ¡®Was there anyone else here?¡¯ Whir- The red light mixed with the blue light of the magic circle, which made it look more mysterious. Both soon gathered in the air, and they took a concrete form. Lattice narrowed his eyes while looking at them. Two people¡­ Two girls with similar physical builds to his were standing at the top of the tower. One was wearing white robes and the other one black. The girl with white robes had a serious expression on her face, and the other one was looking around, confused. Lattice¡¯s eyes wide-opened after looking at the girl with black clothes. She had become so famous that it was impossible not to recognize her. ¡¸Hyun, the scenery changed again.¡¹ ¡¸Look carefully, this is the temple you were staying in!¡¹ Hyun immediately noticed where they were. Rutia was right. They had successfully moved to another space without using Teleport. But she¡¯d ended up staying in the Symmetrical World. ¡°Hmm? There¡¯s someone here,¡± Ain mumbled after noticing Lattice. Hyun and Lattice had finally encountered each other. The moment Hyun saw the man with the blue longsword, he knew who it was. ¡ªThe number one ranking player of Asrian. He had numerous nicknames. His job, level, and the side he belonged to were already known. Hyun bit his lips. ¡®I never thought I¡¯d meet him here!¡¯ In that short period of time, Hyun noticed a few things about Lattice. The first thing was that he was currently doing a quest, and the goal of Lattice¡¯s quest was probably to destroy all of the magic circles on Iluna. If it weren¡¯t that, there was no reason for him to be there. ¡®Damn, we don¡¯t have a lot of time. Why now¡­?!¡¯ Hyun quickly started to think. After thinking for a while in the Symmetrical World, Hyun had come up with a way. There was only one way to save Louise¡­ That was to get the help of Radiette. If he used the ego of a Transcendent, maybe he would be able to warp Louise to Asra. But for this plan to be successful, two conditions had to be met: ¡ªThe first one was to receive the approval of Radiette. ¡ªThe second one was meeting Radiette before the sun covered Iluna. Of course, the hardest requirement was the second one. If the magic circle was destroyed before he could meet Radiette, Iluna would move out of its normal orbit, and that would make all places the sun couldn¡¯t reach to disappear! The reason why he had asked Rutia to send them there was to protect the last magic circle. ¡¸Ain, I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡¹ Hyun whispered to Ain while feeling sorry. ¡¸I don¡¯t mind. After all, I wanted to fight against that guy.¡¹ After noticing Lattice¡¯s presence, Ain was smiling. Her teeth were showing. ¡¸I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t use ?Assimilation? on you right now.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s better that way.¡¹ After looking at each other, they nodded. Then Hyun, in Louise¡¯s body, jumped off the tower. Lattice didn¡¯t even glance at Louise and was looking firmly at Ain. ¡°Now that I think about it, you also belong to the Heavens.¡± It was Lattice who spoke first. Swish. He immediately pulled out his sword. He pointed it toward Ain¡¯s heart. ¡°You used to be second?¡± It seemed like Lattice was talking about Ain¡¯s previous ranking. Ain laughed. Who had he heard that from? Lattice wasn¡¯t wrong but wasn¡¯t completely right either. Of course, Ain recognized how good Hyun was. Hyun was better than her in numerous aspects, which was why she¡¯d started to be interested in him. But there was something in which she had no intention of letting go. ¡°No.¡± Ain shook her head. While looking at Lattice¡¯s doubtful eyes, she spoke. ¡°When it comes to dueling, I¡¯m number one.¡± Even though there was a snowstorm at the top of the tower, Lattice clearly heard Ain¡¯s words. ¡°You better concentrate.¡± Paf-! After saying that, Ain¡¯s figure suddenly disappeared. * * * ¡°The Heavens are taking care of us!¡± After Maria¡¯s sacrifice, the atmosphere among the Heavens¡¯ forces changed completely. Hope started to fill the camp of the Heavens that, up until then, was full of fear. The commanders led the way and pushed the monsters from the walls. Several front-line soldiers went back to their position. ¡°Shoot!¡± Whoosh-! Attacks of light began falling into the middle of the Abyss¡¯s army. The wide-range attacks of high-ranking Priests began incinerating the undead monsters. Although the leech tried to defend the monsters again, the results were different that time. In the battle of magical power, the Heavens were winning. The monsters surrounded by the light were annihilated with screams of pain. Maria¡¯s buffs were applied to NPCs, too. ¡°Good, this place is going to be my graveyard.¡± The Holy Knight looked down while grabbing his sword tightly. No matter how many of them he killed, there seemed to be no end to the number of monsters. Even with Maria¡¯s sacrifice, they probably wouldn¡¯t be able to change the result of the battle. Among the Abyss¡¯s Forces, there were some monsters that couldn¡¯t be defeated with an average level. ¡ªReapers! They were monsters that only answered to the commands of Great Demons, and they looked like dolls carrying giant scythes. Strong, dark energy leaked from their creaking bodies. The monsters that were touched by the dark energy became more aggressive. Reapers were monsters that couldn¡¯t be defeated with the current level of users. Three high-ranking Priests had to work together in order to tie their feet. ¡°Catch it!¡± Whip! A ring of light tied a Reaper up. It was ?Bind?, the evolved version of ?Restraint?, the skill Jini had learned previously. But the moment it was touched by the Reaper¡¯s dark energy, the binding began getting weaker and finally broke. Vroom-! A dark scythe cut all opponents that were within 5 meters. The moment a dark light flashed, all the high Priest¡¯s defense barriers were destroyed. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * If it weren¡¯t for a Holy Knight that jumped into the middle, both high Priests would¡¯ve been killed. ¡°Ugh!¡± The Holy Knight, who successfully defended against the Reaper¡¯s attack, lost his arm. His sword was destroyed the moment it clashed with the scythe. Judging by the fact that he¡¯d lost an arm, it wouldn¡¯t have been weird if he¡¯d died instantly. A high-ranking Priest that was around there used a recovery skill. Fwoosh-! Light began gathering around the Holy Knight, and his arm was soon reconstructed. But the Holy Knight didn¡¯t have enough time to say thanks. The Reaper in front of him was smiling with a creepy expression. Flash! The Reaper swung its scythe, intending to cut the Holy Knight¡¯s neck. The moment he closed his eyes, a lantern passed in front of his eyes. Just at that moment, Radiette appeared in front of them. Crack! The arm of the Reaper wielding the scythe froze. Part of the body of the doll that was covered by dark energy turned into dust and scattered away. The Reaper that had lost its arm let out a sorrowful cry. The faces of the Priests brightened after noticing Radiette¡¯s presence. ¡°Mr. Radiette!¡± ¡°Back off. It still hasn¡¯t died.¡± ¡ªIt was just like Radiette said. The black doll that had lost its arm looked even creepier than before. Radiette used another magic on it before dark energy could restore its body. As its head froze, darkness covered the whole area. The people of Heavens closed their eyes upon hearing a horrible scream. After making a Reaper disappear, Radiette sighed. ¡®Oof¡­¡¯ Because of his supersense, in that short time frame, Radiette was able to scan the battlefield. Thanks to Maria¡¯s sacrifice, they were able to resist, but it was temporary. The only ones who could face the Reapers save for him were the commander-ranking Holy Knights. The city would¡¯ve probably already been invaded if it weren¡¯t for him. ¡°There¡¯s too many,¡± He murmured to himself. The Heavens had lost when they¡¯d failed to summon an Angel. Even for a Heavenly Being, it was too much to fight against hundreds of Reapers. Could he change the result if he used his ego? Radiette didn¡¯t think so. He had already used some of his ego while fighting against the Reapers. If he overdid himself, he could end up with the same fate as Maria. ¡®Maria, it seems like neither you nor I can go against fate.¡¯ Radiette smiled bitterly. Maria had chosen to sacrifice herself, but he had no intentions of doing that. If he hadn¡¯t met a certain user, he would¡¯ve been watching Iluna from the Giant¡¯s Forest. Ain¡­ He suddenly remembered her face. He suddenly felt that he would¡¯ve liked seeing her one more time before returning. ¡®I guess I¡¯ll see her once more if I¡¯m lucky.¡¯ Radiette saw the entire city once more. The souls of many humans and monsters were falling. There was only one thing he could do¡­ Extend the lives of those that Maria had tried to protect as much as possible. ¡®Okay¡­ I¡¯ll kill as many of these guys as possible,¡¯ Radiette vowed to himself while cutting the head of a Reaper. He would do everything possible to get revenge for Maria to the best of his abilities, and he would eliminate the things that¡¯d made it difficult for her. ¡ªThough such a resolution would never reach her. * * * Iluna¡¯s Quest was about NPCs and users working together to defend the city. Of course, an NPC¡¯s influence was bigger than the influence of a user. Even though there were more users, some NPCs were over level 200 or even 300. Most users were fighting under the guidance of an NPC and were accumulating contribution rate. But even in that situation, there was a user who stood out. ¡°Yes!¡± Salon shouted excitedly after surpassing a thousand combo rating. He felt something burning inside him after seeing the message that he¡¯d surpassed a thousand combos for the first time since he¡¯d changed his ultimate attack to ?Trance?. ¡®Finally, a thousand!¡¯ Those past few days, Salon hadn¡¯t been able to do much. After changing his ultimate attack, his control couldn¡¯t match the time frame in which combos were counted. The ?Sword of Despair? skill had 1.5 seconds. But Trance only counted attacks as combos that were faster than one second. After learning Trance, Salon had surpassed 500 combos only three times. There were some times when he regretted changing his ultimate attack and even blamed his lack of talent. Salon had decided to participate in Iluna¡¯s Quest because it was obvious that a large-scale battle would occur there. He shouldn¡¯t have to worry about the combos being cut off if there were opponents everywhere, right? But reality wasn¡¯t that easy. As the number of opponents increased, another problem arose: He was almost swept away by large-scale magic; he cursed after barely dodging it. ¡®Damn it! How am I supposed to stack combos in such an environment¡­?!¡¯ After struggling so much, Salon started to admire TarrTarr. Looking at something and actually trying to do it yourself were two completely different things. He felt that pain and doubted his skills when Maria¡¯s buff activated. ¡®What¡¯s this light¡­?¡¯ Salon suddenly felt his body becoming lighter. Everyone within the city suddenly had their abilities increased. The effects of the buff didn¡¯t stop at a stats increase¡­ One of the phrases in the messages caught Salon¡¯s attention. [One of your skills has been strengthened!] [The level of your awakening skill has increased by 1 level!] [Your skill has evolved! Select one of two effects!] 1. Your combo is reset after a certain point, and you¡¯ll recover HP and Mana. 2. Combo time is increased by 0.5 seconds. Salon was lucky. The chances of the random skill being strengthened being the ultimate attack were very slim. Salon¡¯s pupils dilated. There was no need to think about which effect to choose. ¡®If the time frame increases by 0.5 seconds, that means there¡¯s no difference compared to the time frame of the ?Sword of Despair?!¡¯ Salon chose the second option. And then, without making any mistakes, he reached a thousand combos. It was a known fact that, the higher the number of combos got, the faster you became, and the faster you became, the easier it was to stack combos. As Salon¡¯s sword became faster, the undead started rapidly scattering away into light. ¡®How did that guy do it?¡¯ He tried to remember TarrTarr¡¯s movements. He was clumsy at times, but that 0.5 seconds naturally connected each movement. The results of all the image training he¡¯d done started to show results. The adrenaline of his first success increased his concentration to a limit. ¡®I mustn¡¯t lose the flow!¡¯ Salon was at the forefront of the battle. Thanks to ?Trance? and Maria¡¯s buffs, his sword shone brightly! The moment his light-covered sword hit the monsters, they scattered away. Chapter 106 Chapter 106 ¨C Battle at the Top (2) ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± Those who were fighting alongside him saw Salon, who looked like a hero. A few users stopped fighting and looked at his movements. Users that had Thief-related jobs were especially in shock. ¡°Woah, it¡¯s Salon! How many combos is he at?¡± ¡°It seems like he surpassed a thousand with ?Trance?¡­ I can¡¯t believe that¡¯s possible in a real battle.¡± The small uproar was transmitted to the world from the user¡¯s point of view. At first, most TV shows didn¡¯t film him because bost of them thought that Salon was a commander-rank NPC. They never thought that the one in the fighting against the monsters at the forefront was a user! ¨C Move all the cameras to the West gate! ¨C ID Salon? Search the available information in the Hall of Fame! Display it on screen! Iluna¡¯s Quest was being displayed worldwide. And a few big corporations like The Gamez, thanks to a partnership with NFM, were able to use special equipment. Namely, unmanned, indestructible cameras that could fly and transmit video. People that worked in TV called them ¡®drones¡¯¡ªthey could do various things, filming included. Tens of drones were focusing on Salon. ¡ªEven the one that belonged to The Gamez! The Gamez was the company with the most drones. Thanks to that, they sent three drones to film Salon. ¡ªThey wanted to film the most decisive battle from different points of view. [Providing first-person perspective to The Gamez! To cancel synchronization, check out your status window!] [Providing first-person perspective to InterPlay! To cancel synchronization, check out your status window!] [Providing first-person perspective to I Game! To cancel synchronization, check out your status window!] ¡­ Salon, who was still fighting, felt a thrill after reading the messages. He had the option to refuse the broadcasters, but he had no intentions of doing that. If you allowed a broadcaster to show footage from a first-person perspective, it was written in the contract that you could ask them to share profits. No, it wasn¡¯t just the money. Thanks to that, there were probably millions of people looking at him at the moment! ¡®I wonder how many people are looking at me right now.¡¯ Chills and delight hit him simultaneously. Due to the effect of ?Trance?, which made his attacks stronger with higher combo counts, his body was burning with a brilliant light. ¡®Hahaha, good. Let¡¯s show them!¡¯ Excited for the brilliant performance he was about to show, Salon jumped toward the monsters when suddenly¡­ All the attention directed toward him moved to another place. ¨C Move all cameras to the magic circle! The first one to get the breaking news was The Gamez. Since they had the most drones, they¡¯d placed one on top of the main magic circle. They¡¯d done it just in case the magic circle lost its light. If it did, they¡¯d be able to record the dramatic footage of the Heavens being defeated. But they never thought they would really be able to record that moment. ¨C Lattice has appeared in the magic circle! Ain is there too! ¨C All seven cameras! The Gamez quickly changed the screen to the top of the tower. The news was bigger than initially thought. The speed at which information moved through the internet was faster than anyone could imagine. The number of viewers of The Gamez went from a hundred thousand to five hundred thousand almost instantaneously. The chat window that was full of Korean suddenly became full of languages from all over the world. [InterPlay has canceled synchronization!] [I Game has canceled synchronization!] ¡­ A few moments later, Salon began receiving bad news. ¡®What happened¡­?¡¯ Astonished, Salon looked at the drones getting far away. Because of that distraction, 1.5 seconds passed, and he lost his combo. Because the effect of ?Trance? disappeared, Salon had to hide among the Heavens Forces. [The Gamez has canceled synchronization!] Even the last drone flew away to somewhere else. He was watching it get away when he heard someone¡¯s voice. ¡°Be careful!¡± A Holy Knight pulled back Salon, who was standing still as if he were a scarecrow. Because his combo had been reset, Salon couldn¡¯t move for a while. * * * ¨C Change the screen to the seventh camera! The Gamez showed the main magic circle after Ain returned from the Symmetrical World. They weren¡¯t able to record the scene of Louise jumping from the tower. Just showing Lattice and Ain fighting was enough to attract a huge number of viewers, so they couldn¡¯t afford to record anything else. With Ain and Lattice standing atop the last magic circle, The Gamez hit a record number of viewers. Even the veteran anchor, Im SeungJun, was surprised by the numbers. ¡°Oh, it seems like there¡¯s a problem with the servers because of the sudden influx of people. Excuse us for a moment. We¡¯re going to fix it as soon as possible.¡± After taking a breath, Im SeungJun started to heat up the atmosphere. ¡°There are currently more than 500 thousand people watching! Commentator Kim SooYong, what happened?¡± ¡°Yes, it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that the fate of the magic circle will decide the battle. And it just so happens that this is where the last magic circle is!¡± Kim SooYong quickly answered. He explained the situation briefly. Where was that place? How did a fight break out there? ¡ªHe didn¡¯t bring up questions like those. The viewers were most likely more interested in other things. With a subtle tone, Im SeungJun started to lift the atmosphere. ¡°But¡­ Don¡¯t these two users seem familiar¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. There are even many people who don¡¯t even play Asrian that know about them.¡± ¡°The fact that they¡¯re here looking at each other means they¡¯re about to fight, right? Lattice vs. Ain, Ain vs. Lattice! The dream match is about to start!¡± The two most famous people in the game that everyone knew of were looking at each other. Lattice was the number one player who hadn¡¯t lost the crown since the game began! And Ain was the new rising star who¡¯d become famous after the Duel Arena update! Because Ain¡¯s name wasn¡¯t in the Hall of Fame, there wasn¡¯t a lot of information about her. Kim SooYong started to relay what information he knew. ¡°Most experts think that Lattice is going to win. Some people say that his specs are equivalent to a level 180 user. Not only that, but he¡¯s known to pay to¡­ No, I mean. He¡¯s famous for being a user with both money and talent.¡± ¡°But since we¡¯re Korean, I guess we¡¯ll have to support Ain, right?¡± Im SeungJun said. Ain had become famous in a foreign community. Not only that, but she¡¯d never mentioned her nationality. The reason why Im SeungJun so confidently said that she was Korean was that a few days ago, it was revealed that she had been a user of the previous game. Asra Online was only serviced in Korea, so her nationality was naturally revealed. ¨C So she was Korean? I thought she was a foreigner since she got famous on Reddit. ¨C There¡¯s a rumor that says that she¡¯s a veteran Asra player with more than 5 years of experience. Judging from the chat¡¯s reaction, it seemed like there were lots of users who didn¡¯t know that. ¡°Korean players of the previous game are struggling more than we initially thought. Unlike what we initially thought, there aren¡¯t many Koreans in the rankings,¡± Kim SooYong said disappointedly. Just like he¡¯d said, there weren¡¯t any Korean players in the top 10 of the Hall of Fame. The main reason was that Hyun, Ain, and other previous game rankers hadn¡¯t registered in the Hall of Fame, but since most people didn¡¯t know about that, it was normal that many of them thought that Korean players were struggling. ¡°You¡¯re right. That¡¯s why I hope Ain can take this opportunity to show what she¡¯s capable of! I hope she can demonstrate that even if she isn¡¯t in the rankings, she¡¯s good enough to be called a ranker!¡± ¡°Oh, Lattice has pulled out his sword¡­! He¡¯s leaping forward!¡± The moment both users started moving, both commentators shouted in excitement. At that moment, they were thinking of commenting as excitedly as possible¡­ But they never thought they would end up remaining silent for a few seconds. * * * At the top of the tower, red and blue lights shone. Lattice had a blue sword. Ain was using red flames. Both users moved so fast that it was easy to miss if you didn¡¯t pay attention. The two colors clashed numerous times and then separated again. ¡®Ugh¡­!¡¯ Suddenly¡­ Ain jumped to the top of the tower. Simultaneously, the blue sword swept through the railing below. It was a long, blue sword that stirred through the blizzard! Clang! Clang-! The railing stones that were cut away froze and then shattered. Lattice could freeze opponents with each attack. Because she¡¯d jumped to the top of the tower, Ain was at the city¡¯s highest point for a moment. Paf-! Then, the blue sword shone from behind Ain. As Ain lowered her head, a few hairs of her froze. ¡®There¡¯s no floor¡­!¡¯ Ain took a breath after looking down. There wasn¡¯t anything underneath her. It seemed like she¡¯d moved off the tower¡¯s center because she¡¯d moved too violently. ?Steps of the Incarnate?! Flames erupted from Ain¡¯s body. The Elemental Berserker¡¯s movement skill, ?Steps of the Incarnate? ignored inertia. A fiery path 30 meters long appeared in the sky. ¡ªIt was the traces of Ain moving through the sky. A road of fire that went from outside the tower to the center appeared. ¡°¡­!¡± Lattice tensed his shoulders. He never thought that an opponent in the air would be able to move so fast. There was also something else¡­ Even during that short moment, she swung her flames while aiming at his chest. How many users could launch an attack from that uncomfortable position? He¡¯d been lucky to dodge that attack, but if things had gone wrong, he could¡¯ve died. ¡®It seems like she wasn¡¯t exaggerating.¡¯ Soon, Lattice¡¯s eyes turned colder. It hadn¡¯t been long since he¡¯d started fighting with Ain, but it was enough to know that he should be wary of her. ¡®She¡¯s on another level compared to the guy from before!¡¯ It hadn¡¯t been a minute since the fight began. Even during that short time, many different attacks were used. Patterns that you could notice only with the experience of the previous game or the sight of a professional gamer went back and forth. The most amazing thing was that even though they¡¯d exchanged numerous fatal attacks, none had ended in a critical hit. Judging from the available information, they both seemed to have full HP. Vrrrrrr. All the drones were filming Lattice¡¯s fight with Ain. Lattice murmured something while frowning. ¡°Turn off all synchronization¡­¡± The lights on all of the drones, which were shining like fireflies, were turned off. Most drones changed the direction to Ain and began emitting a light again. ¡°¡­¡± Ain silently looked at Lattice. Even though she wasn¡¯t saying anything, the tips of her lips were up. It had been a long time since she had a proper duel. The fight between them both was being streamed through The Gamez. ¡°This¡­ Is amazing¡­¡± After looking at that overwhelming exchange of blows, it wasn¡¯t the caster Im SeungJun who spoke first, but the commentator Kim SooYong. It was his job to provide meaningful analysis to the viewers, but he was lost for words. Kim SooYong, who was a professional gamer, knew the intentions behind the movements of both users. He¡¯d seen footage of Ain fighting before, but it was his first time seeing Lattice. ¡®They said that he has both money and talent¡­¡¯ Kim SooYong quickly tried to judge Lattice¡¯s level. Even compared to professional gamers, he was probably one of the top players! ¡®No, Lattice has more talent than money!¡¯ Up until then, Lattice hadn¡¯t shown his skills. He was famous for being a user that enjoyed playing solo, which was why not many people had seen him doing quests. And if he thought that a user was bothering him, he just killed them. In other words, Ain was the first user who¡¯d properly fought against Lattice. Chapter 107 Chapter 107 ¨C Battle at the Top (3) After coming back to his senses, Kim SooYong continued commenting. ¡°This isn¡¯t the duel arena. This means that the damage done between users isn¡¯t guaranteed¡­¡± It was obvious that even if he tried to explain their movements and the psychological aspect of the fight, most viewers wouldn¡¯t understand. So Kim SooYong focused on other aspects of the fight. ¡°Not only that, but both are players specialized in damage dealing. The fight could end at any moment if either receives a critical hit attack!¡± Kim SooYong correctly analyzed the situation. One of the reasons why they still had their HP intact was that both of them were good at dodging the opponent¡¯s attacks, but the other reason was that they were wary about each other¡¯s huge damage output. ¡®Oof¡­¡¯ Even Lattice was struggling to fight in close range. ¡®Isn¡¯t she thinking of using that yet¡­?¡¯ The attack Lattice was the most worried about was ?Efreet¡¯s Claws?. He¡¯d recently seen footage of her using that skill. After checking out the details of it, Lattice concluded that he couldn¡¯t ignore its destructive power. ¡®It seems like she isn¡¯t going to use it.¡¯ But if the opponent planned to hide it until the end, it would be better if he showed his next card first. Crack-! Grains of ice wrapped around Lattice¡¯s body. The frost even began rotating around his blue longsword. Because he was standing on top of a tower amid a blizzard while covered by cold air, Lattice looked like a knight emanating frost. ¡®An ultimate attack?¡¯ Ain¡¯s eyes shone. She knew what that skill was just from its effect. It was an awakening skill you could only obtain by defeating the 5th floor of the awakening quest. Not only that but it had been upgraded thanks to a job ascension. When Ain finished thinking, Lattice¡¯s attack had already begun. Paf-! The ice blade drew a half-moon and brushed past Ain¡¯s robe. Had he missed? No, Ain already knew that wasn¡¯t the case. Crack! A cold air blasted from the blue sword. The cold air froze everything around and covered half of Ain¡¯s body. ¡®Hup! ?Flame Claws?¡­!¡¯ Flames immediately appeared in Ain¡¯s hands. Tss- The ice melted because of the heat, and freezing effect was released. But that was what Lattice was aiming for. He swung his sword toward Ain¡¯s ankle. ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± Ain backflipped and dodged the attack, but Lattice had jumped toward the same side. He had correctly guessed the opponent¡¯s next movement! That movement wouldn¡¯t have been possible if it hadn¡¯t been for Lattice¡¯s talent and hard work. ¡®It¡¯s the end!¡¯ Flash! Lattice used the sword to cut vertically. While doing that, cold air exploded once more. The magician got slower if the mind froze. Lattice knew that. Just swinging the sword would¡¯ve been enough, but just in case, he used his ultimate attack once more. Crack-! The cold air exploded, and the sword went through Ain. No, it looked as if it¡¯d gone through her. Lattice, and everyone watching the stream, was sure that Ain had died. ¡®What¡­?!¡¯ At that moment¡­ Lattice saw Ain¡¯s hands moving at an unbelievable angle. Even when seeing it with his own eyes, he couldn¡¯t believe it. It was as if he¡¯d seen a magic trick. Ain had changed the trajectory of the attack with the palms of her hands. He was able to cut off only the edges of her clothes. ¡®Just now¡­¡¯ It should¡¯ve been impossible for a human to see and react to that. That meant she¡¯d guessed the trajectory of the attack. ¡®She brushed away the sword with her hands¡­?¡¯ Half of Ain¡¯s body had frozen because of the cold air. Fwoosh-! But as Ain ignited a fire, the ice disappeared. ¡°Oof¡­¡± Ain smiled while shaking off the fire. ¡°That was dangerous.¡± She really meant it. Unlike Hyun, she wasn¡¯t afraid of risks. The possibility of that movement being successful was only 50%, but she¡¯d tried it without doubting. She felt excited every time she succeeded in doing something like that. That recklessness was Ain¡¯s biggest weakness. ¡°You were lucky.¡± Lattice¡¯s eyes sank coldly. Ain didn¡¯t deny Lattice¡¯s words. ¡°Yes.¡± But Ain had made all the calculations. Even if she¡¯d failed, she would¡¯ve still had some HP left. ¡°You won¡¯t be lucky again.¡± Lattice changed his posture. Vrr- Lattice¡¯s body began trembling while creating an after image. Tens of times in a second¡­ It was a phenomenon that happened when you moved quickly between two positions. As he leaped forward in that state, it was as if two Lattices were attacking simultaneously. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * ¡®This?¡¯ Ain was surprised. But then, her smile deepened. She was used to the movement Lattice was using. That movement, which was something impossible to do in real life, was a movement that Asra users used. ¡®So there¡¯s someone who uses this?¡¯ Since one couldn¡¯t defend two places simultaneously, if you reacted to one attack, you would end up being hit by the other. Lattice¡¯s movements forced the opponent to make a decision. Suddenly, Ain began wondering about something. ¡®How does this guy know the movement I developed with Hyun?¡¯ She started to think about the people she¡¯d fought against in the past. He¡¯d probably heard from one of them. ¡®Then, does he know this?¡¯ Among the things she¡¯d gained while dueling with Hyun, there was a way to destroy that movement. She¡¯d never used it after coming to Asrian, but it wasn¡¯t hard to remember the sensations of the past. * * * ¨C What skill is that? ¨C A clone? From the moment Lattice¡¯s body began to tremble, everyone thought the same thing. ¡ªThat it was a new skill. That movement that required one to increase the Agility stat to the limit looked like a skill. Even Kim SooYong blinked a few times, so it was understandable that most users didn¡¯t know what was going on. ¡­Although there were some exceptions. ¡°That¡¯s¡­!¡± Berard, who was watching the battle between them, exclaimed in surprise. It¡¯d taken him years of practice before he could use that movement. Who would¡¯ve thought that Lattice had learned and perfected that movement in just half a year?! He once again realized that people weren¡¯t exaggerating when they said that Lattice was a really talented person. ¡°That¡¯s too bad.¡± Berard laughed. The target of his lament wasn¡¯t Ain but Lattice. He remembered the past. He¡¯d been destroyed countless times by Ain thanks to that movement. After practicing for a while, he was finally able to imitate it¡­ But it was all for nothing. All he could do was laugh when he remembered how Ain used to counter and destroy it. Berard once again looked at the screen. He was wondering if Lattice would feel the same way he had back then. * * * Paf-! Ain¡¯s eyes shone in a scary way. She carefully looked at Lattice¡¯s movements; then her body also started to tremble. The two of them left numerous afterimages. Suddenly, the vibrations of both of them started to match. Ain had matched the rhythm of Lattice¡¯s movements. The two options were reduced to one. The two afterimages clashed. The blue moon just cut the air. Bzzt-! Ain¡¯s arm froze for a little while, but she immediately melted it. ¡°¡­!¡± Lattice¡¯s attack didn¡¯t stop with one. He used the same technique again. Lattice¡¯s sword, which looked like it was about to leave an afterimage because of the vibration, had two techniques mixed in: stabbing and cutting. But in Ain¡¯s movements, there were also two ways of defending. Both afterimages clashed, and once again, the sword failed to cut. ¡®What kind of nonsense¡­!¡¯ It didn¡¯t matter how many times he tried¨Chis attacks failed. He understood the theory behind it¡­ But that just made him doubt what he was seeing even more. Was matching the rhythm of the opponent¡¯s movements even possible? His blue longsword kept shining. The only thing that could be heard was the sound of cold air exploding. But the only thing that happened was that Ain¡¯s body froze for a short while and then melted. He wasn¡¯t able to land an attack on her. ¡°You can¡¯t win,¡± she suddenly said. Those words came from experience. ¡°I have a job advantage.¡± Thanks to the experience of dueling in the previous game, Ain knew better than anyone about job advantages. There were some jobs that could overcome the disadvantage, but in other cases, it was simply impossible. From Ain¡¯s point of view, this was one of those cases. ¡°Nothing will change unless you change your job or ultimate attack.¡± Fwoosh-! Ain grew tails and ears made of fire. Her body was covered by flames, and the heat grew stronger. The snowstorm was being melted away before it could reach her. Crack-! Efreet¡¯s Claws appeared from both hands. ¡°Now you won¡¯t even be able to freeze me. What are you going to do?¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Lattice laughed. He found it funny that he¡¯d been trapped by someone unexpected. From the moment he began playing Asrian, he had only cared about a single user. But if he were already blocked, he probably wouldn¡¯t be able to get close to him. Lattice stopped laughing, and then he lifted his sword again with a determined expression. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll turn the disadvantage upside down.¡± Lattice¡¯s figure disappeared and appeared behind Ain. Bzzt! Cold air exploded from Ain¡¯s back. The moment she was frozen, Efreet¡¯s Claws rose from her hands. As ice and fire skills collided, the entire scene was covered with vapor. Lattice didn¡¯t let that opportunity go. ¡ªHe aimed toward the vapor and used his sword to cut from bottom to top. ¡®I can¡¯t feel anything¡­!¡¯ The moment he noticed that his attack had failed¡­ He moved to Ain¡¯s back again and tried to cut her. But he failed once again. Tssss-! As the claws and sword clashed again, vapor appeared once more. While the field of view was covered by vapor, Ain swung her claws 360 degrees. ¡ªThat was the safest way to respond to an all-out attack. ¡°Huh?¡± Suddenly, Ain felt as if she were floating in the air. She soon noticed what had happened. Because the entire floor had been cut away, she was falling. Lattice had taken the opportunity when her field of view was blocked to cut away the floor. ¡°Fufu¡­¡± An even bigger smile appeared on Ain¡¯s face. Until then, the only one who¡¯d done something she hadn¡¯t expected was Hyun. Wasn¡¯t Lattice quite similar? He had read her intentions of blocking an attack that could come from anywhere. If it weren¡¯t for the job advantage, maybe she would¡¯ve lost because of that move. ?Steps of the Incarnate?! As a 30-meter-long path was drawn in the sky, she rose higher than the tower¡¯s rooftop. Surprisingly, Lattice was waiting at the exact place where the ?Steps of Incarnate? would end. If the opponent weren¡¯t Ain, maybe he really would¡¯ve overcome the job disadvantage. Bzzt-! The frost Lattice had prepared started to explode at the same time. Fireworks of ice began exploding on the rooftop. Even Ain was forced to remain frozen for a short while. At that moment, Lattice tried to take the opportunity to attack her. ?Efreet¡¯s Claws?! Vroom-! But Lattice¡¯s sword narrowly missed Ain again. Just like when you open an umbrella, when she activated the claws, there was a slight rebound. If she used that rebound correctly, twisting her body in the air wasn¡¯t something impossible. It was something someone could try only if they perfectly understood how the skill worked. The fire and ice explosions kept going on for a while. The terrace had been completely messed up from their fight. Even at that moment, the chat window kept moving incredibly fast. ¨C Woah¡­ They¡¯re really on another level. ¨C Can you see what¡¯s going on? I have no idea what they¡¯re doing¡­ The fight between Ain and Lattice changed what many people thought about rankers. Weren¡¯t rankers just people with a high level, rich enough to buy good items, or just lucky people overall? But after seeing that battle, they were forced to change their opinions. After looking at how top rankers moved, there probably wasn¡¯t anyone who could say something like that. ¡°It¡¯s truly a situation where a diamond is cutting a diamond! Neither of them is backing off!¡± Im SeongJun shouted excitedly. As expected from an experienced caster. Even though he didn¡¯t understand the mental games that were going on between Ain and Lattice, his shout was enough to get everyone in the chat excited. As an active professional gamer, Kim SooYong could observe the situation in more detail. ¡®Is Lattice going to lose¡­?¡¯ He wasn¡¯t expecting that. After all, most Stardust members, himself included, had thought that Lattice would win with an overwhelming advantage. Chapter 108 Chapter 108 ¨C The Heavens Fall (1) Kim SooYong quickly understood why the situation had developed in such a way. ¡®Her skill set is a perfect counter for his!¡¯ Lattice¡¯s main skills were ice-related. While facing an average opponent, freezing them in order to pour out attacks would guarantee a win in most cases. But the problem was that it just didn¡¯t work on Ain. Ice couldn¡¯t win against fire. Not only that, but after Ain used what seemed to be her ultimate attack which covered her whole body with fire, Lattice couldn¡¯t easily freeze her like before. But that wasn¡¯t Ain¡¯s only advantage. ¡®The difference between the attack range is too big¡­!¡¯ Kim SooYong clicked his tongue. The higher-level the fight was, the more important the reach became. But just at first glance, Ain¡¯s attack range seemed to double Lattice¡¯s. It was as if a boxer was fighting against someone that was fencing. It was obvious who had the advantage. Most users also thought that way. Professional gamers and rankers especially thought Ain had an advantage. ¡®Lattice was unlucky.¡¯ ¡®Even if he can read her, he can¡¯t overcome the job advantage.¡¯ ¡®Although he had a job disadvantage, he wasn¡¯t easily pushed off. He¡¯s definitely an amazing guy.¡¯ Lattice was more skillful but lost because of the job disadvantage. ¡ªThat¡¯s what most rankers and users thought. But some users thought differently. ¡®She¡¯s doing that again¡­¡¯ The first were the people who had fought against Ain in the previous game. Berard had fought against Ain several times, which was why he found it despicable. ¡ªAin always defeated the opponents by a narrow margin. It was so obvious that you would think that she was a sadist. It wasn¡¯t necessary to say how many times Berard had been fooled by Ain¡¯s tactics. The other user who felt differently was Lattice himself. Because Lattice had been the one fighting, he could feel the battle atmosphere more vividly than anyone else. ¡®What is she thinking¡­?¡¯ Movements so fast that it was hard to follow them with his eyes. From a third person¡¯s perspective, it may have looked as if he had unilaterally pushed her. But the truth was different¡­ Lattice suddenly realized that the opponent hadn¡¯t used her triumph card even once. She was just playing along with him. It was as if she wanted to direct a dangerous play. There were many times when she blocked or dodged the incoming attacks by a narrow margin. It was obvious that Lattice couldn¡¯t read Ain¡¯s thoughts. Ain was having fun since it had been long since the last time she had a proper duel. She was having fun, so she dragged on the duel as much as possible. Even while narrowly avoiding attacks, she kept smiling. Lattice thought that was Ain laughing at him. ¡°Tsk¡­!¡± Lattice clicked his tongue. ¡ªIt was because he saw a crow monster flying toward Ain. As Ain shook her hands, its body was covered in fire and soon disappeared after turning into light. Soon, the city was invaded by monsters. Monsters that could fly were the first to reach the tower¡¯s top. It was where all the monsters were trying to reach. The Abyss had devoured everything, and Iluna¡¯s battle was about to end. With that, Lattice¡¯s Quest would end. The victory had been decided in the battle between the Heavens and the Abyss. With the help of monsters, Lattice would probably be able to defeat Ain, despite her having a job advantage. But Lattice didn¡¯t want a fight like that. His pride didn¡¯t allow him to take a victory like that. He preferred waiting for the magic circle to turn off rather than ending the fight with the help of monsters. ¡®I won¡¯t forget today¡­¡¯ Ain¡¯s eyes met Lattice¡¯s. They looked at each other for a few seconds. Lattice bit his lips and turned around. Ain silently looked at Lattice, who had thrown himself under the tower. After he disappeared, Ain judged his abilities. ¡®Not bad.¡¯ Compared to the rankers of the previous game, he would probably be around fifth or sixth place. Considering the time he¡¯d spent playing Asrian, it was impressive. If Hyun wasn¡¯t a factor, maybe she would¡¯ve been interested in him. ¡®But as expected, Hyun is more impressive!¡¯ Ain smiled while thinking about Hyun. She hadn¡¯t become interested in him just because he was good at playing, but it was true that was one of the reasons she had become attracted to him. ¡®I guess I have no other option than dying.¡¯ Ain looked at the monsters that were approaching her. The mission of the Heavens¡¯ users was probably fighting the Abyss until the end. It wasn¡¯t that she wasn¡¯t reluctant about dying¡­ But since Hyun had asked her, she didn¡¯t have a reason to doubt. The moment she said that she would help him with the quest, Ain had left everything in Hyun¡¯s hands. ¡ªEven her life. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * Ain remembered the face Hyun made while asking her a favor before they left. She still didn¡¯t know what his relationship with the NPC girl was, but she was shocked by the face Hyun made when he heard that the girl could die. If she died, would he make the same expression? No, dying in Asrian didn¡¯t have the same meaning. ¡®We¡¯ll soon meet¡­ So I guess it¡¯s okay if we don¡¯t see each other for two days?¡¯ She was okay with dying as long as she was able to prolong her life as much as possible, at least until the magic circle went off. Ain looked around. Monsters that had their wings spread were lining up around the tower. Some monsters used their claws to climb up the tower. The fact that the Abyss¡¯s army had reached that place meant that the last line of defense had been penetrated. Most Heavens users and NPCs would¡¯ve probably died by then. Ain looked to the distance. Hyun was probably somewhere out there doing his best to protect the NPC girl. She laughed at her feelings. She felt jealous of an NPC girl. ¡®Hyun, I hope everything works out.¡¯ Ting-! After hearing the notification sound, Ain opened the quest window. ¨C The Abyss¡¯s Forces have invaded the city. Soon, Iluna¡¯s orbit will change, and the sun will shine over it. The Phantom Land will soon turn into hell and become a place where only monsters can live. ¨C Good job, follower of the Heavens. The only thing that you can do now is probably drag out the battle. Your name will be forever recorded on the walls of the main temple. [The Heavens have lost! You can increase your contribution rate by fighting until you die!] [From now on, only the numbers of monsters killed will count toward the contribution rate!] Ain slowly read the quest window. As long as the AI that managed the quests had said that the Heavens had lost, there was no way to change the result. The calculations of the AI had never been wrong. The reason why protecting the magic circle didn¡¯t count as a contribution anymore was probably because it was pointless. If she wanted to solidify her rankings, it would probably be better if she had eliminated at least one high-ranking monster. ¡®I¡¯m glad I followed Hyun to Iluna.¡¯ Of course, Ain had no intention of doing that. Ain smiled after looking in the direction in which Hyun had disappeared. ¡°What would you have done if I wasn¡¯t here?¡± The longer it took for the magic circle to disappear, the longer it would take for the sun to shine over Iluna. Hyun had asked her to protect the magic circle for as long as possible, so Ain had decided to die in that place. Prepared for Extinction. Suddenly, Ain thought that the name of her ultimate attack matched very well with the current situation. * * * Maria¡¯s sacrifice had kindled the last spark of the falling Heavens. The Heavens¡¯ army, while being covered with a shining blessing, had burned their lives. But the soldiers who were prepared to die were swallowed one by one by the Abyss. If it weren¡¯t for Radiette and other high-ranking Holy Knights fighting the stronger monsters, they would¡¯ve been annihilated long ago. ¡°Abandon the walls! Retreat!¡± The battle had moved from the walls to the street. Under the commander¡¯s orders, the Heavens¡¯ soldiers drew a line around the magic circle. ¡°Protect the main tower!¡± ¡°Hold on to the tower¡¯s defenses!¡± There were numerous defensive artifacts placed around the temple¡ªthose were the Heavens¡¯ last cards. Wolves that had entered through a gap in the formation began trembling as if they¡¯d been electrocuted and soon turned into light and disappeared. Hundreds of flying monsters received a lightning attack and turned into ash. The mana of the magic circle was supporting all the city¡¯s energy. ¡°Fight until the end! Our lives exist for today!¡± A Holy Knight shouted while lifting his sword from the rooftop of a shop in the square. Among the soldiers, some struggled even with level 50 skeletons. But the fact that they¡¯d refused Maria¡¯s proposal and stayed in that place meant that they were ready to die. Thanks to Maria¡¯s buffs, even a newbie soldier wasn¡¯t different from a hero. ¡°Die, bastards!¡± Users were also infected by the madness of the war. Asrian¡¯s system that controlled your brain waves depending on the situation didn¡¯t allow them to take things lightly. Buildings crumbled, and light exploded outward. The effects of magic and death couldn¡¯t be distinguished anymore. ¡®It isn¡¯t here, either?¡¯ There, the end was getting near. While ?Assimilated? to Louise, Hyun was running through the city. He needed to find Radiette as soon as possible. The only way to save Louise was to leave that place as soon as possible. Not only that, but the only one who could send Louise from that place to Asrian was a Heavenly Being. Maybe it was egotistical to ask him to save a single person¡¯s life in the middle of a war where everyone was sacrificing themselves. But Hyun was thinking of using either Ain¡¯s or Radiette¡¯s ex-lover¡¯s name if necessary to save Louise. He was running while making air explode under his feet. Louis suddenly said something strange. ¡¸Hyun, I¡¯m feeling strange. I can feel Maria¡¯s presence all over the city.¡¹ ¡¸What does that mean?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m not sure¡­ But I can¡¯t help but think that it isn¡¯t a good sign.¡¹ ¡¸Wait, ugh¡­!¡¹ Hyun used the wind to roll to the side. A giant bird monster fell from the sky. It seemed like it had already lost its consciousness. As soon as it touched the floor, it became light and disappeared. ¡¸Oof¡­ Don¡¯t say stupid things! That was dangerous!¡¹ Hyun felt a slightly depressing feeling welling up. Those were definitely Louise¡¯s feelings. He felt bad for being harsh to her but soon brushed off those feelings. It wasn¡¯t the moment to be thinking about things like that. ¡®Just where is Radiette?¡¯ Hyun was starting to feel more anxious as time went on. He had never hated that he couldn¡¯t send a whisper to an NPC so much. The city was big, and fights were happening everywhere. He thought that Radiette was probably at the forefront, but when he reached that place, he wasn¡¯t there. ¡®Wait, there¡¯s someone there!¡¯ Hyun found one of the Holy Knights. Since his ranking was high, he probably knew where Radiette was. While hoping that, Hyun approached him. ¡°Are you¡­ The Priestess? Why are you here¡­¡± The Holy Knight mumbled after looking at Louise¡¯s face. He was surprised for a little bit, but it was only briefly because of the current situation. ¡°Do you know the location of the Heavenly Being?¡± ¡°Yes. Mr. Radiette should be in the south. I¡¯ve heard that the strongest monsters have gathered around that area.¡± The Holy Knight told him that Reapers had been summoned to the battlefield. Hyun thought he knew why they¡¯d appeared, but he just listened quietly instead. Reapers were followers of a demon and were basically the representation of fear. It wasn¡¯t an opponent that a normal soldier could face. The only one there who could face them was the Heavenly Being. If Radiette was fighting the Reapers, he was probably near the gates. ¡®South gates¡­ Okay, I¡¯ll be able to meet him¡­!¡¯ Hyun looked at the top of the tower. The light still hadn¡¯t been turned off. It seemed like Ain was protecting the magic circle, but she wouldn¡¯t be able to resist forever. He had to move quickly and reach Radiette before the light went off. ¡°Maria, where¡¯s Maria¡­?!¡± While Hyun was thinking about numerous things, Louise suddenly asked the Holy Knight. Because he was deep into his thoughts, despite him having control priority, she was able to ask a question. The soldier was surprised by the sudden change in the speaking style of the Priestess, but his face soon turned grim, and he answered. Chapter 109 Chapter 109 ¨C Heaven¡¯s Fall (2) ¡°Maria spent all her strength and has returned to the Heavens,¡± The Holy Knight said with a serious expression. ¡°The rest of the soldiers and I have decided to offer our souls to the Heavens. Her blessing is still burning from my insides¡­!¡± Paf-! His sword shone. The Holy Knight¡¯s sharp attack cut the monster that wanted to launch a surprise attack. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t have time to talk right now.¡± After saying that, the Holy Knight returned to the battlefield. Countless undead were cut by his sword. Maria¡¯s will was shining in the Holy Knight¡¯s sword. No, it was inside of everyone who belonged to the Heavens. She had chosen to sacrifice herself for the humans. Louise kept watching one place even after the Holy Knight disappeared. It was at that moment¡­ ¡®What¡­?!¡¯ Hyun suddenly felt his body trembling. Not only that, but breathing became harder. A Transcendent was sensitive to the sensation of ego burning out. Louise was also a Transcendent. The reason why she¡¯d said that she felt Maria¡¯s presence everywhere was because she¡¯d felt Maria¡¯s ego that had been scattered away. It didn¡¯t take him long for Hyun to understand Louise¡¯s feelings. Louise had nowhere to go. The one who¡¯d brought her to Iluna was Maria. It seemed like she hadn¡¯t taken the role of guardian, but that was probably because she was busy with a Heavenly Being¡¯s work. But to Louise, who felt that she was alone in the world, she had probably been someone very important. Suddenly, Hyun¡¯s field of view became blurry. One couldn¡¯t control the change in feelings, even with control priority. Hyun quickly wiped away the tears. Unlike users, NPCs¡¯ tears didn¡¯t disappear. Just like in real life. He had to avoid feeling overwhelmed since that could hinder the decision-making process. He had to return to his senses and run to where Radiette was. ¡°Hyun¡­¡± Louise opened her mouth after Hyun was able to run past a group of monsters. ¡°This body will die if touched by the sun¡­¡± Hyun let Louise mumble. Louise was speaking with her real voice. ¡°Until now, I¡¯ve only seen the sun through images. I think it will be okay to see it at least once.¡± Pang-! Pang-! Hyun used the wind over his feet to run as fast as possible. Before Louise spoke, he knew what she wanted to say. It was the first time he¡¯d felt an emotion so vividly through ?Assimilation?. ¡ªLouise had decided to accept death. Everything she¡¯d gone through had made her accept death. ¡®How stupid¡­¡¯ Hyun felt his heart sink. He felt scared and wanted to throw up. Were those also her feelings? Or were they his? He couldn¡¯t make a correct judgment in his anxiety-ridden state. Louise had almost lost her life at the hands of unknown assassins. That situation had been very nerve-wracking, but his breathing was rougher than that time. Hyun didn¡¯t notice that he was clenching his teeth too hard. ¡®Okay, let¡¯s calm down.¡¯ ¡®Louise isn¡¯t just another NPC.¡¯ She also wasn¡¯t just a character of the main quest. Could someone who felt such vivid emotions be dismissed as another virtual NPC? He didn¡¯t understand why he felt like that only in regards to Louise. He felt that, if she died, he wouldn¡¯t be able to forget her for a while. ¡®It¡¯s over for you if you die¡­¡¯ The blizzard had stopped, but the sky was still dark. But soon, it would brighten. The moment the magic circle went off, the sun would shine over Iluna. How long would Ain be able to resist? Hyun¡¯s sight turned to the tower. Flying monsters had successfully gone through the tower¡¯s defense and were wandering about the tower. Hyun, who had become nervous, hurried his steps. Remains of the snow fluttered around Louise¡¯s feet. ¡®Damn it!¡¯ Hyun cursed. While he was in a hurry, a group of skeletons had blocked Hyun¡¯s path. With Louise¡¯s specs, they wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat them. But they were still far from the South gate, so they had no time to waste. ¡®I¡¯ll have to go through them.¡¯ Hyun thought of all the possible ways. He opened his friend list and checked out Jini and Practice¡¯s locations. After checking out the locations of them both, he sent them a whisper. It was Jini who answered first. Without explaining the situation, Hyun asked her a question. ¡¸Where are you?! Is the Heavenly Being near you?!¡¹ ¡¸Hyun? What happ¡ª¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t have time to explain. Tell me your location and the Heavenly Being¡¯s if you know it.¡¹ Unlike when they were fighting against Betty, he seemed in a hurry and desperate. After quickly noticing the situation, she briefly answered. ¡¸We¡¯re in a place where there are lots of high buildings! We¡¯re here along with NPCs! In regards to the Heavenly Being¡­ I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m not sure about that.¡¹ After hearing Jini¡¯s explanation, Hyun quickly sorted out the situation. They were most likely at the West gate if they were in a place with many high buildings. Thankfully, it wasn¡¯t that far away from him. That meant that he would be able to ask for help. ¡®They¡¯ll both probably die, right?¡¯ Hyun knew how his request would affect them. Practice and Jini¡¯s powers were insignificant compared to the enemies. Just by going there, they¡¯d be putting their lives at risk. Even if they did help him, they¡¯d become victims of the undead. But Hyun was willing to use their lives if he could distract the enemies. ¡¸Can you come to the center of the city? Grab their attention with Practice, please!¡¹ ¡¸Eh, us two? But if we get far away from the NPCs, we will probably die almost instantly¡­¡¹ ¡¸Please¡­¡¹ To be honest, Hyun wasn¡¯t sure how much they would be able to help. But if that increased the chances even a little, he would make a bet on it. After hearing Hyun¡¯s trembling voice, it seemed like Jini felt something, so she didn¡¯t ask any further. ¡¸We just have to drag their attention, right?¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡­ For as long as possible.¡¹ ¡¸Okay. Well, it seems like there¡¯s no way to survive this quest, so I guess it doesn¡¯t matter how I die.¡¹ Jini immediately accepted. While feeling sorry and thankful, he suddenly heard Louise¡¯s voice. ¡°Hyun, be careful!¡± Paf-! A silver light beam brushed past his cheek. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * A skeleton archer had targeted Louise. Hyun tilted his head while running, not slowing in the slightest. ¡¸It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m also looking.¡¹ Hyun made air explode under his feet and rose to the sky. Then he began running over the roofs of the buildings. He¡¯d chosen to run above them to avoid as many enemies as possible. Whoop-! ¡ªBut ghosts roamed around in the sky. The moment he felt there was a piece of cloth fluttering, he jumped. After landing on the roof again, Hyun quickly looked around. Numerous enemies were looking at Louise. ¡®Too dangerous¡­¡¯ As the war moved to the streets, the Heavens¡¯ commanders gave up on entire areas. Even if they were in the middle of the city, they couldn¡¯t expect help from allies. As he ran across the street while making air explosions, he grabbed the attention of the enemies. With their eyes shining, hundreds of enemies approached them. ¡®I can¡¯t go through here!¡¯ He couldn¡¯t get himself to go through all those monsters. Louise¡¯s stats were too low. Trying to go through would be like throwing himself into the mouth of a monster. ¡°Ugh¡­ If Ain were here¡­ What¡­?!¡± Suddenly, Hyun¡¯s face turned pale. Ain¡¯s status appeared as offline. ¡®Ain?!¡¯ He reflexively turned his head around to the top of the tower. Iluna¡¯s last light was starting to fade. ¡ªThe last magic circle had been turned off. ¡°Ah¡­!¡± That was the signal that announced that Ain had died after fighting until the end. Hyun¡¯s heart began beating faster. Radiette said that the moment the last magic circle went off, Iluna¡¯s orbit would change. How long did he have until the sun shone over Iluna¡­? A few minutes? Maybe a few seconds? That was the remaining time Louise had left. ¡°Radiette!¡± Hyun shouted desperately. But the answer he was waiting for couldn¡¯t be heard. Hyun¡¯s shout that echoed through the city ended up being buried by the cries of monsters. ¡¸Hyun¡­¡¹Louise whispered. She also felt what Hyun was feeling, so she knew what he was thinking. ¡¸It seems like I always bother you whenever we meet.¡¹ Tears dripped from Louise¡¯s cheeks. It was more painful because of how frustrated she felt. ¡¸Still, I¡¯m glad we¡¯re going to be able to see the sun together.¡¹ ¡°No¡­¡± Hyun shook his head and brushed off the tears. He thought of another possibility. Even if the orbit had started to change, the sun still wasn¡¯t visible. There was some time left before the eclipse ended. Maybe he would be able to meet Radiette before the time was up. Hyun didn¡¯t lose hope until the end. ¡®¡­!¡¯ Suddenly, Hyun¡¯s eyes shone. ¡®Is that¡­¡¯ He saw someone that was alone in the field. ¡®A person¡­?¡¯ The person was swinging his sword and fighting against monsters. Hyun was able to obtain a piece of information from his appearance. ¡®He¡¯s a user!¡¯ Judging from his height, appearance, and atmosphere, he seemed to be neither Practice nor Jini. But a user would be killed if separated from the rest, so there was no reason for him being there. Then, why was that person alone fighting against monsters? Before answering that question, Hyun began running toward him. He thought of a certain possibility¡­ Maybe it would be pushing things too much¡­ ¡®But I don¡¯t have any other choice¡­!¡¯ Hyun decided to bet everything on his last plan. * * * Salon groaned. After the cameras disappeared, he tried his best to stack combos. But maybe because his concentration had broken, he couldn¡¯t reach a thousand combos. ¡°Who took away my spotlight¡­?!¡± Salon had been unlucky. He looked around but could only see many different monsters and undeads. It seemed like he¡¯d tried too hard to stack combos and had moved away from the rest of the Heaven¡¯s Forces. He had barely been able to hide in a back alley, but by doing that, he was only delaying his death. The only good thing was his ranking. Thanks to having accumulated lots of combos, he¡¯d been able to obtain a lot of contribution points. Salon¡¯s job did not derive from Magician, but a Thief, so he thought that he¡¯d done a good job. It had been worth participating in the quest. ¡®I need to practice more.¡¯ He¡¯d been able to objectively grasp his skills. Once again, he realized how amazing TarrTarr was. To be honest, the first time he¡¯d seen that video, he¡¯d thought that he would be able to do it, too. He¡¯d thought that, in a place full of enemies, just swinging one¡¯s sword should be enough¡­ But that was a mistake. The fact that there were enemies everywhere made him more wary of his surroundings. ¡®Once I die, I should spend two days researching more about movements. It¡¯s because it hasn¡¯t been long since I did the job ascension¡­ TarrTarr, I¡¯m going to surpass you soon!¡¯ He noticed something strange after he had almost cleared up his thoughts. ¡®Hmm?¡¯ Salon saw someone that was on the roof. White robes¡­ A girl wearing clothes similar to a Priest NPC was running across the city while using the buildings as bridges. How she dodged all the monsters while doing that seemed like a magic trick. Salon¡¯s eyes widened after seeing that. ¡®NPC¡­?¡¯ Salon analyzed the girl, who was running along the rooftops. Lots of ghosts were trying to snatch her away¡­ But the girl somehow found a gap between the monsters and managed to sneak off! Like dust flying in the wind, he couldn¡¯t sense any weight in the girl¡¯s movements. Salon strangely thought that her movements resembled someone¡¯s¡­ He couldn¡¯t understand why he¡¯d thought of that person. ¡®TarrTarr?¡¯ Chapter 110 Chapter 110 ¨C The Last String (1) ¡®What¡¯s that¡­?¡¯ After watching dumbfounded for a moment, Salon noticed something. Rather than her muscle strength, the girl was using the reaction of the exploding wind under her feet. That way of moving somehow resembled TarrTarr¡¯s way of moving. TarrTarr moved faster. Not only that, but the principles behind their movements were different. So why was he thinking that? While thinking that, Salon noticed that the girl had changed her direction and was running toward him. ¡®Is she approaching me¡­?¡¯ As she got closer, he was able to see her face. Her young looks didn¡¯t match a grim battlefield. But because of the holy atmosphere coming out from her body, she somehow seemed to symbolize the last hope of the war. The girl, who had gotten closer, suddenly shouted. ¡°Are you a user?¡± Salon was surprised by the girl¡¯s question. She seemed desperate. Then, Salon got a message. Ting-! [Player ¡®Hyun¡¯ wants to control your soul.] [Will you accept? Y/N] ¡°What¡­?¡± Salon shook his shoulders. ¡®Wait, Hyun?!¡¯ Because Salon wanted to become a ranker, he was also interested in the previous game. He remembered a thread that talked about the different Asra rankers. In that post, there was some information related to Ain. Since Salon had never fought against Ain, he¡¯d read that information with great interest. And by pure coincidence, he¡¯d learned about the existence of a user named ¡®Hyun.¡¯ Salon had burst into a laugh because the information related to him was hard to believe. It was as if the one who had posted the thread was his fan. Even if he had been 1st in the rankings in the previous game, there was no guarantee that he would be able to show his talent in Asrian. After all, the number of players had increased a lot¡­ Not only that, but no one knew if he was playing Asrian or not. ¡®Is it that Hyun?¡¯ Salon began wondering. The message said that the girl was a ¡®player.¡¯ Was the girl in front of him really Hyun? He wouldn¡¯t have imagined that Hyun was actually a girl. No, maybe they just shared the same ID. Among users, there were some who copied the IDs of famous people. ¡°Please accept!¡± The user who shouted was the Hyun Salon was thinking about. The last possibility Hyun thought of was ?Assimilating? to a user rather than Louise. Of course, he knew that the possibility of it working was low. There probably wouldn¡¯t be many users who would give him control priority of their bodies. But at that moment, something unbelievable happened. [The target has accepted!] [Now you can use ?Assimilation? on ¡®Salon¡¯!] Salon was one of the persons who valued their character more than their own lives. He wouldn¡¯t have accepted if he hadn¡¯t taken a closer look at the girl¡¯s feet. ¡®Wait, that light is¡­!¡¯ The girl was emitting a blue aura. The day of the Count¡¯s Quest, Ain was also emitting a blue aura. On the combo video, TarrTarr was also covered by the same shining effect. That was the effect of ¡®Powerless Wave,¡¯ but there was no way Salon knew that. But Salon had been looking closely at the users who were surrounded by that aura. Just because they had that in common, he loosened his suspicion. ¡®It¡¯s going to be okay, I guess.¡¯ Why was this girl being chased by monsters? What was the blue aura emanating from her feet? Salon wanted to know the answers to those questions. but he also wanted to help that girl, who seemed desperate. Lots of different things made Salon make his decision. Fwoosh-! The girl¡¯s body shone. Salon absorbed the light particles that came out of her body. Salon soon discovered that the same blue aura was coming out of his body. ¡®What¡­ Did the effect get transferred to me?¡¯ Surprised, Salon opened his status window. He was lost for words. Vast sentences that he couldn¡¯t read at first glance had appeared. Salon (Lv. 101) HP: 11084/23857(+8000) Mana: 820/1600 Job: Sword Dancer Tendency: 43 (Heaven) [Strength 51(+103)] [Agility 103(+237)] [Vitality 51(+106)] [Magical Power 51(+109)] (¡ù Because of Maria¡¯s sacrifice, all your stats have been increased by 100, and your HP has increased by 8000!) [?Combo? Lv.5(+1)] -{+Open} (¡ù Because of Maria¡¯s sacrifice, this skill has been strengthened! The time frame of the combo has been increased by 0.5 seconds!) [?Flawless? Lv.3(+1)] ¨C If you don¡¯t receive any attack for 10 seconds, your speed is increased by 20%. [?Quick Step? Lv.2(+1)] ¨C If you successfully hit an opponent, speed is increased by 20% for 2 seconds. [?Target Locked? Lv.2(+1)] ¨C The speed at which you approach an opponent increases by 35%. [?Rhythm? Control Lv.2(+1)] ¨C Reduce the combo number to half and increase the next instance of dealt damage by a lot. If you manage to land critical hit damage, you¡¯ll recover the combos spent. [?Trance? Lv.0] -{+Open} (¡ù You can use Hyun¡¯s following skills.) [?One Second Absorption? Lv.8] ¨C {+Open} [?Shield? Lv.0] ¨C {+Open} [?Powerless Wave? Lv.2] ¨C {+Open} [?Wind Barrier? Lv.0] ¨C {+Open} [?Pray? Lv.7] ¨C {+Open} [?Impact Amplification? Lv.3] ¨C {+Open} [?Invisible? Lv.2] ¨C {+Open} [?Biorhythm Acceleration? Lv.3] ¨C {+Open} [?Angel¡¯s Basic Sword Art? Lv.5] ¨C {+Open} [?Assimilation? Lv.0] ¨C {+Open} As soon as he ?Assimilated?, Hyun checked out the status window. After doing it, he bit his lips. He never would¡¯ve imagined that a user he¡¯d never seen and someone at the level of a ranker would accept his proposal. If there were a God, he would¡¯ve liked to ?Pray? to say thanks, but there was no time to do that. ¡¸I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t have time to explain. Just stay still.¡¹ Thanks to the soul conversation, Salon was able to hear Hyun¡¯s voice for the first time. But he didn¡¯t immediately answer. Salon was still busy reading the status window. Hyun took a glimpse at Louise. ¡°Louise¡­¡± As an unfamiliar voice called her, she shook her shoulders. But soon she understood it was Hyun who was calling her¡­ ¡°Follow me. I¡¯ll run at a speed where you should be able to follow me.¡± ¡°Understood¡­¡± Hyun quickly cooled down his head. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * Hyun was one of the people who, if they had a goal, would concentrate solely on that goal. He grabbed the double swords. Was it because the Heavens were helping him? The user he found was a combo Thief. Not only that, but his stats were a lot higher than TarrTarr or Louise¡¯s. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Hyun jumped back onto the rooftops. Louise followed him. While looking at Louise, he shouted. ¡°Don¡¯t lose sight of me!¡± As they appeared in a high place, Hyun and Louise became everyone¡¯s target. Ghosts came from the sky and ghouls from the land. Not only that, but skeleton archers and mages sent long-range attacks. Judging by their movements, it was clear that there was a monster with a high rank giving them orders from somewhere. He wouldn¡¯t be able to dodge all of those attacks. Hundreds of attacks became concentrated on a single point. ¡®?One Second Absorption?, ?Invisible?!¡¯ As Hyun extended his hands, Louise¡¯s figure disappeared. ¡®?Biorhythm Acceleration?!¡¯ He used the other skill on himself. Salon¡¯s hands moved explosively. A silver light flashed beside Louise. Hyun had taken his concentration to a limit; his movements resembled a sword dance. It was the dance of the Sword Dancer, a job that derived from a combo Thief. The sword dance lasted for two seconds, but during that short period, Hyun cut down countless undead. The bodies of the undead explode while making silver fireworks and falling to the snow. Once the time of ?Invisible? was over, a road opened in front of Hyun. ¡°Run toward the south!¡± Hyun and Louise ran through the roofs. Sometimes they had to step on the walls and run vertically. Thankfully, Louise remembered the sensation of climbing the walls. Even while running as fast as possible, countless monsters came out. From the sky, land, and even the gaps between buildings! But at the moment, Hyun was just a knight who was protecting the Priestess. The two swords drew a crescent moon. The right sword tore down the ghost, and the left sword destroyed a skeleton who was trying to launch a surprise attack on them. The death effect of the monsters around Louise didn¡¯t stop. Even without trying too hard, the number of combos quickly surpassed 500. AIN: Hyun, can you hear me? I¡¯ve found Radiette¡¯s location. Hyun came back to his senses. ¡ªIt was because he¡¯d suddenly heard Ain¡¯s voice. AIN: He isn¡¯t in that direction! You need to get a little bit closer to the center! Even after logging out, you could talk with the other person via the capsule¡¯s whisper. This was possible if, instead of Asrian¡¯s ID, you used the capsule¡¯s account. Ain wasn¡¯t used to checking out the communities, so it was weird for her to look at streams. After checking out the locations of both Hyun and Radiette, she told Hyun in which direction to move. AIN: Just go in the direction you¡¯re going right now and you should be okay! Hyun changed direction to where Ain had told him to. Radiette was a Heavenly Being, so it was understandable that he had appeared on the streams, but how did Ain know about his location? He quickly realized the answer. He saw numerous drone cameras following him. The drones were flying acrobatically between the buildings while facing this way. He heard Ain¡¯s voice once more. AIN: Oh! Also, it seems like the eclipse will be over eight minutes after the magic circle goes off! That¡¯s what the commentator said. ¡®Eight minutes¡­ Thanks, Ain.¡¯ He decided to ignore the cameras. If it weren¡¯t for them, Ain wouldn¡¯t have been able to see him. And even if he had successfully reached his destination, it would¡¯ve taken him a while to find Radiette. Hyun was thankful for the constant lucky situations. * * * ¡®Is it a skill that allows him to control another person¡¯s body?¡¯ Salon came back to his senses after a while. He learned many things by reading his status window. Hyun¡­ The Support job and skills. He also learned about the unbelievable effect of the ?Assimilation? skill. As he read the description of each skill, he began to understand. ¡®They¡¯re too similar.¡¯ Salon looked at Hyun¡¯s plays as if he were watching a puppet show. He soon discovered something. His current movements resembled TarrTarr¡¯s. There was no way he would have forgotten the scenes of the video he had seen countless times. ¡®Maybe¡­¡¯ Salon made a hypothesis. Was it possible that the blue aura surrounding TarrTarr in that video was Hyun¡¯s ?Powerless Wave?? Maybe Hyun had been ?Assimilated? to TarrTarr while recording that video. Then the owner of those godly movements¡­ ¡®No. I can think about that later on.¡¯ [1000 combos! Only attacks faster than 1.3 seconds will be counted as a combo!] Salon shook off the useless thoughts and concentrated on what was happening right in front of him. Hyun, ?Assimilation?, Tarr Tarr, Ain, etc. Instead of worrying about those things, he should focus on himself. ¡®So this is how he moves.¡¯ How it felt stacking combos. Salon soon realized that it was a unique opportunity. There was a huge difference between watching someone¡¯s gameplay and feeling it firsthand. Salon was feeling how Hyun looked at the opponents, how he balanced, timed, and many other things. If he used that day¡¯s footage while remembering those sensations, how much would he be able to progress? [Providing first-person perspective to ¡®The Gamez¡¯!] [Providing first-person perspective to ¡®I Game¡¯! To cancel synchronization, check out your status window!] ¡­ And one more thing¡­! There was another thing that made Salon excited. The drones that had left him had returned and were currently focusing on him. Chapter 111 Chapter 111 ¨C The Last String (2) Salon smiled at his sudden luck. He had always been thirsty for attention from users. Right then, all of the spotlights were focused on him. He felt as if he¡¯d become the protagonist of the quest. Technically, he wasn¡¯t wrong. After all, there were millions of people looking at him. The sight of Salon doing his best to protect a Heavens¡¯ NPC girl made him look like a hero. That vivid scene that surpassed movies made users so excited that they couldn¡¯t take their eyes off the screen. Rather than focusing on the agonizing deaths of NPCs, the channels preferred focusing on a user fighting until the end. ¡¸I¡¯ll leave it to you for a second!¡¹ Hyun said to him through the soul. Louise had been exposed to the attacks of several skeleton mages. Salon felt the foreign sensation disappearing from his body. As Hyun ?Disassimilated?, he got control again. ¡ªHyun had decided to alternate between Louise and Salon. Salon understood how ?Assimilation? worked. Basically, it gave the power to control your character to the other person. ¡®Well, I guess I can¡¯t stay still. Right?¡¯ After taking a glimpse at the messages, Salon smiled. [1836 combo! You¡¯ve achieved a new record!] His body felt light. He had a pair of destructive lights, one in each hand. It was the lights coming out from the shortswords that had been fortified thanks to ?Trance?. Salon began swinging the swords trying to remember the movements he¡¯d just seen. Although he was still a bit clumsy, Salon tried his best to copy Hyun¡¯s movements and danced through the air. ?Vision Sword?! On the other hand, a giant sword made of light appeared in Louise¡¯s hands. Louise turned around a swung the grand sword. All of the flames flying in her direction exploded in the air simultaneously. They were all cut off by a single sword attack. Then she used the ?Vision Sword? as a shield to cover herself up. Ring-! All of the arrows bounced away. Some ghosts tried to snatch Louise away. Clink-! The ghosts disappeared after making mournful cries. Salon stood with an inspired expression on his face where the ghosts had disappeared. ¡¸How was that?¡¹ Salon asked when Hyun used ?Assimilation? on him again. Hyun nodded shortly. ¡¸Just do it like that.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m a fast learner!¡¹ Salon¡¯s ability to control his body was better than he¡¯d thought. Thanks to that, Hyun could think more about Louise¡¯s safety. The scenery in front of them had changed after the number of combos had surpassed 2000. The party crossed the city and entered an empty place. The number of monsters hadn¡¯t decreased at all. No, it had increased. After all the magic circles were turned off, it had become a territory of the Abyss. ¡®This isn¡¯t good.¡¯ There, there weren¡¯t any obstacles. It was a bad place to react to attacks. For someone that was being followed, it was a fatal place. But they¡¯d have to pass through that place to reach Radiette. What did he have to do to go through safely? While he was thinking about that, he narrowed his eyes. He saw the silhouettes of two people fighting near the horizon. He soon realized who they were. ¡®Practice and Jini!¡¯ Because they were far away, he couldn¡¯t see their faces. But just looking at their silhouettes was enough to know who they were. They were fighting a lich¡ªa monster that could control the undead! Jini was using ?Bind? to restrain the monster, and Practice attacked it and then backed off. ¡°Haha¡­¡± Hyun smiled joyfully. They weren¡¯t going to be able to defeat the lich. They would soon die. But just dragging its attention was good enough. Thanks to them, the army of undead had lost their commander and began fighting against each other. Practice and Jini had accepted Hyun¡¯s sudden proposal. Thanks to their sacrifice, he was able to go through what seemed like the gates of hell. AIN: Go to the left! He heard Ain¡¯s voice again. She kept telling Hyun what road to take. AIN: I¡¯m checking the time, so don¡¯t worry about it. LeeSeoHyun: How much time do we have left? AIN: More than enough. You still have two minutes left. LeeSeoHyun: Thanks! A spark of hope had begun burning within Hyun¡¯s heart. Even while running, he kept analyzing all the possible variables. He was thinking about the safest way to reach Radiette. ¡°Louise, run up the waterway.¡± ¡°Over the water¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s probably the safest option we have now.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never done it¡­ But I¡¯ll try it.¡± Determined, Louise changed her direction toward the waterway. Poof-! Poof-! The sight of Louise running over the water resembled a skipping stone. Her skill, ?Steps of the Wind?, which used the reaction of the air to move, created a stream of water under her feet. Running over the water was more effective than he thought it¡¯d be. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy Join our discord for updates on releases!! * * * Thanks to Jini and Practice, the undead had lost their commander. That meant that, as long as he could seal the left side, he would be able to take Louise to a safe place. ¡®We¡¯re going to be able to meet Radiette!¡¯ Ain kept telling him the correct direction so they wouldn¡¯t get lost. The direction was correct, and they had more than enough time. Salon¡¯s combo had already surpassed 3000. Even if the combo was reset, he was sure he¡¯d be able to take Louise to Radiette. Was there a saying that said good luck and bad luck came together? AIN: Hyun, a Reaper! There¡¯s one on your way. If you move at this speed, you should see it in 30 seconds¡­! Ain¡¯s voice suddenly became urgent. ¡®A Reaper¡­!¡¯ Hyun¡¯s eyes sank. He knew the Reapers better than anyone. They were monsters that answered to one of the three great demons. They were beings that lived on the floor of hell. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that they represented death to the people of the game¡¯s world. Even if the Empire¡¯s Knight Commander fought against one, victory wasn¡¯t guaranteed. In other words, it was an opponent that no user should be able to beat at that point in the game. ¡¸Is there a problem?¡¹ Salon felt Hyun¡¯s worries. He didn¡¯t know yet that feelings were shared with ?Assimilation?, but just judging by Hyun¡¯s atmosphere, he was able to guess that something bad was about to happen. ¡¸It¡¯s a Reaper.¡¹ ¡¸Reaper? Is it the name of a monster? I haven¡¯t studied much about the world, so I¡¯m not sure.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s a named monster that¡¯s over level 400¡­¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s quite a harsh opponent.¡¹ ¡¸It isn¡¯t just harsh¡­¡¹ While ensuring the combo wasn¡¯t reset, Hyun began analyzing Salon¡¯s skills. His eyes stopped at a certain skill. ¡ªIt was a skill Salon had learned after the job ascension but that he hadn¡¯t had the opportunity to use yet. He opened the skill description to learn more about it. [?Rhythm Control? Lv.2(+1)] ¨C Reduce the combo number to half and increase the next damage [combo/320] times. ¨C If you manage to land critical hit damage, you¡¯ll recover the combos spent. That was Salon¡¯s last skill. According to Hyun¡¯s calculations, it was a skill that could increase the damage output of a normal attack by 10 times. But if you couldn¡¯t land a critical hit, the number of combos would be reduced by half. ¡®Critical Hit¡­¡¯ It was true that attacks would end up as critical hits when weak points were attacked,. but there were some restrictions depending on the level difference. For example, if you attacked an opponent¡¯s neck, it would normally be a critical hit, but if the level difference was high, you had to be even more precise. For Salon, who was just over level 100, landing a critical hit on a level 400 Reaper wasn¡¯t going to be an easy task. ¡®I guess I won¡¯t be able to ignore the Reaper.¡¯ Hyun knew better than anyone about how dangerous Reapers were. If he tried to outsmart it, he could end up becoming its target and cause an even greater danger. Even he wouldn¡¯t be able to resist a Reaper following him like a guardian of hell. ¡®I¡¯ll take it down!¡¯ Hyun bit his teeth. He had to try it, at least. He took a glimpse at Louise¡¯s face, which was starting to be filled with fear. Angels were sensitive to demonic energy. After noticing demonic energy completely different from the ones she¡¯d felt until then, her body had become stiff. ¡°Louise, hide under the water,¡± Hyun warned her. Because Louise¡¯s HP was low, just being touched by the demonic energy of the reaper could become fatal to her. ¡°Underwater¡­¡± ¡°Now!¡± At Hyun¡¯s urgent shout, Louise quickly put her head underwater. Immediately after that, the Reaper¡¯s scythe drew a half moon. The black scythe came flying from the horizon. The scythe kept getting bigger the closer it got. When it reached them, it was already taller than Salon. Hyun felt a sense of urgency. It was as if pitch-black energy had engulfed the world. The only place where he could avoid the attack was the sky. ¡®Damn¡­!¡¯ Salon groaned. He¡¯d seen the Reaper that was following them. ¡ªIt was carrying a giant scythe on its back. After his eyes met the cursed doll, he felt creeped out. ¡®I¡¯m going to die¡­!¡¯ After looking at the black scythe, he couldn¡¯t gather courage. He felt like a herbivore animal that was about to be devoured by a predator. He subconsciously closed his eyes. But he soon opened them again. His body was moving on its own. ¡¸Don¡¯t close your eyes!¡¹ Hyun was controlling his body. He created a ?Wind Barrier? and twisted his body. The demonic energy scratched the floor. Everything that was touched by the scythe was destroyed. ¡ªEven monsters that were part of the same team. With a shock wave that made your ears deaf, a crater of tens of meters wide appeared on the surface. The overwhelming remnants of the destruction left by the attack petrified Salon for a little while. [3184 combo! You¡¯ve dealt 18163 damage!] Salon noticed that his body was still moving. While he was blinking, Hyun had used the monsters around them to keep up the number of combos. Salon was horrified by the sudden sense of urgency he was feeling. It was hard to believe that he was inside a game. If he let himself go, he thought that he would start crying. ¡®Was I ever so immersed in the game¡­?¡¯ Salon thought about that for a moment. But it didn¡¯t take him long to know the answer. Were those really his feelings? He suddenly thought of a possibility. ¡ªIt wouldn¡¯t be impossible since Asrian used your brainwaves to induce certain emotions. ¡®No, these aren¡¯t my feelings.¡¯ Maybe¡­ They were Hyun¡¯s. If ?Assimilation? also shared your emotions¡­ If that was the case, it was clear that Hyun didn¡¯t see the game as a simple game. On another hand, he started to wonder if Hyun was crazy. For him, it was even hard to be standing because of the trembling he felt throughout his entire body. ¡°Oof¡­¡± Hyun sighed and stopped for a moment. He was eliminating the incoming undead while thinking of a plan. What was the best way to eliminate them? What skills could he use? What were the possibilities of victory? Numerous thoughts appeared and disappeared. ¡®I guess there¡¯s no meaning in using ?One Second Absorption? or ?Shield?.¡¯ Just being brushed by the Reaper¡¯s attack would be enough to kill him. ¡ªThe difference between their specs was that big. There was only one way to reduce the gap between them¡­ It was to use Salon¡¯s skill he¡¯d seen before. For a normal user, it would be impossible to hunt a Reaper. But for him, it wasn¡¯t. ?Powerless Wave?¡­ The blue aura coming from his body was the Support¡¯s sword that could even hurt a Reaper. Also, the rest of the Support¡¯s skills were like a whetstone that made the sword sharper. If he combined those skills with Salon¡¯s, he could create an attack capable of killing a Reaper. Hyun thought about Louise, who was holding her breath underwater. ¡®Please, resist a little bit more¡­!¡¯ He increased his concentration to the limit. He dodged a couple more of the Reaper¡¯s attacks. Death brushed past his skin several times, but he didn¡¯t counterattack hastily. He had only one chance, so he couldn¡¯t easily move. Hyun¡¯s eyes shone after repeating those dangerous acrobatics for a while. Paf-! Salon¡¯s body suddenly melted into the air. Chapter 112 Chapter 112 ¨C The Last String (3) All users who had reached Iluna had died by that point! Salon, who has the last survivor, was appearing on different streaming platforms throughout the world. He was running somewhere accompanied by a girl wearing white clothes. Some of the viewers didn¡¯t even know about Asrian. They¡¯d entered the stream just because it was on the popular tab or they were people who¡¯d found out about it while changing channels on TV. But even they couldn¡¯t tear their eyes away from the screen. ¡°What movie is this¡­?¡± Some people didn¡¯t even realize they were watching game footage. There was a sense of excitement that went beyond that of an average game. Not only that, but the solemn atmosphere was overwhelming. The reason was that Salon¡¯s expression contained a strong focus on protecting the girl. There were a few users who, without knowing it, were clenching their fists. They had also assimilated into the feelings of the protagonist. After the two members of Stardust died, ¡®The Gamez¡¯ focused only on Salon. ¨C Was Salon always this good? I knew he was skillful¡­ But he¡¯s just too good now! ¨C I¡¯d heard that he¡¯s been practicing a lot, but this is just too crazy. Most users had their mouths wide open. ¡ªProfessional gamers had the same reactions. Professional gamers focused mostly on PvP, So most of them kind of ignored combo Thieves. But after looking at Salon¡¯s footage that day, they were forced to change their opinion. ¡°Amazing¡­ Without talent, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to carve his own path in such a polished way!¡± ¡°I think he could have perfectly good results in PvP¡­ But it seems like he isn¡¯t interested in that.¡± ¡®The Gamez¡¯ was using four cameras to record Salon. The one who first noticed the approaching Reaper was a drone of ¡®The Gamez¡¯. Even Kim SooYong, who had been praising Salon, sighed. ¡°Oh¡­ That¡¯s too bad. A Reaper has appeared. It seems like this is the end.¡± He was one of the few users who knew about the dangers of Reapers, so he was sure that Salon was going to die. Im SeungJun asked back just in case. ¡°If it¡¯s the current Salon, wouldn¡¯t he be able to beat a Reaper? He still has the Heavenly Being¡¯s buff left!¡± But Kim SooYong just shook his head. A Reaper wasn¡¯t a monster you could beat with luck. ¡°No, it¡¯s a monster with approximately 800 physical damage resistance! That means there isn¡¯t any user capable of dealing damage to it right now!¡± Kim SooYong started to explain in great detail. He even brought up the formula from which how much damage you dealt was calculated. To be able to deal damage to a Reaper, your base damage had to be at least five thousand. If your base damage was lower than that, you would have a hard time dealing effective damage against it, even if you received buffs. The reason was that the opponent¡¯s defense reduced attacks that¡¯d received buffs by a bigger percentage! ¡°The damage calculations of magic-related jobs are calculated differently. So if Salon were a Magician, maybe he would have a chance¡­ The problem is that Salon is a combo Thief, a job that deals mostly physical damage!¡± Salon couldn¡¯t deal damage against the Reaper, but one attack from it could kill him. It was obvious who would win. After hearing the explanation, Im SeungJun couldn¡¯t help but feel bad for Salon. ¡°I see¡­ Well, I guess just being able to come this far is impressive enough.¡± The battle flowed as Kim SooYong had expected. Salon didn¡¯t counterattack but focused on dodging the Reaper¡¯s attacks. He dodged the demonic energy and fought against monsters to maintain his combo count¡­ But it was obvious that even that would end up reaching its limits. ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± While Kim SooYong was commenting, he suddenly sensed something strange from Salon. It was when he saw his eyes¡­ Those weren¡¯t the eyes of someone that had lost hope, but they were the eyes of someone waiting for an opening¡ªthat was what his experience as a professional gamer was telling him. Right at that moment¡­ Paf-! Salon¡¯s body disappeared. Hyun had used ?Invisible? and ?Biorhythm Acceleration? simultaneously. ¡®Wait, what was that?¡¯ Kim SooYong thought that something had appeared from behind the Reaper. But that figure immediately disappeared. At the same time, he saw something so amazing he couldn¡¯t believe it was happening. The Reaper, out of nowhere, had turned around and swung its scythe. It was as if it were trying to pull something off of its back that was bothering it. A shadow had appeared for 0.1 seconds from behind the Reaper and disappeared. The only one who noticed that was the Support¡¯s body was Ain. Hyun had ?Disassimilated?, appeared behind it, and immediately used ?Assimilation? again, only leaving a brief shadow on the Reaper¡¯s back.. ¡ªIt was to divide the Reaper¡¯s attention. Hyun¡¯s excited expression appeared on Salon¡¯s face. He¡¯d been waiting for that opening for a really long time! While using ?Invisible?, all attacks ended up as critical hit damage. All of the conditions to increase the skill¡¯s effectiveness were perfectly met. ?Rhythm Control?! Tens of lights poured down the Reaper¡¯s neck. Salon¡¯s invisible figure couldn¡¯t be seen through the screens. Despite that, people couldn¡¯t take their eyes away from the scene. They felt that, although they couldn¡¯t see it, something was happening. A horrifying scream spread over Iluna. The scream of the doll that had lost its neck gave chills to those watching the show. Demonic energy poured from the Reaper¡¯s neck. Salon saw a pitch-black bomb explode in front of him. ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± The darkness became a sharp awl and cut into Salon¡¯s body. [You¡¯ve received 48172 damage!] [Someone who¡¯s receiving the protection of a Transcendent doesn¡¯t die easily!] [You¡¯ve become invincible for 3 seconds!] Thanks to the effect of Hyun¡¯s ?Pray? skill, Salon was able to survive. The Reaper was still moving while grabbing its cut neck. Pff-! Louise, who had been holding her breath underwater, appeared. ¡ªHyun had changed the target of ?Assimilation?. ¡°It isn¡¯t dead yet!¡± Salon came back to his senses after hearing the girl¡¯s voice. Please, try to finish him. It¡¯s going to heal itself soon!¡± Just like Hyun said, its head was being regenerated. After Louise shouted that, she created more distance and was already running far away. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy * * * Then Salon finally understood that Hyun had asked him to become a decoy. While he was dumbfounded, the three thousand combos reset. ¡°Ha¡­ Haha!¡± Salon began laughing. Although that act may¡¯ve looked cold-hearted, Salon didn¡¯t blame Hyun. He was going to die anyway, after all. Thanks to Hyun having used ?Assimilation? on him, he¡¯d learned lots of different things. Salon opened his friend list while smiling. ¡®I guess he¡¯ll accept it?¡¯ [You¡¯ve sent a friend request to ¡®Hyun¡¯!] Salon looked at that message expectantly. Numerous drones filmed the smiling Salon. That was the sight of a hero sacrificing themself for a girl. * * * ¡®There¡¯s enough time!¡¯ Hyun rejoiced. He had successfully gone through the undead area. Next, he would be able to cross the plains safely. When he thought about it, he¡¯d been really lucky. If he hadn¡¯t met the weird Priest Rutia, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to learn some important information. Thanks to that, he¡¯d learned that darkness had been planted inside Louise. And thanks to her, they¡¯d been able to cross the Symmetrical World and quickly reach the last magic circle. Thanks to Ain, he could delay the change in Iluna¡¯s orbit. Thanks to having met the user Salon, he was able to go through the Reaper. He¡¯d also received help from Jini and Practice. Louise would¡¯ve died if even one of them hadn¡¯t been in the right place at the right time. As he thought of Louise¡¯s destiny, he started to feel frustrated. Hyun shook his head and started to move even faster. They¡¯d soon reach where Radiette was. Radiette wasn¡¯t someone cold-hearted. Hyun felt bad, but he was going to use that weakness of his. He¡¯d think about what he¡¯d done after having saved Louise. ¡¸I have a bad feeling.¡¹ As they were getting closer, Louise¡¯s voice started to tremble. ¡¸What are you talking about¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Isn¡¯t it too quiet around here¡­?¡¹ Louise kept saying things he couldn¡¯t understand. Hyun started to feel anxious too, but he did his best to calm down. He talked to Ain to check out the direction. LeeSeoHyun: Ain, how much farther do I have to go? AIN: Hmm¡­ You see¡­ Somehow, Ain was also mumbling like Louise. Hyun started to feel anxious, so he asked again. LeeSeoHyun: Did I make a mistake on the direction? AIN: No, the direction is okay. But¡­ ¡¸Hyun¡­¡¹ Louise started to talk again. ¡¸I hope you don¡¯t get too disappointed.¡¹ Hyun¡¯s heart started to beat faster. They¡¯d clearly reached their destination. If Radiette had still been fighting, there would¡¯ve been some noise around, but it was silent. The only things he could see were some monsters in the distance. They didn¡¯t charge toward them but just watched Louise pass by. Hyun already knew what had happened. Even a Heavenly Being would have difficulty surviving if Iluna¡¯s Unexpected Event happened. The reason why he had ignored that possibility was that he hadn¡¯t wanted to discourage himself. AIN: You¡¯ve reached your destination¡­ Before Ain finished talking, Hyun¡¯s steps stopped. He had finally found the one he¡¯d been looking for. ¡°Radiette?¡± He could see a figure looking over at him in the distance. His body, which was surrounded by Reapers, was almost destroyed. It was amazing that, even though he didn¡¯t have a fourth of his body, he was still alive. ¡°The¡­ Priestess¡­?¡± Radiette lifted his head with difficulty. Thanks to his senses, he¡¯d heard a familiar voice from a distance. Hyun and Louise couldn¡¯t hear what he said next since his voice had become too weak. ¡°Maria¡­ Your last wish¡­ That¡¯s too bad.¡± Before Hyun could approach him, he became light and scattered away. Hyun and Louise saw the silver particles being scattered away. Did he die, or was it the effect of a magic that made him return to their original place? Hyun wasn¡¯t sure, but something was clear. ¡ªRadiette had never had enough strength to send Louise back. Louise¡¯s destiny had never even been close to changing. A feeling of hopelessness drained the strength out of Hyun¡¯s hands. The Reapers turned their heads around to Louise. There were four of them in total. Could they escape or not¡­? That didn¡¯t matter. Hyun could see the light approaching. Iluna¡¯s eclipse was coming to an end after a few thousand years. ¡°¡­¡± Louise was lost for words. She breathed, trembling. Hyun quietly looked at the sky. To most people, the sun was a source of life, but for Louise, it was death itself. ¡¸If it¡¯s the last time, I want to see it for as long as possible.¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡¹ Hyun was out of breath. ?Assimilation? made you share sensations¡ªyou couldn¡¯t read the other person¡¯s thoughts. But Hyun somehow felt that he knew what she was thinking about. That¡¯s why he couldn¡¯t say anything. ¡¸I think that I¡¯m lucky to be able to see my only sun with you.¡¹ To be honest, the time he¡¯d spent with Louise wasn¡¯t that long. ¡ªOne day when they were being chased, and one day in Iluna. It had only been two days. But could he say that the place Lousie had taken in his heart was only worth two days? Louise had such a wide variety of emotions that it was hard to think of her as an NPC. Was there an NPC with feelings? Not fake feelings that were inserted into an NPC, but real emotions that were a product of her own thoughts? Hyun believed that there was. What he could feel because of ?Assimilation? was proof of that. By how the emotions fluctuated, Hyun was able to read Louise¡¯s thoughts. Louise had accepted death. It didn¡¯t matter what he said. Nothing would change. The sun¡¯s light was already near. As a result of that, their surroundings were colored in a bloody red hue. It was like the Symmetrical World¡­ But the sun, instead of darkness, would shine over things. While looking at the sun driving away the darkness, Hyun suddenly shouted. ¡®Ah¡­!¡¯ Lightning struck inside his head. How hadn¡¯t he thought about that?! ¡®The Symmetrical World!¡¯ The regular world wasn¡¯t the only place where they could hide from the sun. After realizing that, Hyun quickly shouted to Louise through the soul. ¡¸Louise, pray!¡¹ ¡¸Pray¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Right now! Pray to a demon!¡¹ That¡¯s right. The Symmetrical World was a place where the sun couldn¡¯t reach. It was because the sky there, instead of light, was covered by darkness. If it were that place where there was only a dark sun, he would be able to guarantee Louise¡¯s safety. But if a demon descended, couldn¡¯t the Heavens be devoured by the Abyss? It wasn¡¯t the time to think about that! Chapter 113 Chapter 113 ¨C The Last String (4) Louise mumbled as Hyun told her to pray. ¡¸A demon¡­ But I¡¯ve never seen one.¡¹ ¡¸You definitely have! You¡¯ve seen Keidrial before!¡¹ ¡¸But¡­¡¹ As time passed, the sun began eating more of the darkness and grew its size. Hyun felt his heart burning. ¡¸Close your eyes! Pray to anyone!¡¹ Hyun closed his eyes. Soon, he felt his skin burning. The sun felt hotter than the fire. As the light touched her, Louise¡¯s heart began beating faster. Hyun could feel her pain through ?Assimilation?. ¡®Ugh¡­!¡¯ The pain you felt while trying to hold your breath up to your limit spread through his body. Thanks to Asrian¡¯s system, the amount of pain you could feel was restricted, so he didn¡¯t even want to imagine how much pain she was feeling at the moment. To pray, you had to think about a certain Transcendent and remain in a near-subconscious state of mind. But frustration and pain were interfering with the praying. ¡®Please¡­!¡¯ Hyun tried his best to get a hold of himself. ¡ªHe wanted to go to the Symmetrical World with Louise. The sight of Louise praying with her eyes closed while crying was recorded by a few cameras. A weird sensation trapped the people who were watching Louise through the broadcasts. A desperate and sorrowful smile¡­ There were two emotions that shouldn¡¯t have been able to coexist on the girl¡¯s face. Could a human make an expression like that? The girl praying on the plain under the sun soon disappeared. * * * The Heavens lost the war, and Iluna fell under the control of the Abyss. Even in the previous game, Iluna¡¯s Quest had been a major branching main event. People talked about how the power between the factions would change. ¨C Since the Heavens lost Iluna, the Abyss will probably get some advantage. ¨C There¡¯s probably going to be a change in the available field of activities. ¨C I guess it will benefit me since I¡¯m part of the Abyss¡­ although I¡¯m not sure in what way it will benefit me. The results of the war were the same as in the previous game, so guessing what would happen from then on wasn¡¯t hard to do. But the hottest topics on the community boards weren¡¯t related to Asrian¡¯s history. The birth of a new superstar! Salon, a user whose name had previously been known only to a few¡­ Suddenly, there wasn¡¯t anyone in Asrian who didn¡¯t know about him. Even people who were only interested in PvP were amazed by the battle video. ¨C As expected. Rather than TarrTarr, Salon is the real combo thief! I always knew he was someone talented. ¨C As expected from the man who¡¯s called the father of combo Thieves¡­ ¨C It seems like Salon was ranked 1st in Iluna¡¯s Quest. He almost killed a Reaper, so I guess that was to be expected. ¨C I almost cried while watching that video. Salon was already famous for being good at PVE, so no one doubted his abilities. But there was another reason why his name had become a trending topic¡­ Salon breaking through the group of monsters that were everywhere¡­ How he¡¯d protected the NPC girl while biting his lips made many people¡¯s hearts tremble. The scenes of him running around the city resembled those of a hero that was at the climax of a movie. That day, Salon had been a hero protecting the Priestess and the main protagonist of the quest. Among all the threads, there was one that a movie director had participated in. He was someone famous in the movie industry who had said that the footage had shown him Asrian¡¯s possibilities. Special effects that went beyond CG, a thrill that makes you clench your fists¡­ Not only that, but the emotions shown in Salon¡¯s eyes and his movements had been so real that most actors wouldn¡¯t even be able to copy them easily. What if he made a movie inside the game? While asking that, the director had ended his thread. It wasn¡¯t necessary to clarify that Salon¡¯s name had been mentioned numerous times. Lots of guilds and professional gaming teams sent him an invite, but everyone failed to recruit him. With a few sentences, Salon replied to everyone. ¡ªHe posted a thread in a community he often visited. ¡¸Friends, I thank you for your interest, but I need time to think alone. I think that I¡¯m at the crossroads of whether I¡¯ll be able to progress more or not. I¡¯m sorry, but I will not be active in the communities for a while.¡¹ Among the guilds that sent him invites was one that he¡¯d used to admire. Back then, he would¡¯ve accepted without thinking twice, but he wasn¡¯t interested anymore. Two things were messing up his head at the moment: The first thing was Hyun¡¯s movements¡­ ¡ªHe was thinking of how he could make Hyun¡¯s movements his own. The second thing was the result of his friend request¡­ Salon was an ambitious man. If he met Hyun again, he was planning to ask him if he could join his guild. In a sense, Hyun owed him, so there was a chance he¡¯d accept his friend request, right? That was the reason why Salon had refused all the invites. There was one other hot topic¡­ Lattice and Ain¡¯s fight became the main topic of numerous communities. Users who were more interested in PvP than hunting were more excited about the duel that¡¯d happened between those two. ¨C But the Heavens¡¯ users received a huge buff, right? Doesn¡¯t that mean that Ain had a huge advantage? ¡ªMany users thought that at first. But they soon realized Ain hadn¡¯t received the Heavenly Being¡¯s buff. No one knew why, but Ain hadn¡¯t had the shining effect. When Maria had used all of her ego, Ain had been in the Symmetrical World, but nobody knew that. No one knew the reason, but Ain¡¯s and Lattice¡¯s fight had occurred with equal conditions. The result was that people reached the conclusion that Ain had won. The reason why Ain won the duel between the two by decision was that neither of them had died. The video of the battle between those two became a textbook for numerous rankers and professional gamers. Someone posted a full analysis of the details of the battle on a community board. That thread almost immediately became a trending topic on Reddit. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy * * * Users who were surprised after watching the broadcast were amazed after learning about the calculations behind each of their movements. ¨C It¡¯s completely different from a fight in real life. I never thought you¡¯d be able to raise the movement¡¯s effectiveness so much. ¨C Where are all the guys who used to brag about being Grand masters? Suddenly, all the meaningless strategy guides have disappeared, lol. ¨C To be honest, shouldn¡¯t anyone be able to copy those with enough practice? ¨C How many years are you going to practice? ¨C It¡¯s all okay, but I think it would¡¯ve been an even more interesting match if Lattice¡¯s job was different. Everyone who had seen the video thought that Ain had the advantage. But regarding who was more skillful, rather than the discussion dying down, it heated up even more. Most people thought that they were at similar levels regarding movements, but they thought that Lattice was better in the psychological aspect of the fight. ¨C Didn¡¯t Ain have a huge job advantage? They both have jobs that do close-range attacks, but her attack range was bigger than his. Not only that, but his freezing skills didn¡¯t work on her. On top of that, she has a movement skill. Because of how overwhelming Lattice had been up until then, he had many followers. They couldn¡¯t admit that he had lost. Their reasoning was similar to the following comment by a ranker who used to be a professional gamer: ¡¸Lattice and Ain¡¯s movements were at the same level. Lattice had more decisive moments than her. He had an advantage in the psychological aspect but couldn¡¯t connect that to a decisive attack. The main reason was that he couldn¡¯t overcome the fatal weakness of the ice element, fire. The only way Lattice would be able to win against her would be by changing the characteristics of his job completely after the level 200 job ascension.¡¹ This incident increased Ain¡¯s status. Had his status fallen just because he had lost once? No one could say that. It was after the video of the fight had been uploaded¡­ No one thought Lattice lacked in terms of ¡®ability¡¯ compared to Ain. Except for one person¡­ * * * ¡°Damn it!¡± Clank! The pot fell to the ground, and its fragments spread to the surroundings. The man who had thrown the pot breathed heavily while looking at the broken fragments. ¡ªIt was Lattice. Suddenly, someone opened the door and entered the room. The person flinched after looking at the messed-up surroundings. When they approached the broken flower pot, Lattice mumbled. ¡°Just leave it like that.¡± The door soon closed, and Lattice was left alone again. The first duel he¡¯d had with Ain¡­ The decisive moments of the fight flashed through his mind. He couldn¡¯t even count how many times he¡¯d thought of those scenes. Why was he angry? It wasn¡¯t that he was angry with Ain but with himself. He¡¯d made a fool of himself to the entire world. ¡®If I¡¯d been more careful with the timing while using the Ultimate Attack, I would¡¯ve won.¡¯ Some scenes had been deeply imprinted into his mind. ¡®I could¡¯ve sealed the hole the moment I cut the floor¡­ If I had cut a little bit deeper while in the air, I could¡¯ve won¡­! I had three opportunities to win!¡¯ He just couldn¡¯t get over those scenes. He had gone through them so many times that he probably would dream about them. Whenever Lattice recalled how many times he could¡¯ve won, he thought he would go crazy. And then, he began having another doubt¡­ ¡®Could I have really won¡­?¡¯ Lattice read an analysis another ranker had done about his fight. Usually, he wasn¡¯t interested in what people posted on the community boards, but as long as it said how to overcome his weakness, he didn¡¯t care. Maybe someone had found a way he hadn¡¯t thought about. But after reading that thread, Lattice had laughed out loud and closed his notebook. It wouldn¡¯t be of help reading the post of someone who clearly didn¡¯t know anything. ¡®I was better in the psychological aspect of the battle? That¡¯s exactly where I was pushed off¡­!¡¯ From start to finish, she¡¯d just brushed off the attacks. Only four out of tens of attacks had been able to go through her defense, but none of them had managed to pierce her heart. It seemed like the people saying he had been better in the psychological aspect had only seen those four attacks. At that moment, Lattice felt that he was hitting an unbreakable wall. Why had he experienced so much trouble in finding a weak point? He gave himself a self-diagnosis of the situation after a while. ¡®The difference in movements was too big.¡¯ Lattice knew about most of the movements that Asra users used. He thought he had learned all the movements that had previously existed before he¡¯d reached level 100. ¡ªBut that wasn¡¯t the case. The opponent still used those movements, but they were at a different level. Sometimes she even used movements that he couldn¡¯t even understand, they seemed impossible. You couldn¡¯t use a sword to fight an opponent who had a gun. If he didn¡¯t research more about the movements used in Asra, even if he fought her again, things would probably end the same way. ¡®Then, the job¡­¡¯ The most important thing was to improve on the basic things, but he had to think of what he could do to win once they were at the same level. Lattice had picked ice-related skills because it had an advantage over most of the jobs. Of course, he knew that, against some, he would be at a great disadvantage. But he¡¯d never thought there would be a job that was the perfect counter against his! If it was just a Magician who used flames, he should be able to overcome the opponent. But an opponent who lit her body on fire and specialized in close-range battle was another thing. Ain had been the most difficult user he had faced yet. ¡®I need to do something.¡¯ After the battle with Ain, Lattice changed his view on jobs. You didn¡¯t need to have an advantage over everyone. Just having a moderate advantage or disadvantage against everyone was good enough. He¡¯d thought that he would¡¯ve been able to overcome a little bit of disadvantage. ¡ªEven if he were to face those who had ruled over the previous game! Lattice thought about the information he had on Ain. Had she played for about five years? He had to admit that it was a long time. But with his talent, he could probably catch up to her soon. Yes, he would probably catch up to her by the time he completed the second job ascension. He just needed to practice more until then. Lattice immersed himself deep into his thoughts. He began thinking of a way to make up for that day¡¯s shame¡­ And he began thinking on how to reach the peak once more. Chapter 114 Chapter 114 ¨C Following the Shadow (1) Ain got up the moment Louise disappeared from the screen. If the person to whom the Support was ?Assimilating? disappeared, the Support would either die alone or die with them. Ain was worried about Hyun dying. ¡®He¡¯s still logged in!¡¯ Hyun and Ain had registered each other as friends through the capsule. Ain¡¯s eyes shone after checking the status of his account. According to his status, he hadn¡¯t died yet! Then, where had he gone? Because the broadcast had ended, she had no way to check where Louise and Hyun were. AIN: Hyun¡­ Are you alive? Ain carefully asked. But there was no answer. AIN: Hyun?! She asked several times because she was worried. But still, there wasn¡¯t an answer. Hyun couldn¡¯t hear Ain¡¯s voice. The reason was that his consciousness had fallen to a low state due to ?Pray?. ¡°¡­¡± Hyun¡¯s soul was in the middle of a sea of darkness. No, maybe it was actually Louise¡¯s state. He couldn¡¯t feel pain anymore. All of his senses were blocked, and he felt that only his thoughts were floating around. Was that how it would feel to float around in space? Hyun tried to return to his senses. But every time he did that, he felt his heart getting hotter, so he lowered his consciousness again. Was the sun still hurting Louise? Louise¡¯s pain probably couldn¡¯t be compared to what he felt. He didn¡¯t want to awaken those senses. After a while¡­ He wasn¡¯t sure how much time had passed. A few minutes¡­? Maybe it was a few seconds. Because his consciousness was in a lower state, the barrier between reality and game was crumbling little by little. Hyun transposed the situation into reality and began thinking on it. Yes, Louise was definitely different from the rest of the NCPs. From the moment he¡¯d seen her at the Twilight Temple, there was something he considered strange. Among all the NPCs he¡¯d seen, why was it that only Louise felt special? Even if it was a game with sensory synchronization, NPCs were different from real people. ¡ªTheir weirdly misaligned emotions weren¡¯t perfect. But Louise seemed to have something that the rest of the NPCs didn¡¯t¡­ It wasn¡¯t just feelings, but something else¡­ As time went by, Louise¡¯s death was probably getting closer. What if Louise disappeared? Once he came back to his senses, there was the possibility that he¡¯d be left alone. ¡¸Hyun.¡¹ As he heard Louise¡¯s voice in his subconscious, Hyun suddenly became afraid. ¡¸I can¡¯t see anything.¡¹ Her voice that he could hear through the soul was weak as if it were about to disappear. But Louise didn¡¯t stop and kept whispering. ¡¸If I can¡­ I want to leave everything that I am to you.¡¹ At that moment¡­ He received a system message. Neither Hyun nor Louise had planned it out, but the job ascension quest was suddenly proceeding. [Louise fully recognizes you!] [Will you accept her blessing and ascend your job? Y/N] The only thing that he could hear was the system message. The job ascension quest required him to be fully recognized by an NPC. They said that you¡¯d be able to awaken better abilities from better NPCs. To be honest, Louise¡¯s level and stats weren¡¯t impressive. But¡­ Hyun subconsciously thought that he would like a memory of the being called Louise. His previous self would¡¯ve never picked a level 100 Louise over a Knight Commander who was over level 400. Her body was probably just made of data, after all. If she died, she would probably disappear without leaving a trace, but that made him even more scared. That¡¯s why, before that happened, he wanted proof that she had existed in this world. ¡®Okay.¡¯ The moment he accepted, his heart began beating faster. He felt like his blood had been drained away and that his body was filled again with something new. A pleasant tingling spread and flowed through his body. His consciousness rose to the surface again, and he slowly started to recover his senses. [The fragments of cause and effect have returned to their places.] [You haven¡¯t been able to fully accept the darkness due to your weak existence.] [The accumulated experience has been reflected!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] After that, he heard a clear sound. [You¡¯ve ascended to a ¡®Shadow Linker¡¯!] Hyun began hearing numerous messages. [The awakening skill is fixed because darkness binds the soul¡¯s movement!] [The level of Awakening has increased by 1!] ¡­ Hyun opened his eyes after a while. The air around him was full of a red color. He looked at the sky. The sun, instead of light, emitted darkness. The Symmetrical World¡­ Hyun suddenly found the situation funny. The first time he¡¯d seen that place, he¡¯d thought that it resembled hell. He never would¡¯ve imagined that the bloody, dark light would feel so comfortable. He felt relieved. Hyun extended his senses while lying down on the floor. Louise¡¯s body was still throbbing. It seemed like the effects of having been touched by the sun for a little bit didn¡¯t disappear easily. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Louise groaned. Hyun opened her status window. Louise only had 5% of her HP left. She would¡¯ve probably been burnt away if they¡¯d entered the Symmetrical World even a little later. ¡®What, did I see correctly?¡¯ Hyun found something weird after he sighed in relief. He looked at Louise¡¯s status window again. ¡®Really?!¡¯ According to her status window, her current level was 200. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ While they were on Iluna, Louise¡¯s level had been at 100, so it had risen by exactly 100 levels. Was it that she¡¯d gained experience after defeating monsters? But Louise hadn¡¯t killed a single monster while they were on Iluna. It was the natural result of her stats being low. Hyun had used either Ain¡¯s or Salon¡¯s body to kill the monsters. Why did she suddenly go up 100 levels? ¡®Did she recover some of the Angel¡¯s power¡­?¡¯ Hyun thought of a possibility. While thinking that, he waited until Louise recovered her memories. ¡°I survived once again¡­¡± After checking that she was safe, he asked her if she¡¯d recovered her memories. A Transcendent¡¯s memories were linked to their ego. Basically, she had to recover her memories to regain even part of her power. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy * * * But when Hyun asked her that, she just shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­ I don¡¯t feel anything different.¡± Hyun thought about it for a while but couldn¡¯t come up with an answer. He concluded that, even if he kept thinking about it, he wouldn¡¯t be able to come up with an answer. It seemed like Louise noticed that they were in the Symmetrical World. She looked around at her surroundings. ¡°It¡¯s nice here.¡± ¡¸Really¡­?¡¹ ¡°Yes, the air feels fresh.¡± He was glad that Louise had recovered her vitality. As Hyun gave her some food and drinks he had in the inventory, her face brightened up. It seemed like it reminded her of the past. While resting, he ?Disassimilated?. He thought that it would be better for her to have full control of herself to recover her condition faster. Hyun took the opportunity to check out his status window. ¡®Shadow Linker? Does it mean that I connect shadows?¡¯ Lots of things had changed, but the thing he cared the most about was the job. There was an extra explanation under the newly obtained job. Hyun (Lv.102) Job: Shadow Linker (Hidden) Hyun¡¯s eyes narrowed. Although that sentence sounded simple, he knew that there was a hidden message behind it. Deception, chaos, darkness¡­ In Asrian, each of those words represented a different great demon. Keidrial was the existence that represented deception. She was also the demon Hyun knew the best. Even Hyun didn¡¯t remember the representation of chaos very well. Asrian released before the story related to it came out, and Asra¡¯s service was canceled because of that. And the representation of darkness¡­ It wasn¡¯t time for it to appear yet. He wasn¡¯t expecting something related to it to appear so soon. Of course, he was assuming that the mention of darkness that appeared in his status window was related to that demon. The reason why Louise¡¯s level had increased suddenly by a hundred levels made sense if a great demon was involved. ¡®That¡¯s right. She did say that darkness had been planted inside Louise.¡¯ Hyun remembered what the weird Priest Rutia had told him. She¡¯d said that Louise couldn¡¯t be touched by the sun because the darkness planted in her subconsciousness would germinate under the sun. Had the word ¡°darkness¡± appeared on his status window because he¡¯d done the job ascension quest by being recognized by Louise? ¡®I¡¯ll need to check this out later on.¡¯ Hyun looked at Louise, who had just finished eating. If the time available in the Symmetrical World ended, Louise would fall onto Iluna again. That land that was touched by the sun and full of monsters¡­ They couldn¡¯t stay in the Symmetrical World forever, so he had to think of their next move. ¡®Isn¡¯t Rutia around here somewhere¡­?¡¯ He thought that Rutia might appear again out of nowhere, but sadly, that didn¡¯t happen. ¡®Well, I guess I can¡¯t depend on other people forever.¡¯ Hyun looked around. The Symmetrical World was close to the world of demons. One would think that it would be a gloomy and barren space, but the scenery of the place was completely different. There were trees, mountains, and even rivers. If you ignored the blood red color, it looked like peaceful countryside scenery. Hyun and Louise walked along the river for a while. Although they walked for a while, the scenery didn¡¯t change, but that relieved their anxiety a bit. Louise mumbled after touching the water. ¡°The color of the water hasn¡¯t changed. I think that I should be able to drink it!¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad it isn¡¯t blood flowing.¡± Birds that had fire on their tails splashed in the water. It seemed like there were animals in the Symmetrical World. No, maybe they were monsters. ¡°So, where are we going?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t stay still, right?¡± Hyun shrugged his shoulders at Louise¡¯s question. There, they would be able to avoid the sun, but he didn¡¯t know how long they could stay there, so his priority was discovering how much time they had left. ¡°Woah, there are even big fish in the river!¡± Louise¡¯s voice had regained vitality. Even while walking, she looked around with her eyes shining. ¡°Hyun¡­ There are things to eat and drink drink. If arranged properly, this would be a nice place to live.¡± ¡°Living here?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound bad!¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m glad.¡± ¡°How about living in this place together?¡± ¡°Together? Hmm¡­¡± While Louise was excited, Hyung thought on it with a gloomy face. When he thought about it, she probably didn¡¯t have many opportunities to see things like that. In the Twilight Temple, she was locked inside a small and dark room, and there weren¡¯t many things to see on Iluna. She probably hadn¡¯t had many opportunities to let her curiosity blossom. ¡®The problem is the place.¡¯ The only thing that bothered Hyun was that the place was somewhere on Iluna. Protecting Louise wouldn¡¯t be a hard task if they were on Asra. He just had to create a guild, make a private room and let her stay there. A guild¡¯s private room was under the control of users, so she would¡¯ve been safe from NPCs chasing after her. ¡ªAnd he¡¯d be able to go on some travels with Louise. Even if it were just at night, they could go to many places in Asra. ¡°Hyun, thank you.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± ¡°I had lots of fun today! I was able to meet you again¡­ Even if I die, I don¡¯t have any regrets!¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t died yet.¡± ¡°Then can I look around for a little bit more?¡± ¡°Before doing that, let¡¯s rest for a bit near the river.¡± While Hyun was sitting with Louise and chit-chatting, He got immersed in his thoughts. When he threw a rock into the water, ripples spread out. He had lots of issues to solve. First he had to learn how to get out of the Symmetrical World. But he had to avoid going back to Iluna. ¡®It would be nice if this place was on Asra.¡¯ Then he would be able to find some solutions. But Asra and Iluna were separated by a distance of tens of thousands of kilometers. ¡®Would Rutia be able to find a solution¡­?¡¯ He found a hint when he tried to empty his mind to take a break. Hyun suddenly remembered something. Back then, he¡¯d been in a hurry, but now he had some time to think. The place indicated by the oracle was the magic circle located in the center. Even with a carriage pulled by a dragon horse, it¡¯d taken them tens of minutes to reach that place. But while coming back, it¡¯d only taken them a few minutes of walking. Rutia had guided them through the Symmetrical World. and Ain and himself had just followed her lead. When they¡¯d left the Symmetrical World, they¡¯d been at the top of the tower. It was as if they¡¯d teleported. ¡®What did she say?¡¯ Hyun checked out the footage of that moment to find her exact words. As a holographic screen appeared in front of him, Louise became surprised. ¡°Woah, what¡¯s that?!¡± Louise¡¯s voice was full of curiosity. A few moments later, Rutia¡¯s seductive voice could be heard in the video. She began explaining what Hyun considered was the most important thing at the moment. ¡°In the two worlds, the opposing one looks distorted. One step here doesn¡¯t equal one step in the other world. It can be longer or shorter.¡± Rutia had told him how to move fast between the two worlds. After thinking about it for a while, Hyun finally understood the meaning behind those words. Chapter 115 Chapter 115 ¨C Following the Shadow (2) ¡®Is it a method of contracting space?¡¯ If the density of space was different, even if it was the same one step, the distance would be different. He speculated that they had reached the main circle quickly because of a principle similar to that. Rutia knew the fastest route toward the top of the tower of the main temple. Hyun began asking himself another question. Was there a way to walk from Iluna to Asra? If the Symmetrical World ignored the physical obstacles of the other world, maybe it could even cross the universe. ¡®It isn¡¯t absurd at all. There¡¯s a good chance of that being true.¡¯ Rutia probably knew a route that led toward both worlds. If only he could find her¡­ No, know the information she knew. ¡°Wait, that¡¯s it!¡± ¡°Wh-what happened?!¡± Louise was surprised at Hyun¡¯s sudden reaction. Hyun calmed Louise down. ¡°I¡¯ll go check something. I¡¯ll be back soon, so please wait for me here.¡± ¡°Where are you going¡­?¡± ¡°Outside.¡± * * * [You¡¯ve changed to rest mode.] After logging out, Hyun started to check out his capsule¡¯s memory. ¡ªIt was to check out the information he¡¯d transferred from Asra Online¡¯s knowledge repository, the ¡®Interloop.¡¯ Because Hyun couldn¡¯t memorize everything, he had saved lots of information as either text or screenshots. In other words, Hyun¡¯s capsule had become the knowledge repository. ¡®Symmetrical World!¡¯ The search keyword was clear. Hyun used text search and letter recognition to search for information. ¡®What? There isn¡¯t any result?¡¯ He wasn¡¯t expecting to get 0 results. Had he used the wrong search settings? Even after changing the search settings, the result was the same. Hyun started to feel uneasy. If the Symmetrical World was a new addition, it was obvious that there wouldn¡¯t be any search results. He struggled for a bit while trying different keywords, and he finally found some results after trying a new sentence. ¡®Black Sun¡­!¡¯ Lots of information appeared. He also discovered something new¡­ The place Rutia called the Symmetrical World was saved in the Interloop under a different name. In the Interloop, it was called ¡®The Underground.¡¯ ¡ªThat¡¯s why he hadn¡¯t been able to find any results. {Just because the Underground¡¯s Sun is black doesn¡¯t mean there isn¡¯t light. That is because there are many particles there that emit red light, as the Underground is a territory that belongs to the Abyss¡­} ¡®Underground¡­?¡¯ After reading the explanation, he discovered that Underground didn¡¯t simply mean a territory beneath the surface. Why did they call the Symmetrical World ¡®Underground¡¯? It seemed to have a different meaning from the generally known concept of ¡®Underground.¡¯ Hyun kept searching frantically. On top of Underground, Iluna, and Map, he added a few more keywords. {Iluna is like the lighthouse of the world. Iluna¡¯s Underground is connected to every place on the surface, and Iluna¡¯s surface is connected to every place on the Underground. The amplification of Empathy results from such features of Iluna¡­} There were lots of things that were hard to understand, but it wasn¡¯t like the information was useless. After a while, Hyun discovered a text he was able to comprehend. {The first Pope never skipped a day of praying on Iluna. He left the castle in the morning, and after lunch, he always began praying under the eclipse. If he wanted to have dinner, he had to return to the Holy Kingdom using the Underground¡¯s fog road.} ¡®This¡­!¡¯ He found a hint while reading a story about the first Pope. SeoHyun slowly read every sentence and interpreted them one by one. The first Pope knew of a way to go back and forth from Iluna.,, Through the Underground Fog Road, which was in the Symmetrical World¡­ That meant that there was a road in that place that connected Asra and Iluna. While trying to calm down, Hyun kept searching. This time, the keywords were ¡®fog road¡¯. While numerous bits of information appeared in front of him, SeoHyun swallowed his breath. Among the available information, there was even a very detailed map. Hyun was glad he¡¯d taken screenshots of even things like that. With shaking hands, he expanded the drawing. A smile was drawn on Hyun¡¯s face. The results of the five days of hard work he had done before Asrian opened its servers were showing results. * * * Soon, every NPC heard that the Heavens had lost Iluna. It wasn¡¯t something that they could¡¯ve hidden from the beginning. After all, you couldn¡¯t hide what was in the skies. There wasn¡¯t anyone who hadn¡¯t seen the blue moon that had become visible. Iluna hadn¡¯t been visible since a few thousand years before. Everyone had a different reaction. Some people laughed and talked, while others had grim expressions on their faces. Some people clicked their tongues, saying that the end of the world was approaching, while others trembled under their blankets. The reason why every NPC had a different reaction was that each of them thought differently. There were even some NPCs who weren¡¯t interested at all in Iluna¡¯s Unexpected Event. Wasn¡¯t it just a barren land that was hard to live on? Why was it such a big deal? But the Priests were worried. Without Iluna, they would have problems using holy energy. The position of the Holy Kingdom would get weaker, and with that, their positions in society would also get weaker. So it was obvious that they would be worried. The Pope, Bishops, and High-Priests were greatly affected. But the one whose head was hurting the most was the Pope. ¡°How could something like this happen to me¡­!¡± The Pope blinked intensely while looking up at the sky. He was walking on the balcony but ended up heading to the chapel. ¡°I must think of a way¡­!¡± The Pope began praying in front of the statues of the Archangels. He remembered a passage from the sacred texts. Iluna, the Phantom Land, was the lighthouse that guided the believers of the Heavens, and it was the bridgehead to destroy the Abyss. The fact that they¡¯d lost such a place was more severe than losing a simple place that was useful in fortifying the holy energy. ¡°Please¡­!¡± The Pope began praying desperately. It didn¡¯t matter how desperate he was. He knew that the effects of his prayers were weak. Compared to the first Pope, his Empathy was insignificant. As time went on, they became more efficient in using the holy energy, but they couldn¡¯t do anything about Empathy, since that was something you were born with. It was the same for the previous Popes. For hundreds of years, they hadn¡¯t been able to summon an Angel¡ªthey¡¯d barely been able to receive oracles from low-ranking Angels. But something unexpected appeared in front of the Pope. The Pope knew that what happened would be written in the history books. Rumble-! * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy * * * Lightning struck and went through the ceiling of the Archangel¡¯s chapel. The Pope raised his head. Among the three sculptures that depicted Archangels, the middle one had broken. In the place where the broken sculpture used to be, there was a woman who resembled it. An Archangel¡­ Her huge wings were opened wide. The rainbow light coming out from her crystal wings spread holy light through the dark chapel. ¡°Ah, Aahhh¡­!¡± The Pope cried with his mouth wide open. Tears of joy dripped from her eyes. The one in front of him was the Archangel that represented the truth. ¡ªAn Archangel who had only appeared once before had shown herself before him. Clang! He could hear the sound of the window being hit from the outside. The Holy Knights realized that something special had happened inside the chapel. To avoid that important moment from being interrupted, they had to block the entrance. ¡°Oh, Archangel of Truth!¡± The Pope knelt down and bowed his head. He then started to wonder if that was really happening. Even summoning a servant-ranking Angel was hard. Even in dreams, seeing an Archangel descending was hard to see. He was the Pope, but even he didn¡¯t have enough power to summon an Angel. Why had the Archangel decided to descend? The Pope¡¯s questions were soon answered by the Angel. ¡°As expected, exercising strength with ego isn¡¯t easy.¡± There were two ways by which a Transcendent could influence the world¡­ The first was receiving Empathy through prayer, and the other was using the ego. But they rarely used their ego. It took a lot of time for a Transcendent to recover their ego. Depending on the amount of power exercised, it could take them a few years or even a few thousand years. In other words, Transcendents used their ego only when they had something very important to say. The Angel smiled while looking at the Pope, who was knelt down. ¡°I don¡¯t have much time, so I¡¯ll immediately give you the oracle.¡± ¡°Oh¡­!¡± The Pope waited for the Archangel¡¯s next words with his head bowed down. Did she want to tell him how to deal with Iluna? They needed a new strategy to avoid a crisis in the Holy Kingdom. Maybe the Archangel knew how to do that. But what the Archangel said next was completely different from what he was expecting. ¡°There¡¯s a user who has very high Empathy. If you find him, ask him to ?Pray? to me.¡± ¡°A user¡­?¡± The Pope was surprised. The influence users had wasn¡¯t that big yet¡­ The Pope felt confused by the fact that an Archangel had used their ego to descend in order to talk to him about a user. ¡°Yes, if he keeps praying, he¡¯ll eventually visit this country.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make sure that happens.¡± Even while replying, the Pope thought that it seemed like order more than an oracle. But he didn¡¯t commit the profanity of questioning the Archangel because of his confusion. ¡°Then¡­¡± It seemed like the Archangel of Truth was about to disappear after saying that. ¡°W-wait for a second, please!¡± While risking coming off as rude, the Pope tried to stop the Archangel from disappearing. She still hadn¡¯t told him how to solve the crisis of the Holy Kingdom. The only one who could shine a light on how to solve the issue was her, the Archangel. The Pope bowed and waited for her guidance. ¡°Archangel of Truth, please hear the petition of this humble¡ª¡± ¡°Is it about Iluna?¡± The Archangel interrupted before the Pope could finish his sentence. It was as if the Archangel could see through the thoughts of the Pope. At the same time, she tilted her head. After reading his thoughts, she realized that there was a contradiction in his thinking. ¡°Do you really care about Iluna? You were so scared about dying that you didn¡¯t even go to that place.¡± At that moment, the eyebrows of the Pope began trembling. The Archangel of Truth could see through human emotions. It seemed that it was true that, to be able to stand before her, you mustn¡¯t have anything that can put you in shame. The Pope hit his head on the floor. He was ashamed that the Angel had seen through his disgusting heart. ¡°Please forgive me¡­!¡± But he couldn¡¯t stop there. He had to stop his mistakes from negatively affecting the rest of the Holy Kingdom. For the first time, the Pope regretted his past. It should be okay even if he weren¡¯t there, right? How foolish he was! The Pope had decided that, if necessary, he would offer his life. His head was full of thoughts about how to protect the Holy Kingdom. While facing the Truth, you shouldn¡¯t have anything dirty that could put you in shame. ¡°Finally, I understand what you wanted to say.¡± The Archangel once again saw through the emotions of the Pope. The contradiction inside him had disappeared. The dirtiness had disappeared, and only firmness remained. The answer the Pope was waiting for came when he had decided that he would offer everything he had if necessary. ¡°We, the Heavens, will solve everything related to Iluna, so don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°R-really?¡± As soon as the Pope asked back, he realized his mistake. The Archangel of Truth couldn¡¯t lie. You shouldn¡¯t doubt the Truth¡¯s words. ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve thought of a very special way.¡± ¡°Could I ask you how you are planning to do it¡­? If I could be of help even a little bit¡­¡± ¡°Have you heard of the word ¡®Asrian¡¯?¡± ¡°Asrian¡­? Is it a word used to describe those who live in Asra¡­?¡± The Pope did his best to come up with an answer, but he couldn¡¯t understand what the Archangel was talking about. After a while, the Archangel mumbled. ¡°As expected, you cannot be of help. Yet, even if you don¡¯t do anything, the thing you¡¯re worrying about won¡¯t happen.¡± ¡°Really?!¡± ¡°Let everyone know that the prayers directed to the Heavens shouldn¡¯t stop.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± The Pope was moved. The Archangel had already thought of a way to solve the issue. He was so moved by that generosity that he began crying. Spark! After making a gentle smile, the Truth became bright lightning again and disappeared. Even after the Angel disappeared, the Pope was still kneeling towards the broken sculpture. Chapter 116 Chapter 116 ¨C Following the Shadow (3) Hyun and Louise kept moving. Hyun had his hands on a map of the vast Symmetrical World, so there was no reason for him to be afraid. Their destination was as far as he¡¯d thought. Hyun ?Assimilated? onto Louise and ran using the wind. From time to time, some monsters turned their heads around to look at Louise. Among them, there were some monsters that Hyun knew. There was a bat that drank human blood and a monster famous for its ferocity like the dark wolf. When he first saw them, he was surprised. He didn¡¯t understand why, but those monsters just looked at them from a distance and didn¡¯t do anything. As time passed, Hyun and Louise became immune to monster encounters. None of those monsters tried to attack them. Even then, Louise was passing near a group of monsters with sharp thorns. Hyun wasn¡¯t used to seeing monsters who weren¡¯t interested in humans. ¡¸It feels like we¡¯re in a ghost house.¡¹ ¡¸Do ghosts have houses?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. You¡¯re probably the only one who doesn¡¯t have one.¡¹ ¡¸Ugh¡­¡¹ Hyun and Louise were finally able to relax a little bit. They looked at the scenery that was passing by. The Symmetrical World was surprisingly similar to the other world. The red air and black sun looked ominous at first, but because he¡¯d gotten used to them, it reminded him of a sunset. The monsters¡­ No, how the different life forms formed an ecosystem was very similar to the other world. ¡®Louise living here¡­ Maybe it isn¡¯t nonsense.¡¯ They still had a long way to go, but it wasn¡¯t boring. When Louise¡¯s mana plummeted, they enjoyed the scenery around. After a while, Hyun finally went up the stairs of giant ruins. The Fog Road¡­ The road that used to be the First Pope¡¯s walking path was a trail that connected Iluna and Asra. According to the information on the map, the Fog Road seemed to be a long staircase that led to the sky. ¡®Who built this?¡¯ Hyun began thinking about it while going up the stairs. The stairs seemed to be built for a being bigger than humans. It was hard to go up with Louise¡¯s size, so he used wind magic. Was it the road monsters used? Also, the fact that there was a structure so big in the Symmetrical World meant that there was some sort of existence that had the capability to think. ¡­Although he didn¡¯t know if it was a human or a monster. They reached their destination after half a day. According to the information, the place was connected to somewhere in the Holy Kingdom. ¡®The timing is perfect.¡¯ Before going up the last staircase, Hyun organized his thoughts. Right now, it¡¯s midnight in the Holy Kingdom. They were safe from the Sun. Hyun had also thought of a way to get them out of the Symmetrical World. According to the information on the Interloop, the way to move between the surface and the Underground is to control the level of consciousness. It was written that, in the Symmetrical World, some places forcibly raised your consciousness. The end of the Fog Road was one of those places. The moment he went up the last stairs, the Symmetrical World ended. ¡¸Once we return to Asra, do you have a place to stay?¡¹Hyun asked before taking the last step. At the same time, Hyun felt a depressing emotion. ¡ªIt was Louise¡¯s feelings that he could sense through ?Assimilation?. As expected, she had nowhere on Asra to go to. Louise didn¡¯t know anyone, so it was understandable. Hyun laughed at the struggling emotions and asked, ¡¸Do you want to live with me?¡¹ Louise was surprised at Hyun¡¯s question. ¡¸Is this a confession?¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t ask stupid questions¡­ I¡¯m asking if you would join me if I created a guild.¡¹ ¡¸Are you going to be the owner of the guild?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. If I block access to outsiders, you won¡¯t be at risk of being chased anymore¡­ Not only that, but there are many places outside that we can go to at night as long as there isn¡¯t the sun.¡¹ Hyun¡¯s sight became blurry¡­ But tears didn¡¯t drip. After going through lots of things, she¡¯d learned how to control her emotions. But she couldn¡¯t hide her feelings from ?Assimilation?. Hyun waited for Louise to calm down. ¡¸I¡¯ll build a big house so you won¡¯t get bored.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s too big a gift¡­¡¹ ¡¸Well, it isn¡¯t going to be all fun. I won¡¯t let you eat for free!¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s okay too!¡¹ While ?Assimilated?, Hyun and Louise moved. They took the last step toward the top. Whish-! The wind began blowing. Suddenly, they were at the top of a mountain, but the scenery they could see from there did not belong to the Symmetrical World. ¡ªThey could see the night view of the Holy Kingdom. Countless lights made Louise¡¯s eyes dizzy. ¡¸It¡¯s beautiful¡­¡¹ Bewitched, Louise murmured. That was probably the first time she¡¯d seen the night view of a city where hundreds of thousands of people lived. ¡®Does a king live in that big castle?¡¯ But Louise didn¡¯t feel envy, even at the king. Suddenly, she laughed and cried at the wind she could feel throughout her body. ¡¸Even without the sun, there are many things to see. There¡¯s no need to be locked inside a small place.¡¹ ¡¸I see¡­¡¹ She looked up. There were two moons in the night sky. One was Gluna, which shone with a golden light. The other one was where they¡¯d come from, the blue Iluna. Hyun and Louise kept looking up until their necks hurt. [You¡¯ve canceled the main event ¡®Dark Awakening¡¯!] [Your soul is resonating with the darkness!] [Your Empathy has gone up by 32 points!] * * * AIN: Hyun, you¡¯re amazing? What kind of trick did you use this time? He talked with Ain through the capsule. He couldn¡¯t explain everything that had happened to him, but he told her the most important things. Ain was surprised by the fact that you could cross the space by walking. After promising to tell her more details later, he talked to her about the most urgent thing. LeeSeoHyun: Once you are reborn, come to the magic country¡¯s city of ¡®Lantern.¡¯ I¡¯m planning to create a guild there. AIN: A guild? Suddenly? LeeSeoHyun: Having a guild won¡¯t harm us. AIN: Is it because of Louise? * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy * * * Ain pinpointed the reason correctly. Hyun didn¡¯t deny it. ¡°Yes, you, me, and her¡­ Oh, and TarrTarr.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I think that just the two of us would be okay¡­¡± Suddenly, Ain¡¯s tone of voice changed. After noticing something from her mumble, Hyun quickly changed the topic. ¡°But¡­ In three days, we¡¯re going to be alone.¡± ¡°Ah?¡± ¡°TarrTarr said he can¡¯t come.¡± Ain took the bait. The Asrian Festival would happen in the real world in three days. Ain¡¯s voice suddenly got louder. After they¡¯d arranged to meet in real life, Ain always mentioned that whenever she could. Hyun thought she was cute because she looked like a kid who couldn¡¯t wait for her birthday. ¡°You remembered!¡± ¡°Of course, I already bought the transport ticket.¡± The festival was going to open that weekend in Busan. It seemed like NFM had put a lot of effort into the event. According to the main home page, they said that they had a huge announcement to make. All the Asrian communities worldwide became noisy because of talks related to the event. It seemed like there were going to be many foreign users who were planning to travel to Korea. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m in the magic country. So once you¡¯re reborn, come to the guild.¡± ¡°Is there a duel arena inside the guild?¡± ¡°Haha, I¡¯ll build you one later on¡­¡± Hyun laughed bitterly. Hyun thought he might have to duel with Ain for a while. ¡®I¡¯ll finish everything up before the sun rises.¡¯ Since he had many things he still had to do, Hyun began to move quickly. * * * After talking with Ain, Hyun teleported with Louise to the magic country¡¯s city of ¡®Lantern¡¯. The reason why he had chosen Lantern as the place to set their base was simple: Just as its name indicated, Lantern was a bright city, even at night. ¡ªIt was the best city for nocturnal people to live in. ¡®The name¡­ Let¡¯s call it Shade. I picked it without thinking about it too much, but I kind of like it.¡¯ He decided to call the guild ¡®Shade.¡¯ It didn¡¯t take him long to finish the guild registration. The next thing was choosing where he would build the guild¡¯s base. A virtual place called a private room was the base of all users. ¡®I guess the more space we have, the better.¡¯ He had more than enough money¡ªit was the natural result of saving without making big purchases. Hyun used the huge sum of 30 thousand gold to buy a private room that consisted of a building that even had a garden. ¡®Should I add an artificial sun?¡¯ Since Louise couldn¡¯t see the real one, it could probably mean a lot to her. It cost something extra, but it wasn¡¯t a lot of money. He also didn¡¯t forget to build a duel arena for Ain. Outside of it, he created an empty space that could be used for another thing. After finishing the customization, Hyun called Louise. ¡°It¡¯s going to be morning soon, so let¡¯s enter.¡± ¡°Is it safe there¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. Without my permission, not even a Transcendent can enter.¡± He wasn¡¯t wrong. To enter a private room, one needed the permission of a guild member. On the other hand, you needed the permission of an NPC to hire her or just let her stay in the guild. Hyun first decided to make Louise a ¡®maid.¡¯ Because the guild was small, he couldn¡¯t give her any other job. ¡°To enter, you need to accept, so accept it quickly.¡± A system box appeared in front of Louise. Louise stuttered in surprise while reading the description. ¡°Hmm? I¡­ I¡¯m a maid?¡± At that question, Hyun giggled inside while making a smile that resembled a vicious house owner. ¡°That¡¯s right. Because it¡¯s a building that costs 50 thousand gold, you probably won¡¯t be able to clean it in a day.¡± ¡°Ugh, what?!¡± ¡°Not only that, but the garden is three times as big as the residence!¡± Hyun wanted to make fun of Louise a little bit more, but after seeing that she was really turning pale, he decided to stop. ¡°I¡¯m kidding. This was done because I can¡¯t yet accept NPCs under regular positions¡­ Even if you sleep the whole day, I won¡¯t say anything.¡± ¡°No, I have no intentions of not doing anything¡­ so leave the cleaning to me! Although I¡¯ve never done it¡­¡± Louise didn¡¯t care about little things like that if it meant she had a house where she could stay. ¡°But the private room gets cleaned by itself¡­¡± There was a place where there were lots of golden portals at Lantern City¡¯s main plaza.. The one that was in the corner was the one that led toward the Shade Guild¡¯s private room. Hyun and Louise entered the portal at the same time. Louise was surprised the moment she entered the private room. ¡°That¡­¡± Louise¡¯s looked at the sky. There was a shining sphere illuminating her. Although light touched her body, it didn¡¯t feel painful. ¡°It¡¯s the sun.¡± Although she looked at the sun directly, she didn¡¯t turn her head away. It was the first time she had seen the sun. While looking at Louise, who was mesmerized by the sun, Hyun made a satisfied smile. He thought he had made the correct decision in buying the artificial sun. ¡°Let¡¯s go inside and take some rest.¡± Hyun pointed with his finger toward the giant building. ¡°There should be somewhere where you can eat, so go find it and eat what you want.¡± ¡°Hyun¡­ What about you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep for a little bit.¡± [Your tiredness level has reached 100!] [For the safety of player ¡®Hyun¡¯, the game has been forcibly closed!] [You won¡¯t be able to log in for 12 hours! Take some rest!] As Hyun answered Louise, messages appeared in front of him. After completing everything he had to do, Hyun finally felt relieved. He could feel his body getting suddenly heavier. He was too tired to move to the bed, so Hyun just fell asleep in the capsule. * * * Hyun woke up inside the capsule after half a day of sleeping. He saw the sunlight entering through the window. He wondered if it was morning, but after looking at the clock, he saw it was already nighttime. ¡®I¡­ Missed class again. Let¡¯s just avoid receiving academic probation.¡¯ After eating, he thought about what had happened the day before. He had been able to save Louise due to the sheer amount of lucky things that had happened.. He didn¡¯t remember very well, but he had dreamt about something related to saving Louise. A smile was drawn on Hyun¡¯s face. He felt relieved and proud of his accomplishment. ¡®I never thought I¡¯d be so happy about saving the life of an NPC.¡¯ Except for a few very sensitive people, there weren¡¯t many users who gave a deeper meaning to an NPCs death in Asrian. Hyun had been the same up until recently. When he¡¯d seen the soldier commit suicide while doing the Duke¡¯s Tournament, he was shocked by it, but he hadn¡¯t been vividly touched by his death. But Louise was different¡­ Thinking about Louise¡¯s death made his feelings shake, so he tried his best to calm down. When the sun had been getting closer to them on Iluna, he¡¯d had trouble breathing correctly. Why did he truly care about Louise? With his head cooled down, Hyun thought of a possibility. ¡®I don¡¯t think that it¡¯s because of simple affection.¡¯ Even if Asrian¡¯s NPCs had quite realistic expressions, they were a little bit awkward compared to reality. Even the sensory assimilation was probably about 99%. Although NPCs looked real, they weren¡¯t humans at the end of the day. Users knew the difference between the game and real life. That was probably why users didn¡¯t feel saddened by the death of an NPC. But Hyun could feel that way. Unlike most NPCs he¡¯d met up until then, he couldn¡¯t feel that sense of awkwardness from Louise. It was as if¡­ She was a real human. Chapter 117 Chapter 117 ¨C Shadow Linker (1) ¡®Is it because of ?Assimilation??¡¯ Louise was the first NPC he had used ?Assimilation? on. Because they shared emotions, he¡¯d naturally started to be able to read her thoughts. The first time he¡¯d met Louise, her emotions were almost non-existent. As if she were a doll, she¡¯d just held on to him. The moment he¡¯d ?Assimilated? to her on Iluna, he had experienced another sensation. It didn¡¯t take him long to realize that she¡¯d learned about the different types of emotions in those five years. Maybe the change in Louise¡¯s emotions resulted from a very sophisticated type of brain wave control. But he couldn¡¯t accept such a simple explanation. From NPCs, Asrian was the real world. Obviously, the way they lived differed from users, who were there to have fun. ¡®Oof¡­ I better be careful before using ?Assimilation? on another NPC.¡¯ After taking a shower and cleaning the sweat on the capsule, Hyun lay down in it again. [Logging into Asrian.] Hyun¡¯s figure appeared in the guild¡¯s private room. The events of the previous day¡¯s dawn came up in his mind. ¡ªHe had created a guild and hidden Louise there. ¡®I made sure to set everything up perfectly.¡¯ The Shade Guild¡­ Hyun smiled satisfyingly after looking at how he¡¯d built the private room. The building was built in a style that looked as if modern architecture had been fused with the architecture of a fantasy world. Although the architectural style gave it a medieval feel, the material the building was made of was a polished white alloy. As for the garden that surrounded the residence¡­ There were different natural sceneries like forests with giant trees and fields, among other things. ¡ªThere was even a giant waterfall, so the scale of the residence went beyond an average one. ¡®How much would a house like this cost in real life¡­? It would probably be in the millions, right?¡¯ Hyun had spent in total 70,000 gold. The value of the gold spent was equivalent to almost 50K USD. It was too big and expensive considering that the guild only had a few members. Despite that, Hyun had purchased a lot of space on purpose. He still had a lot of gold. And not only that, he had recently been earning a lot of money. Instead of thinking about money, he wanted to take into consideration possible future members. ¡®There¡¯s nothing bad with having a lot of space in case I want to add more users or NPCs in the future.¡¯ While playing Asra, Hyun had belonged to a guild only for a short period of time. After that, he¡¯d mostly played solo or with Ain sometimes. He originally had no plans of making a guild in Asrian, and if he hadn¡¯t met Louise, he wouldn¡¯t have created one. Hyun was a different person from back then. In the past, he hadn¡¯t been afraid of failing some quests. He had failed a few, but he never became desperate because of that. But what if someone died because of his mistake? Someone who only had one life¡­ Then he had to do everything he could. The guild would allow him to prevent those kinds of situations from happening. ¡®I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll need what, so I better prepare things just in case.¡¯ He saw Louise trembling on a sofa in the lobby when he entered the building. She was probably more tired than he was. He covered Louise with a blanket. ¡®Then it¡¯s finally time.¡¯ Hyun silently walked out of the building. Because he¡¯d been so busy the day before, he hadn¡¯t been able to check out the details of his new job. Shadow Linker. ¡ªThat was the name of his new job. Hyun kind of liked that name. At least it sounded better than ¡®Support¡¯! It sounded cool, even compared to Ain¡¯s Elemental Berserker. ¡®Now, it would be perfect if the skills were actually good.¡¯ The only thing that worried him was that he¡¯d completed the quest through Louise rather than the Knight Commander. According to the quest description, the stronger the NPC from which he received recognition, the better. Louise¡¯s level when she¡¯d fully recognized him was at 200. He still couldn¡¯t understand why her level had increased by 100 points, but he was glad about it. ¡®First, let¡¯s check my status window.¡¯ Hyun opened a simplified version of his status window. Before learning the new skills of his job, he had to check his current status. [ Hyun (Lv. 102) ] HP: 6324/6324 Mana: 930/930 Job: Shadow Linker (Hidden) Tendency: -94 (Abyss) [Strength: 32] [Agility: 94] [Vitality: 62] [Magical Power: 93] [Empathy: 286] [?One Second Absorption? Lv.8] ¨C Increase the defense of a target significantly for one second. ¨C Generate a ?Vision Sword? that equals the damage absorbed. [?Shield? Lv.0] ¨C The attacker becomes stunned. [?Powerless Wave? Lv.2] ¨C Reduce the defense of nearby opponents by [Empathy]X2 times. [?Wind Barrier? Lv.0] ¨C Create a wind wall. [?Pray? Lv.8] ¨C Your mind becomes clearer. ¨C The death penalty becomes 24 hours. ¨C While receiving damage that can kill you, you become immortal for 3 seconds. [?Impact Amplification? Lv.3] ¨C Double the damage that nearby allies deal. [?Invisible? Lv.2] ¨C You become invisible for 2 seconds, and all attacks become critical hit damage. [?Biorhythm Acceleration? Lv.3] ¨C For 3 seconds, your speed is increased by 250% [?Angel¡¯s Basic Sword Art? Lv.5] ¨C If you don¡¯t attack for 8 seconds, your next attack will become 210% stronger. And finally, his ultimate attack had gone from level 0 to 1. As soon as Hyun completed the job ascension, the skill point was automatically used. That was usually either used to strengthen the ultimate attack or change it for another one. He had no intentions of changing it in the first place¡­ But the fact that it increased on its own bothered him a little bit. He decided to take a closer look at the ultimate attack. [?Assimilation? Lv.1] ¨C You can assimilate with a target that¡¯s within 30 meters. (The target¡¯s consent is necessary!) ¨C 20% of your stats are added to the target¡¯s. ¨C The main stat is increased by 50% of your [Empathy] stat. ¨C The level of all the target¡¯s normal skills is increased by 1. ¨C The cooldown time of the target¡¯s skill is decreased by 20%. ¨C The skill effects of the target lose their color. ¨C While ?Assimilating?, you can use the Shadow Linker¡¯s skills. Those were the changes. The distance of Assimilation had gone from 20 meters to 30. The stat increase rate went from 10% to 20%. On top of that, there was a new effect that decreased cooldown times by 20%. ¡ªIt meant that he could use the same skill more frequently. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy * * * ¡®What does it mean that the skills will lose their colors?¡¯ It seemed like a useless effect had been added. Did that mean that colorful magic would become black and white? If he ?Assimilated? to Ain, her red flames would turn black. ¡ªJust like a shadow. ¡®At least it¡¯s going to look cool.¡¯ Hyun tried to imagine Ain waving black flames around. The black flames raging were probably going to look very cool. Although if the effect only made the color change, it wasn¡¯t something relevant. After checking out his stats, it was time to see the new skills. First, he checked out the most important thing. ¡ªThat was if there had been an offensive skill added! But just as expected, most of the Shadow Linker¡¯s skills were either supporting or utility ones. Maybe it was inevitable since it was a job derived from the Support. It was understandable that he wasn¡¯t able to find an offensive skill. ¡®No, there¡¯s one, actually.¡¯ Just one¡­ There was an indirect attack skill that was similar to the ?Vision Sword?. [?Shadow Shield? Lv.8] (¡ù Warning: If you learn this skill, it will be fused with ?One Second Absorption?!) ¨C For 1 second, cover yourself with a dark shield. You can absorb up to [Empathy] X 150 damage. ¨C Save the absorbed damage as Magic. ¨C You can save up to [Empathy] X 500 Magic. ¨C You can create a ?Sword of Darkness? that equals the amount of Magic you have saved. ¨C If you saved up the maximum amount of Magic, the ?Sword of Darkness¡¯s? attack range increases significantly! Just at first glance, it was obvious that ?Shadow Shield? was an upgraded version of ?One Second Absorption?. Wouldn¡¯t it be hard to find two skills with such a similar mechanism? The reason why it was at level 8 as soon as he¡¯d learned it was probably because it had inherited the level of ?One Second Absorption?. If ?One Second Absorption? increased your defense, ?Shadow Shield? absorbed a certain amount of damage. With his current Empathy stat, he could absorb up to 43,000 damage. ¡®Saving the damage received as Magic¡­¡¯ The other change was that the ¡®Vision Sword¡¯ had become the ¡®Sword of Darkness.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t just the name that had changed. It had become a lot more convenient. ?One Second Absorption? turned the damage received at once into the ?Vision Sword?¡­ But the ?Shadow Shield? used a resource called Magic. You could save up different sources of damage. In most situations, the ?Sword of Darkness? would be stronger than the ?Vision Sword?. ¡®I need to learn this skill.¡¯ A skill that was compatible with ?One Second Absorption? and was his only offensive skill! There was no reason to let it rot. [You¡¯ve learned ?Shadow Shield?!] [It has been fused with ?One Second Absorption?!] [The level of ?Shadow Shield? has reached 8!] Just by using five skill points, Hyun was able to have a level 8 ?Shadow Shield?. He still had lots of skill points he could use. Now it was time to learn another skill. He also had a potion that allowed him to reset his skill points, so he wasn¡¯t afraid of learning a skill that wasn¡¯t that useful. ¡®It isn¡¯t bad at all,¡¯ Hyun said while looking at the available skills. ¡®I was afraid of receiving a bad skill set since I ascended the job after being recognized by Louise¡­¡¯ Unexpectedly, the Shadow Linker had a lot of good skills. Was it because it was related to Darkness? That word, which represented one of the three great demons, couldn¡¯t be taken lightly¡­ so maybe it influenced the available skills. The thing he was sure about at the moment was that the skills were better than he expected. While feeling as if he were checking the menu of a buffet, Hyun began looking at the skill list in detail. * * * Hyun used an entire day to research his new skills. ¡ªIt was to create a build with the best possible synergy. He even used one Reversal of Potential. The practice area he¡¯d built in the guild¡¯s private room was perfect for practicing the new skills. While he used the skills on the practice dolls, Louise burst into admiration. ¡°Oh, it looks cool!¡± Hyun smiled at Louise¡¯s reaction. Louise reminded him of a very innocent child. Although she had said her age was fifteen, since she¡¯d lost her memories, maybe her mental age was younger than that. After deciding on a skillset, he spent the rest of the time talking with Louise. Before they knew it, 48 hours had passed since Iluna¡¯s Quest had ended. It was time for Ain to reincarnate. As soon as she logged in, she entered the guild¡¯s private room. ¡°Woah. Hyun, you created all this?¡± Ain smiled after seeing the big outdoor practice range. Checking out the duel arena first was a very typical behavior for Ain. Normally, in that context, Ain would be the first to mention dueling¡­ But that day was different. ¡°Ain, do you want to duel?¡± Hyun asked while making a wicked smile. ¡°Huh?!¡± Surprised, Ain looked at Hyun. To think that Hyun would be the first one to mention dueling! It wasn¡¯t something that happened frequently. A smile was drawn on Ain¡¯s mouth. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes, come at me.¡± ¡°Good for me! But what happened?¡± ¡°Fufu, I wanted to test out my new skills.¡± ¡°Hmm? Did you ascend your job? But since it derives from a Support, you probably won¡¯t be able to beat me¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s duel.¡± Fu- Hyun smiled on the inside. Ain was confident as always. But this time, Hyun was also confident. He wouldn¡¯t have asked her for a duel if he didn¡¯t think he could win. Even if it¡¯s a trick¡­ The end justifies the means, right? ¡®There are no tricks in PvP. It¡¯s the fault of the one who falls for it.¡¯ Ain, who had been solely focused on the fact that they were about to duel, didn¡¯t notice Hyun¡¯s inner thoughts. The duel started immediately. Three, Two, One¡­ Even when the countdown ended, Hyun and Ain moved while maintaining a distance. Tap- Tap- Both had an Agility stat that surpassed 100! They could both reduce the distance or back off almost instantly, so they had to be separated by at least five meters from each other to be safe. The two figures quickly entangled, but they didn¡¯t bump into each other easily. ¡®Did she get better again?¡¯ ¡®As expected, Hyun is different! Although he still can¡¯t beat me¡­¡¯ They were both very familiar with each other¡¯s capabilities. They also knew that it could get dangerous if they made a mistake. The air within the duel arena gradually became more heated. Chapter 118 Chapter 118 ¨C Shadow Linker (2) How Hyun and Ain dueled was different from most users. ¡ªBoth of them moved constantly. Even after tens of seconds had passed, no one had attacked yet. But there was a reason behind those complex movements¡ªthey were looking for the perfect opportunity. The balance broke for a very short time. Fwoosh-! Ain¡¯s eyes shone, and flames rose. Attacks mixed with numerous feints came flying so that they couldn¡¯t be dodged or blocked. At the same time, Hyun¡¯s smile deepened. ¡®I¡¯m not the same as before!¡¯ Crack-! The moment a dark magic circle appeared in the air, Hyun¡¯s figure was devoured by a pitch-black darkness. ?Shadow Shield?¡­ That skill, which could absorb up to a certain fixed amount of damage, could perfectly devour Ain¡¯s flames. High damage was the strong point of the Elemental Berserker! But suddenly, it was also its biggest weakness. The flames died down. Ain¡¯s high attack increased Hyun¡¯s. Hyun¡¯s figure was tinted in darkness, just like the figures they¡¯d seen during the awakening quests. The more Magic he absorbed, the darker he became. ¡®What¡­?!¡¯ An alarm bell rang in Ain¡¯s head. After turning into a shadow, Hyun charged toward her at an incredible speed. Ain quickly twisted her body. ¡®I dodged it¡­!¡¯ Vroom-! The ?Sword of Darkness? brushed past her clothes. No, the moment she thought that, the shadow created an explosion in the air. [The shadow has bound your soul!] [Your speed has decreased by 30% for 10 seconds!] The moment the shadow exploded, Ain felt her body getting heavier. ¡®Is this a debuff skill?¡¯ The one she thought had charged toward her seemed to have been Hyun¡¯s shadow rather than the real him. Just being brushed by that was enough to create an explosion and debuff her. ¡®It isn¡¯t over yet¡­!¡¯ Ain felt Hyun¡¯s shadow approaching her again. It was once again an incredible speed. If she fell for the same skill again, would she become even slower? Then it was too dangerous! Fwoosh-! Ain covered her body with fire. As a path of fire 30 meters long appeared on the floor, her body also moved that distance. She was able to dodge him by using ?Steps of the Incarnate?. Hyun¡¯s shadow couldn¡¯t touch Ain, and there was no explosion that time. ¡®What, again?¡¯ Ain was surprised. The skill was being activated again for a third time. The shadow was once again charging toward her. ¡®How frequently can you use that skill?!¡¯ Because her movements had become sluggish, she had a hard time dodging the attack. ?Latent Potential Increase?! Ain was forced to increase her Agility. Her body became lighter, and she regained mobility. Thanks to that, she was able to dodge the shadow for the third time. Then something unexpected happened¡­ Ain¡¯s eyes widened. Paf! The shadow suddenly changed directions. It was as if it were alive. Then it immediately charged toward her again! Even Ain wasn¡¯t expecting that. The hands of the shadow drew a black half-moon. Ain¡¯s HP dropped to 1. It was over. [The duel has ended!] ¡®Fufu¡­ Perfect, just as expected!¡¯ Hyun¡¯s lips twitched. As the devastated Ain sat down, Hyun made a victory smile inside. Louise, who was watching next to them, clapped. That was a historical day. How many hardships had he gone through since he began playing with the Support job up until then when he was able to beat Ain? That made him like his new job even more. ¡°How did you do that¡­?¡± ¡°What?¡± As Ain asked him after coming back to her senses, Hyun asked back with a sly tone. ¡°That skill has a weird cooldown time.¡± ¡°How is it weird? They¡¯re just normal skills.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you use the same skill three times in less than a second? Hyun, didn¡¯t you use a bug?!¡± Ain was having a hard time admitting her defeat. While doing his best to hide his smile, Hyun showed her his status window. ¡°Check it out yourself.¡± Ain read the description of the two new Shadow Linker skills. The ?Shadow Shield? that absorbed her flames¡­ And then she began reading about the skills he¡¯d used next. [?Phantom Run? Lv.2] ¨C Send a soul of darkness forward. ¨C It explodes if touched by an opponent. ¨C The speed of the opponents touched by the Magic is reduced by 30% for 20 seconds. [?Illusion Run? Lv.2] ¨C Generate a shadow that copies the effect of the last skill you used. ¨C The shadow doesn¡¯t have any effect. [?Shadow Run? Lv.3] ¨C Leave an afterimage and rush forward. ¨C Every time you use the skill, you recharge [Empathy] X 30 Magic. Except for the ?Shadow Shield?, those were the three new skills he¡¯d learned. The original names were different, but Hyun had simplified the names by adding the word ¡°run¡± to all three of them. With her eyes on fire, Ain read the description of the skills while Hyun was satisfied with the result that he had produced. ¡®Haha, that was a perfect chain of attacks.¡¯ Hyun thought of that build after realizing that the effect of those three skills was very similar. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy * * * ?Spirit Run? was a debuff skill that sent forward a shadow that looked like the user. ?Illusion? copied the effect of the previously used skill. ?Shadow Run? was a skill that made him rush forward. Then, most users shouldn¡¯t be able to tell the difference between those three skills, right? Hyun was right. Ain had mistaken the first phantom for him and ended up touching it. Because her speed had decreased by 30%, she¡¯d become warier. Ain became alert as soon as she saw another shadow coming after her once more. She¡¯d used her only moving skill, ?Steps of the Incarnate?, and successfully dodged it, but¡­ ¡®Well, if I didn¡¯t know the details of the skills, I would have also probably fallen for it.¡¯ The second skill Hyun had used was ?Illusion Run?. It was a shell skill with no real effect. Ain, who had fallen for the trap, had used Steps of the Incarnate to dodge the Illusion. And then the first shadow¡­ She probably would¡¯ve never guessed that he was the third shadow. A perfect psychological flaw! For the final attack, he¡¯d personally run up and put in the final blow. ¡®?Phantom?, ?Illusion?, and ?Shadow?¡­ A perfect three-skill combo.¡¯ He had been able to read the opponent correctly. Hyun was proud. He was more proud of the fact that he¡¯d been able to beat Ain using only the new skills. ¡®What if I also use the old skills on top of these?¡¯ Hyun¡¯s heart began beating faster just at the thought of all the possible strategies he was going to be able to use from then on. ¡®If I keep going on like this¡­ Won¡¯t I also become the best in PvP?¡¯ ¡°¡­¡± Ain was silently looking at the recordings of the battle. While she was looking at the video, her eyes burned with intensity. One-on-one PvP was the area in which she was the most confident. Although it was a single round, Hyun could imagine how Ain was feeling at the moment. Even Louise kept a distance from Ain. While Hyun and Louise looked at her, Ain¡¯s lips suddenly moved. ¡°Hyun¡­ Let¡¯s do it again.¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°I think I understand how to tell the difference between the effects. Although they look similar, there¡¯s definitely a difference between them. Now I finally see it.¡± Ain smiled while standing up. ¡°Let¡¯s fight again.¡± ¡°Right now¡­? But I already tested the new skills, so I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll need to duel anymore.¡± He wanted to keep the sense of achievement that defeating Ain in a one-on-one duel gave him, so Hyun wanted to avoid dueling any further. ¡°Let¡¯s duel!¡± ¡°Come on!¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to duel me again?!¡± But Ain didn¡¯t know how to give up. Should he say it was expected from a duel fanatic? Hyun seemed troubled as Ain persistently followed up. ¡°You just lost once, don¡¯t take it to heart. It¡¯s not like we fought seriously. After all, it was a friendly match.¡± ¡°Then do you want to do PK?¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°Fighting without going easy on the other person.¡± It seemed like Ain had become interested in Hyun¡¯s skills. Hearing her make that proposition with a smile gave him goosebumps. She wasn¡¯t going to give up until the end. More than wanting a simple victory, Hyun was starting to feel a killing intent from Ain. Surprised by her zeal, Hyun quickly tried to fix the situation. ¡°No, th¡­ There¡¯s no need to take it that far, right?¡± ¡°A friendly match would be better, see?¡± ¡°Yes, that sounds better!¡± In the end, Hyun and Ain kept dueling for a few more hours. It looked like Ain got used to the Shadow Linker¡¯s skill during that time. As Ain became used to the skills, Hyun was forced to use the old ones too. There was only one thing he could do to guarantee a victory¡­ Victory depended on how much damage he could absorb from Ain with his ?Shadow Shield?. The only offensive attack that the Shadow Linker had was the ?Sword of Darkness?, so the result of the fight depended on that skill. The final result was five victories and five losses. Ain begged for more, but Hyun quickly changed topics, and they stopped dueling for the day. After all, that was a result that sort of satisfied both of them. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t mention dueling in front of her. Although I want to test a little bit more¡­¡¯ Hyun went to the duel arena because he wanted to test his new skills. Hyun went to the duel arena alone one day when Ain wasn¡¯t there. He met a wide variety of users there. Most were Knights, Thiefs, Magicians, and Priests who hadn¡¯t reached level 100 yet, but rather than winning, Hyun cared about testing the new skills. But the problem was that users were surprised by Hyun¡¯s controlling abilities. ¡°Woah, what skill is that?!¡± ¡°Why are you still here? Just go to the upper rankings!¡± Judging by the fact that he didn¡¯t have a normal job, it meant that he was over level 100! Most users lost their will to fight after looking at the unknown shadow skills. On top of that, he mixed feints with ?Spirit? and ?Illusion?! Although it was just three skills, he could combine them in numerous ways. But sadly, there wasn¡¯t any user who showed him a proper reaction. ¡®Finally, I¡¯m in Gold¡­¡¯ After moving upwards in the rankings, Hyun noticed a problem. ¡ªThe fights were starting to get longer. How the Shadow Linker¡¯s attack worked was that it absorbed the opponent¡¯s attack and then used that attack to deal damage to an opponent. If the attack of the opponent was weak, he also became weak. The worst case was when he was matched with an extreme tanker. [Time¡¯s Up! The winner will be decided by the % of HP left!] [You¡¯ve won!] After winning against the tank, Hyun sighed in relief. It took him 30 minutes. After that, if Hyun thought the opponent was a tank, he silently said a few words. ¡®I give up¡­¡¯ While facing opponents with a low attack, it was better to give up. That way, he¡¯d be able to save some time. Hyun had gone there to test the new skills, so winning or losing didn¡¯t matter to him. Unlike tankers against Magicians, it was better to end the fight as soon as possible. ¡°Wh-what?!¡± Surprised because Hyun had suddenly charged toward him, the Magician used a defensive skill. ¡ªThe Wizard tried to protect himself with a translucent membrane. But as if it were magic, the shadow went through the membrane. ?Illusion Run?¡­ The skill he used after ?Illusion? was another ?Illusion?. While the Magician was distracted by the numerous Illusions, Hyun had already moved behind him. As the ?Sword of Darkness? cut him, the Magician became light and scattered away before he could scream. [Three consecutive victories! You¡¯ve earned 22 battle coins!] As he moved on through the categories and kept a winning streak, he was matched against an Assassin who had completed the job ascension quest. According to the message, he was at 25 consecutive victories. Maybe he was a ranker who had just started to use the duel arena. Still, he wasn¡¯t a match for Hyun. ¡°Damn¡­!¡± The Assassin groaned after being hit with the ?Spirit?. Hyun then used an ?Illusion? to trick the Assassin and then used ?Spirit? again. There was no way he wouldn¡¯t fall for a strategy that had even tricked Ain. As the Magic exploded and his movements slowed, the Assassin started visibly struggling in terms of mobility. ¡°What are these shadows¡­?!¡± The Assassin couldn¡¯t concentrate because dark figures were flying around everywhere. ¡ªIt was as if a spiderweb of shadows had trapped him. An ?Illusion? suddenly appeared in front of him. Surprised, he swung his sword. But just like the ?Illusion?, his sword went through the black shadow. He swung his sword again, but it just cut through the air again. ¡°This is also a fake?¡± That was the last thing the Assassin said. Soon, Hyun, who had followed the trail of the ?Illusion?, smashed him with a huge sword. ¡ªIt was a swift and smooth hit, like a shadow. The Assassin died without being able to tell what skill had killed him. [You¡¯ve reached Platinum 3!] ¡°Hmm, I guess this much is okay,¡± Hyun quietly mumbled after seeing he¡¯d reached Platinum. He returned to his senses after spending almost five hours in the duel arena. Chapter 119 Chapter 119 ¨C Asrian Festival (1) ¡®So the most important thing is tricking the opponent¡¯s eyes.¡¯ The most important thing he had gained from the experience in the duel arena was learning to twist his options numerous times. The skill he used the most was ?Illusion Run?. Just sending an ?Illusion? forward was enough to put opponents at a loss. The cooldown time was also five seconds, so he could use it numerous times. To confuse opponents even more, he could perfectly use ?Spirit Run? and make them 30% slower. And then, at the decisive moment, he could use ?Shadow Run?, his moving skill, and finally, end the battle with the ?Sword of Darkness?. It was a simple combo, but he hadn¡¯t seen anyone who could resist it. ¡®So this is its potential in dueling¡­ There were other skills useful for hunting or even boss raids.¡¯ Since it was a job he¡¯d obtained after being recognized by Louise, who was weak, he had initially been worried. What if it was a trash job that only had useless skills? At first, he¡¯d accepted being recognized by Louise based on emotions, but as time went on, he¡¯d started to get a little bit worried. But all of those worries had completely disappeared. Rather than being disappointed, he was very excited about his job and available skills. It was better than expected! Hyun kept smiling in satisfaction. ¡®I should buy Louise something delicious to eat.¡¯ * * * Salon kept looking at the message window. His pride was hurt a little bit. The reason was that Hyun still hadn¡¯t answered the friend request he¡¯d sent the other day. ¡®Why hasn¡¯t he answered?¡¯ After logging in once the 48 hours penalty had ended, Salon had been excited. How should he reply if he had already received an answer? But maybe he would look cheap if he answered immediately¡­! ¡®Even if I accept his proposal, I better wait before answering, right¡­?¡¯ But he had gotten ahead of himself. Salon frowned after looking at his friend list. ¡®Huh¡­?!¡¯ Salon¡¯s eyebrows twitched. Not only had he not received a message yet, Hyun hadn¡¯t even read his friend request. ¡®Has he already forgotten about me?¡¯ He hadn¡¯t refused his friend request¡­ ¡®Or is he busy?¡¯ After thinking for a while, he nodded. ¡®Yes, he¡¯s an amazing player. So he¡¯s probably really busy!¡¯ While Salon was thinking that, Hyun was just hanging out with Louise, but there was no way Salon would know that. ¡®He¡¯ll eventually answer. I should be patient and wait.¡¯ Four days after the Iluna quest had ended¡­ Salon was starting to get anxious. Because he had confidently said he wouldn¡¯t join any guild, he wasn¡¯t receiving any more proposals from famous guilds. He had taken that decision because he was waiting for Hyun to contact him¡­ He never thought he wouldn¡¯t receive any kind of message at all! ¡®If I knew things would become like this, I wouldn¡¯t have ignored that call¡­!¡¯ He regretted it a little bit, but there was no going back. Salon was someone who had pride. ¡®No! I must learn what happened first! Why hasn¡¯t he read my message? Is he really not interested in me?¡¯ The reason was actually quite simple¡­ Hyun¡¯s only friend from Asra Online was Ain. In Asrian, it had remained the same way. However, he had progressed in the social aspect a little bit. Thanks to that, Practice and Jini had been added to his friend list. Hyun had three friends in total in Asrian. He talked with Ain through whisper or the capsule, and he heard updates about the other two from JaeHoon. That¡¯s why Hyun never felt the need to look at his friend list; that was also the reason why he hadn¡¯t seen Salon¡¯s message. There was no way Salon knew about such a situation, so he was immersing himself in delusions and getting upset. ¡®Damn it. I don¡¯t know! My specs are good enough, so why hasn¡¯t he accepted it?!¡¯ Ring-! While he was complaining, Salon heard the sound of a message notification. He quickly opened it. But after looking at the details, he sighed. It wasn¡¯t a message from Hyun. ¡®What¡¯s this? Festival invitation?¡¯ He had received a message from NFM. Annoyed, Salon began reading the contents of it. ¡¸Congratulations! You¡¯ve been chosen as a VIP of the Asrian Festival! To become a VIP, you must be in the top 100 of the Hall of Fame, but there are a few special users who are the exception, including Mr. Salon!¡¹ News about the Asrian Festival had been a hot issue among users. After Iluna¡¯s Quest, that had been the biggest news. Due to how often he frequented the community boards he had obviously heard about it. ¡®VIP user?¡¯ He wasn¡¯t in the top 100 of the Hall of Fame. If he¡¯d received the message despite that, it meant he was among the ¡®few special users.¡¯ ¡®Hmm¡­ It seems like the people from the game company know something about recognizing people.¡¯ After seeing the words ¡®special user¡¯, Salon¡¯s mood improved. Satisfied, Salon kept reading the message. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy * * * [ Many users are waiting for an update from you! We¡¯ve prepared some special gifts for the users who are willing to give an interview! ] Participate in the festival and show yourself off to users worldwide! You can also obtain special Asrian perks during the festival! Let¡¯s all spend an intense Asrian day! It was basically an invitation to an offline event. Finally, the map of where the event was going to take place was drawn. Not only that, but it seemed like the company would take care of all expenses of VIP users, including plane tickets and hotels. ¡°Meeting all the top rankers¡­ It sounds fun.¡± After reading the last part, he noticed something. ¡°Wait, this festival is in Korea?!¡± He suddenly realized something¡­ There was no way they hadn¡¯t received an invitation. Hyun and Ain were probably going to be there! If they were Asra users, they definitely had to be Koreans, so Salon thought he would probably be able to meet them. Even if he weren¡¯t Korean, Hyun would surely participate in the festival. ¡®Yes, I¡¯ll just go and meet them!¡¯ Salon quickly checked out the date of the festival. Even if he started to prepare immediately for his visit to Korea, there were lots of things he needed to take care of. Salon¡¯s heart started to beat faster. There was an expectant smile on Salon¡¯s face while he made his travel arrangements. * * * Salon wasn¡¯t the only user who got an invitation. 15 people had received invitations in the Darkness Guild. ¡ªThe top six executives were included in that 15. Even though they weren¡¯t in the Hall of Fame, XL and Reina were also invited. ¡ªThat showed how prestigious Darkness was. ¡°So, who¡¯s going to Korea?¡± The private room of the Darkness Guild¡­ Reina questioned everyone while looking around. ¡°I¡¯m already in Korea¡­¡± Keiji, who had just joined the executive team, said. Although it was for a short while, Keiji had once reached 2nd place in the rankings in Asra Online. Because he was an Asra Online user, he was probably Korean. ¡ªThat¡¯s why he¡¯d received a train ticket instead of a plane ticket. ¡°Anyone else?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Since I¡¯ve been invited, I¡¯ll go. After all, the hotel and food are going to be free.¡± ¡°I¡¯m also going!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t.¡± Piace and Mayday accepted. Bear Shield said he couldn¡¯t go because of personal reasons. Some people who hadn¡¯t been invited said that they were also going. The reason why they were planning to go to Korea was simple¡­ Big guilds received the support of sponsors. As long as you were part of a guild, focusing solely on gaming was egotistical. You needed to do things like appear in shows and events and make sure that the name of the sponsors appeared everywhere. Since they were receiving support from them, it was normal business stuff they had to do. Especially in an official event like that, they had to be there. ¡°No need to feel pressured. Just think of it as a vacation.¡± After checking out how many would participate, XL tried to lighten the atmosphere. Reina smiled and spoke. ¡°Fu, our guild leader will probably spend the event trying to recruit people.¡± ¡°Haha, that¡¯s one of the reasons why I¡¯m going.¡± ¡°Is Lattice going to come? Although I think there¡¯s a huge possibility that he won¡¯t.¡± ¡°I¡¯m more interested in Ain. How do you think she looks?¡± Mayday suddenly mumbled. The rest of the guild members nodded. According to the previous game¡¯s ranker, Keiji, Ain had approximately five years of experience. But from her appearance, she seemed to be a middle school student. Had she customized her outer appearance? That seemed to be the only reasonable explanation. Their doubts would soon be answered. Of course, that was also if Ain participated in the event. * * * Asrian¡¯s first offline event¡­ NFM did its best to promote the festival. Asrian Festival was slowly becoming more than a ¡®simple game festival¡¯ and was becoming a festival for all gamers. It was understandable since Asrian had tens of millions of online users at all times. The total amount of users was over a hundred million. The community boards were very active with topics related to the festival. Users spent the whole day discussing the information NFM had made public. ¨C News! They¡¯re going to announce the rules of the tournament! ¨C They said that it¡¯s a PvP that has a special system added on top of it¡­ I can¡¯t imagine what they¡¯re talking about. The tournament was the hottest topic among users. According to the announcement, they would announce information related to it during the festival. It had been a few months since Asrian¡¯s servers opened. But most people thought the tournament wouldn¡¯t be viable if it were similar to how the duel arena worked. Then, how were they planning to organize the tournament? Due to the game¡¯s nature, many people were skeptical about the tournament. ¨C But this is an RPG game. People who¡¯ve spent hours and hours are going to have an advantage. Is a competition even possible? ¨C That¡¯s why they said they would balance that with a system. ¨C Well, the developers are going to take care of that, so we just have to wait until the announcements. NFM said that they were going to stream the event. Users could see what was going on even though their homes. But many foreign users were planning to travel to Korea to participate in the event. ¨C Can someone share with me some travel information? ¨C Get somewhere to stay first. It seems most of the hotels around that area are fully booked. ¨C Fufu, I¡¯m also going to Korea. I¡¯ve told my wife that it¡¯s job-related travel. ¨C It seems that some gaming teams are traveling in groups. While gamers worldwide were excited because of Asrian, the event had also become a hot issue in the science community. Kwon DaeHo was a legend among modern scientists. He had won three Nobel Prizes in three different fields. He had announced that he would return after eight years of absence. Many articles appeared in all sorts of media. Kwon DaeHo was someone who remained calm or even looked bored while announcing theories that shook up the world. The anecdote about him re-organizing a formula he had written in a notebook and announcing it that got him a Nobel Prize was famous. If he said ¡®Important Announcement,¡¯ just how impressive would that be? After hearing that Kwon DaeHo was going to return, most scientists couldn¡¯t sleep because of excitement. Coincidentally, the announcement was going to be made next to where the Asrian Festival was going to take place. A game festival and a scientific announcement being made in the same event venue was hard to see. Many scientists hadn¡¯t heard about a game called Asrian. They were going to participate in an academic conference that would take place in a building that was next to where the festival would take place. They wanted to see with their own eyes what kind of impressive announcement he was going to make. Chapter 120 Chapter 120 ¨C Asrian Festival (2) ¡°Oof, finally, all the preparations are done,¡± Robert Connor, one of Asrian¡¯s developers, said while wiping off his sweat. Mary, who was next to him, scolded him while laughing. ¡°Haha, I finished everything a week ago.¡± Asrian was a game that didn¡¯t need any special maintenance. They couldn¡¯t change anything without authorization from Kwon DaeHo, so it would be more accurate to say that it wasn¡¯t necessary to do any maintenance. That¡¯s why they usually didn¡¯t have anything to do. Because of that, only Robert and Mary were there most of the time. But that day, the entire development team was present. It was the first time everyone was present since Asrian was launched. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that everything I¡¯ve done in my life was for this moment. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever be able to do something more amazing than this,¡± Kang SeongCheol said while sighing. He was one of the most prominent figures in the Artificial Intelligence field. ¡°I agree. For physicists like me, it will probably be a shock equivalent to when they announced the theory of relativity or when quantum mechanics first appeared.¡± Robert chimed in. ¡°If we¡¯re going to pare it with something, it should be at least the industrial revolution or the invention of the internet.¡± Mori Wataru, a genius of programming and simulation, agreed with what Robert said. ¡°Tomorrow will be a turning point for mankind.¡± Everyone agreed with those words. Eight years before¡­ The reason why Kwon DaeHo had created a team that consisted of the best scientists wasn¡¯t just to create a game. The game was used as a base for the research, and it also created a ripple effect that maximized the results. Of course, even with the announcement, most people would still think of Asrian as a simple game. The average person couldn¡¯t distinguish between a ¡®game¡¯ and a ¡®simulator.¡¯ But in a few years, no, months, everyone would get to know the real value of Asrian. Until then, humanity had lived in a prehistoric era, and now, they¡¯d finally found a new ¡®fire.¡¯ ¡°Is everyone ready to surprise the world?¡± Kwon DaeHo said after doing the last inspection. Everyone nodded. ¡°Okay, this is the last day before the festival; let¡¯s go and celebrate!¡± * * * On the first day of the festival¡­ Asrian users, and even some people who weren¡¯t interested in games, had been waiting for that day. Kwon DaeHo¡¯s big announcement was the headline of all news. Some articles had correctly guessed a possible relationship between Kwon DaeHo¡¯s announcement and Asrian¡¯s Festival. All of their doubts would be answered that night. Although the festival hadn¡¯t started yet, the venue was already full of people. The venue where the event was going to take place was the biggest exposition center in Korea. At the time of construction, people had wondered if there was a need for the place to be so huge, but even that place looked small at that moment. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry¡­ We¡¯re already fully booked. That¡¯s right, we don¡¯t have free rooms until the Asrian Festival ends.¡± All of the hotels near the event venue received calls from all over the world asking if there were any available rooms. The employees were thankful for the invention of the auto translator. ¡°Darling¡­ Is it okay to e here? You said that the movie wasn¡¯t finished yet.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s okay.¡± One middle-aged couple was leaving the hotel acpanied by their kids. The middle-aged man was Steven Young. He was one of the most talented and famous movie directors. ¡°There¡¯s only the CG work left, so I can check that later.¡± Steven had reserved the suite room of the Busan Hotel. His wife was happy at the sudden proposal to travel to Korea, but on the other hand, she couldn¡¯t hide her doubts. Did he say that the reason for traveling to Korea was because of a video game event? Someone who had never been interested in games had bought a capsule and spent hours inside the game. Not only that, but he¡¯d spent almost a thousand dollars in Asrian. ¡°This is also part of my job,¡± Steven had said while laughing. He still remembered that scene vividly. He had been changing TV channels when he¡¯d seen Salon. At that moment, Steven felt as if lightning had struck him. He saw the actions he wanted to express so much on the screen. How about the actor? You could feel the pressure in his facial expression. ¡®Is there a movie like this?¡¯ It was impossible that he had never heard of a movie like that¡­! Then he¡¯d discovered something while looking at the screen in astonishment. It wasn¡¯t a movie, but the scene of a game. Steven was so surprised that he¡¯d stared blankly at the TV. Since he hadn¡¯t been able to calm down, he¡¯d written an article at midnight and posted it on the internet. ¡®They said he isn¡¯t an actor, but a normal person¡­¡¯ He remembered Salon¡¯s face again. ¡®And that girl isn¡¯t a real person, but an NPC with artificial intelligence¡­¡¯ And the girl with a white robe¡­ To be honest, he was more impressed by the NPC girl than the user named Salon. He probably wouldn¡¯t be able to forget the scene of her shedding tears with her teeth closed. ¡®Kwon DaeHo¡­ What did that monster create?¡¯ Steven Young was one of the few people who knew that Kwon DaeHo was the one in charge of Asrian. Due to his great interest in Asrian, Young had done some research. Using his own influence as a director, he was able to find out information that was hidden to the public Steven didn¡¯t think he was a normal person, but he thought that Kwon DaeHo was certainly someone bigger than him. He was probably one of those rare geniuses born once in a million years. Steven heard the news of Kwon DaeHo¡¯s big announcement after arriving in Korea. After seeing the news, he confirmed that his feelings were right. ¡®As expected. I don¡¯t know why, but I felt that I had to e to Korea.¡¯ Maybe he would even witness the starting point of a great revolutionary event. If his thoughts were right¡­ It would be as if the movie industry had received a camera from the future for free. No, every industry would¡¯ve gained something as valuable as that. ¡®I haven¡¯t been this excited since I was a kid.¡¯ Steven smiled while waiting for that night¡¯s cataclysm. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy * * * SeoHyun woke up early to leave for Busan. After he arrived at the event venue, the watch marked 11 o¡¯clock. The festival was going to take place in a giant venue where multiple events usually happened simultaneously. But the entire place had been reserved for Asrian¡¯s festival. That meant that most of the people there were Asrian users. ¡°Woah¡­ What¡¯s up with this crowd¡­?¡± SeoHyun felt like he was in the amusement park during the children¡¯s day. With so many people, Korea¡¯s biggest event venue felt small. Hyun saw a group of people that stood out while he looked around the venue. ¡®What¡¯s up with them?¡¯ Hyun tilted his head after seeing the group of suspicious people. It was a group of middle-aged foreigners wearing suits and walking somewhere. They were talking about something with very serious expressions on their faces. ¡®They don¡¯t seem like people on a holiday¡­¡¯ Hyun hadn¡¯t brought his translator, so he couldn¡¯t understand what they were talking about. Those average-looking middle-aged people were actually scientists of great authority. They¡¯d traveled a long distance to hear Kwon DaeHo¡¯s important announcement. ¡®Are they foreign NFM staff? But they seem old for that.¡¯ SeoHyun was unaware that there was an academic conference going on next to where the festival was being held. Most gamers didn¡¯t care about academic stuff, so most had similar thoughts to SeoHyun. ¡®No, maybe they¡¯re users. Just because they¡¯re middle-aged doesn¡¯t mean they can¡¯t game.¡¯ After capsule-based virtual reality games appeared, the age spectrum of people who enjoyed playing games widened. Especially Asrian Online. This game was the first to use sensory synchronization, marking a milestone in video game history. They said that even older people who had trouble moving had begun playing Asrian. ¡®Although I¡¯m not sure why they¡¯re wearing suits.¡¯ Distracted by his surroundings, Hyun soon forgot about them. He had bee distracted by the sheer amount of things to see in the event hall. There were lots of capsules you could use to experience certain events. There probably wouldn¡¯t be another opportunity to try out the numerous jobs available in Asrian. Many stands also sold things related to Asrian. Some guilds were even given big booths. SeoHyun saw Korea¡¯s former top-ranking guild Hwarang¡¯s booth. Although they used to be ranked 1st, they had dropped from the top 10. That was because guilds that were, in reality, professional gaming teams had taken control of the top positions in the rankings. It was obvious that something like that was going to happen. After all, in Asrian, more than the items, your skill in controlling the character was more important. ¡®Should I change my capsule?¡¯ A new model of capsule caught Hyun¡¯s attention. It seemed like it had extras like automatic cleaning and muscle stimulation, allowing you to game for more hours without harming your health. ¡®Hmm¡­ I don¡¯t like that you had to be nude to use it.¡¯ After looking for a while, Hyun shook his head. He had to avoid making pulsive purchases just because he had more money now. He would probably be able to find a more effective capsule if he really wanted to anyway. Hyun looked at the time. ¡®It¡¯s about time.¡¯ It was about to be 12:00 pm. It was about when he had arranged to meet up with Ain. Hyun felt a weird sensation while looking at the number he had saved on his phone. He had heard Ain¡¯s voice numerous times, but it was his first time calling her! When he thought about it, except for family members, wasn¡¯t it the first time he had saved a girl¡¯s phone number? Those feelings disappeared as soon as he heard Ain¡¯s familiar voice. ¡°Hyun, where are you?¡± ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m near the giant statue of an Angel.¡± ¡°Oh, you mean near the statue of the Angel of Truth, right?¡± ¡°Yes, e here. I¡¯ll be waiting for you!¡± If it were other people, that shouldn¡¯t have been enough information to pinpoint someone¡¯s location, but for both of them, who were very familiar with everything related to Asrian, it was the most obvious place possible. SeoHyun walked through the multitude and went outside. Just as if it were an amusement park, the outside was full of various facilities. ¡®Just how much effort did NFM put into this festival¡­?¡¯ He was surprised. ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± After walking around the sculpture while looking around, SeoHyun saw Ain, who was wearing a hat and a face mask. ¡°Ain¡­?¡± ¡°Hyun, you came!¡± Had she heard Hyun¡¯s voice? After making sure it was him, she walked toward him. She grabbed Hyun by the collar and took him to a place with fewer people. It seemed like she¡¯d noticed Hyun¡¯s gaze. ¡°I usually walk around like this.¡± ¡°Wearing a hat and mask?¡± After asking that, Hyun realized something¡­ He thought that only famous people walked around while wearing those kinds of things, but when he thought about it, thanks to Asrian, Ain had bee quite famous worldwide. In a place where there were so many Asrian users, Ain was a celebrity. ¡°Without these, things will get annoying.¡± Ain took off her mask and smiled. Ain¡¯s face which he always saw inside the game was in front of him. Her height, face, and atmosphere were exactly the same. Although her hair was a little bit longer¡­ That was probably because she¡¯d changed her hairstyle before meeting Radiette. ¡°So this is the real Hyun.¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying another weird thing. Were you expecting a fake one¡­?¡± ¡°Fufufu¡­¡± Ain seemed to be having more fun than ever. He could feel her excitement from her steps. Since Ain wasn¡¯t looking around, it was Hyun who checked out their surroundings. Many people were already looking at them because Ain had taken off her mask. ¡°I¡­ think that you should wear a mask.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ain realized the situation after looking around. She smiled while showing her white teeth. ¡°See? It¡¯s unfortable!¡± Most people that went to the festival knew Ain¡¯s face. Because her appearance was very similar to her game appearance it was understandable that she dragged a lot of attention. Ain put on her mask again and mumbled. ¡°This is why I¡¯ve said you should be careful about appearing on the videos. If I¡¯m dragging this much attention, imagine how bothersome it would be if people knew your face.¡± After calming the overly excited Ain down, they began walking. There were lots of things related to Asrian at the festival, so they didn¡¯t have time to be bored. Not only that, but Ain was more talkative than usual. She had finally met Hyun in real life. Not only that, but she¡¯d gone with him to the Asrian Festival. That¡¯s why she was more excited than usual. He felt she would keep talking forever, so Hyun changed topics first. ¡°First, let¡¯s go get something to eat. Let¡¯s keep looking around after that.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah!¡± Suddenly, Ain¡¯s eyes widened. She showed him something on her phone. ¡°I¡¯m going to buy food. I can eat for free!¡± ¡°Hmm? What are you talking about?¡± ¡°I received a VIP invitation. Hyun, you didn¡¯t receive one?¡± ¡°VIP¡­?¡± It was the first time Hyun had heard about that. Hyun checked the details of it on Ain¡¯s phone and was astonished. ¡°What, there was something like this¡­?!¡± Free hotels, travel tickets, and special event items! The VIP invitations were limited to the top 100 users of the Hall of Fame and a few special users. Ain was one of those special users. ¡®But then why am I¡­?¡¯ Hyun looked at Ain¡¯s phone with a blank face. Chapter 121 Chapter 121 ¨C Asrian Festival (3) SeoHyun quickly went through his inbox, but he couldn¡¯t find anything. ¡°Wait, why didn¡¯t I receive an invitation?!¡± ¡°Fufu, isn¡¯t that because my performance was more amazing?¡± ¡°No! Let¡¯s be honest, I¡¯ve been doing most of the things recently, right?¡± ¡°But you didn¡¯t receive one.¡± The ones who had sent the invitations were the people in management rather than the people in charge of development. Robert, one of the main developers, was so interested in Hyun that he spent most of the day looking at his gameplay. But the ones who had chosen the special users were the people in management. There was no way people from NFM knew about him since, most of the time, he played hidden like a shadow, thanks to ?Assimilation?. But Hyun, who didn¡¯t know about that, felt disappointed. ¡®Was my performance really that lackluster? Even though I¡¯m doing all the main quests? Damn it, if I hadn¡¯t started the game as a Support¡­!¡¯ Ultimately, he had no choice but to lean on Ain¡¯s invitation. Ain was bragging about the fact that, with the invitation, she could buy food for up to four people in any restaurant around the area. SeoHyun had to spend a humiliating lunch while watching Ain. Hyun, who was upset with the management, extended his hand and asked. ¡°Let me see the invitation. I want to know what all the fuss is about.¡± Hyun took the phone from Ain. There wasn¡¯t anything special. They simply asked for a few things in exchange for providing those who were invited with good benefits. For example, accepting a short interview or participating in some events. They said that they¡¯d give you extra presents if you did those things anyway. You could receive skins you could use inside the game or titles, among other things. They weren¡¯t things that gave you extra stats or abilities, but they were things that any Asrian user would lust over. Ain seemed to find Hyun¡¯s reaction funny, so she gave him a light smile and spoke. ¡°I don¡¯t need to do anything. It¡¯s not like I came here to do an interview.¡± Ain wasn¡¯t interested in cosmetic rewards. It seemed like she didn¡¯t need to say yes to what the administrators asked of her, and she didn¡¯t want to. Hyun¡¯s eyes unconsciously widened as he read the invitation. It wasn¡¯t on purpose¡­ But he ended up looking at Ain¡¯s personal information. He even read her real name, which he hadn¡¯t known until then. ¡°Wait¡­!¡± Hyun exclaimed, surprised. ¡°Were you using your real name as your ID¡­?!¡± Jeong Ain¡­ After many years of knowing her, that was his first time seeing her real name. Perplexed, Ain stuttered. ¡°Wh-what about it? You¡¯re also using your name!¡± ¡°It¡¯s different. I¡¯m using only part of my name. You look exactly the same as your character and use your real name as your ID, so what¡¯s the point of using a mask and hat?! This¡­!¡± Surprised, Hyun was about to say something when he was startled. Ain¡¯s fingers flinched. Although in real life she was only an average girl who couldn¡¯t use magic, if it were her, she would probably do something. Before she could say anything, Hyun changed his words. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit of someone confident! Yeah. So that¡¯s why you looked cool from the first time I saw you!¡± Hyun tried to fix the atmosphere with a clear change in attitude. Ain looked at Hyun with a mysterious expression on her face. After a while, she smiled. Had she fallen for it? No, maybe she was acting as if she¡¯d fallen for it. Ain had been laughing that day more than she usually did. * * * After finishing lunch, Hyun and Ain walked around the festival. They were passing in front of a shop. ¡°Hyun, doesn¡¯t that look cool?¡± Ain suddenly said. Hyun looked in the direction Ain pointed. Reaper¡­ A cute-looking black, articulated doll was holding a scythe. It was one of the Reapers that had appeared on Iluna. Iluna¡¯s Quest had bee very famous among users. Looking at how they¡¯d released dolls of it, it seemed like they¡¯d left a deep impression on the people. ¡°Fu, since you covered the lunch, I¡¯ll buy you the doll.¡± SeoHyun bought her the doll for $5 USD. Ain smiled happily at the gift. She looked exactly like she did inside the game. But when he took a closer look at her, the real Ain was quite different from the in-game Ain. No, it was pletely different. ¡®I think that she looks a little bit cuter¡­¡¯ Hyun quickly brushed off those thoughts. Ain was still in high school, so thoughts like that weren¡¯t okay. ¡®Seeing her like this makes me realize that she¡¯s really a high school student.¡¯ The festival looked like a giant arcade. Similar to the Count¡¯s Quest¡­ No, an Asrian paradise even bigger than that! SeoHyun and Ain walked through the booths showcasing all kinds of content. There were a few booths that recreated famous quests. There was even one that recreated the ¡®Iluna¡¯s Quest.¡¯ Even a person without an Asrian account could feel the tense atmosphere of that quest. Not only that, but they could do it while using any job they wanted! Looking at the screen of people playing in the booths was also fun. ¡°Hyun, look over there!¡± Ain suddenly said while pointing somewhere with her finger. There was a booth that had more people than the others. ¡°Isn¡¯t that me?¡± At Ain¡¯s question, Hyun read the description at the top of the booth and swallowed his breath. He hadn¡¯t read wrong. There was an illustration of a girl resembling Ain on the booth¡¯s wall. Ain, with a black robe and flames on both of her hands. ¡°What¡¯s that¡­?¡± * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy * * * Hyun couldn¡¯t believe what he was seeing. Who had created that booth? SeoHyun felt embarrassed. Ain was a Close-Range Magician and not a Dark Priest. Although the skill mechanism of both jobs was similar, they were clearly two different jobs. Was it okay for them to provide fake information like that? That mistake was made by NFM since, unlike the developers, they couldn¡¯t see the details of the users for privacy reasons, but SeoHyun wasn¡¯t aware of that. ¡®Many people in the munity boards have already realized that Ain isn¡¯t a Dark Priest.¡¯ Whether the information was real or not, it didn¡¯t change the fact that they were using Ain¡¯s image. According to the NFM user agreement, players could ask for their information to be blocked. Although they wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything if they said that the girl in the illustration wasn¡¯t Ain¡­ But the biggest problem was that Ain didn¡¯t seem to care. ¡°Huh, why is she standing still¡­?!¡± Ain didn¡¯t seem to care that her image was being used without her permission; she was absorbed by the screen and yelling at it. Judging by how she was wriggling her fingers, was she wanting to play so much that she was feeling itchy? SeoHyun smiled after seeing that. ¡®Yes, there¡¯s no need to overthink things here.¡¯ To be honest, even if the existence of the Close-Range Magician became known, it wouldn¡¯t cause them problems. Hyun mumbled from next to Ain. ¡°Woah, but that person is really bad¡­ It looked like she was dancing alone¡­ and a very weird dance on top of that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying!¡± ¡°Haha, do you want to try it? I¡¯m sure people will get excited if the real one appears.¡± Ain seemed tempted, but she shook her head after looking at the long line. ¡°No thanks, it¡¯s the job I use every day¡­ So I want to try something different today.¡± ¡°Something different? Like what?¡± Ain looked around but soon discovered something. ¡°How¡­ about that?¡± The booth Ain pointed toward didn¡¯t have a long line. After checking out the screen, Hyun understood what it was about. It was an obstacle race¡­ But the way of running was special. You had to run in pairs. Only one person could run, and the other one had to defeat the obstacles while being hugged by the other person. That meant that, while running, you had to hug the other person for the entirety of the race! Hyun suddenly noticed something¡­ All of the people who were lining up were couples. Because they were trying to avoid the obstacles, the people appearing on screen were making intimate physical contact. ¡°No¡­ Let¡¯s do another thing.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°It¡¯s embarrassing¡­¡± ¡°Really¡­? But you already touched it while using ?Assimilation?.¡± ¡°No, I did what?!¡± Surprised, SeoHyun looked around. Thankfully, it seemed like no one else had heard. ¡°Please, don¡¯t say things that could be misunderstood! I swear I never thought those kinds of things!¡± ¡°Should I try to guess what you thought while using ?Assimilation?¡­?¡± Before another weird thing came out of Ain¡¯s mouth, SeoHyun changed topics. Ain really wanted to play that¡­ but they could do it if another Asrian Festival opened in the future. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s find something related to dueling since you like that.¡± The only way to calm her down was, as usual, dueling. They soon found a 1v1 screen. SeoHyun and Ain didn¡¯t know, but Bishop Man was famous online. Thanks to that fame, Bishop Man was invited as a VIP user. Not only that, but he was in charge of a duel event. The way of dueling in the event was a bit strange. ¡ªYou couldn¡¯t use items. ¡ªBoth players had the same stats and skill points. It was a duel with the same specs. Even with those conditions, Bishop Man had won 35 consecutive times. That win streak was obviously broken once Ain appeared. People showed amazed reactions after Ain appeared. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Ain! As expected, she came!¡± ¡°I knew she would e to a duel event!¡± ¡°It seems like she¡¯s going to face Bishop Man again!¡± The moment the capsule read her genetic information, Ain¡¯s character appeared on the screen. Ain¡¯s character was wearing the black robe that had bee almost her symbol, and she was smiling with narrowed eyes. To think that the girl wearing a hat and a face mask was Ain! In an instant, many people started gathering as if they were clouds. Because the duel lasted only three minutes, they were able to sneak out of there relatively fast. ¡°I don¡¯t have a sign. Don¡¯t follow me. If you stalk me, I will report you to the police!¡± Unexpectedly, Ain seemed used to those kinds of situations. She handled the situation so cleanly that it seemed like she had some sort of manual. SeoHyun felt bad. He could feel how much she¡¯d struggled after being famous. He felt sorry because he thought he was one of the culprits of the hardship she was going through because of her fame. SeoHyun vowed to treat her more kindly from then on. ¡ªExcept for when she did things like before. ¡®They say that celebrities can¡¯t go anywhere without bodyguards.¡¯ He was worried for a bit, but it soon calmed down. Most people seemed satisfied by looking at her from a distance. Although Ain was famous, there were many other famous users around the place. Thankfully, Hyun and Ain were able to enjoy the festival without people bothering them. It was almost night when they arrived at the sector where all the guilds were. It was interesting to see all the guilds trying to recruit people as if it were a job fair. Many top users gathered at the festival, so it was the perfect place to try to make those people join them. ¡®Stardust?¡¯ Hyun found a familiar logo while he was looking around. Most professional gaming teams were managed as guilds, so it was understandable that Stardust had a guild booth. Hyun visited that booth because he was familiar with the name. He even met JaeHoon there. ¡°Oh? SeoHyun, what are you doing here?¡± JaeHoon smiled as soon as he saw SeoHyun¡¯s face. After looking to his side, he shouted in surprise. ¡°Woah, Ain is here too! Are you two together even here?¡± ¡°Well, yeah.¡± Stardust was a professional gaming team and a guild¡ªthey were ranked second in Korea at that moment. Although there still hadn¡¯t been an official tournament, it was widely known that they even had tens of very petitive reserve players. SeoHyun looked around. It belonged to a famous gaming team, so the interior was bigger and more organized than others. ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± SeoHyun sensed a weird atmosphere from inside. The players and coaches who were inside the booth seemed serious. The atmosphere was pletely different from the outside. It looked as if they were about to play an important match. Their expressions didn¡¯t match the festive atmosphere around them. ¡°Oh, that.¡± JaeHoon, who had noticed Hyun¡¯s doubt, spoke while smiling. ¡°They said they were going to announce the rules of the tournament¡­ Our team is in charge of the first demonstration match, so everyone is nervous.¡± ¡°Tournament? Professional gamers have a lot of hardships, too, huh?¡± ¡°Haha, this is our job, after all.¡± According to the homepage, first, they would make an important announcement. Then, they would explain how the tournament system worked. All the professional gaming teams were on alert because of that. After all, establishing a good strategy as fast as possible according to the tournament rules would be the easiest way to take the lead. Chapter 122 Chapter 122 ¨C Revolution (1) It seemed like people from Stardust had already heard a few details. JaeHoon murmured in a low voice after taking a look around. ¡°The rumors say specs will be less relevant.¡± ¡°What? If specs aren¡¯t important anymore¡­ Professional gamers won¡¯t need to level up characters, right?¡± ¡°Not exactly. You can¡¯t ignore experience and proficiency. The number of skills is going to be different, too.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Are they going to distribute stats fairly and make people duel?¡± SeoHyun asked while thinking about Ain and Bishop Man¡¯s duel. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to be that simple. It seems like each match is going to last around 30 minutes¡­ Nobody knows what format they¡¯re going to choose.¡± ¡°That sounds hard¡­¡± The more he heard JaeHoon¡¯s explanation, the more plicated his mind became. SeoHyun shook his head. He was glad he wasn¡¯t a professional gamer. ¡°They¡¯re going to announce it tonight?¡± ¡°Yes, and the first match will take place tomorrow.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t have time to prepare.¡± ¡°Although it isn¡¯t an official match, if you have time, e and see it. I¡¯ve been chosen as a player.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± He didn¡¯t have much time to talk with JaeHoon. Professional gaming was the kind of job that didn¡¯t let you relax, even at festivals like that. SeoHyun didn¡¯t want to take time out from a busy person. A tournament system¡­ Hyun didn¡¯t understand what he meant when he said specs would lose importance. ¡®I guess I¡¯ll soon find out.¡¯ SeoHyun and Ain began wandering around other places. There weren¡¯t many things that bothered them¡­ Except for the staff member that came running toward them. How had they managed to find Ain in such a big place? The staff member asked her with a deep bow, so Ain had no choice but to accept being interviewed. But even things like that were funny to Hyun. They became hungry after playing around for a while, but thanks to Ain¡¯s VIP invitation, that didn¡¯t matter. Something special happened when they were having dinner together¡­ Hyun suddenly felt that people who were eating began mumbling. As he looked around, he saw that everyone was looking at their phones. At that moment, Kwon DaeHo was about to make an announcement. ¡°What¡­ Did something happen¡­?¡± ¡°It seems like something important happened!¡± Ain noticed that the people around them were looking at internet news sites. All websites were full of news related to Kwon DaeHo. ¡ªIt was the same for foreign sites. ¡®Kwon DaeHo¡­?¡¯ Even Hyun, who wasn¡¯t interested in studying, knew that name. He was someone with the ability to draw the attention of everyone around the world. SeoHyun seemed confused. He wasn¡¯t sure why DaeHo¡¯s name was being mentioned alongside NFM. ¡°What¡­ Wasn¡¯t the important announcement related to Asrian?¡± ¡°Yes! It seems like he¡¯s the one responsible for Asrian!¡± ¡°What?!¡± SeoHyun was surprised. There wasn¡¯t a single user who knew about the fact that Kwon DaeHo was the person behind Asrian. Why was the person called the genius of the century developing games? The details about that were being discussed in the next building¡¯s seminar room. * * * ¡°Asrian isn¡¯t a world created with gaming as a purpose.¡± It was a giant seminar room that nearly a thousand people could enter. The most important academics, presenters, and reporters were gathered there. Even big news channels could only gain access for two people at a maximum to enter the seminar room¡ªthe number of people inside was strictly controlled. That¡¯s how big Kwon DaeHo¡¯s announcement was. Kwon DaeHo¡¯s low voice spread through the room while everyone was alert. ¡°Asrian is one big simulator. Not only is it posed of elemental particle levels, but it also represents the strong force, weak force, electromagnetic force, and gravity. Although a fifth force called magical power was added¡­ that¡¯s just an extra option.¡± Kwon DaeHo had put all the variables from the real world into the game. In other words, it was a world that was exactly like the real one. If those words were true, it was something astonishing. Many people had copied the world, but there hadn¡¯t been anyone capable of recreating the world. From a certain point of view, wasn¡¯t that just like being a god? ¡°Our team has successfully managed to do 1049 important modern scientific tests inside Asrian. The results of those were identical to the ones that were conducted in real life.¡± Only Kwon DaeHo¡¯s voice could be heard in the seminar room. The audience was silent. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy * * * Those who understood Kwon DaeHo¡¯s words were shaking. ¡°Then, we changed our goals to tests that are impossible to do in real life¡­ For example, recreating the origin of the universe! Although it was harder to do than the ones before it, we also succeeded in pleting that as well.¡± Kwon DaeHo began explaining how they¡¯d built the world of Asrian. ¡ªThey¡¯d used the simulator to cause a big bang and create the universe. Creating life forms similar to human beings was hard to do, so they¡¯d recreated only part of the universe and set the conditions of NPCs separately, and that¡¯s how they were able to create the current world. Save for those who specialized in the field, the audience had a hard time understanding the explanation. ¡°After the big bang test, our scientists used this giant simulator to do more new tests. The results were incredible. Many theories that we considered as truth were wrong, but the number of new things we discovered was even greater.¡± ¡°Oh my god¡­¡± One person that was in the front row couldn¡¯t hide his surprise. ¡ªHe was one of the most prominent figures in the physics field. Since he understood Kwon DaeHo¡¯s words, he knew how incredible what he said was, so his reaction was even bigger. ¡°But many people here probably are having a hard time understanding this¡­¡± Kwon DaeHo put something on the screen. A video that most people had probably seen was being displayed on the screen. Iluna¡¯s Quest! S user called Salon was running through the city with a girl wearing a white robe. It was one of the most famous scenes from the quest. ¡°This is a place inside the game where there¡¯s always an eclipse going on, but the most impressive thing is that none of the developers set that place up for that to happen.¡± Most people were able to understand that explanation. ¡°It means that this place appeared by itself while the world was being created.¡± They hadn¡¯t used the simulator to program anything. Everything in Asrian changed and evolved by itself thanks to the flow of time. One reporter suddenly raised his hand. As Kwon DaeHo nodded, he asked a sharp question. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that Asrian Online was created with the game Asra as a base! Isn¡¯t it contradictory that the settings of the world that were generated by chance are exactly the same as in the previous game?¡± ¡°Woah, that¡¯s a good question.¡± Instead of Kwon DaeHo, Kang SeongCheol answered that question. Kang SeongCheol was one of the leading specialists in the field of AI. ¡°That¡¯s because the initial conditions were the same. Do you know what a Transcendent is in Asrian?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Then the explanation is going to be easier! We brought the settings of the Transcendents, the highest entities of the world, from the previous game. That¡¯s also the reason why both worlds are so similar!¡± They had been troubled by the sheer amount of calculations they needed to make while initially developing Asrian. Creating a world from zero was almost impossible, even for a superputer. They gave them the initial settings of NPCs to reduce the calculations needed. The Archangels and Great Demons¡­ The Transcendents were entities that acted as the pillars of the world. According to Kang SeongCheol, because they¡¯d given them the same settings as the previous game, the story of the world flowed in a similar direction. Artificial Intelligence technology was already very advanced before Asrian came out. The action patterns of artificial intelligence NPCs following a linear path was mon. Since the world of Asrian was recreated with the knowledge of the Transcendents as a base, it was understandable that the world was similar to the previous one. ¡°But both worlds aren¡¯t exactly the same. There are some differences. For example, the fact that the world is much bigger is one of those differences.¡± Robert Connor continued the explanation while making a subtle smile. Since he spent most of his time monitoring Asrian, he knew more secrets than the rest. He knew more about the world of Asrian than Kwon DaeHo! ¡°Although there are many users, most aren¡¯t even aware of even half of it. From what I know, there are only¡­ Three users who have seen more of the world than that.¡± ¡°That means that, while creating the world through simulation, the world got bigger and more plex on its own?¡± ¡°Yes. Because the world of Asrian is a simulation, it converges to the most stable state. We didn¡¯t touch or add anything except for the duel arena.¡± Then someone else asked a question. Robert pointed to the person who had raised his hand. ¡°Yes, over there. Oh, we have a very famous user this time.¡± Robert smiled after checking out the face of the chubby young man. That man was the leader of the Darkness Guild, XL. Although around a hundred users had received a VIP invitation, only one user had used its power to enter the audience. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that the same physics apply to both Asrian and the real world.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Does that mean it¡¯s possible to create weapons like guns inside the game?¡± Unlike other people, XL¡¯s question was related to the gameplay. ¡°Well, creating one is possible¡­¡± Robert hesitated a little bit before answering. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t expect a lot of damage. The laws of physics that apply to users, monsters, NPCs, and a few other beings are different from the ones in real life.¡± ¡°Is that because of magical power?¡± Robert smiled bitterly. XL¡¯s question was very sharp. The world of Asrian was more similar to a game than real life on the outside. Levels, stats, skills, HP, the physical defect that happens once you receive 1/3 of your HP as damage in one place, on top of that, movements like the ones Hyun and Ain showed that would be impossible to do in real life. The reason why those things appeared and were possible to do was a force called ¡®magical power¡¯ that didn¡¯t exist in real life. Magical power, which the life forms of the world of Asrian had, was one of the many things that differentiated the world of Asrian from the real world. The reason why they had added the fifth force was to make Asrian more popular, but it was also to cover a few fatal errors in the simulator. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯re going to give more details at the conference tomorrow.¡± Kwon DaeHo quickly grabbed the microphone. There was no need to give more details about magical power right then. They could give more details about that once Asrian became more established worldwide. ¡°Our team of researchers used the simulator and created 232 theses. Starting tomorrow, we¡¯ll hold presentations all over the conference hall for four days, so we hope you attend!¡± ¡°Wait for a second, please!¡± Someone shouted before Kwon DaeHo put the mic down. ¡°I understood that Asrian is a state-of-the-art simulator, but why have you turned such an important investigation tool into a game?!¡± Everyone focused their attention on the reporter who asked that. That was the question everyone was wondering the most about. After hesitating for a little bit, Kwon DaeHo answered with an awkward smile. ¡°We need to make money to fund our investigations.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Projects that use simulators require spending an astronomical amount of money, which is why creating a pany was the best way for us not to starve.¡± Hahaha, everyone began laughing at Kwon DaeHo¡¯s joke, but some people weren¡¯t laughing. A small group of people understood the real reason why Asrian was released. ¡®They launched a game to earn money to fund scientific investigations?¡¯ They were sure that was probably one of the reasons, but there was no way that was the only one. A video game was the most effective way to use a giant simulator. It was as if everyone playing Asrian had received a high-performance device for free. Something similar to the Internet¡­ No, it was as if something greater than the Internet had been born. ¡®Maybe this was an ark wearing the mask of a game!¡¯ Save for a few of the elite, most people hadn¡¯t realized the potential of Asrian yet. ¡ªBut those elite were the people who were leading the world. They were sure¡­ The ark that was going to navigate to the unknown territory of the future was Asrian, and it was going to bee humanity¡¯s greatest invention. Chapter 123 Chapter 123 ¨C Revolution (2) The first one to board the Asrian train was NASA. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration¡­ As soon as Kwon DaeHo finished his announcement, NASA made a press release announcing their massive expansion. They had decided to open research facilities in Asrian! Because of that, even after the announcement was over, news related to Asrian kept ing out. Judging by how fast research institutes made their moves, it seemed like they¡¯d received information beforehand, but the public had a hard time understanding what had happened at first. ¨C What are they talking about? Opening a research institute inside a game? ¨C I also don¡¯t understand¡­ Can someone explain? ¨C It seems like it¡¯s because Asrian is a virtual reality that¡¯s very similar to the real world. It¡¯s a very unusual case. ¨C Anyway, it doesn¡¯t have anything to do with us, right? ¨C Yes. You just have to game as always, lol. Regardless of the reaction from the munity, the NFM¡¯s stock started to rise again. The price of gold from trading websites became more expensive as well. Kwon DaeHo¡¯s announcements always had a huge effect, but he had shaken up the world that time. Its influence spread slowly at first but became faster over time. {21 U.S.A Universities Announce Plans to Open Research Centers in Asrian!} As NASA and some other big organizations started to move, universities worldwide started to act as well. Kwon DaeHo had said that they wouldn¡¯t put any restrictions on how they used Asrian. Another world that was very similar to the real one! But it was a world regulated by a system rather than laws. From the point of view of research institutes, they gained free access to a state-of-art simulator just by buying a capsule and paying a small fee to play the game. ¡®What? What is Asrian?¡¯ At that point, even people who weren¡¯t interested in games started to visit capsule rooms to try out Asrian. After experiencing sensory synchronization for the first time, they became surprised. ¡®This game¡­ there isn¡¯t that much of a difference from the real world?!¡¯ ¡®When did capsule technology advance so much?¡¯ There were even CEOs from top panies playing it! Those people, who were very sensitive toward changes in the world, saw the game as another means to earn more. After getting information from reading the news, they naturally began thinking the following: ¡®Even the universities are doing it, so there¡¯s no reason why we shouldn¡¯t. They said that it doesn¡¯t take a lot of money to build¡­ Should I open a branch of the pany there? I¡¯m even going to save on the cost of land and construction.¡¯ People from the entertainment industry were thinking similar things. ¡®Let¡¯s organize a concert inside the game! If the response is good, we¡¯re going to be able to save up a lot of money by not having to rent facilities!¡¯ All the senses except for pain had been reproduced within the game. That meant you wouldn¡¯t be able to distinguish it from real life. Not only that, but ¡®Asra,¡¯ the planet where the game took place, was much bigger than Earth. Each of those characteristics was a huge merit for a world based on virtual reality. Asrian¡¯s true value was starting to show thanks to Kwon DaeHo¡¯s announcement. The speed at which it spread was faster than when the Internet started to gain traction. But for Asrian to settle in the real world took at least six more months. That was something that happened later in the future. Later, the jobs inside the game replaced jobs like architects or technicians, among others. Funny things like people farming experience to be able to ascend to a job panies wanted started to happen. It was an era where you put your Asrian level on your CV! But that was also a story of a distant future. Most current users were more interested in the ¡®Tournament System¡¯ rather than Kwon DaeHo¡¯s announcement. * * * Hyun checked the video of Kwon DaeHo¡¯s announcement from Ain¡¯s smartphone. He tilted his head after watching it. ¡°What does he mean?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Didn¡¯t he say that Asrian is a game that¡¯s more similar to real life than we think?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Is that good? I haven¡¯t noticed that many differences except for the sensory synchronization.¡± SeoHyun thought about it for a while but couldn¡¯t find any significant differences. The first game with sensory synchronization¡­ But even if it were similar to real life, wasn¡¯t it still just a game? Hyun wasn¡¯t particularly interested in physics, so he struggled to understand Kwon DaeHo¡¯s words. He also couldn¡¯t understand what made Asrian similar to the real world. ¡°Well, I think this will be good for us. If the game we¡¯re playing bees more popular, our videos will probably start to get more traction too.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right!¡± If all the news sites were full of articles related to Asrian¡­ That would be great publicity for the game, right? That was what SeoHyun and Ain got out of Kwon DaeHo¡¯s announcement. Later in the future, they would realize that views weren¡¯t the only important effect of what he had announced, but for those two, who only knew about gaming, guessing what would happen a few months in the future was hard to do. ¡°Hyun, check this out. The tournament system has been announced!¡± ¡°Woah, where?!¡± SeoHyun¡¯s head turned around at Ain¡¯s shout. That was what both of them were interested in from the beginning. They soon forgot about Kwon DaeHo¡¯s important announcement. Compared to Kwon DaeHo¡¯s announcement, the details of the tournament system were lackluster since they consisted of a webpage post. Hyun finally nodded after reading the contents. ¡°It seems like the management organizes the tournament.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°The developers and management are pletely separated.¡± That¡¯s what SeoHyun understood. He thought that the ones who had developed Asrian were NFM¡­ But from what he understood from the announcement, it was Kwon DaeHo and his researchers who had created it. Basically, Kwon DaeHo and the researchers were the developers. and the employees of NFM were the management. While the management couldn¡¯t interfere with Asrian, it seemed like they¡¯d bee in charge of organizing the tournaments and stuff. ¡®That¡¯s why they were able to change the rules of the tournament¡­ This seems more entertaining to see than a simple PvP¡¯ SeoHyun slowly began reading about the rules of the tournament. There was a rumor that said that levels and specs were going to bee useful¡­ But that wasn¡¯t true. According to the rules, professional gamers had to level up and learn new skills just like normal users. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy * * * That was different from other games where the only thing that mattered was the control. Wouldn¡¯t professional gamers plain? SeoHyun wasn¡¯t sure, but he thought that there probably wouldn¡¯t be an uproar if it were that. ¡®I¡¯ll have to wait and see, but the system seems okay.¡¯ SeoHyun thought to himself that he should remember to go and see Stardust¡¯s exhibition match, the team JaeHoon was part of. ¡®It¡¯s already night.¡¯ The first day of the festival had ended. SeoHyun and Ain were walking along the road where they could see the night view of Busan¡¯s sea. The glittering view of the seaside city disturbed their eyes. Cities around the coast like Busan had been running out of land for a while. Ten years before, they began constructing buildings on the sea. The natural sea wasn¡¯t bad, but Hyun felt the artificial sea looked a bit more luxurious. ¡°Hyun, what are you going to do tonight?¡± Hyun came back to his senses at Ain¡¯s question. ¡°Oh yeah¡­ I originally wasn¡¯t intending to stay here for the night¡­¡± Hyun had planned to return to his home once the first day was over. He had already bought the return ticket, after all. Since his aim was to bee the best in Asrian, he couldn¡¯t take a break. Not only that, but he had more things he wanted to test. ¡°Should I stay one more day¡­?¡± He had promised to go and see JaeHoon¡¯s match the next day. That was the superficial reason¡­ But honestly, he had fun at the festival and wanted to enjoy it a little bit more. Not only that, but hanging out with Ain was fun, too. It was the first time he had so much fun in the real world. ¡°It¡¯s not like they¡¯ll catch up just because I rest for a day. Also, when am I going to have another day like this?¡± After nodding alone, he canceled the train ticket. But at that moment¡­ Just as if she¡¯d been waiting for him to cancel the ticket, she slowly asked a question. ¡°Do you have a place to sleep?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­¡± Since Hyun answered too carelessly, Ain informed him of something. Most hotels around the festival were already fully booked out. He hadn¡¯t intended to stay at night, so he didn¡¯t know that. He began thinking of a solution. Should he stay in a sauna around there? Or maybe spend the entire night playing in a capsule room? ¡°See? You can¡¯t do anything without me.¡± Ain smiled mischievously and showed him her smartphone. The VIP invitation¡­ The user who had received the invitation could get free acmodation for up to four people. ¡°Oh?! This place is¡­¡± Hyun¡¯s eyes widened after checking out the location of the hotel. ¡°Isn¡¯t this the hotel that just opened? The super expensive one!¡± ¡°You¡¯re probably right.¡± ¡°It seems like NFM earned a lot of money with Asrian. To think that they¡¯d invite people to stay there¡­¡± SeoHyun quickly checked out the information. ¡°Woah¡­ It seems like there are even individual capsules in the rooms. We won¡¯t need to go to a capsule room. We can game the entire night!¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s right, but¡­¡± ¡°As expected from Ain, you¡¯re the best. Today¡¯s assist is just like what you did on Iluna!¡± When would he have another chance to stay in a hotel like that? Hyun expectantly walked toward the VIP-only acmodation. * * * Morning¡­ The morning sun ing through the window woke SeoHyun up. As soon as he got up, the previous night¡¯s memories returned to his mind. Thanks to the capsules that were in the hotel, they had played Asrian until 4am. They hunted and even dueled a few times. He didn¡¯t know why, but Ain was more aggressive than usual, so he lost all of the rounds. ¡°Oof, it¡¯s already nine.¡± SeoHyun left the room to shower after getting out of bed. He let out a groan after looking at the living room. ¡°Hmm¡­? Why is she sleeping here?¡± Leaving her room aside, Ain was sleeping on a sofa, cuddling with a pillow. Ain was still sleeping when he came out of the shower. Hyun logged into Asrian. He played with Louise for about 30 minutes while checking out some things, and when he logged off, Ain was still sleeping. ¡®Now that I think about it, I¡¯ve never seen her log in on a morning.¡¯ Even on weekends, Ain logged in after lunch. It seemed like she was one of the people who woke up late. Ten in the morning¡­ SeoHyun looked at Ain, who was sitting on a bed on the other side of the room while making low breathing noises. To be honest, meeting Ain inside the game after seeing her in real life made him feel strange. He always used ?Assimilation? while hunting. Because of that, they knew about each other¡¯s thoughts and feelings, so there was no way he hadn¡¯t noticed her feelings. Also, he couldn¡¯t say he didn¡¯t have those feelings either. Hyun shook his head while looking at her. ¡®Not yet.¡¯ Grin- Hyun let out a small laugh. He remembered the first time he¡¯d seen her. When he thought about it, he realized that she had always been by his side, both in Asra and Asrian. Although he was surprised after seeing her real face, he was more used to it than the werewolf character she¡¯d used to play with in Asra. They say that people don¡¯t value what¡¯s close to them. He realized how grateful he was to her after he reviewed some gameplay footage. He also felt sorry. He acted petty just to get some trivial gains in the beginning. But even then, Ain never got offended because of it. He was wondering why she didn¡¯t seem to mind meeting offline. She was at an age where you couldn¡¯t say that she didn¡¯t know the real world. ¡®I should take better care of her.¡¯ During Asra¡­ No, even during the beginning of Asrian, he¡¯d only cared for his own interests. But as time went on, he began caring about those around him. Those past few months, he had changed his way of thinking. Ain was probably one of the reasons why he¡¯d changed. Although she was younger than him, she was more mature in many aspects. That morning, SeoHyun had time to think and reflect on his actions. ¡®Yes, I should also start paying TarrTarr properly.¡¯ If it were the old him, he would¡¯ve tried to take advantage of his innocence and profit from him as much as possible, but now he was different. He needed to take care of the people who trusted and followed him. SeoHyun thought that he had matured a bit and felt proud about it. Chapter 124 Chapter 124 ¨C Disturbance at the Tournament (1) The two of them were walking around on the second day of the festival. Ain was wearing a hat and a facemask. SeoHyun was feeling a little bit awkward. The second day of the festival was also full of things to do. ¡°Let¡¯s see, what was there today?¡± SeoHyun began reading the pamphlet. There were three big events on the second day. The most important thing was the PvP tournament with the rules that were announced the day before! After the tournament, it seemed like there was going to be a famous singer¡¯s concert. Of course, SeoHyun wasn¡¯t interested in things like concerts. It seemed like there were going to be additional scientific presentations, too. But Hyun was even less interested in those kinds of things. ¡®We can return after looking at the tournament.¡¯ Practice and Jini¡­ If someone asked him which professional gamers he was cheering for, that would be his answer. If he were forced to pick one among them, it would be JaeHoon, but SeoHyun really wished for them to get good results. He had taught them, after all! ¡®They¡¯re going to win, right? I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll lose to someone.¡¯ They had learned new movements from him just a few days before. The two of them had gone to the Shade Guild¡¯s private room. They were slowly getting out of the novice learning trajectory. Was it because they were professional gamers? They were progressing at a fast pace. ¡®Let¡¯s see how much they¡¯ve improved.¡¯ Not only was it the first day after learning the tournament system¡¯s rules, but it was also the first time he was going to be able to see the results of their training. ¡°Hyun¡­ Why are you smiling?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s just that I have one more thing to see. Hey, we may lose the good seats. Let¡¯s go now and wait there.¡± There were still 30 minutes left before the tournament started. A lot of people had begun gathering around the tournament arena already. SeoHyun and Ain began moving faster just in case they were left behind. * * * ¡°Huh?¡± Mari tilted her head. Although it may have seemed like Robert and Mari were planning to hang around without doing anything, they were geniuses whose names were known worldwide. Not only that, but they were in charge of things in a wide variety of fields, even pared to other Asrian developers. ¡°There¡¯s something strange.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Robert asked back at Mary¡¯s question. ¡°It seems like there¡¯s a crack in the tournament¡¯s servers.¡± No one except for Kwon DaeHo could make changes in the settings of Asrian, but the tournament was the exception. NFM had to program the rules, adjust the balance, and adjust other variables to make the tournament as smooth as possible, so they needed permission to touch the settings. Basically, the tournament arena had to bee a third space, independent of Asrian. What Mary just said was that, for an unknown reason, they hadn¡¯t been able to pletely separate the tournament from Asrian. ¡°Check this out. Isn¡¯t this a problem?¡± Saying so, Mary pointed to the screen with her finger. ¡°Wait, how did this happen?!¡± Robert shouted in surprise. ¡°Haha, I¡¯m not sure.¡± There was a fatal flaw. There was a fine crack on the outer wall of the tournament server. It seemed like the crack was generated by a passage that had suddenly appeared and ended up connecting the tournament server with Asrian¡¯s. It was a critical flaw! The fact that they hadn¡¯t been able to separate both servers pletely meant that, while the tournament was going on, different entities from Asrian could intervene and create unexpected variables. To put it simply, a situation like a basketball player appearing in the middle of a football match and throwing a ball toward the goal post could happen. ¡°When did something like this happen?¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad we found the bug before the tournament began since we have time to fix it.¡± ¡°Yes, let¡¯s do it right now!¡± Thankfully, it was something that they could easily fix. It wouldn¡¯t take them long to fix it. Robert was about to touch the settings when they heard Kwon DaeHo¡¯s voice from behind. ¡°What¡¯s up with all the noise?¡± ¡°Oh, chairman¡­!¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing important!¡± Robert and Mary told Kwon DaeHo what had happened. ¡°We aren¡¯t sure why, but a crack in the walls of the servers appeared, so we¡¯re currently working on fixing that.¡± ¡°A crack?¡± Kwon DaeHo quickly started to look at the information on the screen. He immediately found the reason behind why such a crack had appeared. Kwon DaeHo¡¯s eyes shone sharply. ¡°I see¡­ so that¡¯s what happened.¡± Kwon DaeHo looked at the screen again and smiled as if something funny had happened. This¡­ was something that even he hadn¡¯t expected. You could call it a bug from a certain point of view. But in reality, it wasn¡¯t. After a while, Kwon DaeHo spoke while nodding. ¡°Let¡¯s leave things as they are for now.¡± ¡°Yes, we¡¯re going to fix it immediately¡­ Yes? What?¡± ¡°Just start the tournament as it is.¡± ¡°We should leave the crack in the server¡­?¡± ¡°How many times do I have to say it? Just leave it.¡± Robert and Mary looked at Kwon DaeHo blankly. Had the chairman gone crazy? There was no way that had happened. Even though they¡¯d worked alongside him for many years, they¡¯d never seen him make a mistake, so it was probably part of his bigger picture. ¡ªIt was just that they couldn¡¯t see it yet. ¡°We¡¯re going to leave things as they are now¡­ We¡¯re really going to¡­ Okay?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Kwon DaeHo nodded. At that point, Robert and Mary could affirm that they had no responsibility, so they quietly listened to the orders. While the two were finishing setting the servers with the mistake, Kwon DaeHo smiled. Although Robert and Mary hadn¡¯t been able to see it, what he saw had stimulated his interest. ¡®Interesting.¡¯ Truth¡­ The being called ¡®Truth¡¯ had created a crack between Asrian¡¯s servers and the tournament ones. ¡®I wasn¡¯t expecting something like this to happen, but¡­¡¯ But if he used it to his advantage, he might achieve what he wanted sooner. ¡®If things go well, the plan could be brought forward. Once that happens, I should be able to create a shock similar to yesterday.¡¯ Kwon DaeHo¡¯s smile deepened. The announcement from the day before had clearly shaken up the world. The goal was to make the fact that Asrian followed the same laws of nature as the real world known, and he had been successful up to a certain point. But that wasn¡¯t all¡­ If the goal was to announce the birth of a simulator destined for tests, he wouldn¡¯t have made it such a big deal. The picture Kwon DaeHo had drawn was bigger than that. ¡®Yesterday¡¯s announcement was probably hard to understand without some background knowledge¡­ Especially for the masses.¡¯ A vast amount of people still hadn¡¯t realized Asrian¡¯s worth. Kwon DaeHo wanted to make Asrian known by non-scientists, too. If things went as he thought they would¡­ something huge was going to happen at the tournament. That¡¯s right, a shock parable to the one of the day before would hit the world again! The prior day¡¯s announcement had shocked only a few academics, but that new one would leave a deep impression in the general public¡¯s minds. Once that happened¡­ It wouldn¡¯t take long before Asrian melted into the real world. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy * * * SeoHyun and Ain were surprised by the crowd Although the tournament arena was big, there were too many people. The sheer amount of people resembled bean sprouts in a jar. Once again, Ain¡¯s VIP ticket saved the day. One of the staff who recognized Ain had taken them to one of the specially reserved seats. ¡°I¡¯m with someone. Is that okay?¡± ¡°Yes, there are no problems.¡± The staff member took a glimpse at Hyun but thankfully didn¡¯t refuse. Hyun felt a little bit awkward, so he just silently followed Ain. Anyway, he was lucky to be with Ain. The seats they were given were so close to the arena that they could even look at the players. ¡®It was a different format.¡¯ Hyun remembered the rules of the tournament he¡¯d read the day before. The keywords were ¡®Siege Assault¡¯. Five users would participate in the Siege Assault as heroes. Five users would be in charge of attacking, and the other five would have to defend. The roles would change if the base got invaded or 30 minutes passed. The team that managed to invade the fastest would win! If neither team pleted the mission within 30 minutes, the team that had caused the most damage would win. ¡®I see what they meant when they said it wouldn¡¯t be a specs battle.¡¯ But it was different from a normal five-on-five battle. It seemed like the people who had e up with the idea wanted to show Asrian¡¯s grandeur and the fairness of the tournament. The stats and skill points of participants were equally matched, and the stats were similar to a level 100 player. Not only that, but users could even resurrect after dying. Seeing what strategies they used would be the most interesting thing in the Siege Assault. They could collaborate with soldiers around level 30 ~ 80, use the terrain to their advantage, and break through certain points, among other things¡­ ¡®Although this may seem like a battle with fair conditions, it really isn¡¯t.¡¯ The moment Hyun read the rules, he¡¯d realized the problem with it. ¡°The number of skills you have depends on your level!¡± Every 100 levels, a user had the opportunity to ascend their job and learn new skills. Of course, the skills you learned later in the game required more skill points, but the fact that you could create more builds was a huge advantage. Not only that, but the more you played Asrian, thanks to having to face numerous situations, you got better at using your skills. ¡®It¡¯s going to be a fight of strategy and control.¡¯ ¡°The game begins!¡± The host¡¯s loud voice announced the start of the first tournament. The stage was a square space about half the size of a football field. Swish-! Thousands of optical devices rose and created a 3D hologram. In the past, in e-sports tournaments, you only got to see part of the gameplays through the screen, but tournaments had evolved to use a bination of screens and holograms simultaneously. It was like looking at a sports match! Of course, showing the entire map through a screen was impossible. Waa-! The hologram¡¯s background began to appear slowly as if it were a 3D movie amidst the roar of the crowd. Soldiers of both sides were standing still while holding their breaths. There were two factions¡ªone faction for the attacking side and one for the defending side. The defending faction¡¯s side had a fortress. The walls of the fortress grew taller and more grand as they moved inward. There were archers and magicians stationed at strategic places while burning their fighting spirits. There were also soldiers who were guarding the defensive towers! It was like looking at real war. Paf-! Players from both sides appeared. Stardust¡¯s opponent was Air Green, one of the top five gaming teams in Korea. Although it was just an exhibition match, from their point of view, the team¡¯s pride was at stake. After all, the match was being streamed through the NFM official channel and was being watched by people worldwide. ¡®So Stardust is going to attack first.¡¯ SeoHyun saw the nervous faces of Practice and Jini through the holograms. They were with three other teammates. [All of your stats have been fixed at 10!] [Stat Points +200] [Skill Points +100] [Please finish distributing your points within 1 minute!] [If you die, you¡¯ll be revived in your base after 60 seconds!] [You can re-assign your skill points if you die!] As the messages appeared, the players began to prepare and move. While watching the busy figures, Ain exclaimed in admiration. ¡°Interesting, there weren¡¯t tournaments like this before!¡± SeoHyun answered. ¡°They probably created this format by using the virtual historical battle as a basis.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what¡¯s interesting!¡± ¡°This just shows how much more people became interested in Asrian, right? They even created official tournaments like this one.¡± SeoHyun was right on point. Asrian was already the most famous game, but it was on the way to being something bigger after the prior day¡¯s announcement. While SeoHyun and Ain were chit-chatting, the match began. [The first attack has begun!] The first ones to attack were Stardust. Dozens of soldiers began charging toward the opponent¡¯s fortress, but NPC soldiers on both sides were at around level 50. Not only that, but they weren¡¯t as intelligent as the NPCs from the real game. One level 100 user could perfectly change the flow of the battle. ¡°Stardust, they¡¯ve spread the formation and are trying to attack the fortress from various angles!¡± ¡°Rather than trying to win it at once, they¡¯re trying to damage the fortress continuously, right?¡± The voices of the mentators made the crowd even more excited. The crowd got noisier whenever a player died or a defensive tower was destroyed. Most of the crowd there were people who played Asrian. It was the first time most of them had seen the gaming skills of professional gamers, and they were better than expected. ¡°Woah, JaeHoon can use that too!¡± Suddenly, even SeoHyun became surprised by what he was looking at. Practice¡¯s body began trembling, and two afterimages soon appeared. It was an attack that simultaneously targeted both the top and the bottom parts. That was also the technique Lattice had shown during Iluna¡¯s Quest. ¡°I never taught him that. Did he learn it alone?¡± Practice¡¯s movements were still a little bit sloppy. However, no matter how clumsy it was, if it was your first time facing it, it was like being hit by lightning. A close-up of the opponent¡¯s surprised expression appeared on screen. Chapter 125 Chapter 125 ¨C Disturbance at the Tournament (2) Paf-! The moment Practice¡¯s attack exploded out, the opponent became stunned. Stardust members launched a joint attack while he was immobilized. He became light and scattered away in an instant! Jini took advantage of the four-on-five situation and placed a speed buff on her allies. It became a one-sided slaughter in the blink of an eye. A fancy skill effect covered the screen. It wasn¡¯t long before not even a single opponent was left standing. Doom- The words ¡®Finish¡¯ appeared over the top of the screen with a grand sound effect. ¡°Annihilated! All members of Air Green have been annihilated!¡± ¡°It takes 60 seconds to revive! Not only that, but we have to take into consideration the time it takes them to return to the battlefield! In the meantime, Ain Green¡¯s base could bee a mess!¡± In just 10 minutes, the members of Air Green had been pushed back to the front of the final wall. By then, it was as if the castle had already been invaded. The waves of the invading soldiers got stronger over time. On top of that, they had to resist the attacks of the five members of Stardust for 20 minutes. It was an almost impossible task. In the end, Air Green members couldn¡¯t resist the fourth wave and gave up their base. [Duration: 16 minutes 03 seconds 11] ¡°The first round has ended!¡± ¡°Player Practice¡¯s first attack was decisive! That one attack tipped the balance in their favor!¡± Amid thunderous shouts, the teams rotated. It was Stardust¡¯s turn to defend. If Air Green wanted to win, they¡¯d invade the castle in less than 16 minutes. That would be the equivalent of scoring three goals in a football match¡¯s second half. ¡°Calm down. The match isn¡¯t over yet.¡± ¡°Everyone, let¡¯s go with aggressive settings regarding skills and stats.¡± But Air Green¡¯s offensive was no joke either. They were also one of the top most prestigious teams. Stardust¡¯s iron-like defense shook. For their third wave, Air Green divided the soldiers into two groups and managed to kill two players who were separated from the rest. Jini, who was in charge of maintaining the party formation, was among those who died. There were only three survivors on Stardust¡¯s side. ¡°Isn¡¯t this situation¡­ A little bit dangerous?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. From Stardust¡¯s point of view, as long as they don¡¯t die, they¡¯ll be okay. If they manage to resist for a minute, their allies will be revived.¡± ¡°Oh? But what¡¯s up with this situation? Stardust started to move aggressively?!¡± The player who moved next was ¡®Chaser.¡¯ Rushing alone toward a group of five was like mitting suicide. That¡¯s why Chaser moved between the alleys and tried to keep the opponents at a distance and stop them from advancing. His movements as he toed the fine line between life and death were almost artistic. The two members of Stardust revived as he did that, and their base wasn¡¯t damaged. ¡°Air Green, even after killing two players, they hadn¡¯t been able to produce any results!¡± ¡°Chaser used the terrain very well. Even Air Green couldn¡¯t try to run past Chaser, whose job is an Assassin. The possibility of their rear being attacked was too high.¡± ¡°Time has run out! Stardust earned a point first!¡± While thunder-like shouts spread through the tournament arena, SeoHyun nodded. ¡®They¡¯re good.¡¯ The one that stood out the most was Practice. ¡ªBut Chaser was almost as good as him. Not only that, but the rest were impressive as well. Everyone was good, even pared to the top rankers of the previous game. ¡®They weren¡¯t this good until very recently.¡¯ A few months before then, most rankers didn¡¯t even know the basics of moving. But just looking at the footage that was being uploaded to the internet was enough to realize that the rankers were getting better with each passing day. Knowing those kinds of basic movements was mon knowledge among rankers. ¡®I guess that the number of talented people is higher than before thanks to the sheer amount of users.¡¯ The one who¡¯d made the rankers get better was probably Ain. Hyun noticed something after looking at the day¡¯s match. Even though it was the first time he¡¯d seen the movements of a certain player, it seemed familiar. ¡ªHis style of movement resembled someone he knew. Hyun turned his head. Ain was smiling. ¡°Interesting,¡± Hyun mumbled. ¡°Is that okay?¡± ¡°What?¡± Ain tilted her head at Hyun¡¯s question. But after their eyes met, she understood. ¡°Well, who cares. Even back then, there were lots of people who copied me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­¡± ¡°Not only that, but it doesn¡¯t change the fact that they can¡¯t pete with us. Also, it¡¯s not like my movements are protected under some sort of copyright or anything,¡± Ain replied without doubting. At her attitude, he found his reaction funny after seeing how much users had progressed. Would someone better than him e out eventually? He was wondering about that while watching the tournament, but Ain, the only user he recognized, had made an affirmation. ¡ªThey wouldn¡¯t be left behind. Hyun finally laughed fortably after that. ¡°Well, I guess it would be boring if there were only weaklings. There should be a few guys who can face us to make things more interesting.¡± ¡°Fufu¡­¡± Ain smiled after seeing Hyun¡¯s change in attitude. The second set began while they were both laughing. Battles happened in succession. The battle was so fierce that it was hard to believe it was a demonstration match. There were two players who shined more than the rest among all of those players¡­ Practice and Chaser. Although it had been only half a year since Asrian¡¯s servers opened, they both moved as if they¡¯d been playing for years. ¡®Chaser¡­ He¡¯s someone worth remembering.¡¯ Practice had learned some things from him, but Chaser hadn¡¯t. Had Practice and Jini influenced him? They¡¯d probably practiced together a lot, so that was a possibility. The battle was nearing its end when Hyun was about to finish analyzing the match. ¡°Stardust won!¡± * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy * * * The result was three to zero. Even though it wasn¡¯t an official tournament, it had a huge meaning. NFM had streamed the tournament, and millions of users had seen it live. Thanks to that match, many people became aware of Stardust. While everyone was shouting and the tournament was nearing its end¡­ Something unexpected happened. Something no one expected¡­ No, no one except for one person. Zap-! Lightning struck in the middle of the stadium. It wasn¡¯t real lightning but a game effect. The loud noise echoed out, and time within the arena stopped. The fortress Stardust had managed to defend and all of the soldiers became dust and scattered away. ¡°What? Is this some sort of effect to announce that the match is over?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so¡­ There¡¯s something too strange about it for it to be that.¡± There wasn¡¯t anyone on the field except for the ten players, who had blank expressions on their faces. A group of lights shaped like a human appeared where the lightning had struck. Then, after a while, wings of crystal that shone with rainbow colors appeared on the figure of light¡¯s back. It was an archangel. Due to the immense light ing out from its body, the Archangel looked like a giant jewel. The Archangel that¡¯d appeared in the middle of the tournament arena made her presence known to all of the spectators. ¡°What¡¯s happening¡­?¡± Everyone looked at the middle of the tournament arena with their mouths agape. Because the game was separated from real life, they weren¡¯t overwhelmed by the presence of the Archangel. But still, they became fascinated by her beauty. ¡ªThe image of the Angel in front of them was that strong. The Archangel of Truth¡­ That was what she was known as in Asrian. Although there were lots of Asrian players gathered, there weren¡¯t many people who knew about Truth. A Transcendent¡­ Not many people knew that she was one of the three most important beings in Asrian¡ªone of the three Archangels. The strength of the being that had appeared in the tournament arena couldn¡¯t be pared to the users. No, even if you considered all of the NPCs within the game, there wasn¡¯t probably anyone stronger than her. After all, only a handful of beings were at the same level as her. Users within the game couldn¡¯t meet someone as overwhelming as her and also had no reason to. ¡°Nice to meet you, beings of another dimension.¡± The hologram of the woman that had appeared in the tournament arena looked around once and bowed lightly. If people from the Holy Kingdom heard that the Archangel of Truth had bowed to humans, they would¡¯ve lost their minds. Woah- the people who came back to their senses began clapping and shouting. ¡ªThey were praising NFM for having put out such a performance¡­ But the people from NFM were lost. They couldn¡¯t understand what was going on. ¡°Is this a planned event?!¡± ¡°No, we don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on¡­! What¡¯s happening?!¡± ¡°Call the developers! We need to understand what¡¯s going on!¡± While people from management were confused and lost about what they should do, the Angel¡¯s tender voice spread through the tournament arena. ¡°I¡¯m the Archangel of ¡®Truth.¡¯ Sadly, I can¡¯t see you¡­ Although those present here are probably able to see me.¡± What the Angel wanted to say was that she couldn¡¯t use her authority there. Although she had managed to create a tunnel between Asrian¡¯s servers and the tournament ones, expanding that tunnel to the real world was physically impossible. ¡°As expected, appearing in another dimension isn¡¯t easy¡­ Since I don¡¯t have much time, I¡¯ll speak quickly.¡± As the Angel kept speaking, the expressions of the people began changing in a wide variety of ways. Was that part of the game? Some people got confused for a short while. They were lost because what the Angel said was pletely different from the tournament, which was a real-life event. ¡°As Truth, I¡¯ll give you an oracle.¡± As the Angel finished talking, the cheers became mumbles. ¡°Is this a tournament event¡­?¡± ¡°Her way of speaking is weird.¡± What she said didn¡¯t make sense to most people. If it was something produced by NFM, she should have congratulated Stardust for winning. But the Angel had spoken to the Asrian¡¯s ¡®users,¡¯ not the ¡®spectators¡¯ of the tournament. It was as if the tournament hadn¡¯t existed from the beginning. ¡®This¡­¡¯ SeoHyun, Ain, and a few other rankers noticed something. An exclamation mark popped into their heads, and a ridiculous thought rose to the surface. Maybe it was something that was stupid to think¡­ but it seemed the only possible explanation. ¡®Maybe this wasn¡¯t programmed¡­ Is it possible that the real ¡®Truth¡¯ has appeared here?¡¯ ¡®The NPC knows about the real world!¡¯ It was hard to believe that an NPC from a game had broken into the real world. It was impossible for something like that to happen from the way the servers were set up. ¡®I heard that the tournament servers were separated from Asrian. Then how¡­?¡¯ An NPC being aware of the real world was something that had never happened. No, it was something that was impossible. It was conventional wisdom that Artificial Intelligence could not act beyond its originally set goals¡­ But the Transcendent, who ruled over the Heavens, was talking to the users, who were in the real world. As time passed, people realized that what they were seeing was something special. A self-aware being that existed within the game¡­ A type of artificial intelligence no one had seen or experienced had appeared. Kwon DaeHo was smiling quietly while watching everything unfold. Chapter 126 Chapter 126- Disturbance at the Tournament (3) Taking into consideration the history of humanity, artificial intelligence was one of the sciences that had taken the longest to be born, but it was also the one that had progressed the fastest. The public had bee aware of its advances for the first time when they¡¯d seen an artificial intelligence that could play Go. Looking back, that was an artificial intelligence that ran on basic principles, but it was so revolutionary at the time that some people began asking if it wouldn¡¯t create a future where robots ruled over us. Computer processing, search, and voice translators, among many other things. It didn¡¯t take long before artificial intelligence started being used in various industries. NPCs inside video games weren¡¯t the exception. VR video games had started to change. NPCs that thought and acted as humans¡­ The first time virtual reality games with artificial intelligence appeared, game panies had said in interviews that the NPCs didn¡¯t have fixed action patterns. But to be more precise, it was only a half-truth that NPCs were just like humans. Within a given framework, NPCs inside games were superior to humans, but once the environment changed, they became stupid. NPCs that ran shops were only interested in making a profit, and soldiers blindly obeyed their superiors. There were some cases in which they had plaints about the orders given, but they couldn¡¯t mutiny. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the same in real life? Only a few people can probably truly think and act independently.¡± The first person who¡¯d developed AI NPCs had been criticized for saying that, but as time passed, people had to agree with his opinion while smiling bitterly. Half human¡­ Most people lived in automatic mode, so they weren¡¯t that different from an NPC. Inspiration that increased your awareness¡­ A revolution that breaks the mold¡­ Those were characteristics that only a few people had in real life. From a certain point, people began thinking that NPCs resembled humans only within given parameters. ¡°I¡¯m going to give you an oracle.¡± The noble voice of the Archangel of Truth rang in the audience¡¯s ears. ¡°Pray to me.¡± There hadn¡¯t been any NPCs that were aware of the real world during the construction of Asrian. There was no way the developers had given them the mand to ¡®be aware of the real world.¡¯ But the NPC in front of them was aware of the outside world. Not only that, but she had sent a message to the audience. That was something that should¡¯ve been impossible for NPCs. The NPC had extended her range of perception by herself. Kwon DaeHo was smiling while the audience had their mouths agape in surprise. ¡®Good.¡¯ Second-generation AI¡­ It worked in a pletely different way since it had been created by following the design principles of the brain. If the announcement of the first day connected Asrian physically with the real world, on the second day, the ¡®awareness¡¯ which was what differentiated humans from NPCs had been torn down. ¡®I should be satisfied with this by now.¡¯ Of course, there were some disappointing things. Creating one second-generation AI consumed a lot of system resources. If he tried to apply that on every NPC in Asrian, it would end up overloading the servers. That¡¯s why the solution they¡¯d e up with was easy. They would only make Archangels and Great Demons as second-generation AI. For other Transcendents, Heavenly Beings, Dukes, and other NPCs that played an important role in the story, they would use a AI that was somewhere in between first and second-generation. The more important role the NPC played in the story, the better AI technology they used on it. The second-generation AIs had awareness, could think and judge independently, and even had something you could call emotions. ¡°I know users aren¡¯t interested in praying.¡± The voice of Truth kept spreading through the tournament arena. ¡°But a day will e when ?Pray? is necessary. So please, ?Pray? while thinking about me. You¡¯ll soon discover why you need to do that¡­¡± Paf-! The Archangel of Truth didn¡¯t remain in the real world for a long period of time. Just as she appeared, she became lightning and disappeared. The players who had e out of the capsules looked around in confusion. Kang SeongCheol quickly silenced the motion as people began to mumble. He explained why the Archangel had appeared. Explaining that it was a new type of artificial intelligence took quite some time. As the tournament ended, the internet was flooded with Asrian-related headlines just like the day before. That was the second consecutive successful hit. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy * * * Some articles used the bible as a parison to talk about Kwon DaeHo. The new incident caused an uproar not only in the academic munity but also had a tremendous impact on the public. Scholars knew that the development of a second-generation was in process, so they weren¡¯t that surprised, but that wasn¡¯t the case for most people. Pictures and videos of the footage of the Archangel that¡¯d appeared in the tournament arena quickly spread through the internet. ¨C Isn¡¯t that a trick? Maybe it was programmed to say those things. ¨C Do you really think Kwon DaeHo would do something like that? He¡¯s a very prideful person. ¨C I¡¯m living in the future! ¨C I¡¯m finally going to get a girlfriend. I just have to download Asrian, right? ¨C Even if you do that, it won¡¯t make sense unless you meet a second-generation AI¡­ Not only the news but also Asrian munity boards were full of threads talking about it. ¨C Asking us to ?Pray? to her¡­ does she think she¡¯s god? ¨C She¡¯s a god. Truth, Light, Order. These three are the Archangels with the highest hierarchy in the Heavens. You can find more information about them on the internet. ¨C But who raises the level of ?Pray? nowadays? I¡¯ve never seen a strategy where ?Pray? was involved. ¨C Then don¡¯t learn it. I¡¯m going to learn it alone. Users were surprised by the appearance of a second-generation AI, but they were also interested in what she¡¯d said. An Archangel was an NPC of the highest hierarchy in the world. There had to be a reason why someone like that had given them an oracle. What if there was a hidden quest related to it? Excited, users tried to decipher the meaning behind the oracle. But users soon discovered that they did not need to do that. Both Heavens and Abyss users within the game had received the same message. Normally, that would¡¯ve ended with a little bit of fuss. ¨C I, ¡®Truth¡¯, request of you. Offer me your prayers. Empathize with me. ¨C The doors of the Heavens will open once a week. The most faithful believers will get to see the Heavens with their own eyes. ¨C Also, even people who lack Empathy will get permission to access the Heavens. 1. Rank among the top 500 in Empathy for a week. (¡ù This ranking will reset every week!) 2. Empathy Cumulative Ranking, top 500. (¡ù The moment you access the Heavens, the cumulative ranking will be reset!) The voice of the Archangel spread through the universe. It wasn¡¯t hard to realize that it was the same voice as the one that they had heard in the tournament arena. The contents of the oracle were the same as the one the Truth had said in the real world. She asked them to ?Pray? to her! Many users seemed troubled. ¨C It¡¯s real. The god of Asrian descended to the real world, lol. ¨C Heavens? Where¡¯s that? ¨C Take us to Paradise? Is this some sort of religious cult? lol ¨C Heavens, not Paradise. ¨C They¡¯re already going to open the gates to the Heavens? Is this real? There were all kinds of reactions. Some users found it ridiculous, but others were interested. Some of the users had already learned the ?Pray? skill. They had learned it because it was a free skill, but they¡¯d stopped leveling it up and had forgotten about it until then because it took too much time to raise a level. After trying ?Pray? once again, those people were surprised by how fast it was leveling up. The speed at which the proficiency rate went up couldn¡¯t be pared to before. ¨C What? Why is the level of ?Pray? going up so fast so suddenly?! ¨C Mine is still the same. ¨C Everyone, think of the image of the Angel while praying. The speed at which the proficiency rate increases can¡¯t be pared to before. ¨C Woah, it¡¯s true. LOL. Thanks for the tip! Praying was the act of empathizing with a Transcendent. It was useless if you didn¡¯t have a clear image in your head. Basically, up until then, users had been using ?Pray? to a non-existing being. But the moment the Angel had shown up before them, they¡¯d gotten a clear image of Truth inside their heads. Everyone had gotten the minimum requirements to be able to empathize, so it was normal that the effect of ?Pray? couldn¡¯t be pared to before. ¨C What can we do in the Heavens? ¨C You can get sacred power. You can get more information here link(¡­) ¨C If your job is a Priest or Holy Knight, you¡¯ll have to go to the Heavens eventually, so it would be great if you could go there beforehand. ¨C I¡¯m part of Abyss. What would happen if I went there? ¨C I think you¡¯d be screwed. Lots of information related to the Heavens was released. A Transcendent could exercise force based on the amount of Empathy received through ?Pray?. For ?Praying?, people received sacred power. Sacred Power was the opposite of magic, so the skills that used it were stronger than normal ones. Users got to know many things they weren¡¯t interested in before. It wasn¡¯t long before the munities became full of threads about the Angels and ?Pray?. ¨C Isn¡¯t this an opportunity? Even rankers haven¡¯t raised the level of ?Pray? yet. If we can get to the Heavens faster than them, maybe we¡¯ll be able to catch up. ¨C I¡¯m not sure about catching up¡­ but the difference would probably get smaller. ¨C Where can I learn ?Pray?? As another path of growth opened, temples around Asrian became full of users. Asrian had tens of millions of players during weekdays, but that number increased to hundreds of millions during weekends. But Asrian users knew the face of only one Transcendent! All the ?Pray?s around the world began flowing naturally toward Truth. Suddenly, the meta of the game became ?Pray?. This was the plan that Truth had foreseen. ¡°Her words were right indeed¡­¡± Since the Holy Kingdom was the place with the most temples, it became full of users. The Pope could see users with their eyes closed, praying, everywhere. He couldn¡¯t help but smile at the scene. Once again, he was amazed by the bigger picture of the Archangel. ¡°Was she trying to fill what we lost on Iluna with users?¡± Skills that used sacred power worked differently from normal magic, so its power varied greatly depending on the principle of causality of the world. The reason was that sacred magic was a power you used by borrowing the strength of a Transcendent. After the Heavens lost Iluna, Priests had lost strength. [The influence of the Heavens has weakened!] [The power of sacred magic has been weakened by 5%!] Many users who were playing as Priests received that message after Iluna¡¯s Quest. There had been a huge motion on the Priest munity boards because of it¡­ [The Heavens are recovering their strength!] But after Truth appeared and they received that message, people calmed down. Thanks to millions of people being faithful believers, things became balanced once more. Users weren¡¯t yet used to the influence of the different forces, but the Pope was more sensitive regarding the balance of Transcendents. Whir- The Pope created a sphere of light in his hands. ¡ªIt was bigger and shinier than the one he¡¯d created the day before. As Truth recovered her strength, all of the Priests became stronger again. A thought crossed the Pope¡¯s mind. ¡®What if we recover Iluna right now¡­?¡¯ They had already started to recover sacred power¡­ But Iluna, just by existing, increased the world¡¯s holy energy! If the power of the users was added to the Heavens, maybe¡­ they would be able to eliminate all of the monsters that lived in the Underground. ¡°Is a new era about to open¡­?¡± The Pope could feel his dream getting closer to being a reality. He politely bowed his head toward the place where the broken statue of Truth was. Chapter 127 Chapter 127- Disturbance at the Tournament (4) In the tournament arena where the Angel had broken into¡­ Salon was also there and had seen the incident from start to finish. The appearance of a second-generation artificial intelligence¡­ It was hard to believe what the developers had said. A puter that could think and make decisions like a human? Not only that, but they could also feel emotions. ¡®Now that I think about it, I¡¯ve felt something strange recently.¡¯ Salon remembered Iluna¡¯s Quest. The expression of that girl wearing white robes that was escaping with him. ¡®Was that girl also a second-generation artificial intelligence?¡¯ That girl had a pletely different face and expression than the NPCs he had met. Not only that, but she seemed to be able to make more expressions than a human being. He¡¯d thought that they were maybe Hyun¡¯s expressions that were leaking through ?Assimilation?, but maybe she was an NPC that played an important role in the story. ¡®No, they said that only Archangels and Great Demons were created using the second-generation AI technology, so maybe she was one of the ones created using AI technology between first and second generation. Tsk¡­ I should have tried to increase my affection rate.¡¯ Well, it wasn¡¯t like they had free time that day. Not only that, but that incident was already in the past, so there was nothing he could do about it. Therefore, Salon decided not to think too much about it. The festival wasn¡¯t over yet. Salon recalled the real purpose behind why he had decided to attend the festival. Salon looked at a man who was at a distance. He¡¯d followed him the entire day as if he were a stalker. Hyun¡­ He couldn¡¯t find him since he didn¡¯t know his face. He¡¯d heard his voice but hadn¡¯t seen his face due to ?Assimilation?. Salon couldn¡¯t find him the first day since it was impossible to go around trying to listen to the voices of the tens of thousands of people visiting the festival. Then, the second day¡­ He wasn¡¯t even sure that Hyun was there. In the worst scenario, he may have already gone back after the first day was over. ¡®I should¡¯ve searched for Ain rather than him!¡¯ Salon changed his strategy. It was a known fact that they had been close friends since the previous game. Not only that, but you could see the effect of Hyun¡¯s ?Powerless Wave? skill in every video that Ain appeared in. Maybe he could learn about Hyun¡¯s whereabouts from her? After changing his strategy, it didn¡¯t take long before it showed results. He went through the multitude and asked staff members of the festival or people that looked like Asrian users, and Salon soon found a small girl who was wearing an obvious disguise. She looked exactly the same as her in-game avatar. ¡®I¡¯ve found her!¡¯ Not only that, but she wasn¡¯t alone. Salon sneaked near them. After listening to his voice, he closed his fists and cheered inside. ¡®I knew it! I knew that Hyun would e to the festival!¡¯ Salon began following the two. Even as time went on, they didn¡¯t seem to have the intention of separating. ¡®Hmm¡­ It¡¯s just like the rumors said. It seems like they¡¯re really close.¡¯ Salon was waiting for their conversation to be cut, but that opportunity didn¡¯t e. He didn¡¯t have another option. He was thinking that she should just go and talk to him when an opportunity finally came! Ain left for a moment. ¡®Good, now it¡¯s an opportunity.¡¯ Salon approached SeoHyun. No, he was about to, when suddenly¡­ Tap Tap- He felt someone knocking on his shoulder. Surprised, he turned around. The person standing there was Ain, who had smelled something fishy. Ain narrowed her eyes and glared at Salon. ¡°Are you a stalker? How long are you planning to follow us?¡± ¡°No. This¡­ that¡¯s not it¡­¡± ¡°What? Ain, weren¡¯t you going to the bathroom?¡± After hearing some noise, Hyun approached them. Salon became flustered and couldn¡¯t speak. Ain triumphantly spoke. ¡°I just pretended to leave. I was trying to see if this stalker would leave¡­ nut he seems to have no intention of doing that? That¡¯s why I decided to trap him!¡± ¡°A stalker¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. We should immediately report people like this¡­¡± ¡°W-wait¡­!¡± Salon kept shouting, but neither SeoHyun nor Ain could understand him because he wasn¡¯t speaking Korean. ¡°A foreigner?¡± ¡°Hyun, don¡¯t go easy on him just because he¡¯s a foreigner.¡± ¡°No, wait, please. I¡¯m not a stalker!¡± Salon quickly took out the voice translator and shouted. He couldn¡¯t understand Korean, but had heard that word many times, so he wanted to clear up the misunderstanding. The translator even translated the tone of his voice, conveying Salon¡¯s desperation, so Hyun and Ain had no choice but to stop. While Salon was thinking about what to say, SeoHyun tilted his head. The moment he saw the stalker¡¯s face, he remembered something. ¡°Uhmm, aren¡¯t you the person from the other day?¡± After looking at Salon¡¯s face, Hyun smiled. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re¡­!¡± The last survivor from Iluna. When Hyun found him in the middle of monsters, he felt he¡¯d found salvation. He had bee his last hope. If he hadn¡¯t accepted ?Assimilation?, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to save Louise. If he lacked in terms of skills, things would¡¯ve been more dangerous. Although Hyun ended up using him as bait¡­ There wasn¡¯t any other option, so he felt sorry for him. ¡°What, you know him, Hyun?¡± ¡°He¡¯s someone you also know!¡± As Ain looked at him suspiciously, Hyun spoke. ¡°Look closely. He even appeared on the Iluna broadcast!¡± ¡°Oof¡­¡± Thanks to SeoHyun recognizing him first, Salon was able to calm down. Salon talked while trying to stop his lips from going up. ¡°Fufu, so you do remember me. That day was really incredible. We pushed ourselves to the limit.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that day.¡± Salon didn¡¯t seem to mind that he had left him to die. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about that. I¡­ Also got a lot on that day.¡± SeoHyun and Salon talked for a little bit while Ain glanced back and forth between the two. Salon confirmed that Asra¡¯s Hyun and Asrian¡¯s Hyun were indeed the same person. There was no way that the conversation between ranker-level users would be cut short. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy * * * ¡°Thanks to the sensory sharing from ?Assimilation?, I learned how to maintain the bos more reliably.¡± ¡°Haha, I did a good job creating that, right?¡± ¡°You came up with those movements? Really?¡± ¡°I modified the movements that all Asra users used.¡± ¡°Haha, improving a skill is in the realm of creation!¡± SeoHyun learned a bit more about the user called Salon through their brief conversation. He was 28 years old. It was a little bit late to bee a professional since he was at an age when his reaction speed began to fall, but, even considering that, he was quite good. He was actually proud of his controlling skills. He¡¯d realized he was talented after uploading YouTube videos to explain his hunting strategies. ¡°I was a little bit famous before that day¡­ But after Iluna¡¯s Quest, it seemed like everyone knew about me. Once it was over, I realized that tens of channels had broadcasted my face!¡± ¡°Broadcast¡­?¡± SeoHyun¡¯s eyes changed the moment Salon mentioned that word. Back then, he hadn¡¯t thought about that because of the situation, but he suddenly realized there was something he had missed. The drones chasing after them had probably asked Salon for a 1st-person and 3rd-person point of view. And that footage was the hottest topic among Asrian munities. ¡°About that¡­¡± According to the terms of service, users whose image was used for content had the right to claim a profit. Did Salon receive all that? ¡°How much did you receive?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± Salon became flustered at the sudden change in Hyun¡¯s tone. ¡°It wasn¡¯t that much, but it wasn¡¯t a tiny amount either, but as expected, it would not be nice to take it all, right?¡± Salon saw that Hyun¡¯s expression relaxed as soon as he finished talking. Realizing what he wanted, Salon kept talking while smiling awkwardly. ¡°Haha, I decided to participate in this festival to deliver that to you¡­ That¡¯s also why I followed you!¡± Hyun had to stop his mouth from rising. It was too soon to show his inner feelings. He should test him a bit more. ¡°Hmm¡­ Wouldn¡¯t it be shameless of me to claim my part in the profit? Not only did you help me¡­ but receiving money on top of that¡­¡± ¡°No, no. I was going to die either way. I also got to receive lots of attention thanks to you. Also, I have a lot of money. You¡¯re also a ranker, so you know it, right? How much rankers earn.¡± SeoHyun bit his lip. It was to stop himself from smiling at his sudden unexpected profit. After the atmosphere improved, Salon brought up the real reason why he was there. ¡°Changing topics¡­ Are you in need of more guild members?¡± ¡°Guild members?¡± ¡°Yes. What if a user of my talent is searching for a guild to join¡­?¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Salon threw a bait, but it seemed like Hyun didn¡¯t catch his intentions. He looked oblivious pared to how fast he¡¯d smelled money before. No, maybe he was pretending to be oblivious? Salon coughed and tried to ask a bit more directly. ¡°Do you have a guild?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m the guild leader.¡± ¡°Oh, I see! What if I join you? Wouldn¡¯t that make the guild stronger?¡± After saying that, Salon expectantly waited for the other person¡¯s reaction. He was someone very prideful, so it took him a lot of courage to say such a direct proposition. ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m not sure. Our guild is quite small. Not only that, but it was created recently.¡± SeoHyun¡¯s attitude was still lukewarm. Salon thought that he should try even harder to appeal. ¡°It¡¯s kinda strange to say it myself, but there aren¡¯t that many people as talented as me! I¡¯m probably good enough to be among the top 50!¡± At that moment, Ain, who had remained silent until then, spoke while clapping. ¡°Oh, I remember! Isn¡¯t this Mr. the Thief we killed in one shot while doing a quest at a mountain when we were around level 50?¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± ¡°Of course¡­ I was talking in regards to hunting¡­ About PvP¡­ I¡¯m not really interested in it.¡± Salon tried to appeal to them by mentioning his specs and skills. SeoHyun became immersed in his thoughts. He had already seen his status window in Iluna, so he already knew it¡­ His job was Sword Dancer, and he was indeed someone talented in regards to hunting. ¡®There¡¯s nothing bad with having more people that are good¡­¡¯ To be honest, Salon¡¯s specs were more than good enough to accept him as a guild member. Except for how overly confident he was in himself, he seemed to be a decent person. But he still felt a bit hesitant to accept him as a guild member based on just that. Salon nervously looked at the silent Hyun. ¡®Will he accept me? Will he not?¡¯ If the answer was the second one, Salon might have to drop his pride and post another thread on the munity boards! Hyun opened his mouth after deliberating for a while. ¡°There are some prerequisites to joining our guild.¡± ¡°What? Was there something like¡­.?¡± Ain tilted her head, but SeoHyun covered her mouth before she said something she shouldn¡¯t. The moment Salon heard the word ¡°prerequisite¡±, he became a bit nervous. ¡°The first one is that all guild members should accept my use of ?Assimilation? on them and give me control priority. Ah, you¡¯ve already accepted ?Assimilation?, so you just have to give me control priority.¡± ¡°I have no issues with that!¡± Salon nodded. He had already experienced ?Assimilation? before. Not only that, but he could benefit a lot from Hyun using ?Assimilation? on him. ¡ªHe could always try to remember his movements and try to make them his later on. Getting to learn the know-how of the overwhelming first-ranking player of the previous game wasn¡¯t something that was easy to do. ¡°The second thing is that, on the videos where I¡¯m using ?Assimilation?, profits should be split 5 to 5 with me.¡± ¡°Hmm? But right now, TarrTarr¡ª¡± Ain found that weird and tried to say something, but it was Salon who interrupted that time. The moment he heard that name, Salon spoke up. ¡°TarrTarr? Is he also in the same guild?¡± ¡°Not yet, but he¡¯s probably going to join soon.¡± ¡°As expected, I was right!¡± His eyes shone when he heard that TarrTarr was in Hyun¡¯s guild. ¡°I have no problems with the second condition as well. Considering how much I can learn, 50% is just like a class fee.¡± ¡°And finally¡­¡¯ Hyun stopped for a moment and thought about it. The last condition was the easiest but also the most important. Chapter 128 Chapter 128 ¨C Truth¡¯s Oracle (1) ¡®Is he someone that I can trust?¡¯ He trusted Ain more than anyone. He knew that, behind TarrTarr¡¯s passion, there was admiration, respect, and trust directed toward him, which was why he was planning to make him join the guild. Leaving aside that TarrTarr was good at editing videos, Hyun had started to think of him as a little brother he wanted to take care of. What about Salon? He had let him borrow his body without asking for anything. Thanks to that, he was able to save Louise. If actions could be divided into good and evil, Salon¡¯s action that day would probably fall into good. ¡­But it wasn¡¯t enough with just that. ¡®I guess it¡¯ll be okay.¡¯ If SeoHyun didn¡¯t have ?Assimilation?, he would probably have had a hard time trusting. Even if someone looked like a good person, you never knew what they were hiding on the inside. But with ?Assimilation?, besides controlling the other person¡¯s body, he could also see their hidden ulterior motives. ¡°The last condition, well, I guess it¡¯s also a pass.¡± ¡°Then¡­?¡± Hyun laughed at Salon, who asked back with his eyes widened. ¡°I¡¯ll accept you as a member of the guild.¡± ¡°Nice!¡± Salon subconsciously clenched his fists. SeoHyun didn¡¯t know it, but how Salon reacted was similar to when he had been accepted into University. ¡°Hmm¡­ Our members keep increasing,¡± Ain plained in a low voice tone. Ain thought that it should probably be okay since Salon wasn¡¯t a female user. * * * Mayday sighed. She had participated in the Festival as one of the executives of Darkness but hadn¡¯t been able to enjoy the festival at all. She¡¯d spent a couple of hours greeting and talking with sponsors and other important people, then, she couldn¡¯t ignore the fans that approached her while asking for a picture or autograph. On top of that, she had to agree to countless interviews. ¡®Did I e to participate in a festival or just work¡­?¡¯ Everyone in Darkness was really busy. It was understandable that Mayday was busier than the other members. Not only was she a top executive, but she was also ranked 2nd in the Hall of Fame. Among the people she met, there were a few professional gamers and even people who asked her to appear in ads or even movies. The weirdest interaction was with an unknown research institute that was trying to scout her. She couldn¡¯t even understand what they were saying, she¡¯d just spent the entire time smiling awkwardly. ¡°Oof¡­ I finally have some free time.¡± Mayday finally got some time for herself on the second day of the festival in the afternoon. She walked around the festival wearing a brimmed hat to avoid being recognized. ¡®I envy the people who came here just to enjoy the festival¡­¡¯ She wondered if she should just hide inside of a capsule, but walking around the festival was also very fun. Before being a ranker, Mayday had been an Asrian user, so she quickly became immersed in the festival. ¡®Woah, it¡¯s my first time watching a professional petition¡­ They¡¯re good even pared to the top rankers of our guild¡­¡¯ She was impressed by the match. ¡®Eh, ?Pray??! But I¡¯m part of Abyss¡­ Should I still increase the level of ?Pray?¡­?¡¯ She felt her heart beating faster after witnessing the magnificent appearance of the Archangel of Truth. Besides that, there were lots of things she wouldn¡¯t be able to see normally inside the game. Even if she walked around alone, she didn¡¯t have time to get bored. ¡®This is fun.¡¯ Mayday sat on a bench for a while after enjoying the festival. She hadn¡¯t been able to take a sweet break in a long time. Recently, Mayday felt that even hunting wasn¡¯t some work she could do mindlessly. The stronger the monsters became, even if they had the same specs, the more the hunting speed could vary depending on how good you were. Mayday was putting enormous effort into maintaining 2nd place in the rankings. Just hunting required a lot of mental effort from her, but on top of that, she had to take care of other things as well. Remaining in the top 10 was hard if you lacked even one of the following four qualities: skill, talent, information, and hard work. ¡®I should put more effort in from tomorrow onwards. Recently, I¡¯ve been focusing too much on leveling up. For now, I should try to focus on my movements.¡¯ A group of people passed before her while she was enjoying her break. It was a group of two men and a woman, and one of their faces seemed familiar to her. Mayday sat up properly and looked at the group of people. ¡®Hmm? That person¡­¡¯ That man was a user whose name had bee known thanks to the Iluna¡¯s Quest. ¡®Ah, Salon! He refused our proposal, right? He seems too full of himself.¡¯ After noticing Salon, she looked at the two other people walking with him. ¡°Ah¡­?!¡± Mayday¡¯s face became stiff after realizing the identity of the girl who was wearing a hat and a face mask. Ain¡­ she still remembered the time when she¡¯d faced her. Ain was the user of most discussion at the moment, so there was no way Mayday wouldn¡¯t recognize her face. ¡®Salon is with Ain?¡¯ She was surprised that the two seemed to know each other. But what really surprised Mayday was another thing¡­ She heard what they were talking about by chance after turning on her translator. ¡°Hyun, then you haven¡¯t put your name in either the Hall of Fame or the Duel Arena?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ll do it if I need to, but I¡¯m not in a hurry since that¡¯s something I can do any time.¡± ¡°Well¡­ I guess that¡¯s not really important for you.¡± ¡®Hyun¡­?!¡¯ * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy * * * Mayday stood up after hearing the unexpected name. ¡®That Hyun of Asra Online¡­? Wait, if he¡¯s with Ain, then he probably is that Hyun!¡¯ Mayday began to follow them secretly, and she heard some surprising things in the process. First, it seemed like Hyun, Ain, and Salon were part of the same guild. Mayday look at Hyun¡¯s face. She¡¯d never seen him before. He hadn¡¯t put his name in the Hall of Fame. Not only that, but unlike Ain, he had never made a public appearance. ¡®I¡¯ve never seen Hyun while playing? How is that possible? No, maybe he changed his appearance by using customization¡­!¡¯ Mayday began walking slowly with her head down. ¡®Hmm¡­? Something seems wrong¡­¡¯ After a few minutes of hearing their conversation, Mayday heard something that went against what she knew. ¡°As expected, you guys have been playing together since the beginning!¡± ¡°Haha, yes. It¡¯s almost as if I¡¯ve raised her from the beginning.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­? Isn¡¯t it me who raised Hyun?¡± According to their conversation, Hyun and Ain had been playing as a party since the beginning. That meant that Hyun had always been next to Ain. Mayday had seen Ain three times. ¡ªDuring the Count¡¯s Quest, at the Duel Arena, and somewhere underground that was full of lava. ¡­But Ain had always been alone. She would remember his face if she were with Hyun during those times. ¡°Mayday, what are you doing? I¡¯ve been looking for you.¡± Mayday was surprised by the voice. She turned around and saw Reina, the vice-leader of the guild, standing behind her. ¡°You haven¡¯t forgotten about the dinner with the sponsor group, right? You also have to participate in the announcement seminar after that.¡± ¡°Huh? You told me I didn¡¯t need to take part in that!¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Somehow, we¡¯re lacking people.¡± ¡°Ah, wait¡­!¡± Mayday stopped Reina for a moment and turned her head. The three people she had been following had taken an elevator and were going down. They soon disappeared under the glass wall. ¡°Were you looking for something?¡± Reina found Mayday¡¯s restless attitude weird. ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­ I saw someone I knew.¡± Mayday was wondering if she should mention Hyun, but she decided not to. She didn¡¯t want to cause panic among the already busy guild members, so she thought it would be better to mention it after organizing her thoughts. ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Salon and Ain¡­? Probably.¡± Reina¡¯s eyes widened after hearing Ain¡¯s name. ¡°Ain came to the festival? So how did she look like in real life?!¡± ¡°She looked exactly like her game character.¡± ¡°Really? So she¡¯s a kid, huh? For someone like that to ignore you¡­ I also wanted to see Ain in person¡­!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­ Do you want to hit her?¡± ¡°What? What sort of person do you think I am? I just want to see her face.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief¡­¡± After that, Mayday couldn¡¯t forget what she had heard as she went about her tasks. Should she have secretly taken a picture? Mayday shook her head. She felt that she wouldn¡¯t forget his face even without doing that. * * * The second night. ¡°Hyun, do you want to game together in the hotel¡­?¡± Ain showed her VIP ticket to him and tried to convince him to stay one more day. They could stay in the hotel for free during the festival. Not only that, but they had been provided with latest-generation capsules, too, so they could fortably play Asrian as much as they wanted. They could just stay in the room playing without even attending the festival. SeoHyun was tempted at first but soon shook his head. Asrian was a game, but from then on, it was his job as well. He shouldn¡¯t do anything that went against his plans. If he wanted to be on top, he couldn¡¯t take a break even for a moment! While thinking that, Hyun left the festival, leaving the disappointed Ain behind. When he got home, it was already past 10 at night. Most people would probably fall asleep after returning from a festival. ¡®Oof¡­ I had a nice sleep.¡¯ Hyun could get rid of the tiredness just by sleeping on the train. He had been used to that type of living pattern since his time in school. If there wasn¡¯t the tiredness system, he could probably play the entire day. Hyun went to the capsule after taking a quick shower. ¡®I wonder if Ain is going to log in.¡¯ They¡¯d been quite busy during the festival, so maybe she had fallen asleep. Normally, Ain logged off just before he did. ¡®Well, I guess she¡¯ll send a message if she logs in.¡¯ [Logging into Asrian!] Following that, Hyun appeared in the cozy private room. He could see Louise outside through the window. Louise seemed used to playing by herself because she had always been alone, even on Iluna. Louise¡¯s only friends were the animals running in the garden since nobody else was in the private room. Hyun thought that he should help Louise make new friends. Whether that was with other NPCs or users¡­ it would be better if things got a bit noisier. Looking at Louise, he remembered the explanation about artificial intelligence he had heard. Was Louise an AI somewhere between first and second-generation, or was she a full second-generation AI? Light, Truth, Order, Deception, Darkness, Chaos¡­ According to their explanation, only those six were second-generation¡­ So Louise should¡¯ve been in between? If the performance among generation-and-a-half NPCs differed from each other, she was probably among the highest-ranked. He wasn¡¯t sure if the expression was okay¡­ but she was probably a generation-and-eight-tenths or something along those lines. That was the only possible explanation he found that could explain the feelings he¡¯d sensed while using ?Assimilation? on her. After briefly appreciating the moment, Hyun saw that he had received a quest notification. ¡®As expected, I also received it.¡¯ Hyun smiled bitterly after reading the quest window. Truth¡¯s oracle¡­ The news of the NPC that had bee aware of the outside world had spread through news outlets worldwide. {?Pray? to me! The most faithful believers will get permission to access the Heavens!} The contents of the oracle were the same as what he had heard in the tournament arena. From what he¡¯d seen on the munity boards, it had been many hours since ?Pray? became the ticket to reach the Heavens. If Truth knew about the user¡¯s ambitions and used that as bait, then the ability to think and judge that a second-generation AI had was certainly impressive. The Heavens wasn¡¯t a place that just anyone could access. It was a holy land you could only enter after finishing the 2nd job ascension and finishing a quest that would normally take you many weeks. The greatest benefit you could gain from the Heavens was sacred power. It was the opposing energy of magic and the main reason behind the power of everyone that belonged to the Heavens, so it was understandable that everyone was interested in it. ¡®There shouldn¡¯t be many users who are better at praying than me.¡¯ He thought there shouldn¡¯t have been anyone who had ?Pray? at level 8 and had an Empathy stat that surpassed the hundreds. There didn¡¯t seem to be many Asrian users who were familiar with ?Pray?. In a game with sensory synchronization, they had to Empathize with a Transcendent. They had to lower their consciousness and follow the feelings of a Transcendent, but users didn¡¯t seem to know that. Even the guides and tips posted on the munity boards mentioned that they should ?Pray? while having the image of the Transcendent in their minds. ¡®But I can¡¯t go to the Heavens either way.¡¯ Hyun looked at a line that was written in his status window. Tendency: -94(Abyss) Chapter 129 Chapter 129 ¨C Truth¡¯s Oracle (2) Rankers who only did Heaven quests couldn¡¯t surpass a tendency of 70. If he was minus 94¡­ From the point of view of the Heavens¡¯ Forces, he was like the incarnation of evil itself, right? Even if he¡¯d been able to access the Knight¡¯s Hall, stepping into the Heavens was too much. A Heavenly Being or an Angel¡­ He had to be prepared to die if either of them ever saw him. ¡®That can¡¯t happen.¡¯ What if he changed forces toward the Heavens? Hyun thought about everything he could gain and lose by changing the force he belonged to. If he obtained sacred power, magic and all the specs he had gained up to that point would be halved. But he couldn¡¯t ignore the support he could obtain through ?Pray?. ¡®Anyway, I need to reduce my tendency.¡¯ Should he change his faction? That was a secondary issue. The moment his tendency surpassed three digits, he wouldn¡¯t be able to hide the energy of the Abyss. If that happened, he wouldn¡¯t be able to change the rune on the back of his hand, and it wouldn¡¯t be long before the Heavens declared him an enemy. ¡®I should also ?Pray? for the moment.¡¯ ?Pray? was one of the fastest ways to change your tendency. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t Pray to Louise this time.¡¯ The important thing was that he shouldn¡¯t pray to Louise! Every time he got involved with Louise, his tendency got closer to the Abyss. If he wanted to get closer to the Heavens, he should also ?Pray? to Truth. The best place to ?Pray? to Truth was the main temple located in the Holy Kingdom! After making a decision, Hyun began preparing to go out. Louise noticed that and wanted to follow him. Hyun checked the time and then shook his head. ¡°You can¡¯t come. It¡¯s morning outside right now.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± As Louise looked sad, Hyun said something more. ¡°Someone¡¯s coming to visit later, so just watch over the house.¡± ¡°Is it Ain? But Ain¡­ is boring!¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll come today¡­ It¡¯s someone named Salon. He¡¯s the one who helped us on Iluna. Do you remember him?¡± ¡°Salon¡­?¡± ¡°The person who was dual-wielding swords. Oh, and someone around your age will probably come as well,¡± Hyun said while thinking about TarrTarr. TarrTarr seemed to find joining a guild burdensome. It seemed like he had some kind of trauma¡­ but Hyun was sure he had almost convinced him, so it was just a matter of time. Louise kept complaining like a child even after he said that, so Hyun had to promise her something to calm her down. ¡°Wait until night.¡± ¡°Will you come back at night?¡± ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go hunting.¡± Louise was at around level 200. It was hard to call her baggage. He had begun hunting with Louise in places he knew weren¡¯t dangerous. ¡°So stay at home until then.¡± Hyun smiled and walked out of the private room; then he immediately walked toward the teleport gate. Converting the gold to real money, the cost of using the teleport gate to the Holy Kingdom would be tens of dollars, but Hyun didn¡¯t feel burdened anymore by such an amount of money. Hyun was well-off enough to spend tens of dollars for a short outing without hesitation. * * * The Pope still couldn¡¯t forget about that day. ¡­That day when a dazzling light that was so brilliant that he sometimes wondered if it was a dream had appeared in front of him. Just as it was written in the sacred text, she was an existence whose beauty went beyond human. ¡°I¡¯ll give you an oracle.¡± When the noble voice echoed through the sanctuary of the main temple, the Priest had thought that something about them having lost Iluna would come out, but he¡¯d been wrong. The oracle that Truth spoke was related to a certain user. ¡°There¡¯s a user with a high Empathy, so make him ?Pray? here.¡± The amount of Empathy you have is fixed from the moment you¡¯re born. There were more women with high Empathy than men, so people called them Priestesses. One of the Priestesses had been recorded in the history books as a Saintess. According to what Truth said, there was someone among the users whose existence was similar to a Priestess? The oracle made the Pope more interested in the users. People from another dimension¡­ They said that the number of users surpassed the millions. How were they going to find one person among the countless users? The Pope thought of a way to follow Truth¡¯s orders. ¡®There was that way.¡¯ The Pope decided to spread a holy magic among the users. ?Sanctification?. It was a magic that used sacred power to illuminate the darkness. The stronger the Empathy, the brighter the light became. They said the light the Saintess had created was bright enough to change the night to day. A user with high Empathy may¡¯ve been unable to create a light as bright as the Saintess¡¯s, but lighting a building should¡¯ve been possible. ¡®Even if it isn¡¯t a user, we should be able to find a Priestess¡­ So why is she so interested in a user?¡¯ The Pope tried to understand the intentions of Truth but soon shook his head. ¡®No, that¡¯s not for me to judge¡­ I only have to follow her will.¡¯ Users had a very strong desire to learn something called ¡®skills¡¯. If they used that strong desire, it shouldn¡¯t take long to find the person the oracle had referred to. Small and large incandescent lights would soon rise all over the world. They would probably be able to find the person the oracle was talking about if they just went to the brightest light. He just had to lead that user toward the sanctuary. * * * The temple of a small village that was part of the Holy Kingdom¡­ Hyun was able to easily find the statue of the Archangel in the middle. The statue of the Archangel of Truth was in the middle of three statues. ¡®Okay, I just have to do it here.¡¯ One of the secrets of using ?Pray? was to not hope for too much. Hyun lowered his consciousness and began feeling the energy scattered around him. The best way to increase the proficiency rate was to feel the energy of the Transcendent that was scattered all around. After a short while, he felt a foreign emotion entering him. He wasn¡¯t surprised that time. Just like when he¡¯d been praying to Louise, he was empathizing with Truth. ¡®It feels different from Louise.¡¯ The emotion of Truth was peaceful. There wasn¡¯t a sense of urgency, and it felt benevolent. It really felt like an Angel who loved all humans. They said the Archangel gave even the evilest person one opportunity. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy * * * From the emotions rising within him, Hyun could sense the philanthropic nature of Truth. [Your tendency leaning away from the Abyss! (Current -93)] Hyun was already used to ?Pray?. Hyun suddenly sensed a feeling he hadn¡¯t before while his consciousness was lowered. ¡®Hmm?¡¯ That feeling suddenly rose sharply from the unconsciousness. He only felt it for an instant, so it was hard to tell if he had misunderstood something or if it really was a product of empathizing. But if he wasn¡¯t mistaken¡­ it wasn¡¯t an emotion that suited a benevolent Angel. It was an emotion that didn¡¯t match her beautiful appearance. Surprisingly, Hyun felt killing energy. ¡®What¡¯s this¡­?¡¯ Hyun tried to calm down and lower his consciousness again; then he finally learned that he wasn¡¯t mistaken. Those emotions were hidden within Truth. The Archangel of Truth felt hatred towards the Abyss. No, maybe it was more than hatred. Hyun¡¯s heart began beating faster after he felt those emotions. Should he try to dig deeper? Hyun was trying to make the connection more solid when suddenly¡­ ¡°Are you a user?¡± Hyun opened his eyes after hearing someone¡¯s voice. There was a man wearing a Priest¡¯s robe in front of him, smiling at him. ¡®What¡¯s up with this guy¡­?¡¯ Hyun suddenly became annoyed. He felt that the person in front of him had ruined his concentration. Even though Hyun was annoyed, the person in front of him seemed oblivious. He began talking with a smile on his face. ¡°You seem to be a very religious person.¡± ¡°Me¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. What do you think about learning a skill, if it¡¯s okay with you?¡± ¡°A skill?!¡± Hyun was getting annoyed, but his eyes suddenly changed after hearing that word. There were many quests he didn¡¯t know about in Asra and Asrian¡­ But the ones that he wanted the most were the ones that gave you skills! Among them, some gave valuable skills such as the ?Angel¡¯s Basic Sword Art?, so Hyun¡¯s change in attitude was understandable. ¡°What skill is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a magic called ?Sanctification?! It¡¯s a holy magic that contains the essence of the power of the Heavens!¡± Hyun frowned at the Priest¡¯s words. He knew what that magic was. ?Sanctification? was just a magic that illuminated dark places. Had he interrupted his ?Pray? just to teach him a useless skill? It seemed like the Priest understood Hyun¡¯s feelings after seeing him frown. He kept talking with a smile on his face. ¡°Haha, there¡¯s no need to feel pressured. The Archangel loves all of the believers of the Heavens, so you don¡¯t need to feel pressured.¡± ¡°Yes, I definitely won¡¯t feel pressured.¡± Hyun didn¡¯t like the attitude of the Priest. He was talking as if he were teaching him something useful. Hyun opened the skill book the Priest gave him just to make him go away as soon as possible. Learning one of the weakest holy magics took him almost no time. After a white light came out, a new skill was added to Hyun¡¯s list. [Skill: You¡¯ve learned ?Sanctification?!] Then the Priest gave him a few more skill books. ¡°If you have partners, please give them one of these books! May the grace of the Angel be with you all!¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Hyun thought that he should use the books while hunting later on. He could use them to make a campfire. The Priest kept talking after that, but Hyun just nodded without paying attention. Hyun thought he would just walk away if he kept ignoring him, but he was wrong. ¡°How about you use the skill you¡¯ve just learned?¡± ¡°Are you serious¡­?¡± He was really annoying. If that were real life, he would probably be someone really talented at attracting customers. ¡°Oof¡­ Okay. I¡¯ll do it once, okay?¡± Hyun tried to calm down. As he extended his hand, a sphere the size of a basketball began illuminating the temple. It was a light that warmly embraced earthly beings. A jewel that illuminated the darkness. ¡°Is this enough? Now please, leave me alone.¡± Hyun was so annoyed that he didn¡¯t notice that his ?Sanctification? was brighter than normal. He couldn¡¯t tell that it was as bright as the one that his previous high-spec character had been able to create. The Priest was lost for words after seeing Hyun¡¯s light sphere. The Priest came back to his senses after the light went off. ¡°Mr. User¡­!¡± ¡®Damn it, isn¡¯t this over yet?¡¯ As he wanted to talk away from the annoying Priest, the man quickly spoke. ¡°Wait, wait here for a moment, please! I¡¯ll call a high-ranking Priest!¡± ¡°What? A high-ranking Priest¡­? Why so suddenly¡­?¡± Hyun asked in surprise. Some high-ranking Priests could see through Hyun¡¯s fake rune. ¡®Did he notice that I¡¯m part of the Abyss¡­? That doesn¡¯t seem to be the reason.¡¯ If he had noticed he was part of the Abyss, he would¡¯ve called the soldiers first. There was no reason to call a high-ranking Priest. The Priest didn¡¯t seem to be lying or hiding anything. ¡®Is this really a hidden event¡­?¡¯ As the chances of it becoming a hidden event revived, Hyun¡¯s heart began beating faster. Yes, maybe he should wait. The two Priests that came running seemed to say something to each other after looking at him. ¡°But isn¡¯t this person a man¡­? To call him a Priestess is a bit¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s true¡­ I think that we¡¯ll have to ask the Bishop for more details.¡± ¡°Yes, we should.¡± They suddenly turned their heads to Hyun after talking to each other. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to bother you, Mr. User¡­ Could you listen to one more request if it isn¡¯t too much?¡± ¡°What request?¡± The Priest lowered his head. There are some things I¡¯d like to ask Mr. User. We¡¯re going to compensate you for taking away your time.¡± Hyun felt relieved. Judging by how they bowed, it seemed that it wasn¡¯t what he had suspected. Was it really a hidden quest? Expectantly, Hyun followed the two Priests. They used ?Teleport? and went to the main temple in the Holy Kingdom¡¯s capital. The Priests there asked Hyun to use ?Sanctification? once more. They seemed pleased after looking at the light sphere in Hyun¡¯s hands. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s him!¡± ¡®Wait, why is this so bright¡­?¡¯ It was then that Hyun noticed that his ?Sanctification? was weird. He hadn¡¯t noticed it at first because the skill¡¯s specs were similar to the one he had used before in Asra Online. There, his character had lots of different holy buffs. His character was weak compared to the overwhelming specs he used to have¡­ Then why was this Sanctification as bright as back then? Hyun became nervous and frowned after looking at the overly-excited Priests. Chapter 130 Chapter 130 ¨C Truth¡¯s Oracle (3) ¡®Is it because of the level of ?Pray?¡­ or is it my Empathy?!¡¯ He soon realized why the Priest had been surprised and why he was bothering him so much. The reason why the light was so bright was probably because of his ridiculously high Empathy stat. But from the point of view of an NPC, it was bright enough to confuse him for a Priestess or Saintess. Yes, they were probably thinking that he was some sort of holy being! If not, there was no reason they would lead him to that place, which was usually forbidden for users to access. Hyun began to understand the situation. Maybe it was an event that opened the path to obtaining a hidden job that was of the holy type. ¡®Wait, aren¡¯t they going to discover that I belong to the Abyss¡­?¡¯ As he walked through a passage decorated with luxurious candlesticks on both sides, Hyun began dripping cold sweat. It was already too late to escape. Holy knights surrounded him. ¡®Wait, this old man is¡­!¡¯ An NPC Hyun knew ended up appearing. One of the 12 Bishops of the Holy Kingdom. He silently looked at Hyun, then frowned as if he¡¯d sensed something strange. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but excuse me for a moment.¡± The Bishop turned Hyun¡¯s hands around. While that was happening, Hyun couldn¡¯t summon the courage to do anything. The Bishop¡¯s eyes shone and then looked at Hyun. At that moment, Hyun realized something. ¡®He knows!¡¯ Hyun¡¯s heart began beating faster. While his surroundings were silent, he just bit his lips. If he kept meeting high-ranking NPCs, wouldn¡¯t they end up discovering he belonged to the Abyss? What he feared became a reality. ¡®What kind of horrible luck is this¡­?!¡¯ No, it was his mistake for following them while hoping for a hidden event. He¡¯d put himself in that situation. He would end up facing a horrible death. While numerous thoughts crossed Hyun¡¯s mind, the high-ranking Priest nodded and backed off. ¡®I see¡­¡¯ He was expecting him to order the soldiers to kill him immediately, but the Priest just frowned and didn¡¯t show any other reaction. ¡°Now I understand the meaning of the oracle.¡± ¡®Oracle¡­?¡¯ While Hyun was confused, the Bishop turned around and gave an order to the Priests around them. ¡°Lead this user to the main temple.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The Priests bowed and followed the Bishop¡¯s order. The NPCs were clearly treating him differently, but Hyun went from feeling like a VIP to a prisoner. Although the Bishop had clearly discovered he was part of the Abyss, he¡¯d just remained silent while nodding. He couldn¡¯t understand what was going on. ¡®I should be able to escape¡­ right?¡¯ Hyun was looking around when his eyes met the Bishop¡¯s. He turned around to avoid his gaze. Hyun followed the Priests and reached the deepest place of the temple. The place where the Pope prayed¡­ There had been three sculptures until recently, but that had changed to two. One had broken after Truth descended. ¡®This¡­ is the sanctuary.¡¯ As they passed through a silent corridor, a place Hyun knew very well appeared. There were a few places where the chances of a Transcendent descending were higher. The strongest sanctuary was the main magic circle of Iluna, and the second place was where they had led him, the main temple of the Holy Kingdom. In every sanctuary, people from the Heavens left three sculptures to make it easy for Angels to descend. Hyun found it suspicious that only the sculpture of ¡®Truth¡¯ was missing. While his thoughts were getting deeper, a Priest carefully approached him. ¡°We ask you to ?Pray?.¡± ¡°?Pray?¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, please.¡± Judging by how he said ¡°please¡±¡­ It seemed they weren¡¯t trying to blame him for being part of the Abyss, or maybe the Bishop hadn¡¯t told them anything. ¡®Oof¡­ To be asked to pray so suddenly.¡¯ He was still confused but had no choice but to follow what they said. Nervously, Hyun closed his eyes and put his hands together. Because he¡¯d done it numerous times, he could concentrate and ?Pray? in any situation. Empathy¡­ Hyun felt a benevolent and altruistic emotion rising from within. Was it because he was using ?Pray? at a sanctuary? Unlike when he used ?Pray? at the chapel, those emotions were amplified almost instantly. It didn¡¯t take long before the whole body was covered with joy. Lightning struck a few moments after he began praying. Zap-! Just like that day¡­ Lightning connected the sanctuary with the sky. At that moment, the Priests, looking from behind him, and even the Pope, who was looking from a distance, kneeled down. They felt that the oracle had been fulfilled. Hyun was the only one who could see what was going on. Hyun raised his head and looked at Truth, who had descended onto the podium. More than surprised, he was stunned. He never thought that he would meet the Archangel so suddenly out of nowhere. Was it because she¡¯d descended consecutively in a short period? Truth seemed weaker than when he¡¯d seen her at the tournament arena. ¡®Truth¡­!¡¯ He suddenly remembered something about her. Truth could see through human emotions. If you stood beside her, it was better if there was nothing you were ashamed of. Asrian¡¯s technology had improved a lot compared to the previous game. How much of that technology had they applied? Was it possible that she knew what he was thinking about? ¡°Yes, I know.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Truth¡¯s words struck Hyun¡¯s head. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy * * * ¡°Fufu, you don¡¯t need to be nervous.¡± She talked kindly as if she were trying to calm down a kid, but Hyun couldn¡¯t easily relax. Transcendents, like Archangels or Great Demons, were created using second-generation AI. ¡ªThat meant the Archangel in front of him wasn¡¯t that different from a real human being! More than making him feel unpleasant, having his thoughts read made him nervous. ¡°You¡¯re surprisingly normal.¡± Hyun was confused at the words Truth spoke. No, he hadn¡¯t been able to understand them because he was thinking about other things. She probably knew about his tendency. What would happen if she saw that his tendency was at minus 93? To be honest, he hadn¡¯t intended for his tendency to incline toward the Abyss, so he thought it was unfair. ¡°You need not worry.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°I know that your heart isn¡¯t directed toward the Abyss.¡± Truth once again read Hyun¡¯s thoughts. Every time he got his thoughts read, he shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Even on Iluna, you did your best for the sake of the Heavens, although the results weren¡¯t good. The reason why your tendency became inclined toward the Abyss so much¡­ Is probably because you were unlucky.¡± The moment Hyun heard the word ¡°Iluna¡±, he almost thought of Louise. He tried his best to suppress those memories. He still didn¡¯t know Louise¡¯s true identity. What if he thought of her in front of Truth? Hyun wasn¡¯t sure¡­ but he felt that something bad would happen. Thankfully, Truth couldn¡¯t read one¡¯s thoughts that were in the subconscious. She remained silent for a while but suddenly mumbled while frowning. ¡°How weird¡­ Why did your tendency get inclined toward the Abyss?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You have no evil feelings, and you don¡¯t worship the Abyss.¡± Truth thought about it for a little more but quickly gave up. She¡¯d used her ego consecutively, so she couldn¡¯t stay for a long period of time. She looked at Hyun. It seemed like she¡¯d decided on something and opened her mouth. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll erase your past.¡± Truth walked down from the podium and placed her hands on top of Hyun¡¯s head. He shrugged his shoulders but didn¡¯t show any big reaction. ¡ªIt was to avoid thinking of anything useless. ¡°I forgive your sins.¡± Fwoosh-! A strong light shone from Truth¡¯s hands and covered the temple. ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± Hyun and all those who kneeled down closed their eyes. The Priests were trembling with their heads bowed. They knew what was going on. The Archangel had used her authority just for the sake of one person, and a user on top of that. The light disappeared after ten seconds, and Hyun received a system message. [A strength that exceeds humans has reset your tendency!] Hyun was surprised. His tendency, which was at minus 93, had become neutral. Instead of minus 93, it appeared as 0. Not only that, but the rune on his hand had disappeared. The Archangel could do lots of different things, so even he didn¡¯t remember everything. But had a Transcendent really used her authority for one user? Using her authority required her to burn her ego, which was like cutting her own flesh. Not only that, but it seemed like a power that was one step higher than descending. Hyun knew better than any other user what kind of recoil that could have. As expected, Truth¡¯s figure started to become blurry. It meant that she would soon return to the Heavens¡­ She probably wouldn¡¯t be able to use her ego to descend for a while. ¡°Any evil can be forgiven once¡­ but if you follow the path of evil twice, that means that¡¯s probably your nature.¡± Truth smiled and looked into Hyun¡¯s eyes. Hyun smiled awkwardly while looking at her. ¡°I¡¯m fond of you,¡± Truth said in a higher tone of voice. The second thing was something directed toward the people that were kneeling down¡ªit was to make sure people from the surface knew the will of a god. Even if she¡¯d forgiven his sins, there would probably be people who would try to persecute him just because he was part of the Abyss. People from that side probably weren¡¯t aware of the true value that his oracle had. She didn¡¯t have enough time to explain, and even if she did, they probably wouldn¡¯t understand. For her effort not to be in vain, she had to eliminate even the smallest possibility of doubt. Thanks to her having read his thoughts, she became sure of something¡­ If time flowed without anything special happening, he would probably become Heaven¡¯s biggest sword in the future. That¡¯s why she reaffirmed once more¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t be swayed by the goodwill or hostility of others. Don¡¯t be swayed by the standards that distinguish good from evil. You just need to do as you¡¯ve been doing until now¡ªthat¡¯s the best path for you.¡± After Truth said it once more, the Priests became aware of what she wanted to say. She didn¡¯t want them to try to put any pressure on him. After all, he was a human with an Empathy so high that it made it hard to believe that he was a user. Could they leave him alone? After all, he had fallen to the Abyss once. Shouldn¡¯t they at least put a Stigma of Light on him? Most Priests naturally thought that, but after hearing Truth¡¯s words, they did their best to erase those kinds of thoughts. They realized that just thinking that about him in front of Truth was an act of profanity. Zap-! Lightning rose to the sky. Truth disappeared without being able to say her goodbye¡­ He knew how much strength she¡¯d used to say those last words. Hyun and the rest of the people there didn¡¯t stand up for a while after Truth disappeared. The ego the Archangel had burned was gently embracing the sanctuary. * * * No one blocked Hyun¡¯s path, but they didn¡¯t also didn¡¯t try to favor him. ¡®You just need to do as you¡¯ve been doing until now. That¡¯s the best path for you.¡¯ Everyone remembered Truth¡¯s words, and there wasn¡¯t anyone there willing to go against the will of their god. ¡°Could I ask your name¡­?¡± Someone asked Hyun¡¯s name, but he just remained silent. ¡°If it¡¯s too much, please forget I said that¡­¡± Hyun didn¡¯t answer because he felt dumbfounded. After he returned to the Shade Guild¡¯s private room¡­ Hyun remembered everything that had happened. ¡®She gave an oracle just to meet me¡­¡¯ Truth hadn¡¯t thought much about users in the previous game. She was only slightly interested in him in the latter half of the game since he had managed to obtain an overwhelming strength. She didn¡¯t even take a glimpse at Ain and the other users. At the point in the game they were at, every single user should¡¯ve been as irrelevant as dust for her. Despite that, not only had she given an oracle to meet him, but she¡¯d said she was fond of him in front of all the Priests. Was that also one of the differences between Asra and Asrian? The Truth of the previous game probably wasn¡¯t created by using a second-generation AI, so it was understandable that there would be some differences in her personality. ¡®It¡¯s not like I can ask Radiette.¡¯ After the incident on Iluna, Hyun had returned to the Giant¡¯s Forest to ask for forgiveness for having deceived him with ?Assimilation?. He barely managed to find the house on top of a tree branch, but there was no one inside. Hyun had felt relieved after seeing that all of the important things had disappeared. ¡ªThat meant he hadn¡¯t died on Iluna. Radiette had probably gone to a place similar to the Giant¡¯s Forest where there were no people nearby after returning. Chapter 131 Chapter 131 ¨C Heading Into The Dark (1) ¡®I need to decide on my own.¡¯ Hyun started to think about what he should do from then on. Thanks to the Truth¡¯s authority, he had become neutral. Not only that, but she¡¯d said she was fond of him. Going to the Heavens was out of the question, but if he wished so, he would probably be able to receive full support from the Holy Kingdom. There was no way his tendency would fall to the three digits. Not only that, but he didn¡¯t need to worry about his position anymore, so it was an incredible benefit! Despite all that, Hyun didn¡¯t seem excited. ¡®It¡¯s weird.¡¯ There was something bothering him. ¡®It¡¯s probably her.¡¯ Hyun looked at Louise, who was sleeping on the sofa. He¡¯d promised they¡¯d go hunting at night, but since she was sleeping, he hadn¡¯t woken her up. What was Louise¡¯s real identity? Every time he got involved with her, his tendency grew closer to the Abyss. The reason behind the tendency changes of a user was simple¡ªit meant you had contributed to a certain faction. It meant that something he¡¯d done related to Louise had weakened the Heavens or made the Abyss stronger. Maybe it was both. But even if she had a seed of darkness implanted in her¡­ the rate at which his tendency changed was too much. ¡®At this point, wouldn¡¯t it make sense if Louise was a demon?¡¯ Hyun thought of a possibility but soon shook his head. In the video he¡¯d seen where Louise appeared with Keidrial, she was clearly a Royal-ranking Angel. She¡¯d lost her crystal wings due to Deception, and because of that, she¡¯d probably lost her memories. Hyun knew a lot about Angels and Demons. He knew that the nature of a Transcendent didn¡¯t change. An Angel was forever an Angel, and a Demon was forever a Demon. But to think that someone who wasn¡¯t a Demon could drag his tendency toward the Abyss so much surprised him. ¡®An Angel who drags someone to the Abyss¡­¡¯ He had no choice but to take some time to think of Louise-related things. * * * A week after Truth appeared¡­ Posts of users who had gone to the Heavens began appearing on the Asrian community boards. The first thread that appeared was that of a famous user. He was a streamer who had gotten obsessed with praying after becoming a Holy Knight. He was obsessed with the idea of going to the Heavens. He uploaded a video and a short commentary of what he¡¯d experienced in the Heavens. ¡¸I didn¡¯t find the Heavens that impressive. Was it a place worthy of reaching after spending an entire day praying? I don¡¯t think so! If you saw the video, you¡¯d notice that they only let you roam around the entrance. You¡¯re not allowed to go inside. Not only that, but I haven¡¯t seen the face of a single Angel!¡¹ Many things didn¡¯t show up properly on the video, so lots of people asked questions. ¨C Didn¡¯t you obtain a new skill? They said that you can receive skills in the Heavens. ¨C (OP) I got one skill that reduces the cooldown of your main skill by 5%. ¨C Isn¡¯t that quite impressive? ¨C I¡¯m not sure. Considering how big of a fuss they made out of it, I think it¡¯s a lackluster reward. Rather than the skill, the biggest reward was sacred power! Those past few days, people began learning about the importance of sacred power and magic. The power wielded by Transcendents¡­ According to the revealed information, skills that used ¡®sacred power¡¯ were all incredibly powerful. That was also the reason why everyone wanted to go to the Heavens. ¨C This guy has 600 sacred power, lol. He hid his number on the interface but made a mistake in one part of the video. ¨C Was this all him trying to manipulate people? Lol. ¨C (OP) No. After completing the job ascension, I became a Holy Knight; that¡¯s why I gained so much sacred power. I obtained 600 because I was lucky. Most people shouldn¡¯t hope to become as lucky as me. ¨C Fact: The maximum amount of sacred power a Holy Knight can obtain is 1000. The OP still has 40% left to go. ¨C OP¡¯s inner thoughts: Oh f***! I need to go one more time next week¡­! ¨C It¡¯s amazing the lengths people are willing to go just to reduce competition, lol. ¨C This guy is a Holy Knight, right? Doesn¡¯t he need sacred power because of his job type? If you have other jobs, you don¡¯t need it that much, honestly. ¨C Secondary account of OP. ¨C Unless you have a character like a Necromancer or Dark Priest, there¡¯s no harm in getting some sacred power. Users were very attracted to the ¡®sacred power.¡¯ They¡¯d known for a while, thanks to the players of the previous game, that sacred power became more important the further you progressed through the game. Magic and sacred power were powers that usually appeared after the second or even third job ascensions. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy * * * One of the two had appeared unexpectedly fast, so it was normal that users were excited. On top of that, when people learned that Holy-type jobs were most likely to receive rewards from the Heavens, the preferences for the job ascensions of the users began to change. ¡®If I keep praying, I¡¯ll eventually be able to reach the Heavens. In that case, wouldn¡¯t it be better if I chose a Holy-type job?¡¯ The number of users that went to the Holy Kingdom, or people that chose the Holy Kingdom as a starting city, increased. * * * Shade Guild¡¯s private room¡­ Hyun discovered something incredible after making Salon and TarrTarr join the Guild. He¡¯d thought that Louise was younger than TarrTarr, but in reality, they were the same age! The first time he¡¯d met Louise, she was ten years old, so in his mind, she was still just a kid. They were surprised by each other from the first time they met. ¡°Oh, there¡¯s someone who looks weak. What level are you? I¡¯m 200.¡± ¡°Is she really an NPC? She looks like a user¡­ Aren¡¯t you trying to deceive me again?¡± ¡°It¡¯s true. She¡¯s around the same age as you, so get along with her.¡± Although he was timid, he was sociable, so they were probably going to get along. Including Ain and Salon, there were, in total, five members in the guild, so the private room became noisier. Salon was surprised after looking at Louise, and he was surprised again a few hours later, after he saw TarrTarr. ¡°Haha, this kid was, in reality, bad!¡± He ended up discovering TarrTarr¡¯s real ability. Compared to a normal person, he was talented, but compared to Hyun¡­ No, he lacked even compared to him! Salon laughed while dodging TarrTarr¡¯s attacks. It was as if he¡¯d become intoxicated by his own movements. ¡°Haha, try to hit me at least once.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m a Combo Thief! I¡¯m not good at PvP!¡± ¡°Am I not a Combo Thief as well?¡± The sight of the oldest member using a middle school student to throw off the anger he had accumulated until then looked ugly, but since he didn¡¯t seem to have any ill intentions, Hyun just looked from a distance. After all, he knew that Salon¡¯s smile would soon disappear. ¡°Duel? How about with me?¡± Ain said with her eyes shining. Salon shrugged his shoulders. ¡°No, I¡¯m a Combo Thief, after all¡­ I¡¯m not that interested in PvP¡­¡± TarrTarr, who had been saved from Salon¡¯s pranks by Ain, quickly left the place. ¡°What about now?¡± ¡°Ehem¡­ That was to help him with¡­ combos. He¡¯s unexpectedly talented. Haha¡­¡± The person Salon had the most difficulty dealing with was Ain. He still remembered how easily he was defeated during the Count¡¯s Quest. After that, he¡¯d seen many videos of Ain fighting and realized the gap between their talents. In the end, he found his own path. At the time, he became so frustrated that he¡¯d fallen to self-loathing. He never thought he would be in the same guild as her¡­ you really never know what the future holds. ¡®Five people¡­ Not bad for a new guild.¡¯ Hyun smiled in satisfaction after looking at the guild that had become noisier than before. Although there were people from all around the world that had different jobs gathered in one place, things hadn¡¯t changed that much. If he had to pick one thing that had changed, it was that they had a common base. Each party member spent their time hunting, doing quests, practicing duels, etc, and from time to time, they gathered in the private room and spent time together. Of course, Louise¡¯s routine completely changed. Louise started to have fun while hunting at night. ¡°If you think things are about to get dangerous, use this.¡± Hyun gave Louise an expensive scroll. It was a scroll that allowed you to teleport to the private room. It was overwhelmingly more expensive than a teleport gate, so it wasn¡¯t frequently used, even among rankers. There weren¡¯t that many in stock, so Hyun had to spend a lot of money to buy one. But still, your only life was far more valuable than any sum of money. ¡®It¡¯s going to be okay, right?¡¯ The reason why he¡¯d started to take Louise hunting was simple. Was it that he felt bad for her because she stayed locked inside the private room for many hours? That was one of the reasons, but more than that, Louise¡¯s specs were good, even compared to any user. She was of great help while hunting. After she¡¯d finished the job ascension, her level instantly went from 100 to 200. The biggest difference was that her skill, Steps of the Wind, had evolved. [?Black Wind? Lv.4(+1)] ¨C You move and attack with a wind that comes out of your body. ¨C The wind deals [Magical Power] x 1.5 as damage. ¨C If you mix Magic, it deals x 7 extra damage. The skill was capable of dealing 10.5 times her Magical Power as damage! Considering that Ain¡¯s ?Efreet¡¯s Claws? dealt seven times her Magical Power as damage, it was an incredible power. ¡®Although Ain is stronger if she uses her ultimate attack and the Latent Potential Increase on top of that.¡¯ The damage Louise could deal was similar or a little bit inferior to the one the Elemental Berserker could deal. But ?Black Wind? could also be used as a moving skill, so it was a skill that combined attack and utility. The mobility of the wind was superior. ¡®The only bad thing is the attack range.¡¯ Ain¡¯s claws had an attack range that went between one and two meters, but Louise had to get closer to the enemy in order to deal damage. ¡®Well, having high damage when killing trash mobs is the best.¡¯ But in fights, being able to deal damage from a distance was also important. They had no issues killing monsters without intelligence with Louise¡¯s skill. ?Black Wind?! They began hunting in the field in the middle of the night. Hyun, who had ?Assimilated? to Louise, enjoyed running through the fields. Pang-! He used the effects of the wind to rise and then used ?Shadow Run? to soar to the sky once more. 80 meters into the air, he let his body flow with the air currents of the night sky. Gluna shone yellow, and Illuna shone blue. The surface illuminated by both moons was full of monsters. There were also some wyverns flying underneath them. It was the result of Hyun gathering as many monsters in one place as possible. ¡¸Fu, are you afraid?¡¹ ¡¸Now I¡¯m okay¡­!¡¹ Hyun laughed at Louise¡¯s reply. During their first hunt, Louise had wanted to use a return scroll, but now she seemed less scared than before. Hyun could understand her feelings thanks to ?Assimilation?. Louise was a bit excited. She had improved a lot from before when she¡¯d almost had a seizure after looking at the horde of monsters. ¡¸I¡¯m glad.¡¹ Tap. The tips of Louise¡¯s feet touched the ground. If she used the wind, she could land on the ground without any impact. As a weak-looking girl landed in the middle of the fields, the eyes of the monsters around them began shining. ?Sword of Darkness?! But Hyun was faster than them. Pang! The moment launched wind at the back of Louise¡¯s hands, her body couldn¡¯t withstand the recoil and rotated in place three times. At the same time, the ?Sword of Darkness? sliced through the enemies in a circle around them. With that, he could use a simple sword swing as if it were just one skill. All of the monsters around them became pillars of light and disappeared. ¡®Oof, I finally got used to it.¡¯ Hyun smiled in satisfaction. Controlling Louise¡¯s mobility at first had been hard. Her speed had increased so much that it couldn¡¯t be compared to before, and he also wasn¡¯t used to moving using her body with the wind. Louise was like a butterfly that could create a typhoon by herself. It took a lot of effort to be able to avoid being swept away by her own power. It took Hyun more than a week to be able to control the effects of the wind, which showed how difficult of a task it was. Chapter 132 Chapter 132 ¨C Heading Into The Dark (2) ¡®Her fighting style is closer to Ain¡¯s.¡¯ Whoosh-! Louise¡¯s toes drew a line. A kick that rebounded off the ground¡­ The wyvern¡¯s head was cut off by the wind pressure. Particles of light rose from the stump. The pressure of the wind was sharper than any knife. Every time the black wind blew, holes appeared in the stomachs of the monsters, and their limbs were torn off. Hyun thought it was good that blood didn¡¯t come out of the monsters. The gruesome sight wouldn¡¯t be good for young Louise¡¯s feelings. ¡®There¡¯s no better way to enjoy controlling than this!¡¯ With Louise¡¯s power, they could probably try to hunt a named monster, but Hyun shook his head. There was no need to put a body he still wasn¡¯t used to in danger. For the moment, it was better to cool the head down while facing those weak monsters. Finally, after defeating the last enemy, the field that had been full of monster cries fell silent. They could only hear the sound of the wind. Hyun checked his experience bar. ¡¸It increased by 10%.¡¹ ¡¸Is that good¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Considering that we¡¯ve hunted for just 20 minutes¡­ it¡¯s good.¡¹ Hunting with Louise was what he did at the end of the day. Being able to gain experience at such speeds at level 200 was exciting by itself. The moment he imbued Magic into the wind, he became so fast that he felt like he was doing some very dangerous acrobatics. When he ran between the monsters while feeling the wind, he felt as if his stress was being relieved. ¡®I should make a decision¡­¡¯ After meeting Truth, Hyun had begun wondering about changing to the Heavens. But the more he thought about it, the more doubts he started to have. Although being part of the Heavens was clearly tempting, there were lots of things he had to give up at that point. The biggest penalty was that he would lose all of his Magic. He didn¡¯t even want to imagine what it would be like to play as a Shadow Linker without Magic until he reached level 200¡­ But leaving those reasons aside, many things were bothering him. ¡®Ugh¡­!¡¯ Even then¡­ Hyun could feel his heart throbbing. It was something he only felt while ?Assimilating? to Louise, and it was getting worse. At first, he¡¯d wondered if he was imagining things or if Louise had gotten a disease. But a few days before, he¡¯d discovered the reason behind why he was feeling that. [The connection with the Darkness has gotten weaker!] [Be careful, if the connection gets cut, the other person will be devoured by the Darkness!] ¡®This explains a lot.¡¯ Although it was only two lines, they answered numerous doubts Hyun had. It was clear that Darkness had been planted into her subconsciousness. That was probably why that word had appeared as soon as he¡¯d completed the job ascension quest by being recognized by her. But more than that, the name of the job was Shadow Linker. Link meant that it connected two targets. It probably referred to himself and Louise. ¡®My tendency probably influences Louise.¡¯ Louise¡¯s weird symptoms had begun after his meeting with Truth when she¡¯d changed his tendency to neutral. The heart-throbbing pain was definitely caused because the connection with the Darkness had weakened. ¡®Will Louise die if she gets devoured by the Darkness?¡¯ Hyun suddenly imagined something chilling and trembled. At the same time, he remembered what had happened on Iluna. Louise had been exposed to the sun for a short while when the eclipse¡¯s shadow was chasing them. What he¡¯d felt while being covered in the light¡­ The system didn¡¯t protect Louise, so he didn¡¯t want to imagine her pain. The pain he¡¯d been feeling was very similar to the one he felt back then. Then maybe the Shadow Linker had the role of restraining the Darkness implanted into her. If ¡®Link¡¯ referred to Louise¡¯s lifeline, that meant her life once again depended on his decision. ¡ªHis decision of whether he was going to choose the Heavens or the Abyss. If he assumed that, then everything made sense. ¡°Oof¡­ Then things will get entangled once again.¡± Hyun, who had ?Disassimilated?, burst into a bleak laugh. He wasn¡¯t blaming Louise. He felt refreshed. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°You.¡± ¡°Me¡­?¡± ¡°No, never mind. I guess it doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t know.¡± Maybe he¡¯d been walking the path of the Abyss since the moment he¡¯d met Louise. From the first moment he picked forces, or even since his tendency had been reset, Louise had been the decisive factor behind his decisions, but he didn¡¯t feel resentful toward her because of that. After learning ?Assimilation?, he had been enjoying the Support-type job. ¡®Well, since I reached the top in the Heavens once, I¡¯ll have to do it in the Abyss as well.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t a deliberate choice, but the Shadow Linker was a job with very high growth potential. Normally, to be able to wield more than a hundred thousand Magic, you needed to complete the 3rd or even 4th job ascension. It was also far superior to his old character when it was around the same level. If he knew how to grow the character as part of the Abyss, he wouldn¡¯t even need to worry about it so much. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy * * * ¡®No, the faction isn¡¯t important.¡¯ Until then, he¡¯d walked an unknown path, but he was sure he¡¯d picked the fastest route possible. ¡®My skills are more important!¡¯ He was sorry for Truth. She¡¯d even said she was fond of him, but he would still stand on the opposing side. He felt more relaxed after coming to that decision. Louise looked confused after seeing that Hyun was laughing alone. ¡°Did something funny happen¡­?¡± ¡°Louise¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Let me borrow your body for a bit.¡± Hyun used ?Assimilation? on Louise and activated ?Pray?. Ten minutes after he closed his eyes¡­ He could feel his heart-throbbing pain calm down. [Your tendency has gotten closer to the Abyss! (Current: -1)] [You¡¯ve chosen the Abyss!] [The connection with the Darkness has been reestablished!] ¡®Just up to here¡­¡¯ After he got the message, Hyun ?Disassimilated?. Using ?Pray? while being Assimilated into Louise changed his tendency too fast. If his tendency got into the three digits, things would get bothersome, so that much was okay. Ting-! [A new main quest has been generated!] Then he saw a message he hadn¡¯t seen for a while. * * * At the same time¡­ Riinngg-! Robert, who¡¯d been taking a nap, woke up because of a sudden alarm. ¡°W-what¡­?!¡± Robert stood up from his chair while wiping away his saliva; then he began looking at the system log. The alarm that just rang did it only when something important happened. Mary and Robert were in charge of checking if Asrian¡¯s world was stable. In the beginning, Robert had dripped a cold sweat while trying to figure out the cause, but he had gotten used to it. He knew where he had to check first. ¡°Haha, I knew it!¡± In just five minutes, Robert figured out the trigger that¡¯d made the variable diverge. Hyun¡­ More than 50% of the times that alarm rang, it was because of Hyun. That time was no different. Robert had become his fan at a certain point. He was proud that¡ªthanks to being a developer¡ªhe was the only one able to watch all of Hyun¡¯s gameplay. ¡°It seems like he¡¯s finally chosen the Abyss¡­ Well, I guess that, considering what he¡¯s gone through until now, it was the obvious choice.¡± Surprisingly, Hyun always picked the best route whenever he was at a crossroads. He knew he was a player of Asra, the previous game¡­ Yet, even under the new variables that had been added to Asrian, he continued to make the best possible decisions. Robert took a closer look at Hyun¡¯s recent activity. What had happened until then, the quests he was doing, and what was probably going to happen! ¡°Deception, Darkness, and Truth¡­¡± He could see at first glance that, once again, Hyun had gotten involved with surprisingly important beings. ¡°Woah, it seems like another big-scale quest is about to start. To think that he would drag out Darkness at this point¡­¡± Although it seemed like he was trying to do a ridiculously difficult quest, he couldn¡¯t laugh at it. That was because Hyun was at the center of it! ¡°I¡¯ll reserve some time so that I don¡¯t miss it.¡± Robert was still bothered by the fact that he hadn¡¯t been able to see Hyun¡¯s role in Iluna¡¯s Quest live. The main reason was that he had to prepare for the festival and the important presentation¡­ But he was definitely going to monitor the quest live that time. ¡°Good!¡± Robert smiled after putting an alarm that would ring once Hyun reached a certain place. Mary tilted her head while looking at Robert, who was talking alone. ¡°Robert, didn¡¯t you say you had a meeting today?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± ¡°You said you had an important meeting with someone at lunch.¡± ¡°Meeting¡­? Oh yeah!¡± He¡¯d been so busy analyzing Hyun¡¯s gameplay that he¡¯d almost forgotten. Robert checked his phone and frowned. He was supposed to meet someone important that day. ¡°Damn it. I missed two calls from Director Steven!¡± ¡°Ah, so the meeting was with Director Steven!¡± ¡°Yes. Mari, please take care of my office for a moment!¡± ¡°Just go. Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not like we¡¯re doing anything.¡± Chairman Kwon Dae Ho was particularly interested in the meeting with Steven and would also participate in it, so Robert had no other choice but to pay attention. Robert headed somewhere hurriedly while calling the number back. He had no clue how the day¡¯s meeting would develop. * * * Hyun sat on the sofa in the private room, staring at the air. He was like that because, after changing his tendency back to the Abyss, he had received a quest. (Difficulty: ?) ¨C Go and search the Ruins of Darkness that are somewhere Underground. The key to freeing Louise is in that place. ¨C There aren¡¯t many people who know how to move in the Underground¡­ Without the help of someone who can guide you, you might wander around the Underground forever. ¡®Finally, another main quest!¡¯ Hyun thought that he was starting to understand how main quests worked. If you followed the commands, you would naturally get involved in a big incident. Your reward would depend on how much influence you exercised over the world. It could be that you received nothing, or it could be that you received more experience than an entire week of hunting would give. The first time he¡¯d met and saved Louise, he had gone up 25 levels! Basically, the rewards were decided based on the actions of the user. ¡°Then choosing the Abyss was the correct decision.¡± Hyun decided to follow the main quest for a while. By doing that, he would be able to obtain stats, skill points, and Magic! The rewards of the main quests he had done until then had exceeded his expectations, and there would probably be many of them left in the future as well. Basically, following the main quest was the fastest way to grow your character. ¡®Search the Ruins of Darkness?¡¯ First, Hyun tried to analyze the quest¡¯s description. Once again, he used the Interloop to search for information. Darkness, Dark, Underground, Ruins, etc¡­ He used many keywords but couldn¡¯t find anything useful. ¡®I won¡¯t be able to use this.¡¯ He had discovered a while ago that he couldn¡¯t rely only on the information from the Interloop. In Asra Online, there was usually a hint in the quest¡¯s description, so Hyun took some time to read it sentence by sentence. ¡®Follow an Underground guide and search for the Ruins of Darkness¡­¡¯ ¡®By ¡°Underground¡±, they¡¯re probably referring to the Symmetrical World.¡¯ And he could only think of one person who could guide him through the Symmetrical World¡­ ¡®Rutia.¡¯ He shook his head after thinking of that weird priestess. ¡®No, I don¡¯t even know where that person is. How am I even supposed to find her?¡¯ Hyun had returned to the place where the Twilight Temple was located. But the place had been covered by a thick forest. It was as if everything that had happened that day was a dream. ¡®I won¡¯t be able to find her.¡¯ He had to find someone else. ¡®Someone who knows the Underground¡­ Who are they referring to? I¡¯m sure that, if I think a little bit more carefully, I¡¯ll be able to think of someone.¡¯ Chapter 133 Chapter 133 ¨C Heading to the Dark (3) ¡°Excuse me.¡± Hyun was thinking when he suddenly heard TarrTarr¡¯s voice. He was deeply immersed in his thoughts, so he frowned and turned his head. ¡°Can¡¯t you see that I¡¯m busy thinking?¡± ¡°I finished.¡± ¡°Okay. If you finished editing, just upload it to YouTube. You don¡¯t need to inform me of everything you do.¡± ¡°I finished editing a while ago¡­ I changed my tendency to the Abyss.¡± ¡°Really? Well done. I¡¯m a little bit busy, so go and play with Louise.¡± Hyun was just nodding and about to continue his previous thought when TarrTarr carefully asked a question. ¡°Then, it doesn¡¯t matter anymore if the Duke suddenly visits me, right?¡± ¡°Yes, what? Duke¡­?¡± Hyun was replying half-heartedly when the word ¡°Duke¡± overlapped with his thoughts. ¡°Duke?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve been very anxious because I wasn¡¯t sure when he would visit me. ¡°I kept changing my tendency little by little, even while editing your videos.¡± He wasn¡¯t sure anymore if he was playing a game or working. He expected a little bit of praise, but Hyun¡¯s attention was elsewhere. ¡°Yes, if it¡¯s the Duke, maybe he¡¯ll come now!¡± ¡°Yes¡­?¡± ¡°Come here for a moment.¡± Paf-! Hyun suddenly scattered away into light and was absorbed by TarrTarr¡¯s body. TarrTarr was surprised because Hyun had suddenly used ?Assimilation? on him. ¡¸Wh-what happened?¡¹ ¡¸Call the Duke.¡¹ ¡¸Right now¡­? Why¡­?¡¹ ¡¸I want to ask him something.¡¹ TarrTarr was surprised because Hyun talked about the Duke as if it were his friend. ¡¸Didn¡¯t you change your tendency to the Abyss? Then you have no reason to be afraid.¡¹ Although he had doubts at first, TarrTarr soon accepted. Since he didn¡¯t have control priority, he had no other choice. ¡¸I¡¯m really going to call him.¡¹ ¡¸Yes.¡¹ ¡°Mr. Bahmir¡­¡± When he called his name, the string that was connecting the two souls resonated. TarrTarr¡¯s voice traveled through space and reached the Duke. A few minutes later, Hyun received a message announcing the Duke¡¯s appearance. [Duke Bahmir wants to visit the private room of the Shade Guild!] [Will you let him enter? Y/N] ¡®Yes.¡¯ The moment Hyun accepted the message, the private room suddenly became dark. Louise, who was near them, looked up to the sky in surprise. Whoosh-! Strong magic began flowing near TarrTarr; that energy soon became a magic circle. A figure walked out of the magic circle. Usually, people thought of Dukes as beings that were a bit weaker than Heavenly Beings, but was there any human who could say that in front of Bahmir? Hyun and TarrTarr felt their hearts beating faster. The sensory synchronization system was warning them that the one in front of them was someone overwhelmingly powerful. ¡°Hahaha, long time no see!¡± There was a roughness that made them tremble mixed with laughter that didn¡¯t care about the surroundings. ¡°So, why did you call me? Alcohol? Or is it women?¡± The Duke asked as soon as he saw TarrTarr. Ting-! TarrTarr was surprised as a red system message appeared. [Content not suitable for children under 18! You can¡¯t accept the proposal!] ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing like that¡­¡± Hyun quickly took over TarrTarr¡¯s voice. ¡°There¡¯s something I wanted to ask.¡± ¡°Oh, what?¡± ¡°Do you know about the Ruins of Darkness?¡± The moment Hyun finished talking, the smile disappeared from Bahmir¡¯s face. ¡°Darkness?¡± As the magic that was going berserk calmed down, the private room became silent. ¡°Darkness¡­ Yes, the Ruins of Darkness¡­¡± The Duke bit his nails while mumbling something. It was as if he were thinking of something important. As the atmosphere got more serious, Hyun became nervous. Was it something he shouldn¡¯t have asked? Among the Dukes, some didn¡¯t like other people talking about the one they served. Thankfully, Bahmir didn¡¯t seem to be one of those. He just seemed deeply immersed in his thoughts. ¡°Why are you asking that¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy * * * Hyun quickly tried to search for an answer, but it was hard to think of something. He wasn¡¯t sure what the Ruins of Darkness were. There wasn¡¯t something called the Symmetrical World in Asra, so naturally, there wasn¡¯t a place called the Ruins of Darkness. ¡®How should I answer?¡¯ While he was thinking that, the Duke shook his head and smirked. ¡°TarrTarr, I recognize your talent, but it¡¯s still too soon.¡± ¡°Yes¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s too soon for you to know about the Darkness! Yes, ask me again in about two years. Hahaha!¡± Hyun narrowed his eyes after hearing the Duke¡¯s answer. It seemed like he knew about the Ruins of Darkness. ¡ªHe just had no intentions of telling him. What if the Duke was being capricious? Hyun decided to take the risk. ¡°Is it because of my level?¡± ¡°No, your level is just one parameter. It isn¡¯t proof of real strength. It¡¯s just that you still lack a bit to be able to face Darkness.¡± Hyun took a deep breath and mumbled. ¡°What if I¡¯m up to par?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You still don¡¯t fully know what I¡¯m capable of. Maybe I¡¯m good enough to know the Darkness.¡± Bahmir seemed astonished for a moment but soon started to laugh. ¡°Hahaha, how impudent! Okay!¡± The louder his laugh became, the more Hyun and TarrTarr felt suffocated. Magic covered the entire private room in an instant. But Bahmir didn¡¯t look bothered by what Hyun said. He seemed to be having fun. ¡°That¡¯s true. That¡¯s what I think, but maybe you don¡¯t agree with me.¡± ¡°Then¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you an opportunity to prove yourself¡­ if you aren¡¯t afraid of dying.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± ¡°Haha, it seems you aren¡¯t afraid of death because you¡¯re a user. I like that.¡± Hyun, who was just quietly following the conversation, became excited. ¡®Did it work¡­?!¡¯ It seems like the Duke was trying to give TarrTarr a test. As Hyun concentrated on what the Duke would say next, he continued the explanation. ¡°There has been something bothering me. If you can solve it, I¡¯ll reevaluate my opinion of you.¡± As expected, it seemed like the Duke was about to give him a quest. ¡°Did you know that Darkness and Deception don¡¯t get along?¡± The Duke started talking about the three Great Demons. Deception, Darkness, Chaos¡­ The true nature of Chaos wasn¡¯t clear. Also, there was almost nobody following it, so most of the forces of the Abyss were divided into the followers of ¡®Deception¡¯ and ¡®Darkness.¡¯ ¡°I don¡¯t know if you knew this, but I only serve Darkness. The followers of Deception are bothersome beings.¡± Bahmir, who served ¡®Darkness,¡¯ didn¡¯t get along with those who served ¡®Deception.¡¯ The Duke¡¯s ¡®bothersome thing¡¯ was related to the fight between factions. ¡°Recently, followers of Deception occupied one of my territories. They dared to occupy my territory¡­! They took over my lands, castle, and even my people!¡± Paf-! The moment Bahmir¡¯s hands hit the air, a giant magic mirror appeared in front of TarrTarr. ?Dimensional Mirror?¡­ It was one of the spells of the Duke that showed something that was in another dimension. The mirror¡¯s surface began to change, and a completely different scenery appeared on it. A black sun and red air¡­ What they were seeing was definitely the Symmetrical World! Underneath the other world¡¯s scenery, the castle the Duke had lost was showing off its magnificent appearance. ¡¸Where¡¯s this¡­?!¡¹ TarrTarr was surprised at the sight of the Symmetrical World. It didn¡¯t matter how much he looked at it, it didn¡¯t look like a place that existed in Asrian. ¡®It¡¯s the Symmetrical World!¡¯ On the other hand, Hyun was sure he¡¯d found a clue. ¡®As expected, the Duke knows about the Symmetrical World!¡¯ ¡°Can you see it? That¡¯s my territory¡­ No, that was my territory. Of course, that land isn¡¯t rich. It isn¡¯t also located in a strategic place, but I can¡¯t help but feel bothered by the fact that they¡¯ve taken something that was mine.¡± Hyun suddenly became as surprised as TarrTarr. While thinking the castle seemed familiar, he discovered that he knew the place. ¡®Wait. Isn¡¯t this the Kaidan Castle?!¡¯ He¡¯d seen Bahmir¡¯s castle in Asra Online. The castle that existed in the previous game was located in another place. ¡®This wasn¡¯t originally in the Symmetrical World¡­!¡¯ It didn¡¯t matter how much he looked at it, it was the castle he knew. It was one of Bahmir¡¯s five castles. ¡®Why is this in the Symmetrical World?¡¯ While Hyun was asking himself that, Bahmir kept frowning as he continued his explanation. ¡°Getting the castle back isn¡¯t a problem if I move¡­ But I must prepare for a ceremony, so I cannot use my strength recklessly.¡± The castle seemed full of undead and monsters. They were definitely the forces of Deception. ¡°The monsters that have invaded my territory are mostly around level 200. The commanders should be at approximately level 300. There are almost tens of thousands of these guys! Of course, they¡¯re just weaklings for me, but are they weak from your point of view as well?¡± The Duke was right. With TarrTarr¡¯s strength¡­ No, even for Hyun, it was impossible to face such a big army of monsters. On Iluna, he had trouble facing monsters that were at level 150, but the ones being shown were a lot stronger than them. ¡°Can you defeat such a big army of monsters by yourself? If you give up now, I won¡¯t ask any more questions.¡± If he didn¡¯t have any information about that place, it would be too reckless. Hyun became immersed in his thoughts. That was a place he knew; that completely changed things. After all, his specialty was using information. Hyun came back to his senses and began making calculations. ¡°Do I have to do it alone?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s with my partners¡­ I think that I may be able to recover the castle.¡± Hahaha! Bahmir began laughing after hearing Hyun¡¯s words. ¡°Partners? Users that are around level 100? Okay, I wonder how many weaklings you¡¯re talking about!¡± ¡°Five.¡± Bahmir began laughing even louder at Hyun¡¯s answer. It was as if he¡¯d heard the funniest joke ever. He kept laughing for about 20 seconds. Ugh¡­! Hyun and TarrTarr had to hold their breath because the magic around Bahmir formed a mini tornado. ¡°Five people?¡± The Duke asked back without laughing. ¡°Maximum of five¡­ It could be less.¡± ¡°Haha, five, huh¡­? Okay, do as you wish. Is it because you aren¡¯t afraid of dying? I like that arrogance.¡± Ting-! The moment the Duke finished talking, a quest window opened in front of Hyun and TarrTarr. {Duke¡¯s Hidden Quest: Recover Kaidan Castle!} ¨C Kaidan Castle, located Underground, used to belong to Bahmir, but a few days ago, it was taken over by the forces of ¡®Deception.¡¯ ¨C This situation bothers the Duke, but he must save strength for the ceremony that will soon happen! ¨C The Duke will be happy if you, his knight, recover the castle. {Reward} ¨C 1,000,000 gold. ¨C Bahmir¡¯s affection. (¡ù Attention: You can share this quest with up to 5 people!) ¡°Call me again once you¡¯re ready. It¡¯s okay if you give up. Although if you do that, I¡¯ll come back again to laugh at you!¡± Bahmir, who¡¯d started laughing like a maniac, soon became magic and scattered into the air. The scene of the Symmetrical World disappeared with him. After the Duke disappeared and the room became empty of his magic, TarrTarr sighed in relief. ¡®Something unexpected always happens when I¡¯m with Hyun¡­¡¯ TarrTarr thought that, regardless of his will, something big was about to happen once again. * * * ¡®It¡¯s today.¡¯ Every member of the Shade Guild was logged in. {Everyone, come to the private room. We¡¯ll start without you if you aren¡¯t here within 20 minutes.} Hyun¡¯s first notification as the leader of the Shade Guild spread to the rest. What was he planning to do? Everyone moved first before asking themselves that question. Once they saw the notice, they stopped hunting, left the duel arena, closed YouTube, and ran to the private room as soon as possible. It was the Shade Guild¡¯s first group quest. Chapter 134 Chapter 134 ¨C Experience Dungeon (1) ¡°Hyun, what happened?!¡± ¡°Woah, is this finally the guild¡¯s first mission?¡± ¡°Wait, I haven¡¯t been able to clean up my d-dishes¡­!¡± TarrTarr, who was the most disadvantaged because of the time zone difference, complained a bit, but he didn¡¯t seem to care that much. Louise was playing around on the sofa next to them, so the five members of the Shade Guild were all gathered around in one place. ¡°Now¡­¡± Hyun smiled, satisfied after seeing all the members sitting on the sofa. Since everyone except for Louise was concentrated on him, he finally felt he was the leader of the guild. There was only one reason he¡¯d used his Authority as guildmaster to gather all of the members! It was to prepare for the Count¡¯s quest. ¡°Is there anyone busy on the weekend?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯m okay.¡± ¡°Fufu. Time is what we have the most of. You can order us around as if we¡¯re slaves¡­ as long as you use ?Assimilation? on me a few times.¡± ¡°Yes¡­? Slave¡­?¡± TarrTarr wanted to say something but stopped. ¡°There¡¯s a quest that¡¯s a little bit hard.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­? Hyun says that it¡¯s hard?¡± ¡°Oh, a high-difficulty quest!¡± While Salon was getting excited, Hyun shook his head. ¡°But we won¡¯t be able to beat it how we are now.¡± Ain smiled. After hearing the word ¡®won¡¯t,¡¯ she could more or less see how hard the quest was. Watching Hyun beat those impossible quests always made her heart beat faster. ¡°The scale of this quest is quite big¡­ but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s impossible if we prepare ourselves.¡± Then it was TarrTarr the one who became the most interested. A user¡¯s skills brought quite a lot of YouTube views, but the bigger the scale of a quest, the more people¡¯s attention it grabbed. The video he had edited about Iluna¡¯s Quest had beat all previous records. ¡°Hey, wake up, you also have to listen.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­? What, is it already dinner time?¡± Louise, who was sleeping in the corner of the room, woke up. He was planning to include Louise in the party as well. Usually, it was impossible to form a party with an NPC, but she could join as a ¡®helper.¡¯ The only difference was that she wouldn¡¯t get experience. ¡®It isn¡¯t going to be easy.¡¯ He understood why Bahmir had laughed at them. Four people were around level 100 and one was at level 200, but even the level 200 one wasn¡¯t that trustworthy. Who wouldn¡¯t laugh if they heard that such a group was going to take over the castle? It would be something that you normally would need thousands of soldiers to make a success. But there was something that the Count hadn¡¯t taken into consideration¡­ He already had the entire castle¡¯s map and every possible strategy inside his head! He also knew what outcome the strategies he had inside his head had in Asra Online. ¡®As long as you do the preparations correctly, it¡¯s perfectly possible.¡¯ Hyun¡¯s eyes stopped at TarrTarr. He felt a bit sorry¡­ but TarrTarr was probably the weakest hole in his plan. Hyun tried to convince him seriously. ¡°TarrTarr, do you like your current job?¡± ¡°Job? It¡¯s okay. Why?¡± ¡°You¡¯re almost at level 100. What job are you planning to change it to?¡± ¡°Just like Salon hyeong, I also want to be a sword dancer!¡± Hyun grabbed his head. It seemed like he still hadn¡¯t realized his current situation. He had to bring him back to reality. ¡°What was your battle ranking?¡± ¡°I reached master for a short while. Although I haven¡¯t gone to the duel arena after resetting my skills.¡± ¡°Yes. Master¡­ Master isn¡¯t bad for a normal person, but it isn¡¯t great in our guild. Compared to the rankers, you could say you don¡¯t have a talent for PvP.¡± ¡°Yes¡­? That¡¯s true¡­¡± ¡°But you also aren¡¯t good at hunting like Salon. Did you ever pass a thousand combos alone?¡± ¡°No¡­?¡± ¡°Then you probably don¡¯t have a talent for hunting. The number of people uploading videos doing a thousand combos has recently increased.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Hyun¡¯s words were kind of harsh for TarrTarr since he had a bit of confidence in himself. The friends he kept in contact with said only good things about him, so it was his first time receiving such harsh remarks. Salon, who was listening from the side, coughed. As he saw TarrTarr¡¯s confidence decrease, Hyun quickly said something to cheer him up. ¡°No. I wasn¡¯t trying to blame you. Since we are a party, we have to join forces, right? It¡¯s just that, right now, it¡¯s kind of unbalanced.¡± And finally¡­ Hyun said something to TarrTarr, who was starting to get anxious. ¡°You¡¯re lucky because we have a way to overcome your skills and talent simultaneously!¡± Hyun knew that TarrTarr had unlocked a hidden job after being recognized by the Count. Death Knight! It was a hidden job that was known since Asra Online, but despite it being a hidden job, it wasn¡¯t that popular. After TarrTarr had realized why, he wanted to change his job to a ¡®Sword Dancer,¡¯ rather than the hidden one. ¡®A ¡®Death Knight¡¯ would be perfect for our current party formation!¡¯ The reason why it was so unpopular was that it was quite weak in the 100 ~ 300 level range. It was weak until it got to control magic, so there was no way it would be a popular job. But those weak points could easily be overcome with ?Assimilation?. ¡®If we leave these bad points aside, this is quite a good job!¡¯ Louise and TarrTarr¡­ The two with jobs that used magic would be the key to making the quest successful. ¡°So, if you have finished deciding, use this. Of course, I¡¯m not trying to force you¡­ but if you do as I say, you¡¯ll be able to reach a position that doesn¡¯t lack compared to us.¡± Hyun took out a book from the inventory. TarrTarr¡¯s eyes shook after realizing what it was. Reversal of Potential! He couldn¡¯t receive money for editing the video because of the item that reversed his normal skills. ¡°Now, it¡¯s time to make a choice.¡± ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡¯ TarrTarr was starting to feel anxious. Was he offering him it because his debt had been paid off? Once he paid it, he¡¯d be forced to¡­? Maybe he had gotten immersed in an infinite debt loop..! ¡°Fufu, it¡¯s a gift. I¡¯m going to let you use this for free.¡± * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy * * * TarrTarr felt relieved after hearing that he wouldn¡¯t have to pay anything for it. It seemed like he wasn¡¯t that harsh after all. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like it¡¯s an expensive item or anything.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± TarrTarr couldn¡¯t understand what Hyun said. ¡°If I remember correctly, it was quite expensive¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Its price is going to go down in the future, so you don¡¯t need to feel pressured about it.¡± ¡°???¡± Unlike the Soul Replication Elixir, the Reversal of Potential wasn¡¯t that valuable. It dropped very rarely from level 200 quests, And from level 300 quests onwards, you could get it from time to time. Hyun wasn¡¯t planning to sell it anyways, so he had decided to use it on TarrTarr. ¡°You decided on the job, right? Then try to reach level 100 before the weekend!¡± Hyun gave him the Reversal of Potential and patted his shoulder. That was probably the correct decision for TarrTarr and the guild. Hyun felt it was the perfect opportunity to pay him back for not having given attention to him, so he was happy. ¡°Fufu. I know what you¡¯re thinking. Don¡¯t worry, hyeong will teach you how to control the Death Knight!¡± He started explaining the next part of the plan while laughing. ¡®Should I begin explaining the real plan?¡¯ TarrTarr kept thinking about many different things while touching the Reversal of Potential. * * * The weekend came flying. Just like Hyun wanted, TarrTarr completed the job transfer and re-selected the skills as Hyun told him. There wasn¡¯t anyone among the Shade Guild members who were under level 100. Not only that, but Louise was at level 200! ¡®But it isn¡¯t enough yet.¡¯ Despite that, Hyun thought they wouldn¡¯t be able to complete the Count¡¯s quest yet. ¡®We have to gain at least 50 more levels.¡¯ It was obvious that they needed better specs, but they needed other things as well in order to make it a success. ¡®Everyone needs to improve overall¡­ but more than that, we must be able to perfectly move as a group!¡¯ He had to become the maestro that conducted everyone during battles. Everyone except for Ain was lacking in certain aspects, so he was planning to teach them personally. The first step was to increase Louise¡¯s skills so that she wouldn¡¯t lack compared to the other members. ¡®Will it be possible?¡¯ Hyun looked at Louise, who was running happily through the streets at night. ¡®No. I must make it a success!¡¯ Hyun teleported with the other members. The scenery was the Magic Country¡¯s ¡®Labyrinth City.¡¯ Although the Magic Country was one of the biggest cities among Heavens¡¯ Forces, it was where the Abyss¡¯s players could move most comfortably. Because it was the city that was the most similar to a modern free-trade society, the Magic Country¡¯s NPCs didn¡¯t care about Abyss users as long as they remained low-key. Not only that, but there were almost no clerics, so fooling the guards with the rune was easy. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that most Abyss users moved and acted in the Magic Country. ¡°We¡¯ve never been here before, right?¡± ¡°Right, but I still know everything around here, so you just have to follow me.¡± ¡°Hyun, you look like a travel guide!¡± Hyun walked through the streets of Labyrinth City while hearing Ain¡¯s giggle. ¡®Although there¡¯s too much sand¡­ It¡¯s still quite nice scenery.¡¯ The buildings of Labyrinth City, which were made of stone, looked like ancient constructions, but the level of the society didn¡¯t lack compared to the modern world. The city looked rough because, just 500 years prior, the place was a giant labyrinth. Thousands of magic circles were left behind after adventurers finished exploring the labyrinth. Those magic circles had become what characterized Labyrinth City. Just like ancient ruins become a tourist attraction, the magic circles left in Labyrinth City became the city¡¯s attraction. The experience dungeon was one of those. It was an instant dungeon created by recalling the magic circle¡¯s memories. Users called it ¡®The Experience Dungeon¡¯ for convenience. They were going to one of those. ¡°So it¡¯s here.¡± When Hyun reached the place, many users were looking for party members. An NPC who seemed to be the dungeon¡¯s administrator was taking entrance fees in front of the dungeon. Hyun laughed because it reminded him of an attraction in an amusement park. The entrance fee was almost 500 gold for a party of five! For an average user, it was a huge amount that would make their hands tremble, but for someone like Hyun, it was like pocket change. He¡¯d chosen to go to the experience dungeon to level up and improve the party members¡¯ abilities at the same time. ¡®We must learn to work as a party perfectly before the quest.¡¯ The experience dungeon was based on a virtual battle. The dungeon just recalled memories from the past. There wasn¡¯t a risk of anyone dying, and they could level up and learn how to work as a group, so there wasn¡¯t anywhere better than here. They could hit three birds with just one stone, so 500 gold felt cheap to Hyun. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Ain!¡± ¡°Really? It¡¯s my first time seeing her!¡± ¡°I¡¯m your fan! Can you sign this for me?¡± Attention became focused on Ain as they walked through the crowd. Ain was not only famous, but her appearance and atmosphere were also quite unique, so users recognized her almost immediately. Salon had been worried about how he would act if people recognized him and had prepared an answer, but people didn¡¯t easily recognize him because he looked average. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to give those people an autograph¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Salon couldn¡¯t believe how Ain ignored the people that said that they were her fans. If they were his fans, he would¡¯ve given them an autograph and even chatted with them for a bit. But after taking a brief look at Salon, Ain just turned around. ¡°How strange¡­¡± Anyway, they were able to enter the dungeon without any major incident. After they followed the NPC, they arrived at a huge place. It was similar to the ¡®Awakening Room¡¯ they¡¯d entered at level 50. It was a dark place illuminated by magic. In the middle of the hall, there was a huge magic circle. ¡°It costs 500 gold to activate the magic circle.¡± After saying that, the labyrinth administrator left. Chapter 135 Chapter 135 ¨C Experience Dungeon (2) ¡°I want to see how strong everyone is because I need to think about our formation.¡± ¡°Hyun, it will probably work out if it¡¯s you.¡± ¡°Right now?¡± Hyun nodded at TarrTarr¡¯s question. ¡°Yes. First, we must see our current status.¡± Clack. Hyun activated the switch, and the magic circle under them began shining. The dungeon¡¯s difficulty could be regulated from Lv.50 to Lv.200. ¡°First, let¡¯s begin with level 100.¡± Fwoosh-! The group was covered with light. What appeared in front of them after the light vanished wasn¡¯t the dark hall but the labyrinth from 500 years prior. In the past, the city was full of monsters. The adventurers had created a base at the labyrinth¡¯s crossroads to prevent danger and systematically explored the labyrinth. There was a pillar called the ¡®core¡¯ in the center of where the crossroads connected. The goal was to protect the core from monsters arriving from all directions. Ting-! [The level of all monsters has been set to Lv. 100!] [Protect the core for 20 minutes!] Hyun began to give out orders after receiving the short message. ¡°Everyone, each person should take care of one passageway.¡± ¡°M¡­ Me too¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, you too.¡± Even if Louise acted pitifully, Hyun wasn¡¯t planning to go easy on her. After all, it was just replaying past incidents, they weren¡¯t real monsters. ¡°What about Hyun?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­? I¡¯m going to be looking for the moment.¡± At that answer, Ain looked at the faces of the rest of the group and mumbled. ¡°Hmm¡­ I don¡¯t think we will be able to beat it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just practice. If you¡¯re having an easy time, help others too. After all, I¡¯m counting on you the most.¡± ¡°Fufu. As expected¡­!¡± Ain smiled after hearing Hyun¡¯s words and went to her position. Hyun stood in the middle of the core. One person stood in each passageway. The idea behind it was a collaborative defense. Since there were walls all around it, each party member couldn¡¯t easily see the situation on the other side. Not only that, but the moment one passageway was penetrated, monsters would reach the core, and the mission would end up failing. The only person capable of coordinating the group was the one who was usually at the center of the core, but Hyun didn¡¯t intend to participate on the first try. Rather than clearing the dungeon, it was more important to see how good each party member was. ¡°Are you a new recruit? That¡¯s good! We were lacking some forces!¡± An NPC with a grim expression stood on top of the core. He was the memory of the one in charge of watching over the core that was left in the magic circle. He was someone who had died 500 years prior in a battle there in the labyrinth. ¡°If the strategy is too much, just follow my orders! I¡¯ll tell you how to make a basic plan!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need it.¡± Even if Hyun ignored him, the NPC didn¡¯t seem to care. That was because he was an NPC that was programmed instead of artificial intelligence. Hyun was a bit interested in the NPC because, although it may have felt awkward by modern standards, all NPCs used to be like that in the past. ¡°Everyone, defend!¡± After he shouted, the monsters began attacking. There was a blue wolf in Ain¡¯s passageway. Salon was facing off against three assassin goblins. TarrTarr had to fight against a group of skeletons. Louise was approached by a group of red slimes. The party members soon faced each of their enemies. ¡®As expected.¡¯ After checking the situation in each passageway, Hyun clicked his tongue. Everything was going as he had expected. Ain and Salon were the better ones. TarrTarr was having some difficulties. Louise¡¯s situation was catastrophic. Whoosh-! A strong wind kept blowing in Louise¡¯s passageway. It wasn¡¯t a sharp and scary one but one that was only strong. It wasn¡¯t a wind that damaged the monsters but one that just pushed them away. That¡¯s why monsters kept appearing in Louise¡¯s section. ¡°Ugh¡­ These guys aren¡¯t dying!¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you have to get closer to them! If you use that attack at such a long distance, it becomes as effective as a fan!¡± ¡°A fan¡­?¡± A slime was a monster that couldn¡¯t even use magic, so Hyun thought that even Louise could easily win against one. But Louise was afraid and didn¡¯t get close to them. It didn¡¯t take long before it got full of slimes. ¡°H-Hyun¡­! ?Assimilate? to me, quickly!¡± Fwoosh-! Suddenly, flames covered Louise¡¯s entire field of view. She could see Ain¡¯s back behind the burning slimes. She¡¯d gone running to Louise after defeating her enemies. ¡°Hey, your side?¡± ¡°Fufu, I¡¯m okay.¡± Fwoosh-! The moment the fire appeared, the slimes were destroyed, and Ain was already back at her original place. Louise and Ain were on opposite ends. It was a distance she could move across with ?Incarnation Steps?. ¡°Th-thank you¡­!¡± Louise sighed in relief, but that peace didn¡¯t last long. She heard TarrTarr¡¯s shout. ¡°Hyeong! There are too many of them. What should I do? My damage is too low; they aren¡¯t dying no matter how many times I hit them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you should¡¯ve saved up your skills. You used them too early.¡± ¡°This is my first time using this job, so I don¡¯t understand what¡¯s what. Ugh, argh¡­!¡± When he thought that he should give TarrTarr some advice, Louise became in danger. ¡°Ugh¡­ Slimes that use thunder appeared! Wind doesn¡¯t work against thunder¡­!¡± ¡°Hey, Hyun¡­! Please, use ?Assimilate? on me! It¡¯s a named monster specialized in dodging, so I¡¯m having difficulty fighting against it as a Combo Thief!¡± Hyun was overwhelmed by people asking for help. The words ¡®total chaos¡¯ were perfect to describe the situation. Would they have even been able to clear it with ?Assimilation?? Especially the passageway Louise was in charge of¡­ it was as if there wasn¡¯t anyone guarding it. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy * * * Although Ain was covering for it¡­ Once a crack appeared, it became hard to cover it. The NPC kindly indicated the place where the hole had appeared to him. ¡°The west defense has been penetrated! Increase the defense on the west!¡± [The core is being damaged! (Durability left: 95%)] The blue wolves had taken advantage of Ain not being there to do a long-range attack, and the core received a bit of damage. ¡°Oops¡­! My mistake!¡± Ain quickly returned to her place, but the core¡¯s durability had already been reduced by a fifth. ¡°Ugh¡­ I let three go!¡± Three skeleton warriors came running from TarrTarr¡¯s passageway. While the core¡¯s defensive magic circle got rid of them, its durability was reduced by half. ¡°Hyun! I can¡¯t use the return scroll! What should I do?!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t use it here. No, don¡¯t use it!¡± Louise did her best to push the army of slimes away, but that also reached the limit. Fwoosh-! As the number of slimes increased to the point that they couldn¡¯t be pushed away by wind anymore, Louise was devoured by monsters and scattered away into light. ¡°Louise died?!¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t really die¡­ so stay in your position.¡± Hyun was forced to cover for Luise¡­ but it was pointless because ice came flying from Salon¡¯s section, and the core received extra damage. Even TarrTarr soon scattered away into light. [The core has been destroyed!] [5% bonus experience will be applied to what each person has earned!] Fwoosh-! Everyone returned to the hall where they had started from. They were in a place illuminated softly by magic. ¡®It¡¯s worse than I thought.¡¯ Hyun checked the experience bar, but it seemed like they hadn¡¯t gained that much. 500 gold¡­ It was as if they¡¯d spent more than $300 USD and couldn¡¯t obtain any achievements. Louise smiled awkwardly after her eyes met with Hyun¡¯s. She¡¯d seen what Hyun could do with her body, so she knew how bad she¡¯d just been. ¡®First, I need to take care of her.¡¯ Hyun stood up before the rest could take a rest. ¡°Everyone, stand up. We¡¯re going to try it once more.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going at it right now?¡± ¡°Fufu. Nice.¡± Click- He used another 500 gold and activated the magic circle. He didn¡¯t care about money. The experience dungeon was the safest place for Louise to gain real battle experience. The moment they were surrounded by light, they appeared in the middle of the cross-shaped passageway. As soon as the mission began, Hyun ?Assimilated? into Louise. ¡°Ain, can you change places with me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m against slimes? I don¡¯t like them because they feel bad.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Then ask TarrTarr to change places.¡± That time, Louise was against the blue wolves. Unlike the slimes, only one appeared and spawned, so it was the best enemy for Louise to practice against. ¡®The problem is that she¡¯s still too afraid.¡¯ Because Louise had spent most of her life controlling wind as if it were part of her body, she could probably use it better than most users. ?Black wind?. It was a skill that even he had difficulty controlling, but Louise could use it freely. The most important thing for Louise at the moment was overcoming her fear of monsters. Once they overcame that, she would immediately become a great ally. ¡¸Look closely.¡¹ Vroom-! The wolf¡¯s paws swept through her field of view. Hyun realized that Louise was ignoring the situation. Was ignoring what she saw how Louise had overcome the fear until then? But from that point onwards, she couldn¡¯t do that anymore. She shouldn¡¯t ignore what she saw anymore. [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve received 3310 damage!] ¡°Agh¡­!¡± The moment the paw scratched her, Louise screamed. Hyun had let her receive critical hit damage without it becoming a huge amount of damage. Louise had rarely received damage while hunting. A red warning sign appeared in front of her. ¡¸Try to move and dodge it until the end.¡¹ Louise was probably almost fifteen. According to the world¡¯s lore, she was about to become an adult. Although it may have been a harsh method¡­ it was necessary for Louise¡¯s future. [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve received 156 damage!] Hyun felt pain, confusion, and fear. Those were the emotions Louise was feeling. They were so realistic that one wouldn¡¯t think they belonged to an NPC. He felt that, if he didn¡¯t focus, he would also be swept away by those emotions. [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve received 171 damage!] [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve received 298 damage!] As she couldn¡¯t quickly eliminate a wolf, there were soon two of them. Silver claws came to her from both sides. Hyun made the attacks barely scratch her with minimal movements, but he purposefully didn¡¯t dodge entirely out of the way. He could feel her skin throbbing. It was because Louise¡¯s body kept receiving damage. ¡¸Dodge it!¡¹ ¡°Ugh¡­! Argh¡­!¡± ¡¸¡­Or kill it.¡¹ He felt fear, confusion, and even empathy on top of that, but Hyun did his best to leave those behind. It was a game inside a game. If it weren¡¯t there, they wouldn¡¯t be able to overcome Louise¡¯s fear. Grr! Then there were three wolves. The passageway was ten meters wide, so the amount of damage received had also multiplied by 3. He received a message when Louise¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°Ugh¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­!¡± [The core has been destroyed!] [6.7% bonus experience will be applied to what each person has earned!] The moment the section TarrTarr was in charge of was penetrated, the skeleton army quickly reached the center. The party returned to the hall when the core was destroyed. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Louise looked at the rest with worrying eyes. ¡°Are you going to keep going on?¡± Salon asked with a worried voice. Hyun silently nodded. If it were before, Louise would¡¯ve probably said she was going to return home. But fifteen-year-old Louise was different from the ten-year-old one. She let out a sigh and shrugged a bit but didn¡¯t complain. Hyun felt bad for her, so he put his hand on her head. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry. They¡¯re all weaker than you.¡± Nod. ¡°If you¡¯re scared, just close your eyes and punch it.¡± Fwoosh-! A few moments later, the group was devoured by the magic circle, and a blue wolf appeared in front of Louise. Louise breathed heavily while biting her lips. A few days before, she wasn¡¯t worried about the number of monsters surrounding her because, even if she remained still, Hyun did everything for her. But she was alone at the moment. She wasn¡¯t exactly alone, but she was in a situation where nothing would be solved if she remained still. ¡®Okay, let¡¯s do it.¡¯ Louise decided to take a step forward. Chapter 136 Chapter 136 ¨C Experience Dungeon (3) She managed to attack the wolf successfully after the fifth try. [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve received 204 damage!] The moment the wolf¡¯s claws hit Louise¡­ [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 7183 damage!] Louise punched the wolf. Boom-! The wolf became stuck in the wall, and Louise breathed heavily. ¡¸It isn¡¯t over yet! Finish it!¡¹ ¡¸O-okay¡­!¡¹ Pang-! At that moment, a body of mana flew¡­ The blue wolf¡¯s attack. Hyun considered dodging that attack as an exception, but he was surprised. Louise moved before him. Pang-! Pang! Louise¡¯s body drew a V-shape. The wolf¡¯s attack brushed past her clothes. Louise bent her back and then smashed the air with the palm of her hand. Crack-! The wind destroyed both the wall and the wolf. Louise¡¯s first hunt was unreasonably violent. After the broken wall regenerated, she mumbled in a low voice. ¡¸Did¡­ It die¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Yes.¡¹ Hyun, unconsciously, began smiling. ¡¸We still need to practice more.¡¹ The ninth try. ¡°Are you a new recruit? T¡­¡± While ignoring the NPC, each moved and took their places in different passageways. Louise had already eliminated three wolves and was about to face the fourth one. As the mental blocks began disappearing, Louise began growing at an astonishing rate. The wind was, from the beginning, just like her hands and feet. Moving while using the principle of reaction was probably difficult for some people, but for Louise, it was the most familiar way to move. Pang-! Louise, who jumped to the ceiling¡­ stepped on it and landed again. She moved behind the blue wolf in two movements. She had learned by herself that the opponent¡¯s back was the safest place. Hyun, who was ?Assimilating? into her, slightly nodded. ¡®She¡¯s getting the grasp of it!¡¯ She immediately used the palm of her hands to smash the wolf. Before Louise¡¯s hands could touch the wolf, Hyun covered her body with magic. Boom-! Dark energy was mixed with the wind. As the wind swept away through the front, only traces of destruction were left. The blue wolf¡¯s body was completely torn apart. ¡°Ah¡­?¡± Louise let out a small exclamation. She realized it was destruction created by her skill. That technique that made magic blow away was called ?Black Wind?. It was the real strength that level 200 Louise had. [The core has been destroyed!] [15.1% bonus experience will be applied to what each person has earned!] That time, the group returned to the magic circle through a portal that appeared. TarrTarr was scratching his head in the middle of the dark hall. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I lost them.¡± ¡®Oh, yeah, there was another guy I needed to take care of.¡¯ Hyun sighed after seeing the gold in his inventory go down again. He thought of how he would keep losing quite a bit of money for a while. ¡®I think that we should take a break.¡¯ It had been four hours since they¡¯d arrived at the experience dungeon. Louise was visibly tired. Since Louise was an NPC, most sensory filters didn¡¯t apply to her. She had probably been mentally and physically taxed a hundred times more than a player. ¡°Let¡¯s continue tomorrow. Everyone has time, right?¡± It was dawn in Korea, so the other party members were also quite tired. Before the party was disbanded, TarrTarr spoke with a worried voice. ¡°Uhm, Hyeong¡­ should I edit today¡¯s footage¡­?¡± ¡°Who will watch a video of people struggling to kill level 100 monsters?¡± ¡°Right?¡± Color returned to TarrTarr¡¯s face; then he logged out. ¡°Speaking frankly¡­ I made a mistake and lost track because I was sleepy.¡± Ain complained. It seemed like she was still thinking about the blue wolf she¡¯d let attack. ¡°Well, you don¡¯t have multiple bodies, after all¡­ you could make a mistake like that while helping another person.¡± ¡°No, but I wouldn¡¯t usually lose track like that!¡± ¡°O-okay¡­ Anyway, let¡¯s try again tomorrow.¡± After Ain and Louise logged out, only Hyun and Louise were left behind. Luise was sticking to him, so he smirked. He had to take her to the private room before logging out. If he wanted her to be ready for the time they¡¯d arranged to meet the next day, it would be better if she took a rest as soon as possible. It was at that moment¡­ ¡°Did you rent this place? For how long are you going to use it?¡± Hyun heard someone¡¯s angry voice when he was about to leave with Louise. ¡®Huh? What?¡¯ Hyun looked at the voice¡¯s owner while Louise hid behind him. A man holding a spear and wearing luxurious armor was complaining. ¡°You lack manners.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°If someone is waiting, the correct thing is to leave after one try. Since you reactivated the circle, the four of us had to wait 15 more minutes. ¡°Were you waiting for your turn?¡± ¡°It seems like you¡¯re finally catching on.¡± Hyun couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing. It was true that he had activated the magic circle consecutively, but he never thought that was a mistake. The NPC that administrated the place didn¡¯t restrict usage time in the first place, and there wasn¡¯t a rule that said that you should leave if another party was waiting. Usually, the usage time of magic circles was decided by a discussion between party leaders. Not only that, but there were 10 more magic circles nearby, so why was he trying to pick up a fight with Hyun? ¡°Are you saying this because you just waited 15 minutes? I¡¯m done, so use it as much as you want.¡± Hyun didn¡¯t like how the other person talked, so he spoke casually as well. Not only was he tired, but he also had to hear the complaints of a weird guy, so he didn¡¯t reply in a friendly manner. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy * * * He didn¡¯t want to get involved with him anymore, so he was about to leave the place when he heard the man with the spear snorting and talking. ¡°Just 15 minutes? It seems like you don¡¯t know that 15 minutes of our time can buy a month of your life.¡± Since he kept trying to pick up a fight, Hyun took a closer look at him; then he realized who he was. The man wielding the spear was Pias. He was one of the Darkness Guild¡¯s executives. He was a player who had never fallen out of the top 20. ¡®What, so it¡¯s this guy?¡¯ Hyun remembered what he¡¯d heard from Ain. She had met Pias in the duel arena one day. He¡¯d invited her to join Darkness, but she¡¯d refused and taught him a lesson after that. ¡®Just like she said, he¡¯s a weird guy.¡¯ It was common sense that getting involved with people like that would just make things tiresome. Hyun just replied, ¡°okay,¡± and left the hall without even looking back. He ignored the voice coming from behind. ¡°Th-that bastard¡­! Until the end¡­!¡± ¡°Hey, Pias. Stop it.¡± His partner, Bear Shield, shook his head from Pias¡¯s side. Bear Shield was watching carefully so he would be able to stop Pias as soon as he tried to cause trouble. Thankfully, nothing happened. ¡°Your biggest issue is that big mouth¡­!¡± The other members nodded at Bear Shield¡¯s words. Pias¡¯s biggest weak point was that he didn¡¯t have a filter. He especially couldn¡¯t let a comment that spoke in a negative sense about Darkness pass. He just got angrier because the other person had looked down on them despite realizing they were members of Darkness. ¡°That guy definitely recognized us. He frowned after looking at our guild¡¯s logo¡­!¡± The other members clicked their tongues at Pias¡¯s attitude. Loving the guild was good, but in Pias¡¯s case, it was a bit too much. ¡°Don¡¯t get too angry. It¡¯s obvious that not everyone is going to like us. You can¡¯t react like this every single time.¡± ¡°Yes. Didn¡¯t you burn the bridge with Ain because of your character?¡± Pias was about to say something, but after hearing someone¡¯s remark, he immediately calmed down. Anger soon became guilt. ¡°I¡­ did¡­ right?¡± ¡°We also need to calm down. Things could get troublesome if we get into a fight with a ranker guild.¡± ¡°Now, everyone, let¡¯s stop talking nonsense, and let¡¯s go hunt.¡± Tap tap- Bear Shield hit the floor with his shield and tried to change the atmosphere. Their party, which was one of the most elite, even among Darkness, could clear the dungeon at even level 180. They were thinking of challenging level 190 for the first time. They were walking through a path no other user had been able to. * * * Level 190 experience dungeon. The Darkness party had tried to do it many times, but they¡¯d failed every single time by a narrow margin. But although they¡¯d failed, the atmosphere improved after hunting. They returned to the private room after gaining quite a bit of experience. The atmosphere in Darkness¡¯s private room was serious because of a piece of information they¡¯d obtained from Mayday, the best ranker in the guild. The six executives were gathered in a separate, private place. Mayday had told everyone something based on numerous videos and information as a basis. Surprisingly, that information was related to the existence of ¡®Hyun.¡¯ ¡°Really? You found Hyun¡­?¡± Keiji, who was a ranker from the previous game, exclaimed in surprise. He knew Hyun very well, so his reaction was more serious than the others. ¡°And to say there¡¯s a chance he was with Ain from the beginning¡­ How could that¡­?¡± There were many videos of Ain on the internet, and there were way more people talking about seeing her than that¡­ But Hyun had never been mentioned in those videos. Then how? How had Mayday realized that Hyun and Ain were moving together? ¡°It¡¯s ?Assimilation?!¡± Mayday played on a certain video. ¡°I was once ?Assimilated? into the body of a monster!¡± An underground city filled with lava appeared. A video of Mayday being ?Assimilated? into a monster called Betty appeared in front of everyone. She still didn¡¯t understand why she¡¯d received that quest, but she still couldn¡¯t forget the weird experience of using ?Assimilation?. ¡°Just like I experienced ?Assimilation?, I¡¯m sure Hyun is using a skill similar to that!¡± Mayday¡¯s explanation kept going on. The difference in strength that Ain showed at times was simply too much. Most of the time, she was strong, like a top ranker¡­ But sometimes, Ain showed specs similar to a named boss. Even while fighting against Betty, the damage she¡¯d done was just unbelievable. For her to defeat a named boss with high defense in such an easy way, she should have had three times the stats of the boss or a very unique and special skill. ¡°Her ability to multitask can also be explained with ?Assimilation?!¡± During the Count¡¯s quest¡­ Ain showed movements that were comparable to an AI. She¡¯d dodged all the long-range attacks while engaging in close-range combat. But in the duel arena or while fighting against Lattice, although she was strong, she wasn¡¯t as overwhelmingly strong as she had been then. Did she pretend to be weak sometimes while fighting seriously other times? Rather than concluding that, Hyun using ?Assimilation? on her was a more reasonable answer. ¡°And this is the biggest piece of evidence!¡± The video Mayday showed was one taken during the beginning of Asrian. It was a video where two people hunted the named Leopard. A snowstorm and ice covered the screen, so only Ain¡¯s face could be seen. But it was definitely true that Ain had formed a party with another person. ¡°That was Hyun?¡± Bear Shield asked while looking at the figure wearing a black robe. ¡°Yes. There¡¯s a huge chance that¡¯s him. I heard that they often moved together in the previous game, so if Hyun plays Asrian, he¡¯s definitely doing it with Ain.¡± ¡°I understood your points,¡± XL, the leader of Darkness, said while nodding. While she was talking, he more or less guessed what she would talk about. It was as if his doubts and questions were being answered. ¡°I¡¯m glad.¡± XL quickly thought of a plan because he¡¯d investigated a lot about Hyun. According to the information, unlike Ain, he was someone who was very cold and rational. He thought that he was probably the most cold-minded person in Asrian. ¡°If he¡¯s just like what the information says, it will probably be impossible to make him join us¡­ He isn¡¯t the type of person who would be under someone¡¯s command.¡± Rather than an ideal one, Darkness tried to achieve a realistic outcome. ¡°Rather than making him join us, building a positive relationship with him is more important. If that¡¯s not possible, we should at least be neutral¡­ but we should never become his opponent.¡± Hyun¡¯s existence could have an influence as big as Lattice¡¯s¡­ No, maybe an even bigger one than his. Since Hyun hadn¡¯t shown himself, he didn¡¯t know what he was planning, which was why he was so afraid of him. Chapter 137 Chapter 137 ¨C How To Be Perfectly Prepared (1) ¡°Everyone understands, right? Don¡¯t pick a fight with him.¡± As XL finished talking, everyone¡¯s gazes turned to Pias. ¡°Oof¡­¡± Pias nodded while smiling awkwardly. Pias had blamed himself for the mistake he¡¯d made before, so he understood XL¡¯s words better than anyone. ¡°Maybe we could rebuild our relationship with Ain through Hyun.¡± According to the rumors, Hyun was the only one capable of controlling her. If they saw him somewhere, they had to act very carefully * * * The five members of the Shade Guild were training at least three hours per day in the experience dungeon. Thanks to Ain being there, there wasn¡¯t anyone who tried to pick a fight with them. From time to time, some people recognized Salon or TarrTarr. Salon was overly kind to those that recognized him, so Hyun had to regulate him. ¡°Oof¡­ Things are finally starting to look good.¡± Making the party members better was good. Hyun had to teach each one except for Ain personally, so he was mentally becoming tired. ¡°It was hard but worth it.¡± Louise was the one who changed the most. Louise, who was the weakest member on the first day, had grown to become an excellent damage dealer. He was already expecting her to grow a lot the moment she overcame her inner fear. ¡°Ugh¡­! I died again!¡± It seemed like she¡¯d also gotten used to virtual death. There was something that worried Hyun, but because the pain felt there was weaker than the proper game, it seemed like she was capable of telling the difference between virtual and real. If the one who grew the most was Louise, the person who struggled the most was TarrTarr. If Louise lacked confidence, TarrTarr lacked training. Since he didn¡¯t have time to get used to the new job, it was obvious that he would struggle. ¡®I guess it¡¯s normal for him to have a hard time.¡¯ How strong your job was depended hugely on how good you were at controlling the character. Even the Priest¡¯s healing skill was a non-target one, so depending on how well you used it, the effect varied a lot. Basically, if you weren¡¯t skillful, it was hard to become a ranker, no matter your job. And the Death Knight was one of the hardest jobs to control in the beginning. Once again, Hyun solved that issue through ?Assimilation?. Due to his forceful teaching method, TarrTarr had grown quite a lot in just four days. He had grown enough not to bother the rest of the party¡­ but because of Hyun¡¯s high standards, not being a bother was already a huge achievement. ¡®They¡¯re both more or less ready.¡¯ While Hyun sighed in relief, Ain approached him. ¡°Hyun¡­ Recently, you haven¡¯t been using ?Assimilation? on me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you don¡¯t necessarily need it¡­¡± There was nothing he had to correct Ain, who was the ace. Even Salon had improved a lot. Except for a few strange habits and a few mistakes, he didn¡¯t need to say much to him. Ting-! [You¡¯ve cleared the Lv. 180 labyrinth!] [180% bonus experience will be applied to what each person has earned!] [Level up!] It had been two weeks since they¡¯d entered the experience dungeon. Except for Louise, all four of them were covered by light. Salon exclaimed in surprise while looking at his status window. ¡°To think that it was possible to level up this fast¡­¡± TarrTarr also agreed. ¡°Yes¡­ Although we haven¡¯t played for that much time, our levels became similar to the top rankers.¡± ¡°Too bad we can show this growth.¡± What Salon felt more bittersweet about was that he couldn¡¯t show others his rank. Hyun had asked everyone after they entered the Shade Guild to do something. ¡®Everyone, please pull your names out of the Hall of Fame. Our guild becoming famous could make things more dangerous.¡¯ At first, he didn¡¯t like that. ¡®Is there a need to pull our names out of the Hall of Fame?¡¯ If your name appeared in the Hall of Fame, you not only became famous among users but also among NPCs. You could meet not only important NPCs but also receive hidden quests more easily. But more than that, you could feel NPCs looking at you with respect! Not being able to feel that was like torture for him. ¡°But isn¡¯t it harmful if we have low fame? Wouldn¡¯t it be bad if we can¡¯t receive the quests everyone else can?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Ain and I have the title of ¡®Heavenly Being¡¯. We can counter it with that.¡± Salon gave numerous hypothetical cases and tried to turn Hyun¡¯s thoughts, but it was no use. It was as if he¡¯d already thought of all the possibilities. In the end, the only reason left was that Salon wanted to be respected by NPCs, but he was too ashamed to say that out loud. ¡®Ugh¡­ That¡¯s too bad.¡¯ Salon shed bloody tears and followed Hyun¡¯s orders. ¡®To think I can¡¯t upload this¡­ That¡¯s too bad.¡¯ Salon was at level 157! If he had put his name in the Hall of Fame, he would have ranked 8th. ¡®How can these two control their ambitions so much¡­?¡¯ Salon took a glimpse at both of them. He saw two users that were higher level than him. Hyun Lv.159 Ain Lv.159 * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy * * * Surprisingly, at one point, they became the same level. Not only that, but they¡¯d begun leveling up at the same time. It was obvious that they¡¯d matched their levels on purpose. TarrTarr¡¯s level was 141. Although it may have seemed low, that was already enough to enter the top thousand. Every Shade Guild member was growing at a mind-blowing pace. ¡®Of course, Hyun is amazing¡­ but I guess I was able to grow this much because of my own actions as well, tight?¡¯ Suddenly, Salon became curious about his contribution rate. Normal parties used a program that calculated the contribution rate, but that guild¡¯s party didn¡¯t use one, so there was no way to check it. ¡®I¡¯ll have to calculate it for myself.¡¯ Salon couldn¡¯t beat the curiosity and calculated the previous hunt¡¯s contribution rates. ¡®¡­?!¡¯ He couldn¡¯t say anything for a while after he got a shocking result. It was because the number next to his name was lower than he had expected. [MVP Hyun] : 52.2% (Main Dealer 2, Commander, Buffer, Strategist, Playmaker) [Ain] : 28.1% (Main Dealer 1, Playmaker) [Salon] : 10.7% (Sub Dealer 1) [Louise] : 6.7% (Sub Dealer 2) [TarrTarr] : 2.3% (Crowd Control Assist) The AI¡¯s calculations were more precise than a human¡¯s. It took Salon quite a lot of time to read the information in front of him. No, it didn¡¯t take him long to read, but he had a hard time accepting the information. ¡®Did the machine break?¡¯ That was the first thought that crossed Salon¡¯s mind. Salon was someone that was more prideful about himself than most people, so for someone like him to face that reality for the first time was a huge shock. ¡°What happened?¡± Hyun nervously looked at Salon. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s the contribution rate calculator.¡± ¡°Oh, what¡¯s this?¡± The rest of the party began gathering around Salon. Soon, everyone focused on the interface in the air. ¡°Wait. Hyun¡¯s contribution rate is double mine¡­?!¡± ¡°2.3%¡­? This isn¡¯t an error, right¡­?¡± ¡°Hmm? Your expressions seem bad. Did something bad happen?¡± Only Louise tilted her head in confusion. Louise also became able to read the numbers after Hyun told her the meaning behind them. ¡°Oh. This system calculation thing is quite interesting. It seems like I was of help!¡± ¡°Yes. After all, your contribution rate isn¡¯t low.¡± ¡°There¡¯s someone who did worse than me!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I would prefer you say that somewhere where TarrTarr isn¡¯t around.¡± After a while, they had to accept reality. It seemed like everyone calculated their contribution rate by checking out their recordings¡­ but after realizing there wasn¡¯t a difference, they couldn¡¯t say anything. ¡°I¡­ Still have a long way to go.¡± Salon was the one who accepted reality the fastest. Salon didn¡¯t want to lose against anyone except for in PvP. He would get at least the same contribution rate as Ain¡ªthat became his first goal. ¡°Let¡¯s do it one more time! Right now!¡± Fire burned in Ain¡¯s eyes. TarrTarr was clenching his fists. It seemed like he felt something after checking the contribution rate. Hyun smiled after seeing that everyone became more motivated. Yes, they had to be motivated to grow faster. Still, it didn¡¯t matter how many times they tried, they wouldn¡¯t be able to match his contribution rate. * * * Whir. The magic circle shone endlessly. Hyun didn¡¯t hesitate to spend gold. Although he¡¯d spent more than a hundred thousand dollars, he didn¡¯t regret his decision. He had always managed to do what he¡¯d planned since playing Asra. He was willing to spend as much gold as necessary to achieve his goal. If needed, he was even willing to spend money. How fast the party grew and improved made him feel that it was worth it. ¡®Synergy is finally starting to come out.¡¯ Ting-! [The monsters have been set to Lv.200!] [Defend the core for 20 minutes!] ¡°Are you a new recruit? That¡¯s good! We were lacking some forces!¡± While the NPC talked, the group quickly got into their positions. Seeing them move harmoniously, you couldn¡¯t help but wonder if they were really the same group. ¡°Ain, please recharge me.¡± ¡°O-okay¡­!¡± [The party has been disbanded!] They always knew each other¡¯s intentions, so there was no need to explain things to Ain. Fwoosh-! Fwoosh-! Each time Ain¡¯s claws hit Hyun, his body became darker. He didn¡¯t need to use the same skills while doing the Awakening Quest because the Support¡¯s skills had also evolved. The ?Shadow Shield? could absorb up to 50 thousand damage, and he could recharge up to 150 thousand magic. ¡®I forgot to do it before the dungeon began.¡¯ Hyun clicked his tongue, disappointed, but it wasn¡¯t that big of a problem. His having forgotten to do it earlier wouldn¡¯t make that much of a difference. Paf-! The moment he used ?Assimilation?, TarrTarr¡¯s body became black. The magic that a Shadow Linker used made the target¡¯s body dark. Whir- Whir-! The Death Knight¡¯s longsword let out a sad cry. After he changed jobs, TarrTarr¡¯s main weapon went from being a shortsword to a longsword. ¡¸Do you understand? Then try to do it.¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡­!¡¹ All of his skills had changed to the Death Knight¡¯s. At first, he¡¯d struggled because it was too different from a Combo Thief, but thanks to Hyun¡¯s teachings, TarrTarr started getting used to it. [?Shield of Predation? Lv.1(+1)] ¨C For 1 second, create a shield made of magic following the sword¡¯s path. ¨C The shield can absorb all damage lower than the amount of [Magic] spent. ¨C Damage higher than the [Magic] spent will destroy the shield. ¨C Duration: 10 seconds. TarrTarr drew a line on the floor from left to right with the sword¡­ And then he drew another line on the ceiling from right to left. After he finished drawing a square, a dark, semi-transparent curtain appeared. He created a ¡®wall¡¯ that blocked the passageway. ¡¸Oh, it improved a lot!¡¹ Hyun smiled, satisfied. TarrTarr had just spent 6500 magic. It was strong enough to block a skeleton mage¡¯s attack. Since it was a skill created by drawing a line with the sword, there were some cases where a hole appeared in the curtain, but he was able to create a perfect ¡®wall.¡¯ Smash- Smash-! A group of skeletons came running but ended up hitting the wall and getting crushed against each other. It didn¡¯t matter how many of those weaklings tried¡ªthey wouldn¡¯t even be able to scratch the ?Shield of Predation?. The wall in the passageway was impassable in the eyes of the weak. Chapter 138 Chapter 138 ¨C How To Be Perfectly Prepared (2) ¡¸He¡¯s protecting it well.¡¹ The wall lasted for 10 seconds. There were lots of things you could do in 10 seconds. Paf-! Paf-! Hyun used ?Assimilation? consecutively. First on Ain, and then on Louise. After feeling Hyun had ?Assimilated? to her, she cautiously spoke. ¡¸Is this how I should do it?¡¹ ¡¸Yes, you¡¯re doing good!¡¹ A level 200 elite monster, a spirit knight. It was an opponent that was hard to face with Louise¡¯s skills, but she had learned how to resist opponents that were stronger than her. Louise¡¯s job was to use her overwhelming movement capabilities to stall for time. ¡¸Your skill needs magic to fully show its potential anyway.¡¹ When both souls merged, Louise went from being on the defensive to the offensive. Louise¡¯s body also turned black. As the small feet drew a circle parallel to the ground, its body split in half. She had caused a physical defect in the enemy¡¯s body with just one attack. Although the spirit knight could move even if its body was cut, that didn¡¯t mean anything at the moment. Hyun changed rotational direction in mid-air and scratched it with their hands. Poof-! The spirit knight disappeared while making a sad scream. ¡®Good!¡¯ Louise, surrounded by magic, was capable of dealing higher damage than Ain. Without her ultimate attack, not even Ain could kill a spirit knight in just five seconds. Hyun once again ?Assimilated? into TarrTarr. ¡¸It hasn¡¯t been penetrated yet, right?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. Although some have come through by digging through the ground, I managed to kill them all!¡¹ ¡¸Well done.¡¹ The duration of the wall was about to end. Just as if a dam had been destroyed, monsters poured out. Hyun smiled while looking at them and extended his hand. ?Black Hole?. The Death Knight¡¯s second skill. Although it was called ?Scream Absorption? they had changed the name to ?Black Hole?. That was the best way to describe the skill. [?Black Hole? Lv.5(+1)] ¨C Create a sphere that absorbs all enemies. ¨C Depending on the amount of [Magic] spent, the absorption level and range will vary. ¨C Absorbed enemies will receive a 99% reduced damage. Skill Duration: 5 seconds Woooo- A black hole appeared in the middle of the labyrinth and began absorbing the enemies. Hyun had spent 30 thousand magic. A Death Knight who just finished job ascension wouldn¡¯t normally have 30 thousand magic because the max amount you could have was two thousand. Only after the 2nd ascension, or when you did the 3rd one, could you normally have about 30 thousand magi. But since the Death Knight was connected to the Shadow Linker, it could use a mind-blowing amount of magic. The monsters couldn¡¯t resist the pull and were dragged right into the middle of the black hole. The fun thing was that the monsters absorbed by the black hole were all gathered in one place as if they were ghosts. It didn¡¯t say it in the skill description, but Hyun already knew it. ¡¸Salon, are you ready?¡¹ ¡°Haha, I¡¯ve been waiting for this moment!¡± Salon had already approached TarrTarr. The moment the skill ?Biorhythm Acceleration? was applied to him, he jumped into the middle of the black hole. According to the skill¡¯s description, you could only apply 1% of damage to the absorbed monsters. Whether they could inflict damage to practically invincible opponents wasn¡¯t important. Slash-! As Salon attacked the ghostly monsters that were one on top of each other, he got tens of messages. ¡­ [You cannot gain more combos from ¡®Black Skeleton Swordsman¡¯!] [You cannot gain more combos from ¡®Stinky Ghoul¡¯!] [You cannot gain more combos from ¡®Ruby Doll Archer¡¯!] [You cannot gain more combos from ¡®Hellish Horse¡¯!] It took two seconds to reach two thousand combos! A number that was the dream of all Combo Thieves¡­ he had achieved it in just an instant. Salon laughed like a madman while looking at his two swords. ¡°Hahaha, yes! This is the sensation!¡± The black hole disappeared soon vanished, and all of the enemies poured out simultaneously. At that moment, Salon shone the most. Thanks to the effect of ?Trance?, he was able to eliminate hundreds of opponents as if he were using an eraser. What was the point of having hundreds of opponents if they got eliminated the moment they got touched by the trace of light? ¡°This feels like playing a single-player game!¡± Hyun didn¡¯t need to control Salon¡¯s body. His combo-stacking abilities had improved significantly over the past few weeks. Salon could easily achieve a thousand combos if the opponents were undead. The sight of monsters being swept away felt refreshing. ?Disassimilation!? Hyun left Salon alone and returned to Louise¡¯s body. Pang-! As soon as he ?Assimilated?, Hyun hit an empty space consecutively. Why was Hyun doing that? ¡®One minute, five seconds¡­¡¯ From the moment the experience dungeon started, Hyun was checking a timer that was on one side of the screen. KAAHH-! The elite monster, the spirit knight, disappeared as soon as it appeared. As soon as it respawned, it got hit with tens of ?Black Wind? attacks. ?Black Wind? lasted for 0.5 seconds, but Louise¡¯s speed was so fast that, even during that short amount of time, she could overlap numerous attacks. The strategy of taking advantage of skills and overlapping them to make as much damage as possible in an instant was one of the most basic strategies of defense-type dungeons! ¡®There isn¡¯t anywhere especially dangerous¡­¡¯ Hyun quickly checked all of the party members. The eyes of the party had basically become his own, which was possible because the cooldown time of ?Assimilation? was just 0.1 seconds. ¡®Oof¡­ Finally, we¡¯re fighting as a group!¡¯ The main point of the strategy was dividing roles. Ain and Louise were in charge of eliminating the elite monsters; Salon and TarrTarr took care of the trash mobs. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy * * * When everyone could correctly fulfill their roles is when the hunting effectiveness peaked. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it¡­ This is really impressive!¡± Salon, who had already eliminated the monsters from both sides, put the swords away. His combo counter, which was close to three thousand, had reset, but he didn¡¯t seem to care. He knew that, when Hyun and TarrTarr¡¯s skills combined again, he would reach a thousand combos once more. ¡®Are the movements that allow him to stack combos easily nothing to him?¡¯ Up until then, Salon had judged Hyun based on the physical gaming aspect. But those past few weeks, he was forced to change his opinion. ¡®That¡¯s just one of his many talents!¡¯ His ability to read the situation, the creativity to use different skills in a chain and make them work perfectly as if they were gears¡­ Even a tiny mistake in calculations would¡¯ve made the plan end up in failure, but Hyun was able to make it work perfectly. It was as if he was seeing a macro specialized in dungeon-clearing work. ¡®Eight years¡­ He has probably gone through numerous situations like this before.¡¯ At first, he wanted to absorb all of his abilities at once, but when he thought about it, that was a ridiculous dream. Didn¡¯t they say that there are two types of geniuses? One that relied on their ability to analyze and the other one on their senses? From Salon¡¯s point of view, Hyun was a genius who had both. ¡®It seems like all those aneces weren¡¯t lies.¡¯ He could understand all those surprising tales about him on the community boards. Salon had never thought that he lacked talent compared to others, but the story changed when the other person was someone like Hyun. ¡®Will I be able to catch up to him?¡¯ That day, for the first time, he almost became depressed. But he soon shook his head. ¡®No. They said he invested eight years into Asra Online¡­ Maybe in a few years, I could¡­!¡¯ He focused again and looked to the front. If he wanted to reach his goal, he had to leave feelings like that behind. ¡°Eliminate the enemies! Show them the power of the Magic Country¡¯s guards!¡± The NPC on top of the pillar at the center of the core pointed his sword toward the sky. It seemed like he became motivated after seeing the monsters being annihilated. Until then, the core¡¯s durability hadn¡¯t been damaged. They were able to eliminate all the monsters the moment they were regenerated, so it didn¡¯t matter how much of its durability was left. It was because Hyun had changed the defense dungeon genre to a timed attack one. Ain and Louise attacked the elite monsters. Salon and TarrTarr formed a group and eliminated the trash mobs. None of the enemies were able to get close to the core from any of the four passages. They were moving in perfect synchronization while blocking all the different factors that could become a danger. Something like that was possible because Hyun was at the center of it. Hyun moved through the party members to check the situation. ¡®It seems like we can comfortably handle a level 200 labyrinth.¡¯ Compared to the past when, at the level 100 dungeon, they¡¯d lost the core almost immediately, the party had improved a lot. Except for Louise, their individual abilities probably hadn¡¯t improved that much, so that was all thanks to the party working together. ¡®Now that I think about it, this job is quite OP.¡¯ The Support¡¯s higher job, Shadow Linker. If he didn¡¯t have that job, it would have probably taken him longer to make the party work so well together. Even if he had a good damage-dealing job, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to influence every side of the battle. But the Support job and the ?Assimilation? skill allowed him to see everything from a third-person point of view. The huge amount of magic that the Shadow Linker had could cover the weak points of quite a few jobs. ¡®I think we can recover the castle now.¡¯ Hyun looked at the timer. There was a minute left. He¡¯d cleared the level 200 dungeon numerous times, so he remembered when and from where at what second an opponent would appear. According to his memories, when there were 40 seconds left, the enemies would launch their final attack. ¡°Alert! Monsters are pouring from all sides! Defend the core, even if it costs your lives!¡± Dring-! Dring-! Along with the voice of the NPC, an alarm bell spread through the labyrinth. They soon saw a group of zombies coming at them. Although the NPC shouted, they were able to remain calm. They¡¯d gone through that situation numerous times throughout the day. ¡¸Everyone, move back.¡¹ After Hyun spoke to everyone using the party leader¡¯s ability, everyone moved to the core. After all four sides emptied, the NPC shouted in surprise. ¡°What are you doing?! Block the passageways! The core is going to get destroyed!¡± While ignoring the loud NPC, Ain carefully spoke. ¡°Hyun, should I strike now? Without ?Disassimilating?¡­?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Louise answered instead. It was because Hyun was ?Assimilated? into her. Fwoosh-! The moment Ain¡¯s flames attacked her, ?Shadow Shield? activated, and Louise became dyed with pitch-black darkness. [You¡¯ve reached the maximum amount of magic you can have!] [The attack range of ?Sword of Darkness? has increased!] ¡®As expected. This is how it should end!¡¯ Crack-! Crack! The NPC shouted as the core began being torn apart by the enemies. ¡°Defend! Defend from the front!¡± Even at the shout of the NPC, Hyun let the zombies approach a bit more. The rest of the group just silently looked at Louise. Fwoosh! Magic exploded. Suddenly, a greatsword appeared in Louise¡¯s hands. No, it was too big even to call it a greatsword. Seeing a little girl like Louis hold that seemed a bit funny. Boom-! The sound of explosions was heard one after the other. The effect of the reaction happening all over Louise¡¯s body made her turn in one direction. Louise began rotating faster than a figure skater. The ?Sword of Darkness?, which was over 10 meters long, cut through space. ¡®?Space Divider?¡­¡¯ Suddenly, Hyun thought the technique resembled the ultimate attack he used in Asra. [You¡¯ve dealt 138129 damage!] [Critical Hit! You¡¯ve dealt 181938 damage!] [You¡¯ve dealt 132918 damage!] [You¡¯ve dealt 128173 damage!] ¡­ When the sword disappeared from Louise¡¯s hands, there weren¡¯t any zombies left standing. ¡°Amazing! You guys are the heroes that protected the four passageways of the labyrinth!¡± The voice tone of the NPC had become more relaxed. It varied so much because it wasn¡¯t an artificial intelligence but a programmed NPC. Ting-! [You¡¯ve cleared a Lv.200 dungeon!] [200% bonus experience will be applied to what each person has earned!] Chapter 139 Chapter 139 ¨C How To Be Perfectly Prepared (3) The party soon returned to the magic circle. Fwoosh! A few members were covered by a light that showed they¡¯d leveled up. Hyun smiled in satisfaction while seeing that his experience bar was half full. ¡®There isn¡¯t anywhere better than here for simply leveling up.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t that there wasn¡¯t a more effective hunting ground, but he couldn¡¯t think of anywhere you could level up and grow as safely and comfortably as there. ¡®Why isn¡¯t she leveling up?¡¯ Hyun tilted his head while looking at Louise. It wasn¡¯t that all NPCs had fixed levels, but it didn¡¯t matter how much Louise hunted, her level didn¡¯t increase. ¡®Well, she¡¯s a Transcendent, so it really doesn¡¯t make sense that she¡¯s only level 200.¡¯ He thought that he had no other way than to gather hints about her while doing the main quest. [MVP Hyun] : 50.2% (Main Dealer 2, Commander, Buffer, Assist, Strategist, Playmaker) [Ain] : 27.1% (Main Dealer 1, Playmaker) [Salon] : 12.7% (Main Dealer 3) [Louise] : 7.8% (Backup Dealer, Evasive Tanker) [TarrTarr] : 2.2% (Crowd Control Assist) Once again, they reacted differently after checking the contribution rate. ¡°Why can¡¯t I reduce the distance?¡± ¡°I¡­ Went down from 2.3%, I think¡­?¡± ¡°Haha! I¡¯m finally a main dealer! This probably means I¡¯ve gotten better!¡± Only Salon seemed satisfied. ¡°How about it, Hyun? I did pretty well just now, right?¡± ¡°Well, it wasn¡¯t bad.¡± ¡°Fufu. I¡¯m already looking forward to the moment we upload the video. How will my role be edited¡­?¡± ¡°What? But we aren¡¯t going to upload this¡­¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± Salon was shocked at Hyun¡¯s sudden words. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to upload this incredible hunting footage? Are you serious?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a video where we all appeared.¡± ¡°What about it?¡± Hyun answered Salon¡¯s question while smiling awkwardly. ¡°Many things that wouldn¡¯t be good if they¡¯re shown have been recorded.¡± For a hunting video of all five of them, they would¡¯ve inevitably had to use footage that showed different points of view, and there would be many things that hadn¡¯t been made public. Ain, TarrTarr, and Salon¡¯s relation¡­ Louise¡¯s existence¡­ And his skills like ?Assimilation? and ?Shadow Shield?. Hyun was afraid that information about the guild members would be leaked. Salon, who was preparing a counter-argument, remained silent after hearing the explanation. He bit his lips, disappointed that he couldn¡¯t act like he used to do. ¡®Ugh¡­ Isn¡¯t there anything I could do? But¡­!¡¯ Salon got close to Hyun and asked in a low voice. ¡°Is it okay if other people don¡¯t appear?¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°If I edit and make sure that only I appear, my job and skills are already known, so I don¡¯t think it will matter¡­¡± After saying so, Salon took a glimpse at Hyun. He was worried he¡¯d look too pathetic while asking that. ¡°Ah, if it¡¯s only that, I think it will be okay.¡± Thankfully, Hyun accepted. The moment Hyun said ¡®yes¡¯, Salon clenched his fists excitedly. ¡°Nice!¡± ¡°Ah. But I ?Assimilated? for a short while¡­ You know¡­ Right?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± At that moment, there was a weird atmosphere between Hyun and Salon. But that lasted only for a few seconds. Salon soon laughed out loud and nodded. ¡°Haha, of course¡­! There¡¯s no way I¡¯d forget about that condition!¡± ¡°Right? I thought that you may have forgotten about it.¡± Salon and Hyun exchanged a short laugh. Next to them, Louise was looking at them in confusion. * * * It had been two weeks since they¡¯d begun frequenting the experience dungeon. All of them were around level 140 ~ 160. ¡®This is enough.¡¯ Other people might¡¯ve been surprised if told that, in two weeks, they¡¯d gone from level 100 to 160 because it would be impossible for most parties. But Hyun felt that the leveling-up speed had decreased. The maximum level of the dungeon was 200, so they wouldn¡¯t be able to level up faster. It was about time they graduated from it. ¡®We¡¯ve also more or less practiced everything.¡¯ They¡¯d practiced and leveled up enough. ¡®It¡¯s about time we change items.¡¯ The last needed preparation was to get new equipment. Once they bought new equipment, he wasn¡¯t planning to get new gear until he leveled up a hundred more levels, so he had to be serious. He checked the community boards. ¡®They¡¯re too expensive. The options are quite bad, too.¡¯ Few users had finished the job ascension, so it seemed like there weren¡¯t many items for players over level 100 yet. Hyun wasn¡¯t planning to buy items that the price would go down on soon. ¡®Rather than buying¡­ It seems like crafting will be cheaper.¡¯ Hyun looked at his inventory. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy * * * He¡¯d gained many materials while hunting named monsters with Ain, and among them, there were quite a few special ones. The leather of a high-ranking devil! The core of a devil! The items he¡¯d obtained after hunting Betty had been gathering dust on one side of his inventory, but they still hadn¡¯t lost their shine. ¡®Yes. There¡¯s no need to buy from other users.¡¯ Hyun thought about where he was in the ranking. He was at level 160 and was one of the top rankers. When there wasn¡¯t anyone in front of you, you had to solve things on your own. ¡®Let¡¯s make them!¡¯ Hyun had decided on it when he suddenly heard Ain¡¯s voice from behind. ¡°Hyun, aren¡¯t we going to the dungeon today?¡± ¡°Eh? Yes¡­ TarrTarr can¡¯t come, and Salon said he would hunt alone.¡± At that moment, Ain¡¯s eyes shone. ¡°Then we¡¯re alone today?¡± Ain had some complaints she couldn¡¯t say out loud after the guild was created. In the past, they were always alone¡­ but a few weird guys had begun wandering around them recently. It wasn¡¯t that she hated how things had become, but it was true that she missed the past when they were alone. ¡°No, I¡¯m planning to take a break from hunting today. If I want to make new items, there are a lot of preparations I must do beforehand. I think I¡¯ll have to visit the city¡­¡± ¡°Then, shopping¡­? Are we going right now?!¡± ¡°Well¡­ I guess so?¡± ¡°Great, let¡¯s go together!¡± ¡°Why are you two going alone? I want to go, too!¡± Louise, who was hearing Hyun and Ain¡¯s conversation, stood up. At that moment, a deep smile appeared on Ain¡¯s face. ¡°Stay home.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t follow us all the time.¡± ¡°¡­?!¡± Ain said the last thing in a low voice so it didn¡¯t reach Hyun¡¯s ears. * * * Sadly, it was daytime outside. Since the sun was still in the sky, Louise had to stay home. Hyun and Ain went to the teleporter. The biggest city of the Magic Country, Loupra, was covered in magic circles, which gave it a mysterious atmosphere. Ain looked happier than usual while walking through the roads of Loupra. ¡°Hyun, do you remember we came here before when we just began to play Asrian?¡± ¡°Of course I remember. It¡¯s only been three months.¡± ¡°It¡¯s only been three months? It felt like it was a long time ago.¡± ¡°Well, a lot of things have happened since then.¡± Loupra was the first city in which he met with Ain and the first place he¡¯d bought items. He still remembered blowing up lots of gold and items while trying to enhance the equipment. ¡­Although that became a good memory since Ain managed to succeed two consecutive times. ¡®That robe was created back then. Is she still wearing that¡­?¡¯ Hyun looked at the ¡®The Ghost Commander¡¯s Robe¡¯ that had become her signature cloth. He also looked at the ¡®Black Half-gloves.¡¯ The gloves had been enhanced with Leopard¡¯s Wand, and their specs were quite good, so maybe there wasn¡¯t a need to change them¡­ but wouldn¡¯t it be better to change the robes? ¡°Ain, about your cloth¡ª¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Although it has some rare options¡­ Is it necessary to wear it over other good items?¡± Ain reacted weirdly to Hyun¡¯s question. ¡°But there¡¯s left¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Durability¡­?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. We don¡¯t need to save up on repair costs.¡± ¡°R-really¡­?!¡± Ain was about to say something when Hyun confidently spoke. ¡°If we make a new one, I¡¯ll buy it for you.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll buy it for me?!¡± ¡°Yes. After killing Betty, I feel like I¡¯m the only one who got something¡­ So I was bothered by it. Also, it would be great if you had something like this.¡± Hyun showed her his clothes while smiling. The Robes of the Praying Priest. The unique item he¡¯d received after killing the level 235 Betty. Its specs were so good that he might not even need to change it out for the rest of his life. It reduced your death penalty by half, and when you received fatal damage, you became immortal for three seconds. There was also the fact that it would unlock a new ability when ?Pray? reached level nine. Not only that, but he still hadn¡¯t unlocked all of the options. He¡¯d been so busy that he didn¡¯t have the time to ?Pray?, but he could probably get it to nine if he took a week off. His ?Pray? level eight was at 73%. ¡°Really? Are you going to buy it for me?¡± ¡°Why are you so surprised?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because¡­ It would be your first time buying me something¡± ¡°Really¡­?¡± Hyun tried to remember. Had he really never bought anything for her¡­? He reflected on it. Since he didn¡¯t have any money or gold issues, he could perfectly use some money in situations like that. He thought that he would get Ain new clothes with the best specs possible. Hyun and Ain visited the blacksmith on the Magic Guild¡¯s lower floor. There, they saw one blacksmith working hard. He thought he had to be better than the NPC who blew his ¡®The Sword of the Supreme Being¡¯. ¡°A user? I don¡¯t deal with cheap ingredients,¡± he said after seeing how Ain looked. But his attitude changed after seeing the items Hyun took from his inventory. ¡°Even this?¡± A high-ranking devil¡¯s leather, a devil¡¯s core, and fabrics that had magic circles infused in them¡­ The blacksmith¡¯s eyes shone after seeing them. ¡°Woah, not bad.¡± A magic country¡¯s blacksmith was different from a normal one who just created items with a hammer. It would be better to call them magic engineers who used numerous magic circles to cut and combine different ingredients. ¡°Would this be okay?¡± He checked out the ingredients and created an image of a completed piece of armor. Because the size was different at first glance, Hyun shook his head. ¡°No, it isn¡¯t for me¡­ but for her.¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s for a girl. Haha, then I¡¯ll have to focus more on the design.¡± The hologram¡¯s form began to change as the blacksmith moved his hand. Thanks to the system that allowed you to see the finished item, the blacksmith could easily create the item just as the client wanted. Although it took them more than an hour to find a design that Ain liked¡­ As the appearance was defined, creating the item didn¡¯t take even five minutes. Recard¡¯s Devil Armor (Unique) Minimum Requirements : [Agility 120], [Magical Power 250] Durability (440/440) Defense: + 154% ¨C If an attack brushes past you, the damage received gets significantly reduced. ¨C When your HP is lower than 20%, you receive 80% less damage. ¨C Lava Resistance +99% ¡®Good!¡¯ He was expecting the item to be unique. After all, he¡¯d used quite valuable ingredients. If the item were just rare, that would mean that his skills were just as good as that ¡®bastard.¡¯ After checking its stats, he saw the value of the item. ¡®I was right. He¡¯s an artisan with great skills.¡¯ Not only was the item a unique¡­ But the blacksmith had managed to put all the options he had asked for on it. The damage would be reduced when an attack barely touched you, and it increased defense at low HP! Ain¡¯s movement skills were great, so even if she received attacks, they brushed past her most of the time, which made the first option very useful. Secondly, the increase in defense when your HP was low was probably going to show great synergy with her skills ?Latent Potential Increase? and ?Vitality Absorption?. Chapter 140 Chapter 140 ¨C An Unexpected Connection (1) ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s a bit tight.¡± Ain touched the equipment, which felt a bit awkward. It was her first time wearing leather-type armor. ¡°Is it uncomfortable?¡± ¡°Not really¡­ but it feels as if someone is constantly squeezing me.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that uncomfortable¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± The tips of Ain¡¯s mouth were up while she touched her waist. The armor looked like a uniform or a dress optimized for battle. The outer part was covered with fabric, so it had that unique item¡¯s luxurious aspect. Thanks to Hyun wearing ¡®The Robes of the Praying Priest,¡¯ they both looked like rankers. ¡°Should we make other pieces as well?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ But we don¡¯t need more shoes or accessories.¡± They decided to make other items in the future after getting other good ingredients. They decided to fill the other options with good rare items from the shop. Hyun and Ain went to choose items together, and more than three hours passed by. ¡®Good, we¡¯re well-equipped.¡¯ He began thinking about the other Guild members after finishing up buying his and Ain¡¯s equipment. ¡®Well, I guess Salon will buy his own.¡¯ Even if he didn¡¯t get involved, Salon already had good items, so there was no need for him to worry about it. ¡®Should I buy a few things for TarrTarr?¡¯ Hyun thought about the money he¡¯d earned through YouTube. The views on the channel were growing each day. After seeing the videos that had been uploaded to the channel, Hyun had realized something important¡­ Even if the material was good, you couldn¡¯t ignore the power of a video editor. Although TarrTarr was in middle school, he was already as good as a professional editor. ¡­No, he was better than a simple video editor! He produced videos that were only possible if you had good video editing skills and skills that were almost as good as a ranker. ¡®Well¡­ He did get into Master-tier once, so his gaming sense is better than the average person¡¯s.¡¯ It seemed like he could produce high-quality videos because he¡¯d been alongside the guild members and understood how they played. At that point, he couldn¡¯t think of asking someone else to edit the videos. All of his information was in the unedited footage, so he couldn¡¯t easily trust and ask someone else. Hyun thought TarrTarr deserved a reward, so he picked a few items. Hyun picked a simple weapon, armor, shoes, and other things. He spent 5000 gold. Most items had the option of reducing skill cooldown times. After all, reducing cooldown times was the most important option for a Death Knight. If TarrTarr used every item, his cooldown times would be reduced by 30%, and with the effect of ?Assimilation?, it could become 50%. ¡°Good, the preparations are perfect!¡± Hyun realized he¡¯d forgotten something important after returning to the private room. ¡°Hyun, don¡¯t you have something for me?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Hyun realized his mistake after Louise, who was playing alone in the garden, went running toward him. Fu- Ain made a victorious smile while wearing a dress that was like luxurious armor. Louise was ready to cry after seeing Ain¡¯s equipment. ¡°You two had a good time alone¡­ And I don¡¯t even get a present¡­?!¡± ¡°N-no. I also prepared something for you. Let me see¡­¡± Hyun quickly began searching through his inventory. ¡®Isn¡¯t there anything useful?¡¯ Hyun began sweating. He only had items Louise couldn¡¯t use or shouldn¡¯t use. Hyun¡¯s eyes shone after a while when he neared the bottom of the inventory. ¡®A unique magic wand? When did I pick this up?¡¯ There was a small item at the bottom he hadn¡¯t noticed before. He didn¡¯t remember the details very well, but since he had it, he¡¯d probably picked it up somehow. It would be better if he gave her at least something, so Hyun took it out as if he¡¯d thought about it before. ¡°It¡¯s a present, Louise! I got this item for you!¡± ¡°Oh¡­!¡± [Black Knight¡¯s Wand] Louise happily accepted the small magic wand. Swosh-! But the moment she grabbed it, it began to grow. It took him some time to realize that it wasn¡¯t that it grew in size but that it had been folded down before. The small magic wand suddenly became almost two meters long. Black Knight¡¯s Wand (Unique) Minimum Requirements : [Lv. 150] [Strength: 100] [Magical Power: 100] Durability (330/330) Attack : 238 Magical Power Increase : 15% Strength Increase : 15% ¨C You can cause physical ailments with just 15% of damage. ¨C Can grow up to four meters in size. ¡°Oh? Didn¡¯t I give you that?¡± While Louise looked at the weapon, confused, Hyun suddenly heard Ain¡¯s voice and remembered where he had gotten the item. That¡¯s right. It was the Iluna Quest¡¯s 2nd place prize. Slam! Louise couldn¡¯t use a weapon with a strength requirement of 100 and fell to the ground. Hyun scratched his head while looking at the scene unfold. ¡°That was the first present, and I¡¯ll give you the second one later.¡± The next day, Hyun bought her a white pair of gloves. Louise seemed really happy to receive a present that went well with her white-colored clothes. Thanks to that, Hyun felt a little less guilty. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy * * * A few days before challenging the quest¡­ ¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯ As soon as Hyun logged in to Asrian Online, he saw he¡¯d received a message from someone he¡¯d never talked to before. The name of the sender was ¡®Robert Connor¡¯. According to the message, he was one of Asrian¡¯s Developers¡­ ¡®What does a developer want to talk with me¡­?¡¯ Hyun tried to remember if he¡¯d done something that could¡¯ve caused trouble for them. ¡®Did I take advantage of a bug?¡¯ He¡¯d used a few shady tactics, but nothing worthy of a ban! ¡®Did my playstyle trouble the developers?¡¯ From what he¡¯d heard, developers didn¡¯t like users who monopolized the game¡¯s rewards. ¡®Am I going to receive a restriction or maybe receive a warning?¡¯ Hyun began worrying and thinking about many possibilities, but after reading the message, he realized he was worried about nothing. The message, which began formally, didn¡¯t seem to have the intention of warning him, but it was the opposite. ¡¸Thank you for enjoying Asrian Online. The reason why I¡¯ve sent a message is¡­¡¹ The message had a gift attached to it. [Experience Potion] ¨C If you use it, your experience will go up by 100. ¡®It doesn¡¯t seem fake.¡¯ There wasn¡¯t something like an experience potion in Asrian. It may not have been something impressive, but with it, the sender had proved he was a developer. That¡¯s what confused Hyun even more. The more he read the message, the more confused Hyun became. ¡¸That¡¯s why we want you to participate in the project of creating an ¡®Asrian Concept Video.¡¯ If you¡¯re willing to participate¡­¡¹ ¡®Steven? I think that I¡¯ve heard that name before.¡¯ He wasn¡¯t sure who he was, but it seemed like someone famous was going to participate in the project¡­ but he wasn¡¯t that interested in it. After all, he was really busy preparing for the Duke¡¯s Quest. He was already busy with the quest, so he had no free time to worry about other things. If the sender weren¡¯t a developer, Hyun would¡¯ve thought it was spam email and blocked the sender. But there was one reason why he couldn¡¯t immediately refuse. ¡¸If you participate, we promise we¡¯ll give you a big reward, not just a small present.¡¹ The developers had promised him a big reward. That¡¯s right. It wasn¡¯t a random nobody, but a developer! ¡®Big reward? What could that be?¡¯ Hyun¡¯s heart began beating faster. What if the reward was an important item? It was worth checking out. Hyun quickly replied. He thought it would be better if the answer were concise. ¡¸What¡¯s the big reward?¡¹ It was a one-line message. He was about to turn around after sending the message when¡­ ¡°Hmm?¡± Hyun¡¯s eyes narrowed. It had been only a few seconds since he¡¯d sent it, but a reply had already arrived. He read the answer. ¡¸Nice to meet you, Hyun, it seems like you¡¯ve just logged in. Did you think about my proposal?¡¹ Hyun quickly began thinking. ¡¸Hmm. First, I¡¯m not really sure about what the project is about¡­ but rather than that, wouldn¡¯t it be more important for you to tell me what the reward is?¡¹ ¡¸I see. That¡¯s a reasonable question.¡¹ After saying so, the developer fell into thought. Had he been too forward? While Hyun was worrying about that, the developer sent another message. ¡¸I think it would be better if we met so I could give you a more detailed explanation¡­ Do you have some time?¡¹ ¡¸Meet in person?¡¹ Hyun suddenly became annoyed. He was preparing to clear the Duke¡¯s Quest in a few days, and he wasn¡¯t sure how much time it would take to meet someone in real life. ¡¸I¡¯m kind of busy these days, so meeting in person would be a little bit hard.¡¹ ¡¸Are you busy right now?¡¹ Hyun looked around the private room. Early morning¡­ The guild was empty because Salon was sleeping, and Ain and TarrTarr were at school. Only Louise was there, taking a nap in the private room. ¡¸I¡¯m free right now, but I have things to do soon.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s good to hear. I¡¯ll prepare the place.¡¹ ¡¸What?¡¹ ¡°¡­?¡± ¡¸So what¡¯s the reward?¡¹ Hyun tilted his head. He¡¯d sent another message, but there wasn¡¯t a reply, even after five minutes. ¡®Did he go to the bathroom?¡¯ While thinking that was possible, he tried to relax a bit and wait. ¡®I¡¯ll go to the bathroom, too.¡¯ [Changing to rest mode!] Hyun¡¯s view changed when he sat his character on the sofa. The private room¡¯s surroundings started to blur, and it was as if everything was dragged to a point. ¡­ A few moments later¡­ Without making any noise, Hyun¡¯s body magically disappeared from the sofa. He wasn¡¯t sure what kind of force it was since it wasn¡¯t a teleport or a warp. A new place soon appeared in front of Hyun¡­ Hyun, no¡­ Hyun¡¯s body, which was in rest mode, appeared on top of a chair in a new place. There were two people he¡¯d never seen before in front of him. * * * Games, movies¡­ There hadn¡¯t been many cases of the two fields working together; it was the same even in Asrian. The two areas began getting involved after Kwon DaeHo became interested in the movie industry. ¡°A movie¡­¡± Steven Young. Kwon DeaHo burst into laughter after reading a column from the movie industry giant. Steven Young had been able to correctly see the potential of Asrian. ¡°Yes. The movie industry still has a bigger influence than video games in this era.¡± Movies were the best way to approach the world. It was the easier way to approach a huge mass of people. Many people didn¡¯t play video games, but there probably wasn¡¯t anyone who didn¡¯t watch movies. When he heard Steven was going to participate in the festival, a certain thought crossed his mind. How fast could the movie industry make Asrian grow? Wasn¡¯t the idea behind the important announcement to make Asrian more widely known worldwide? To think that one of the movie industry titans was so interested in Asrian! As soon as he realized that, his plans began moving faster. Kwon DaeHo smiled after he finished making some calculations. Chapter 141 Chapter 141 ¨C An Unexpected Connection (2) ¡®Maybe¡­?¡¯ Kwon DaeHo knew how important Steven Young was in the movie industry. His first movie opened the door for a new type of action movie. According to critics, his movies were perfect in all aspects¡ªfrom the artist aspect to the popularity. Some movie critics said they gave his movies a perfect score even before watching them. What if that Steven Young created a movie with Asrian? ¡®If we¡¯re going to do it, we should do it properly.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t just a simple, fun project but an important one. He wasn¡¯t planning to stay on the side and leave everything to Steven. If they were to create a movie capable of shaking the world, they needed to make some preparations. First, Steven needed some time to get used to the game mechanics, and they also needed a good actor. They also needed someone who knew a lot about Asrian. Because, in a movie, the scenery and props were important. Kwon DaeHo thought of someone at that moment and nodded. ¡®I know a perfect person.¡¯ There was someone who would be the perfect person to put in charge of the project¡­ Robert Connor. Robert Connor spent a lot of time monitoring Asrian, so he probably knew more about it than him. He also had a lot of free time, so he would probably be able to help Steven perfectly. Maybe he was even going to be able to cast the perfect actor. He probably had many users he frequently eyed while monitoring. Robert and Steven met because of Kwon DaeHo. * * * ¡°Ugh, it¡¯s already this late¡­!¡± Robert got up and began running. He had forgotten about the meeting with Steven because he had been distracted looking at Hyun¡¯s play. Thankfully, when he arrived at the place, rather than getting angry, he greeted Robert happily. It was because he¡¯d been waiting for that day. ¡®To think that Dr. Kwon DaeHo would be interested in my movies!¡¯ After Steven realized Asrian¡¯s potential, he¡¯d faced many obstacles. Places like Iluna, which were incredible, were always full of monsters. Drone cameras weren¡¯t provided to individual users, so recording footage from various angles was hard. It was hard to get props! He wouldn¡¯t be able to use wires. Also, creating special sets was impossible. Steven was starting to wonder if he should give up the project. ¡®I¡¯m not sure how long it would take to get the foundations ready.¡¯ He received a proposal from Kwon DaeHo while he was puzzled about that! He was surprised when he told him he was interested in creating a movie with Asrian. Everything began going smoothly after the two realized they had similar intentions. ¡°Oof¡­ Director, I¡¯m sorry for being late.¡± ¡°Oh, Mr. Robert, don¡¯t worry. I have also just arrived.¡± Steven and Robert greeted each other. Kwon DaeHo was always busy, so the movie project was given to Robert, who was comparatively free. ¡®We probably won¡¯t be able to make a movie immediately.¡¯ Making a movie wasn¡¯t an easy task. They were both expecting there to be many hurdles in the future. So the first step wasn¡¯t creating a full-fledged movie but a simple video. For example, a guild or a party¡¯s named boss raid¡­ A large-scale battle between guilds¡ªa war¡­ Or maybe a huge-scale hidden quest that wasn¡¯t known yet by most people! Steven and Robert had decided to create a 30-minute video based on a large-scale hidden quest that they called a ¡®playing documentary.¡¯ When the plan took form, Steven asked about possible actors. ¡°Is there a way to make an NPC an actor?¡± ¡°An NPC? Ah¡­ You¡¯re talking about that NPC.¡± Robert realized Steven was talking about a second-generation artificial intelligence. The second-generation artificial intelligence was used to create transcendents like Great Angels or Great Demons, but moving beings at a higher plane like them was impossible, even for Kwon DaeHo. First-generation artificial intelligence probably couldn¡¯t make an expression as Steven wanted¡­ and generation-and-a-half ones also probably wouldn¡¯t be suitable. ¡°Asrian is a simulator¡­ so we cannot program NPCs¡¯ actions. And on top of that, second-generation artificial intelligence have a stronger conscience¡­¡± Steven seemed disappointed after hearing the explanation. ¡°I guess there¡¯s nothing we can do about it. Then can you introduce me to the user Salon?¡± ¡°Salon¡­? Oh, you mean ¡®Salon¡¯.¡± ¡°Oh, is he a user that Mr. Steven knows well? He seemed to have talent as an actor!¡± Robert seemed to be thinking about something, and then he smirked. ¡°There¡¯s probably a better option.¡± ¡°Hmm? Option?¡± ¡°A way to get the NPC Mr. Steven wants, get Salon, and even solve the playing documentary issue all at once!¡± Robert smiled while thinking about someone. To be honest, he wasn¡¯t sure if they were going to be able to make him interested in the project. He was a more calculative player than anyone else, at least in gaming, so his intelligence was probably comparable to his. Getting him to sign a contract was probably going to be hard. But he couldn¡¯t think of anyone better than him to put in charge of the project. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if we¡¯re going to be able to grab his interest¡­ but we can at least try.¡± ¡°It seems like you know a good actor.¡± ¡°Not only is he the best actor, but he¡¯s one capable of arranging the best possible stage. That¡¯s if we can make him sign the contract.¡± Robert sent the first message to Hyun while feeling nervous inside. * * * In an empty, white space¡­ There were three chairs there, and one of them was empty¡ªthat was Hyun¡¯s place. Robert told Director Steven of all of Hyun¡¯s achievements while they waited for him. ¡°Woah, is he really that amazing?¡± ¡°Yes. There probably isn¡¯t any better user to have as an actor. That¡¯s it if we can convince him.¡± Robert seemed confident. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy * * * Kwon DaeHo had given him some authority after he put him in charge of the project. ¡ªThe authority to move a variable that was under level two, and on top of that, 20 million dollars. If he used those two weapons, he would probably be able to convince Hyun. ¡®But I still need to focus.¡¯ It was the first time he¡¯d met up with Hyun face-to-face. Hyun wasn¡¯t stupid, so Robert had thought about how to convince him to do the project rationally. After all the preparations were ready, Robert used the developer¡¯s authority and summoned Hyun. Paf-! Suddenly, the two people sitting at the round table became three. Just like magic, Hyun suddenly appeared in the chair. ¡®Hmm?¡¯ Robert flinched for a moment. ¡®Even though the scenery changed, he didn¡¯t change his facial expression?¡¯ After seeing that he didn¡¯t even blink, Robert realized Hyun¡¯s status. ¡®Ah, he¡¯s in rest mode!¡¯ In Asrian, there was the option of leaving to do other things and maintaining your online status for at least three hours. It was to ensure people didn¡¯t have to log in again whenever they had something urgent to do. While in rest mode, a user couldn¡¯t do anything, so they could only use it if there was an ally around or if you were in a safe place like a private room. Director Steven tilted his head while looking in confusion at Hyun, who showed no reaction. Robert explained to him what rest mode was. ¡°He just went to do something; he¡¯ll be back soon.¡± ¡°Oof¡­ I¡¯m starting to get nervous.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to be able to convince him if we just tell him what we¡¯ve prepared.¡± Robert was expecting the day¡¯s contract to be hard to concrete. Before he came back, Robert went over the conditions again. There was a summary of the plan on the table. They were going to start talking about what a playing documentary was and how long it would take to produce. He had also thought about how much money to offer first and, if he refused, how much more money he could propose. ¡°I¡¯m going to offer five million dollars at first.¡± ¡°Five million? Isn¡¯t that lower than what we talked about before?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true, but the money I received from the director isn¡¯t as much as I expected.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°Even if it¡¯s five million dollars, it¡¯s an amount of money that a normal person couldn¡¯t even imagine. Even if Hyun is very intelligent, since he probably doesn¡¯t know much about this industry, it¡¯s worth trying to offer that. If he doesn¡¯t show any reaction, we can always offer more.¡± At that moment, Robert said the maximum amount of money he could offer. They were so focused on talking about important stuff that neither noticed that Hyun¡¯s eyebrows had moved slightly. ¡°What will you do if he asks for more money than you can offer?¡± ¡°Even if the actor is good, we have to spend lots of money in other areas too, so if that happens, we¡¯ll have to refuse.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Yes, that¡¯s true. After all, we¡¯re already making the preparations. We have to leave aside the money required to film the movie.¡± They¡¯d gone through all of the topics they were going to talk about. Robert and Steven waited for Hyun to return. ¡°Hmm¡­? Where am I?¡± Hyun looked around, acting as if he were surprised. ¡°What an interesting place¡­! Is this¡­ Somewhere reserved for developers¡­?!¡± ¡°Ah, you came! Nice to meet you. I¡¯m developer Robert Connor. This is Director Steven.¡± Robert Connor greeted Hyun. After a short introduction, they began explaining things. ¡°So a playing documentary is a video that¡¯s about 30 minutes long that shows a specific quest or a battle. It may seem similar to a YouTube video, but it¡¯s different from that! We¡¯re going to use more than a hundred drones and even put some special effects in!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°How about that? You don¡¯t need to use a separate time to record the documentary because we¡¯re aiming to record natural gameplay.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°And if possible, we wanted to ask if other guild members could participate, too. Especially Ain and Salon! The director seems to have an interest in Salon, haha.¡± Robert made it clear that he wanted to drag in all members of the Shade Guild. He already knew that Hyun was the guild leader¡ªthat¡¯s why he could make a proposal like that. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Robert noticed something weird while he was talking. ¡®His reaction is weird¡­¡¯ Up until then, he was the only one who had talked. Hyun had just been listening in silence. ¡®There¡¯s probably content that should be hard to understand at once.¡¯ The fact that he wasn¡¯t asking any questions meant one of three things¡­ The first one was that he was just nodding when, in reality, he didn¡¯t understand anything, but he didn¡¯t think that Hyun was the type of person who would pass on things he didn¡¯t understand. The second one was that Hyun wasn¡¯t interested in it. Since he was someone who prioritized personal growth, he may think that investing time was ineffective. He thought it was the most probable reason. But if he emphasized that he didn¡¯t need to invest extra time in filming the documentary, Robert thought he could convince Hyun. What about the third option? If Hyun already knew how the industry worked, maybe he would¡¯ve understood the content after hearing it. If that were the case, he probably wouldn¡¯t need to ask any questions. ¡®I¡¯m not sure what the reason is.¡¯ Robert tried to guess what Hyun was thinking about. ¡°Of course, you may be worried about becoming the main actor, but we aren¡¯t planning to make a real movie. You don¡¯t need to act. You just have to play as always.¡± A playing documentary was just a way to show a large-scale event of Asrian and some battle videos using movie production techniques. They planned to use a hundred drones to ensure they didn¡¯t have to re-record anything. Hyun¡¯s reaction still wasn¡¯t what he had expected. ¡°Ah, I think I know what you¡¯re worried about!¡± Robert smiled. ¡°If you want, we can customize your outer appearance and even change the skill effects!¡± After monitoring Hyun for a long time, he realized he was someone who didn¡¯t like to show himself. That meant that they were willing to hide his identity. And then he mentioned the most important thing. ¡°So, if you¡¯re willing to participate in the project, we¡¯ll give you five million dollars.¡± Just like Robert had planned, he was waiting to see how Hyun reacted to try to negotiate a price. ¡°I¡¯m going to send you the contract, so feel free to read it and ask me about any details!¡± It was at that moment¡­ Even before checking out the contract, Hyun smiled and looked at both people. Robert was starting to feel nervous when Hyun opened his mouth. ¡°Let¡¯s make it 9.8 million dollars.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± With just that one sentence, the flow of the negotiation was completely reversed. Chapter 142 Chapter 142 ¨C An Unexpected Connection (3) The deal wasn¡¯t made immediately that day. The amount to be paid had been decided, but they still had to discuss other things. Hyun returned to the lobby after a short talk. While sitting on the sofa, Hyun looked at the records of what had just happened. ¡®To think that becoming flustered would be of help!¡¯ After returning from rest mode, he didn¡¯t move for a while because his surroundings had suddenly changed. Thanks to that, he got lots of important information about the project! Which was also why he was able to ask for as much money as possible. ¡®Even if we leave Louise aside, if they want all of the other guild members to participate, I should try to get as much money as possible.¡¯ Hyun had asked for 9.8 million dollars! It was a detailed amount of money he was able to ask for because he¡¯d heard their conversation beforehand. The only thing left was for him to make the final confirmation. Hyun began analyzing all of Robert¡¯s proposals one by one. A playing documentary project¡­ It was going to be a documentary that looked like a movie. Among the countless rankers, the developers had asked him, who was a Support. Maybe they knew his true value because they were the developers. ¡®It¡¯s real, right?¡¯ Hyun read the contract a few more times. The amount of money was 9.8 million dollars! It was enough money to get a level 100 unique full set, and you would still have lots of money left over to spend. He could even get Ain one¡­ and if there was more money left, he could even upgrade the private room. If he still had some left after all of those upgrades, wouldn¡¯t he be able to get a house in real life? He compared that amount with his YouTube earnings. They hadn¡¯t uploaded a new video recently, so the earnings had gone down compared to the beginning. ¡®The amount of money is on a whole different level¡­!¡¯ ¡®Ahh, calm down.¡¯ Hyun tried to relax. It was a dream-like opportunity, but it was still too early to get excited. He looked at the most important part of the contract. The contract clearly said that he should successfully complete a big-scale event. It was understandable. After all, they should¡¯ve been able to get normal footage of hunting anywhere. ¡®Could I beat a large-scale event¡­ On my own?¡¯ Hyun shook his head after thinking about it for a while. A Support couldn¡¯t complete what the developers wanted on their own. If he wanted to be able to complete what they had asked for on his own, he had to be at least level 300, maybe 400 to be on the safe side. That¡¯s right. It was a proposal directed at the guild. The reason why the developers had proposed such a huge sum of money was probably so that he could distribute it amongst the other guild members. Even if they knew how capable he was, it made no sense to ask for 10 million just for the appearance of one person. ¡®Yes, I¡¯m finally starting to understand.¡¯ They were asked to create a movie-like scene with the other guild members. It didn¡¯t matter if it was a quest or invading a castle¡ªthey wanted the best possible action. They probably didn¡¯t want him to overwhelm the enemies just with their specs. It should be something that couldn¡¯t be achieved with just specs. ¡®How troublesome.¡¯ Hyun¡¯s head, as the guild leader, became messy. He had to ask the opinions of the other guild members, too. He had to think about how to distribute the money and the penalty related to the recording. It wasn¡¯t just one or two things he had to think about. ¡®I¡¯ll have to ask them first.¡¯ Hyun asked for everyone¡¯s opinions by talking to them individually. He thought that he knew what Salon¡¯s answer was going to be, but he still decided to talk to him first. ¡°What? We¡¯re going to appear in a movie? And it was the developers who proposed to us?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not exactly a movie but a playing documentary. I¡¯m also not a hundred percent sure¡­ Do you want to read the contract?¡± ¡°We should do it! I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s a movie or a documentary!¡± The tips of Salon¡¯s mouth were shaking as if he wanted to start immediately. Since the developers had proposed it, the effect it would have couldn¡¯t be compared to a YouTube video. Next was TarrTarr. ¡°Director Steven? Are you serious?!¡± ¡°Do you know him?¡± ¡°Of course! But to think that director Steven is participating in a project like this¡­ I just can¡¯t believe it!¡± Unexpectedly, TarrTarr¡¯s reaction was similar to Salon¡¯s. TarrTarr said that director Steven was his role model. It was at that moment that Hyun realized that he was a famous movie director. ¡®Now that I think about it, TarrTarr was part of a movie club in his school.¡¯ ¡®From a bigger perspective, aren¡¯t YouTube editors and film directors part of the same industry?¡¯ According to him, Steven was the number one in that industry¡­ so it was normal for TarrTarr to admire him. ¡®Two are up for it.¡¯ Hyun also asked Louise. She seemed to be thinking about something while reading the contract. He soon realized she wasn¡¯t thinking about anything. ¡®Three are up for it¡­ Now I just need to convince Ain. This is going unexpectedly smoothly.¡¯ Hyun smiled as things began progressing smoothly. Although he still hadn¡¯t decided how to distribute the earnings, that was something he could think about later on. * * * It wasn¡¯t hard convincing Ain, either. Although she initially didn¡¯t seem convinced, after she heard from Hyun that they¡¯d be able to buy a house with that money, her eyes shone. ¡°A house? Where are you going to buy it?!¡± ¡°Huh¡­? I still haven¡¯t thought that far yet¡­¡± He¡¯d already thought about five possible item sets, but he hadn¡¯t thought about where to buy a house. Hyun was thinking of using the remaining money on it. ¡°Well, I¡¯m probably going to buy an apartment in an okay location.¡± ¡°Before you buy it, don¡¯t forget to tell me.¡± ¡°Why¡­?¡± ¡°N-no particular reason¡­?¡± The conversation almost went in a weird direction, but in the end, Ain was also willing to participate in it. ¡®And finally, this.¡¯ Lastly, he had to think about how to distribute the 9.8 million dollars. He had heard many cases of close friends becoming distanced from each other due to money-related troubles. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy * * * He feared the atmosphere could get awkward, but that didn¡¯t happen in the shade guild. The amount of money was so huge that, even if Hyun put most of it away for himself, he wouldn¡¯t know what to do with it. They decided to distribute the money based on the party contribution rate. He expected to receive the biggest part of it, but that was to be expected. ¡®I¡¯m probably going to have the biggest contribution rate, and I¡¯m also the one who got the contract.¡¯ Hyun was able to differentiate between morality and fairness. Everyone agreed. After Hyun sent the answer, the deal was made incredibly fast. * * * A few days later¡­ When Hyun met the developers again in the white space, Hyun thought, ¡®That makes sense.¡¯ ¡°Have you decided on the topic?¡± At that moment, Hyun realized why the developers had asked him. ¡°If you¡¯re about to do a quest soon, you probably don¡¯t have to think about it too much!¡± He already knew about the quest that the shade guild was preparing. A mission that would be great for making a playing documentary¡­ Yes, they probably wanted him to use the guild¡¯s Quest. ¡®Well, I guess there¡¯s no way they wouldn¡¯t now.¡¯ They were developers, after all. He had no reason to be bothered about them monitoring his gameplay as long as they didn¡¯t get involved in the play. Hyun smiled confidently. He¡¯d probably gotten such an opportunity to begin with due to Robert¡¯s interest in him. One take¡­ They had to make the quest a success in one take without making any mistakes! Making the quest a success was part of the contract, so Hyun planned to finish it as quickly as possible. And the day finally came. Before the quest began, Hyun gave a warning to everyone. ¡°A drone is going to be filming us. You just have to ignore it and act as usual.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s the drone?¡± As TarrTarr asked while looking around, Hyun smirked. The moment Hyun mumbled ¡°Unstealth¡±¡­ ¡°Ahh¡­!¡± ¡°Wh-what¡­?!¡± The number of drones surrounding them overwhelmed the group. About a hundred drones were flying around them. ¡°Stealth.¡± The moment Hyun mumbled those words, the drones hid again. ¡°It¡¯s hard not to think about them, right? But still, try to act as naturally as possible because that¡¯s the concept of the video.¡± ¡°Ahh¡­ I can feel my blood boiling.¡± Salon was trembling. After looking at the overwhelming amount of drones, he once again realized he was part of the filming. ¡°Is everyone ready?¡± Levels, items, and team play¡­ They¡¯d practiced for the past three weeks, so the preparations were perfect. It was time to reap the fruits of their efforts. ¡°Mr. Bahmir¡­¡± The moment TarrTarr called the Duke¡­ A ritual happened following the thread that connected both souls. Fwoosh- A huge amount of magic appeared in front of them. The black energy suddenly took a humanoid form. Bahmir, the highest-ranking Duke among the ones that used to be human, appeared in Shade Guild¡¯s private room. The Duke was looking down on TarrTarr. He smirked after looking at TarrTarr¡¯s eyes. ¡°It seems like you¡¯ve made up your mind.¡± He nodded. With that small movement, TarrTarr accepted the quest. Hyun was telling him how to answer through the capsule¡¯s whisper function, so there was no way he would make a mistake. ¡°Good choice.¡± He suddenly said something to TarrTarr. Hyun understood the meaning behind it¡ªthe Duke realized that TarrTarr had changed jobs to a Death Knight. Then, Bahmir¡¯s eyes focused on Ain and Salon. Magic brushed past their skin and gave them chills. ¡°Oh, so there are even members of the Heavens?¡± At that moment, a few hearts sank, but TarrTarr calmly answered just as Hyun was telling him through the party¡¯s chat. ¡°Is that a problem?¡± ¡°Not really¡­ but users are weird, as expected.¡± Bahmir laughed loudly as if saying that it wasn¡¯t anything. ¡°Why would I deny someone who says they will recover my castle?¡± Paf-! The moment the Duke¡¯s hands hit the air, Louise was surprised and shrugged. A red portal opened in the air. The red light coming from the portal was a gate that led to the Symmetrical World. ¡°You¡¯re lucky. It seems like some magical power is left around the castle area.¡± Only Hyun and Ain understood what those words meant. If they had made the decision a bit later, then maybe the portal that led toward Kaidan Castle wouldn¡¯t have opened. ¡°Mablen.¡± The Duke talked to the air. Just like you could send a whisper to the other party members, it seemed like he was talking to someone that was far away. It was an order he was giving to his underling. ¡°Once they finish, send me a message.¡± ¡°¡­¡± After the Duke finished talking, he turned toward the party and smirked. ¡°The Darkness isn¡¯t somewhere you should carelessly get close to, but if you overcome this, I promise I¡¯ll change my judgment about you. I promise it by my name, Bahmir!¡± After the Duke finished talking, he became magic and scattered away. The only thing in front of the party was a portal that emitted a red light. They had to confirm two things when they stepped into the world on the other side¡­ The first thing they had to check was their tendency towards the Dark¡­ And then the other¡­ Aah¡­ After letting out a sigh, Hyun looked at the air. All of the drones were probably still recording everything. They had to check if the quest was a success or a failure, so the developers were probably watching it at the moment. It would probably look bad if he failed the quest. After all, he had made sure every single thing that day ended in success. ¡¸Let¡¯s beat it in one try.¡¹ The moment they stepped inside, they were devoured by red fog. When they crossed the portal, they were greeted by the sight of a giant castle. The place, illuminated by a black sun, was a city where devils lived. ¡¸This¡­¡¹ ¡¸This is a castle?¡¹ Ding- Ding- A bell that announced the time began ringing from somewhere. Some were impressed by the constructions of the Symmetrical World because it was different from the image they had of what a castle was. How many kilometers was there between there and the castle¡¯s inner walls? Hyun had explained the details to the party members before the quest began, but seen in reality, the castle looked like another world¡¯s city that was dominated by undead. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± The party members turned around after hearing someone¡¯s voice suddenly. They saw a vampire wearing a butler¡¯s clothes next to them. His name was Mablen. He was one of Bahmir¡¯s most loyal underlings and was the one he was talking to through the soul. Mablen appeared because Bahmir had ordered him to watch the group closely and inform him when they were done. ¡°That was close. If you were one day late, the traces of magical power would have completely disappeared.¡± The diagram of the castle was as shown below. (Outer Wall (Inner Wall (( Core )) Inner Wall ) Outer Wall) The party members were able to cross into the other side of the outer wall of the castle. According to Mablen¡¯s words, if they¡¯d been a day late, they would¡¯ve been sent outside the outer wall of the castle. ¡­ ¡°Tens of thousands of monsters at level 200 ~ 300? If we go with just the five of us, we¡¯ll surely die!¡± TarrTarr complained after hearing details about the quest, but he was wrong. From the very beginning, an upfront invasion hadn¡¯t been what Hyun was planning. Chapter 143 Chapter 143 ¨C Citadel Invasion (1) ¡°There¡¯s a reason why there are only a few elites. There¡¯s always a way.¡± The solution was to gain control of the restricting magic circles! If they reached the magic circle of the core, they should¡¯ve been able to regain control of the castle. By using all of the energy stored within the castle and activating the defense mechanisms, it would¡¯ve been possible to kick out all of the devils at once. It was the only way for five people to win against tens of thousands¡­ ¡®It isn¡¯t going to be easy.¡¯ The outer wall, the inner wall, and the core¡­ They had to go through three stages to get to the restricting magic circle. Just passing through the outer wall wasn¡¯t easy. After all, there were guards and tens of thousands of undead monsters around the place. If they were found by even one of them, a battle they had no chance of winning would begin. What if they were able to reach the inner wall? That¡¯s when the really difficult part would start. There were lots of guarding magic circles at the inner wall. Not only that, but there was a chance they¡¯d be found just by the senses of the high-level devils. Level 300 named devils¡­ Fighting against one should¡¯ve been hard already, so it was obvious how things would end if hundreds surrounded them. But¡­ Maybe¡­ What if they were able to reach the core?! ( Outer Wall ( Inner Wall (( Core )) Inner Wall } Outer Wall ) A thick wall surrounded the core, so there wasn¡¯t a way to sneak in secretly. If the party had to go over the bridge that connected the inner wall and the core, they¡¯d have to go through hundreds of debuffing magic circles and thousands of high-level devils. ¡®There¡¯s a reason why the Count is sure we¡¯re going to lose.¡¯ It probably sounded like a joke that five players who hadn¡¯t finished the 2nd job ascension were going to try to get the castle back. ¡°Please, die as soon as possible. I¡¯d like to take a rest in the afternoon.¡± It seemed like Mablen thought the same as the Duke. Not only was he not cheering them up, but he also said something ominous, and then he turned into a bat. Since users could revive after dying, it seemed he didn¡¯t care if they were the Duke¡¯s knights or whatever. To be more precise, Louise wasn¡¯t a user¡­ but there was a reason why Hyun had brought her there. ¡®There¡¯s no way she¡¯ll die while I¡¯m ?Assimilated? to her.¡¯ The Robes of the Praying Priest had a certain skill. [If the target you¡¯re ?Assimilating? to loses all of its HP, it becomes immortal for 3 seconds!] Three seconds was enough time to use a return scroll and make Louise return to the private room. ¡®Although it would be best if something like that didn¡¯t happen.¡¯ Hyun had no intention of challenging the quest many times before making it a success. Mostly because the developers were probably looking at him with high hopes. He didn¡¯t want to make a fool of himself. Hyun bit his lips. ¡°Partial Unstealth.¡± Hyun set things up so that only a few drones would appear to his eyes. Being conscious of the eyes watching over him was the best way to maintain some tension. ¡®Just look closely.¡¯ He smiled while looking at the drones and then turned around. ¡¸Remember, just do as we practiced. Then¡­ let¡¯s go!¡¹ Pang-! Hyun led the way while ?Assimilated? to Louise. A dark light shone from the skies. A shadowy light shone through the old buildings that looked like ruins. ¡®Do the Dukes want to show off their power through how majestic their castles are?¡¯ Kaidan castle was so big that the best word to describe it was ¡®vast¡¯. Maybe castles like that existed because, in that world, you could build a castle in a short period of time by using magic. The most important thing was how close they could get to the core before they were found out. ¡®If they discover us around the outer wall, we should give up on the quest!¡¯ Hyun had brought information of five different routes that led to the core and tens of different possible ways to get there. There were some differences between Asra and Asrian online, so he¡¯d made all those preparations just in case. ¡°¡­¡± Mablen looked at the group. He was surprised after seeing the one wearing a black and white robe suddenly disappear. ¡®There aren¡¯t many techniques that can move the soul¡­¡¯ Mablen still hadn¡¯t figured out that Hyun had used ?Assimilation? on TarrTarr before. He was surprised by how smoothly they moved. He even began wondering if they knew about the structure of the huge castle. They moved forward while avoiding the gazes of the guards. He almost clapped after seeing how they stepped on the ?Wind Barrier? and went through the magic circle that guarded the outer wall. ¡ªAlthough it was impossible because he¡¯d turned into a bat. ¡®But they can¡¯t keep hiding like this¡­ How will they react when they come face-to-face against an enemy?¡¯ Mablen kept following the party. Not only did the party members move fast, but they were also going through a complex pathway, so he had to fly as if he were doing acrobatics. They¡¯d gone through a dark and long passageway. It was a tunnel through which supplies passed through. They quickly passed under the lamps that worked with magic power. They met their first enemies after they¡¯d gone through half of the tunnel. Fu. A smile appeared on Mablen¡¯s mouth. ¡®They¡¯re going to be discovered!¡¯ There was always at least one devil guarding the tunnels illuminated with magic power. The moment it saw the group, it would probably make the alarms sound, and others would discover them as well. But Mablen¡¯s guess was wrong. ¡¸Ain.¡¹ ¡¸I know!¡¹ Black and red lights shot forward. ?Shadow Run? and ?Steps of the Incarnate?! Paf-! While ?Assimilating? to Louise, Hyun punched a devil, then ?Assimilated? to Ain and used Efreet¡¯s Claws. It took two seconds for a level 200 security lizard to be killed. They were able to eliminate an enemy with tens of thousands of HP so quickly because, at that moment, the Angel¡¯s Sword Art had activated twice. Mablen frowned because he wasn¡¯t aware of those skills. He had turned into a bat, so an unpleasant and loud voice rang. ¡°Woah, that was unexpected. Was it a critical hit? You were quite lucky.¡± Hyun didn¡¯t reply to Mablen¡¯s remark. He had no mental space to focus on other things. If they didn¡¯t move fast, other devils would see traces of battle and begin gathering. While infiltrating a castle, there was nothing more stupid than staying in one place for too long. That was a conclusion he¡¯d reached thanks to the experience he¡¯d gained while playing Asra Online. ¡®I can¡¯t stop moving.¡¯ * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy * * * The group safely passed through the middle of the tunnel. But the closer they got to the inner wall, the more enemies they would face. Mablen, who knew that, was expecting the party to be completely destroyed. They would soon reach the end of the tunnel. Mablen made an expectant smile while looking at the approaching exit. The chances of a guard being outside of it were low, but there were probably lots of undead outside of it. Would they be able to kill all of the enemies without letting even one go? No, that would be impossible, even for him. The moment they let one devil go, thousands, tens of thousands more would appear. ¡¸Wait.¡¹ Everyone stopped at Hyun¡¯s orders. While Mablen was confused, TarrTarr walked to the front. Fwoosh- Suddenly, he was covered by dark energy. It was Hyun¡¯s Demonic Energy flowing out of his body. ¡¸TarrTarr, you remember, right?¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡­!¡¹ The previous day, TarrTarr had to memorize a strategy that was as long as a thesis at Hyun¡¯s orders. It was too long, so he couldn¡¯t memorize everything¡ªthat¡¯s why he had it stuck on one side of the screen. ?Invisibility?. The moment they exited the tunnel¡­ TarrTarr went through the group of undead. Hyun quickly analyzed the situation. There were tens of skeletons at the front, blue ghosts on the sides, and two lizard Magicians at the back that seemed to be controlling the devils. Based on that, he thought of the most effective way to wipe out all of the enemies. Where should he use the skills? How much Demonic Energy should he use? How should he eliminate the commanders? Before ?Invisibility? ran out, Hyun quickly shouted through the party chat. ¡¸Ain! Fifty meters behind, with Louise!¡¹ ¡¸Okay!¡¹ There was no need for a detailed explanation. Based on that short order, she understood Hyun¡¯s meaning and passed TarrTarr and the group of undead. ¡®Demonic Energy, 35 thousand.¡¯ Simultaneously, Hyun used a grand sword and aimed at the center of the group of skeletons. GOOO- A black hole made using the optimal amount of Demonic Energy appeared at the best possible location. But Hyun wasn¡¯t done yet. Then he put a buff on Salon. ?Biorhythm Acceleration!}} Salon, who leaped toward the black hole, began attacking at a speed that couldn¡¯t be easily seen. Salon and TarrTarr had been in charge of the undead in the experience dungeon, and they had the same role there in the castle. All of the training they¡¯d done in the experience dungeon made it possible for them to move with such synergy. ¡®I can¡¯t let them escape.¡¯ Hyun put a ?Spirit Run? into the black hole. It was the Shadow Linker¡¯s debuff skill that made a target move slower. Although those who were dragged into the black hole took 99% reduced damage, it didn¡¯t affect debuff skills. When the black hole ended, the skeletons, which had become slower, were quickly melted down by Salon¡¯s swords. Although a few ghosts flew toward the sky. ¡°Good job, Louise.¡± Louise wasn¡¯t a coward kid anymore. When Hyun ?Assimilated? to Ain, she¡¯d already run up the building¡¯s walls and reached the top. She¡¯d moved there so she could catch the ghosts that tried to run away. ¡°She¡¯s improved quite a lot!¡± The moment a greatsword over two meters long appeared in Louise¡¯s hands, destruction happened in the sky. Salon had missed four ghosts. Hyun stepped on the ?Wind Barrier? and quickly turned the four ghosts into light. Fwoosh-! And lastly, as he swung the sword of darkness with ?Shadow Run? active, the last ghost scattered away into the light. Tap-! There were no remaining devils when Louise landed. Louise and Ain eliminated the elite monsters and trash mobs in just the blink of an eye. ¡®They didn¡¯t let a single one go¡­?¡¯ Mablen¡¯s eyes widened after seeing that they¡¯d annihilated the entire group of devils. If he¡¯d just been surprised the first time, he was then feeling a cold sweat dripping from his back. ¡°Ain, please recharge me.¡± ¡°Ah, okay¡­!¡± Mablen looked in confusion at Ain, who attacked her ally after the battle had ended. [The amount of Demonic Energy you can have has reached the limit!] [The attack range of the next ?Sword of Darkness? will be greatly increased!] After they¡¯d finished recharging, they began running again. The sky was helping the group, too. Since the sun was in the middle of the sky, it was the time when it was the darkest. The closer they got to the inner wall, the darker it got. TarrTarr and Salon kept looking at the top of their screens. The castle¡¯s structure was so complex that they wouldn¡¯t have known where to start if it weren¡¯t for the map they¡¯d received from Hyun. ¡®A few places have changed compared to before¡­¡¯ Hyun had the map he¡¯d gotten from the interloop at one side of his vision and kept comparing it to the places he passed through. ¡®The overall structure remained the same!¡¯ Hyun ?Assimilated? to Louise and jumped high while the black wind was raging. Boom-! The moment Louise¡¯s hands hit the wall, a tunnel that connected to the insides of the building appeared. ¡®Good, it¡¯s a wall that can be broken!¡¯ There were a few parts of the wall that weren¡¯t protected by magic circles. If they went through that tunnel, they could run quite a distance without encountering any monsters. But things don¡¯t always go as planned. The group was passing through one of the connecting zones when they encountered a group of devils. At that moment, he had no choice but to adapt and try to overcome the situation. ¡¸Don¡¯t let a single one escape alive!¡¹Hyun shouted to everyone. Chapter 144 Chapter 144 ¨C Citadel Invasion (2) The party members were already prepared to act before Hyun even shouted. It was the result of practicing so much in the experience dungeon and improving their team play. TarrTarr used the ?Shield of Predation? and blocked the left passageway; Ain used ?Efreet¡¯s Claw? and blocked the right pathway. They had two movement skills, ?Shadow Run? and ?Steps of the Incarnate?, so they could always move faster than the devils. As both pathways were blocked, it was as if the devils were locked inside of a giant room. ¡¸Don¡¯t disband the party.¡¹ Hyun gave a warning. Ain usually disbanded the party to recharge the Shadow Linker¡¯s Demonic Energy and Salon to maintain the combo before they rejoined. Boom-! Along with the explosion of strong Demonic Energy, Louise was devoured by darkness. The silhouette of a girl wielding a sword that was over 10 meters long looked as if the sunset had stretched out a shadow. But unlike a shadow, it was very real. The ?Sword of Darkness? really was over 10 meters long. ?Biorhythm Acceleration!}} Pang-! The wind simultaneously exploding out of Louise¡¯s hands, shoulders, waist, and legs made her rotate like a top. A dark tornado blew as she rotated in place. Dozens of sword strikes rained down. Wherever the magic sword strikes landed became a valley of death. The ?Sword of Darkness? just went through the party members and didn¡¯t inflict damage, but because the devils were trash mobs with low HP, they died in one hit. The devil that was closest to Louise was cut into more than 10 pieces. When the black tornado stopped, all of the devils had turned into light and scattered away. ¡°Ahh¡­¡± Hyun let out a sigh after ?Disassimilating?. It was a technique he could only use while ?Assimilating? into Louise. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to call it a Shadow Linker¡¯s second ultimate attack. ¡¸Ahh¡­ That gives me chills every time I see it.¡¹ ¡¸Yes. It¡¯s too bad we cannot upload it as a video.¡¹ As TarrTarr mumbled, disappointed, Hyun answered while smirking. ¡¸We¡¯re going to upload them eventually. Just not yet.¡¹ Hyun couldn¡¯t help but prepare for PvP amongst users. If the time when he had to fight using all of this strength came, it would be better to have some techniques hidden under his sleeves. He especially had to hide as much information from the previous game Asra¡¯s users as possible. He had to end the fight by using a technique they¡¯d never seen before. Although someone would be able to analyze his technique one day, he could use each at least once. Developer Robert had probably said that he would erase the skills using special effects because he understood what he was thinking. ¡®Well, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to hide it forever.¡¯ Not only that, but he¡¯d made backups of all the footage. He was planning to upload some special ones when his channel views went down. ¡®What¡­?¡¯ Mablen couldn¡¯t hide his surprise. Even he wouldn¡¯t be able to kill a group of devils all at once. But how could a user that wasn¡¯t even at level 200¡­ someone who wasn¡¯t even a chosen one like him, have a skill with such destructive power? ¡®Isn¡¯t it just one skill?¡¯ It took Mablen a while to realize that. He started to understand why the group had said that they would try to recover the castle. Fufu, a smile appeared on Mablen¡¯s mouth. Before seeing them at the castle, he¡¯d thought of them as lowly beings, but now he was starting to get interested in them. Maybe watching their end would be more meaningful than drinking some tea while relaxing. * * * When Steven said he would make a movie through Asrian, he couldn¡¯t help but worry about something. ¡®Are action scenes similar to a movie¡¯s really possible?¡¯ He¡¯d seen the potential after watching the video of Iluna. But after playing Asrian by himself, he couldn¡¯t recreate such sensations. ¡®Maybe it¡¯s because my level is low.¡¯ But it was the same when they presented him with users that were rankers. Although they were better than him, they couldn¡¯t produce footage as great as movies. But all those worries disappeared that day. Although there hadn¡¯t been that many battles yet, the footage of the group running through the castle¡¯s ominous atmosphere was as good as a scene taken from a movie. ¡°Yeah, this is it!¡± As he felt that sensation again, Steven shouted in excitement. ¡°To think that they could move like this without any special effects¡­ I can use scenes like this immediately!¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t bad, but you¡¯ll get another sensation once you watch the entire thing.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°The real thing hasn¡¯t even started yet.¡± Fufu, Robert smiled mysteriously while watching the screen. Hyun¡¯s friends and relatives aside, he was probably the one who knew him the best. After all, he¡¯d left Hyun¡¯s plays on the main monitor numerous times as if he were watching a personal stream. ¡®Although, this time, I¡¯m really not sure how he¡¯s planning to do it.¡¯ Robert used the developer¡¯s authority to see the structure of Kaidan Castle and all of the forces inside it. ¡®Can he really beat this quest?¡¯ It didn¡¯t make sense from his point of view, but that made him more excited. Once again, as always, Robert was hoping for Hyun to exceed all of his expectations. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy * * * The last section of the outer part of the castle¡­ Hyun was leading the way; the rest were in the middle, and a bat was following them from the rear. Up until that point, more than 10 battles had taken place. The group ran through the rooftops, the underground, and were finally about to reach the last section of the inner part. Mablen fell into deep thoughts. ¡®How¡­?¡¯ How did Hyun know places of the castle that not even he knew of? They wouldn¡¯t have been able to run so smoothly if they didn¡¯t have a map of the castle. It was impressive that they hadn¡¯t been found out yet, but it was also impressive that almost no battles had taken place. ¡®Is this due to an unknown ability that only users have?¡¯ Mablen fixed his gaze on Hyun. Judging from the results until then, he was the party¡¯s leader. He was always the one who took the most important role in all the battles that had taken place until then. At that point, Mablen couldn¡¯t help but wonder about something. It didn¡¯t matter how much he looked at it, TarrTarr, the Duke¡¯s knight, seemed to be contributing the least. ¡®How did the Duke make the weakest his knight¡­?¡¯ Mablen shook his head. His role was to report to the Duke once all the party members died. The only reason the party was still alive was that they still hadn¡¯t been discovered. But the security of the inner wall couldn¡¯t be compared to the outer one. The soldiers inside the outer wall were mostly skeletons or ghosts, but the moment they entered the inner wall, they would face stronger devils. There were even vampires like Mablen among them. ¡®Ahh¡­ Finally, the inner wall.¡¯ Salon gulped after seeing that they were getting closer to the inner wall. Just at first glance, it was different from the outer one. It was luxurious and majestic. What kind of high-level devils lived on the rooftops? They were most likely all close to level 300¡­ Although he wasn¡¯t sure how many of them were around. ¡®I can¡¯t believe that just five of us are going to be entering that.¡¯ Salon remembered Hyun¡¯s words. It was impossible to infiltrate from the inner wall without being discovered. It didn¡¯t matter if they could or couldn¡¯t, they had to face the difficulties upfront. ¡®Yes. Even if I die fighting, I¡¯ll at least do it stylishly.¡¯ Salon smirked and looked around. He couldn¡¯t see them, but there were probably hundreds of drones filming him at that moment. Realizing that gave him a boost of confidence. ¡¸Follow me!¡¹ Whack-! Hyun smashed the floor and found an underground space near the edge between the outer and inner parts. Two symmetrical rails grabbed the party¡¯s attention. ¡¸We¡¯ve finally reached it.¡¹ ¡¸Yes. Who would¡¯ve imagined a place like this under the castle?¡¹ Salon and TarrTarr mumbled, surprised. It was where a transportation train passed from outside the territory to the inner part of the castle. You couldn¡¯t send everything through teleportation, so that¡¯s why something like that was under the castle. ¡°Why did you come here¡­?¡± After seeing the rails, Mablen kind of understood Hyun¡¯s intentions, nevertheless, he asked while acting as if he didn¡¯t know the reason. Fu- Hyun didn¡¯t reply to Mablen¡¯s words and just smiled. After a while, the party felt the vibrations of the earth becoming stronger. Kurrrr- ¡­But that vibration soon stopped. ¡¸Huh? Did it stop?¡¹ ¡¸Yes, right in front of us. Once they restock on supplies, it will probably start again.¡¹ ¡¸Good. That means that will mark the start.¡¹ Just like Hyun said, the vibration started to get stronger again. A train loaded with cargo was getting close to them. ¡¸Get it right the first time without any mistakes.¡¹ The group jumped simultaneously. Tap. The train still wasn¡¯t moving fast. That¡¯s why even TarrTarr, who had bad mobility, could land on the train¡¯s roof. Ouiing-! Ouiing-! It was at that moment that the alarm bell started to ring. If he hadn¡¯t seen Hyun until then, Mablen would have burst into laughter here. Of course, a magic security circle was placed on the transportation train. Seeing them trapped by the magic security circle as if they were rats would¡¯ve been enough to make him laugh. ¡®Is this really possible¡­?¡¯ But he couldn¡¯t laugh anymore. He began thinking that maybe they would really be able to reach the core. It was a strategy they wouldn¡¯t have been able to try if they weren¡¯t aware of the castle¡¯s structure. No, even if they knew, it was impossible. He still had some doubts, but he wanted to watch them a bit more. Choo-! The train began running faster. Hyun quickly thought about the things they¡¯d have to do from then on while maintaining his balance. ¡®We have to resist until the middle of the inner part!¡¯ The transportation train would draw two spirals at the other side of the inner wall before reaching the core. It would take about 10 minutes. But since they¡¯d been found out, they wouldn¡¯t be able to resist 10 minutes. The important thing was to know when to get off the train. If they remained on top of the train, they¡¯d be devoured by devils before they even reached the core. Choo-! The train reached a spiral and ran along the surface section of its journey. The inner part of the castle had lots of shining magic circles. It was like looking over a city at night. While the view of the inner part of the castle quickly passed by¡­ Deng- Deng- The sound of bells spread through the place. It had been an hour since the quest began. ¡®Yes¡­!¡¯ Hyun had purposely set the time of the infiltration at that hour. The high-level devils inside the castle had the characteristic of moving depending on the time, so that was when they¡¯d be able to dodge most of them. Grrr- As the wind and light stretched out, Hyun turned his head. They saw devils that had the form of lizardmen and lizards trying to get on the train. ¡°Louise, don¡¯t move.¡± Louise extended her hand, but Hyun stopped her. Wind techniques inevitably had recoil. If she made a mistake using a wind technique on top of a train that was running fast, there was a chance she¡¯d be blown away by the recoil. Of course, Salon would also struggle while trying to get combos. Choo! The train was getting faster, so maintaining their balance was starting to get harder. He had to leave handling the monsters trying to get on top of the train to Ain. ¡¸You¡¯re the only one I can trust here.¡¹ Fufufu. Ain smiled happily after hearing Hyun¡¯s words. There was a lot of confidence in the voice coming out of her mouth. ¡¸Me taking care of this section was part of the plan.¡¹ ¡¸Tell me if it¡¯s too hard.¡¹ ¡¸No. You probably won¡¯t need to help me.¡¹ Ain still hadn¡¯t forgotten the contribution rate. She was number 2 in the rankings by an overwhelming margin. But leaving Hyun aside, she wasn¡¯t interested in the other party members, so she had been feeling annoyed. She was glad they were in a situation where Hyun was forced to rely on her. ¡¸I can use my ultimate attack, right?¡¹ ¡¸Yes.¡¹ As Hyun nodded, Ain¡¯s smile deepened. Whether the party died or managed to successfully invade the castle, it would be decided before the duration of the ultimate attack was up. Within the next 20 minutes! In other words, it was time she used all of her skills. Chapter 145 Chapter 145 ¨C Citadel Invasion (3) ?Latent Potential Increase.}} ?Latent Potential Increase?, which had reset after not fighting for a long period, began to stack on top of itself one by one, and Ain¡¯s body was covered by bloody-red energy. ?Prepared for Extinction!? Next, ?Efreet¡¯s Claws? appeared over both of her hands. Ain stood on the train¡¯s roof, covered with all of the buffs. ?Efreet¡¯s Claws?, which were covered with a blood-red aura, resembled a ship¡¯s figurehead. Choo-! Suddenly, the train started running at max speed. As the light stretched horizontally, the party¡¯s clothes began to flutter like flags. Louise was having difficulty remaining standing because she had low Agility, so she crouched on the floor. The only one who was free from the push of the wind was Ain. Thanks to her, they still hadn¡¯t run into any great difficulties. Fwoosh-! The way Ain was facing all of the enemies alone did really make her look like Efreet. As the flames spread through the train, it felt like it was receiving the fire¡¯s protection. Surprisingly, a few golden lizards didn¡¯t die even after receiving two attacks from ?Efreet¡¯s Claws?. They almost experienced trouble as the enemies stacked up, but¡­ ?Invisibility?. When Hyun¡¯s skills were added to hers, all of Ain¡¯s attacks became critical hits. Crack- The monsters were cut by the unseen claws and scattered away. Monsters who had their limbs cut couldn¡¯t do anything against the train¡¯s speed and were blown away. Ain soon voiced a complaint. ¡¸I told you I don¡¯t need help! I was about to get three layers of magical power!¡¹ ¡¸It was just in case, better safe than sorry.¡¹ Fwoosh- The bloody aura surrounding Ain thickened. Just like she said, it seemed like the ?Latent Potential Increase? had reached the 3rd layer. ¡¸Now I really don¡¯t need your help.¡¹ ¡¸Okay.¡¹ Hyun nodded and turned his head around. Although Ain was blocking the front, that wasn¡¯t the case for behind. A group of lizardmen that had gotten up from the back compartment was closing in on them. A group of harpies was glaring at the group from the air. Monsters with a bird¡¯s body and a human¡¯s head, the harpies that could engage in close-range combat and use magic were on a whole different level compared to the dumb ghosts. ¡®I guess I¡¯ll have to take care of the situation.¡¯ The only one who could solve the situation was TarrTarr¡­ No, him ?Assimilated? to TarrTarr. ¡®Demonic Energy, 32,000!¡¯ As TarrTarr¡¯s longsword drew a circle, a half-transparent shield appeared in the air. To determine the reference point for inertia, Hyun hung the tip of the shield on the train¡¯s roof. After that, the harpies launched their white sphere attack. Pang! It shook the floor and made a huge explosive sound. Smoke rose and filled the place. As the smoke covered their fields of vision, the harpies began talking with each other. ¡®Did they die?¡¯ ¡®They seemed weak, so I guess so?¡¯ ¡®Cargo, is the cargo okay?!¡¯ Harpies were on a whole different dimension compared to undead. Not only could they talk with each other, but they also could make decisions. If the intruders had died from that attack, there was no need to damage the cargo! While thinking that, they got closer to the smoke. Fwoosh! Suddenly, a giant black object flew out. ?Black Hole?, 23,000 Demonic Energy!¡¯ As Hyun pointed the longsword to the sky, an impressive point of absorption appeared. GUOO. The black hole absorbed the harpies and the lizards approaching them. All of the monsters coming from the rear fell off the train in one attack. ¡®They¡¯re alive!¡¯ ¡®They¡¯re going to die soon anyway!¡¯ But there were a lot of harpies that the black hole hadn¡¯t absorbed. Whir- White magical power began gathering in their mouths. They were about to launch another round of the attack that had just shaken the train. A half-transparent shield appeared as they were about to launch their attacks simultaneously. How did he do it when the shield was supposed to have a cooldown? ¡®Fu, against enemies with intelligence, things like this work.¡¯ TarrTarr¡¯s teeth showed as Hyun smiled. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy * * * It was the Shadow Linker¡¯s technique, ?Illusion?, that copied the effect of a skill. The harpies weren¡¯t stupid; that¡¯s why something like that worked against them. Hyun saw the spheres made of magical power disappear. They were monsters, but they were intelligent enough to know when they should save up magical power. ¡®The shield isn¡¯t disappearing!¡¯ ¡®That black shield! How much can he use it?¡¯ ¡®It seems like he can keep using it!¡¯ The harpies tried to change direction by flying, but every time they did that, a giant shield blocked their path. ¡®Let¡¯s just break it by attacking it together!¡¯ ¡®Yes, that sounds okay! Together!¡¯ Pang! Once again, they launched their attack, and because enough time had passed for the shield¡¯s cooldown to reset, Hyun used the real one. But that was a temporary solution. Whir- Hyun soon saw they were about to launch a third round of attacks. ¡®I guess there¡¯s no other way.¡¯ Tsk, Hyun clicked his tongue, ?disassimilated?, and used a certain item. [You¡¯ve put on the ¡®Ring of the Executioner¡¯!] [You cannot take it off for the next 10 minutes!] Froom-! Bullets of magical energy flew toward them. It was at that moment when Hyun moved. The spheres that were moving in a straight line entered the range of the ring and began to change their direction as if they had a will of their own. Boom-! The magic energy bullets curved inward into each other and created a huge explosion. At that moment, the recoil of the explosion made the train tilt. ¡°Huh¡­?!¡± ¡°Ugh, it¡¯s going to flip¡­!¡± Just as the rail¡¯s curvature increased, one wheel fell off the track. As the train was about to fall¡­ ?Shadow Run?! Hyun used the movement skill and pressed on the roof, and the wheel returned to the rail and began running normally. ¡°Haa¡­¡± He sighed in relief. When he turned around, he felt his heart sink. ¡®Why is she there?!¡¯ He looked at Ain stepping on the flying harpies while swinging ?Efreet¡¯s Claws?. Ain was falling after tearing the wings of a few. ?Wind Barrier?! Hyun quickly used the skill, but Ain didn¡¯t step on it. Fwoosh-! A trail of fire that connected the sky and the train appeared. Ain used her skill, ?Steps of the Incarnate?, and landed on top of the train. ¡¸What are you doing? That was dangerous!¡¹ ¡°This much is okay. Hyun, you don¡¯t know how high my Agility stat is right now, right?!¡± It seemed like she knew what Hyun was feeling. She proudly showed him the ?Latent Potential Increase? had stacked six times. Her smiling while being surrounded by a bloody aura and flames was exactly how you would think an Elemental Berserker looked. ¡¸Even if your Agility is high¡­! Ooh, no.¡¹ Hyun shook his head. Ain didn¡¯t say anything wrong. Not only that, but she¡¯d been of help. Thanks to Ain¡¯s attack, the harpies were more careful than before. Without relaxing, Hyun looked around. ¡®We should get down soon¡­¡¯ The sound of the bell stopped. One or two lights in each building started to turn on. That meant that high-level devils would start moving. They were also being chased by wyverns. As time went on, they¡¯d even be followed by vampires, so if they remained still, they¡¯d be devoured for sure. But the train had barely passed the second whorl of rails. There was still a long way left before they reached the core. ¡®A little bit more!¡¯ While Hyun was looking at the timer, he suddenly heard Mablen¡¯s voice. Surprisingly, he¡¯d followed the train moving at high speed while flying in bat form. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to go deeper¡­¡± Mablen was following them because he was confident he¡¯d be able to get out any time he wanted, but if he kept going a bit deeper, although he was one of the Duke¡¯s closest aides, Mablen wasn¡¯t sure he¡¯d be able to escape. Once they got into the part with a more intense defense mechanism, he wouldn¡¯t be able to open a portal anymore. ¡°That¡¯s too bad. To think I wouldn¡¯t be able to watch until the end.¡± Pang-! A red portal that led to somewhere opened. Lots of different magics were shot toward Mablen, but the strength of normal devils couldn¡¯t be compared to his. After all, Mablen was a story NPC. Even while he disappeared through the portal, Hyun didn¡¯t seem to care. No, he didn¡¯t have the mental space to care. He knew instinctively that the most important moment was getting close. ¡¸We¡¯re getting down soon. Everyone remembers, right?!¡¹ ¡¸Yes, although I¡¯m still not sure if that will work¡­¡¹ ¡¸It will work.¡¹ Salon shrugged when Ain countered his words. ¡¸Hyun¡¯s plans haven¡¯t failed us yet.¡¹ ¡¸I see¡­¡¹ ¡¸Everyone, don¡¯t say pointless things. Concentrate.¡¹ Although it wasn¡¯t as massive as the outer part, the inner section was still quite big. The train went through a bridge that cut the inner part of the castle in half. It was time to move! Kurrr. There was an endless abyss beneath the bridge, so the devils couldn¡¯t get close to them. ¡¸Remember what I told you? Once we get to the center, jump!¡¹ ¡¸Jump here? Really?!¡¹ TarrTarr looked at the abyss in surprise. He didn¡¯t think too deeply about the plan when he¡¯d first heard it, but after he saw it in real life, it was more impressive than he¡¯d initially thought. There was a seemingly bottomless abyss beneath them! However, the cliff, which had a cross shape, was connected to the canal surrounding the core. The only way to reach the core was starting from the beginning, going through the abyss, reaching the canal, and then jumping into it. Strong elite monsters guarded the roads that could be walked. ¡¸Follow me!¡¹ When they reached the bridge¡¯s center, Hyun used ?Assimilation? on TarrTarr and jumped toward the abyss. ?Wind Barrier?! He created half-transparent walls and pathed a road in the sky. The skill had a short cooldown time, but he could only maintain one at a time, so everyone had to land perfectly on top of it. They¡¯d received special training in preparation for that moment, but he wasn¡¯t sure if it had been effective or not. Unlike when they had practiced, there were lots of devils flying toward them. ?Black Hole?, 12,000 Demonic Energy!¡¯ Hyun turned around and used TarrTarr¡¯s skill. Guoo-. A black sun appeared between the cracks of the cliff. Unlike the sun of the symmetrical world, this one was a sun that absorbed everything. Hundreds of devils trying to get through the cliff were dragged into the sun. ¡®Spirit Run!¡¯ Then Hyun caused a spirit explosion in the middle of the black hole. It was a debuff that decreased the moving speed. The magic bomb¡¯s explosion had a wide reach, so the devils probably wouldn¡¯t be able to follow them. ¡°Ugh¡­! I¡¯m falling!¡± Salon, who had lost his balance while trying to dodge a wyvern, exclaimed. He was about to fall. ¡¸Ain!¡¹ ¡¸I know¡­!¡¹ Ain used ?Steps of the Incarnate?, got close to him instantly, and grabbed Salon. Slash-! She stuck the claws on the walls of the cliff and then moved up again. ¡¸What, don¡¯t hug me¡­!¡¹ ¡¸U-Ugh¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡¹ Ain used the claws and grabbed Salon. He wouldn¡¯t receive damage if they were in the same party, but it still didn¡¯t look good. Salon looked as if the claws of a fire devil had trapped him. ¡¸Ain, can you follow me?¡¹ ¡¸Yes, go first!¡¹ Hyun clenched his teeth. Going first and making a way through the sky wasn¡¯t easy, so he didn¡¯t have time to wait for Ain and Salon, who had been left behind. ?Shield of Predation?! Boom! A dark wall blocked the bullets made of magical power. Claws and explosions were rushing in all at once! Trying to deal with a few flying devils was already hard enough; what would¡¯ve happened if they had to face the ones that were on land as well? They would have probably lasted only a few seconds. ____ Chapter 146 Chapter 146 ¨C To The End of the Core (1) ¡®We¡¯re almost there!¡¯ Hyun used every possible technique to resist the attacks from the devils. ?Shadow Shield?, ?Shield?, ?Shadow Run?, ?Illusion?, ?Invisible?, ?Biorhythm Acceleration?, etc¡­ Almost all of his skills were locked behind their cooldowns. ¡®We¡¯re really almost there!¡¯ They¡¯d been running, stepping on the wind barrier and the walls of the abyss, but they were almost at the destination. They crossed the canal; the core¡¯s wall was almost in front of them. Hyun quickly took the items he¡¯d prepared for that moment from his inventory and threw them forward. ¡ªThey were throwing daggers sold in the marketplace. Whack! It was impossible to destroy the wall with a dagger. He just wanted to differentiate the walls that could be penetrated from those that couldn¡¯t. As expected, most were blocked by the magic circles and bounced away, but a few got stuck in the walls. Hyun¡¯s eyes focused on the parts of the walls where a mark was left. ¡®Over there!¡¯ Whir- As the ?Sword of Darkness? hit the wall four times, a clean, rectangular hole was made. TarrTarr crossed to the other side by stepping on the wind barrier. ¡¸Everyone remembers, right? We¡¯re going as I told you!¡¹ After making TarrTarr cross to the side the core was on, Hyun changed the ?Assimilation? target to Louise. He¡¯d spent all of the Demonic Energy on the ?Sword of Darkness?, so he hit the wall with the wind that time. Boom-! Another hole appeared in the wall of the core. It was different from the place TarrTarr had gone through. As Hyun landed there, he heard Ain¡¯s voice. ¡°I also came!¡± ¡°Salon?¡± ¡°I sent him to the lower floor!¡± After checking that Ain was following his plan, Hyun smiled. ¡°As expected, I can only trust you in situations like this.¡± Once he got inside, Hyun quickly compared the surroundings with the map that was in the Interloop. They were on the 5th floor. Unlike the inner castle, which had a fancy interior, it looked like an engine room. ¡®Up until now, everything has gone as I expected!¡¯ Usually, to reach the 5th floor, they had to neutralize countless guards and magic circles. They¡¯d been able to reach that part so easily because their level was low. If Bahmir had tried to infiltrate using the same technique, his high Demonic Energy would have put the entire castle on alert. The reason Mablen disappeared was because of the same reason. ¡¸Good, we¡¯re going full throttle from this point!¡¹ Hyun said to everyone through the party chat. The more time they took, the more enemies would appear. That voice also reached Salon and TarrTarr, who were on the floor below. ¡¸So this is the last part.¡¹ Salon remembered the previous day¡¯s explanation while running through the passageway full of magic circles. What did they have to do after reaching the core? When he first heard the plan, he couldn¡¯t hide his surprise. ¡­ ¡°Split the party in two? Are you serious?¡± ¡°Yes. Salon, when we reach the core, you and TarrTarr will go to the 4th floor; Ain and Louise will go to the 5th one.¡± Hyun¡¯s strategy was like this: The path to the 5th floor was blocked. To go through there, they had to dismantle the defense mechanism of the magic circles on the 4th floor. They had to go through both paths simultaneously to move faster than the enemies. ¡­But Salon couldn¡¯t understand Hyun¡¯s thoughts. He and TarrTarr combined had a 13% contribution rate¡­ what could both of them realistically do? ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. I¡¯ll help you.¡± ¡°Ah, Hyun. Are you also coming to the 4th floor? If you¡¯re going to support us, the story changes! We¡¯re going to divide into a party of men and women!¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not like that¡­¡± ¡­ Hyun¡¯s explanation sounded crazy. Was something like that possible? He wouldn¡¯t have believed him if he hadn¡¯t gone through Iluna¡¯s Quest. ¡®I guess I have no other choice than to trust him¡­¡¯ Salon and TarrTarr were on the 4th floor. Ain and Louise began running through the passageway of the 5th floor. One party would have to deal with trash mobs and the other would deal with elite mobs. ¡°Just give me a glancing blow. Right now, your flames are dangerous.¡± ¡°Fu, I know that.¡± Fwoosh. [The amount of Demonic Energy you can have has reached the limit!] [The attack range of the next ?Sword of Darkness? will be greatly increased!] Because he kept using the ?Shadow Shield?, Louise¡¯s field of vision was completely dark. It was then that an opponent appeared. The eyes of the vampire, who seemed to be the core¡¯s administrator, widened after seeing Ain and Louise. ¡°Intruder¡­? How did they already reach¡ª?!¡± Louise¡¯s hand emitted a black wind before he could finish the sentence. Boom! As the Demonic Energy wind and the protective field clashed, the vampire was pushed back about 10 meters. ¡°Ugh, how dare you!¡± Whir. Black energy began gathering around his hand. The vampire¡¯s unique Demonic Energy¡­ But Ain¡¯s attack reached the vampire before he could use it. She cut him with ?Efreet¡¯s Claw? from his back. Its effect had been stacked with the effect of the ?Angel¡¯s Sword Style?, so the damage output surpassed a hundred thousand. Crack! The protective shield was destroyed. The burning claws of the beast devoured the upper half of the vampire¡¯s body. ¡°These damn rats¡ª!¡± He couldn¡¯t finish the sentence. Louise¡¯s attacks ensued, and he received a huge amount of damage. The vampire was hit by dozens of magic attacks per second, and his HP was instantly reduced by more than half. Ain¡¯s claws targeted him again, but¡­ Pow! ?Efreet¡¯s? Claws hit the ground, and the shock activated the magic protection circle. Ain put the claws back and clicked her tongue. ¡°Tsk, he escaped.¡± ¡°That¡¯s better for us.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­¡± She couldn¡¯t find an argument, so Ain just moved her lips. ¡°Go with Louise first.¡± ¡°What about you, Hyun?¡± ¡°Now I have to help the floor below.¡± Paf- The light particles soon got absorbed by the ground. By using ?Assimilation?, Hyun could move between the 4th and 5th floors. That¡¯s why he hadn¡¯t counted himself while dividing the party. ¡¸Tell me when you reach the first section.¡¹ The distance he could use ?Assimilation? at was about 30 meters. Because they had to be at similar areas on both floors, they¡¯d said they would battle only in determined areas. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy * * * The ¡®first section¡¯ was where the coordinates of both paths matched for the first time. ¡¸If things get dangerous, call me, don¡¯t overdo it.¡¹ Ain laughed at what Hyun said through the party conversation. ¡®Don¡¯t overdo it.¡¯ It was something he always said to her. She usually ignored Hyun¡¯s warnings because of her competitiveness¡­ but now she decided she¡¯d follow his words. ¡­Because she knew why he¡¯d said that. ¡°You¡¯re faster than me, right?¡± ¡°Y-yes¡­?¡± Louise mumbled at Ain¡¯s question. ¡°Follow me and don¡¯t lose sight of me.¡± ¡°Okay¡­!¡± While Ain looked at Louise from time to time, she moved according to the map that was on one side of her screen. They¡¯d faced vampires that seemed to be the core administrators quite a few times, but it wasn¡¯t hard to fight them. Louise canceled their magic whenever they tried to activate it. ¡°Oh, wasn¡¯t Hyun ?Assimilating? to you just now?¡± ¡°It¡¯s my ability¡­!¡± ¡°You¡¯re quite good.¡± Louise¡¯s face brightened at Ain¡¯s mumbling. She¡¯d never heard something positive from a person that wasn¡¯t Hyun. ¡°Now I¡¯m also part of the force!¡± ¡°Wait, we have to meet up with Hyun here.¡± Louise confidently tried to move faster, but Ain stopped her. The first section¡­ If everything went according to the plan, they would meet Hyun there. Both parties had to move at a similar speed, and she had to hit him to recharge his Demonic Energy. Paf-! As expected, Hyun soon appeared. Was the situation below bad? As soon as he recharged his Demonic Energy, he disappeared. He just said something through the party chat. ¡¸Ain, let¡¯s pass on the second and meet at the third location!¡¹ Judging by how the plan had changed, it seemed like something had happened below. ¡¸Don¡¯t you need my charge?¡¹ ¡¸Salon surpassed the three thousand combo marker, so he can do it.¡¹ Ain began worrying at Hyun¡¯s voice. It seemed like the battle happening below was fiercer than they¡¯d initially thought. After all, all of the monsters that were trying to get to the 5th floor had to get through the 4th one. ¡®Is it going to be okay? I guess it will be okay since it¡¯s Hyun?¡¯ At the moment, she just had to care about reaching the third point, as Hyun said. After finishing the 4th battle quickly, Ain reached the promised place along with Louise. It was a luxurious room with a purple carpet. This was the third place where they would meet. Hyun had said that, from the moment they entered the core, speed was the most important thing. If they slowed down, they wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with the huge influx of devils. But why hadn¡¯t he contacted her yet?! Ain was thinking about using the party chat but decided not to. Hyun was still online, meaning he hadn¡¯t died yet¡­ If her voice suddenly sounded, maybe he would lose concentration. ¡°Hyun¡­ Hyun¡­¡± While anxiously mumbling his name, she suddenly heard Louise¡¯s voice. ¡°Ain, so you, too?¡± Ain returned to reality after hearing those words that came out of nowhere. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Hyun told me many things about you¡­ Ain, you are also thinking about Hyun at the moment, right?¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Ain knew that, while she wasn¡¯t online, Hyun often went hunting with Louise. But he often talked about her? But she had never heard that before?! ¡°What did he say?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not important.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ If it really wasn¡¯t something important¡­¡± Pressured by Ain¡¯s eyes, Louise was forced to tell those nothing-important stories. They really were irrelevant, but a smile appeared on Ain¡¯s face after hearing them. She suddenly came back to reality while smiling subconsciously. It was because Louise seemed to enjoy talking about Hyun. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Maybe it would be stupid to have those feelings toward an NPC. But you never know, right? It was understandable that people would be impressed by Hyun, but she couldn¡¯t let feelings beyond that develop¡­ even if it was an NPC. ¡°I¡¯m saying this just in case¡­ but don¡¯t try to flirt with Hyun.¡± ¡°I have no intention of doing that¡­!¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s something only I can do, anyways.¡± Ain had never said something so straightforward. Not even to Hyun. The reason why she could say her inner thoughts was probably because Louise was an existence that was in between a human and an NPC. While confidently saying that to Louise, Ain suddenly noticed a blue light coming from Louise¡¯s feet. ¡°H-hmm¡­?¡± Why was that effect under Louise¡¯s feet? ¡°Hyun¡­?¡± The answer came a bit later. Ain didn¡¯t realize that Hyun had used ?Assimilation? because he had used all of his Demonic Energy, so Louise¡¯s body hadn¡¯t become darker. ¡°Y-yes¡­¡± ¡°When did you come?¡± ¡°Just now. A second ago.¡± Was he telling the truth¡­? While Ain was about to ask Hyun again, he awkwardly mumbled. ¡¸Ehm¡­ Let¡¯s meet up at the 4th section!¡¹ ¡°¡­¡± After Hyun quickly disappeared, Ain spoke to Louise. Since Louise was the ?Assimilation? target, she had to know the truth. ¡°Was it really a second?¡± Louise shook her head. ¡°Then¡­?¡± ¡°About¡­ five seconds.¡± ¡®Five seconds¡­? Did he hear? Did he not?¡¯ Ain couldn¡¯t help but wonder about that as she fought against more vampires. She thought that she should check out the recordings later on. But at that moment, all those thoughts vanished because of an enemy that had suddenly appeared. Stomp-! The door they¡¯d passed through closed, and the devil that was in the middle of the room stood up. ¡°GRR¡­ Two human girls?¡± ¡°Ah¡­!¡± Ain let out a short exclamation. A beast that was covered by black fur¡­ a monster she was familiar with in Asra was in front of her. Chapter 147 Chapter 147 ¨C To The End of the Core (2) ¡®That monster¡­!¡¯ A werewolf! Ain knew best the physical capabilities of that monster that had a human head and a beast¡¯s physical abilities. It was the job Ain used to have while playing Asra. Thanks to the ferocious claws and the endless stamina, she¡¯d turned countless users into light. A big wolf and a small one looked at each other. When their eyes met, the big wolf laughed. He¡¯d realized that the opponent was a lot weaker than him, and, at the same time, a small fire wolf. ¡¸Hyun! Can you help me?!¡¹ Ain quickly asked Hyun through the party conversation. Paf! The moment the werewolf¡¯s front claws shone, Ain tilted her head. She could feel her chin getting hotter. [You¡¯ve received 1029 damage!] The opponent had reduced the distance between them instantly and attacked her. But before she could regain posture, a second attack was coming in her direction. ¡ªAt an angle she wouldn¡¯t be able to dodge. ?Steps of the Incarnate?! The claws and the afterimage of the fire clashed against each other. Pow-! As the werewolf¡¯s claws hit the ground, a concentric circle of mana spread. To defend against the intense shock, the protective magic circle began making a loud noise as if it were crying. ¡°Grrr, I won¡¯t let you go.¡± When the werewolf swung his claws again, an alarm sounded in Ain¡¯s head when she realized the skill the werewolf was about to use. ¡®If I get hit with that skill, I¡¯ll die!¡¯ Clang! The attack covered in a silver light collided with ?Efreet¡¯s Claws?. Ain¡¯s strength stat was lower. She couldn¡¯t resist the shock, and her body bounced back and hit the wall. The wind was knocked out of her. [Your skill has been temporarily disabled!] [You cannot use ?Efreet¡¯s Claws? (Right) for 10 seconds!] ¡°Ugh, she blocked it?¡± After using the skill, he was planning to run toward Louise. The werewolf turned his head to Ain and looked at her in surprise. ¡°To think you¡¯d block my attack!¡± When she noticed his claws were starting to grow in size, he had already reduced the distance between them. The claws once again clashed against each other. But since resistance to impacts was based on your strength stat and body weight, Ain was the only one who was pushed back. ¡®Even though I have agility buffs stacked up three times, he¡¯s still faster than me¡­!¡¯ Ain felt that the figure of the werewolf was stretching while she was knocked away. Crack-! The wall behind her was torn down as she subconsciously twisted her body. The werewolf smashed both hands down as if he were trying to cut the air. Although it barely touched her, Ain received almost two thousand damage. Thanks to the unique item Hyun had given her, ¡®Recard¡¯s Devil Armor,¡¯ the attack brushed past her, and the damage was reduced. She was able to guess how much destructive power his attacks had due to how much damage she still received. ¡®I can¡¯t compete in terms of strength¡­!¡¯ Clang! [Your skill has been temporarily disabled!] [You cannot use ?Efreet¡¯s Claws? (Left) for 10 seconds!] Once again, he took the chance that she wouldn¡¯t be able to dodge and attacked her. Ain, who was barely able to react against it, was pushed upwards as if she were a straw doll. She slammed into the ceiling and coughed from the impact. Fu, a smile appeared on her face as she was falling. She noticed that Louise¡¯s body had turned pitch black. ¡¸Ain!¡¹ Louise, who stepped on the ceiling, quickly charged toward the werewolf. Pang! As a wind current smashed into him, the direction of the werewolf¡¯s claws changed. His claws that were targeting the falling Ain hit the floor. Whir-! Slash! The huge shock overloaded the protective magic circle. While the pattern on the ground was blinking, Hyun spoke. ¡¸Did I come when things were about to get dangerous¡­?¡¹ ¡¸No, I would¡¯ve been able to resist for at least one more minute.¡¹ ¡¸Then I came at the perfect moment.¡¹ Whish-! A strong, black wind blew inside the room. She could see Louise¡¯s white clothes fluttering. ¡¸Are you going to be okay?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll have to try.¡¹ Hyun would have to fight the werewolf alone while Ain¡¯s ?Efreet¡¯s Claws? were disabled. ¡¸Be careful!¡¹ Crack! Right when the werewolf smashed his claws down, Ain took a deep breath. It looked as if Hyun had thrown himself into the werewolf¡¯s attack range without thinking about it too deeply. It was an attack that not even she would be able to dodge. To make things worse, even if he blocked it, he couldn¡¯t completely neutralize the damage. Since Louise was weaker than her, wouldn¡¯t she die in one hit? ¡®No, she won¡¯t die in one hit. If things get dangerous, I¡¯ll immediately help Hyun.¡¯ Ain was worrying about that when something surprising happened in front of her. ¡°Grrr¡­ I¡¯ll kill you!¡± The werewolf¡¯s eyes had turned red, and he was growling. The claws hit the floor, but Louise wasn¡¯t there anymore. The speed of the werewolf¡¯s attack was under 0.1 seconds. Hyun had managed to dodge such an attack perfectly from an extremely short distance. ¡®How did he do that?¡¯ ¡®Was it a coincidence?¡¯ Ain looked nervously at Hyun¡¯s battle for a little longer. Pang-! Again¡­ The werewolf¡¯s claws brushed past Louise¡¯s clothes. But Louise had already reduced the distance with the werewolf. A series of attacks was naturally made. Boom! As the wind exploded consecutively, his body was pushed toward the sky. ¡°GRRR!¡± A silver light attack kept grazing Louise¡¯s clothes. No, he wasn¡¯t even able to touch her clothes. Hyun, who had managed to land an attack on him, moved diagonally to his back. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy * * * ¡®Good, it¡¯s working.¡¯ As Hyun smiled, the tips of Louise¡¯s mouth went up. The one who was able to deal damage was Louise. That was a characteristic of the werewolf: They had a habit of trying to land a counter no matter what. If you knew that, you could perfectly read the timing of his attacks. The ability to fight using the monster¡¯s characteristics was an ability Ain didn¡¯t have. No, maybe Hyun was the only one in Asrian Online who had it. Whish-! The werewolf¡¯s claws scratched the ground. Tsss-! The magic circle activated at the attack so fast that it seemed like it was about to tear the air apart, but it barely brushed past Louise¡¯s hair again. And¡­ Pang! Every time he failed, the wind exploded. If he tried to hit him while looking, it was already late. It was already late if he tried to dodge it after seeing it coming toward him. Hyun was fighting at a speed beyond his perception. ¡®Amazing¡­¡¯ Ain just watched and forgot about attacking. Hyun closed in on him using steps that weren¡¯t possible in real-life combat. Pang-! Pang-! Every time the wind exploded, Louise¡¯s figure appeared before the werewolf and then disappeared. Then, every time his claws failed to hit her¡­ Pang! Four wind attacks hit his weak point. ¡°Grrr¡­¡± As that repeated a couple of times, the werewolf¡¯s hp was reduced to half. Ain shouted. ¡¸Hyun, what kind of movements are those?¡¹ ¡¸I created a movement that can be used with Louise¡¯s body. It¡¯s easy once you learned how to use the recoil.¡¹ ¡¸The recoil¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Yes, I probably won¡¯t be able to use it frequently. It¡¯s a bit dangerous if the opponent is a humanoid or if it¡¯s in PvP.¡¹ Hyun smiled bitterly. Louise¡¯s movements went beyond one¡¯s senses, so there was a huge chance she¡¯d get hit by an attack from a blind point. But that wasn¡¯t the case when fighting a werewolf. It was a movement designed to be useful against a monster that didn¡¯t learn. ¡°GRAARR!¡± Suddenly¡­ The werewolf shouted aggressively and sent a silver ray of light flying. ¡®Now!¡¯ Hyun, who had been waiting for that skill, reacted immediately. He bent his back. The silver light brushed past Louise¡¯s belly button. Pang! As Louise¡¯s feet hit his chin, his body flew upward toward the ceiling. ¡¸Grab him! He cannot move while in the sky!¡¹ ¡¸O-okay¡­!¡¹ Ain, who had been looking blankly, barely came back to her senses. Black and red rays were drawn in the sky from the ground. Simultaneously, Louise and Ain appeared behind the werewolf. It was an attack of Demonic Energy and fire from the sky! After receiving an attack from both sides, his HP quickly went down. GRR! The angry werewolf tried to hit Ain, but the attack just brushed past her hair because the wind coming from Louise¡¯s hands kept shaking his balance. Pang! The moment Louise stepped on the wind barrier and drew a half-moon with her feet and hit the werewolf¡¯s head¡­! Hyun saw his experience going up by 25% in just an instant. [Level Up!] The werewolf turned into light and scattered away before it fell to the surface. Particles of light drifted to the ground. ¡°This reminds me of the past!¡± Ain turned back and shouted after landing. But Louise was looking at her while blinking. The aura coming from her feet had also disappeared. Louise mumbled in a low voice. ¡°Ehmm¡­ It seems like he ?Disassimilated?.¡± A few moments later¡­ ¡¸Go to the last section. The 4th floor is almost done.¡¹ It seemed like Hyun had gone to the floor below before landing on the ground. That¡¯s right. The plan still hadn¡¯t ended. Ehem¡­ Ain coughed, swallowed a bit of disappointment, and began moving with Louise. * * * Bahmir¡¯s Castle¡­ As Mablen returned via the portal, the Duke asked him a question. ¡°Yes, so how far did my knight and his allies reach?¡± He thought it was unexpected. Mablen had returned more than an hour after he¡¯d given him the order. That meant they¡¯d survived for that long. ¡°Did they run around the outer wall like cowards all this time?¡± ¡°No. They were able to reach the inner part of the castle.¡± Mablen gave him the report while bowing. Bahmir let out an exclamation in surprise. ¡°They weren¡¯t discovered?¡± Even if they were weak devils, there was no way a group of users that were under level 200 would be able to go through it. Was that also TarrTarr¡¯s doing? He thought that was probably the case. After confirming that he had made the right choice, he smiled, satisfied. ¡°How far did they reach? They died immediately after crossing the inner wall, right?¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t go over the inner wall.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It seemed like they were trying to reach the core using the transportation train.¡± ¡°Hmm? HAHAHA!¡± Bahmir laughed out loud. How did they learn about the existence of a transportation train under his castle? He wasn¡¯t sure about that, but he thought it wasn¡¯t something he should be wary about. It was because he could already imagine what happened next. ¡°It seems like they used their heads quite a bit¡­ but they probably didn¡¯t know that would be their end! So that¡¯s where it all ended, right.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°I escaped before the train passed through the 3rd level of security. I¡¯m not sure if they died or not.¡± The Duke¡¯s eyebrows wriggled. It took him a while to understand what was going on. ¡®He¡¯s still alive!¡¯ He soon realized. TarrTarr had done the knight contract, so even if they were far apart, he could know his status. The Duke spoke in a serious tone. ¡°When did they touch the train?¡± ¡°It was 8 minutes and 40 seconds ago.¡± ¡°They¡¯re still alive despite that? Mablen, you didn¡¯t see wrong, right?¡± Mablen just remained with his head bowed silently. Bahmir took that as a positive answer. ¡°That¡¯s too bad¡­ Should I have put some eyeballs on them?¡± As Bahmir got up, Rublen, who was next to him, carefully spoke. She was a vampire and was wearing a maid uniform. She was one of the closest underlings of the Duke, just like Mablen. ¡°Are you going yourself?¡± As Bahmir didn¡¯t answer, she asked again. ¡°But if you use your strength there¡­ What are you going to do at the ceremony?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing like that¡­¡± Bahmir began calculating the time. It took about 10 minutes for the train to reach the core. They should be crossing the only bridge connecting the castle¡¯s inner part and the core at that moment. That place was being guarded by tens of vampires, werewolves, and evil knights. ¡°I thought that it would be over by now.¡± Bahmir sat again. With his eyes closed, he felt TarrTarr¡¯s soul, which was connected to his. It probably wouldn¡¯t take long before the soul¡¯s trembling stopped. Convinced of that, the Duke relaxed on the throne. ____ Chapter 148 Chapter 148 ¨C To The End of the Core (3) At the same time, on the 4th floor of the Core¡­ While Hyun swung the ?Sword of Darkness?, the crystal that emitted a red light was cut in half. ¡®Yes!¡¯ Whir. Whir. The magic circles that were in the wall, floor, and ceiling started to disappear with the sound of dying power. That was the signal that the 5th floor¡¯s path was open. ¡°Is it over?¡± ¡°Not yet¡­¡± Hyun answered TarrTarr¡¯s question and looked around at their surroundings. The battle on the 4th floor was fiercer than the one on the 5th. The main reason was that the number of enemies was, on the whole, another dimension. Salon¡¯s combo count had surpassed six thousand. At that point, his damage output was higher than Ain or Louise¡¯s, but even he wasn¡¯t able to deal with such an amount of enemies. Salon used ?Rhythm Control? while maintaining ?Trance? and ?Invisible?. If it weren¡¯t for these three skills, he and TarrTarr would¡¯ve been killed a while ago. ¡®If things go on like this, we¡¯ll lose the 4th floor.¡¯ Hyun bit his lip. The original plan was to try to destroy the magic circles on the 4th floor and then rejoin the 5th one. But since it took him more time than expected, too many lizardmen had appeared. There were so many that they were even struggling to move. If time went on and high-level devils joined the battle, they would surely die. ¡®I can save one¡­ but does that make sense?¡¯ His cooldown timers would soon be over. If Hyun used ?Invisible? and ?Biorhythm Acceleration?, he could save either Salon or TarrTarr. But the fact that they wouldn¡¯t be able to rejoin the 5th floor wouldn¡¯t change. They would have to spend the time hidden until the quest was over. ¡°I¡¯m okay,¡± Salon said as if he¡¯d read Hyun¡¯s thoughts. ¡°Maybe my best moment has finally come.¡± Dozens of different cameras should¡¯ve been recording him at that moment. He thought that dying like that could also look good. No, maybe it would be better to die like that. After all, you don¡¯t always get to have an epic death in front of the cameras. ¡°Rather than the two of us dying, isn¡¯t it better if only one does? It¡¯s not like it will make a difference in clearing the quest.¡± ¡°Ah, then I¡¯ll leave it to you¡­!¡± TarrTarr was about to shout something, but Hyun moved faster. Paf-! Once the cooldown timer reset, Hyun used ?Invisible? and ?Biorhythm Acceleration?. Once he did that, TarrTarr disappeared. Salon smiled after being left alone with a group of devils. He began saying something loudly as if he wanted to be heard. There was no way that those low-level devils would be able to understand what he was saying, but what he said wasn¡¯t for them to hear. ¡°Come. I¡¯ll give you how frightening someone who¡¯s prepared to die can be! Fwoosh-! Salon¡¯s dual swords, which had cut the limbs of countless lizards, started emitting a white heat. At that moment¡­ TarrTarr, under ?Invisible? and ?Acceleration?¡¯s effects, ran hundreds of meters in just two seconds. He was able to find a place without devils. While hidden on top of the ceiling beams, he heard Ain¡¯s voice. ¡¸The gate on the 5th floor is open!¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t enter; just wait! I¡¯ll soon be there.¡¹ ¡¸What about the others?¡¹ ¡¸It seems like¡­ they won¡¯t be able to make it.¡¹ Hyun looked around while clicking his tongue. Although Salon was doing his best to fight against monsters, he probably wouldn¡¯t be able to resist for more than 30 seconds. He also couldn¡¯t make TarrTarr join them. Since the magic circle on the 4th floor had been destroyed, they could destroy the ceiling, but if they did that, there was a chance that others would realize their position. After thinking for a while, Hyun forced TarrTarr to make a certain decision. ¡¸Hmm¡­ It would be better if you keep hidden here.¡¹ ¡¸For how long?¡¹ ¡¸Probably until the quest is over? It¡¯s going to end in five minutes, so wait.¡¹ At that moment¡­ Paf-! TarrTarr felt that Hyun had ?Disassimilated?. TarrTarr was once again left alone. He remembered something from the past that made him uncomfortable. * * * ¡°Hyun, you came!¡± Louise shouted after feeling that Hyun had ?Assimilated? into her. ¡°So only the three of us are left?¡± ¡¸Yes. Let¡¯s get going.¡¹ The door that led toward the castle¡¯s restricting magic circle had melted down. There were traces of Ain¡¯s ?Efreet¡¯s Claws?. ¡®I guess he won¡¯t be able to survive for very long.¡¯ The higher the level of a devil was, the more sensitive it was toward human breath. If they weren¡¯t able to complete the last mission, TarrTarr would eventually be found out. ¡®No¡­ I don¡¯t have time to worry about another person.¡¯ Even if TarrTarr died, the fact that everyone cleared the quest wouldn¡¯t change, but if they died, all their efforts would be in vain. ¡®We must end things as quickly as possible.¡¯ Whir- Whir- Hundreds of magic circles made a loud noise. While red lights shone all around them, Hyun and Ain increased their speed. They didn¡¯t meet many devils. That place, where the flow of magical power was so intense, wasn¡¯t a place where a lifeform could live. ¡¸It¡¯s here.¡¹ * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy * * * Hyun and Ain found a giant hole at the top of the building. There, they saw a central passage with a diameter of 20 meters. It was where all the energy from the Core was funneled out. If their destination was beneath, then why did they go to the 5th floor? It was because falling through there was the fastest way to reach the restricting magic circle. ¡°Hmm. It¡¯s so dark here that I can¡¯t see anything.¡± Ain almost used ?Efreet¡¯s Claw? to illuminate their surroundings, but Hyun stopped her. ¡¸This is going to be better.¡¹ ?Torch.}} As Hyun extended his hands and activated the skill, the entire passageway became bright. The particles of light wandered around Louise as if they were guiding them. ¡°When did you learn this?¡± ¡¸Do you want to learn it? I have five skill books in my inventory.¡¹ ¡°Hmm¡­ Then give me one.¡± After a short while, they neared the surface. [Fall! You¡¯ve received 532 damage!] Ain didn¡¯t use a technique to land properly on purpose because Hyun¡¯s ?Shadow Shield? was on her before they reached the floor. ¡¸Let¡¯s find it quickly. Our position has probably leaked out by now!¡¹ As soon as they reached their destination, Hyun quickly reviewed the interloop information to search for Kaidan Castle¡¯s restricting magic circle. Finding a single magic circle in a place with hundreds, thousands, of different magic circles was easier than he initially thought! Hyun quickly found one that had a unique appearance. There was a pillar that rose from the ground nearly two meters into the air. The moment he placed his hand on the middle of the pattern, a countdown began. [Synchronizing control of the Citadel¡¯s System!] [Scanning the wavelength of mana!] [Scanning almost complete!] Light started to appear on the magic circle. The moment it was completely illuminated, they would get control of the entire magic circle. After they obtained access to it and gained the ability to use the castle¡¯s energy with a few commands, they would be able to use the defensive magic circles. They¡¯d be able to clear up all the devils on the outer wall, and they would also be able to banish all of the high-level ones. Hyun was concentrating on synchronizing when something went flying in his direction. ¡°Damn¡­!¡± He instinctively activated ?Shadow Shield?. Something sharp stopped for a moment at Louise¡¯s side and then bounced away. [You¡¯ve received an attack. Scanning has been canceled!] [I¡¯m sorry, Hyun. I¡¯m really sorry!] Ain blamed herself for missing an opponent. But even if she had seen them, it wouldn¡¯t have changed anything. He needed more time before the synchronization was done. ¡°That was close.¡± A figure wearing a black uniform walked toward Ain and Louise. Clang-! His dual swords clashed against each other and made a chilling sound. ¡°You guys should have died a while ago.¡± The being emitting strong killing intent wasn¡¯t a ¡®devil¡¯, but a human. He wasn¡¯t sure what level he was, but it was clear that he was stronger than users or monsters of the same level. ¡¸Hyun, do you know him?!¡¹ At Ain¡¯s question, Hyun quickly began going through his memories. There weren¡¯t many NPCs among the Abyss¡¯s Forces that used dual swords¡­ he couldn¡¯t easily tell who it was. ¡¸I¡¯m not sure, but we have to catch him quickly! We don¡¯t have much time!¡¹ ¡¸If it¡¯s a humanoid, I¡¯ll catch him!¡¹ A fire wolf jumped onto a human. She swung ?Efreet¡¯s Claws? as if she were about to tear him apart. But the moment the sword and the claws clashed against each other¡­ ¡°What¡­?!¡± Ain let out an exclamation in surprise because only she was pushed back. Even if her strength status wasn¡¯t that high, was something like that possible? It would only be possible if the opponent was ten times stronger¡­! ?Steps of the Incarnate?! Ain became full of determination. She changed her direction while bouncing back from the recoil. As the trails of flames swept through the man, something surprising happened. [The skill has temporarily been disabled!] [You can¡¯t use ?Efreet¡¯s Claws? (Right) for 10 seconds!] Ain clenched her teeth after the flames on one of her hands died. If she hadn¡¯t moved both arms because she felt something strange, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to use either arm anymore. ¡¸What level is he¡­?!¡¹ ¡¸Wait for me!¡¹ Ain returned to her senses after she heard Hyun¡¯s voice. Ain turned pitch black. Fwoosh-! She used the ?Steps of the Incarnate? again. No, it wasn¡¯t that skill. Hyun¡¯s ?Illusion Run? had just imitated its effect. The shadow swept forward. ¡¸Now, left hand!¡¹ While distracting him with an illusion, Hyun used the flames to smash him. Surprisingly, although he had fallen for the feint, it reacted incredibly quickly and changed his movement. [You¡¯ve dealt 202731 damage!] [You cannot use ?Efreet¡¯s Claws? (Left) for 10 minutes!] ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Their movements intersected. Although they¡¯d managed to deal damage, they became unable to use either hand as the price. As Ain activated the ?Angel¡¯s Sword Art?, the person they were fighting frowned. But Hyun¡¯s attack wasn¡¯t over yet. ?Sword of Darkness?! At that moment, Ain¡¯s body became completely black. That was an effect that happened once your Demonic Energy reached the maximum amount. Soon, a sword bigger than any normal human could hold appeared in Ain¡¯s hands. The sword had no weight, so even someone who was weak could hold it. Seeing a greatsword over 10 meters in length clashing with a shortsword that had a length of 30 centimeters was fun. Clang! He¡¯d swung the greatsword from the bottom to upwards, so his body slightly went up. It was then that Hyun changed the target of ?Assimilation?. ?Shadow Run?, ?Invisible?, ?Biorhythm Acceleration?! After ?Assimilating? with Louise, he used all of his skills. There was a chain of wind and darkness attacks. His darkness attacks were invisible, and, with the wind, they created a tornado of Demonic Energy! Thanks to ?Biorhythm Acceleration?, Louise became faster than anyone else. And thanks to the effect of ?Invisible?, even the 10-meter greatsword was hidden. Hyun was thinking of dealing critical hit damage with that one attack. ¡°So it¡¯s here!¡± The man wearing a uniform moved both hands, and the rotation of Demonic Energy suddenly stopped. Clang! [Someone receiving the protection of a transcendent doesn¡¯t die easily!] [The physical defect ¡®Heart Pierced¡¯ has been negated!] [You will be invincible for the next three seconds!] ¡®What¡­?¡¯ It took Hyun a little bit of time to understand what had happened. The dual swords that were in the man¡¯s hands¡­ With one sword, he blocked the rotating greatsword, and with the other hand, he precisely pierced Louise¡¯s chest. The moment he realized that, Hyun shouted. ¡¸Use the scroll!¡¹ ¡°Ah¡­!¡± Louise paused a bit due to the shock of receiving such damage, but she quickly returned to her senses. Paf-! Before the duration of ?Invisible? ended, Louise completely disappeared. Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Hyun¡¯s heart began beating faster. He knew that Louise had returned safely to the private room¡­ but still, he was having a hard time calming down. That¡¯s how dangerous the situation had been. ¡°Too weak compared to the amount of Demonic Energy controlled.¡± It seemed like the man thought that Louise had died. After all, the traces of one person had completely disappeared. ¡°How could these people reach here? Unless something unexpected happened¡­¡± Then he proceeded to question how they were able to reach the Core. That¡¯s how big the difference between them was. Hyun had ?Assimilated? back to Ain. Hyun¡¯s jaw trembled at the unreasonably strong opponent. ____ Chapter 149 Chapter 149 ¨C Twist (1) ¡®I¡¯m not sure¡­!¡¯ It didn¡¯t matter how much he thought about it, he couldn¡¯t think of a human belonging to the Abyss who dual-wielded swords. ¡®Is this guy also a new NPC that appeared for the first time in Asrian like Louise?¡¯ GRRR. He heard commotion growing from a distance. That probably meant that devils were getting closer to them. ?Shadow Shield?, ?Shield?! Hyun used two skills and began moving. The sword cut Ain, and ?Shield? clearly activated. Fwoosh-! The moment he thought a strong mana wind was blowing, he was already out of the stun state. ¡°Fun. You have many interesting techniques¡­ show me everything you¡¯ve got.¡± ?Shield? also doesn¡¯t work! ?Purification Roar.? The skill he¡¯d just used was one that eliminated all of your abnormal statuses except for physical defects. ¡®He¡¯s a Named that¡¯s at least level 350¡­!¡¯ Hyun knew the requisites for that skill¡­ ¡ªA humanoid NPC with an overwhelming level. His specs were far beyond Ain¡¯s after receiving the benefits of ?Assimilation?. The difference between their Agility scores was probably a multiple of two or three. It was a known fact that the person with a speed advantage in a fight had a higher chance of winning. Basically, Hyun and Ain had met an opponent they¡¯d never be able to win against. ¡¸Hyun¡­ I think we¡¯re going to die¡­¡¹ Ain¡¯s voice trembled. Although she was confident in her 1-on-1 combat skills, she knew what specs the humanoid NPC in front of her had, so she was sure they were going to lose. ¡¸Don¡¯t you have a return scroll?¡¹ ¡¸No¡­¡¹ ¡¸Hmm. I guess there¡¯s nothing we can do about it.¡¹ ¡¸Hyeong, just now the Duke¡­!¡¹ They heard TarrTarr¡¯s voice at that moment. Since Hyun was talking with Ain, he hadn¡¯t heard what he said, so he was about to ask him about it when suddenly¡­ Hyun saw a hole in the man¡¯s stomach. ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± A laugh was heard from the darkness. ¡ªA chilling laugh. But when Hyun heard that unpleasant laugh, hope was reborn in his heart. He knew who it was. The laugh started getting louder, and then Demonic Energy mixed in the voice. The darkness cleared, and then Bahmir appeared. Every time he laughed, a strong current of Demonic Energy shook their surroundings. ¡°HAHAHA! I never thought you¡¯d be able to guide me here!¡± The man who had his stomach pierced looked at himself, horrified. No one had expected the Duke to appear in the Core. The man was having a hard time accepting his death. ¡°C-cough¡­ How¡­?¡± Flap- The man knelt. He saw Bahmir¡¯s face through his blurry eyesight. ¡°How did the Duke¡­?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± At that moment, Bahmir felt something strange. He gave the man a suspicious look. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± He took the gloves off of the man. There was a rune of blue lightning on his hand. As his life ended, the rune disappeared. ¡°Was he part of the Heavens?¡± His dual swords fell to the ground. Fwoosh! The body scattered away into light. But the Duke could control the soul of the dead, so his eyes were probably still seeing the dead man¡¯s corpse. ¡°Why is someone from the Heavens¡¯ forces here¡­?¡± He fell into thoughts after having seen the rune that was on the man¡¯s hands. Wasn¡¯t it the forces of Deception that had taken the castle from him? Although they were different, they would never cooperate with the Heavens. It was a situation that not even he understood. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have killed him¡­¡± Bahmir regretted it for a little while. Bahmir knew that something was happening that he wasn¡¯t aware of, but he had no way of knowing what it was anymore. The Duke remained still while thinking about something. Hyun and Ain were also confused. ¡¸Hyun, he was clearly someone from the Heavens¡¯ Forces, right?¡¹ ¡¸Yes.¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s going on¡­?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m not sure¡­¡¹ * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy * * * Just like Bahmir, Hyun also wasn¡¯t sure what was going on. An NPC from the Heavens appearing in the castle of the Duke? That was something that they couldn¡¯t have even imagined while playing Asra. First, he had to think about who that guy was. ¡®The Heavens¡­?¡¯ At first, he had a hard time figuring out his identity because he was trying to think of a dual-wielding sword NPC belonging to the Abyss, but once he changed the forces, there were a couple of people he could think of. ¡¸Was he maybe a¡­ Holy Knight?¡¹ ¡¸Those crazy people? They betrayed the Heavens?¡¹ ¡¸Maybe it isn¡¯t a betrayal. Maybe¡­¡¹ Hyun looked at the quest window. The details of the quest that said they had to regain the castle from the forces of Deception had changed. Among the hidden quests, there were a few that unlocked new ones. Hyun thought about the new word, ¡®Heaven¡¯s,¡¯ that had appeared between ¡®Deception¡¯ and ¡®Darkness.¡¯ ¡¸Maybe this quest isn¡¯t as simple as I initially thought.¡¹ He began having a headache. According to the quest¡¯s details, it just looked like a fight between two factions of the same forces. But seeing how the incident differed from Asra¡¯s history, Hyun had difficulty figuring out what was going on. ¡°First, I¡¯ll recover my castle.¡± Bahmir walked toward the magic circle and placed his hands on it. The Duke¡¯s Demonic Energy and the restricting magic circle began synchronizing at a speed that couldn¡¯t be compared to when Louise had put her hand there. Magical power exploded from the center of the Core. The power spread, forming a concentric circle, just like when you throw a stone into a calm lake. From the underground, to the surface, and up to the roofs of the buildings. From the Core, toward the inner wall, and to the outer wall from there. The wave of magical power spread through the ground and the wind before finally reaching the sky above Kaidan castle. The moment the entire place was covered by the restricting magic circle, Bahmir said something. ¡°Kill them all.¡± After thinking about it for a short while, he corrected himself. ¡°Except for a few.¡± Pang! He waved his hand in the air and opened a portal; Bahmir brought TarrTarr to him. ¡°Will you look with me?¡± No one nodded, but Bahmir opened another portal again. Although his words sounded like a proposal, they had a force that made them impossible to refuse. The group was forced to follow him into the red portal. The portal was connected to the Core¡¯s roof. The group looked down at the castle while being buffeted by strong currents of wind. As the black sun made the shadows darker, thousands of black lines connected the ground with the sky. No, looking at them closely, they weren¡¯t lines but thousands of magic vortexes that were wiping out the devils. The low-level devils immediately turned into light and scattered away, but high-level ones tried their best to escape the castle. Bahmir smiled in satisfaction while watching the death parade in front of him. ¡°Isn¡¯t it glorious? This is the real strength of the castle.¡± Since the air of the Symmetrical World was red, it seemed as if the blood of the devils scattered away into the fog. It didn¡¯t take more than a few seconds before everything disappeared. ¡°Because it¡¯s my castle, only I can control it like this.¡± ¡°Congratulations.¡± ¡°Congratulations.¡± Two vampires appeared next to the Duke. ¡°Won¡¯t this affect the ceremony?¡± ¡°What? Haha.¡± As Rublen asked in worry, Bahmir laughed out loud. ¡°How rude, Rublen. I didn¡¯t use that much strength today.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say it with that intention.¡± ¡°Haha, I was joking. Joking! On a day like this, we should all celebrate. Isn¡¯t that right? Mablen, Rublen.¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll prepare immediately.¡± Ting-! After hearing the notification bell, Hyun opened the quest window. Ain and TarrTarr also checked the message. [You¡¯ve cleared the quest!] ¨C Is there anyone who wouldn¡¯t be happy when an arrow they thought would surely miss lands in the middle of the bullseye? ¨C Of course, they would want to try to shoot again in expectation of what could happen! ¨C Because Bahmir used to be a human, he knows the joy of when things work unexpectedly well! [Duke Bahmir¡¯s opinion of you has increased greatly. He will reward you with the following!] ¨C 1,000,000 gold. [You¡¯ve found a hint of ¡®Event: Heaven¡¯s Encroachment¡¯!] ¨C It seems like the forces that infiltrated Kaidan Castle weren¡¯t the forces of Deception. ¨C You didn¡¯t see anyone who belonged to Deception¡¯s faction within the castle, but who was that knight of the Heavens? The message kept going on. There were many words that could be a hint, but Hyun decided to think about those later on. There was a voice call incoming. ¡®Yes, there was also this.¡¯ Hyun accepted Robert¡¯s call to see if the conditions had been fulfilled. ¡¸Is it over?¡¹ ¡¸Perfect¡­ It couldn¡¯t be more perfect.¡¹ He could hear Steven¡¯s voice from behind. Hyun thought that the closing was a bit weird, but it seemed like it wasn¡¯t going to be a problem. He could hear the loud conversation between them. ¡¸Director¡­! We can¡¯t make this into a movie! We lack running time. It said in the contract that we wouldn¡¯t do additional recordings¡­!¡¹ ¡¸But still? No is a no!¡¹ Hyun began laughing. It was because he could imagine what they were talking about. After a short while, the atmosphere calmed down, and then he could only hear Robert¡¯s voice again. ¡¸Ah, production will take four months. Without the special effects, it will take three.¡¹ If they released the footage without special effects, his identity would be revealed. Hyun had been acting secretly, so that could become some sort of penalty for him. ¡®Three months¡­¡¯ But if it was going to be three months in the future, he probably didn¡¯t need to care about that. By that point, he probably wouldn¡¯t be hiding anymore if things went as he planned. Hyun spoke after thinking about it for a while. ¡¸Please use the special effects.¡¹ ¡¸Yes. I¡¯ll make sure no information is leaked¡­¡¹ ¡¸Not me, but Louise. It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t use special effects on me.¡¹ Robert understood things very quickly. He immediately understood the reason behind Hyun¡¯s words. While smiling, he said there wouldn¡¯t be any problems with that. After the call ended, Hyun looked around and saw Ain looking at him. She was looking at him from a distance so short that he could feel her breath¡­ He said something because he was feeling embarrassed. ¡°See? I told you that we could beat it.¡± Ain¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Hng¡­ but we would¡¯ve died if the Duke hadn¡¯t come through TarrTarr.¡± ¡°I also thought of that.¡± ¡°Really? Then you intended to kill Salon?¡± ¡°N-no, but¡­¡± Fufu. The tips of Ain¡¯s mouth went up as she saw Hyun mumble. TarrTarr saved Hyun from the conversation. ¡°Excuse me¡­ It seems like we¡¯re the only ones left here. We have to follow them quickly, right?¡± The Duke and his underlings had already passed through the portal and disappeared. The portal was probably connected to where the celebration would take place. They wanted to receive rewards for completing the quest, so they had to participate. They were going to be the protagonists of the celebration, after all. The group entered the portal before it disappeared. * * * The Holy Kingdom¡­ Clang Clang- The bishop frowned after hearing the bells. It was midnight. There were only two types of reports he would receive at a time like that. It could be great news or really bad news, but there was a higher chance that it would be the second option. The bishop got up from bed and looked at the crystal mana sphere. As blue lightning bolts moved like worms, they soon formed words and a paragraph. ¡®So it didn¡¯t work¡­¡¯ The bishop sighed. He had received bad news after all, and it was news that bothered him a lot. ¡®How could a Duke move at a time like this?¡¯ It shouldn¡¯t have been time for him to move yet. ¡®Another good knight has returned to the Heavens!¡¯ There was an unexpected event, but the Heavens lost another good knight. With that, it seemed like the Holy Kingdom¡¯s plans would be forcibly pushed back. ¡®I should report this immediately!¡¯ The pope should be praying at that moment, so the bishop¡¯s steps quickened. He always had trouble sleeping because of thoughts related to the Heavens. Chapter 150 Chapter 150 ¨C Twist (2) [You¡¯ve found a hint of the Server Story: ¡®Heaven¡¯s Encroachment¡¯!] ¨C But who was that Heavens¡¯ Knight at the Core? Hyun checked out the quest window. There was one that said ¡®Main Quest.¡¯ And now, that server story had been added. Judging by the details given from the message window, it seemed like he really was a Holy Knight of the Heavens. ¡®Who was he?¡¯ He knew the names of countless Holy Knights, but he couldn¡¯t think of anyone. There weren¡¯t one or two Holy Knights that were above level 350¡­ Checking the information on the interloop would also take quite some time. ¡®Should I ask him¡­?¡¯ Hyun thought of the most comfortable way. Wouldn¡¯t Robert, a developer, know what was going on? He asked him just in case, but the reply was as expected. ¡¸Hmm, I¡¯m sorry. I cannot give you information about a specific user, the world, or NPCs. I hope you understand.¡¹ After Ain, Robert was probably the person who liked Hyun the most, but he was someone who knew how to differentiate between public and private matters. Hyun was expecting him to refuse, so he thought he should check out the interloop later. ¡®First, should I go check on Louise?¡¯ Louise had almost died at the core. Even if he knew she wouldn¡¯t die, he still couldn¡¯t calm down. If that¡¯s how he felt, what would Louise be feeling¡­? ¡°A friend of ours ended up returning. Could I bring her back¡­?¡± Just as Hyun asked, TarrTarr asked Bahmir. ¡°What? Did she use a return scroll? Hahaha. It seems like she didn¡¯t mind using it despite the fact that she can¡¯t die!¡± Since he¡¯d been able to recover the castle without making any effort, the Duke was in a great mood. ¡°Yes, bring her back.¡± He didn¡¯t question it too much and accepted it. Since there were some traces of Demonic Energy left, the Duke opened a portal that led to the private room. After leaving TarrTarr and Ain behind, Hyun went in search of Louise. ¡®Where is she?¡¯ Hyun felt his heart suddenly sink because he couldn¡¯t find Louise anywhere. He calmed down after using the guild master¡¯s authority and checking the map. He looked at the location indicated in the minimap. She was sitting on the roof along with some birds. ¡®Why is she there¡­?¡¯ After sighing in relief, Hyun used ?Assimilation? and entered Louise¡¯s body. She lay down on the roof when she felt his presence. It was a few moments later when he heard her soul¡¯s voice. ¡¸So this is what it feels like to have someone.¡¹ ¡¸What do you mean¡­?¡¹ Hyun felt confused. He thought she would be feeling mixed emotions, but she seemed calmer than him. Suddenly, he felt hot blood going around his body. He felt something different from when he used ?Assimilation? on Ain. He could sense how Louise was feeling. She was hungry for basic human emotions. That¡¯s why, rather than fearing death, she felt other emotions with more intensity. The two of them looked silently at the night sky while they let the emotions flow. Louise opened her mouth after a while. ¡¸That man¡­ I saw him on Illuna years ago.¡¹ ¡¸Hmm?¡¹ ¡¸I remember he was a Knight of the Holy Kingdom.¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡­¡¹ There was silence again. Louise had calmed down, so he thought it would be better if he took her to a place with a brighter atmosphere. He ?Disassimilated?. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the banquet.¡± ¡°Can I¡­ Go out now?¡± Hyun understood Louise¡¯s question and sighed. He took a return scroll from his inventory and gave it to her. ¡°This is the last one I have left, so use it carefully.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­? I thought it was really expensive. It seems like it isn¡¯t.¡± Hyun laughed. He usually would¡¯ve said something, but instead, he just said, ¡®it¡¯s really expensive,¡¯ and let it slip. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy * * * [You¡¯ve obtained 1,000,000 gold!] Hyun didn¡¯t forget to contact Salon. They exchanged a short conversation; Hyun promised he would get his reward. Later on, at the ceremony¡­ ¡°Hahaha, so there was such a way!¡± The Duke and his followers laughed while hearing the group¡¯s stories. How were they able to reach the core? Mablen hadn¡¯t been able to see anything from the midway point, so Hyun invented some stuff to tell the Duke. The main topic was TarrTarr¡¯s incredible role! Even though TarrTarr was sweating, Hyun kept inventing stuff. ¡°I¡¯m telling you! The moment this guy reached ten thousand combos, all the opponents were killed in¡ª!¡± ¡¸Hyeong, I¡¯m not a combo thief anymore!¡¹ Hyun quickly realized his mistake. ¡°Hmm¡­ I mean¡­ he attacked with a damage output that was even comparable to a Combo Thief at ten thousand combos¡­ Although I¡¯m the leader, this guy is really something!¡± ¡°Haha, I also know that. After all, my eyes are more precise than anyone else¡¯s!¡± But the protagonist himself just said things like ¡°Yes¡­¡± Or ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right.¡± Surprisingly, TarrTarr-related conversation kept going on for a while. Ain and Louise were distracted by the fancy foods on the table, so there was a reason why there weren¡¯t other topics of conversation. Hyun mentioned the topic of the ¡®Runes of Darkness¡¯ after talking highly about TarrTarr for a while. ¡°So, Mr. Bahmir¡­ do you remember I asked you for information on the Runes of Darkness?¡± The Duke seemed confused at Hyun¡¯s question. ¡°Hmm? Didn¡¯t my Knight, TarrTarr ask me that?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± Hyun realized his mistake and corrected himself. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ I¡¯m in charge of his agenda, so there isn¡¯t any other particular reason.¡± ¡°Ah, so you¡¯re similar to Bahmir.¡± Hyun suddenly became TarrTarr¡¯s assistant, but he didn¡¯t care about that. He hadn¡¯t approached the Duke to be recognized by him, he had done so to get information about Darkness. ¡°Darkness¡­ Sadly, I can¡¯t talk about that here.¡± Bahmir looked around as if he were worried about the ears of his subordinates and told him to ask again later. Hyun interpreted that as the Duke saying that it was something important that he couldn¡¯t even mention to his subordinates. ¡°For the moment, enjoy the celebration. For having recovered my castle and my knight¡¯s role in it!¡± The Duke raised his cup. Hyun subconsciously also raised his cup. He didn¡¯t have much real-life experience, but he at least knew he had to do that. The moment he raised the cup and took a sip from it¡­ ¡®Hmm? What?!¡¯ The moment he took a sip of the liquid inside the glass, he felt a thrilling sensation. ¡®Why is this so delicious?!¡¯ The sensory synchronization could replicate taste buds almost perfectly¡­ But Hyun had never tasted alcohol like that in real life. He was so shocked by its flavor that he looked at it, dumbfounded. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Showing great interest, Ain took a sip of it. ¡°U-ugh¡­! What¡¯s this¡­?!¡± Ain reacted as if she¡¯d drunk something that wasn¡¯t good for your body. After seeing her reaction, TarrTarr and Louise¡¯s hands tightened. Bahmir laughed out loud after looking at the group. ¡°Hahaha, who drank the ¡®Frenzy Immersed in Darkness¡¯? For someone without Demonic Energy, that should taste like absolute trash!¡± Bahmir drank the entire cup that was in front of him. ¡°But for someone that has Demonic Energy, there¡¯s nothing like this. The closer the person is to the Abyss, the more delicious it will taste.¡± ¡°Demonic Energy¡­? W-woah¡­!¡± After hearing the words ¡®Demonic Energy¡¯, TarrTarr took a sip of it and let out an exclamation in surprise. After all, the Death Knight was a job that controlled Demonic Energy¡ªalthough he didn¡¯t have that much. ¡¸Hyun, ?Assimilate? to me!¡¹ As Hyun turned around, he saw Ain looking at the ¡®Frenzy Immersed in Darkness¡¯ intensely. ¡¸If you ?Assimilate? to me, I¡¯ll be able to drink it, right?¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t say nonsense! The Duke is right in front of us.¡¹ ¡¸Ugh¡­ But¡­¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll make sure you can drink it later on. After all, I know where to buy it.¡¹ * * * In the end, Hyun asked one of Bahmir¡¯s servants and obtained a few bottles of the ¡®Frenzy Immersed in Darkness.¡¯ Rublen frowned a bit since it was something that went against a noble¡¯s way of acting, but Hyun didn¡¯t care about things like that. When the Duke left the place for a bit, Ain pulled on Hyun¡¯s clothes. ¡°Woah¡­!¡± Did that alcohol produce some chemical effect when it interacted with Demonic Energy? The taste of the beverage went from being trash to heavenly. If he let Ain be, she would probably drink the entire bottle, so Hyun quickly stopped her. ¡°Woah¡­ It became more delicious! Is this because Hyeong has more magi than me?¡± TarrTarr also couldn¡¯t stop exclaiming in surprise. It seemed like Bahmir wasn¡¯t lying when he said that the beverage¡¯s taste varied depending on the amount of Demonic Energy you had. ¡°I¡­ I also want to drink it¡­!¡± ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Hyun ?Assimilated? to Louise and let her taste it as well. But¡­ Something unexpected happened when it touched Louise¡¯s tongue. Paf-! Hyun felt his eyes becoming blurry, and lightning hit his mind. ¡®What¡­¡¯ He couldn¡¯t think of anything. He¡¯d never done drugs, but the effect of the drink was so huge that he thought it would probably be like that. [Your mental stimulation has reached the limit!] [Parts of your senses have been forcibly blocked!] After he received some system notifications, Hyun¡¯s consciousness returned to normal. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Only after a while did he notice that the other group members were looking at him in confusion. ¡¸Is there something wrong, Hyun?¡¹ ¡¸No, just now¡­¡¹ Hyun quickly ?Disassimilated?. After doing so, a good-enough delicious flavor spread through his mouth because his senses weren¡¯t locked anymore. Hyun looked at the beverage. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­?¡¯ Hyun turned his head to Louise. Louise was staring blankly at the air like he had just been. * * * That incident made Hyun fall into thoughts. Who was Louise? She was clearly a Transcendent. Every time Hyun prayed to Louise, he could feel his emotions fluctuating. That was something that happened when you ¡¯empathized¡¯ with an Angel or a Demon. Here was the problem¡­ Louise had been able to ¡®taste¡¯ that. Maybe it was because she had a seed of darkness inside her¡­ but there were too many things that made no sense. If Louise had so much Demonic Energy that it could affect her taste buds, shouldn¡¯t she have fallen into it already? Or shouldn¡¯t she be struggling at least due to the darkness¡¯s erosion? Louise should¡¯ve shown one of those two symptoms if she was an Angel. This was something that broke a hypothesis he had thought was true. Maybe Louise wasn¡¯t an Angel, but a¡­ ¡°What are you doing?¡± Hyun was surprised after hearing Ain¡¯s voice. ¡°Hmm¡­? Did something happen?¡± Even after she called him, he couldn¡¯t easily return to his senses. ¡ªThat¡¯s how shocking what he just realized could be. ¡°It seems like something happened.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m still thinking¡­¡± Hyun decided to leave those thoughts behind for the moment. He needed some time to think alone. Maybe he would have to go through everything that had happened up to that point. Yes. Hyun decided that he would go through everything that had happened since the moment he met Louise for the first time. Chapter 151 Chapter 151 ¨C Twist (3) ¡®Louise¡­ is she an Angel or a Demon?¡¯ Hyun had never asked himself that question because he¡¯d always been sure that Louise was an Angel. In the event video, Louise had lost her crystal wings due to Deception. He was so distracted by that video that he never thought of the other option. ¡®If that scene didn¡¯t exist¡­!¡¯ Hyun recalled everything that had happened until then. Hyun remembered their first meeting when Louise was locked inside the Twilight Temple. That temple belonged to the Heavens, so that meant that she was locked inside a temple of the Heavens. Louise¡¯s body was covered with Demonic Energy in the video they showed after the update. Louise had once said, ¡°I¡¯m not sure why, but it seems like most people think of me as a Demon.¡± But she wasn¡¯t aware that she was a Transcendent when they met on Iluna, right? She¡¯d lost her memories, so she didn¡¯t remember anything except for her name. No, maybe that wasn¡¯t her name. ¡®The job and the Demonic Energy¡­¡¯ The crystal that was in the Abyss¡¯s Repository was an object that allowed you to find a target that had Demonic Energy, which meant that Louise¡¯s necklace had Demonic Energy. ¡®They¡¯re all related to a Demon!¡¯ Not only that, but Louise¡¯s element was wind¡­ She couldn¡¯t use lightning or ice, which were the elements of the Heavens. He still remembered Louise with her arms wide open, covered by a strong current of Demonic Energy. After going through his memories, he realized Louise had more in common with Demons than Angels. The fact that Louise couldn¡¯t see the sun wasn¡¯t weird if Louise were part of the forces of ¡®Darkness.¡¯ Great Demons and underlings of Darkness often couldn¡¯t stand below the sun. ¡®Wait, then what were those Angel wings?¡¯ In the footage he¡¯d seen after clearing the evil¡¯s seed, Louise had clearly lost her wings and was screaming in pain¡ªthat¡¯s why he¡¯d thought she was an Angel. Hyun searched for the video that he¡¯d saved in the capsule¡¯s memories. He had more money, so he was able to save up all of his plays until that point. He started from the part when the Great Demon of Deception placed her hands on top of Louise¡­ The moment Louise lost her crystal wings, she screamed in pain. He thought Louise was screaming in pain because Keidrial was forcibly planting the seed of darkness inside her, but that time, he tried to see things from another point of view¡­ While thinking of Louise as a Demon. Louise seemed to be about to cry while looking at Keidrial. After a while, Hyun noticed something he hadn¡¯t done before. ¡®She isn¡¯t scared.¡¯ He¡¯d seen her more frequently, so he knew the expression she made when scared. When Louise is scared of something, she became stiff. She didn¡¯t frown like that. ¡®Then¡­ what¡¯s up with this situation?¡¯ Just what happened in the Heavens? He felt frustrated because he couldn¡¯t see Louise¡¯s expression very well. He wasn¡¯t getting any results, so Hyun closed the video. ¡®I¡¯ll have to follow the quest¡­¡¯ Hyun looked at the quest window. ¨C Find the Runes of Darkness that are somewhere underground. The key to freeing Louise might be there. The main quest always gave him hints about Louise. Why was Louise with Deception? Why did Louise have Angel wings? Who was Rutia? The one who called herself Louise¡¯s guardian. As the quest progressed, he would probably get all of the answers to those questions. ¡®For now, Louise¡­ She seems closer to a Demon than an Angel.¡¯ Ting-! A new quest window was generated when Hyun concluded that. * * * Translator ¨C Daniel Shin Proofreader ¨C ilafy * * * Midnight in the Holy Kingdom¡­ The Pope¡¯s eyes widened after hearing the bishop¡¯s report. You wouldn¡¯t believe he was old from his eyes alone. ¡°Is that true?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Just at this moment¡­¡± The Pope let out a sigh. What the bishop said wasn¡¯t good news. ¡°We lost the Kaidan castle and a knight¡­¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± The Pope tried to calm down, but he couldn¡¯t relax because another person came running through the hallway. ¡°Pope¡­! We got another oracle!¡± When he turned his face, he saw a high-ranking Priest wearing a robe that had a logo with three bolts of lightning on it. He wasn¡¯t someone as important as the Pope or bishop to be in such a hurry at that hour. But after seeing his expression and hearing the word ¡®oracle,¡¯ he knew something abnormal had happened. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry for my rudeness!¡± You have to maintain your composure in a place where Angels are present. He realized his mistake and bowed his head. But the Pope was more interested in the oracle than that, so he just waved his hand and asked him to continue. ¡°There was an oracle?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°From who?¡± Was it an oracle from Truth again? But the answer he received was totally unexpected. ¡°It¡¯s from Light.¡± ¡°What?! Light?!¡± ¡°Yes. We all saw the sculpture of Light shining at the moment we received the oracle.¡± Truth, Light, Order¡­ Those three were the pillars of the Heavens. But usually, save for Truth and the Angels under her, they weren¡¯t very interested in humans. The only Archangel that really cared for humans was Truth¡ªthat¡¯s why the sculpture of Truth was always in the middle. ¡°To think that Light would give us an oracle¡­¡± Since the beginning of time, Light had never descended, nor were there any records about Light in the myths and legends. But Light had given them oracles a few times in the past¡­ when the Darkness was about to appear. The bishop¡¯s face became pale. ¡°Light¡­ Don¡¯t tell me, is Darkness getting closer¡­?¡± Every person that belonged to the Heavens¡¯ faction knew the story of the saintess that saved the world thousands of years prior. The one that almost destroyed the Heavens at that time was Darkness. Without the oracle from Light, the Great Demon of Darkness might have devoured the entire world. And then¡­ The moment the Pope and the bishop heard the contents of the oracle, their hearts began beating faster. ¡°It¡¯s Darkness!¡± The word ¡®Darkness¡¯ became stuck in the Pope¡¯s head. Light was only worried about Darkness. If Light gave an oracle, that meant that the seed of Darkness was growing somewhere in the world! The Pope kept reading the rest of the oracle with trembling hands. The oracle of Light explained in detail the process of destruction. First, it was the report of the Kaidan castle, and then it was an oracle from an Archangel. The Pope¡¯s legs began shaking at the unexpected consecutive development of things. ¡°How could such hardships happen now¡­?¡± ¡°Pope, please calm down..!¡± ¡°How could I calm down? Darkness has appeared!¡± ¡°Light has given us the way to stop it!¡± The Pope came back to his senses. He realized that the expression of the high-ranking Priest still had some hope. ¡°A way to stop it?¡± ¡°Yes, although I haven¡¯t been able to decipher it completely¡­¡± ¡°Say it!¡± As the bishop also was impatient, the high-ranking Priest read part of the oracle. It was a part that was so clear that it didn¡¯t need any special clarification. ¡°Underground?¡± Everyone present there knew that word didn¡¯t refer to simply ¡®underground¡¯. After they heard the oracle again, color returned to the faces of the Pope and bishop. ¡°Yes. Hadn¡¯t we already planned to go underground? I heard that most of the preparations were done.¡± If the Holy Kingdom was preparing to invade the underground, that meant they were preparing for the appearance of Darkness. After the high-ranking Priest finished his explanation, the Pope and the bishop looked at each other. Didn¡¯t they lose the Kaidan castle? That was the starting point from where they were planning to go underground. After the Pope finished thinking, he spoke. ¡°Is it too much to go underground right now?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ We¡¯re lacking in terms of preparation. If we forcibly execute the plan, there will be lots of sacrifices.¡± The bishop shook his head at the Pope¡¯s question. They needed some time to prepare for a new base. ¡°No. We need to start moving right now. It will be too late when Darkness comes to the surface.¡± The bishop¡¯s shoulders shrugged at the Pope¡¯s firm affirmation. Was he willing to sacrifice people? Although it was inevitable if they wanted to stop Darkness. The bishop was thinking that when the Pope said something else. ¡°If we use users¡­ Could we finish the preparations?¡± ¡°Yes? Users?¡± The Pope thought of the strategy used by Truth. She took advantage of the users¡¯ ambitions and tilted the balance between the forces that hadn¡¯t changed for hundreds of years to their side. Users weren¡¯t afraid of dying, and that meant that they could become a fearsome power for the Heavens. ¡°We must do everything we can.¡± ¡°I know that¡­¡± ¡°To defeat Darkness, you must sometimes make decisions like this.¡± The Pope looked over the horizon. It was about to become morning. ¡°Think of a way to use users.¡± On the surface, where the sun shone over, there wasn¡¯t a place for the Darkness to stand. The Pope was determined to engrave that fact in history. * * * Ting-! [You¡¯re looking back on the cause and effect!] [You¡¯ve fulfilled the condition, ¡®Trust¡¯! (153 days ago)] [You¡¯ve fulfilled the condition ¡®Faction¡¯! (19 days ago)] [You¡¯ve fulfilled the condition ¡®Realize¡¯! (1 second ago)] The moment Hyun realized that Louise could be a Demon, Hyun received numerous messages. [A link with Darkness has been generated!] [Unique Skill : ¡®Blessing of Darkness¡¯ has been generated!] ¡°Why are you staring off again?¡± Hyun came back to his senses after a while. It would have taken him more time if it weren¡¯t for Ain¡¯s voice. ¡°Huh¡­? Me?¡± ¡°Yes. You¡¯ve been doing that frequently recently.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing important. It¡¯s just that there were some things I had to think about¡­¡± Hyun just realized something important regarding Louise. They said that the second-generation AI was only used on beings like Archangels or Great Demons at the festival. He understood why he felt such a desperate emotion while being chased by the sun on Iluna when he was ?Assimilated? to Louise. ¡®Yes, it was Darkness¡­!¡¯ The biggest piece of the puzzle was put together. He¡¯d believed that Louise was an Angel for a while, but in reality, she was the complete opposite. Chapter 152 Chapter 152 ¨C Toward the Ruins of Darkness (1) ¡®Louise is a Demon.¡¯ If he were an Asrian human, he would¡¯ve felt betrayed after realizing that. ¡­But Hyun was a user; he was different from NPCs. To him, both Angels and Demons were just Transcendents. Of course, he had bad memories of Deception, but his hate was directed only toward her and not the entirety of the Abyss. ¡®This¡­ Is incredible!¡¯ Hyun¡¯s body trembled in excitement. The Transcendents were not only the strongest beings but building a good relationship with them was also very hard. What if Louise was really Darkness, the highest-ranking Demon? Hadn¡¯t he already built a great relationship with her? [Blessing of Darkness] ¨C Since you will become like the energy of Darkness¡­ Those that belong to the Heavens will be scared of you; those who serve Darkness will feel close to you. He even got a new skill. It was a skill that made those that belonged to the Heavens scared of him and those that belonged to the Abyss feel close to him. It seemed like he had fulfilled a certain condition, and a job skill had been unlocked. He could turn it on and off of his own volition, so Hyun decided to try it immediately. Paf-! When he activated the skill, a magic circle appeared under his feet and disappeared. ¡°Hmm¡­ did you do something?¡± Hyun was surprised. Ain was looking at him right next to him. Her expression seemed different from usual¡­ Her eyes were shining as if she were about to devour him. Ain¡¯s faction was the Heavens. Then she should be scared of him¡­ ¡°Use ?Assimilation? on me!¡± ¡°Right now¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, right now!¡± Hyun used ?Assimilation? at the sudden pressure from her. Through ?Assimilation?, he felt that her body was trembling a bit. It felt like her blood was going through her body faster than usual. Hyun was surprised and ?Disassimilated?. He heard Ain complain. ¡°What, why did you ?Disassimilate??!¡± Hyun opened the skill¡¯s window while ignoring Ain complaining and asking him to use ?Assimilation? on her again. ¡®There¡¯s something strange¡­¡¯ He looked at the skill¡¯s description once more. He wanted to check if it produced another abnormal status on the target besides fear, but there was nothing like that. Was it a side effect of a skill that controlled emotions? But the developers said that there wouldn¡¯t be side effects¡­ Hyun had to read the skill¡¯s description carefully after witnessing Ain¡¯s odd reaction. But he still couldn¡¯t find anything special. The Duke¡¯s celebration party ended late at night. TarrTarr had already logged out, so Hyun was forced to broach the topic. When he asked about the Ruins of Darkness, the Duke nodded. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll guide you there. Just as promised.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°That place is very far away. You won¡¯t be able to return for a while, so you better get some preparations done.¡± ¡°Yes? But there¡¯s teleportation¡­¡± ¡°Haha, teleportation, huh?¡± Bahmir laughed at Hyun¡¯s question. ¡°The fog is thick in the land of Darkness. Not only can you not teleport there, but you can¡¯t even open a portal. Getting in and out of there isn¡¯t easy.¡± Hyun listened carefully. The Symmetrical World was a place that didn¡¯t exist in Asra Online, so there were many things that not even Hyun or Ain knew about. ¡°Oh, by the way, be careful that you aren¡¯t swept away by the fog. If you fall into it, I won¡¯t save you.¡± ¡°What happens if we fall into it?¡± ¡°Even I would be in danger if I stayed there for a long period¡­ so you¡¯d probably die.¡± It seemed like, near the ruins, the fog rose or fell as if it were the tide. Some places were so dangerous that they were forbidden to even devils. ¡°Are you done with your preparations?¡± Hyun nodded. Most of the important items were inside his inventory, so there weren¡¯t many preparations he had to finish. ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡± Bahmir crossed with Mablen and Rublen, who were in their respective bat forms. The rest of the group that followed him were lost for words at the view that unfolded before them. All they¡¯d seen of the Symmetrical World was Kaidan castle¡ªa place with a chilling atmosphere that was full of devils, but the atmosphere of the place in front of them differed from what they¡¯d imagined. ¡°A train station¡­?¡± ¡°It seems so,¡± Hyun replied to Ain. Judging by how the black sun was above them, they were still in the Symmetrical World. They had expected the civilization there to be somewhat developed, but they never thought it would have such a peaceful atmosphere. ¡°A skeleton is selling tickets! And there are lots of weird guys forming a line!¡± ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± Ain was having fun looking at the surprising view in front of them, but the moment Louise saw the devils around them, she got scared. It was normal for her to react like that. After all, skeletons had always been a symbol of danger to her. A skeleton that was next to Louise waved its hand. ¡°It seems like it¡¯s greeting you.¡± ¡°What should I do¡­?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­¡± Hyun thought that Louise was Darkness, so he wasn¡¯t sure what to say. ¡°Why don¡¯t you try waving your hand?¡± After thinking for a while, Louise awkwardly waved her hand. The skeleton that was greeted kept clacking his teeth, but he soon went on his way to finish what he had to do. Surprisingly, none of the devils looked at them as if they were menacing. Their reaction was too natural for the reason to be that the Duke was with them. ¡°Get on.¡± The group got on the train. Louise seemed happy at the thought of being free from the crowd of devils, but her expression soon changed after realizing that the train was also full of devils. Ain kept looking around. Louise could only relax after they got inside a luxurious train car by themselves. ¡°Interesting¡­¡± The Duke suddenly mumbled while looking at Louise. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°M¡­ Me?¡± Louise¡¯s face went blank after the Duke called her name. She replied after looking around nervously. ¡°M-my name is Louise¡­!¡± ¡°Louise.¡± As the Duke approached Louise, Hyun also became nervous. He didn¡¯t know why the Duke was approaching Louise. ¡°Fufu, it¡¯s nothing relevant. It¡¯s just that I felt a fond feeling. It¡¯s been a while since I felt like this.¡± The Duke placed his hand on top of Louise¡¯s head. Although it might have looked weird from the outside, the Duke strangely looked kind, so the picture didn¡¯t look bad. Of course, Louise¡¯s expression hardened¡­ Thankfully, the Duke quickly pulled his hand away. Rublen, who had returned to her maid-uniform-wearing vampire form, approached the Duke and murmured. ¡°To think that Mr. Bahmir would take an interest in a human user, I¡¯m surprised. Are you trying to make your underling?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing like that.¡± ¡°Then maybe a lover¡­?¡± ¡°It also isn¡¯t like that.¡± Rublen kept asking until Mablen stopped her. There was a chance that not even the Duke knew why he felt like that, but Hyun thought that he might know the reason. After all, the Duke was part of Darkness¡¯s forces, so it was understandable for him to feel familiar with Louise, who was Darkness herself. ¡®I wonder if this will work?¡¯ Hyun used the ¡®Blessing of Darkness.¡¯ According to the skill description, it would make the Heavens scared of him and the Abyss comfortable with him. After making a decision, Hyun activated the Blessing of Darkness. ¡®Blessing, On.¡¯ As a dark magic circle appeared under Hyun¡¯s feet and disappeared, the Duke shrugged and asked him a question. ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing important. It¡¯s magic I often use habitually.¡± ¡°Uhm, well, I guess it may be possible since you¡¯re a user.¡± It was a skill that didn¡¯t use much mana or Demonic Energy, so the Duke soon lost interest. From an NPC¡¯s point of view, there were many cases in which they had a hard time understanding the users¡¯ behavior. ¡®Did it work? I¡¯m not sure.¡¯ Hyun took a glimpse at the Duke. Judging by how weirdly Ain reacted, it might not be so useful with the Duke. Hyun had no expectations when the Blessing of Darkness started to take effect after a short while. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± The Duke, who hadn¡¯t been interested in Hyun until then, asked for his name out of the blue. ¡°My name is Hyun.¡± ¡°I heard that, in the castle, you were the one who led the users. Are you the guild¡¯s leader?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± When the blessing activated, Ain¡¯s eyes flashed, but he couldn¡¯t afford to care for her at the moment. The Duke suddenly started talking more, and Hyun had to reply to him. The Duke asked him mostly non-important things. They were basically chit-chatting. ¡°Recently, a game between users has been gaining popularity. Do you know how to play poker?¡± ¡°Poker?¡± ¡°Seeing your reaction, it seems like you know. Good. Mablen, take that out.¡± As the Duke waved his hand, Mablen, who was at the table next to them, created a deck of cards out of the air. There was a spade, clover, heart, and diamond card. The moment he saw the symbols of the trump card he knew very well, Hyun couldn¡¯t hide his surprise. ¡®It really is poker¡­¡¯ The real world and Asrian were separate worlds. In Asra, that had never happened, but in Asrian, the NPCs were made using a better AI, so it could be possible that they accepted things from the real world easier. After all, Bahmir and all of the Dukes were created using a generation-and-a-half AI. ¡°There was nobody better than me around. I wonder how good a user is. How about it?¡± Bahmir smirked and proposed a game, but Hyun recognized that as an order he couldn¡¯t refuse. A poker match took place on the train out of the blue. They gambled only a few gold coins. What surprised Hyun was how bad the Duke was. ¡®Was there really nobody better than him? No, they probably lost to him on purpose, right?¡¯ If Hyun wanted, he could give the Duke a nightmare he wouldn¡¯t be able to forget. But even Hyun, who didn¡¯t have that much real-life work experience, knew that if he did that, the atmosphere would worsen. It was time to entertain. When he received a good hand, he put out a nervous expression on purpose and put more money on the table. If he was sure about the Duke bluffing, he waited until the end to finish the play. An hour passed, and a smile appeared on the Duke¡¯s face. ¡°Hahaha, it seems that not even a user can be a match. Although this was an expected result.¡± ¡°As expected, you¡¯re amazing.¡± ¡°Impressive.¡± By investing a few hundred gold coins, he was able to increase the Duke¡¯s interest. The Duke had lived for hundreds of years, so he seemed hungry to learn new forms of entertainment brought in by users that didn¡¯t exist in Asrian before. He was asking lots of things to Hyun with a smile on his face. ¡®It seems like I increased his interest rate.¡¯ The Bahmir he¡¯d seen until then just looked like a crazy person who laughed a lot, but now he looked like a pleasant old gentleman. Next, Hyun clearly felt the effect of the blessing. ¡°I heard that you played a huge role in recovering the castle. Is that true, Mablen?¡± ¡°At least from what I saw, yes,¡± Mablen respectfully answered. Although he escaped while in the inner part of the castle, from what he¡¯d seen until that point, Hyun looked like a great leader who¡¯d perfectly led everyone. He couldn¡¯t help but talk about his role in the short report he gave to Bahmir. ¡°Haha¡­ It was nothing, but it¡¯s true.¡± As Hyun nodded, Bahmir smiled in satisfaction and asked him something. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to become my knight?¡± Ting-! [Duke Bahmir has offered you a knight position! Will you accept? Y/N] That time, even Hyun wondered if he¡¯d heard correctly. High-ranking NPCs were all very prideful, and among those, Bahmir was one of the hardest ones to please. But to think that he would offer him a knight position without hesitating¡­ It seemed like the blessing was really taking effect. It didn¡¯t just make NPCs friendlier with you, but it rapidly increased their interest in you. That was the real way to use the ¡®Blessing of Darkness.¡¯ ¡°Thank you¡­ but I¡¯ll have to refuse.¡± ¡°That¡¯s too bad. If you change your opinion, tell me any time.¡± Hyun thought carefully, but he had to refuse the Duke¡¯s proposal. Although he had been rejected, Bahmir didn¡¯t seem bothered. On the contrary, he sometimes hummed until the train reached its destination. Chapter 153 Chapter 153 ¨C Toward the Ruins of Darkness (2) An hour later, the train reached its destination. After that, the group walked quite a lot while following the Duke. They reached a town that was somewhere between a countryside village and a city in size. Just like every part of the world had its own unique characteristics, that town also has its unique atmosphere. The fog was a darkish red compared to other places. As the light of the pitch-black sun was added on top of it, it gave a dark and calm atmosphere like it was night. ¡°Are the Ruins of Darkness here?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ There are too few things for that to be the case.¡± Bahmir smirked after hearing Hyun and Ain¡¯s conversation. ¡°This is just a lighthouse. Did you think getting close to the Darkness would be so easy?¡± Bahmir told them how to reach their destination. That was just the first section of the road toward the Ruins of Darkness; they still had a long way to go. ¡°As I said, the land of Darkness is covered by fog. You guys will probably have to wait until it goes away.¡± ¡°Fog¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. Even devils are afraid of Darkness¡¯s fog. They say that, if you get swept away by it, it will even take away your soul. Well, although I¡¯m not sure if you users have souls or not.¡± The fog over the village thickened and faded away in cycles of a month. The fog was usually too thick on the way to the Ruins of Darkness, so you weren¡¯t able to go through. If you were unlucky, you had to wait a month, but the Duke said that the road would be open the next day. ¡°This is as far as I will take you.¡± ¡°From now on¡­?¡± ¡°Ha, did you think I would take you until the end? You should be grateful I brought you here.¡± Bahmir laughed and then said something more. ¡°Also, getting close to the Darkness has more meaning if you do it by yourselves.¡± In reality, the Duke kindly explaining things to them was a rare sight. If he hadn¡¯t increased Bahmir¡¯s interest rate, maybe he wouldn¡¯t have kept his promise, so Hyun didn¡¯t want anything else from him. From then on, he would have to do things by himself. Ssss. When Bahmir was about to leave, a black figure rose from the ground. ¡°Hmm?¡± A whitish form appeared. A smile appeared on Bahmir¡¯s face after he realized its identity. ¡°Long time no see.¡± A skeleton made of blue light appeared in front of the group. Although it was a skeleton, the atmosphere coming from it couldn¡¯t be compared to the trash mobs they¡¯d seen until then. It was only bones, but its features were well-defined. Not only that, but its clothes were more luxurious than the ones that a Lich, the highest-ranking skeleton, wore. Scothanatos¡­ It was the name of the person in charge of administering those lands. ¡®Duke¡­?¡¯ The moment Hyun saw the skeleton, his eyes shone. He wasn¡¯t an NPC that appeared in Asra, but he¡¯d seen his name in the Interloop. He was described as ¡®One who serves the Dark.¡¯ Based on that, he was probably the Duke closest to the Darkness. ¡®What¡¯s his ranking?¡¯ Was it higher than Bahmir¡¯s? When he was wondering that, Bahmir paid his respects to Scothanatos first. Bahmir was the strongest Duke of the ones that had been humans before, but taking into consideration all of the Dukes from the different races that were part of the Abyss, he wasn¡¯t among the highest-ranked ones. In the Ducal society, rank was absolute¡ªthat was also why Bahmir was so obsessed with the rank ceremony. ¡°I was wondering who it was, but it¡¯s Bahmir¡­ The ones with you¡­ are human?¡± Scothanatos¡¯s voice sounded with cracks between the sentences, just as you¡¯d expect from a skeleton. ¡°No, they¡¯re users¡­!¡± Scothanatos looked at the group. The Demonic Energy that flew out from his empty eye sockets made everyone feel chills. ¡°You guys have no right to get close to the Darkness¡­ Go back.¡± ¡°Ah, I brought them here.¡± Bahmir spoke before Scothanatos could do anything. ¡°They have the right. I promise it by my name.¡± ¡°These weak¡­ humans?¡± ¡°It turns out that humans and users are entirely different.¡± Tap tap tap- The skeleton Duke spoke again while grinding his teeth. ¡°You aren¡¯t¡­ giving them special treatment¡­ because you¡­ used to be a human¡­ right?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even remember the time when I used to be a human. I wouldn¡¯t put my name on the line just because of something like that.¡± ¡°Okay¡­ then¡­ I¡¯ll look at them again.¡± Scothanatos¡¯s eye sockets shone again. At first, he looked as if he were looking at prisoners, but his atmosphere lightened up after looking at Hyun and Louise. Hyun was using the Blessing of Darkness, and Louise was probably the Darkness herself. Scothanatos was called ¡®The one who serves the Dark,¡¯ so there was no way he¡¯d look down on Louise. ¡°She¡¯s¡­ a human¡­ from the Heavens!¡± His eyes shone scarily while he was looking at Ain. Ain¡¯s cute appearance wasn¡¯t a factor that could increase the interest in the undead skeleton in front of them. While Demonic Energy was about to explode from Scothanatos¡¯s body, Ain quickly said something. ¡°It¡¯s okay. After all, I can¡¯t refuse Hyun¡¯s orders.¡± ¡®Wh-what is she saying?¡¯ Hyun was anxious at what Ain said, but he soon realized she was talking about the control priority. User, skill, ?Assimilation?, and control priority¡­ Ain explained it to the skeleton with numerous words, but Scothanatos was having a hard time believing it. ¡°?Assimilation?¡­ Then, show me how you two become one.¡± ¡°Hyun, you heard it, right?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Hyun didn¡¯t like it, but there was nothing he could do about it. He didn¡¯t want to use it in front of Bahmir because there was a chance he would find out that he¡¯d used that with TarrTarr. But thankfully, Bahmir didn¡¯t realize. ¡°This Demonic Energy¡­ I see¡­!¡± Scothanatos understood Ain¡¯s words. Just to make sure, he asked Hyun a question. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what you do¡­ the girl won¡¯t be able to refuse¡­! Am I right?¡± ¡°While it¡¯s true¡­ The way you put it is a bit¡­¡± ¡°Then¡­ It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Hyun was about to make some excuses, but after seeing that the situation was solved, he didn¡¯t say anything else. ¡°For the inhabitants of this town¡­ humans¡­ aren¡¯t welcome guests¡­¡± The requisite and force issues had been solved, but there was still something more¡­ Luckily, it was something that Scothanatos could solve. The skeleton Duke took out three potions and gave them to the group. ¡°Drink these¡­¡± ¡°What¡­ are these?¡± ¡°They¡¯re potions that will change your race for a bit. Do you know about vampires¡­? They¡¯re the beings that most resemble humans¡­ so you won¡¯t have any difficulties in your daily lives.¡± ¡°Can we return to normal¡­?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be able to return to normal¡­ anytime you wish.¡± Unlike werebeasts that existed in both forces, all vampires belonged to the Abyss. If they remained as vampires after returning to the normal world, they would probably have issues living normal lives. After realizing that wouldn¡¯t happen, Hyun felt relieved. [You¡¯ve temporarily gotten closer to the Abyss!] [Your race has temporarily changed to ¡®Vampire¡¯!] [You can now understand the language of devils!] [You can dismiss this effect anytime you want!] The moment Hyun drank the potion, he felt his body getting hotter. He was able to check its effects by looking at Ain and Louise. They had been given eyes that were red like rubies, slightly protruding fangs, and sharp claws on both hands. He wouldn¡¯t have been able to tell the difference if he hadn¡¯t taken a closer look, but maybe from a devil¡¯s point of view, it was different. And there was one big difference¡­ He could now understand all the groans. ¡®The devils had a language?¡¯ Hyun couldn¡¯t help but be shocked. He wasn¡¯t surprised because their appearance had changed, but the voices he could hear around them¡­ rather than wails and cries, it was a language. Hyun couldn¡¯t talk for a while. Although he¡¯d played the previous game for eight years, he had never imagined that the devils had their own language. ¡°Ah! That ghost is looking at me¡­!¡± Louise¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Booo. Boo.¡± There was an actual meaning behind those cries. ¡°Hyun, the ghost talked to me! What should I do?¡± ¡°This is kind of interesting!¡± Louise and Ain couldn¡¯t hide their surprise after hearing the devils speak. It was the same for Hyun. Until then, he¡¯d believed that the cries made by the devils weren¡¯t anything other than a means to frighten the opponent¡­ but he just realized that wasn¡¯t the case. ¡°This¡­¡± Hyun looked around. The skeletons and ghosts were giving them a welcome. A group of skeleton wolves was talking with each other while looking at the group. They were saying things like, ¡°they¡¯re vampires we¡¯ve never seen. Maybe they¡¯ll need a guide if they¡¯re going to the land of the Darkness. Won¡¯t they hire us?¡± They could also hear the cries of the lizardmen coming from a distance. Surprisingly, it seemed like the lizardmen operated shops¡ªthere were some selling skewers for 10 silver. ¡°Woah¡­¡± From a certain point, Hyun glanced at his surroundings while smiling. He felt similar to when he began playing Asra Online or started Asrian. The Symmetrical World¡­ It was something he couldn¡¯t see on the surface. There wasn¡¯t a place like that in real life, of course, but there wasn¡¯t even another place like it in Asrian. For the first time in a very long time, Hyun felt excited. The Duke was part of the Abyss. It seemed like the Blessing of Darkness had an effect on Scothanatos. Although he looked scary, he kindly answered Hyun¡¯s question. ¡°Ruins¡­ It seems like you¡¯re talking about the sanctum¡­!¡± ¡°The sanctum?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ That¡¯s what we call it here¡­¡± The town¡¯s name, Pitchblack Lighthouse¡­ It had two meanings: The first meant that a sea of darkness surrounded it. Not even the devils could walk around freely in the areas outside of the town where the fog was thick. But the second meaning was that they served the Darkness. According to Scothanatos¡¯s explanation, all of the devils around there served the Darkness. Wishing for the Darkness to come again, they put fire on the altar that was in the middle of the town every day. ¡®It really looks like a town where people live.¡¯ After hearing the explanation, Hyun understood what the place was¡­ It was a religious society. They served the Darkness. It was similar to the Holy Kingdom in the sense that the city was built around faith. The only difference was that the devils there prayed to the Abyss instead of the Heavens. ¡°Master Bahmir, it¡¯s about time we returned.¡± ¡°Really? Time really flows fast here.¡± Bahmir raised his head after hearing Mablen¡¯s voice. The fact that he¡¯d guided them there was proof of his positive opinion of Hyun and Louise. ¡°Wait¡­¡± Before he left, Hyun asked him something. ¡°Do you have to take the train to return?¡± ¡°Of course. Why would I spend so much time if I could open a portal?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not talking about a portal.¡± Thanks to Rutia, Hyun knew that the two worlds were connected. Everything on one side had a symmetrical equivalent on the other side¡ªthat¡¯s why it was called ¡®The Symmetrical World¡¯. If that were true, the town should be connected to a place on the surface. ¡°Is there a way to go to the other side in one go?¡± Bahmir understood what Hyun wanted to ask and smiled. ¡°The other side¡­ Well, since both worlds are connected, there should be a place that leads there.¡± ¡°As expected! Then¡­!¡± At Bahmir¡¯s reply, Hyun¡¯s face brightened. But¡­ ¡°But what if that other side is in the middle of space? Or what if it¡¯s in the middle of the sun? Going to the other side when you don¡¯t know where it will take you is like committing suicide.¡± Bahmir¡¯s reply was different from what Hyun expected. ¡°Not only that, but if the density of space isn¡¯t similar, you¡¯ll probably be torn apart. There¡¯s a chance that your body and head would end up in different places.¡± Bahmir said that the spatial density of the place was too distorted. That meant that you couldn¡¯t move between both worlds inside that town. Chapter 154 Chapter 154 ¨C The Symmetrical World¡¯s Town (1) ¡°Do you understand? Although the idea was good, it isn¡¯t good in practice. As long as it isn¡¯t a road you know, it¡¯s better if you avoid moving between the two worlds.¡± Hyun realized that he¡¯d been lucky after he heard the explanation. He¡¯d moved to the Symmetrical World with Louise from Iluna; he never realized that action was so dangerous. It looked like Rutia easily moved between the two worlds, but in reality, that wasn¡¯t something as easy as it seemed. Anyway, it seemed like he wouldn¡¯t be able to use that method. Scothanatos laughed and explained a bit more. ¡°Hahaha. Maybe it¡¯s possible outside of the town¡­ The place it¡¯s symmetrical to may be safe¡­¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ but no one knows where that is¡­ You won¡¯t know unless you try it.¡± ¡°No one¡­?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Even Transcendents don¡¯t know¡­ Maybe the ones that are at the highest rank know.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Understood.¡± Since the two Dukes said it was impossible, Hyun decided to give up. ¡°Mr. Bahmir, it¡¯s about time.¡± ¡°Ah. I started talking too much again before I even realized.¡± Bahmir smirked at Rublen¡¯s words. ¡°It isn¡¯t easy to get recognition from the Dark¡­ But I hope you¡¯ll be able to get close to it.¡± Bahmir left after saying that. ¡°The fog will go away¡­ tomorrow afternoon.¡± ¡°At what hour?¡± ¡°The road to the Dark will open 27 hours, 32 minutes, and 17 seconds from now.¡± Scothanatos raised his finger and pointed to a place in the middle of canyons. It was a road that was blocked by a thick fog. It was a place that looked like the mouth of a monster that was waiting for prey to enter. They subconsciously didn¡¯t want to get close to it. While Louise gulped, Scothanatos warned the rest of the group. ¡°You¡¯ll have to be careful¡­ so that you aren¡¯t devoured by the fog.¡± After saying that, the skeleton Duke also left. After all the Dukes left, the group was left in the middle of the town. Ain opened her mouth first as they looked between each other. ¡°Hmm¡­ We¡¯ll have to stay here for a while. Anyway, we¡¯re going to do the quest, right?¡± Ain asked that since she knew what the main quest was. ¡°Yes, probably.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t there a way to return home?!¡± ¡°Not really.¡± ¡°That¡­!¡± ¡®It isn¡¯t that there isn¡¯t any way, but¡­¡¯ Hyun didn¡¯t say that. There might¡¯ve been a passageway that led toward the other world, but there was no way to know where that was. Since he couldn¡¯t move between worlds, Hyun began thinking of a plan based on their situation. ¡°You found a safe road?!¡± The Pope¡¯s face brightened after receiving the bishop¡¯s report. It was the first good news he¡¯d heard in a long time. ¡°Yes. As you ordered, I¡¯ve searched and found a road that leads to a place near the Ruins of Darkness!¡± The lives of numerous users were sacrificed in the process of finding it. The bishop didn¡¯t say that because, after all, the deaths of users had almost no weight. Also, hadn¡¯t they offered their lives in exchange for a quest reward? ¡°Oh, the Heavens are looking over us!¡± ¡°Yes. We have to hurry before Darkness recovers its strength! We have to move the Knights immediately!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± After hearing what the bishop said, the Pope fell into thought and shook his head. ¡°No. The Underground is dangerous. We also don¡¯t know what enemies might be there.¡± The Heavens were planning to attack the Underground for the first time in many years. But the Pope had to consider the possibility that they would have to face an unknown enemy. ¡°What if we carelessly move and fail? Our Knights could lose their lives.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± ¡°Once again, we¡¯re going to send users first.¡± The Pope had learned how to take advantage of the users. If it were for quest rewards, they were willing to put their lives on the line. If he used the quest reward again, they¡¯d be able to get more information on the Underground. ¡°Get the help of someone who knows users very well.¡± He could use the users at a reconnaissance squad. The Knights would have to go through the road they paved. ¡°I¡¯ll do that.¡± A new quest was prepared from the Pope¡¯s orders. A quest that was going to use the user¡¯s lives as sacrifices¡ªit wasn¡¯t something the Holy Kingdom could be proud of. That¡¯s why the quest was generated in a bit of a different way. ¨C This ticket can be used to move to a specified place. ¨C Depending on your contribution rate obtained in the town, you¡¯ll receive a reward from the Holy Kingdom. ¨C Before entering there, you can obtain a blessing from a Priest. ¨C ¡­ Satisfied, the Pope smiled while reading the description. Rather than using the name of the Pope, that would probably have a greater effect on the users. They were going to give a blessing to the users because they had to put magic on the users that let them share what they saw in the Underground. Their sacrifices would, once again, light up the lamp of the Heavens. There wasn¡¯t much time left before Light¡¯s oracle happened. After all, the new entrance ticket to the black town would soon be seen by the users. The Pope¡¯s eyes shone after he finished all of the preparations. ¡®If I looked at the information from the interloop, I might be able to find a place that we can forcibly move to. Just like when I went from Iluna to Asra.¡¯ Hyun thought of a way but soon shook his head. There was no point in thinking about something like that since they wouldn¡¯t be able to return to the Symmetrical World. Even if the affection rate had gone up, he didn¡¯t dare to ask Bahmir to take him to that place again. ¡°Don¡¯t think about it too much. After all, until recently, we didn¡¯t have a guild and just wandered around!¡± Ain said while looking at Hyun with a smile on her face. Ain was feeling good since Salon and TarrTarr weren¡¯t around. Not only that, but Hyun had turned on the Blessing of Darkness. The Heavens¡¯ beings felt scared when it was turned on? Ain liked that more. Since Hyun was usually very kind toward her, she didn¡¯t have much opportunity to feel the opposite. ¡°Do you want to take Louise to the house?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing like that.¡± Louise flinched after hearing her name being mentioned. Hyun took a glimpse at her and shook his head. Not only was she strong, but it also made no sense to do the quest without her. He wasn¡¯t 100% sure of it, but wasn¡¯t she the Darkness itself? Maybe she would play an important role in finding the Ruins of Darkness. ¡°Just like you said, let¡¯s cool our heads down while wandering around.¡± ¡°See?¡± Hyun decided to stay in the town for a while. Maybe if it were a few days, he would¡¯ve thought about it, but if it was only a day, he was okay. First, Hyun sent a message to Salon and TarrTarr. Wouldn¡¯t they feel disappointed that he was moving on with the quest without them? Hyun soon realized he was worried for nothing. ¡¸Hyun, could you tell me the director¡¯s contact information?¡¹ After realizing that Steven was behind the documentary, it seemed like Salon had lost interest in the related quest. No, it was that he was more interested in other things. ¡¸I¡¯ve seen my recordings¡­ but¡­ there were a few parts where I appeared that are going to need some edits. It¡¯s just that I look weird, should I say? I was thinking about whether I should let him know¡­¡¹ ¡¸Oh, that¡¯s perfect. He was asking if one of us could work with him. I refused since I don¡¯t have time¡­ Do you want to do it?¡¹ ¡¸Oh, that¡¯s my specialty!¡¹ Hyun nodded after hearing Salon¡¯s enthusiastic tone. He could probably leave all the bothersome things to him. ¡¸Could I also go?¡¹ It seemed like TarrTarr also wasn¡¯t that interested in the quest. ¡¸Do you also want to go?¡¹ ¡¸I want to¡­ I was wondering if I could join.¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s no reason why you can¡¯t, but don¡¯t forget to keep uploading YouTube videos¡­¡¹ ¡¸Thanks, hyeong!¡¹ Hyun accepted their requests since they¡¯d offered themselves to do the job without him needing to ask them. ¡®Was there another thing¡­? Oh, yeah. There was that!¡¯ It was Friday¡ªthe day he said he would check on Practice and Gini. After he¡¯d got a guild House, they¡¯d been going there. ¡®I can¡¯t check on them today.¡¯ He looked at his friend list and saw that Jini was online, so he sent her a whisper. ¡¸Hyun?¡¹ Jini sounded weak. Hyun knew the reason. Practice had become the ace of Star Dust as of late, but unlike him, Gini hadn¡¯t been able to show results. ¡®It seemed like both practiced an equal amount.¡¯ Hyun had taught them both, so he knew it very well. Still, there was just something he couldn¡¯t help her with. After all, in the world of professional gamers, talent is very important. ¡¸I have a big quest this week, so I won¡¯t be able to help you with practice. I called to say that.¡¹ ¡¸Ah, I see¡­¡¹ Gini¡¯s strong point wasn¡¯t in fighting¡ªshe was good at strategy and analyzing things. From Hyun¡¯s point of view, she was more suited to be a coach rather than a player¡­ but maybe that would be too rude of him to say. ¡®She¡¯ll probably be able to figure out her own path¡­ After all, she knows her own strengths best.¡¯ ¡°Are you done?¡± He heard Ain¡¯s voice after he finished organizing things. He turned his head and saw her with a face that seemed more excited than usual. Hyun smirked. Was she really that excited about looking around a new town¡­? In that sense, she was probably similar to him. ¡°Okay. It¡¯s been a long time since we¡¯ve done things like this, but let¡¯s do this with just the two of us.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve just returned to normal.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Pitch Black Lighthouse¡­ The fog that surrounded the town had begun moving. As part of it cleared and other parts thickened, the light that shone on the town changed, and a new view appeared beside them. It was the first town they¡¯d seen in the Symmetrical World. Although it was a small town, since it was close to the Ruins of Darkness, there might be many other interesting things. Walking around such a foreign area with Ain was something that he still found exciting. The town, which was surrounded by trees, was very small, so it didn¡¯t take them long to see everything. ¡°15 minutes from end to end¡­ It really is a rural town.¡± ¡°But the atmosphere isn¡¯t bad.¡± Ain looked around as if she¡¯d found things interesting. Even though it looked like a remote town, it had a sophisticated atmosphere. Beings that weren¡¯t human walked around the streets; it was as if they¡¯d come to an undead theme park. ¡°Although small, it doesn¡¯t look like a rural town.¡± The surprisingly small town had a smelter, a weapons shop, an inn, etc¡­ It had most of the necessary things. The reason there wasn¡¯t a clothes shop was probably that the beings living there didn¡¯t need to wear clothes. ¡°There¡¯s even an inn!¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s get a room.¡± Hyun grabbed a room at an inn that was in a corner of the town. It was a small nest built under a bridge that went over a red river. They would probably have to stay there for more than a day. Hyun and Ain could log out, but Louise couldn¡¯t. He couldn¡¯t let her walk around in a place full of devils. ¡°Oh, Hyun, look at this!¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°This ghost, is it scared of me¡­?!¡± Hyun looked around and saw Louise growling at a ghost. Chapter 155 Chapter 155 ¨C The Symmetrical World¡¯s Town (2) ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a ghost that¡¯s scared of humans. Isn¡¯t that interesting? No, I¡¯m a vampire right now, so is it afraid of vampires?¡± Hyun smirked after seeing how someone who used to be so afraid of devils was playing around and scaring them. Demons and devils should¡¯ve been familiar beings. If Louise was a demon, it wasn¡¯t a weird scene. Louise¡¯s fear disappeared after she drank the potion that the skeleton Duke had given them. Had it touched something within her, or was it because she could understand their language? It probably didn¡¯t matter. Louise always dealt with things that way. ¡°So skeletons can talk! How are they talking?¡± ¡°Vampire¡­ lady¡­ do you need something¡­ from¡­ me?¡± ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Clack¡­ I¡¯m the security guard that protects the¡­ town.¡± Louise began talking with the skeleton that guarded the town. Although Louise talking with a skeleton looked dangerous, Hyun didn¡¯t feel anxious because he could understand what they were talking about. He knew that the devils didn¡¯t feel animosity toward Louise. Louise seemed to be having fun while surrounded by ghosts. It seemed she wouldn¡¯t get bored if they left her in the town. ¡°She¡¯s enjoying herself.¡± ¡°That¡¯s better, right?¡± Ain¡¯s smile deepened. ¡°Let¡¯s go somewhere, the two of us.¡± ¡°Do you want to go hunting?¡± ¡°Hunting? Here?¡± ¡°Hmm. Although I¡¯m not sure if there¡¯s a hunting ground around here¡­¡± Were there monsters in the Symmetrical World? ¡°Are there monsters around the town?¡± Hyun asked a skeleton soldier. ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Where should we go?¡± ¡°Outside¡­ of the town¡­ but when the fog is¡­ thick¡­ you shouldn¡¯t¡­ go out¡­ it¡¯s¡­ dangerous¡­¡± ¡°When is the fog going to disappear?¡± ¡°It disappears¡­ and rises again¡­ but I don¡¯t know¡­ the details¡­ because I¡¯ve never¡­ left the town¡­¡± Hyun looked around. A black fog surrounded the town. The two Dukes had warned him and said he should be careful. ¡®I guess I shouldn¡¯t go out.¡¯ He thought he would be able to move around while dodging it, but according to them, the fog around the area changed frequently, so he decided not to risk things on a pointless adventure. ¡°Is this food from this area?¡± ¡°Crack¡­ Yes¡­ This is a gift¡­ for you, miss¡­¡± ¡°Hmm. It doesn¡¯t look bad. It seems delicious!¡± Hyun turned after hearing Louise¡¯s voice. She was grabbing something in her hands while talking with the skeleton guard. A stone turtle skewer¡­ It seemed like the shopkeeper lizardman was a friend of the skeleton guard, so she gave Louise a skewer. ¡®Seeing that she can grab the affection of devils she¡¯s never seen before, Louise is definitely ¡®Darkness,¡¯ right?¡¯ ¡®It doesn¡¯t look delicious¡­ Yet she¡¯s doing a good job of eating it.¡¯ Flavors were replicated very well in Asrian, which was why many users were interested in the food. But Hyun and Ain weren¡¯t among those people. Rather than eating, they enjoyed exploring the unknown more. ¡°Hyun, let¡¯s go into town! How about there?¡± Ain pointed to a tower. An altar called the ¡®pitch black lighthouse¡¯ was in the middle of the town. Guooo. Something dark rose from the top of the altar at that moment. According to Scothanatos¡¯s explanation, the altar was dedicated to Darkness. ¡®Is this a temple?¡¯ Holding a ceremony was similar to praying, so he thought he wouldn¡¯t be wrong if he thought of that place as the Temple of Darkness. ¡°It looks quite fancy.¡± ¡°Right?!¡± Hyun waited for Louise to finish eating, and the three of them went to the tower. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re¡­!¡± There was an old Priest within the tower. He welcomed them as if they were old friends. ¡°Vampire¡­ are you really vampires?¡± ¡°Yes¡­?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to meet other vampires here!¡± Hyun soon realized why the old Priest seemed so happy. The Priest was an old vampire who was suffering from loneliness. ¡°It¡¯s been too long since a vampire traveler came to the town.¡± ¡°I¡­ I see.¡± Was he asking that because he noticed they¡¯d drunk the transformation potion? Hyun was wondering about that, but after realizing the Priest was honestly happy to see them, he felt relieved. ¡°It¡¯s been that long¡­? It seems like there aren¡¯t any other vampires in this town.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the only one. They¡¯re all mostly skeletons, ghosts, or lizardmen.¡± ¡°Hyun, I haven¡¯t seen any high-ranking devils in this town,¡± Ain added. Just as she said, the only vampire they¡¯d seen in the town was the Priest in front of them. It seemed like there also weren¡¯t any high-ranking devils with high intelligence. Why was that? Did devils have different hometowns? The old vampire soon answered those doubts. ¡°It¡¯s not that there have never been any other vampires. Yes, it¡¯s been eight years since they left.¡± ¡°They left eight years ago¡­?¡± ¡°Right, they¡¯ve now disappeared.¡± They received new information from the Priest. ¡°Eight years ago, when the ¡®Darkness¡¯ hid, they disappeared. Those ungrateful bastards! To think they¡¯d go away as soon as the Darkness disappeared!¡± ¡°What does that mean? The Darkness disappeared.¡± ¡°What? How is it possible that you don¡¯t know? Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± The Priest glared at Hyun. ¡°Are you from the forces of Deception?¡± ¡°No¡­! That¡¯s not it¡­!¡± Although they weren¡¯t as hostile as the Heavens and the Abyss, the forces of Deception and Darkness didn¡¯t get along very well. Hyun quickly used his knowledge of Asra and made up an excuse. ¡°I¡¯ve been hibernating, so I haven¡¯t heard news from the outside.¡± ¡°Huh? You don¡¯t know what happened outside because you hibernated a bit?¡± ¡°It seemed like I suffered from a side effect, so I woke up after 10 years. I really don¡¯t know what happened.¡± Could something like that happen¡­? It had been a long time since he¡¯d met other vampires, so he left his doubts aside. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll explain to you.¡± The Priest began talking as if he were teaching some ignorant young vampires. ¡°You know that Demonic Energy is from demons, right?¡± ¡°Yes, of course.¡± ¡°Because we serve Darkness, we¡¯re just borrowing power from Darkness, but eight years ago, that strength disappeared for a short while.¡± All devils had Demonic Energy. That¡¯s why they could feel the presence of the Transcendent they served. Eight years prior, all of the Demonic Energy of those that served Darkness had vanished, and the forces of Darkness had fallen into panic. Thankfully, thanks to the demons that were under Darkness, their Demonic Energy had returned, but it wasn¡¯t the same amount as before. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s why I felt empty after finishing hibernation¡­! It makes sense now!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ That¡¯s probably because Darkness disappeared.¡± ¡°I see!¡± The Priest said something like this: ¡ªThe Pitch Black Lighthouse was a town created to serve Darkness. ¡ªAfter they realized that they wouldn¡¯t be able to obtain more strength from serving Darkness, the vampires left the town. From that, Hyun realized that vampires were very pragmatic. ¡®Did they change sides to Deception¡­ Or did they begin serving a lower-rank demon?¡¯ The forces of the Abyss moved according to the laws of strength. Those with high strength often changed masters. Vampires were high-ranking devils, so it wasn¡¯t weird for them to leave the town. ¡°But¡­ old man, you still perform the ceremony.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°But does it have an effect now that the Darkness isn¡¯t present anymore?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± ¡°Then why are you doing this¡­?¡± Wasn¡¯t the old vampire the weird one? After asking that, Hyun saw the expression of the old vampire getting distorted. ¡°You aren¡¯t any different from the other vampires.¡± ¡°What does that¡­?¡± ¡°You all say ¡®Isn¡¯t there no point in serving Darkness if we don¡¯t receive anything in exchange¡¯? Nonsense! I do the ceremony every day because I know that Darkness will resurrect soon!¡± The reprimand spread through the altar. It was clear that he wasn¡¯t doing that for strength but for faith. ¡°The Darkness will soon resurrect! Maybe the others haven¡¯t noticed, but I¡¯ve clearly seen it! It was about a month ago¡­!¡± The Priest narrowed his eyes. He was trying his best to remember. ¡°A month ago, I saw this altar get covered by Demonic Energy. Although it was only for a short while, I clearly saw it!¡± ¡°What does that mean¡­?¡± ¡°The Darkness responded to the ceremonies! It was a sign! Do you understand? The Darkness hasn¡¯t disappeared yet! Even now, that superior being is probably somewhere hiding from the sunlight and making the necessary preparations!¡± Hyun remained silent while hearing the certain shout of the Priest. Ain frowned, and Louise shrugged in surprise. ¡°Ehem¡­ It seems like I overdid my reaction.¡± After a short while, the Priest noticed his reaction was a bit exaggerated. As the voice died down, there was silence over the altar. The Priest coughed in embarrassment. Hyun remained silent not because he was overwhelmed¡­ He was focusing on something that the old vampire said. ¡®He felt the presence of the Darkness a month ago¡­?¡¯ Hyun had fallen into thought. The vampire had said that he¡¯d felt the Darkness being reborn a month prior. ¡®When was that?¡¯ Hyun started to look back. If it was a month ago, it was when Louise was on Iluna. Was he referring to when Louise reached level 200? The moment the old vampire said that, he felt the Darkness being reborn coincided with that period of time. He had changed his job to a Shadow Linker, and Louise¡¯s level had gone up. Considering when it happened and the fact that the word ¡®Darkness¡¯ was mentioned, it couldn¡¯t be a simple guess. ¡®Yes, I¡¯m sure of it! Louise is Darkness!¡¯ Ting-! When Hyun became sure of it, a quest window appeared in front of him. The main quest had changed. In Asrian, hidden quest routes often opened after the system read the user¡¯s brain waves. [Event: You have figured something out about the encroachment of the Heavens!] [New information about the main quest will be added!] ¡®It changed again!¡¯ The content of the main quest was confusing, but it was starting to change. Why was a Knight of the Holy Kingdom in the Symmetrical World? Hyun got the answer to that question faster than he thought. ¨C The Heavens have been planning to invade the Abyss. The Holy Knight in the Kaidan Castle was a spy who secretly infiltrated for that purpose. ¨C They just picked up their swords! Those who have received the oracle of Light will come to the Underground! ¨C You have to take Darkness and help her escape from the Heavens¡¯ attack. You probably already know where you have to go. ¨C The Darkness will open her eyes to a new strength at the heart. Kiieekk-! As that message ended, a cry from a ghost could be heard from somewhere. If it were back then, he would¡¯ve just dismissed it as one of the many cries of a devil. ¡­But after becoming a vampire, Hyun started to understand their language. That wasn¡¯t a cry for help¡­ it was a cry to alert them of danger. ¡°What¡¯s wrong¡­?¡± ¡°It came from outside¡­!¡± Ain and Louise had also heard the ghost¡¯s screams. ¡°Let¡¯s check out what happened!¡± Hyun took Ain and Louise and ran out of the altar. Thanks to the town being small, they soon reached where the incident had happened. ¡°That¡­¡± There was a fight happening at the town¡¯s entrance. People that seemed to be users and the skeletons protecting the town were fighting each other. Chapter 156 Chapter 156 ¨C Devil¡¯s Voice (1) The battle didn¡¯t take long. Both the users and the skeletons were weak, but since there were more skeletons, they ended up winning. The three users were scattered away into light¡­ and dozens of skeletons holding spears celebrated their victory. ¡°Ah¡­!¡± At that moment, Louise¡¯s eyes shook. Among the monsters that were scattered away, there was a skeleton she¡¯d become familiar with. ¡°You¡­!¡± She quickly ran and grabbed the skeleton¡¯s head. It was the skeleton guard that had given a skewer to her. Its bones were scattered away, and it was about to vanish away into light. It was impossible for a human to tell the difference between the skeletons. Seeing how Louise could tell a skeleton apart from a pile of many¡­ maybe Darkness could remember details regarding devils that others couldn¡¯t. ¡°Where¡­ is your body¡­?¡± The skeleton slowly opened its jaw. ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t need to¡­ look at us¡­ with those eyes¡­ death¡­ is habitual to us¡­¡± The skeleton in Louise¡¯s hands completely scattered away into the light. Just like it said, low-ranking devils like ghosts and skeletons couldn¡¯t live for a very long time. In many cases, they only lived for a few days, a few minutes, or even a few seconds. Since they had already died, it would be more precise to say that they ceased to exist. Even after the light particles disappeared, Louise kept looking at the floor for quite some time. ¡®Damn.¡¯ Hyun bit his lip. Louise didn¡¯t cry. She¡¯d learned how to control her feelings. It probably wasn¡¯t that the emotions themselves had disappeared. Even on Iluna, when she had almost died, she hadn¡¯t cried. To be honest, Hyun hadn¡¯t felt much while looking at the skeleton die¡­ But demons and devils were closely related. A demon empathized with all beings that had Demonic Energy. On Iluna, she¡¯d thought of them as dangerous beings¡ªmaybe that was why she hadn¡¯t thought much about it. But Louise could understand their language, and she¡¯d changed to thinking of them as beings that lived while interacting with each other. She was ¡®Darkness.¡¯ In a sense, she was like a mother to all devils, so what would she be feeling? ¡°Hyun¡­ I think it¡¯s a bad idea to use ?Assimilation? right now.¡± Hyun nodded at Ain¡¯s voice. He decided to look until Louise was able to calm down. After a while, Louise began looking at him with sad eyes, and they changed focus to look at something in the distance. Hyun¡¯s eyes narrowed after following Louise¡¯s eyes. He saw a group approaching them from a distance. He quickly realized that they were the Heavens¡¯ users. ¡®Was that message related to this?¡¯ ¨C The Heavens have been planning to invade the Abyss. ¨C Those who have received the oracle of Light will come to the Underground! Hyun understood what was going on. It wasn¡¯t that users came there just by chance¡­ They¡¯d probably arrived after receiving a quest from the Holy Kingdom. Hyun looked at a certain sentence after reading over the description. ¡®Oracle of Light.¡¯ He¡¯d already gone through it once, so he knew what that meant. The Light appeared with Darkness and disappeared with it¡ªthose two were inseparable. If Light had given an oracle, that meant that Darkness had appeared. The hypothesis that Louise was Darkness was starting to gain traction. Deception, Darkness, Chaos¡­ Hyun knew better than anyone how scared the Heavens were of them. If he wanted to protect Louise, he¡¯d have to be prepared. ¡°Are you planning to fight?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ain smiled while looking at Hyun¡¯s expression. Whir- The moment the ?Shadow Shield? devoured flames, Hyun¡¯s body was covered by dark energy. ¡®I¡¯ll have to fight.¡¯ ¡ªTo become an enemy of the Heavens, and to protect Louise. When Hyun began wondering if Louise was Darkness, he decided to choose an option between two possibilities, and that decision hadn¡¯t changed. If he had to choose¡­ Louise. Even if he became an enemy of the Heavens, he would choose to protect Louise. ¡®Will I be able to do it?¡¯ The problem was that the time to choose had come faster than he thought. He hadn¡¯t even done the 2nd job ascension yet. The Holy Kingdom was too strong an opponent for him at the moment. Since that Light had given an oracle, there was no way the Holy Kingdom would rely on users alone. ¡®Even if it seems impossible, I¡¯ll have to do it!¡¯ The Holy Knights, Holy Magicians, and countless Priests supporting them¡­ If strong opponents began appearing, it might be too much, but they had yet to appear. It didn¡¯t matter how many users there were, he was sure he and Ain wouldn¡¯t lose against them. When Hyun ?Assimilated? to Ain, a slight tremble spread through Hyun. As a small shadow began running through the battlefield, the screams of humans were heard. ¡°Wh-what¡¯s that?!¡± ¡°Agh! Help me!¡± The moment black flames hit the Heavens¡¯ users, they turned into ashes and scattered away into light. As the Shadow Linker ?Assimilated? into the Elemental Berserker, the claws of the beast that emitted a black flame really made her look like a devil. ¡°What¡­ Kind of devil is this¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably the subordinate of a demon¡­!¡± The hands of the users that faced the shadow trembled. The Blessing of Darkness made those that belonged to the Heavens feel fear. The bigger the difference between them was, the bigger the fear became. The Heavens¡¯ users that had invaded the Symmetrical World weren¡¯t level 100 yet, so they couldn¡¯t overcome the Blessing of Darkness. ¡°Damn, no one said there would be an elite devil¡­!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t there a way to return?!¡± ¡°I heard we can¡¯t return until we cross that town!¡± ¡°We¡¯re screwed!¡± The Pope had thought about it carefully. There weren¡¯t many users willing to risk their lives just from him giving them an okay weapon. But what if he promised stats or skill points depending on their contribution rate? There probably wouldn¡¯t be many users that wouldn¡¯t be interested in it. The Heavens¡¯ users were moving exactly as the Pope had expected them to. Hyun spoke to Ain as he looked at the users. ¡¸Don¡¯t let anyone in.¡¹ ¡¸Hmm?¡¹ ¡¸These guys¡­ they¡¯re probably searching for Louise.¡¹ When Hyun looked at the Heavens¡¯ users, he realized they were under a ?Share Vision? magic. It was a strategy that was hard to believe came from an NPC. It was probably from a generation-and-a-half AI, at least¡­ It was probably a plan of a Bishop, the Pope, or one of the Angels. ¡®Damn, they¡¯re probably looking at this!¡¯ Fwoosh-! When the pitch-black ?Efreet¡¯s Claws? hit, the users in the attack¡¯s trajectory disappeared. KAAA! KAAAA! But at that moment, the skeletons, ghosts, and lizardmen were turning into light after being attacked by users. The devils fought bravely to protect the land of Darkness. Every time the urgent, painful, and grim cries spread¡­ Louise¡¯s shoulders shook. ¡¸Ain, handle this alone for a moment,¡¹Hyun said after defeating waves of users. ¡¸Hmm?¡¹. Louise was starting to breathe heavily from the countless deaths going on around her. It seemed like the deaths of devils were affecting her. ¡¸I think that I¡¯ll have to check on her.¡¹ ¡¸Okay¡­ I¡¯ll probably be okay alone¡­ for the moment.¡¹ The attacks had stopped for the moment, but they didn¡¯t know when another wave of users would appear. When Hyun ?Assimilated? into Louise, he realized that the situation was worse than he¡¯d initially thought. The emotions of the Darkness were fluctuating. For the Darkness, devils were like her children. Hyun almost vomited after feeling what Louise felt while looking at beings like that die. The saddest thing was that she also couldn¡¯t understand the changes in her feelings. ¡¸You¡­¡¹ ¡°¡­¡± Louise didn¡¯t answer. Hyun took Louise toward the town¡¯s inn. He couldn¡¯t let her stay in the middle of the battlefield where there would be more deaths. ¡°Will you be able to calm down?¡± Hyun ?Disassimilated? and asked her. ¡°Oh¡­ Why¡­ Why am I¡­?¡± Louise shook her head. ¡°Stay here for the moment. If it gets dangerous, use the scroll.¡± Hyun realized something¡­ Just like the leaders of the Heavens got sad when their subordinates died, Demons also got sad when devils died. Louise was confused about the fluctuations of her feelings. The Darkness was the commander of all devils. But that little commander couldn¡¯t handle the deaths of her subordinates. She probably didn¡¯t even know that the devils were her subordinates, so she was probably even more confused about why she felt like that. It hadn¡¯t been like that when they were escaping Iluna¡­ Since when was Louise able to feel the emotions of devils? ¡¸New enemies!¡¹ When he returned to Ain, he saw the silhouettes of new users appearing. ¡¸When did they appear?¡¹ ¡¸Just now!¡¹ ¡°Woah! What are these black things¡­?!¡± As soon as they were summoned, a few users were devoured by the fog, but some were able to go through it; a new battle happened immediately. The users began dying at the hands of Hyun and Ain, but the skeletons were also being scattered away into light. ¡¸Hyun!¡¹ While fighting, Ain urgently shouted. ¡¸There¡¯s stuff happening on the back, too!¡¹ ¡¸What? Are you talking about the back of the town? But that place is full of fog.¡¹ ¡¸It seems like the fogged area is changing!¡¹ The area where the fog was concentrated changed periodically in the land of Darkness. Hyun clicked his tongue while remembering what Duke Scothanatos had said. From a defensive point of view, the fog was equivalent to a castle¡¯s walls. Part of it disappearing was equivalent to a castle¡¯s wall crumbling. Unfortunately, the fog was clearing. Ssss. A new road opened on the opposite side of where they were protecting. Suddenly, Hyun and Ain had to protect two sides simultaneously. ¡¸But if it¡¯s the two of us, we can do it.¡¹ ¡¸We can for the moment¡­¡¹ Just like Ain said, the two of them could block it. The problem was that the fog would constantly change. What if they had to block three sides simultaneously? Blocking two sides alone was impossible, so the town¡¯s defensive line would be penetrated eventually. [Remaining time before the road that leads to the Ruins of Darkness opens: 25 hours, 39 minutes] ¡®There¡¯s too much time left¡­!¡¯ Not only did they lack manpower, but they were also lacking stamina. Battling devoured a lot of the user¡¯s tiredness rate. Even if they didn¡¯t do anything, the tiredness level would probably max out, but fighting for more than 24 hours consecutively¡­ was impossible for anyone. ¡®Should I focus on protecting the inn?¡¯ The Heavens were clearly targeting Louise. Was there a way to only protect Louise? Hyun thought about it for a while but soon shook his head. ¡®No. I might have to do that in the end¡­ but for now, I have to block as much as possible.¡¯ There was a chance of Louise¡¯s location being found out¡ªthat would only make things more dangerous. Since he could expect support from the devils, the safest way was to defend the entire town. ¡¸Let¡¯s split up.¡¹ ¡¸Huh? Hyun, can you fight alone?¡¹ At Ain¡¯s question, Hyun took out a weapon. He took out the unique longsword he carried around just in case. At that moment, his body turned pitch-black. ¡¸I¡¯ll tell you if it gets dangerous.¡¹ ¡¸How will I know where you are?¡¹ ¡¸This place is going to be 12 o¡¯clock. I¡¯ll tell you by direction.¡¹ The two of them decided based on the point where the first battle took place. Hyun would be in charge of 7 o¡¯clock. Ain 12 o¡¯ clock. They kept engaging in battle. The good thing was that no more than 10 users appeared at a time. ¡¸Hyun, is everything okay over there?¡¹ ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹ ¡¸Here, the area of the fog has changed!¡¹ As 30 minutes passed, the area of the fog changed again. The 12 o¡¯clock direction was closed. Instead, 3 ¡®clock opened. Hyun sighed in relief. He was planning on giving up on defending the town if three paths opened. ¡®It¡¯s okay for now¡­¡¯ There was a being watching the entire situation unfold. The Land of Darkness¡¯s owner and the one who served the Darkness, Duke Scothanatos. Chapter 157 Chapter 157 ¨C Devil¡¯s Voice (2) ¡®Grr¡­ Servants of the Holy Kingdom¡­¡¯ Scothanatos looked at what was happening in the town. The black sun shining over the town was his eyes, so it was easy to realize that the Heavens were trying to invade. The Heavens were trying to contaminate the sacred place of the Darkness. The cries of his underlings, the skeletons, and the ghosts dying made him angry. ¡®How¡­ dare you invade my territory¡­ the land of Darkness¡­!¡¯ The Duke¡¯s strength shook the entire place. The moment he moved, he would be able to eliminate all those weaklings under the black sun. It didn¡¯t matter how many enemies came from how many sides, he would be able to turn all of the opponents into dust with one hand gesture. ¡®But it¡¯s weird¡­¡¯ The skeleton Duke didn¡¯t mindlessly move. He knew how to put reason before emotion. ¡®Users¡­ I can only see users¡­ Why are only¡­ users coming¡­?¡¯ He wasn¡¯t sure how the Holy Kingdom had learned how to get there. But were they planning to invade by using only the users? The Holy Kingdom had Knights whose strength couldn¡¯t be compared to those people, but why were they sending only users? They were clearly hiding their main force, but for what reason? The skeleton Duke began thinking. ¡®I see¡­ That¡¯s what they were after¡­ Heavens¡­ I can see what you¡¯re trying to do.¡¯ Scothanatos realized that there was probably a follow-up unit. He had correctly guessed the Pope¡¯s plan. The users that were appearing were pawns of some sort. After they safely created a road, the main army would move. ¡®The long-standing peace¡­ is about to break.¡¯ Scothanatos sighed while hiding within the black sun. It wasn¡¯t just another incident. It was no small thing that they¡¯d targeted the ¡®Land of Darkness.¡¯ ¡®How did they reach this place¡­ and why are they targeting this place¡­?¡¯ Had they received an oracle from Light that talked about the Darkness reincarnating? No. Scothanatos decided that, rather than falling deep into thoughts, he should focus on the reality in front of them. At that moment, it was more important to put out the fire. ¡®If you want war, I¡¯ll give you one¡­¡¯ It didn¡¯t matter the reason. The Heavens were trying to invade for the first time in hundreds of years. ¡®But¡­ things won¡¯t go as easily as you think¡­!¡¯ Only users had appeared, but others would probably appear. Concentrating strength and using it in a decisive moment¡ªthat was what war was about. Both the Abyss and the Heavens had to hide their cards at the moment. They would answer users by dragging in other users. Scothanatos was planning to use the same card as the Heavens. He would gather the strength of users! Scothanatos¡¯s voice was spread to every Duke that served the Darkness. All of the Dukes knew they had to follow the orders of ¡®The one who served the Darkness.¡¯ It didn¡¯t take long before that order appeared in the form of a quest before the users of the Abyss. It was done in a similar way to the Holy Kingdom, and once again, it shook the community. ¡¸For how long are they going to be summoned?!¡¹ ¡¸Ain, should I help you?!¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not at that point yet!¡¹ Even if users were being devoured by the fog and the devils and dying at the hands of Hyun and Ain, they kept moving toward one goal. ¡°We just have to pass that point!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid to die. If we go through that place, we can receive the reward!¡± What kind of quest had the Heavens users received? How they charged without fear of dying made them look like they had lost their minds. ¡°I¡¯ll be the bait!¡± ¡°See how hard the devils try to stop us from passing through? We can receive a huge contribution reward if we enter the town!¡± ¡°Kill them all!¡± Hyun and Ain kept killing the Heavens users as if they were monsters. Users and devils were scattering away as if the fog was devouring them. ¡¸Hyun, the fog around me is clearing¡­!¡¹ ¡¸Same here, but the number of opponents is increasing¡­!¡¹ It seemed like the battle wasn¡¯t going to end. Hyun realized how desperate the situation was after looking around. The places they had to defend were increasing, but there were only two of them. ¡®Should I try to defend Louise as much as I can¡­ and give up if I can¡¯t?¡¯ They could still make Louise return to the private room, so they could technically give up on the main quest. Hyun was thinking about that when they heard an unexpected voice. ¡°Woah. What¡¯s your job? That skill looks cool.¡± Hyun was surprised at the voice he¡¯d suddenly heard, so he turned around. It was a user. Based on his clothes, he didn¡¯t seem like a Heavens user but one that belonged to the Abyss. Before Hyun could open his mouth, he presented himself. ¡°By the way, my job is ¡®Death Knight.''¡± ¡°Yes¡­?¡± ¡°It seems like you¡¯ve received the same quest¡­ If you¡¯re okay with it, would you like to form a party with me?¡± Hyun had used all of his Demonic Energy, so the other user thought Hyun was a user instead of a devil. ¡°Quest¡­ What do you mean?¡± Hyun asked back in confusion. ¡°Didn¡¯t you receive the quest to defend the Duke¡¯s territory?¡± He heard Ain¡¯s voice. ¡¸Hyun, users of the Abyss came!¡¹ ¡¸What¡­? Over there, too?¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but they seem to be on our side.¡¹ Choo- Another sound could be heard. That time, it was the train. Hyun saw a new train stopping at the station connected to the town. The people getting off the train were definitely other Abyss users like him. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ After seeing what was happening, the Abyss users nodded as if they understood the situation. ¡­And then they joined the devils and fought against Heavens users. They¡¯d definitely received a quest without him knowing. ¡¸What¡¯s going on?¡¹ ¡¸I have no clue.¡¹ Ssrrr. The fog cleared even more, and another part of the town became defenseless. If only the two of them were there, they¡¯d be in trouble, but the situation had changed. The ¡®Pitch Black Lighthouse,¡¯ a town of the Symmetrical World, had become a battlefield between users. ¡¸I¡¯m not sure what happened¡­!¡¹ ¡¸Let¡¯s ask someone!¡¹ ¡¸Who? Oh¡­ Yes!¡¹ Hyun quickly called Salon. If it were something that big, there would¡¯ve probably been a huge commotion in the community boards, and the person who reacted the fastest to what happened in the community was Salon. ¡¸Woah, Hyun, did something happen?¡¹ ¡¸Can you tell me what¡¯s going on?! Let me know if there¡¯s a quest related to a Duke going on!¡¹ Hyun quickly explained their situation to Salon, and Salon didn¡¯t betray his expectations. A reply came only 10 minutes later. ¡¸Hyun, when did you receive such a quest?¡¹ ¡¸Quest?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. Aren¡¯t you doing this quest?¡¹ Paf-! The screenshot he received from Salon had the contents of a quest. Hyun quickly read the community boards. To summarize, the quest was about protecting the Abyss¡¯s land from invading the Heavens. He couldn¡¯t fully understand what was going on with just that screenshot, so Hyun asked again. ¡¸Isn¡¯t there anything on the Heavens side?!¡¹ ¡¸Ah, yes. They were also quite noisy because of a quest.¡¹ Thanks to Salon¡¯s explanation, Hyun could understand what was going on. ¡¸Invading the Abyss¡¯s ¡®Black Town¡¯¡­? I¡¯m not sure what the Black Town is, but the rewards are¡­ skill points and even a legendary item! A legendary item has appeared for the first time, so the community boards are full of news related to it.¡¹ ¡¸A legendary?!¡¹ The Heavens had offered a huge reward. The goal was to invade a certain territory. ¡¸But the funny thing is that a similar quest also appeared on the side of the Abyss. All users who have a close relationship with a Duke have received the quest, so TarrTarr should¡¯ve received it, too. I think. Oh, on this, they didn¡¯t offer a legendary, but it seems like the other rewards are good.¡¹ Simultaneously, a quest appeared on the side of the Abyss that asked users to protect the ¡®Black Town.¡¯ It was because Scothanatos had given an order to the other Dukes of Darkness¡¯s forces. The users soon realized that the quest each had received was in the same place. That¡¯s right. It was the first war between factions in Asrian. A war between users, with no NPCs involved, had started. ¡®The main quest¡­¡¯ After understanding what was going on, Hyun read this quest window again. The main quest made you become involved in the flow of history. That¡¯s why, whether you liked it or not, you got trapped in the middle of a big incident. If he weren¡¯t planning on making Louise live in hiding, he would eventually have to face all sorts of enemies. Chooo- Once again, another train came. Just like the users of the Heavens, an endless amount of Abyss users were starting to appear. ¡®It isn¡¯t a simple quest about finding a ruin anymore. The scale is getting bigger¡­!¡¯ If users from both sides increased, numerous variables would appear. For example, someone could recognize Ain. Although she¡¯d turned into a vampire, it wasn¡¯t that her face had changed. Ain was known as a user from the Heavens, so if someone recognized her, things could get bothersome. ?Invisibility?, ?Acceleration?! Hyun ?Assimilated? into Ain and returned to the town. Since the fight between users had begun, there was no need for them to be at the forefront. They also had to recover from the tiredness they¡¯d accumulated from fighting those past few hours. Looking at it from a distance, it seemed like all the devils that lived in the town had disappeared. Only users were left under the red sky. Every time the fog moved, numerous users died, and a new fight started in another place. ¡¸Is it okay if we don¡¯t fight?¡¹ ¡¸Let¡¯s rest for a bit. It¡¯s okay if we don¡¯t fight right now.¡¹ Hyun returned to the inn Louise was staying at along with Ain. They could see the battle from the window on the 2nd floor. Pandemonium¡­ If Asrian weren¡¯t a game, the entire city would be covered in blood. The town that was so peaceful a few hours prior had turned into a battlefield between humans. ¡®Did all of the devils die¡­?¡¯ Fiiu¡­ Fiiuu¡­ A ghost sat on the frame of the window. It was about half the size of a normal ghost. Half of the white cloth on top of him had been torn apart. ¡®They didn¡¯t all die.¡¯ Hyun, who had turned into a vampire, could understand the language of the ghosts. It was at that time that he first realized that the emotions devils had were more primitive than humans. Fwoosh-! The crying ghost soon turned into light and scattered away by itself. While he was quietly looking at it, Louise returned to her senses and spoke. ¡°Did it die¡­?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Is the fight over¡­?¡± ¡°No. Not yet.¡± Louise carefully clung to the window frame that was on the second floor. She was looking outside when she mumbled. ¡°It seems like those who used to live in the town¡­ have all died.¡± ¡°Yes, probably.¡± Unlike before, Louise showed no reaction. The dust on the window settled down. The inn was quiet. Thanks to a soundproofing magic circle, all sounds coming from outside were blocked, and all the fragments caused by the battle bounced away thanks to a defensive magic circle. [Remaining time before the road that leads to the Ruins of Darkness opens: 2 hours 32 minutes] Almost a day had passed since the group stayed in the inn. Ain had already logged out a while ago, and Louise fell asleep around that time. She was gasping while sleeping. If it weren¡¯t for the soundproofing magic circle, Louise wouldn¡¯t have been able to comfortably fall asleep from the noise of the battle outside. Chapter 158 Chapter 158 ¨C Skirmish (1) ¡®Amazing.¡¯ From time to time, Hyun looked out of the window and was impressed by what he saw. ¡®How did they do that?¡¯ From a certain point onward, the town became surrounded by walls. The users from the Abyss were fighting from the top of the castle walls. Although the walls broke from time to time, they recovered surprisingly quickly. ¡®Do people already have the Architect job?¡¯ There were almost no Architect-type users in Asra. Something that would take years to build in real life could be built in only a few hours¡­ He knew it was a game but couldn¡¯t help but be impressed by it. ¡®It hasn¡¯t been penetrated yet.¡¯ From a distance, it was impossible to know who was from the Abyss and who was from the Heavens. He was only guessing that the ones who died around the castle walls were Heavens users. Although it looked dangerous¡­ seeing how the town hadn¡¯t been invaded yet, that probably meant that the Abyss was able to resist. ¡®Things are starting to get dangerous. I hope Ain returns quickly¡­¡¯ Hyun felt that the momentum of the battle was leaning. Why was it changing? Skillful rankers had started appearing among the Heavens players. In the first place, there weren¡¯t many Abyss users compared to Heavens. But from a certain point, players that used ¡®ascension skills¡¯ had increased. If it kept going on, the balance would soon be broken. Hyun was looking at the clock anxiously when he finally received the message he was desperately waiting for. [¡®Ain¡¯ has logged in!] ¡°You¡¯re late!¡± She¡¯d arrived 40 minutes later than the promised time. It was Saturday at 10 o¡¯clock in Korea. Ain looked sleepy. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re too late¡­!¡± ¡°But this isn¡¯t when I¡¯m usually on.¡± Hyun smiled bitterly at Ain¡¯s answer. When he thought about it, Ain never logged in early in the morning, even on weekends. She was in 2nd year of high school, right? How was she paying attention to classes? He began worrying about her life pattern¡­ but he wasn¡¯t much different from her, so he decided not to worry about meaningless things. An important battle was about to happen, so he couldn¡¯t afford to think about other things. ¡°Is your condition okay?¡± ¡°I¡­ might make a lot of mistakes¡­¡± Ain answered honestly. ¡°So Hyun, do what you want with my body.¡± ¡°Ahh¡­ Okay, but tell me what happens around us.¡± ¡°That much¡­ Hmm¡­ I think it¡¯s going to be okay.¡± They¡¯d played together for such a long time that Hyun knew Ain¡¯s change in condition better than anyone. When she was in peak condition, Ain sometimes showed a controlling ability beyond human capabilities¡­ but when she couldn¡¯t concentrate, there were cases in which she was even hit by attacks from average users. That¡¯s why he didn¡¯t expect much from her late at night or early in the morning. ¡®It¡¯s okay. It isn¡¯t a one-on-one at the moment.¡¯ Ain¡¯s playing style was specialized in dueling. Even if both were PvP, if it were one vs. numerous enemies, it would be better if he were in charge. Fwoosh-! The moment he ?Assimilated?, he felt a familiar sensation. It was funny. To think that the day when he would feel safe while being inside a woman¡¯s body would come¡­ But still, it would be better if he were careful. ¡°As expected¡­ You¡¯re most used to my body, right¡­?¡± Ain mumbled. She¡¯d read his thoughts through ?Assimilation?. ¡¸If you have time to say things like that, come back to your senses¡­¡¹ Hyun almost lost focus because of that comment, so he decided to ignore that type of thing. ¡°Ugh¡­ Hyun, where¡­ Ah, you¡¯re inside Ain¡¯s body.¡± Louise woke up from the noise. Hyun repeated himself. ¡°Remember what I told you? If something happens, leave the inn. If you¡¯re in trouble, use the scroll.¡± ¡°Yes, I remember.¡± ¡°Then, watch from here.¡± Louise could be of great help. But still, Hyun concluded that it would be better if he didn¡¯t let her out. The Heavens were probably looking for the Darkness. Nothing good would happen if they saw Louise. ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± Only he and Ain would fight. As soon as they walked out of the soundproof magic circle, they heard a loud noise. ¡®It¡¯s a bit bothersome.¡¯ Hyun reduced the volume to half. The loud noise could interfere with the other senses. Changing the settings to increase their concentration was one of the strategies they often used. ¡¸Are you going to change the settings?¡¹ Nod- ¡¸What about the plan?¡¹ ¡¸I thought about it while you were sleeping. Trust me.¡¹ Hyun could feel that Ain was breathing irregularly after listening to his answer. After a while, Ain mumbled in a low voice. ¡¸Even if it weren¡¯t morning¡­ I don¡¯t think I would¡¯ve been able to concentrate.¡¹ ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹ ¡¸I¡­ Just want to stay like this.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s what we said we would do.¡¹ Hyun tilted his head in confusion. Was it because of the ¡®Blessing of Darkness¡¯? The last time he¡¯d used that skill, she¡¯d also acted strangely. They would have to fight soon, so Hyun decided not to think about other things. [Remaining time before the road that leads to the Ruins of Darkness opens: 2 hours 28 minutes] If he wanted to go to the Ruins of Darkness, he had to wait until the fog cleared. There were two and a half hours left. He had to kill all of the Heavens users that had gathered around the area. ¡®We have the advantage.¡¯ Ain¡¯s specs with ?Assimilation? couldn¡¯t be compared to the rankers. Even without ?Assimilation?, except for Ain, there probably wasn¡¯t any user who could face him. He was confident he could face tens of thousands of enemies as long as he wasn¡¯t put under an abnormal status condition. ¡®It was most dangerous around this area.¡¯ Hyun was thinking of blocking only the direction in which the fog was the lightest. All of the other areas could probably be blocked by the other Abyss users. Hyun crossed the walls and left the town. He hid between the shadows of the hill and the fog. Since the black sun was shining with more intensity, the shadows were getting thicker. It was the perfect weather for the pitch-black Ain to hide. Hyun looked at the Heavens users that were walking toward the town. ¡®That guy seems to be around level 100¡­ And also that guy¡­ Aren¡¯t there any rankers among them?¡¯ The Heavens users invaded the Symmetrical World in parties or as parts of guilds. Hyun knew the faces of most of the top rankers, but there weren¡¯t any familiar faces among them. A deep smile appeared on Ain¡¯s face. ¡®This is going to be easy.¡¯ Hyun was planning to kill the Priest or Magician if it were a party. Against a guild, he would kill the person who looked like the leader. If he dragged too much attention, there was a chance he would receive numerous debuffs. If he killed the most important people, the Heavens would inevitably become weaker. ¡¸Keep an eye on where the fog is. We¡¯ll be in trouble if we get locked out by it.¡¹ ¡¸Huh¡­? O-of course¡­!¡¹ Hyun clicked his tongue at the slow reaction. It seemed like Ain¡¯s status wasn¡¯t optimal yet. Even just keeping an eye on things, she might make a mistake, so he had to be careful. The goal was to resist the attack of the Heavens users for two and a half hours. Hyun¡¯s quickly-moving vision looked at the enemy¡¯s front line. ¡¸Going out!¡¹ Hyun, who was hidden in the dark, jumped out after he finished thinking about the plan. The news that Heavens and the Abyss users received opposing quests quickly spread through the communities. As the quest details were revealed and it became public that the prize would be a legendary item, the communities became shocked. ¡­But there weren¡¯t many users willing to participate in it. The reason was simple: ¨C All those that have gone until now have died, right? ¨C None of the rankers went, lol. If you go, you won¡¯t be able to return. This is just a suicide quest, lol. ¨C If you die, you won¡¯t be able to enter for 48 hours. Who in their right mind would go¡­? It isn¡¯t like you¡¯re guaranteed a reward. ¨C You either get a huge reward or nothing. This is a lottery, basically. LOL ¨C I can¡¯t even go! The Heavens¡¯ boards were full of complaints. To participate in the quest, you had to be prepared to die, but to make things worse, there was a level restriction. There were also many complaints among Abyss users. ¨C To participate, you need to get a Duke¡¯s recognition? What¡¯s the % of users who have managed to do that? ¨C It¡¯s impossible unless you¡¯re in the top 0.1% A quest you had no right to participate in unless you had a good relationship with a Duke¡­ But the good thing was that users of the Abyss had a way to return alive. ¡ªAlthough that didn¡¯t matter to the average user. ¨C Of course, the conditions to participate are going to be harsh. There are many users in Asrian. If everyone gathered around a town, it would explode. ¨C That makes sense. After all, it isn¡¯t a city but a town. In the end, the Black Town¡¯s Quest received a lot of attention, but not many people participated in it. For the Heavens users, it was a trap quest, and most of the Abyss users couldn¡¯t participate even if they wanted to. But there were always those who thought differently from others. The famous streamer, ¡®Lilybell.¡¯ She was a Heavens user. Although she wasn¡¯t a ranker, she once became one of the top 30 streamers on a famous streaming platform because of her unique sense of humor. Lilybell had a different way of thinking. ¡°Fufufu. Black Town¡¯s Quest¡­ I¡¯ll go!¡± Of course, the viewers tried to stop her from going to a battlefield she couldn¡¯t return from. ¡°There¡¯s a way to win this quest easily!¡± Everyone found what she said suspicious. While the chat window was covered with question marks, she put the quest on the screen and began speaking. ¡°Everyone, read the quest goal! According to the information, you just have to enter the town! If you can pass through the town, you can easily enter the top 10 in contribution rate and obtain a unique-rank item. See?¡± The contribution system was complex, but what was certain was that the team that managed to advance would receive huge benefits. According to numerous reports, the Heavens had been gaining the advantage since a few hours prior. What if you entered it a few hours before the battle ended? If you were lucky, wouldn¡¯t you be able to become the first one to enter the town? Most people thought that it was a ridiculous plan. Until then, Asrian¡¯s quests hadn¡¯t been generous to users trying to gain an advantage using strategies like that. ¨C If you do that, you¡¯ll get a 0 contribution rate. ¨C Two days of vacation. Usually, Lilybell would¡¯ve been wrong, but she wasn¡¯t wrong that time. What the Holy Kingdom wanted was information! The reason why they¡¯d put a ¡®View Share¡¯ magic on the users was to obtain information, so seeing something new would definitely count toward the contribution rate. ¡°I¡¯m at exactly level 80. I perfectly fulfill the conditions. Isn¡¯t this a sign that¡¯s saying I should do the quest? Then, I¡¯ll be going!¡± ¨C Wait, she¡¯s really going to do it? ¨C Stupid, lol. ¨C I¡¯m going to follow you! ¡°You¡¯re also willing to offer your body for the Heavens.¡± She used teleporters consecutively and reached a certain place. Before the quest began, the Priest gave Lilybell all sorts of blessings. No one noticed that, among the blessings, there was a ?View Share? magic. ¡°Even if you feel you¡¯re in the depths of hell, don¡¯t be scared and keep advancing. In the place where hell ends, there will be the protection of Light.¡± The moment her body was covered with a complex magic circle¡­ Paf-! The ten thousand viewers watching her saw a world with a black sun and red air. ¡°So this is the Black Town¡­ It¡¯s definitely dark here!¡± Of course, save for very few users, most people didn¡¯t realize it was a place called the Symmetrical World. While the chat window was covered with messages like ¡®Woah¡¯ or ¡®What the¡­¡¯ a message appeared in front of Lilybell. [Advance quickly before you get devoured by the fog.] Chapter 159 Chapter 159 ¨C Skirmish (2) It was a very concise message. They soon realized that, although it was concise, it wasn¡¯t just a simple message. ¡°Agh!¡± ¡°Wh-what¡­ My body is melting?!¡± As soon as they were summoned, lots of people began screaming. Lilybell was surprised by the screams and turned around. A horrifying scene unfolded in front of her. Some people disappeared as soon as the fog touched them, and the bodies of some disappeared as if they¡¯d been erased. It was horrifying enough to make anyone feel chills. ¡°Ugh! W-wait¡­! Isn¡¯t this war? Isn¡¯t it a war quest?¡± Was that what they meant by ¡®go out before you get devoured by the fog¡¯?! She finally understood things at that moment. She struggled to even watch horror movies, so seeing people getting erased was quite shocking for her. Lilybell was so surprised that she began running toward the town before she noticed. People usually looked at her streams because her clumsiness was fun, but they couldn¡¯t help but be surprised by what happened next. Crack! ¨C What? ¨C ??? At that moment¡­ The upper half of a user behind Lilybell was torn apart. There was no way a human with only half of their body left would be able to remain alive. The person soon became light and was devoured by the red fog. ¨C What the? ¨C I really got surprised¡­ ¨C I threw my phone into the air. ¨C It suddenly became a horror game. Lilybell had set the streaming screen to a third-person point of view, so she wasn¡¯t able to see it, but everyone else had seen it. A black figure had appeared from the fog and devoured someone. ¡°Wh-what¡­? What did everyone see¡­?¡± Although Lilybell was trying to act calm, her face had turned white while reading the chat. ¨C You better run, lol. ¨C If the fog touches you, your body is going to melt¡­ Also, there¡¯s a ghost inside there. ¨C It seems like the safest place will be where there are more people. Just like the chatting window said, Lilybell, who was about to be surrounded by the fog, was in danger. The moment she tried to move to a safe place¡­ An unknown, dark figure appeared on the stream for a short while. Thanks to it appearing clearer, they knew that its silhouette resembled a human¡¯s. ¨C Is that a devil? ¨C Fog ghost¡­ A warning alarm began sounding in Lilybell¡¯s head. First¡­ she had to group up with other people! While thinking that, she began running toward a party in front of her. It was at that moment that the black figure moved. Slash! ¡°AAHH!¡± Lilybell screamed and fell to the ground. The atmosphere was already chilly enough, but the user¡¯s head next to her had suddenly vanished. Anyone would be surprised in that situation. ¨C Woah, this is fucking crazy¡­ ¨C It really is a horror game, lol. Unlike the noisy chatting window, Lilybell was lost for words. Her face paled. It felt even scarier due to the sensory synchronization. ¡°Ah, I survived¡­! I survived. Everyone¡­!¡± Lilybell¡¯s face brightened. Thankfully, she found a group of about 20 users. Were they a big guild? She thought that she should be safe with them. Lilybell approached them while thinking that when something unbelievable happened in front of her. Crack! The sound of wind was heard coming from somewhere. At the same time, the limbs of about twenty users were separated and scattered away as if they¡¯d been caught in an explosion. Lilybell looked, dumbfounded, as the users¡¯ legs, bodies, and heads were scattered away and disappeared after turning into light. ¡°Ah¡­¡± It was the effect of Hyun¡¯s ?Invisible? and ?Biorhythm Acceleration? mixed with Ain¡¯s claws, but neither Lilybell nor the people watching her stream knew about those things. It looked like their bodies had just fallen apart on their own, so it was even more gruesome. After a short while, ?Invisible? ended. It was then that Lilybell was able to see the black silhouette that looked like a shadow. It was Ain¡¯s silhouette, but no one noticed it was her. After all, the teeth and claws clearly belonged to a vampire. Not only that, but since the Demonic Energy amount had reached its max, Ain¡¯s body had turned pitch black. ¡°U-ugh¡­!¡± The Blessing of Darkness made those that belonged to the Heavens scared of you. The bigger the difference there was between levels, the greater the effects would be. Lilybell began running desperately. Lilybell¡¯s heart was beating fast while running when¡­ Ting! [You¡¯ve found a side road that leads to the Ruins of Darkness!] [You¡¯ve obtained 3283 contribution points! (Currently 13)] A message suddenly appeared. ¨C Woah, what? ¨C 13? ¨C 13! ¨C What happened? ¨C Was it real? The contribution rate went up so much because Lilybell had been able to see beyond the wall. Thanks to the View Share magic, the location of a road that the fog had blocked was revealed. But Lilybell didn¡¯t notice she¡¯d earned contribution rate because she was overwhelmed by the devil in front of her. ¡°Sniff¡­ D-don¡¯t kill me¡­ Please¡­¡± As soon as she reached a blocked road, her legs lost strength and she collapsed. Her expression was so strong that, for a while, the fact that she¡¯d reached 13th place in contribution rate was buried. ¨C What¡¯s up with that face? LOL. ¨C Stuffed angle, lol. ¨C One thing became clear¡­ You¡¯ll die if you go there~ [You¡¯ve died!] [You won¡¯t be able to log in for the next 48 hours!] Lilybell¡¯s stream conveyed a special meaning to herself, the viewers, and the Priests of the Holy Kingdom that were looking at it through View Share. ¡¸Oof¡­ I almost lost her.¡¹ Hyun sighed in relief after killing a user that had gotten closer to the town. ¡®was she a user who only focused on Agility and movement skills¡­?¡¯ Hyun had never seen such an unbalanced character, so he¡¯d almost let her into the town. Even if he¡¯d lost track of her, there was a distance between her and the inn where Louise was staying, so there shouldn¡¯t have been many problems. Except for a few incidents, everything was going as Hyun planned. ¡®Three, two, one¡­!¡¯ Hyun began counting inside the fog. Slash-! Every time the count ended, the shadow claws shone, and at least one enemy scattered into light. ?Efreet¡¯s Claws?, which had turned black, moved again when the next count was over. ¡®Five, four, three, two, one, now¡­!¡¯ Slash! The leader of a party that was made of tankers was killed in one hit. They were probably confused about what had killed him and why he¡¯d died. After a hunt was over, Hyun hid in the fog again and began counting. ¡®Three, two, one¡­!¡¯ He was counting to increase the effect of ?Angel¡¯s Basic Sword Art?. ¨C If you don¡¯t attack for 8 seconds, the damage output of the next attack will increase by 210%. They said that a predator didn¡¯t make useless movements while hunting. Hyun was, at that moment, a vampire that hunted Heavens users. He didn¡¯t need to make any useless movement to neutralize the enemies. He only used the necessary strength. ¡®Two, one, now¡­!¡¯ From a certain point, every time he swung the black claws, a new message appeared. [¡®Skill: ?Angel¡¯s Basic Sword Art? is being activated consecutively after cooldown!] [The proficiency rate of the skill is increasing fast!] The skill added a few decimal units and activated every eight seconds. Attack, rest, attack, and rest again¡­ During the eight seconds he rested, he planned the next attack. Optimizing skill usage was Hyun¡¯s specialty; it also wasn¡¯t something someone could easily copy. Repeating the same cycle on a battlefield where there were numerous variables wasn¡¯t something that was easy to do. [Skill: ?Angel¡¯s Basic Sword Art? proficiency rate has maxed out and is increasing to level 6!] The skill level that they were struggling with increased at once. Being able to activate the skill without delay against a user meant that your proficiency with using that skill was really high. Although it was good news, Hyun and Ain showed no reaction. Hyun was concentrating, and Ain was impressed. ¡¸Ain.¡¹ ¡¸Oh, yes¡­?!¡¹ Ain came back to her senses after hearing Hyun¡¯s voice. ¡¸I¡¯m going to use that skill again.¡¹ Ain understood what he meant. He was going to use ?Invisible? and ?Acceleration? simultaneously. The moment he used ?Acceleration?, he went above a human¡¯s capabilities, so not even Hyun was able to perfectly control his body under those circumstances, which meant he needed Ain¡¯s help. ¡¸Did you wake up a bit?¡¹ ¡¸Yes, I¡¯m doing better¡­!¡¹ ¡¸Okay, let¡¯s swipe away everything that¡¯s in front of us!¡¹ Hyun moved, and Ain attacked. If they separated their roles, they could freely move while under the effects of ?Acceleration?. That was possible because of the experience they¡¯d gained while playing together. Ain descended from the skies with a pair of giant claws on her hands. Giant claws that no one could see¡­ It took a second before an entire guild was wiped out. After ?Invisible? activated, spheres of light poured out like rain. Hyun, who had realized something, smiled. ¡¸You swung your hands a few times even though no one was left, right?¡¹ Hyun had seen Ain not stopping her attack despite all the opponents having been destroyed. That was a mistake that happened when you couldn¡¯t control your speed. ¡¸But it doesn¡¯t matter¡­!¡¹ ¡¸I wasn¡¯t trying to blame you. It¡¯s just that it looked funny.¡¹ ¡¸Hmm¡­ I haven¡¯t fully woken up, so my body isn¡¯t moving as I want.¡¹ He smirked at Ain¡¯s excuse. He wasn¡¯t thinking of blaming Ain. After all, it¡¯d taken him lots of practice before he could control ?Biorhythm Acceleration?. He¡¯d said it because Ain using both hands to scratch the air looked cute. ¡¸Where are so many users coming from?¡¹ They¡¯d run out of things to talk about, so Hyun changed the topic. ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹ ¡¸Look, over there.¡¹ Hyun pointed to a place where new Heavens users were appearing. They were looking around at the view of the Symmetrical World, surprised. ¡¸Those people¡­ they aren¡¯t coming here by a portal. They probably came walking from the other side.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s probably it.¡¹ ¡¸But they aren¡¯t appearing from just one place.¡¹ Hyun looked around. Heavens users were appearing simultaneously from diverse places. They were all starting to appear in places that weren¡¯t covered by fog. ¡¸Doesn¡¯t it seem that the summoning is getting more precise?¡¹ Until the day before, many players died as soon as they were summoned. But surprisingly, they hadn¡¯t seen even one casualty like that on that day. Ain¡¯s eyes widened after she realized that. ¡¸You¡¯re right! There isn¡¯t anyone dying as soon as they appear anymore!¡¹ ¡¸Yes, although the location of the fog changes every hour, they¡¯re being safely summoned.¡¹ That was what he meant by saying that the summoning was getting more precise. ¡¸I think¡­ that the Holy Kingdom is searching for the safest road possible.¡¹ ¡¸Road¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. When they become certain that they¡¯ve found it¡­¡¹ Hyun was wondering whether or not he should say something so ominous, but he decided to tell her. He thought that he should tell Ain, at least. ¡¸That¡¯s probably when the real attack will happen.¡¹ ¡¸The number of users will increase?¡¹ ¡¸No. Not that¡­¡¹ Although a fight between users may sound amazing on the community boards, in the world of Asrian, what they were seeing just looked like a fight between idiots. The Main Quest¡­ Was a quest that had the name ¡®Darkness¡¯ in it going to end so easily? Hyun didn¡¯t think so. ¡¸Heavens¡­ I think that NPCs from the Holy Kingdom will come.¡¹ Hyun thought of the Holy Kingdom Knight they¡¯d met in Kaidan Castle. ¡¸What kind of NPCs?!¡¹ ¡¸Probably ones that are way stronger than users.¡¹ The Holy Kingdom had numerous groups of Knights, but it didn¡¯t matter which squadron it sent. Users didn¡¯t stand a chance of winning against them. Ain with ?Assimilation? wasn¡¯t able to handle even one Knight. Although he was a named one, he wasn¡¯t even a captain. His original plan was to try to resist in the town and go there with Louise as soon as the road cleared, but from the moment Heavens¡¯ NPCs entered the town, that plan would be useless. If NPCs were going to appear, when was that going to be? In a few hours? In a few minutes? ¡¸I have a bad feeling.¡¹ ¡¸About what?¡¹ ¡¸I think that something is about to happen.¡¹ Seeing how there weren¡¯t any users dying as soon as they appeared, it was obvious that the Holy Kingdom had figured out how the fog moved. That meant that the expedition was over. Then, they really didn¡¯t have that much time. Knight squadrons were going to be able to cross to the Symmetrical World safely. Hmm¡­ Ain frowned after hearing the complex explanation, but she decided not to think too deeply about it. ¡¸We just have to keep fighting, right?¡¹ ¡¸Well, that¡¯s true¡­¡¹ Worrying about things they didn¡¯t have a countermeasure for was just a waste of time. For the moment, blocking the Heavens users that were trying to advance toward the town was more important. Chapter 160 Chapter 160 ¨C Skirmish (3) Smash. Smash. Hyun emptied his mind and once again became the Heavens users¡¯ worst nightmare. Ain occasionally said she would take control, so it seemed like she had woken up a bit. ¡¸Hyun, 9 o¡¯clock!¡¹ When Hyun eliminated more Heavens users, Ain suddenly shouted. ¡¸The other side of the town got noisy.¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t tell me¡­ Has it already been pierced?¡¹ Hyun quickly returned to the town. Just like Ain said, something had definitely happened on the other side. ¡®It¡¯s been pierced!¡¯ An entire castle wall had disappeared. ¡®Did NPCs already appear¡­?!¡¯ Hyun thought that for a while, but he soon discovered he was wrong. Although the wall had disappeared, the defensive line had yet to crumble. ¡¸What, it was her?¡¹ Many people were staring at a user. The girl protecting her place from the countless enemies charging toward her was someone very famous. Not only that, but they¡¯d met her numerous times. If you ask people who the most famous female user was, other than Ain, her name would be one of the most mentioned. She was part of the Darkness Guild and was 2nd in the Hall of Fame. Mayday had decided to participate in the quest as a user and was blocking the Heavens users from advancing. Psychokinesis Sorcerer¡­ It was a job that was known to be good in the hands of someone who could leverage its advantages. Since it wasn¡¯t a hidden job, anyone could use it, but for some reason, it wasn¡¯t very popular. Why was that? It had very few AOE skills! Horde hunting wasn¡¯t very effective. Not only that, but it was hard for someone with that job to play a big role in a large-scale war. That was why only a few Magicians chose the Psychokinesis Sorcerer while doing their job ascensions. But¡­ that was only among normal Magicians. If you had better specs than other people and you were skillful enough to use those specs, it wasn¡¯t impossible to use techniques that were similar to AOE magics. ¡ªJust like Mayday was doing. [?Air Restraint? Lv. 5] ¨C Hold all entities within 5 meters in the air. ¨C The higher your [Magical Power] is, the better the restraining ability becomes. The moment Mayday raised her hand toward the sky, the world stopped. All of the attacks flying toward her halted in mid-air. A halted fireball that continued to burn in the air showed that time hadn¡¯t truly stopped. ¡®AOE magic?¡¯ Mayday flicked her finger. Ain¡¯s skills didn¡¯t need to be cast, but the average Magician¡¯s skills often had to be activated like that. ¡®If it sweeps everyone away at once, that¡¯s AOE magic!¡¯ [?Reverse Track? Lv. 2] ¨C 3 seconds after casting, make all objects being restrained with ?Air Restraint? move in the opposite direction. Zoom- The air trembled. Hundreds of attacks began flying in the opposite direction. The Heavens users saw the attacks they¡¯d used against Mayday coming back at them. It was ?Air Restraint?¡¯s linked skill, ?Reverse Track?. ¡°B-be careful¡­!¡± ¡°Is that an ultimate attack¡­?¡± The overwhelming sight left the users mesmerized. ?Air Restraint? and ?Reverse Track? consumed a lot of mana, but they weren¡¯t ultimate attacks. Mayday¡¯s normal attacks could deal damage similar to an ultimate attack due to her high magical power. Boom! The attacks that were flying toward Mayday poured down on the Heavens users like rain. ?Mana Return.? Although Mayday had used incredible attacks, her mana levels weren¡¯t different from before she¡¯d used them. Sometimes, light and electricity attacks were able to break through ?Air Restraint?, but a defensive barrier blocked them. If she got the timing of her cooldowns right, she could keep that up forever, so it was disheartening for the Heavens users. ¡®Seeing this, the Psychokinesis Sorcerer doesn¡¯t seem to be a bad job for PvP¡­¡¯ Multitudes of different magics that flew toward her again were stopped in the air. After ?Air Restraint?, ?Reverse Track? activated a second time, and the screams of the Heavens users spread over the area. ¡®Wouldn¡¯t I be able to win against most users like this?¡¯ Mayday fell into thought. While practicing, hunting, or even when fighting against numerous users, she couldn¡¯t forget that day when she¡¯d fought against Ain. ¡®I¡¯ve practiced a lot since that day¡­ I guess I can be a bit more confident.¡¯ The title of 2nd place in the Hall of Fame or trying to become one felt pointless. One day, she began caring more about Ain than Lattice¡ªthe person whose name was above hers. After the battle in Lava City, she rewatched the video numerous times, intending to find out why she¡¯d lost. ¡®I can¡¯t counter her with simple skill mechanisms. Unless I change my style, I¡¯m always going to lose.¡¯ Thankfully, Ain had a YouTube channel. Her moves, psychological warfare, skill usage, etc¡­ After seeing her videos every day, she felt she should be able to imitate her. ¡°An opportunity! Die!¡± A cracking voice forced Mayday to return to her senses. A warrior-type user that was in the top thousand was charging toward her. She realized something after checking her status window¡­ ¡®Ah¡­ I don¡¯t have mana.¡¯ Were they aiming for that? After all, a Magician without mana was useless in close-range combat. But Mayday didn¡¯t have the expression of someone who¡¯d been caught off guard. ¡®If it was back then, I might have lost¡­¡¯ The giant sword was about to destroy her head. Mayday raised her hand. By adjusting her rhythm, she hit the greatsword and slightly changed the trajectory of the sword. When a pushing force was applied, the trajectory of the greatsword changed, and it fell to the ground. That resembled the technique Ain had used to brush off Latice¡¯s attack. [ ?Repulsion Field? Lv. 0] ¨C Increase pushing strength. She¡¯d received help from a skill, so it was a technique that was easier than the one Ain had used. Although even doing that took her quite a lot of practice. ¡®The good thing is that this skill doesn¡¯t use a lot of mana.¡¯ She¡¯d only used two skill points and obtained a way to counter close-range attacks. ¡°H-how¡ª?!¡± The Heavens ranker disappeared before he could ask how she¡¯d been able to block his attack. Mayday had used ?Mana Return?, and then she used ?Metal Edge? to stun the opponent. ¡®This is also something she showed.¡¯ Fufu. Mayday smiled after looking at her palm. The things she¡¯d practiced so much were working, so she was starting to gain more confidence. ¡®The next time we meet, I won¡¯t lose so easily!¡¯ The first time, during the Count¡¯s Quest¡­ she was completely defeated. Then the second time, although she had an advantage, she still lost. The next time would be the third; she wasn¡¯t going to lose so easily. But that third time came faster than Mayday thought. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Mayday rubbed her eyes when she saw a black silhouette that appeared in front of her. It was a devil that looked like a shadow. When Mayday saw it, she thought of someone¡¯s face. ¡°Ain¡­?¡± Had her head gone bad because of how conscious she was of Ain? To think that she would think of her after seeing a devil. Especially¡­ the face. How could it be so similar? Vampire¡­ No, she wasn¡¯t sure what kind of devil it was. Mayday stared at her, surprised. ¡°What are you looking at¡­?¡± At that moment, Mayday became so surprised that her heart almost stopped. The moment the devil opened her mouth, a voice she wouldn¡¯t ever be able to forget came out. ¡°Th-the voice is also the same?! No, that¡¯s not it¡­!¡± An alarm rang in Mayday¡¯s head. ¡°The real Ain¡­!¡± It wasn¡¯t a devil who looked like Ain¡ªshe was Ain! Ain was part of the Heavens. Heavens and Abyss users had to kill each other in the quest. Then was Ain there to kill her? ¡®If I fight her, I¡¯ll die¡­!¡¯ Although she¡¯d sounded so confident before, all that confidence disappeared after she saw Ain. The ¡®Dark Ain,¡¯ who had a chilling aura, seemed like someone she wouldn¡¯t be able to win against. ¡®I need to escape!¡¯ Mayday tried to use a return scroll. Once she started to look inside her inventory, Hyun understood the situation and spoke. ¡°Wait.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so surprised.¡± Slash! Hyun cut a Heavens user with ?Efreet¡¯s Claw? and calmed Mayday. Mayday began thinking as Ain cut through the numerous Heavens users charging toward them. ¡®Not the enemy¡­?¡¯ Ain was annihilating Heavens users at that moment. Also, Ain looked like a devil. ¡®Ah, she changed forces!¡¯ Unlike NPCs, users often changed the force they belonged to. Even if you started as a Heavens user, you didn¡¯t necessarily have to be one forever. ¡°Are you also of the Abyss?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Mayday calmed down after hearing Hyun¡¯s positive answer. Yes. Although they¡¯d only met as enemies before, they were on the same side at the moment. There was no need for her to escape. ¡°¡­¡± Even if that was the case, the atmosphere wasn¡¯t good. Just because they were part of the same force didn¡¯t mean they had to get along. Mayday was part of the Darkness Guild¡ªan organization that didn¡¯t have a good relationship with Ain. Hyun, Ain, and Mayday knew that, so they just silently looked at each other. The atmosphere was awkward, so Hyun opened his mouth first. ¡°Is the Darkness Guild participating in this quest?¡± Mayday answered Hyun¡¯s question. ¡°Our guild? No, I¡¯m alone.¡± ¡°You¡¯re alone¡­?¡± ¡°Of course. Except for me, most of them belong to the Heavens, and there wasn¡¯t anyone who wanted to fight me.¡± From what Mayday said, it seemed like she¡¯d decided to participate in the quest for personal reasons. That probably meant that they were allies since the quest was a fight between forces. ¡®We won¡¯t have to fight her.¡¯ They didn¡¯t need to be wary about Mayday if that was true. She¡¯d fight Heavens users even if they left her alone. Since he was sure NPCs would get involved, she was a very good asset for the Abyss. ¡®This¡­!¡¯ Mayday¡¯s thoughts weren¡¯t so different from Hyun¡¯s. ¡®This could be a great opportunity to improve our relationship with Ain¡­!¡¯ A few days before, they¡¯d reached a conclusion¡­ Even if they weren¡¯t going to be able to make Hyun and Ain join them, they would try to have the best possible relationship with them. That was the order XL had given them. Mayday and all the other executives of the Darkness Guild agreed with him. ¡®Good. This could be the perfect opportunity to correct the mistake Pias made!¡¯ Hyun opened his mouth when Mayday was thinking that. ¡°You better be careful.¡± Mayday¡¯s eyes widened after hearing Hyun¡¯s words. A bit late, she asked. ¡°Careful of what¡­?¡± ¡°This attack won¡¯t be the end.¡± It was what Hyun had concluded after many years of experience in Asra and what he¡¯d learned while doing Asrian¡¯s main quest. ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t overdo yourself yet.¡± Hyun had to keep as many Abyss forces alive as possible for the quest. He advised Mayday because she was part of the Abyss. ¡°Even if you and I are here¡­ the Abyss is in danger?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Hyun looked around. Suddenly, Heaven¡¯s users stopped appearing. The Abyss users were shouting as if they¡¯d won. The quests weren¡¯t over yet. [Remaining time before the road that leads to the Ruins of Darkness opens: 1 hour 40 minutes] ¡®They¡¯re coming soon¡­!¡¯ Hyun became more nervous than ever while everyone else was relaxing. Ssss. The moment the fog became lightest, the safety zone that connected both worlds completely opened. If the Heavens were planning to enter the Symmetrical World, right then was probably the best possible time. Hyun held his breath while he waited for what was about to happen. Chapter 161 Chapter 161 ¨C The Time The Road Opens (1) ¡°We¡¯ve found a safe road that leads to the Underground.¡± The Priest gave him a piece of good news. But the Priest¡¯s face was grim, so the Bishop wondered what was wrong. ¡°Was there a problem?¡± ¡°Yes, you see¡­¡± Click- Half-transparent footage appeared in the air. It was a scene they¡¯d seen through the users¡¯ eyes. A dark and evil devil that looked like a vampire was tearing apart the Heavens users. It was Hyun and Ain, but the Priests of the Holy Kingdom had no way of knowing that it was a user. ¡°What¡¯s¡­ that?¡± ¡°We also aren¡¯t sure, but it¡¯s what stopped the users from going any farther.¡± According to the Priest, they¡¯d discovered a safe road that led to the Underground, but they weren¡¯t able to see what kind of danger was beyond the entrance since not a single user was able to go through that black figure. ¡°Ahh¡­ This isn¡¯t good. Is that Darkness? Or could it be a servant?¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t sure, but we won¡¯t be able to go through with just the users. It would be better if we were able to discover its identity, but right now, we don¡¯t have time to do that.¡± According to Light¡¯s oracle, they had to cut Darkness¡¯s roots before it was too late. What was behind that pitch-black devil? Even if they didn¡¯t know, they had to advance. ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do. We¡¯re going to have to leave it to fate¡­¡± ¡°Then?¡± ¡°We¡¯re moving the troops.¡± The Bishop ordered. ¡°The Pope has agreed, so prepare the knight squadron.¡± The Bishop made a chilling smile while looking at the black figure. He wasn¡¯t sure what it was¡­ but one thing he was sure of was that it was related to Darkness. There was no way that a devil emitting such ominous energy was a normal devil. ¡°Also, tell them to eliminate that devil as soon as they reach the Underground.¡± ¡°Darkness¡­¡± ¡°Yes. It seems like you¡¯ve also seen it.¡± The Bishop nodded while looking at the nervous Priest. ¡°That¡¯s Darkness¡¯s energy.¡± A meteor rain poured down. The thousands of rays that appeared in the night sky were so grand and magnificent that all the people of the Holy Kingdom saw them. ¡°Is Light also looking at us¡­?¡± For the Holy Kingdom, sending the knights was harder than sending users. The Sacred Power was opposite from the energy of the Underground To send someone with Sacred Power to the Underground, overcoming the resistance to Sacred Power was necessary. Sending one Holy Knight required as much effort as sending thousands of users. ¡®Please, protect those that belong to the Heavens.¡¯ They were going to send 200 Holy Knights and 50 Holy Magicians, so the Holy Kingdom had spent quite a lot of resources on the expedition. They¡¯d used a third of the sacred stones they had, after all. The Bishop nervously looked at the crystal ball. The Holy Knights had also been put under the ?View Share? magic. The Priests could see what was happening through their eyes. Hundreds of Holy Knights charged while riding horses as the black sun set and the red sun slowly rose. ¡°Annoying.¡± Shakron Neizer¡­ One of the five strongest Knights the Holy Kingdom had, he was also the person in charge of leading the expedition toward the Underground. He looked at the Heavens and Abyss users, annoyed, and mumbled. ¡°How useless.¡± Whish! The chain sword in his hand stretched to 20 meters. The weapon, which looked like a whip at a simple glance, had lots of sharp blades. As a snake made of metal danced through the place, consecutive explosions of light went off. Had he killed Heavens users? Abyss? To Shakron, that didn¡¯t matter. ¡°The Darkness¡­ I¡¯m definitely going to kill her with my hands.¡± For him, users were just a bunch of weaklings. ¡°I can¡¯t let these weaklings take the merit! Charge!¡± Shakron¡¯s orders were embedded in the heads of all the knights. Fwoosh-! Light exploded, and the formation of the horses stretched out at a speed that couldn¡¯t be compared to real life. Users that weren¡¯t even at level 200 couldn¡¯t do anything against it. Some were swept away, and others ran away in confusion. Shakron¡¯s knights reached the Black Town¡¯s entrance almost instantly. ¡®That Darkness thing isn¡¯t here.¡¯ Shakron¡¯s sharp eyes looked at the surroundings. He was looking for the figure with black energy because the Bishop had told him to get rid of it. ¡®Is it on the other side?¡¯ The town wasn¡¯t big, so if it hadn¡¯t escaped, he should¡¯ve been able to find it quickly. If things got troublesome, he just had to kill everything in front of him. Shakron decided to use the most comfortable way. ¡°Kill everyone other than our own squadron.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Screams could be heard. The Abyss users tried to resist by holding the wall, but it was useless. ¡°They¡¯ve built useless things.¡± Boom-! As Shakron swung his chain sword, the castle walls were destroyed as if they were tofu. It took only a few seconds before the entire wall was demolished. ¡°Wh-what?!¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t they knights from the Holy Kingdom? Why are they attacking us¡­?!¡± Users from the Heavens weren¡¯t safe. Most of them were killed by Shakron¡¯s chain sword, and the few that managed to escape it were killed by a Holy Knight¡¯s sword or devoured by the fog. ¡°How weak.¡± ¡°They¡¯re users, after all.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. They¡¯re just bugs.¡± It took the knights a minute to successfully invade the town. After invading the town, Shakron gave another order. ¡°Search for a devil that has the energy of Darkness. If you see a dark figure, report to me.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The Holy Knights replied with shouts and scattered away. ¡¸Hold your breath.¡¹ The attic of the inn¡­ Hyun was looking at the scene while ?Assimilated? to Louise. ¡¸Who was he? I think I¡¯ve seen him somewhere.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s Shakron¡­!¡¹ At Hyun¡¯s shout, Ain mumbled, ¡®Who¡¯s that?¡¯ Even during Asra, Ain wasn¡¯t very interested in the story, so she didn¡¯t remember NPC names very well. ¡¸I¡¯m glad we hid quickly. If he¡¯d seen us, we would¡¯ve died instantly.¡¹ Hyun knew how scary that person was. The greedy Holy Knight, Shakron Neizer. He was a story named NPC. At that moment, he should¡¯ve been around level 390~400. All of the knights with him were at least at level 300. The decision to hide and give up on fighting the moment he saw his face was the correct one. ¡¸I¡¯ve seen that guy before!¡¹ ¡¸Shakron¡­?¡¹ Louise didn¡¯t know his rank, but it seemed like she also knew his face. Shakron¡¯s knights were looking around the town, trying to find something. When they heard steps within the inn where they were staying, they became nervous. After all, their senses were beyond a normal human¡¯s, so there was a chance that they would be able to hear them breathing. ¡¸Has everyone except for us died?¡¹Ain carefully asked after the sounds became distant. ¡¸Probably¡­¡¹ The knights kept searching for a while. Then they heard Shakron¡¯s angry screams. It seemed like things weren¡¯t going as planned. Then¡­ Slam- The earth began moving as if an earthquake was happening. ¡®What¡¯s going on¡­?¡¯ Hyun looked outside through the window of the attic. Ah¡­! When he realized the reason behind the earthquake, he shouted through the party conversation. ¡¸Ain, log out!¡¹ The shockwave went off right after that. BOOM-! Even though they had their eyes closed, it felt as if they were surrounded by light. ?Incineration?¡­ The magic that the Magicians the Holy Kingdom brought used was one that burned every being that didn¡¯t have Sacred Power. The attack¡¯s effective range was everything within the caster¡¯s field of vision. The ?Incineration?, which started from a single point, soon grew in size and reached the fog outside the town. The light covered the entire town, so Hyun and Louise had to face that attack. [You¡¯ve received 3837293 damage!] [A Transcendent is protecting you! Your HP will be fixed at 1 for 3 seconds.] [¡®Physical Defect: Melting¡¯ has been canceled!] ¡®Ugh¡­!¡¯ Hyun moaned in pain after feeling his body turn into dust. He didn¡¯t even have time to tell Louise to use a return scroll. If it weren¡¯t for the Robe of the Praying Priest, she would¡¯ve disappeared without leaving a trace. The town couldn¡¯t resist the effect of Incineration and was destroyed. Slam! When the light stopped, all the buildings had already collapsed. Louise, who was in the attic, was buried under a pile of rock. They heard a dry voice after a short while. ¡°I guess everyone should¡¯ve died.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that those that have Demonic Energy would¡¯ve been able to survive.¡± ¡°It was quite an extravagant way¡­ but I guess there won¡¯t be problems.¡± The knights had checked the devil before going there through the Priest¡¯s magic. It looked only a bit stronger than the users, so there was no way a devil like that would be able to withstand ?Incineration?. ¡°It seems like that wasn¡¯t Darkness.¡± Shakron smirked. The fact that Light hadn¡¯t said anything probably meant that Darkness was still alive. It seemed like the devil that looked like a vampire was just a servant that had received part of Darkness¡¯s strength. ¡°I didn¡¯t have any expectations. There¡¯s no way Darkness was at a place so easy to reach.¡± ¡°I also wasn¡¯t expecting much, but unlike us, Priests always worry about lots of meaningless things.¡± While the knights talked with each other, someone found a new road. ¡°Mr. Shakron, there¡¯s the road.¡± [Remaining time before the road that leads to the Ruins of Darkness opens: 15 minutes 20 seconds.] The road that led to the ¡®Ruins of Darkness¡¯ Hyun was waiting for. Shakron smiled while looking at the road covered with fog. ¡°Is that the road that leads to the Ruins? Then, Darkness should be ahead.¡± ¡°According to the Priest, that should be the case. The fog will soon clear.¡± A few minutes after that¡­ As the fog cleared, a road that led toward a dark valley appeared. ¡°We¡¯re going. Everyone, prepare.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Shakron¡¯s knights disappeared as quickly as they¡¯d appeared. There was only a heavy silence within Pitchblack Lighthouse. After a while, some pieces of rock began moving, and Louise appeared from under them. Hyun used an elixir that increased the recovery speed. Thanks to that, Louise recovered more than half of her HP. ¡°This¡­¡± Louise looked at the remnants of the town. There wasn¡¯t anything left where the light had passed. There weren¡¯t any humans, devils, or even users¡­ If it weren¡¯t for a few traces, one wouldn¡¯t believe that it had been a peaceful town until the day before. ¡°¡­¡± In the end, it was like Louise saw the city of Iluna crumbling again. Thanks to ?Assimilation?, Hyun knew that Louise¡¯s feelings differed from what she felt that day. She wasn¡¯t feeling fear and desperation. It was another type of feeling¡­ Even if she hadn¡¯t said anything, Hyun thought he could understand her feelings. She was silently screaming. Ain: Are they gone? LeeSeoHyun: Yes. Paf-! Ain appeared out of nowhere. She¡¯d been in the attic before everything crumbled, so she reappeared in the air. She easily recovered her balance and landed on the ground; then she looked around. ¡°What happened¡­?!¡± Ain couldn¡¯t hide her surprise after seeing that the town had disappeared without leaving a trace. ¡¸They used ?Incineration?.¡¹ ¡°?Incineration??! How many Magicians did they bring?¡± ¡¸About 30 I believe¡­¡¹ The specs of named NPCs were higher than users of similar levels. Judging from the power they¡¯d displayed, the Magicians they¡¯d brought were probably around level 300 ~ 350. ¡®Did¡­ the quest fail?¡¯ Hyun looked at the quest window. [ ¨C You have to escape the danger of the Heavens and take Darkness with you. You probably already know where you have to go. ] [ ¨C Take Darkness to the place called heart. There, she probably will open her eyes to a new strength. ] Hyun slowly nodded. The fact that a new message hadn¡¯t appeared despite them not being able to defend the town meant that the main quest was still going. The important thing wasn¡¯t defending from the attack of the Heavens but taking Louise to a specific place. [Time before the road that leads to the Ruins of Darkness closes: 23 hours 52 minutes 30 seconds.] ¡®So we¡¯ll have to go that way.¡¯ The fog that moved over periods of a month had completely opened, and a road that led to a dark valley had appeared. That was the road that led to the Ruins of Darkness. He would probably get answers to Louise¡¯s identity at the end of the road. Chapter 162 Chapter 162 ¨C The Time The Road Opens (2) ¡®We should wait a bit before we go.¡¯ According to the timer, they had about an hour to relax. If they went right away, there was a chance they¡¯d meet the knight squadron, so it would be best to leave as late as possible. Also, that would give Louise time to calm down. While Hyun was making plans, he heard Louise¡¯s voice. ¡¸I think it¡¯s weird.¡¹ ¡¸What¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Until now, I¡¯ve only thought of undead as scary, but today¡¯s a bit different¡­ What about you? Am I feeling like this because I¡¯m weird¡­?¡¹ Thanks to ?Assimilation?, Hyun understood what she meant. Louise had no memories of her past¡ªshe didn¡¯t even know she was a demon. Although it was obvious from seeing how much the deaths of a few devils was upsetting her. Louise didn¡¯t know anything, so to her, her emotions were fluctuating for no reason. ¡¸I¡¯m not sure why I¡¯m the only one acting weird¡­¡¹ ¡°Haa¡­¡± Hyun let out a sigh. He hadn¡¯t been completely sure about Louise¡¯s identity, but now he had become sure of it. It was about time he told her the truth. Hyun carefully asked something. ¡¸You¡­ What do you think of demons?¡¹ ¡¸Demons¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Yes, be honest.¡¹ Until very recently, Louise thought of demons as evil beings. How would she react if she heard she was a demon? ¡¸I¡¯m not sure. After all, I¡¯ve never seen one.¡¹ ¡¸Are you scared?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m¡­ Not sure. I¡¯m not scared of devils anymore, so I guess I would feel similar about demons¡­¡¹ Whether she liked it or not, Louise had to know the truth eventually. ¡¸Listen, but don¡¯t take it to heart.¡¹ ¡¸Hmm¡­?¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re probably a demon.¡¹ He had some doubts initially, but now he was almost sure of it. The reason why Louise¡¯s feelings fluctuated so much while seeing the devils die was probably because of that. ¡¸A demon¡­?¡¹ Louise remained silent for a while. Hyun left her to think a bit. Asrian was real life for her. Anyone would feel confused if they heard they were a demon. ¡¸Me, a demon¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t worry. Even if that¡¯s the case, I will be on your side.¡¹ Hyun mumbled after feeling a sudden increase in uneasiness. Louise was scared about a demon receiving hate. For a user that was of the Abyss, angels were enemies, and demons were allies. Louise was worrying about nothing. Thankfully, Louise¡¯s reaction was less than he thought. ¡¸You don¡¯t hate demons¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Yes.¡¹ ¡¸Hyun, if you don¡¯t leave¡­ I don¡¯t care about being a demon.¡¹ Hyun told her other things, too. The Main Quest, and why they were trying to reach the Ruins of Darkness¡­ Louise seemed sorry after hearing all of it because she realized that all the struggles they went through in the Symmetrical World were because of her. They would be able to obtain many things at the end of the road that led toward the ruins. When he told her, Louise¡¯s expression changed as if she didn¡¯t like that. ¡¸But¡­ I don¡¯t want to recover my strength or memories if I can live normally like right now¡­¡¹ Louise was afraid of having to go through another situation like that¡ªthe deaths of numerous devils. ¡¸Do you want to return?¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡­!¡¹ ¡¸That isn¡¯t possible.¡¹ Hyun immediately refused. What kind of future would come if Louise didn¡¯t move? Hyun could easily guess what would happen based on the experience he¡¯d gained in the previous game. The Main Quest wasn¡¯t an event you could slow down by hiding. If the Darkness didn¡¯t do anything, the forces of Light would just get stronger. It would keep taking control of all the places around the world, and in the end, Louise wouldn¡¯t have anywhere she could stay. ¡¸It¡¯s something you¡¯ll eventually have to do.¡¹ ¡¸I¡­ see¡­¡¹ There was a chance that the Main Quest he was doing had the chance to rewrite the history of Asrian completely. Depending on the result of the quest, the balance between the forces could change. The Holy Kingdom had moved first, so Darkness had to react to that¡ªthat was her destiny as Darkness. ¡¸You may find it hard¡­ but be strong. This is also for you.¡¹ In the end, Louise understood her situation. The Heavens hated all demons. If she remained still, she wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything eventually, so before that happened, she had to move and try to balance things out. ¡°Did you finish talking?¡± ¡¸Yes. Let¡¯s go.¡¹ [Time before the road that leads to the Ruins of Darkness closes: 42 minutes 29 seconds.] ¡®What should I do?¡¯ Hyun began thinking about every move he could make. He could either hinder them, reduce their forces, or get ahead of them. Among those options, getting ahead of them and reaching the Ruins of Darkness first seemed to be the most important. Whatever they did, they had to start moving before it was too late. The group began moving through the road that had opened between the fog. A few minutes after Hyun began moving to the Road of Darkness¡­ Paf-! Immediately after Mayday logged in to Asrian, she saw the town that had been destroyed. ¡®Huh? Wh-what happened? Did everyone die¡­?!¡¯ After ?Incineration? went through, there was nothing left in Pitchblack Lighthouse. Mayday was able to survive thanks to Ain¡¯s advice. ¡®I¡¯m glad I logged off before anything happened!¡¯ Logging out when the battle started had the same penalty as if you¡¯d been killed. The criteria that decided that was the moment you were recognized as an ¡°enemy¡± by an NPC. If it weren¡¯t for Ain¡¯s advice, Mayday would¡¯ve lost her life at the hands of the Holy Knights. ¡®Did she save me¡­? That Ain¡­? Seriously?¡¯ She couldn¡¯t believe it. She didn¡¯t think Ain was the type of person who would give someone else a piece of advice. In reality, Mayday wasn¡¯t wrong. After all, it was Hyun who had given her that advice in order to keep as many of the Abyss¡¯s forces alive as possible. ¡¸Mayday, are you alive?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. I¡¯m in the Black Town¡­ Although this doesn¡¯t look like a town anymore.¡¹ ¡¸You really are alive! But every user that was there was killed. How did you¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Ah, you see. What happened is¡­¡¹ Mayday briefly explained to him what had happened. Just the fact that she¡¯d met Ain was good enough to report on, not to mention how Ain¡¯s faction had changed and that Ain had saved her life. XL seemed surprised after hearing what happened. ¡¸Really? Ain gave you a warning¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Yes, that¡¯s weird, right? She doesn¡¯t seem the type of person who would do that.¡¹ Ain was the most ¡®my way¡¯ type of user she¡¯d ever met. When Pias tried to make her join the guild, a fight suddenly happened. XL thought about it for a while and then carefully spoke. ¡¸Wait a moment, maybe¡­¡¹ He thought about a possibility they¡¯d discussed regarding Ain not long before. ¡¸Are you sure it wasn¡¯t ¡®Hyun¡¯?¡¹ ¡¸What¡­?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m talking about the possibility that Hyun ?Assimilated? to Ain.¡¹ Ah¡­! Mayday quickly began thinking about what happened at that moment. When she thought about it, her atmosphere seemed different. If you could borrow the other person¡¯s voice while using ?Assimilation?, it might have been possible that she¡¯d talked with Hyun. ¡¸I¡­ I think that it might have really been Hyun!¡¹ She began recalling her memories. How Ain talked, the unknown skill she was using, her eyes that moved awkwardly¡­ ¡¸I think it was Hyun!¡¹ According to the information they knew, Hyun was someone who cared a lot about his own gains and losses. If he thought that leaving her alive would be better, it wouldn¡¯t be weird for him to give her such advice. ¡¸What? You met Hyun?¡¹ ¡¸Mayday, what quest are you doing?¡¹ New voices joined the conversation. One was the vice-leader of the guild, Reina; the other one was an executive, Bear Shield. ¡¸Although I¡¯m not a hundred percent sure¡­ I think that the chances are high. Woah, I¡¯ve been talking with Hyun!¡¹ ¡¸If you met him, that¡¯s good news.¡¹ XL smiled in satisfaction. ¡¸He gave you good advice, right? If so, the relationship won¡¯t get messed up like the first time we met them.¡¹ ¡¸Haha, Pias, he¡¯s talking about you!¡¹ ¡¸At least we¡¯re going to get a chance to break the wall.¡¹ There was no chance they¡¯d be able to make Hyun or Ain join them. ¡ªThat¡¯s what the executive of the Darkness Guild and ex-Asra user Keiji said. Although it might be impossible to make them join, according to him, building a good relationship was possible. For example, what if they became trade partners? Keiji knew what Hyun wanted from his experience in the previous game. ¡¸The easiest way to build a good relationship with Hyun is to offer him a good item. A rare or lower-rank item could make things worse¡­ Yes, a unique item that¡¯s over level 100 should be good enough.¡¹ ¡¸Hey, Keiji, isn¡¯t that too much? We¡¯re the Darkness Guild, after all!¡¹ Reina complained. ¡¸Well, it isn¡¯t like we didn¡¯t make a mistake¡­ I guess it should be okay to give a present to Ain. Something that won¡¯t overwhelm her.¡¹ ¡¸No, it won¡¯t have an effect on Ain. You should give the present to Hyun. The more grand and overwhelming it is, the better the effect it will have.¡¹ Keiji kept talking about numerous things, but they decided to talk about the details later on. ¡¸Well, it seems like we will be able to recover the relationship. Although I still can¡¯t believe that a single user can have such a big influence¡­.¡¹ ¡¸Okay. If I meet him again, I¡¯ll talk to him. I¡¯ll contact you later!¡¹ And the short conversation between the executives of the Darkness Guild ended. ¡®Although I have to meet up with him first¡­¡¯ Mayday decided to think about the situation. She¡¯d gone there because she¡¯d received a quest from the Duke. But she¡¯d decided to participate without thinking too much about it. To think that it would be such a big quest¡­ Not only that, but it had yet to end. Maybe it would keep going on until she left the place and died. She wasn¡¯t sure why the town was destroyed like that. She¡¯d logged out before the knights entered the town, so she had no way of knowing what had happened. ¡®Did some sort of bomb fall on the town?¡¯ She wasn¡¯t sure if Ain was still in town or if there were more survivors like her. ¡®There really isn¡¯t anyone.¡¯ She quickly gave up on trying to find someone else. The fog gave the place a chilling atmosphere. The town¡¯s area wasn¡¯t very big, so it didn¡¯t take her long to look around the town. ¡®Hmm? There¡¯s a road!¡¯ Soon, she found a road that was connected to a dark valley. The road the knights and Hyun¡¯s group had gone through was still open. It was the road that led toward the Ruins of Darkness. The other places were full of fog, so it was hard to move. ¡®It¡¯s narrow, and it looks scary, but this isn¡¯t a horror game. Is this the only road left?¡¯ While Mayday was thinking about whether she should go through that road or not¡­ She heard stones moving from behind and quickly turned around in surprise. She saw a figure standing up amidst the rocks. ¡®An old man¡­? Is he a user? No, he isn¡¯t a user!¡¯ She soon realized that it wasn¡¯t a person. He had red eyes, sharp claws, and long canine teeth. The being that stood up was the vampire Priest of Pitchblack Lighthouse. ¡°U¡­ Ugh¡­ I barely survived¡­!¡± If he hadn¡¯t hidden as soon as the knights entered the town, the Priest also wouldn¡¯t have been able to survive. ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± The Priest looked into Mayday¡¯s eyes when he emerged. ¡°A human?!¡± ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± Mayday flinched at the sudden shout. ¡°A user? Are you of the Abyss?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± She quickly understood the situation and nodded. Vampires were devils that belonged to the Abyss. She tried to appeal to him, saying she was doing a quest for the Abyss. ¡°I see.¡± The vampire stood up and turned his attention from Mayday. Instead, he looked at the town that had been destroyed. ¡°This was the doing of the Heavens¡­ But as long as I¡¯m alive, I won¡¯t stop praying to Darkness, you bastards!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Mister?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Can I ask you something?¡± ¡°What¡¯s that road?¡± Mayday asked while pointing to the road that led into the fog. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Where does that road lead?¡± The Priest was stunned as he looked toward the direction Mayday was pointing. Chapter 163 Chapter 163 ¨C The Time The Road Opens (3) ¡°Damn, today¡¯s the day the fog clears up!¡± ¡°Fog?¡± ¡°So this is what those guys from the Heavens were after! This is dangerous. We mustn¡¯t let them step in the sanctum!¡± ¡°Sanctum?¡± Mayday tilted her head as unknown words kept coming out of the old vampire. ¡°This isn¡¯t the time to be like this. We need to move quickly! Even if it costs my life, I¡¯ll defend the Sanctum of Darkness!¡± The Priest began running toward the road that was clear of the fog. ¡°Ah, wait¡­!¡± ¡°Human, don¡¯t bother me! I must block the forces of the Heavens!¡± ¡°That¡¯s my quest! I received a petition from a Duke!¡± The Priest frowned at Mayday¡¯s shout. ¡°Quest?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a quest that says that I should stop the Heavens.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Anyone that¡¯s part of the Abyss has the right to offer their life, but if you¡¯re a bother, I¡¯ll throw you to the fog!¡± The Priest began moving toward the road after warning her. Mayday quickly followed him. Was it going to be okay? Wouldn¡¯t she die? Mayday thought numerous things while walking through the chilly, dark road. She decided that, if things got too dangerous, she¡¯d use a return scroll. [¡­The road that leads to the Darkness starts from the lighthouse, gets connected to the canyon, and leads toward the heart, but to reach the heart, you have to wander through the fog.] Hyun was lucky to have found that passage in the interloop. It was information he¡¯d found by combining numerous keywords. The lighthouse probably referred to the town. It was probably the ¡®Pitchblack Lighthouse.¡¯ ¡®What do the canyon and heart refer to?¡¯ The village¡¯s name at the entrance was ¡®Pitchblack Lighthouse,¡¯ so those behind were probably called ¡®Pitchblack Canyon¡¯ and ¡®Pitchblack Heart.¡¯ But he wasn¡¯t exactly sure what it meant. Hyun slowly started walking down the road while he thought of many different things. ¡°Look over there!¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Ain¡¯s shout led to him discovering the answer to his question. The road that led to the Ruins of Darkness was uphill and connected to a mountain. ¡ªA mountain surrounded by black fog. The fortress wall and watchtower that were along the endless mountain were truly a beautiful sight. Below the mountain, there was a canyon so deep that they couldn¡¯t see the bottom of it. ¡®Is that the canyon¡­? The fog is thicker over there.¡¯ It couldn¡¯t be seen very well because of the fog, but it seemed like there was a road that let them down into the canyon. ¡°It seems like it already broke¡­¡± ¡°These are probably traces that the knights left behind.¡± The watchtowers all around were destroyed; it wasn¡¯t hard to imagine what had happened. ¡°Here, too¡­¡± ¡°It seems like they destroyed everything they could on the way.¡± Deep pits and destroyed towers¡­ Although there weren¡¯t any corpses left, there were traces of devils offering resistance. Even if there were some high-ranking devils, they probably weren¡¯t able to face the knights with just the few that were in the watchtower. Louise stared blankly at the destroyed remnants. ¡°¡­¡± The winding road went on for quite a long time. Due to the narrow field of view, they felt like they were heading toward an invisible road. Hyun kept searching for information in the Interloop. ¡®Lighthouse¡¯, ¡®canyon¡¯, ¡®fortress¡¯, ¡®heart¡¯, he used numerous keywords¡­ He soon found some drawings that seemed useful. ¡®Wait. This¡­ is a map!¡¯ He became excited for a moment but soon realized the map wasn¡¯t going to be very useful. The map didn¡¯t have the location of the fog. It was impossible to put the location of a fog that constantly moved on a map in the first place. ¡®There¡¯s only one road, so we probably won¡¯t need a map for a while.¡¯ Seeing how there were traces of footsteps below them, it probably meant the knights had passed through that road. Figuring their intentions while hiding and trying to avoid them was probably the first thing he had to do¡­ He would make a plan after that. ¡°Hyun¡­¡± While they were walking through the road, he suddenly heard Louise¡¯s voice. ¡°There¡¯s something strange¡­¡± ¡°What, are you still bothered?¡± They had just passed through some traces of destruction. He was wondering if Louise was still thinking about dead devils. ¡°You didn¡¯t use ?Assimilation? just now, right¡­?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Just now¡­ I think that a weird memory came into my head.¡± What did she mean? ?Assimilation!>> He scattered away and entered Louise. While ?Assimilated? to her, he shared her senses and soon understood what she was talking about. ¡¸I feel like I¡¯ve seen this before¡­¡¹ Louise was feeling deja vu. The mountains covered with black fog, sheer cliffs, and the canyon that you just couldn¡¯t tell the depth of¡­ If she felt that she¡¯d seen that other world-like scenery before, they were probably memories of Darkness. ¡¸Is there anything you remember?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m not sure¡­ Maybe it was my mistake.¡¹ ¡¸If there¡¯s anything you remember, say it because it might be important.¡¹ ¡¸Understood¡­¡¹ The middle of the mountain¡­ There were many towns that were bigger than Pitchblack Lighthouse on the road towards the Ruins of Darkness. The group that passed through tens of watchtowers looked at the destroyed towns. The remnants of destroyed lands were scattered all over the place. The difference between them and the one before was the size. Louise realized something and took a deep breath. ¡°This¡­¡± ¡°It seems like ?Incineration? was used here as well.¡± The city that was surrounded by fog might have been a natural fortress, but even a strong fortress couldn¡¯t resist the knights. ¡®Not even a lich could¡­¡¯ Hyun looked at the magic circles that were all around the place and realized it was a place where liches, which were high-ranking devils, lived. The liches used strong magic, so they were an object of fear for humans, but to Holy Knights, they were just ill-tempered devils. ¡®It seems like there were also some hybrid beasts and golems.¡¯ It seemed like there were also other monsters mixed among them. The only thing that was left was silence. Louise bit her lips while remaining quiet and looking over the destruction. Since she had the name of Darkness, she probably couldn¡¯t help being influenced by the deaths of devils. ¡°There could be enemies around here, so I¡¯m going to use ?Assimilation?,¡± Louise silently nodded. ¡®As expected¡­¡¯ Hyun realized that he¡¯d guessed correctly. Louise¡¯s heart was swirling with emotions. It felt as if someone was stinging her chest with a needle, and her heart was thumping in her chest. It was obvious that she wasn¡¯t in a normal state. ¡®Are they all dead?¡¯ Hyun looked around. Although no corpses were left, the place was no different than a devil graveyard. Louise couldn¡¯t say anything, but her feelings weren¡¯t like that. Was Darkness paying her respects to the devils that had died? ¡®No, not everyone is dead! Someone is approaching us!¡¯ Hyun grabbed Ain and hid in the debris. They heard a noise coming from somewhere. There were some clashes, and the hum of mana became louder. GRRR-! The low sound soon became loud. While they watched the scene unfold from their hiding place, a big body fell and scrambled on the floor. A beast¡¯s hair, sharp claws, and teeth¡­ They soon realized it was a werewolf. ¡¸It¡¯s a devil! It¡¯s still fighting against a Holy Knight!¡¹ ¡¸Should we get involved?!¡¹ ¡¸No, wait. Be quiet¡­!¡¹ Hyun grabbed Ain¡¯s hands and tried to calm Louise down. They just looked at the one-sided battle happening from a distance. The werewolf was fast and strong. It was at a level that was comparable to the one they¡¯d seen on the fifth floor of Kaidan Castle. The problem was that a normal Holy Knight, who wasn¡¯t even the vice-captain, was overwhelming such a werewolf. GRRR! The werewolf cried out, but the Holy Knight¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change. He was as stoic as a soldier who took care of the deceased on a battlefield. ¡°This will probably kill it.¡± Fwoosh! The Holy Knight¡¯s sword drew a line of light. Although it might¡¯ve looked weak, it contained a strength that the werewolf couldn¡¯t handle. Crack! The solid claws were destroyed, and after that, the werewolf¡¯s body was split into two. A sharp twinge affected Louise¡¯s heart when the giant body scattered into light. ¡®Ugh¡­!¡¯ Darkness¡­ A demon was influenced by the death of a being that served her. Ah¡­! Before Louise¡¯s mouth opened, Hyun blocked her from saying any sound. ¡¸Hyun, we aren¡¯t going to fight? Seriously?!¡¹ ¡¸We can¡¯t!¡¹ He calmed Ain down. ¡¸There¡¯s more than one enemy around us.¡¹ Hyun, who had taken a step back to analyze the situation, realized they were in danger. He heard the sounds of explosions and screams. Dozens of Holy Knights were eliminating the devils that had managed to survive. Hyun quickly realized the situation because, every time a devil died, there was a fluctuation in Louise¡¯s heart. ¡®There¡¯s at least 10¡­ We can¡¯t win against them.¡¯ The group silently waited for time to pass while the screams went on around them. The only thing that Hyun could do was to try to calm Louise down. Only after they could hear no more screams and the Holy Knights left could they walk out of the remnants. ¡®This isn¡¯t good.¡¯ Louise was in a bad spot. Up until then, she had never been so distressed. Louise especially always tried to hold her emotions down when Hyun ?Assimilated? to her. ¡°Hyun¡­¡± Louise mumbled with a blank expression on her face. It was as if she¡¯d given up on everything. ¡°Didn¡¯t you feel that?¡± ¡¸What?¡¹ ¡°My chest feels hot¡­ I also don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with me. My head just feels messed up, but¡­¡± Louise was talking using her mouth rather than her soul, so even Ain could hear what she was saying. ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but for the first time¡­ I got the thought and desire of wanting to become stronger.¡± Louise¡¯s voice was louder than normal. ¡°I heard that demons are strong beings. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± ¡¸Yes¡­¡¹ ¡°Then, am I really a demon?¡± ¡¸You¡¯re a demon?!¡¹Ain suddenly interrupted, but Hyun put his finger near his mouth and said, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you the details later¡­¡± ¡°If, just like you say, I¡¯m a demon¡­ why is it that I¡¯m so weak?¡± A Transcendent needed to have a strong Ego and Empathy. Because Louise had lost her memories, her Ego was weak and couldn¡¯t be compared to a Transcendent¡¯s. That meant she couldn¡¯t use her strength. She also couldn¡¯t use Empathy as her own power, which meant she couldn¡¯t use the strength of those who believed in her. Hyun didn¡¯t explain all of the details to her. What she needed wasn¡¯t an explanation. ¡®Is it destiny?¡¯ Louise was experiencing a dilemma. Those that served the Darkness called her name before dying. Desperation, pain, revenge¡­ Their Empathy made of negative emotions joined Darkness. A demon with a weak ego couldn¡¯t help but suffer if receiving countless arrows of emotion that flew toward her. Louise¡¯s desire to get stronger was probably a reaction to that¡ªshe probably wanted to offer resistance to those that hurt her. ¡°If¡­ I had a strength comparable to yours¡­!¡± To a little girl, the weight of the name ¡®Darkness¡¯ was too much to handle. Before Louise could keep talking, Hyun opened his mouth. ¡¸You can easily become stronger than me.¡¹ ¡°There¡¯s no way that¡¯s true¡­ I realized something while hunting¡ªmy body doesn¡¯t level up!¡± ¡¸It does.¡¹ If you were a demon, you would forever be a demon. You couldn¡¯t change your destiny. Since Louise realized what the devils were feeling, she had two choices¡­ Was she going to live a life that was swayed by Empathy, or would she try to get a strength powerful enough to control that? It meant that, if Louise didn¡¯t want to be devoured by the emotions of others, she had to become Darkness. Chapter 164 Chapter 164 ¨C Empathy Is¡­ (1) Hyun began thinking in Louise¡¯s place. All humans that lived on the surface hated her. Not only that, but suddenly, she started to feel the devils¡¯ pain. She received hate from the Heavens and pain from the Abyss. She was swept away by incidents, whether she wanted to be or not, but despite that, she couldn¡¯t feel anything¡ªthat¡¯s why she was feeling disillusioned. ¡®It isn¡¯t going to be easy.¡¯ The situation¡­ maybe he would be able to change it. It wasn¡¯t just because of a quest¡ªHyun wanted to give Louise strength. ¡¸You just have to follow me.¡¹ ¡°You¡­?¡± ¡¸I¡¯m going to help you become strong enough to do most things alone.¡¹ ¡°You¡¯re telling me to leave things to you¡­ If that¡¯s all I can do¡­¡± ¡°What are you guys talking about? Tell me, too!¡± Ain alone couldn¡¯t hear, so she shouted but was ignored. Hyun received a new message window. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll leave my body to you one last time.¡± Darkness¡¯s will was transferred to its shadow, the Shadow Linker. [A piece of Darkness has started to resonate!] [Louise¡¯s Empathy has been unlocked!] While he suddenly received message windows¡­ Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Hyun felt his heart beating faster. ¡®What¡¯s going on¡­?¡¯ Even though he was a user, he felt a bit excited, so Louise, who was an NPC, was probably feeling more excited. ¡¸Are you okay?¡¹Hyun asked in surprise. ¡°I was surprised for a bit, but I¡¯m okay¡­¡± ¡¸Do you want to take a break¡­?¡¹ ¡°No. We can¡¯t change our plans because of me. Hyun, you can do as you wish.¡± Although Louise was still little, she was the NPC who knew what Hyun was capable of the best. Up to that point, all of his plans had worked. Not only that, but he¡¯d managed to do some things that seemed impossible. Even when she saw no way out¡­ Every time she wanted to give up, Hyun always found a solution. At that point, Louise completely trusted him, so she was once again going to leave things to him. Hyun read Louise¡¯s thoughts through ?Assimilation?. ¡¸Okay¡­¡¹ He ?Disassimilated? because it would be a problem if their emotions got intertwined in that situation. ¡°But if it gets hard to deal with, tell me.¡± He recomposed himself. He¡¯d learned that feeling anxious and nervous increased the chances of making mistakes. ¡°Ain, you too, focus. We may have to fight soon.¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯m focused!¡± ¡°More than that.¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°You still haven¡¯t fully come to your senses.¡± Ain¡¯s body suddenly trembled. The Blessing of Darkness was affecting her, and Hyun¡¯s eyes were firmer and colder than she had ever seen before. Click- He heard her take a screenshot out of nowhere. ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± Hyun was confused, but after that, Ain¡¯s expression became serious, so he didn¡¯t say anything else. Slowly but calmly, they began walking forward. In a very high place¡­ The Skeleton Duke, Scothanatos, was looking at his territory. Even though Heavens users had gone through this land and the Holy Knights had invaded his territory, the Duke remained calm. Even while devils were dying and in the middle of the chaos of the war, he didn¡¯t lose his temper and kept thinking of the next move. ¡°Woah¡­ They¡¯re going through again¡­!¡± After users and Holy Knights, the Heavens kept invading. A follow-up unit arrived. That time, it was Holy Magicians wearing robes with a golden pattern. Then Scothanatos finally nodded. The wait had been worth it. In war, every decision could become decisive. Being able to see all of your opponent¡¯s cards could give you a huge advantage. ¡°It¡¯s about time to move¡­¡± Scothanatos decided that he would wipe away the Heavens¡¯ plans with his next move. Since he knew the size, strength, and location of the Heavens¡¯ forces, he could lead the devils himself and eliminate the enemies. Scothanatos was sure of his success¡ªat least until the Darkness began resonating. ¡®This¡­!¡¯ The moment Louise¡¯s heart began beating faster, the situation changed. The Duke¡¯s eyes shone even though he had been able to remain calm during the Heavens¡¯ invasion. ¡°The land is crying¡­ Why¡­?¡± The Duke could even feel his bones vibrating. To think that it would be such a strong resonation¡­ There was no way Scothanatos, someone who served Darkness, wouldn¡¯t know what that meant. ¡°Did Darkness arrive today¡­?¡± He hadn¡¯t realized the girl he¡¯d met the day before, Louise, was actually Darkness. He just knew that the weak body of Darkness was somewhere, but that was enough to make him excited. ¡°It isn¡¯t time to try to make things¡­ More effective.¡± He wouldn¡¯t have been able to act so relaxedly if he¡¯d made a mistake. If it was the will of Darkness, they had to make it come true¡ªeven if it required them to put their lives on the line. ¡°I¡¯ll have to use all of my forces¡­!¡± Before the Ruins of Darkness was destroyed, they had to eliminate the Heavens from the lands. They couldn¡¯t let someone interrupt the resurrection ceremony. Fwoosh-! It was at that moment that a magic circle made of fire appeared. Thick Demonic Energy appeared. The Demonic Energy began taking form, and then wings appeared from its back. Scothanato¡¯s eyes shone in a surprised reaction once more. The one that appeared in front of him was a demon, but it was a face he didn¡¯t remember. As the one who served the Darkness¡­ There was no way he wouldn¡¯t know a demon¡¯s face. Did that mean that it was someone who didn¡¯t serve Darkness? Then, why had someone like that appeared in front of him? ¡°Just listen¡­¡± The unknown demon began talking to Scothanatos as if he¡¯d gone there to give him a message. ¡°The laws of cause and effect are being balanced. Don¡¯t interfere.¡± ¡°I cannot¡­ Understand¡­¡± ¡°It means that you should just watch.¡± Even though it was a Transcendent saying it, Scothanatos couldn¡¯t help but have some doubts. To ask him to remain still when Darkness herself had entered the land¡­ Even if he were a demon, he wouldn¡¯t be able to easily accept what some unknown being was saying to him. It seemed like he noticed, and the demon smirked and started talking again. ¡°My name is Djonial. I¡¯m just here to say what Deception has told me to relay.¡± ¡°Deception¡­? Wants me just to watch¡­?¡± The demon, Djonial, didn¡¯t remain there for a long time. For a servant-rank demon like him, even being there for a short moment was quite a difficult task. ¡°She said that this was all for Darkness, so I¡¯ll trust your decision.¡± After saying that, Djonial disappeared. Even after the magic circle disappeared, Scothanatos kept thinking for a while. ¡®Should I just¡­ watch?¡¯ Darkness and Deception became stronger when they coexisted. Although there might¡¯ve been some conflicts between their underlings, the demons had no reason to fight each other. Moreover, there was no way there would be a conflict between great demons. ¡®Cause and effect¡­! What cause and effect was he referring to¡­?¡¯ No matter how much he thought about it, Scothanatos couldn¡¯t understand the meaning behind those words. Was it referring to the Darkness awakening, or did it have some other meaning? The more he thought about it, the more confused he became. Was it obvious that a skeleton like him wouldn¡¯t be able to understand what a great demon said? His two eye sockets continued to flash. Srrrr. The fog moved. Whenever the fog moved, it felt as if the sky was wriggling. Even the sun, which was getting darker, wasn¡¯t enough to distract the group because Louise¡¯s expression suddenly changed at a system message that appeared. [Louise¡¯s Empathy has been unlocked!] Hyun had been curious about something for a while. A Transcendent exercised its strength through Ego or Empathy, but why was it that Louise, who was a Transcendent, could receive prayers but not use her Empathy? He¡¯d concluded that it was probably because she was incomplete as a demon. It seemed like Hyun¡¯s guess was correct. [Empathy Lv.0 (+1)] [A Transcendent obtains strength from receiving prayers from countless beings. The more your heart trembles, the stronger you¡¯ll become, so you should be prepared to accept the turbulent emotions of the entire world.] [ ¨C You can feel the emotions of those who serve you.] [ ¨C You can also make them feel what you¡¯re feeling.] Empathy was one of a Transcendent¡¯s many powers. ¡­And it had just appeared as a skill in Louise¡¯s status window. After going through a change of heart, Darkness had completed half of the awakening, and thanks to that, she had gotten one step closer to fully becoming a Transcendent. ¡®Did she awaken after going through a change of heart?¡¯ Hyun smiled bitterly. To think someone so weak was the Great Demon of Darkness. He didn¡¯t suddenly see Louise as an impressive existence. Rather than that, he was worried about whether she would be troubled¡­ If she¡¯d be able to accept others¡¯ feelings with such a weak heart. ¡®But her Ego¡­ still has yet to awaken!¡¯ She¡¯d get devoured by the emotions pouring from everywhere in the state she was in. In the end, she wouldn¡¯t be able to distinguish her own feelings. To stop that from happening¡­ Lousie had to unlock a Transcendent¡¯s other strength, the ¡®Ego.¡¯ Srrrr. The black clouds cut away and formed new ones. Hyun suddenly felt a surge of emotions from Louise. The sense of death¡­ Maybe, one day, Louise would be able to Empathize with everything around the world, but for the moment, she could only feel what was around them. It seemed like there was a fight happening close to there and that they were close to the Holy Knight. If they wanted to move safely, it would be best to wait for a moment, but Hyun didn¡¯t stop. Every time he or Louise changed, the main quest was modified. Wouldn¡¯t something like that happen right then? Ting-! ¨C To recover the Ego, ¡®Darkness¡¯ has to reach the end of the road. ¨C Reach the ¡®heart¡¯ of Darkness before the enemies! ¨C If the Heavens¡¯ forces manage to destroy the ruins, Darkness won¡¯t be able to withstand the pressure of Empathy and will end up perishing. Hundreds of years will probably have to pass before Darkness is able to awaken again. Hyun soon realized that his guess was correct. The quest¡¯s description changed from ¡°Find the Ruins¡¯ to a more precise one that gave a warning. It was about Louise¡¯s death. Truth, Deception, Light, Darkness, Order, Chaos¡­ According to his Asra knowledge, Transcendents didn¡¯t die. Even if they disappeared, they just moved to the next generation. If Darkness was reborn, would she be Louise? That wasn¡¯t something he could answer with his knowledge. She would probably be someone else with another face and personality. Although Darkness may have been immortal, her body and memories could disappear. ¡®I thought something like this might happen.¡¯ The Main Quest was something capable of changing Asra¡¯s history. It wasn¡¯t something you could choose to do or not; you also couldn¡¯t take a break from it. It was a quest that had a time limit. You only had one chance, and its difficulty was extremely high. ¡®Did I think of it too lightly¡­?¡¯ It wasn¡¯t simply reaching the Ruins of Darkness¡ªhe also had to get there faster than the knights. At first, the quest seemed easy, so he¡¯d thought he would be able to do it any time he wanted to. If he knew that he didn¡¯t have much time, wouldn¡¯t it have been better if he moved more quickly? ¡®No, considering the time the fog opens, I¡¯m not late.¡¯ The Road to Darkness opened once a month. There was no point in having reached the town faster if he couldn¡¯t go down the road faster. In the end, facing the knights was the only possible outcome. Hyun was able to rationally organize his thoughts. ¡®This is probably the fastest way¡­ After all, it hasn¡¯t even been a month since I received the quest regarding the Ruins of Darkness.¡¯ Slam! Bang! The clear sound of battle entered the group¡¯s ears. The devils were fighting against the Holy Knights. After realizing that opponents were near them, Ain asked him a question in surprise. ¡°Weren¡¯t we planning¡­ to chase them from a distance?¡± ¡¸There¡¯s been a change of plans.¡¹ ¡°R-really?¡± According to the new information, Louise had to reach the place called ¡®heart.¡¯ The ruins were probably there, and they had to reach that place before the knights. ¡¸We have to catch up.¡¹ ¡°How much?¡± ¡¸All the way.¡¹ Chapter 165 Chapter 165 ¨C Empathy is¡­ (2) Hyun thought of using ?Wind Barrier? to run through the sky but soon gave up on that idea. The sky was a hell full of black fog, and going through it would be suicidal. ¡¸We¡¯re going to have to face them.¡¹ High-level Holy Knights also had the ability to distinguish between those that belonged to the Abyss and the Heavens. They wouldn¡¯t be able to fool them by changing the runes on their hands. They had no other choice but to face them! The group ran through the canyon full of darkness while coming to that realization. Boom-! The canyon was surrounded by fog, and they could hear the sounds of battle from both sides. They would soon encounter the knight squadron¡¯s rear. ¡®I hope it works¡­¡¯ Leaving Ain aside, Hyun ?Assimilated? into Louise and ran to the front. The opponent was an elite of at least level 350. They wouldn¡¯t be able to beat even one if they played fair. If there was a way, they would have to bet everything on that momentous loophole! ¡®Whether it works or not, we¡¯ll have to try!¡¯ As soon as ?Invisible?, and ?Biorhythm Acceleration? activated¡­ ¡°¡­!¡± A Holy Knight was surprised when the wind suddenly began blowing, but he reacted quickly. Although Louise and Ain¡¯s attack wouldn¡¯t be able to deal him damage since he was holding a shield¡­ The wind wasn¡¯t targeting the Holy Knight. Rather, it was targeting the area behind him, the dark canyon that was full of fog. Fwoosh! The black energy spread to the sides when the wind encountered the fog. A fog that devoured everything¡­ Bahmir said that even he would struggle with it. There was no way Holy Knights, which were weaker than Bahmir, would be able to resist it. ¡°Huh? Ugh¡­!¡± The Holy Knight¡¯s body started to shine. Most Holy Knights had regenerative abilities. His body was being devoured by the fog and regenerating at the same time, but that only lasted for about 10 seconds. [Level Up!] The tornado that had Demonic Energy and fog mixed together looked like a black dragon. After a while, there was nothing left where the wind had passed through. ¡°They¡¯re weaker than I thought!¡± Ain mumbled in disbelief. Hyun briefly explained it while they continued running. ¡¸It¡¯s probably that the fog is too powerful¡­ You should also be careful and make sure it doesn¡¯t touch you.¡¹ ¡°The fog? Then we can hunt them all using this same strategy, right?¡± ¡¸I¡¯m not sure¡­¡¹ Hyun wasn¡¯t sure how many times that strategy would work. The Holy Knights were quite sensitive toward the death of a fellow Knight. Even then¡­ Hyun looked around and saw that the rest of the Holy Knights were looking cautiously at their surroundings. ¡°Crayer died.¡± ¡°What? Was there a dangerous devil behind us?!¡± They soon thought of someone after seeing Louise covered in Demonic Energy. It was the devil related to Darkness they¡¯d received orders to kill. ¡°A black vampire¡­?¡± ¡°So it¡¯s that guy.¡± They realized the devil they hadn¡¯t seen in the town was still alive. ¡°But it¡¯s weird. That vampire¡­ doesn¡¯t it seem to have the energy of the Heavens?¡± He asked after feeling Ain¡¯s energy. Among creatures like werewolves, some belonged to the Heavens, but that wasn¡¯t the case for vampires. But how could a creature of the Abyss possibly have energy from the Heavens? Anyway, neither of them was a normal devil. The Holy Knights looked carefully at Ain and Louise. ¡¸As expected, we won¡¯t be able to use the same strategy.¡¹ Seeing how they moved far away from the fog, Hyun realized that the same strategy wouldn¡¯t work. ¡°If we fought them, how many could we beat?¡± ¡¸About two.¡¹ ¡®Maybe only one¡­¡¯ The Holy Knights had already invaded the fog canyon, which was a territory of Darkness. They were running with all their might, but because of that, five Holy Knights had gotten close to them and were in formation. ¡°Then we¡¯re going to die here!¡± ¡¸Be quiet, I¡¯m thinking!¡¹ Hyun soon realized that the enemies were afraid of the fog. They had to run close to the black energy! If they didn¡¯t want to get attacked, that was the only way. ¡®Ugh¡­¡¯ Breathing became hard for a while. Louise¡¯s heart began beating faster. Hyun realized why that was the case after he took a look around. ¡®Damn it, why in this situation¡­!¡¯ The group had passed through the Knights that were at the rear and had entered the canyon¡¯s middle section. There was still a fierce battle going on there. The Heavens were slaughtering the defeated Abyss soldiers, and Louise¡¯s ¡®Empathy¡¯ activated at the devils¡¯ deaths. The dying devils¡¯ feelings entered Louise. Ba-dump, ba-dump! Every time one died, a sharp pain pierced her heart. ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± Although Louise was agonizing over their deaths, he didn¡¯t have time to care about her at the moment. The Holy Knights, who were watching from a distance, were trying to ambush them. ¡®Tsk, ?Shadow Run?!¡¯ Louise¡¯s figure stretched out, and sword energy full of Sacred Power poured down. Slash! As the earth shook, Hyun steadied himself in mid-air. He jumped into the middle while keeping where the enemies were in his head. ¡¸Ain, enter with me!¡¹ ¡¸Leave it to me!¡¹ Ain knew what Hyun wanted her to do. She needed to divert their attention. She used ?Steps of the Incarnate? and blocked the Knights¡¯ field of vision. A brief gap in their vision appeared. Although it might have been irrelevant in an area with low-level monsters, with the enemies they were facing, that was their only chance. ¡®?Sword of Darkness?, ?Shield?.¡¯ Hyun used both skills and used as much Demonic Energy as possible. Pang! Along with the wind exploding, he used the ?Sword of Darkness? and sliced through everyone, including Ain and the Holy Knights. Ting! The moment the Holy Knights were hit with the sword, its rotation stopped, but the effect of ?Shield? worked perfectly. ¡¸As expected of Hyun!¡¹ Ain was impressed after seeing the Holy Knights being stunned. He was waiting for her to push them into the fog, similar to what they did during the Awakening Quest, right? Ain was thinking that when she suddenly screamed. Fwoosh-! Magical power blew, and all of the enemies freed themselves from the stun. ?Purification Roar?. Most Holy Knights that were over level 350 had a skill that let them cleanse debuffs. Ain thought they¡¯d nullified their plan and became anxious for a moment. ¡¸They¡¯re free!¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s okay.¡¹ Hyun¡¯s voice was calm. Ain saw a giant sword appear in Louise¡¯s hands. He¡¯d already used all of his Demonic Energy, and the skill still had cooldown time. Why was it that he could use the skills again? ?Illusion Run?! The only ones who didn¡¯t know were the Holy Knights, who thought they were about to face the same skills. ¡°Everyone, dodge!¡± They hurriedly shouted and tried their best to avoid the oncoming slash. At the same time, a dark gust swept through the place! But that time, the sword was just a shadow¡ªit was just an illusion with a cooldown time of five seconds. Hyun sighed in relief after seeing that the enemies were trying to evade. ¡¸Haa¡­ Let¡¯s increase speed.¡¹ ¡¸Aren¡¯t we going to get rid of them?¡¹ ¡¸Right now, we have to keep moving forward. The opponents behind us¡­ Let¡¯s think about them later.¡¹ Hyun kept using illusions and blocked the enemies from getting close to them. As Demonic Energy and a fog made of shadow mixed, it looked as if the fog was running through the canyon, which looked dangerous. ¡®With this, we¡¯ll be able to resist for the moment.¡¯ He knew how dangerous leaving enemies behind was because you could be stabbed in the back. But they had no choice but to keep running at that moment because Louise¡¯s status was worsening. ¡°Where do demons go when they die¡­?¡± ¡¸What¡­?¡¹ ¡°I¡¯m asking because I thought, Hyun, you¡¯d know the answer¡­¡± The more they advanced, the more devils entered the range of Louise¡¯s ¡®Empathy¡¯ skill. The feelings of death and nausea became more intense. Louise probably kept mumbling weird things because she felt her feelings being devoured. ¡¸I¡¯m not sure. It¡¯s probably the same¡­¡¹ To be honest, there was a slight difference. If a demon died, a being of the next generation replaced it, but he didn¡¯t tell her that. After all, the next Darkness wouldn¡¯t be Louise. ¡¸If you have time to think about stupid things¡­ concentrate.¡¹ The size of Louise¡¯s Ego was nothing compared to the name ¡®Darkness.¡¯ It was obvious that Louise couldn¡¯t resist all of the negativity. Clink, KAAA-! Even then, devils weren¡¯t able to withstand the Knights¡¯ attacks and were turning into ashes. What would ?Empathizing? with the agonizing screams that could be heard from their surroundings feel like¡­? It was probably impossible to understand it from the senses of a user. Louise¡¯s pale face and trembling voice reminded him of a sick person that was about to face death. ¡°Do you remember when you first used ?Assimilation?¡­? Back then, I was scared because I thought that I was selling my soul to a demon, but right now, you¡¯re defending the soul of a demon. It¡¯s funny if I think about it.¡± Bzzt! Hyun used his reflexes to dodge an electricity attack that had suddenly flown towards him. Even though he¡¯d used ?Shadow Shield? and the attack brushed past it, he¡¯d lost about 1/5 of his HP at once. ¡®?Purification Strike¡­?¡¯ Hyun looked at where the lightning had fallen from. There were Magicians wearing armor made of chains. Bzzt- Bzzt- Lightning spheres grew in size from the tips of their wands. ¡®Even Magicians¡­!¡¯ If Holy Magicians had appeared, it meant they were getting closer to the main knight squad. One couldn¡¯t dodge lightning perfectly because electricity had an area of effect! Numerous magic circles appeared around the wands that were aiming at Louise. The moment those shone¡­ ¡®?Prepared for Extinction!?¡¯ There was no time to talk. Hyun ?Assimilated? to Ain and used her ultimate attack. Fwoosh! Fiery fur grew from Ain, and her body was covered by a red flame. BZZT! The moment the wolf¡¯s body jumped in front of Louise, dozens of lightning attacks struck its body. The electricity was powerful enough to melt the ground, but after the attack that no one should have been able to survive finished, the fiery wolf was still standing. ¡°What¡­?!¡± ¡¸I¡¯m sorry. I borrowed your body because it was urgent!¡¹ After hearing Hyun¡¯s voice, who had ?Assimilated? back into Louise, Ain finally understood what had happened to her. ¡°Huh, my body?!¡± ¨C While active, ignore (Fire/Ice/Electricity/Wind) attacks. If the attack consisted of one of those four elements, it could even block an attack from an Angel. It was a new effect she¡¯d gotten after changing jobs to Elemental Berserker when the level of her ultimate attack went up by one. A spark that wasn¡¯t absorbed splashed into Ain. Of course, the enemies weren¡¯t going to stay still. ¡°Long-range attacks work.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get close, attack from a distance!¡± After the magic, they began throwing spears at them. ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± Although Ain brushed off the attacks, she couldn¡¯t block the attacks without receiving damage, even in her incarnate state. ¡°Urgh!¡± Ain moaned in pain after losing half of her HP. ¡¸Are you okay?!¡¹ ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to resist for much longer¡­!¡± BZZT-! Once again, the enemies finished casting their lightning attack, but Ain read the trajectories of the attacks and managed to stand in front of Louise and absorb the damage. The problem was that she couldn¡¯t block the damage done by the spears, so Ain had to twist her body and brush off the attacks. [You¡¯ve received 3921 damage!] [You¡¯ve received 4116 damage!] Attacks poured down without even giving them time to catch their breath. ¡®When did they get behind us?¡¯ BZZT- Hyun realized a bit late that the Holy Magicians had finished casting from the rear. There were five magicians, and Louise wouldn¡¯t be able to resist all five attacks. ¡¸Hyun, I can¡¯t block that!¡¹ Ain shouted. She was busy with the Holy Magicians in the front, so she couldn¡¯t do anything about the attacks flying from the back. ¡°Damn¡­!¡± Whir. Whir. Magic circles appeared around the wands that were aiming at Louise. Hyun clenched his teeth after seeing the remaining cooldown times on his skills. ¡®I can¡¯t dodge!¡¯ It was a magic that was impossible to block or resist. The entire place filled with light, and crackling blue lightning shot toward Louise. Chapter 166 Chapter 166 ¨C Empathy Is¡­ (3) ¡°Uhm¡­ Can you move slower?!¡± Mayday, who had left the town and was walking through the dark road, asked in a troubled voice. Everything was okay and she¡¯d been able to follow the old vampire Priest until then, but he started moving too fast, so it was hard to follow him. ¡°Hmph. If you can¡¯t keep up at this speed, that means you¡¯re useless!¡± ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± Mayday was forced to drink elixirs that increased her mana recovery rate. The Priest kept complaining as they moved. ¡°It seems like the Heavens came here prepared.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± The Priest pointed toward a dark canyon that was connected to the mountains. ¡°See the traces of destruction? They¡¯re following the road that leads to the Sanctuary of Darkness.¡± ¡°Sanctuary of Darkness?¡± Mayday wondered what he meant by ¡®sanctuary¡¯ since that sounded like a piece of important information. ¡°What is the Sanctuary of Darkness?¡± ¡°What? How can someone from the Abyss not know what that is?¡± ¡°No¡­ I was just¡­¡¯ Usually, to obtain a piece of important information from an NPC, you have to offer a gift, increase their affection rate, or do a quest. You could say that Mayday was lucky for being able to obtain information without offering anything in exchange. ¡°Hmm¡­ Well, there was even a vampire that didn¡¯t know about it¡­ so I guess it¡¯s understandable that a user doesn¡¯t know about it.¡± The Priest nodded while talking to himself and then began explaining. ¡°The sanctuary is a place where Darkness descends. It should be, but since they haven¡¯t been there in¡­ Yes. From the way others probably see it, it would be more precise to call it a ¡®Ruin.''¡± Darkness? Ruin? Those words piqued Mayday¡¯s interest. Mayday also knew what the word ¡®Darkness¡¯ meant. She silently listened to the Priest¡¯s explanation. ¡°But still¡­ It will always be a sanctuary for people like me who serve ¡®Darkness¡¯ because we¡¯re sure they¡¯ll be reborn one day.¡± ¡°Reborn¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. Darkness left part of their strength in the sanctuary while they were still alive. One day, they¡¯ll come to recover it. I remained in the town waiting for that day.¡± What Mayday understood was this: Darkness had lost their strength, but they could regain a piece of that strength in the sanctuary. ¡°Will Darkness be fully reborn if they make it to the sanctuary?¡± ¡°No. The sanctuary was just their resting place, after all¡­ They¡¯ll probably only be able to find a trace of their past power.¡± It seemed like, even if Darkness got there, they wouldn¡¯t be able to fully regain their power. He said something about it only being part of the process of obtaining the right to become a Transcendent or something. Mayday stopped trying to understand when complex words like ¡®Ego¡¯ and ¡®Empathy¡¯ were mentioned. ¡®But Darkness was definitely a great demon. If I help them regain their power, will I be able to obtain something in exchange?¡¯ She laughed while thinking irrelevant thoughts like that. When Mayday began wondering about something¡­ ¡°But Darkness¡ª¡± ¡°More respect!¡± ¡°S-sorry. Why didn¡¯t Darkness return to the sanctuary?¡± The Priest sighed at Mayday¡¯s question. ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°No one that serves the Darkness knows the answer to that question. We also don¡¯t know where they are at the moment¡­¡± It had been eight years since Darkness had last answered the rites. That was also the reason why all the vampires had left the town. Although eight years were nothing from the point of view of a Transcendent, for the Priest, who worshiped Darkness, it had been too long. ¡°I think that they¡¯re waiting for the right moment.¡± ¡°Right moment¡­?¡± ¡°There was an old saying in my town. Someone who isn¡¯t strong gets their strength from the shadows¡­ It probably isn¡¯t time for them to leave the shadow yet. I¡¯m unsure as to if they¡¯re gathering strength or finding a loyal underling¡­ No one knows the exact reason.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s our duty to protect the sanctuary at the moment, no matter what. Now, do you understand why we must block the pawns from the Heavens from reaching the sanctuary?¡± They were moving forward while talking about numerous things when¡­ A big fire exploded from the Priest¡¯s heart. Boom! ¡°Hmph¡­!¡± At first, the sound was weak. But soon, that low exclamation became a cry that turned to agony. Ah- Ahh- ¡°Wh-what¡¯s wrong¡­?¡± Mayday asked in confusion after seeing that the Priest had suddenly stopped moving and was making sounds. The soul of Darkness and the devils that served them had become connected for a moment. Darkness had answered to the Priest¡¯s heart. That all happened when Louise unlocked Empathy. Mayday, the Priest, and the devils that served Darkness didn¡¯t know that the awakening had happened because of a conversation between Hyun and Louise. ¡°Darkness has come¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°HAHAHA! FINALLY! FINALLY¡­!¡± The Priest soon realized that a new thread had appeared in his soul. It was still a weak tremble, similar to a newborn baby, but he remembered it very well. ¡°Oops, this isn¡¯t time to be relaxing¡­!¡± The Priest soon returned to his senses. ¡°Now I know why the pawns of the Heavens are in such a hurry! After knowing that Darkness has returned, I cannot let this blasphemy happen. Even if I have to offer my heart, I¡¯ll defend the sanctuary!¡± The Priest began running faster toward the sanctuary with a renewed determination. ¡°W-wait¡­!¡± The Priest didn¡¯t look at the confused Mayday and began running toward where his soul was telling him to go. ¡°I can feel the Darkness¡¯s soul!¡± That feeling got clearer as soon as he entered the canyon covered with fog. As he got closer and entered the range of ¡®Empathy,¡¯ he also realized Darkness¡¯s feelings. Ah¡­! The Priest let out an exclamation. Darkness was confused! Was it because they couldn¡¯t handle all the emotions that flew toward them after awakening Empathy? The Priest began running faster. He, who had served Darkness his whole life, had to help them! ¡°Wait, you¡¯re going too fast!¡± ¡°What are you talking about?! We should be moving even faster!¡± The Priest gave her a temporary buff that increased her movement speed. Mayday could then follow the Priest¡¯s speed after her body got covered with red energy. ¡°Th-thank you¡­!¡± ¡°Hmph, since you¡¯re also part of the Abyss, you should be prepared to offer your life!¡± The two figures covered with a red light quickly ran through where other fights were happening. Devils protecting the Road of Darkness, Holy Knights, traces of destruction¡­ they passed by numerous different sights, but not one was able to catch the Priest¡¯s attention. At the moment, he only cared about the well-being of Darkness. ¡°There, Darkness is there!¡± ¡°Haa, did we arrive?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m going to die here today.¡± They could see Darkness from a distance, but the Priest became more anxious. Not only were the Heavens winning the war, but the knights were changing their formation to an offensive one. Were they pointing their swords toward Darkness? He began running as fast as he could. He wasn¡¯t going to let that happen. ¡®Wait¡­¡¯ He had almost reached his destination when he realized that something was wrong. There were two girls in danger: one was covered with fire, and the other one with Demonic Energy. If he thought simply, the one with Demonic Energy was probably Darkness. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­ Are they both Darkness?¡¯ The Priest thought something ridiculous because he realized that his soul was connected to two threads. He didn¡¯t know from a distance, but he realized he was resonating with two souls. But there couldn¡¯t be two Darknesses¡­! There was definitely something wrong. ¡®There¡¯s no way that¡¯s true¡­ Which of the two is it? I only have one opportunity¡­!¡¯ The Priest didn¡¯t imagine that there were two souls within Louise. Mayday, who was with him, reached the correct conclusion. ¡®It¡¯s Ain¡­!¡¯ She knew one face, so by using the process of elimination, she realized who Darkness was. ¡®Then¡­ is that kid Darkness? I think I¡¯ve seen her somewhere.¡¯ She¡¯d appeared in Iluna¡¯s Quest, so Louise was among the most famous NPCs. But Mayday didn¡¯t immediately recognize Louise due to the Demonic Energy surrounding her. No, she was too distracted to think about other things. ¡®That effect¡­!¡¯ The unknown patterns that were always under Ain were on the other girl. Those were Hyun¡¯s buffs. It was at that moment that Mayday realized her hypothesis was correct. ¡®As expected, Hyun was with Ain the whole time!¡¯ The Hyun she¡¯d seen at the festival was a man. In Asrian, you couldn¡¯t change your gender, so that girl wasn¡¯t probably Hyun. It was surprising. According to what the vampire had explained to her, Hyun was ?Assimilated? into ¡®Darkness.¡¯ Just how big of a quest was he doing? She¡¯d also received a quest from a great demon once¡­ but she didn¡¯t even hear Deception¡¯s voice. ¡®This isn¡¯t the Black Town Quest¡­! It¡¯s another one!¡¯ Mayday suddenly remembered what Keiji had said. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t think that all Hyun has is the physical aspect, specs, or information.¡± In Asra, he had been ranked 5 on average, and in Asrian he was an executive of Darkness. She remembered what he¡¯d answered with when they asked what was left in an RPG game if you left those things aside. ¡°The way he uses skills and information is different from a normal person.¡± Keiji said that, even with the same conditions, they were at a disadvantage, but back then, in Asra, the conditions weren¡¯t the same, so he couldn¡¯t even think of challenging him. ¡®I thought only Lattice and I had received a quest from a demon¡­¡¯ Mayday was shocked. Maybe the world outside of the community was bigger than she¡¯d thought. Hyun had probably found Darkness thanks to what Keiji said¡­ his ability to use information. The ability to analyze and see through hidden events and being able to find the most optimal route¡­ Mayday felt a bit envious. Mayday was confident in her fighting skills and her control over her character, but she thought she lacked in terms of using information in her favor. ¡®But I¡¯m confident in battle! A Psychokinesis Sorcerer can do a bit of close-range battle for a Magician¡­ In a one-on-one, maybe I could even resist Hyun or Ain.¡¯ But in a few seconds, Mayday was forced to change her opinion. The battle had begun. Mayday had gotten a lot better recently, so she had developed her eyes and analysis skills as well. Ain¡¯s movements were impressive before, but after becoming better¡­ she couldn¡¯t believe Hyun and Ain¡¯s movements. She finally understood what Keiji meant when he said that how they used skills was different. If that video became public, it would create a huge sensation. ¡®What job is that?!¡¯ The most impressive thing was the Demonic Energy storm that blew around the girl she thought was Darkness. The giant sword swung with such speed that it looked like wide-area magic. ¡®What skill is that¡­?¡¯ Heavens¡¯ Knights couldn¡¯t easily approach them due to the storm. ¡®Please¡­ Please, let that skill be a quest exclusive¡­!¡¯ Just at first glance, it was obvious that those Knights were above level 300, but a user was using a skill powerful enough to make them cautious. What if that skill wasn¡¯t of ¡®Darkness¡¯ but a ¡®user¡¯¡­? Mayday thought that she wouldn¡¯t know how to catch up to them. ¡®Anyway, it¡¯s clear that we mustn¡¯t become enemies with Hyun.¡¯ A few days before, Keiji said they should gift him a unique item and try to rebuild their relationship. Most Darkness executives ignored him, but maybe he was right. ¡®No!¡¯ Mayday shook her head. She would never be able to catch up to them with such low confidence. ¡°I see!¡± Mayday returned to her senses after suddenly hearing a voice. ¡°What?¡± ¡°She¡­ She is Darkness!¡± The Priest shouted while pointing to Louise. At that moment, when Hyun changed his ?Assimilation? target, only one soul was left within Louise, and the Priest reached his conclusion. Chapter 167 Chapter 167 ¨C Qualities of a Transcendent (1) ¡°But aren¡¯t we in danger?¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± Holy Knights had approached Mayday and the Priest before they knew it. ¡°How dare pawns of the Heavens block my way!¡± Boom! The explosion of demonic energy clashed with the Holy Knights¡¯ swords, and they were pushed back a bit but didn¡¯t receive much damage. It was apparent from the Holy Knights¡¯ eyes that they weren¡¯t going to let the old vampire pass. Louise and Ain also looked like vampires, so they probably thought the Priest was also a dangerous devil like them. ¡°You!¡± The Priest¡¯s emotions were burning intensely. He was a vampire that had lived hundreds of years for the sake of Darkness¡­ He had to protect her no matter what! Ain, who had used her ultimate attack, was at her limit. The Priest saw Louise under the barrage of lightning attacks. ¡®That¡¯s¡­!¡¯ Could Darkness resist that attack? ¡®Ah¡­ She¡¯s going to die.¡¯ Mayday clicked her tongue. ¡°NOO-!¡± The Priest desperately screamed after seeing lightning attacks pouring toward Louise. The Holy Knights filled the entire place with light. They couldn¡¯t see anything for a few seconds, but to the Priest, those few seconds felt like an eternity. Light obscured their visions. The moment the lightning shot toward them¡­ Hyun felt that time was flowing slowly. He¡¯d taken his concentration to a limit, so he could think of many things in that short time. ¡®There¡¯s no way to dodge it!¡¯ The praying Priest had already done his best to help them, so the moment they were hit with the lightning, Louise would die. ¡®Should I use a return scroll?¡¯ But if they let that opportunity go, Louise would become a Transcendent who could only use Empathy without having an Ego. A Transcendent with a weak Ego would end up being devoured by Empathy. He was sure Louise wouldn¡¯t be able to resist for long. There also might not be a next time¡­ but still, it would be better than dying right then. Hyun was about to use the return scroll when¡­ ¡¸Don¡¯t use it!¡¹Ain¡¯s shout interfered with Hyun¡¯s thoughts. But it was a magic they couldn¡¯t dodge, block, or even resist. If Louise were hit with it, she¡¯d definitely die. He had some doubts, but Hyun decided not to use the scroll. He decided to trust Ain rather than himself because her voice was full of confidence. BOOM! A loud sound shook their surroundings. Mayday, who was looking from a distance, frowned. Hyun really couldn¡¯t see anything. ¡®We didn¡¯t die¡­?¡¯ He still wasn¡¯t able to see anything. His ears still rang from the sound reverberating in his ears. He wasn¡¯t logged out, which meant that he and Louise were still alive. Did Ain receive the hit instead of them? But Ain shouldn¡¯t have been close enough to do that. Hyun kept having some doubts. Soon, he recovered his sight. Srrr. Particles of light were floating from the sky. It didn¡¯t take him long to realize that it was Asrian¡¯s death effect. Where the majority of the silver particles gathered, there were still some devils that had survived but were hurt. Whir- The ghosts that were covered with a darker light let out a sad cry. ¡®Ghosts¡­? Did they save us?¡¯ Hyun could understand the language of devils at the moment, so he realized that the ghosts were trying to defend the being they served. ¡°Ah¡­ I¡­ Just¡­!¡± While Louise was mumbling words that didn¡¯t form a sentence, the rest of the ghosts were cut apart by the Holy Knights. Leaving their sacrifice behind, Hyun quickly looked around to examine the devils¡¯ movements. ¡®I see¡­¡¯ The atmosphere of the battle had changed. It wasn¡¯t just dozens of devils being unilaterally killed. Skeletons that crumbled while trying to block the enemies¡­ Wolves jumped toward the Holy Magicians to stop them from casting¡­ Ghosts roamed the air to block the view from the sky¡­ Everyone from the Heavens, the Abyss, and every soul in the canyon looked at Louise. ¡®The devils are trying to defend Darkness.¡¯ KAAA! A black figure suddenly passed in front of Hyun. A werewolf grabbed a Holy Knight and jumped into the fog wall. The screams and cries of the human and the werewolf were heard. Thanks to Louise¡¯s ¡®Empathy¡¯ he shared through ?Assimilation?, he realized that the werewolf had died. ¡®When did it start? Was it after Louise awakened Empathy?¡¯ Hyun was so distracted by the Heavens¡¯ movements that he realized he hadn¡¯t noticed how the Abyss was moving. He hadn¡¯t realized that the devils discovered Louise was ¡®Darkness¡¯ and that they were sacrificing themselves for her sake. The devils weren¡¯t crying because they were about to die¡ªthey were agonizing because they weren¡¯t able to defend Darkness. Haa¡­ Hyun subconsciously smiled. He wanted to tell Louise what he¡¯d understood. ¡¸Hey, are you looking?¡¹ ¡°¡­¡± Louise didn¡¯t reply, but Hyun knew how she was feeling from ?Assimilation?. Soon, Louise would also realize by herself what Hyun had discovered. ¡¸They¡¯re all looking at you!¡¹ Hyun thought that Louise needed a harsh comment at the moment. Maybe it was harsh to say something like that to a little girl¡­ But she was a demon. Since she was the Great Demon of Darkness, she couldn¡¯t go against her destiny. The only possible destiny for a demon devoured by Empathy was death. Seeing how sensitive Louise was, it was obvious what her destiny would be. ¡¸You said you want to become strong, right?¡¹ So he had to change her view. ¡¸Then start by getting the qualifications for a demon.¡¹ Hyun preferred to put pressure on her rather than see Louise break as she was overwhelmed by Empathy. They say that humans obtain superhuman strength when they see those that rely on them. Although Louise wasn¡¯t a human¡­ Although she was a Transcendent¡­ she still lacked a bit, so she wasn¡¯t that different from a human. ¡¸A demon obtains strength through Empathy and exercises its strength through it. Can you call yourself a demon if you cannot resist it?¡¹ Whir. Suddenly, a magic circle appeared under Louise. Hyun felt her mind getting lighter. [The level of all skills using Demonic Energy has gone up by 1!] [This effect lasts for 10 minutes!] ¡®Buff¡­?¡¯ As Hyun looked to the sides, he saw a lich waving its wand. There were two spears stuck in the body that had only bones left. ¡°Young Darkness¡­ I¡¯ll offer you¡­ Everything¡­ I have left¡­!¡± After saying that, the lich turned to light particles and sank into the ground. Although he had mumbled in a low voice, Hyun was able to hear it clearly. Maybe it was because it was transmitted through Empathy. [Your defense has gone up by 200%] [Ignore all the damage that¡¯s under 5000!] [Recover 500 Demonic Energy automatically every second!] Next, Hyun felt thrilled. He didn¡¯t know to whom each magic belonged, but they were all surrounding Louise¡¯s body. There were many Magicians among the devils, and they were allies of Darkness at the moment. And finally¡­ ¡°Finally! I was able to meet you!¡± ¡°Y-you are¡­!¡± An old vampire approached Louise. Even in the middle of the confusing battlefield, Louise remembered the face of the vampire they¡¯d met in the town. The Priest was crying. They weren¡¯t tears of desperation but excitement. He believed he¡¯d lived for such a long time for that moment. ¡®Please, fulfill your will.¡¯ After saying his last words through Empathy, the Priest turned to red energy and was absorbed by Louise¡¯s body. The power of all the prayers he¡¯d done through hundreds of years burned all for that moment. [Hakabern, the vampire, has offered his last ceremony to you!] [Darkness has recovered a tiny part of her power!] [This effect lasts for 5 minutes!] The effect of the buff was explained in just one line, but Hyun was lost for words after reading the status window. ¡®Darkness¡¯s power?¡¯ Louise¡¯s status window had changed so much that it was impossible to compare it to a player¡¯s. Her stats had been multiplied by three or four times, and her HP and mana had gone up by dozens of times. Hyun soon realized that the biggest change was in another place. Darkness was a Transcendent. Recovering her strength meant she had gotten closer to being a Transcendent! Louise¡¯s Empathy was balanced with her Ego. Although it was only for a moment, she could tell the difference between her emotions and the emotions of others. [You¡¯ve recovered part of your Ego!] ¡°Ha¡­ Ha¡­ Ha¡­!¡± Louise began breathing heavily. As soon as she obtained Ego, all the emotions that had been blocked exploded all at once. ¡¸No, she¡¯s getting better!¡¹ ¡¸Getting better¡­? That¡­?¡¹ To say it correctly, it had been resolved. Thanks to her Ego, Louise could prioritize her emotions rather than the ones felt because of Empathy. From the moment she could tell the difference between her emotions and those of others, she¡¯d stepped on the starting line of becoming a full-fledged Transcendent. ¡®It isn¡¯t enough!¡¯ Hyun decided to speak to her harshly once more. Although Louise¡¯s specs had increased, she couldn¡¯t face the Knights yet. Although she had the ability of a Transcendent, that meant nothing by itself. Since she¡¯d obtained Ego and Empathy, Louise would be able to order and command the devils. ¡¸Louise, give an order,¡¹ Hyun ordered with tears on both his cheeks. ¡¸Since they don¡¯t need to protect you anymore¡­ Order them to attack the Magicians.¡¹ Dealing with the lightning-type magic was hard. If they could block the Holy Magicians, he and Ain would be able to deal with the rest. Hyun finished making the calculations quickly from the information he had. ¡°Order¡­? Me¡­?¡± ¡¸Yes.¡¹ Hyun realized why Louise was hesitating. She felt guilty about sending the devils to die. Hyun, who was a human, and a user on top of that, wouldn¡¯t be able to fully understand Louise¡¯s feelings toward devils. ¡­But he knew Louise was different from other demons. ¡¸You do it.¡¹ And that was something Louise had to overcome if she wanted to live as Darkness. ¡¸This is how a demon fights.¡¹ Hyun waited until Louise acted. It didn¡¯t take long. Suddenly, one Holy Knight closed the gap between them. Had he felt menaced after the devils made a formation? ¡®He¡¯s coming!¡¯ Hyun, who wasn¡¯t planning to leave control to Louise, moved her body. Fwoosh-! The moment a black wind covered Louise¡¯s body, Hyun realized that the skill had changed. [Pitch-Black Storm Lv.4 (+2)] ¨C You can move and attack with the wind that covers your body. ¨C Deal [Magical Power] x 1.5 damage. ¨C If you mix Demonic Energy, the attack increases by 144 times. ¡®The skill changed¡­!¡¯ Hyun took a deep breath after taking a glimpse at the status window. The amount of Demonic Energy he had was going down incredibly fast. Paf-! At that moment, a flash was drawn in front of Louise. It was the attack of an elite Holy Knight that was using a sword covered with Sacred Power. Previously, Hyun would have dodged first, but rather than that¡­ He extended his hand and grabbed the air. Light and darkness intertwined, and only darkness was left in the end. The Holy Knight grabbed his shoulder with a horrified expression. He hadn¡¯t expected Louise to suddenly show such strength. His hand holding the sword had completely disappeared. ¡°Ugh¡­! What the¡­!¡± Fwoosh! Light particles began gathering, and his arm was restored instantly. Even if they received fatal damage, they would recover instantly¡ªthat was the scary thing about Holy Knights. ¡°Cough!¡± The strong wind blew again. Before his right arm could be restored, his left arm and shoulders were also blown away. Chapter 168 Chapter 168 ¨C Qualities of a Transcendent (2) ¡°Rainder!¡± ¡°NO, DON¡¯T GET CLOSE¡­!¡± Although his colleagues tried to save him, it was useless. Before they could get closer to him, an even bigger Demonic Energy typhoon constricted his whole body. The Demonic Energy wind took the form of Ain¡¯s ?Efreet¡¯s Claw?. As a dark hand that devoured all the light grabbed the Holy Knight, he scattered away into light without even being able to scream. It looked as if the fog had devoured everything, even the death effect. The battlefield remained silent for a while after that. ¡°¡­!¡± The Holy Magicians that were looking at the scene unfold felt as if they were suffocating. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ don¡¯t tell me¡­!¡± They realized the identity of the girl who they¡¯d thought was a vampire. There was only one being who could manipulate Demonic Energy in such ways. ¡°Darkness¡­!¡± Also, there was no way that ominous, pitch-black energy belonged to a normal devil. ¡°She¡¯s Darkness!¡± After someone shouted, dozens of eyes looked at Louise. The Knights had gone Underground while risking their lives to cut the seed of Darkness. The Light had given an oracle that said if Darkness recovered her strength and went to the surface, the world would fall into chaos. ¡°Everyone, stay alert!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t carelessly move. The opponent is Darkness. Even if she hasn¡¯t regained her strength, she¡¯s still a dangerous being!¡± Had she recovered all of her strength, or did she have more to recover? There was only one thing they were sure about: It didn¡¯t matter what the cost was, they had to kill Darkness there! ¡®The power of the skill is more than enough¡­ but it consumes too much Demonic Energy!¡¯ On the other hand, Hyun realized there was a problem. The black wind had changed. Although its damage output had increased, the amount of Demonic Energy it devoured also increased. [The party has disbanded!] [Ain, please!] The ?Shadow Shield? grew in size, and flames were added on top of that. [Your Demonic Energy has reached the maximum amount!] [The attack range of the next ?Sword of Darkness? has increased a lot! [You¡¯re with Darkness! The Authority of Darkness has entered the sword!] [¡®Ain¡¯ has joined your party!] ¡®It would be better to maintain the Demonic Energy like this.¡¯ Hyun was surprised as he recharged his Demonic Energy. ¡®Wait¡­ what was that?!¡¯ Had he read wrong? He looked at the message window again. When the Demonic Energy was recharged, new content that he hadn¡¯t seen before appeared. ¡®Darkness¡­? Sword of Darkness¡­? Authority? Are these somehow related?¡¯ He hadn¡¯t been able to find a connection, so Hyun thought it was just a name. ¡®Damn! I¡¯ll just have to use it!¡¯ There was no time to think about it too deeply. There were already many Holy Knights charging toward Louise. Hyun took out the ?Sword of Darkness? and started rotating it. The Authority of Darkness that was within the sword¡­ The Holy Knights discovered its effect when the sword hit them. ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± While the hands holding the sword trembled, Hyun could see what was happening with his two eyes. The darkness devoured the light. No, it wasn¡¯t just devouring the light. it also absorbed the Holy Knights¡¯ hands, arms, and bodies. When the sword finished rotating, Ain was the only one left near Louise. The sword devoured everything, including the corpses and screams. Because even part of the ground had disappeared, it looked as if Louise was standing on top of a tower made of soil. ¡°¡­¡± After seeing their colleagues disappear without leaving a trace, the Holy Knights became confused. But it wasn¡¯t just the Holy Knights who were surprised. ¡¸Wh-what was that¡­?!¡¹ Even Ain¡¯s eyes widened. Hyun wondered what he was supposed to answer with. [Power of Darkness: 252 seconds] After checking the remaining duration of the buff, he shouted. ¡¸I don¡¯t know. Just fight!¡¹ ¡¸R-right!¡¹ As they began moving, the Knights countered. BZZT! Lightning suddenly flew. The empowered Louise would probably be able to withstand the attack, but Hyun subconsciously cut the attack with his sword. The moment the electric magic touched the Sword of Darkness, it was devoured without leaving a trace. He called one of TarrTarr¡¯s skills ?Black Hole?, but wasn¡¯t that the real ?Black Hole?? After all, it was a huge sword that absorbed all physical objects, light, sounds, and even the flow of mana. ¡®It also absorbs magic¡­!¡¯ Crack! Ain took that opportunity to smash an opponent. Although the Holy Knight blocked the attack¡­ Stab! The ?Sword of Darkness? went through Ain and pierced the soldier. It was thanks to the party system. As the sword went through Ain, cut his shield, and stabbed his chest, the Knight¡¯s face became tainted with desperation. ¡°N-no¡­¡± BOOM! Ain looked at the pierced Knight¡¯s body being absorbed by the dark sword. If Hyun did that to her¡­ Would she even have such an opportunity? Ain was thinking about nonsensical things. ¡°Back off!¡± ¡°Oh, my god¡­! If Darkness gets to the surface, it will be the end of the world!¡± ¡°Wait until the captain comes! If it¡¯s the captain, he should be able to deal with the Darkness!¡± Hyun realized something else while chasing the Holy Knights that were scattering away. ¡®The sword isn¡¯t disappearing¡­ Why is that?¡¯ According to what he remembered, the ?Sword of Darkness? lasted for [Empathy/100] seconds. ¡®Empathy¡­? Maybe¡­¡¯ Hyun opened his status window just in case. [Empathy 402] Although he¡¯d spent most of his stat points in Empathy, he had already surpassed four seconds long ago. ¡®If it isn¡¯t the effect of the stat¡­ this is probably influenced by the Authority.¡¯ Hyun didn¡¯t think for long. He decided to figure it out later. The power of Darkness only lasted for five minutes, so he had to move before it disappeared. Fwoosh! The giant sword cut through the air. It looked as if the darkness had opened its mouth with the goal of devouring the world. ¡°You said ¡®Darkness¡¯?¡± Captain Shakron stopped the march midway down the road. was the content of the oracle, so that was why the Knight Squadron was advancing, but according to the report, Darkness had appeared in another place besides the ruins. On top of that, it was somewhere they¡¯d already gone through. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± As the aide put some magical power in the crystal ball, the footage was displayed in the air. The first thing that caught Shakron¡¯s attention was Ain. ¡°Is she that vampire?¡± But the moment the other girl got surrounded by a Demonic Energy wind and pulled out the ?Sword of Darkness?, Shakron¡¯s eyes shone coldly. ¡°So she¡¯s Darkness!¡± A sword that absorbed light¡­ There was only one being who had that cursed ability. He wasn¡¯t sure why she appeared in another place instead of the Ruins of Darkness. ¡°Although she¡¯s wearing the skin of a vampire¡­ she¡¯s definitely Darkness!¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we ask for reinforcements?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I do not doubt Captain¡¯s abilities¡­ but there¡¯s a chance it will get dangerous.¡± Shakron stared at the crystal ball. The Darkness that appeared in the video was definitely strong. Even though he was among the top five Knights of the Holy Kingdom, he felt chills. But¡­ According to the sacred texts, the Darkness had once waved her hand and destroyed an entire country. The current Darkness wasn¡¯t as strong as that. Shakron realized that he was stronger and faster than her. That¡¯s right, as long as he was careful of that ¡®sword¡¯¡­ It wouldn¡¯t be impossible for him to defeat Darkness. ¡°Darkness hasn¡¯t recovered her strength yet. We don¡¯t need support. It¡¯s enough with just us.¡± ¡°Yes¡­? But¡ª¡± ¡°The Priests are probably lacking Sacred Power. We don¡¯t need to put more pressure on them.¡± To be honest, that wasn¡¯t why Shakron had said that. What if he defeated Darkness alone? Wouldn¡¯t his name be written in history? He would be able to overcome the title of weakest among the top five Knights. ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous!¡± the aide shouted after realizing the captain¡¯s intentions. He was someone who became quite cruel if it was to obtain achievement, but he never thought he would get greedy during such a moment. ¡°If Darkness manages to complete her goal, an irreversible tragedy will happen! ¡°That¡¯s not going to happen¡­ Look.¡± Although Shakron was someone greedy, he wasn¡¯t stupid. Rather, he was sly like a snake. His ability to figure out the other¡¯s weaknesses had made him a top five Knight of the Holy Kingdom, although he was weaker than others in terms of strength. Shakron smiled because he¡¯d realized something. ¡°Don¡¯t you feel like Darkness is in a hurry?¡± Shakron pointed at the crystal ball. He was laughing while looking at Holy Knights being torn apart by Darkness. ¡°See? Even now, Darkness hasn¡¯t killed the Knights that are on the side. She¡¯s just running¡­ Can¡¯t you guess why?¡± The aide couldn¡¯t help but feel creeped out by the captain laughing while seeing his underlings get killed, but he decided to answer first. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Probably because she can kill them at any time¡­¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s the opposite.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t have enough time to kill those that were left behind.¡± Louise¡¯s buff had a duration, so he had correctly guessed Hyun¡¯s current situation. Shakron had realized from Darknss¡¯s behavior that she was in a hurry. ¡°Darkness is a demon¡ªa Transcendent.¡± Shakron¡¯s explanation kept going on. ¡°We humans don¡¯t have many restrictions when using our strength, but that isn¡¯t the case for a Transcendent. If they use all of their strength, it takes them quite a lot of time to recover it¡­ That time depends on the amount of strength used, but it can be a few weeks or even hundreds of years.¡± Shakron¡¯s smile deepened. ¡°You finally understand how to hunt Darkness, right? Our squadron consists of 300 members. Darkness will probably lose her strength before she can kill us all, and if it¡¯s me, I¡¯ll be able to kill a Darkness who has lost her strength.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to¡­ sacrifice all of the Knights?¡± ¡°Yes. Your names will be written in history. It will be an honor for you all.¡± Shakron was planning to sacrifice everyone. He was going to move once she lost all of her strength. ¡°But we could be killed before her strength runs out!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If that happens, just like you¡¯ve said, I¡¯ll ask for reinforcements.¡± Shakron¡¯s words were full of contradictory things, but the aide didn¡¯t say anything. He knew what happened to those that challenged the captain, so the only thing that the aide could do was pray. He prayed and asked the Heavens for them to be safe. Fwoosh! A horizontal line of void was drawn in the air. The moment the ?Sword of Darkness? cut the world in half, those near Louise were split in two. ¡ªThose that were on the ground and those who jumped. The first one faced a silent death, and the others shouted a bit late. ¡°Scatter away, don¡¯t stay together! If we stick together, we¡¯re all going to die!¡± The clouds of fog that were in the sky flashed from time to time. ¡­But those that faced Darkness couldn¡¯t see or hear anything because the ?Sword of Darkness? absorbed all light and sounds. The ?Sword of Darkness? stirred the sky. Those who had jumped were also split in two. ¡°AGH!¡± A Magician was screaming in pain because his lower half had disappeared, but he was lucky. The Holy Knight that was in front of him had lost his upper half and didn¡¯t even have time to scream. A few seconds were enough to realize the gap between them. The being in front of them was Darkness, the great demon who had, in the past, pushed the world into despair! They¡¯d lost their fighting spirit, so they just waited for their deaths without thinking about the possibility of escaping. But there was one thing they hadn¡¯t realized¡­ ¡¸Ain, I¡¯m going to carry you!¡¹ ¡¸O-okay!¡¹ ¡­Darkness was also in a tight situation. ?Biorhythm Acceleration?! Taking advantage of the Knights having lost their fighting spirit, Hyun grabbed Ain and began running. He wanted to catch up to the Knights at the front before the buff ran out. Chapter 169 Chapter 169 ¨C Qualities of a Transcendent (3) The most important thing at that moment was speed! Rather than fighting the defeated soldiers, it was more important to break those blocking them and pass through. Whir- At that moment, magic activated from behind. Hyun realized what magic it was just based on the effect. He rotated. Smash! Pillars of ice rose from the ground, but the moment the ?Sword of Darkness? touched them, they were torn apart. ¡¸Hyun, up¡­!¡¹ ¡¸I know!¡¹ Due to the ground¡¯s intense vibrations, one of the walls was about to collapse. Were the Magicians aiming for that? Usually, Hyun wouldn¡¯t dare to move under a falling wall, but he had Darkness¡¯s Authority at the moment. Crack-! The ?Sword of Darkness? even cut the falling wall in half. The sword absorbed all of the collapsing rocks and swirling fog, so they didn¡¯t need to slow down. ¡¸Ain, my back!¡¹ When Hyun shouted, a white light flew toward the group. Incineration, the magic that had turned the town to dust. As she hid behind Louise, Ain saw the world flash as light and darkness warred. The ?Sword of Darkness? absorbed Incineration and cast long shadows behind Louise and over Ain. ¡®This¡­ is my power.¡¯ Louise couldn¡¯t help but be surprised while looking at the giant sword she was wielding. ¡®So this is the strength of a demon¡­!¡¯ She¡¯d calmed down after recovering her Ego. Although she could still feel the pain and sadness of the devils, she wasn¡¯t swept away by them anymore. The sadness in her heart was replaced with ecstasy because the devils were happy while they watched Darkness advancing. ¡®I want more.¡¯ Louise suddenly felt greedy. It was known that seeking power was part of a demon¡¯s nature, but she¡¯d never thought about why demons sought more strength. Wasn¡¯t it because they couldn¡¯t ignore the emotions of those that felt happy and sad because of them? The moment Louise gained the strength of a Transcendent, she began feeling that all the souls connected to her were important¡ªeven weak devils like skeletons and ghosts. And among those, the soul that was the closest to her¡­ ¡®Hyun¡­¡¯ That felt the most important. She wasn¡¯t sure if she thought of him as special¡­ or if she was someone special to him. Sometimes, it was hard to identify where the Empathy began. ¡®I want to be like you.¡¯ Even if she¡¯d awakened her strength as a demon, if it weren¡¯t for Hyun, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to do anything. She remembered what Hyun had told her: She needed to get the qualifications to become a demon. That probably meant one didn¡¯t have the right to obtain a strength they couldn¡¯t control. Hyun¡¯s existence grew within Louise. [Darkness¡¯s Strength: 105 seconds] On the other hand, even while fighting, Hyun was thinking with a cool head. ¡®As expected, this isn¡¯t enough¡­!¡¯ Hyun gulped. Based on the situation and how much time was left on Darkness¡¯s Strength, it would be impossible to kill all the enemies or pass them before it ran out. It was something he¡¯d expected. After all, absolute power didn¡¯t last long. After Louise began showing overwhelming power, the Knights began avoiding confrontation. They only used long-range magic or destroyed the terrain to slow down their movements because everyone had received Shakron¡¯s orders, who had told them to slow down Darkness as much as possible. ¡¸Hyun, how far have we come?¡¹Ain anxiously asked. It seemed like she also felt the same. Hyun glanced at the map he¡¯d found on the interloop and answered. ¡¸I don¡¯t know¡­¡¹ ¡¸Didn¡¯t you just look at the map?!¡¹ ¡¸I can¡¯t tell just by taking a glimpse at it!¡¹ The canyon full of fog was like a labyrinth¡ªit was so big that one could say it was a sea of fog. It didn¡¯t matter how much Hyun looked at the map, he wasn¡¯t able to tell where they were. [Darkness¡¯s Strength: 91 seconds] But once the buff ended, Louise would return to normal, and there was no way the enemies would let that opportunity go. Without Darkness¡¯s Strength, Louise couldn¡¯t even handle a single Holy Knight. ¡¸Then what are we going to do?!¡¹ ¡¸Escape.¡¹ Ain couldn¡¯t understand what Hyun was talking about. They were in the middle of the Heavens¡¯ formation. Where could they escape to in a place surrounded by the forces of the Heavens? ¡¸To where¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Up.¡¹ As Hyun said that, Ain felt Hyun¡¯s hands grabbing her. She didn¡¯t feel intimidated, because Hyun was ?Assimilated? into Louise. Pang- Immediately after, she heard a loud sound; then she felt cool air brush her skin. The explosion of wind pushed the group over a hundred meters through the air. Up in the sky, Ain saw a picturesque scene. The dark sword pointed toward the sky and absorbed the black fog it came into contact with. The absorption ability didn¡¯t differentiate between living things and inanimate objects. Hyun began absorbing the black fog above the clouds and opened up a road through the sky. ¡®Will it be okay?¡¯ Hyun hesitated a bit while looking at the dark sky. The sea of fog seemed to be warning him that he wouldn¡¯t be able to emerge once he stepped inside¡­ that he would be buried by the darkness and disappear. ¡®I hope it all goes well¡­!¡¯ Pang! Another loud sound spread. Hyun created a ?Wind Barrier? in the sky and began running toward the darkness. GUOO. The fog in the air returned to its place at a frightening pace and then calmed down after closing up behind them. Even after Louise obtained Ego, Mayday followed Ain and Louise from a distance. She wasn¡¯t interested in the vampire that had suddenly disappeared. After all, she didn¡¯t know who he was and why he¡¯d disappeared. While following the girl whom she thought Hyun was ?Assimilated? to, Mayday let out a sigh of relief. ¡°I¡¯m glad! As expected, it was a quest skill! Haha, there¡¯s no way such a skill could belong to a user!¡± It didn¡¯t matter how much she thought about it. A giant sword that absorbed elite knights with one attack didn¡¯t seem to be something that a user was capable of. Just like she used the skills of the named boss, he was probably using Darkness¡¯s skills! If a user had such a strength, Mayday had been thinking about sending a complaint to the developers about the game¡¯s balance. ¡­But it probably wouldn¡¯t have any effect anyway because of Asrian¡¯s terms of service. Thanks to them, the Heavens¡¯ forces lost their will to fight, and Mayday was able to safely follow Hyun. ¡®But¡­ he¡¯s definitely amazing.¡¯ At a certain point, she¡¯d forgotten about her original goal and was looking at Hyun¡¯s gameplay. Although they were similar to Ain¡¯s, his movements were clearly different. Mayday still wasn¡¯t at a level where she could completely understand his movements. But still, Hyun¡¯s movements had something that enraptured the viewer. ¡®Just having a good relationship with him would be more than enough.¡¯ With Hyun¡¯s skills, it was understandable that he wasn¡¯t interested in joining the Darkness Guild. There probably wasn¡¯t any guild that could grab his attention. She wished she had his contact info, at least, but that wasn¡¯t the case, so Mayday was a bit disappointed. Anyway, how could she befriend him? ¡®Would I be of help if I do this?¡¯ After thinking about it for a while, Mayday got rid of the soldiers that couldn¡¯t fight anymore. If the contribution system was correct¡­ most of the experience obtained from the Holy Knights she killed would go to them. Fwoosh! Mayday was surprised at the level-up effects that happened consecutively. ¡®Did they just go up two levels at once?!¡¯ She made her calculations assuming the Holy Knights were at level 350¡­ Were Hyun and Ain¡¯s levels lower than she¡¯d expected? She thought that they would¡¯ve obviously completed the 2nd ascension, but maybe their levels were lower than hers. Because, after all, she and Lattice were about to reach level 200. Mayday was thinking about numerous things when she realized something. ¡®Wait, if things go like this, they won¡¯t know it was me who helped them!¡¯ If the other person didn¡¯t even notice you, your good intentions wouldn¡¯t be transmitted. ¡®I¡¯ll at least make it so they have the chance to see me!¡¯ Mayday quickly tried to reduce the distance between them when she heard the loud sound of a wind explosion. She was surprised after seeing the two figures rise to the skies. ¡®H-how could they jump so high¡­?¡¯ Mayday waited for a moment, but they didn¡¯t reappear. Had they really risen to the skies? SSSS. Fog started to gather where they had disappeared. All the Holy Knights that were scattered away began gathering. ¡®Oops! I need to hide!¡¯ After understanding her situation a bit late, Mayday hid nearby. While silently waiting in some stones located between the canyon and the fog, she heard the sound of horses. Paanngg-! A chained sword suddenly flew and made numerous devils explode. After hearing the news from the front, Captain Shakron returned while riding a horse. He brought silence back to the battlefield and spoke to a nearby Knight. ¡°We¡­ aren¡¯t sure. At first glance, it seems like they disappeared in the skies.¡± ¡°The skies¡­?¡± Shakron looked at the fog-filled canyon and clicked his tongue. ¡®I trusted a bunch of useless guys!¡¯ It seemed like they¡¯d managed to escape before Darkness¡¯s strength ran out. Maybe he should¡¯ve arrived sooner. If it were him, he should¡¯ve been able to tie Darkness¡¯s legs. He never imagined that Darkness would use her strength and hide so fast. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Shakron fell into thought after his underling asked him a question. ¡®Yes, maybe I¡¯ll have another opportunity to catch Darkness.¡¯ The oracle of Light had never been wrong. According to Light, they would be able to cut the seed of Darkness once they reached the Ruins of Darkness. That meant that the Darkness would go to the Ruins either way, which meant they also had to hurry and get there. ¡°Let¡¯s march faster¡­¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°We have to get there faster than Darkness. No matter what!¡± Thump thump! As the sounds of horses and steps disappeared, the fog-filled canyon became silent. Mayday walked out after a while. The buff the vampire had given her had already disappeared long before. ¡®Now¡­ in what direction should I go¡­?¡¯ Mayday had lost sight of Hyun¡¯s group and even the Knights, and the road ahead of her was looking bleak. After thinking for a while, she had no choice but to walk alone through the only road available within the fog-filled canyon. Hyun landed in an unknown place. He advanced while pointing the sword forward. It didn¡¯t matter how much they walked, they only saw endless fog. As the same scene kept repeating, he began wondering if the darkness hadn¡¯t absorbed him. [Darkness¡¯s Strength: 0 seconds] [Because of the strength used, the soul needs to take some rest!] [Time until the soul recovers: 600 seconds] The time ran out, Louise lost her strength, and Hyun was suddenly and forcibly ?Disassimilated?. ¡°Ugh, what¡­!¡± Hyun shouted in surprise after being pushed away from Louise¡¯s body. He couldn¡¯t help but be surprised since it was the first time he¡¯d been forcibly ?Disassimilated?, but he soon returned to his senses. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Louise, are you okay?¡± ¡°My head¡­ hurts a little bit¡­ a little bit¡­ I want to take a little break.¡± Louise didn¡¯t look good. Hyun couldn¡¯t ?Assimilate?, so he carried Louise on his back. Even if he were a Support, carrying a lightweight girl was easy. Thanks to the numerous achievement bonuses, Hyun¡¯s strength stat was at 30. Ain asked a question as she watched him. ¡°Hyun, do you remember I¡¯m stronger than you¡­?¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡®I increased it for cases like this¡­¡¯ Ain¡¯s lips fluttered a bit, but even to her, saying something like that in their situation would be stupid, so she decided to remain silent. ¡°I¡¯m still not sure where we are.¡± Hyun once again took a glimpse at the map he¡¯d found in the interloop. ¡°I think that we¡¯re outside of the map.¡± ¡°Outside?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a defined track in a racing game, right? For example¡­ I think that we left the track.¡± ¡°Hngh¡­ Well, I guess if that¡¯s the conclusion you¡¯ve reached, it¡¯s probably right.¡± Hyun decided not to look at the map anymore. ¡°Let¡¯s find a devil.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because we can talk to it and even ask for directions,¡± he mumbled while looking at the fog. ¡®It seems like we¡¯ve fallen somewhere abnormal.¡¯ That was the thickest fog he¡¯d seen since he began following the road. No, they weren¡¯t even on the road. As the dangerous fog was blocking even the sky, Hyun felt that he was wandering around within a very confusing cave. Chapter 170 Chapter 170 ¨C Preparations for Darkness (1) There was a mythical dungeon that worked as a prison to retain people until they died. Wasn¡¯t the place they found themselves in, a fog prison you couldn¡¯t get out of until you died, similar to that? ¡®This is a place it seems neither a human nor a devil would live in, but still, if only we could find one¡­¡¯ Hyun was looking around when¡­ ¡°Long time no see!¡± ¡°Woah!¡± Hyun was surprised by the voice that came out of nowhere. Ain¡¯s shoulders jumped, and Louise almost bit her tongue. Hyun slowly turned his head and saw a familiar face. There was no way that person wearing such a unique robe was a Priest. ¡°R-Rutia?¡± ¡°Oh, so you remember my name today! That¡¯s right!¡± It was the Priest he¡¯d seen for the first time at the Twilight Temple. He¡¯d seen her once more in Iluna¡¯s Symmetrical World, so that was the third time he¡¯d seen her. He always met Rutia out of nowhere in situations like that. ¡®Don¡¯t they say that unknown kindness is the scariest thing?¡¯ Although she didn¡¯t feel animosity toward him, Hyun couldn¡¯t figure out her identity, so he couldn¡¯t feel relaxed around her. ¡°Oh, come on,¡± Rutia complained while looking at Hyun being wary of her. ¡°I¡¯ve helped you every time we¡¯ve seen each other¡­ Isn¡¯t it about time you just trust me?¡± ¡°Who are you¡­?¡± ¡°Why are you asking me the same thing? Did you already forget? I¡¯m that girl¡¯s guardian!¡± Rutia was proudly puffing out her chest, and her cleavage was prominently displayed. Just like before, Hyun couldn¡¯t help but think a Priest¡¯s robe didn¡¯t suit her. He had numerous things he wanted to ask her¡­ How was it possible that she could appear there? What was her identity? ¡°Then, are you also a demon?¡± Ain asked first before Hyun could open his mouth. ¡°¡­Because she¡¯s a demon,¡± she said while pointing to Louise. Since she was the guardian of a demon, she was also probably a demon. It was a reasonable line of thought. Rutia thought about it for a while but then nodded. ¡°Hmm¡­ This is something I can now say. Yes, you¡¯re right!¡± Hyun wasn¡¯t that surprised. The moment he realized Louise was Darkness, he¡¯d thought of the possibility of Rutia being a demon. Then he asked a follow-up question. ¡°What¡¯s¡­ your name?¡± According to Hyun¡¯s information, there weren¡¯t any angels or demons named Rutia. Just by hearing a Transcendent¡¯s name, Hyun could figure out whose faction they belonged to and their rank. Since the name of all demons ended with -al, there was no need to keep insisting on the name ¡®Rutia¡¯. ¡°Hmm¡­ I cannot tell you that yet¡­ Also, this isn¡¯t time for you to ask me my name!¡± Rutia put her hand on top of Louise¡¯s head. As a red wave spread through her, Louise¡¯s expression calmed down. ¡°What did you just do¡­?¡± ¡°I restrained her Empathy. She¡¯ll be okay for the time being.¡± ¡°Restrained her Empathy¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. I should do this much, at least. After all, I¡¯m her guardian!¡± After checking over Louise, Rutia called out the group. ¡°Follow me.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you trying to go to the sanctuary?¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯s right, but¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you should follow me.¡± She suddenly started to guide the group. When he thought about it, Rutia had offered herself to be the guide on Illuna, too. ¡® How suspicious¡­¡¯ But since it seemed like she was really trying to help them, Hyun began following her. ¡°Too slow. Can¡¯t we go a bit faster?¡± Hyun anxiously asked while they walked. The Heavens¡¯ Knights should¡¯ve been rushing toward that place at the moment¡­ but considering that, Rutia¡¯s steps were too slow. If they kept moving at that speed, by the time they arrived at the ruins, they might have already been destroyed. But Rutia just shook her head. ¡°We mustn¡¯t run.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°This is currently the fastest way there.¡± Rutia explained while walking through the chilly fog. ¡°We¡¯re following the land¡¯s aorta at the moment. You¡¯ll get absorbed by the fog if you go against the flow.¡± ¡°Aorta¡­?¡± Suddenly, a thought crossed Hyun¡¯s mind. [The road toward Darkness starts from the lighthouse, connects with a canyon, and leads toward the heart, but if you want to reach the heart, you¡¯ll have to wander the fog.] ¡ªThe passage he¡¯d found at the interloop. Rutia¡¯s explanation kept going on while Hyun was recalling that. ¡°The fog is the blood that runs through the land of Darkness. It might be poison for those that aren¡¯t used to it, but for others, especially to Darkness, it¡¯s like the source of life.¡± ¡°Darkness is okay¡­?¡± ¡°Ah, but don¡¯t even think of throwing that girl into the fog, okay? Give it a few more years and she¡¯d be fine.¡± While they were talking about numerous things, the group reached a place where they couldn¡¯t see anything in front of them. ¡°Everyone. stop.¡± ¡°?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t move from now on.¡± When Rutia finished talking, the group felt that an unknown strength was trying to pull them. Fwoosh-! It felt as if they were going down a water slide. They were being dragged somewhere, but they weren¡¯t sure where that was. ¡­But what they were sure of was that they were moving at an incredible speed. ¡°Don¡¯t touch anything. You could die, okay?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± Ain, who was looking at the wall of the passageway in interest, flinched and moved back her hand. After warning Ain, Rutia looked at Hyun. ¡°Do you have enough tiredness percent?¡± ¡°¡­!¡± [Tiredness Rate: 48] [If your tiredness surpasses 100, you¡¯ll be forcibly logged out!] In the state he was in, he could perfectly game for another 10 hours. ¡°I¡¯m okay at the moment¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear!¡± Rutia smiled brightly. She kept talking to Hyun, who had fallen deep into thought. ¡°If you have time, ?Pray?. No, it would be better if you forcibly made time to ?Pray?.¡± ¡°?Pray?¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. You haven¡¯t used ?Pray? recently, right? If you had, I wouldn¡¯t have struggled this much,¡± Rutia complained while looking up and down at Hyun. Numerous thoughts crossed Hyun¡¯s mind. He couldn¡¯t even fathom what he should ask first. ¡°Rutia, is it possible that you¡¯re¡­¡± But before Hyun could ask anything, she had disappeared and left a final message. ¡°If you don¡¯t get lazy, it shouldn¡¯t be impossible if you start right now. Following the Aorta will give you about two hours of advantage. Two hours should be enough, right?¡± After saying that, Rutia entered the fog, and her figure started to get blurry; then she completely disappeared. Even after Rutia disappeared, Hyun and the rest of the group kept following where the fog took them. Hyun used ?Pray?. The target was Louise, of course. According to what they¡¯d heard from somewhere, if you lowered your consciousness and accepted the Transcendent¡¯s feelings, the effectiveness % increased. They were in a sanctuary that was called the heart of Darkness. Was it because of that? Hyun could feel Louise¡¯s emotions more clearly. Admiration, Regret, Thankfulness¡­ ¡®Ha¡­¡¯ Hyun laughed as he used ?Pray?. There were lots of mixed emotions, but the biggest one was ¡®Trust.¡¯ Louise believed in him too much. Demons were, by nature, beings that had a lot of doubts¡­ was it okay that the demon of demons, a great demon, believed in him so innocently? ¡®Maybe it¡¯s because she¡¯s still young.¡¯ Darkness was still young and weak. Even if he managed to clear the main quest successfully, he wasn¡¯t sure if Louise would become a great demon. Even when she¡¯d recovered her old strength for a short while, wings didn¡¯t grow on Louise¡¯s back. It was because her Ego was still too small for her to become a real demon. ¡®Well, I guess she still has a lot of development to do in order to become a real demon.¡¯ Ting-! [Your ?Pray? has reached level 9!] [Part of the seal on the Robe of the Praying Priest has been unlocked!] Hyun ?Dissimilated? when he heard the notification. His proficiency rate was close to 9 in the first place, but his proficiency rate increased faster when he was ?Assimilated? into Louise, so it didn¡¯t take long. The robe had a black and white pattern. Hyun opened its status window to check out the transformation. [The Robe of the Praying Priest (Legendary)] Requirements: [Empathy 300] It¡¯s the Robe of a Priest who prayed to a demon. A powerful strength is hidden within it. Durability (121/140) Defense: +157% ¨C Lv.6: [Protection of a Transcendent] ¨C Lv.9: [Possession] (¡ù New Ability!) ¨C The item¡¯s abilities are sealed. ¨C It will unlock when [Skill: Pray] reaches 12. Hyun blinked numerous times. He was wondering if he hadn¡¯t seen wrong. ¡°Legendary¡­?¡± ¡°Hmm? What do you mean by ¡®legendary¡¯?¡± ¡°Wait, I¡¯m also not sure what¡¯s going on yet¡­!¡± He clearly hadn¡¯t seen the Robe of the Praying Priest¡¯s rank wrong. Although there were a few growth-type items in Asra, they did exist. He had never imagined that the unique robe he¡¯d obtained was one of those items. ¡®There weren¡¯t any posts in the communities that said that a legendary-rank item was given out, right?¡¯ After reading that the first legendary-rank item would appear in the ¡®Black Town¡¯ quest, every user went crazy and went to the Symmetrical World at the risk of their own lives. According to what Salon told him, Asrian-related sites were going crazy. A legendary was something that was just that attractive to users. To think such luck would come to him. But soon, Hyun realized another impressive thing. ¡®But there¡¯s still another ability!¡¯ One that unlocked at level 12 of ?Pray?! The item he thought was exclusive to a Support was starting to show more of its real self as time passed. It wasn¡¯t legendary just by name, but it had an ability worthy of being called that. [Possession] The one that ?Pray?s is set to become like the one they pray to! The most familiar being will dwell in your body. ¨C You turn into the form of the Transcendent you¡¯ve most recently Emphasized to. ¨C You can use the ¡®normal skill¡¯ that the Transcendent has. ¨C Duration: 30 minutes. (¡ù Warning 1: If your trust with the target is shallow, the skill won¡¯t activate!) (¡ù Warning 2: If the difference in power is too big, part of its strength will be sealed!) Although Louise wasn¡¯t that powerful at the moment, she would probably grow a lot once the main quest was over. As she learned more skills, ?Possession? would probably become as strong as an ultimate attack. It would probably become a transformation ultimate attack similar to Ain¡¯s. ¡®How much does Rutia know?¡¯ At that point, his interest in Rutia¡¯s true identity grew. Seeing how she asked him to ?Pray? before doing anything else, she probably knew about the hidden potential of the Robe of the Praying Priest. The effect of the item, the way to the Symmetrical World, the hidden truth about the fog, secrets related to Louise¡­ Rutia was truly a woman who knew everything. If she knew everything¡­ Did she already know the future and how to change it? Was that why she told him to ?Pray?? ¡®It¡¯s almost as if she told me to use this skill.¡¯ If the time when he had to use ?Possession? came¡­ Rutia was definitely not a normal NPC. ¡°What¡¯s a legendary?!¡± Hyun came back to his senses after hearing Ain¡¯s voice. It seemed like Ain was looking at him from a short distance. He showed her the status window of his upgraded item. ¡°It¡¯s nothing now¡­ but a skill appeared.¡± ¡°Skill?¡± He told her the effect of ?Possession? while moving. It was Ain, after all, so there was nothing wrong with her knowing the effect of it. ¡°To put it simply, it¡¯s a skill that lets me turn into Louise.¡± ¡°What the¡­?¡± ¡°Wh-what? Turn into me¡­?¡± It seemed like Ain had understood it, but Louise became surprised by what she¡¯d heard. Hyun had to explain things to her, who wasn¡¯t a user, in a way she could understand for a while. Anyway, he¡¯d increased the level of ?Pray?, so Hyun could think of future plans a bit more relaxedly. Chapter 171 Chapter 171 ¨C Preparations for Darkness (2) They¡¯d reached the place with Rutia¡¯s help. According to the main quest¡¯s explanation, it was a place called the heart, but seeing how there wasn¡¯t any construction that resembled a heart, it was probably just a comparative expression. ¡°I guess that¡¯s it, right?¡± ¡°Yes, I think so.¡± There was a huge altar. FWOOSH-! Fog poured out like a waterfall from the pyramid-like altar, and the fog spread out to the surrounding areas as if it were blood coursing through veins. ¡®Is all the fog in the land of Darkness generated here?¡¯ Hyun suddenly thought. It was probably called the heart because it was the area where the fog was generated and then disappeared again. ¡°I¡¯ve seen¡­ this place before,¡± Louise mumbled while going up the stairs. She¡¯d seen the altar full of dark-red magic circles from where the fog flowed out before. Hyun accepted Louise¡¯s delusional words. ¡°When did you see it¡­?¡± ¡°A dream¡­ Yes, I¡¯ve seen it in a dream before.¡± Maybe Louise¡¯s memories were starting to return because she was in a familiar place and atmosphere. Hyun asked a few more questions. ¡°Did it feel scary¡­? Or maybe¡­¡± ¡°No, it didn¡¯t feel scary. Rather, it was comfortable.¡± Other than that, she didn¡¯t remember anything else. Finally, they reached the top of the pyramid. Ting-! Another Main Quest was generated. [One step forward. Darkness is going to reach the boundary between a Transcendent and a human.] ¨C The moment Darkness goes up on the magic circle, a ceremony will begin. ¨C The ceremony lasts for two hours. During this time, Louise will fall asleep and be in a defenseless state. The only one who can guarantee her safety is you. ¨C This is the last step of the Main Quest. If you successfully clear this quest, the world¡¯s timeframe will be moved forward. ¡°It¡¯s finally the last step.¡± Hyun took a deep breath after realizing that. According to the explanation, Louise was going to fall asleep while the ceremony was going on. Maybe it was the last time he¡¯d be able to see Louise¡¯s face. Even if the quest succeeded¡­ from Louise¡¯s point of view, she wouldn¡¯t be able to see Hyun for a while. The timeframe moving forward¡­ Users and NPCs couldn¡¯t always share the same time. There was already a gap of five years where Hyun and Louise had been apart. That was something that always happened when there was a turning point in history. The timeframe would accelerate again¡ªthat was what the last part of the quest¡¯s description said. ¡®It¡¯s similar to back then.¡¯ Suddenly, Hyun was tempted to hold Louise. Wouldn¡¯t it be nice if they could do what they¡¯d done until then¡ªhunting until late at night together and just spending time inside the guild house? But Hyun knew better than anyone that wasn¡¯t possible. Since she was Darkness, she would inevitably get involved in history. Maybe he could hide her inside the private room for a while, but that was only a temporary solution. For example, the Pope could start having suspicions about the Shade Guild and make them public enemies, they could destroy the entire city where the portal was located, or there was a chance that an angel would get involved. Anyways, Darkness either had to appear before the world or vanish¡ªthat was just how Asra and Asrian¡¯s stories were set up. ¡°Louise¡­¡± Hyun said in a serious tone. ¡°When you wake up, there¡¯s a chance I won¡¯t be here.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you can¡¯t die because you¡¯re a user?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m not going to die.¡± Hyun explained to her calmly that there would be a change in the timeframe. ¡°How could that be¡­! Will I have to wait that long again?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably going to be shorter this time. If it¡¯s like before¡­¡± The previous Darkness wasn¡¯t Louise. The details of the quest and the event that activated were different from before. Still, the story¡¯s structure, which said that Darkness recovered her strength step by step, was the same. ¡°It¡¯ll probably be three years.¡± ¡°Still, that¡¯s¡­ quite a long time.¡± Hyun realized Louise was holding back tears. Although her Empathy was restrained, he understood how she was feeling. Hyun thought it was probably because he had ?Assimilated? into her quite a lot. ¡°When we meet again, you could be older than Ain.¡± ¡°No, even if I get older, she¡¯ll probably be the same age as me. Ah, wait, then¡­?¡± Hyun wasn¡¯t sure what Ain was thinking, but she let out a cough. Hyun couldn¡¯t imagine what a grown-up Louise would look like very well. ¡°I¡¯ll guess I¡¯ll find out later.¡± Since they were about to be attacked by the Heavens, he couldn¡¯t use much time on stuff like that. After a short conversation, Louise stepped into the magic circle. It was at that moment when the ceremony started from the top of the pyramid. [Remaining time before Darkness recovers part of her Ego: 119 minutes 58 seconds] WHAM. The altar began trembling. The fog¡¯s vortex became more intense, so Hyun and Ain were forced to jump downwards from the altar. ¡°Amazing¡­ I¡¯ve never seen anything like this before,¡± Ain mumbled while looking at the heart of Darkness beating faster. ¡°Me neither. After all, we were both part of the Heavens before.¡± Louise was floating in the air; a thin fog surrounded her body. Watching Darkness¡¯s awakening would be interesting, but sadly, Hyun and Ain didn¡¯t have time to look at it relaxedly. ¡°The Knights are going to get here soon.¡± If Rutia were right, it would happen in about 30 minutes. If the Knights saw Louise, they probably wouldn¡¯t let her live. That meant Hyun and Ain had to block all of the enemies by themselves. But how? Facing one Holy Knight was already hard. How were they supposed to defend against an entire squadron? ¡°But can we really stop them? Just the two of us¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, if it goes according to the plan.¡± Hyun slowly nodded. ¡°I finally understood why she asked me to learn ?Pray?.¡± From the moment they arrived at the heart, Hyun had been thinking of ways to counter the Knights. A squadron made of Holy Knights and Holy Magicians¡­ Logically, defeating the squadron sent by the Holy Kingdom with just the two of them was impossible. That¡¯s right. That was if Rutia hadn¡¯t given him a hint. ¡°There¡¯s a lot we have to prepare beforehand. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Okay¡­!¡± When Hyun read the description of the new skill, ?Possession?, he got an idea. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was going to work or not, but he thought there was a huge chance it would succeed. Hyun and Ain began quickly to buy the two hours needed for Louise to awaken an Ego. Shakron Neizer. Unlike the Priests, Holy Knights focused on training, but Shakron was a bit different. The people that went to pray early in the morning could always see Shakron there. ¡ªA Knight who prayed like a Priest. But there weren¡¯t many people who knew that he wasn¡¯t praying to emphasize with an Angel¡­ ¡°How can Mr. Knight be so hard-working?¡± One day, a Priest who was cleaning spoke to him. Shakron answered as if he were asking something obvious. ¡°That¡¯s obviously to obtain strength.¡± Praying fortified the Holy Energy of a Holy Knight. Shakron had never prayed to an angel that wasn¡¯t Truth because praying to other angels wasn¡¯t as effective. With strength, he obtained power. With that, getting rid of those that bothered him became easier, and he would naturally be praised by the people. [Darkness began moving in order to devour the world.] And when Light gave an oracle¡­ Shakron realized that the biggest opportunity of his life had finally arrived. It was a perfect opportunity to write his name in the books. He had to bow his head to the Pope and Priests; he also had to say vain things to people he didn¡¯t like. He¡¯d been able to get to where he was through sheer effort. Shakron had lost the perfect opportunity because of his useless underlings, so he was more sensitive than ever. ¡®No matter what¡­! I won¡¯t let her go twice!¡¯ His voice reached every member of the squadron through Sacred Power. ¡°Spread the formation as much as possible. If you find Darkness, report it to me immediately!¡± Shakron ordered while rushing toward the only route within the canyon that led toward the heart. They weren¡¯t sure where Darkness would appear again, and once she did, he had to hunt her at all costs, so Shakron was trying to spread the Knights as much as possible. ¡°Captain¡­!¡± His aide once again gathered the courage to say to him. ¡°If we spread the formation, the distance between us will increase too much! Some might die due to the devils¡­ And if Darkness appears again, everyone that¡¯s spread out could get killed¡­!¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly why we need to spread out. Won¡¯t we be able to figure out Darkness¡¯s location?¡± With that answer, the aide discovered that Shakron just didn¡¯t care about the lives of his underlings. ¡°But¡­ the oracle said that we must destroy the Ruins of Darkness, so we should prioritize the oracle¡­¡± ¡°How noisy,¡± Shakron said. ¡°Aren¡¯t we rushing toward where the oracle indicated, or do you want to take command? Can you fight against Darkness?¡± ¡°N-No¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t try to lecture me when you¡¯re so weak. Your role is to be my aid. That¡¯s it.¡± Ba-da-dum Ba-da-dum. The aide remained silent after that. Only the steps of the horses could be heard. Someone who talked too much despite being weak¡­ ¡ªThat was all Shakron thought about his aide. He wouldn¡¯t have brought such a useless person there if it hadn¡¯t been due to a High Priest¡¯s words. Shakron soon realized he was right. ¡®See? I was right.¡¯ The senses of a Holy Knight were beyond those of a normal human. Shakron¡¯s eyes saw the figure of a little girl who was about a hundred meters in distance. Her height, body type, face, and how evil Demonic Energy surrounded her¡­! He immediately realized her identity. Darkness! The face he¡¯d seen before was looking at him from a distance. ¡°As expected, you appeared again!¡± ¡°What are you¡­ talking about? W-wait, Captain¡­!¡± The aid had remained silent after the exchange before, but after seeing how the captain was moving out of the formation, he couldn¡¯t help but exclaim in surprise. Shakron didn¡¯t answer him and just began moving forward. It was clear that Darkness was in a state where she¡¯d lost most of her strength. He could easily tell he was overwhelmingly stronger than her. ¡®This is a gift from the Heavens! The Heavens have given me another opportunity!¡¯ He could use Sacred Power to gather all of the squadrons at any time, so he wasn¡¯t taking a huge risk. ¡ªBut he didn¡¯t know when Darkness would disappear. What if she rose to the skies again¡­? No, he had to kill her before that happened. ¡°Ugh, how annoying!¡± It was hard to ride a horse to where Darkness was, so Shakron was forced to run there on his own feet. He was going to kill her and write his name in the Heavens¡¯ grand temple. ¡°Do you know what the weakness of the Holy Knights is?¡± He asked as he explained the plan to Ain. ¡°The Holy Kingdom¡¯s Knights? Is it the fact that they¡¯re all crazy religious people?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not their weakness¡ªit¡¯s their strong point.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Then I¡¯m not sure.¡± As Ain shook her head, Hyun answered. ¡°Their command system is one-sided.¡± Ain couldn¡¯t understand with just that, so Hyun kept explaining. ¡°The Knights can¡¯t move of their own volition¡ªthey can¡¯t even think of moving if they don¡¯t receive an order.¡± How the Holy Kingdom was organized was similar to a medieval noble society. Except for a few beings like angels or Transcendents, the Pope was on top of everyone. In the army, the commander was on top of all soldiers. Although they could order and report from up to down, from down to up, one could only give information about the current situation. ¡°We just have to kill the captain. If we do that, the Knights will stop moving for a while.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all¡­?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± One death could paralyze the entire group. It wasn¡¯t a plan someone who wasn¡¯t as knowledgeable about Asra¡¯s world as Hyun could come up with. After all, in the modern world, someone would take a higher-up¡¯s place if they disappeared, but in a society where there were ranks, defying authority was a crime as serious as treason. ¡­But Ain didn¡¯t seem convinced after hearing Hyun¡¯s explanation. After all, he hadn¡¯t explained the most critical element¡­ ¡°So¡­ how are we going to kill the captain?¡± Chapter 172 Chapter 172 ¨C Hunting a Holy Knight (1) Hyun¡¯s explanation was missing how they were supposed to hunt a named NPC that was close to level 400. Not only that, but his underlings were probably protecting him as well, so they would have to fight against dozens of Holy Knights along with him. Hyun smiled mysteriously at Ain¡¯s question. ¡°That¡¯s no issue because¡­ the Knight Squadron¡¯s captain is Shakron.¡± [Possession] The one that ?Pray?s is set to become like the one they pray to! The most familiar being will dwell in your body. ¨C You turn into the form of the Transcendent you¡¯ve most recently Emphasized to. ¨C You can use the ¡®normal skill¡¯ that the Transcendent has. ¨C Duration: 30 minutes. (¡ù Warning 1: If your trust with the target is shallow, the skill won¡¯t activate!) (¡ù Warning 2: If the difference in power is too big, part of its strength will be sealed!) [Cooldown Time: 360 hours] He had previously been famous for his bad personality and had died due to it. Predicting how such an NPC would react was easy for Hyun. ¡¸That guy goes crazy whenever he sees a demon. He previously charged toward a demon who had received a fatal wound but ended up dying¡­ Even if it¡¯s a servant-class demon who has used up most of its energy, a demon is still a demon.¡¹ As expected, Shakron went crazy when he saw Louise, but the problem was that she wasn¡¯t Louise, but Ain. Hyun had used ?Possession? while using ?Assimilation? on Ain and made her look like Louise. Not only that, but thanks to the ?Latent Potential Increase?, he had Ain¡¯s agility through three layers of the buff. ¡¸Ain, just as planned! You remember, right?¡¹ Slash! The sword of chains expanded and showed its sharp teeth. A distance of hundreds of meters was closed in an instant! ¡­But Hyun had set up a trap¡ªone that was strong enough to surprise an opponent overwhelmingly stronger than them. ¡¸Good, he¡¯s coming. Let¡¯s escape!¡¹ The first step was to move him away from the rest of the squadron. If his underlings followed him before the hunt began, all Hyun¡¯s plans would be ruined. Shakron had, at that moment, just ordered the Knights to spread away, so, ironically, he had adjusted to Hyun¡¯s plans. ¡®Huh? Why is it so easy¡­?¡¯ They¡¯d successfully made the captain move away from the Knights. After unintentionally clearing the first step of his plan, Hyun hesitated for a moment. Shakron fell for it so easily that Hyun began thinking it might be a reverse trap. ¡¸Amazing! He¡¯s moving according to Hyun¡¯s plan!¡¹ ¡¸Ehem. Well, this much is nothing¡­¡¹ It didn¡¯t matter how much he thought about it¡­ It didn¡¯t seem like a reverse trap¡­ He couldn¡¯t understand why Shakron fell for it so easily, so Hyun decided not to think about that anymore and moved to the next step. Next, Hyun used Louise¡¯s skill, ?Black Wind?. Whish-! Wind pushed out from her body, so Ain could safely run through the fog, but that wasn¡¯t the case for Shakron. Using the fog was the second step of Hyun¡¯s plan. ¡°Wind¡­?¡± Whish- As a strong wind current surrounded Ain¡¯s body, Shakron¡¯s body narrowed. Touching the black fog could be fatal, even to him. Naturally, Shakron couldn¡¯t help but move carefully, and that passive attitude was what Hyun was after. ¡¸Good. He won¡¯t be able to get us immediately!¡¹ The opponent was an elite who was almost at level 400¡ªif he tried his best to capture them, Hyun wasn¡¯t sure if they would be able to resist for even 10 seconds. ¡­But they were in Darkness¡¯s territory. Louise had the advantage there. Hyun purposely ran near an area with thick fog, so Shakron wouldn¡¯t be able to charge toward them without thinking about it twice. Even considering all of that, escaping from Shakron wasn¡¯t easy. ¡°Ha. It doesn¡¯t matter what trick you use. You won¡¯t be able to reduce the strength gap!¡± Pang! The chain blade moved, and the sound of a whip exploding was heard. Rocks and trees turned into dust, and even the earth¡¯s surface was turned upside down. Ain was forced to jump to dodge the attack. ¡¸Be careful. Another attack is coming.¡¹ ¡¸I know¡­!¡¹ Slash! The sharp flash of light changed direction as if it were a snake with a will. ¡ªFrom a horizontal attack to a vertical one! Ain was forced to use ?Steps of the Incarnate? to dodge any further attacks. ¡°Die.¡± Shakron¡¯s eyes shone. Wiggle. The wave of Sacred Power that started from his hand reached the end of the sword. Slash! Simultaneously, the sword began dancing crazily. The technique annihilated everything along its path. Unfortunately for Shakron, that path was nowhere near Ain and Hyun. Hyun smiled after seeing the explosion of Sacred Power. ¡¸He fell for it again.¡¹ What Shakron saw was a shadow that resembled Ain¡ªit was an illusion created by Hyun. Thanks to the Shadow Linker¡¯s ability, Ain was covered by flames, and the shadow looked similar. ¡¸The fake worked? But it shouldn¡¯t work against captains!¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s how desperate he is.¡¹ After realizing that Darkness had lost most of her strength, Shakron was desperate to kill her as quickly as possible. It didn¡¯t matter how much he swung the chains, Darkness easily slipped out through the fog. It was all thanks to Ain being in charge of moving and Hyun calculating the cooldown time of skills very precisely. She managed to slip out by a narrow margin. Shakron was feeling annoyed and anxious because, although he was faster than her, he couldn¡¯t reduce the distance between them. ¡¸Let¡¯s lure him there.¡¹ The more Shakron acted like that, the calmer Hyun dragged Shakron into a deeper part of the fog for the last step of the plan. ¡¸Where was it?!¡¹ ¡¸Behind that hill.¡¹ GUOO. The fog suddenly turned into a thick current of water. According to Rutia¡¯s explanation, the place was the aorta of the Darkness¡¯s land. It was Hyun¡¯s plan to drag Shakron there from the beginning. ?Acceleration?! Ain¡¯s body left an after-image. A silver light brush passed her cheek. After realizing that, if things went on like that, he might lose Darkness again, Shakron started taking bigger risks and trying to attack from a closer distance. ¡¸Hyun, I¡¯m starting to feel worried!¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯re almost there. It¡¯s right in front of us!¡¹ At that moment¡­ Ain stepped over the ?Wind Barrier? and stood on top of the fog¡¯s surface. The floor was pitch-black. The entire place was surrounded by fog, so there was nowhere to step. Even if Shakron was strong, he couldn¡¯t help but hesitate in front of the fog¡¯s surface. ¡°To think that there was a place like this¡­¡± Shakron looked at the river of fog flowing at his feet. Even Darkness was standing on top of the air, avoiding the fog¡­ Was Darkness also scared of the fog? That might be possible. After all, while escaping, Darkness had never gone through the fog. Because she¡¯d lost her strength, there was a chance she couldn¡¯t face her old strength. But still¡­ ¡®This is dangerous.¡¯ Shakron realized that he¡¯d gone too deep. If the fog didn¡¯t hurt Darkness, it was a battlefield where she had the advantage. SSSS. On top of the fog river¡­ An alarm sounded in Shakron¡¯s head after he saw the smile on Darkness¡¯s face. ¡®Tsk, there¡¯s nothing I can do about it. I must back off!¡¯ If he tried to go farther, he would have to risk his life. At that point, he had to either charge along with the Knight Squadron or destroy the Ruins of Darkness first if that wasn¡¯t possible. KAAAA! Shakron made his decision when he suddenly heard a scream from behind. ¡°What¡­?¡± He took a deep breath after looking around. Starting from a group of the weakest devils, the skeletons, there were bats in the sky, devils that looked like bulls, ghosts, dogs, wolves¡­ What he saw was a group of devils screaming while charging toward him. ¡°You lowly devils¡­ Ha-ah!¡± Shakron swung his sword. The sword chain increased to 20 meters in length and cut through the air. As the Sacred Power shone, dozens of devils turned into dust, but even more devils filled their ranks. ¡°How could there be so many?!¡± Since he¡¯d entered the Underground, Shakron had realized that the devils were also scared of the fog. He didn¡¯t consider them while chasing after Darkness because there weren¡¯t devils around the fog. Even if he encountered a few, he could always get rid of them instantly. But¡­ from where did so many of them appear?! Fufu. Hyun was looking at the confused Shakron from a distance. ¡­ The last part of the plan was to make the devils move. After the ceremony began, Hyun started to reach the high-ranking devils. Thanks to ?Possession?, he got Louise¡¯s appearance and energy, so he used her authority. It didn¡¯t take him long to find a ghost kid and ask it to take him toward a lich. ¡°You¡¯re the commander of this area. Right? Can you give an order to the rest?¡± ¡°Of course¡­ Even if it isn¡¯t my order, there probably isn¡¯t anyone willing to go¡­ against Darkness¡¯s will.¡± Because Louise had awakened Empathy for a short while, everyone remembered the energy Darkness had. ¡°But dear Darkness¡­ How did you lose Empathy¡­?¡± ¡°What. Am I not Darkness to you now?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­ mean that¡­ I¡¯m sorry for my rudeness¡­¡± Things were about to go wrong, but in the end, the lich moved according to Hyun¡¯s will. And they were witnessing the result. ¡°As the Darkness wishes¡­¡± Boom! As the liches attacked the earth simultaneously, a giant hole appeared near Shakron. The shockwave made Shakron bounce toward the fog¡¯s surface. Pong! He tried to step into the air and get back into position. ¡¸You won¡¯t be able to get out!¡¹ There was no way Hyun would stand still while Shakron did that. Shakron jumped into the sky to stop himself from drowning in the river of fog. He didn¡¯t have support from the ground in the air, so the stats lost meaning. Slash! As ?Efreet¡¯s Claws? drew a half-moon, Shakron once again bounced away. ¡°Damn!¡± Shakron soon realized that the fog under him was flowing down somewhere. The end of the river was connected to a waterfall! There were many areas where the fog cycle occurred around the aorta of the Darkness¡¯s canyon. SWOOSH-! The flow descending violently looked like a waterfall, and under that, there seemed to be only endless darkness. It was at that moment that Shakron realized the situation was more dangerous than he initially thought. ¡°I command this to every soldier¡­! Stop what you¡¯re doing right now and gather in this place! Immediately¡­!¡± The voice that spread thanks to the Sacred Power was sent to every member of the Knight Squadron. But that order also reached Hyun and Ain¡¯s ears. ¡¸There¡¯s probably a time limit. Can you do it?¡¹ ¡¸If it¡¯s one-on-one¡­ Yes!¡¹ Most devils also couldn¡¯t reach under the waterfall, so it was on Hyun and Ain to finish up the rest. Whir- While descending to the waterfall and stepping on the ?Wind Barrier?, numerous colors began shining around Ain¡¯s body. [You receive 30% less damage from Holy Attacks!] [You recover 500 Demonic Energy every second!] [Your defense has increased by 200%!] ¡°Although it¡¯s a lackluster magic¡­ I hope you accept it¡­¡± Kaa! Kaaa! Using their flying abilities, the lich and bats that went flying down under the waterfall offered their support. They¡¯d offered numerous buffs and were supporting them. ¡¸Ain, calm down. Don¡¯t hurry things.¡¹ Shakron Neizer, one of the top five Holy Knights of the Holy Kingdom. Hyun knew better than anyone how strong the top five Knights were. Even though they had all the conditions, they couldn¡¯t say they had the advantage. Rather, they were finally on equal terms. Shakron Neizer was that strong, after all. ¡¸Even if you don¡¯t say it, I know that!¡¹ Whish- The fog that poured like rain was scattered away by Louise¡¯s ?Black Wind?. As that effect got mixed with the one of ?Latent Potential Increase?, it looked as if two layers of Demonic Energy were circling around Ain. [Remaining time before Darkness recovers part of her Ego: 97 minutes 35 seconds] Two hours was too long from the beginning. Once the Knights entered the Ruins of Darkness, there wouldn¡¯t be a way to drag out the time. The only way was to advance beforehand and destroy the Knights. That¡¯s right. If they lost the battle, it would be as if the main quest had failed. ¡¸Okay, let¡¯s go.¡¹ Pang! The wind exploded, and the fog flowing under Ain¡¯s feet scattered around like water. The hardest battle of the quest had just begun. Chapter 173 Chapter 173 ¨C Hunting a Holy Knight (2) At the same time¡­ Thanks to the expansion of Sacred Power, everyone under Shakron heard his voice. ¡°The owner of this Sacred Power¡­¡± ¡°Captain?¡± Of course, Shakron¡¯s aide was among them. ¡®What happened¡­?¡¯ A few minutes before, the captain had spread out the formation to find Darkness and quickly ran toward the fog. The aide clearly remembered him saying, ¡®As expected, you¡¯ve appeared again!¡¯ before leaving. Had he found Darkness and decided to move alone? Then things were serious. That meant he had asked for help because he¡¯d found himself in danger while fighting Darkness. It didn¡¯t matter how much he thought about it¡ªthere was a huge chance he was asking to be rescued. ¡®Ugh. Even if he¡¯s confident¡­ how could he think of facing Darkness?!¡¯ The aide didn¡¯t know that Darkness¡¯s strength wasn¡¯t comparable to before¡ªhe just thought that the captain¡¯s greed had put him in danger. Ba-da-dum Ba-da-dum. After hearing the Knights rush toward the direction of the cry for help, the aide returned to his senses. ¡°Oh, yeah. I shouldn¡¯t stay still!¡± He picked up his wand and drew a magic circle on the floor. For an NPC who couldn¡¯t use ¡®whisper¡¯ like users, sending a message toward the surface from the Underground was a high-difficulty task. Whir- The magic circle began blinking; the aide breathed anxiously. What he¡¯d just sent was a signal asking for support. The captain had said that they probably wouldn¡¯t need support, but from the aide¡¯s point of view, they weren¡¯t in such a relaxed situation. ¡°What¡¯s about to become of the Heavens¡¯ destiny¡­?¡± WHOOM- The floor started to tremble. ¡°Wh-what. An earthquake?¡± The people from the Heavens thought earthquakes happened when the demons of the Abyss wanted to mess up with the people on the surface. Did earthquakes even happen in the Underground? The aide soon realized that the vibration wasn¡¯t something like an earthquake. ¡°Wh-what the¡­? The land is starting to float¡­!¡± The scene on the horizon made his mouth fall open. The place where the ceremony was taking place¡­ The heart of Darkness was starting to float along with the land surrounding her. The flat ground slowly rose to become a hill. The vibration was from the shifting ground ¡°The Underground and the surface¡­ are connecting!¡± The ground rising wasn¡¯t just a simple natural phenomenon¡­ The aide remembered very well what the sacred text said that happened when Darkness appeared. It said that, when Darkness appeared, a road that connected the Underground and the surface would appear. The aide was seeing the meaning behind those words with his eyes. ¡°We should¡¯ve moved according to the oracle! We have to destroy the Ruins before it¡¯s too late!¡± At the same time, he began feeling resentment toward the captain. Even then, Darkness would be recovering her strength from the top of the hill, but the captain was too busy trying to obtain achievements! The aide felt his emotions burn, but there was nothing he could do about it besides using the communication magic. The only thing he could do was hope that his message had been correctly sent. Pang! The entire place became pitch-black as the fog poured away in all directions. At that moment, black wind hit Ain¡¯s feet. [You¡¯ve been exposed to unrefined dark energy!] [You¡¯ve received 518 damage!] [You¡¯ve received 317 damage!] [You¡¯ve received 672 damage!] A waterfall poured from the sky, and a dark pit filled with fog rested under their feet. If someone wanted to move in that place, they had to be prepared to lose quite a bit of HP. But thanks to Hyun controlling the ?Black Wind? and moving the fog away, Ain wasn¡¯t receiving that much damage. Shakron, who didn¡¯t have a similar skill, was receiving all the damage upfront. ¡°UGH! I¡¯LL KILL YOU AT ALL COSTS!¡± Shakron¡¯s body kept shining. The body of a Holy Knight could recover from damage. His body constantly shining meant that his skin was being torn apart constantly and regenerating. ¡¸Refill your HP! You only have half of it left!¡¹ ¡¸O-oh yeah!¡¹ After hearing Hyun¡¯s warning, Ain tore apart a vampire bat that was flying near her. Thanks to ?Absorption?, Ain¡¯s HP filled up instantly. The devils were willingly becoming potions to protect Darkness¡¯s life. FWOOSH! The lich¡¯s magic was cast on the corpse of the bats, and those that lost their lives became undead and flew again. That was also an order Hyun had prepared beforehand. ?Shadow Shield?! SLASH! Silver teeth and ?Efreet¡¯s Claws? clashed against each other. Although flames and Sacred Power had clashed, it looked as if Sacred Power was clashing against Demonic Energy because the flames were black. Ain tried to brush it off but couldn¡¯t completely neutralize its damage. [You cannot use ?Efreet¡¯s Claws? (Right) for 5 seconds!] Whish-! One fire died down. ¡¸It broke?¡¹ ¡¸Only for five seconds!¡¹ The time during which they couldn¡¯t use ?Efreet¡¯s Claw? was equivalent to the shock received when it broke. Hyun activated the ?Shadow Shield? when both weapons clashed, and thanks to that, the claws only broke for five seconds. ?Sword of Darkness?! A greatsword appeared in Ain¡¯s hand where the fire had deactivated. As Ain turned around in the air, a wave of fog appeared and spread in all directions. ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± It was hard to imagine how much damage the fog dealt. Even though Shakron was okay after receiving Ain¡¯s attack, he couldn¡¯t help but moan in pain whenever the fog touched him. Pang! The attacks of the liches exploded around him once more, and Shakron screamed in pain again. ¡°AAGGHH, YOU LOWLIVES!¡± ¡¸Coming!¡¹ Paf! The sword of chains brushed past Ain¡¯s cheeks. She reacted at an incredible speed. No, it was a subconscious reflex movement. That wasn¡¯t a movement that could be made by simply reacting. Slash! ¡­But even Ain wasn¡¯t expecting the next attack. The chain that had brushed past her returned and sawed through her shoulder. Crack! [You¡¯ve received 18058 damage!] [You¡¯ve lost your left arm!] ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± Ain let out a low scream. She hadn¡¯t died thanks to ¡®Recard¡¯s Devil Armor,¡¯ which reduced the damage from grazing attacks. ¡¸I¡¯m sorry, Hyun. Because of my¡­ mistake!¡¹ ¡¸No. Well done.¡¹ Whir. As a lich used its magic, the arm that was torn apart was regenerated. Ah! After seeing that her left arm had returned, she sighed in relief. ¡¸If it were me, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to dodge it.¡¹ Hyun wasn¡¯t saying that to make her feel good. He was so focused on the ?Wind Barrier? and other skills that he didn¡¯t even notice that Shakron was about to attack. ¡¸Really¡­?¡¹Ain carefully asked while hunting a vampire bat to recover HP. ¡¸Yes. Really.¡¹ Pang! Suddenly, they heard the air around them explode. The liches had finished casting. Rather than as an effect of the magic, Shakron cried in pain from the fog that moved in reaction to the magic. After letting out a cry loud enough to make the space around them rumble, he swung his chain sword again. Crack-! The devils that were attacked by the chains scattered away into light and exploded. The number of liches casting on top of the waterfall was reduced, too. ¡¸The cooldown time of ?Invisible? has reset! Go now!¡¹ He couldn¡¯t let Shakron keep eliminating devils because that meant Ain¡¯s way of recovering HP was being eliminated as well. Their battle was a war of attrition to see whether Shakron used all of his remaining Sacred Power or if the demonic monsters died first. ¡¸Good. I¡¯ve also finished overlapping ?Latent Potential Increase?!¡¹ Paf-! Ain stepped on ?Wind Barrier?, and her body began melting into the air. As ?Invisible?, ?Acceleration?, and ?Black Wind? were used simultaneously, a fog rain poured on top of Shakron. ¡°Ugh¡­! Agghh!¡± Even if a Holy Knight had high regenerative abilities, they weren¡¯t immortal. If they kept recovering, they would eventually run out of Sacred Power. ¡­And Shakron felt that moment was getting close. ¡®How?¡¯ Darkness had clearly become weaker. Her attacks couldn¡¯t reach him, and even if they did, they just tickled him. Even if she used the absorbing greatsword again, Shakron was sure he¡¯d be able to dodge it. Shakron¡¯s confidence wasn¡¯t unfounded. After all, Ain wasn¡¯t used to using the ?Black Wind? yet. But it was impossible for a human to predict the fog¡¯s movements and dodge it. Hyun had neutralized him not through specs, but through strategy. ¡®Am I about to die?¡¯ Was he about to lose against the traces that Darkness left behind in the past? Even though his Sacred Power was about to run out, Darkness was still healthy. Not only that but there were still half of the devils left, so Shakron was in an even more desperate situation. ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± If he couldn¡¯t leave that place, he¡¯d surely die! There were tons of devils and Darkness was hindering him as well, so it was impossible to go up. After another wave of fog poured onto him, Shakron realized his fate. ¡®If things are going to be like this, then I¡¯d rather¡­!¡¯ Shakron thought of his past and future in the middle of his desperate situation. After a while, Shakron changed his goal. Even if he had to lose his life, he would get rid of Darkness¡ªno matter what the consequence was. His desire to leave his name in the history books as the one who had eliminated Darkness didn¡¯t die down even a bit. He was sure he¡¯d be able to take Darkness with him if he used his remaining strength. ¡®I¡¯d rather die with you!¡¯ Shakron endured the pain while looking for an opportunity. He resisted and resisted¡­ until that opportunity came. Paf-! The moment Darkness stepped on air, Shakron made a mean smile. At the correct time, he stabbed the chain sword into his heart. The clash of Holy and Holy¡­ Boom- Shakron¡¯s last will became a strong light and exploded. The walls and floor crumbled, and even part of the fog disappeared. The last fire of the Knight Squadron¡¯s commander, a leader of hundreds of people, was intense. He would probably be remembered as the person who had sacrificed himself to destroy Darkness. Those were Shakron¡¯s last thoughts. ¡¸What is he doing¡­?¡¹ ¡¸It seems like he fell for it again.¡¹ Hyun and Ain looked at the fancy explosion of Sacred Power from a distance. They¡¯d first sent an illusion, and then they were planning to charge forward when the opponent exploded himself. Fwoosh-! As the level-up effect covered their bodies, they could be sure that Shakron had died. KAAA-! KAA-! While the bats that were flying around in the air cried in happiness, a message appeared in front of Hyun and Ain. [One of the biggest Five Swords of the Holy Kingdom has broken. Although Shakron Neizar was greedy, he was someone loved by the Heavens. Let¡¯s hope that, later on in the future, people will evaluate him properly.] [You¡¯ve put ¡®Shakron Neizar,¡¯ one of the top 5 Knights of the Holy Kingdom, into eternal rest!] [You¡¯ve succeeded as a party of two!] [Calculating the contribution rate, leaving aside the help received by devils!] [[¡­Skill points have increased by 6 (Ain) / 8 (Hyun)!!]] Hyun and Ain looked down while sitting on top of the ?Wind Barrier?. Swoosh- The waterfall of fog that fell from the skies swept away the light created by Shakron, and they disappeared into the darkness. [That¡¯s a disappointing ending compared to his name¡­] Ain mumbled, a bit disappointed while looking at the hole where the fog fell. [It hasn¡¯t even been a year since the servers opened. NPCs still haven¡¯t developed much yet.] Hyun smiled bitterly while thinking of the Asra times. He remembered how Shakron looked in the past. [I¡¯m glad we were able to catch him now.] Once the story of Light and Darkness properly began, NPCs would get a lot stronger. One of the reasons was that, as time went on, their levels would increase, but the biggest reason was that Transcendents were going to start to appear properly. Lots of other demons and angels besides Truth and Deception were going to start using ¡®Empathy¡¯, and thanks to that, the average NPC would get twice as strong, but the named ones would get three or four times stronger. If it weren¡¯t then, hunting Shakron would get a lot harder. [You¡¯ve obtained the item ¡®Judge¡¯s Sawtooth Chain Sword¡¯!] After a while, he got another message. ¡ªOne that said that a unique-rank item with a restriction level of 350 had dropped. Chapter 174 Chapter 174 ¨C The Other Side of the Case (1) He¡¯d set things up so that the party leader distributed the loot, so the items naturally entered Hyun¡¯s inventory. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Hyun had started becoming more generous in the few months before then, so he decided not to hide the item from Ain. ¡¸An item dropped.¡¹ ¡¸Are you going to use it?¡¹ ¡¸No. The wearing restriction is level 350. Not only that, but it¡¯s hard to use and too eye-catching.¡¹ Using the weapon would be like publicly announcing he¡¯d killed Shakron. If he didn¡¯t want to be chased by the Knights of the Holy Kingdom, it would be better not to do that. ¡¸It¡¯s too good to sell. I¡¯ll have to take it apart.¡¹ Metals smelted with Magical Power or Divine Power could later be used in the crafting of other weapons. There probably weren¡¯t any users who knew more about the process than Hyun. ¡¸First, let¡¯s get out of here.¡¹ Once ?Possession? expired, he would be deprived of any skills that allowed him to manipulate or suppress the fog, so Hyun quickly moved to a safe place. He saw a group of Holy Knights moving in confusion while he was on his way back. ¡°I can¡¯t feel the captain!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­ did Darkness kill him¡­?¡± The Knights, who had lost their commander, couldn¡¯t advance anymore¡ªnot until they reorganized, at least. Hyun thought he¡¯d be able to earn enough time for Louise¡¯s ceremony to finish. WHOM-! Hyun and Ain noticed the change in the altar after the ground shook and a loud sound emanated from it. ¡°What¡¯s happening over there? When did it change so much?!¡± Ain shouted in surprise upon seeing the altar. The ground that had been flat when they were planning their battle with Shakron had risen and looked more like a mountain. ¡°What the¡­?¡± Even Hyun was lost for words. After taking a closer look, he realized that the pyramid-like altar was at the top of the mountain. There was a body of Demonic Energy at the top of the altar, and he realized Louise was probably there. ¡°Isn¡¯t something wrong?!¡± ¡°No¡­¡± Hyun listened to the voices of devils around them. Although they had realized by then that he was only pretending to be Darkness, they were just looking at where Darkness¡¯s ceremony was taking place. All of them were rejoicing and singing. ¡°It seems like this is normal. Although I¡¯m not sure why the terrain is changing.¡± ¡°Really? Woah, this is quite impressive.¡± Crack! Crack! More rocks began to split as well. Hyun thought of a certain possibility. Could the entire area move out of the Symmetrical World? While returning from Iluna to Asra, after they reached a certain place in the Symmetrical World, they were forcibly moved toward a certain place in the Holy Kingdom. Since the Symmetrical World was called Underground, wasn¡¯t there the possibility that the entirety of Darkness¡¯s territory was moving to the surface? ¡®Oops, this isn¡¯t the time to think about things like this!¡¯ [Remaining time before Darkness recovers part of her Ego: 82 minutes 43 seconds] After returning to his senses, Hyun quickly began to follow the next steps of his plan. Although they¡¯d hunted Shakron, that didn¡¯t mean the Main Quest was over. He had to be wary about the other Knights¡¯ movements, and it was possible that the Heavens would send more reinforcements. ¡°Ain, move closer to the altar and protect Louise.¡± ¡°Is the altar at risk of being attacked?¡± ¡°I doubt something is going to happen¡­ but we never know.¡± Ain accepted Hyun¡¯s order without hesitation. ¡°Hmm. Okay. What about you, Hyun?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to check on the rest of the Knights, and there¡¯s also the chance that the Heavens will send more reinforcements.¡± ¡°Are you going to stop them alone if they do?¡± ¡°Not alone,¡± Hyun said while looking at the devils around him. He believed eliminating the Knights who had lost their commander would be possible if he utilized the devils. Although ?Possession? had ended, from then on, he would have to use Louise¡¯s name to command the devils. ¡°If it¡¯s dangerous, I¡¯ll go to help you. Send a whisper.¡± ¡°You too.¡± Ain moved toward the altar at the top of the mountain. After a while, a lich approached Hyun. It was the lich that had commanded the devils while hunting Shakron. ¡°So you¡­ were a shadow of Darkness¡­ the energy is similar¡­ but a bit different¡­¡± In a sense, he had lied to the lich, but it didn¡¯t seem to be bothered by that. Maybe that was because of the Blessing of Darkness. ¡°Are you going to keep helping me?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ As long as your wishes don¡¯t go against Darkness¡¯s¡­¡± Hyun looked at the lich. He wanted to see if something he¡¯d be wondering about was possible. ¡°Then¡­ can you lend me your soul?¡± [Player ¡®Hyun¡¯ wants to control your soul!] [Will you accept? Y/N] Although Hyun didn¡¯t know it, surprisingly, the message that appeared in front of the lich was written in the language of devils. The Black Town¡¯s Quest, which had the first legendary item as a reward¡­ Since everyone participating in the quest had died, the contribution rate of both the Heavens and Abyss users wasn¡¯t made public yet. Who was going to become the owner of the legendary? Most users were interested in that, but people on the Heavens¡¯ boards were talking about other things, too. The users were talking about some ridiculous things that had happened to them. ¨C Did you guys also get killed by a Heavens user despite being part of the Heavens? ¨C If you participate in that quest, there isn¡¯t a point in distinguishing between allies and enemies, lol. The rewards are going to be distributed based on ranking. Later in the quest, I saw Heavens users killing each other. ¨C But still, I wasn¡¯t expecting to be killed by someone from the same side! ¨C So¡­ what¡¯s your contribution rate? ¨C 0, you motherfucker. ¨C LOL ¨C I also have 0. Many users complained that they were killed by someone belonging to the same faction. At first glance, it seemed obvious that you would get killed by someone from the same team because, after all, the rewards would be distributed based on the contribution rate. ¨C It was my mistake for participating in it despite not having passed level 100. ¨C I¡¯m level 121 but have a 0 contribution rate. ¨C What? Didn¡¯t you kill even a single one? Even dealing some damage would have made you have more than 0. ¨C I¡¯m not sure what happened. I feel like I was stabbed in the back. But if you checked things in more detail, you would be able to find a few peculiar points. Why was it that, in the Abyss community boards, there were no messages talking about teamkills? Most people complaining about teamkills were in the Heavens¡¯ boards. But the teamkill-related topics were quickly buried, so they didn¡¯t become a hot issue. The only people who knew what happened were probably those that were present there. ¡°Hahaha.¡± Steel Rock, who was resting a bit in Darkness¡¯s territory, laughed while browsing through the community boards using the capsule¡¯s internet browsing functionality. After all, among the people complaining about teamkill, there were probably many who had been his victims. A guild made of people who had been Asra users¡­ They recently registered as an official guild called the ¡®Returner¡¯s Guild.¡¯ Surprisingly, not a single member of the Returner¡¯s Guild had been killed since Darkness¡¯s ceremony began. ¡®Our guild is going to monopolize the rewards.¡¯ The contribution rate of the 10 people of their guild that had participated in the quest was at 100,000 points minimum. The one who had obtained the most had a contribution rate of over a million! The Black Town¡¯s quest reward was given depending on the contribution rate. Since they had the rankings 1 ~ 10 in terms of contribution rate, they were sure that the legendary-rank item, countless uniques, rare ingredients, and even skill points would become theirs. They were able to survive for a simple reason¡­ ¡®Logging out was the right choice.¡¯ The Holy Knight who was capable of doing anything to accomplish his goals, even killing the weak¡­ ¡¸Log out!¡¹ Steel Rock, who¡¯d recognized Shakron, warned everyone as soon as he appeared. What happened next was just as he¡¯d expected¡ªShakron didn¡¯t differentiate between Heaven and Abyss users; he wiped out everyone. After that, no other users showed up at the Black Town. The Heavens¡¯s entry window had ended, and the Abyss¡¯s train couldn¡¯t get through the fog. ¡®It was our world from that point onward.¡¯ The Knights and Hyun¡¯s group left the town. After that, Mayday followed a vampire and also left the town. Tens of minutes later, the Returner¡¯s Guild members appeared all together in the destroyed town. There were a few Heavens users who had survived because they¡¯d coincidentally logged out, but it didn¡¯t matter. Even if there were dozens of them, they were commoners who couldn¡¯t even beat Steel Rock. After killing everyone left, they realized that a huge opportunity had come to them. ¡°There might be more users who haven¡¯t logged out yet.¡± Everyone nodded at the guild leader¡¯s voice. ¡°Okay. You two remain here and control the surviving users. As for the rest of us¡­ let¡¯s earn more contribution rate.¡± ¡°That sounds good. We¡¯re going to rotate the two that stay in town, right?¡± ¡°Yeah. Although I¡¯m sure we won¡¯t be kicked out of the rankings if we don¡¯t control it¡­ we¡¯ll at least do it for an hour.¡± Those Heavens users who were killed without knowing had been killed by the Returne¡¯s Guild, who had been watching the entrance. The Returner¡¯s Guild, just like its name indicated, was a Guild made of people who had previously played Asra. They were veterans who had developed while monopolizing as much information as possible. They all had specs above the top 10 rankers. Not only that, but they were each more skillful than a ranker, so there was no way an average user would be able to win against them. While a few members controlled the road, the rest followed the wall of fog and entered Darkness¡¯s canyon. ¡°Woah, where are we? After only ten minutes here, I¡¯ve earned half of the contribution rate I obtained in the town in!¡± The guild members exclaimed in surprise after checking their status windows. ¡°The experience is also no joke. Killing a devil here gives almost three times more experience, I think!¡± ¡°It¡¯s an incredible hunting ground¡­¡± ¡°Haha. Then, from now on, it will be a competition between us for the rankings.¡± Everyone¡¯s expression changed after someone said that. After that, they began hunting devils while competing against each other. The only one who was walking around in a relaxed manner was Steel Rock. ¡®Well, I¡¯m okay with just a Dragon¡¯s Tail.¡¯ Steel Rock was one of the weakest among the guild members, so he was last place in the contribution rate. Among the guild members, there were about 30 Heavens¡¯ users, and there were two reasons why Steel Rock was able to enter the list of 10¡­ The first was that he had quite good decision-making capabilities. It was thanks to him that they were able to log out the moment Shakron appeared. If it weren¡¯t for him, they would¡¯ve all been killed. The second reason was that Steel Rock was in charge of recording the guild¡¯s footage. The Returner¡¯s Guild still hadn¡¯t made themselves public, but they would eventually have to do so; that¡¯s why they had to record as many events as possible. Steel Rock also knew more about Asra¡¯s world than the other guild members, so there was no one more perfect than him for that job. ¡®Why did the Holy Kingdom start this quest?¡¯ Steel Rock fell into thought while recording the mountains and canyon surrounded by fog. Red sky¡­ Black sun¡­ They were places that didn¡¯t exist in Asra, but there were things even weirder than that. There must have been a good reason for why Shakron, one of the top five Knights of the Holy Kingdom, had appeared. ¡­But he couldn¡¯t figure it out. ¡®Hmm. If Shakron appeared¡­¡¯ Steel Rock began thinking about how Shakron had died in Asra Online. According to his memories, he¡¯d died while fighting against a demon. What was the main story at that moment? ¡®No way¡­ has the story related to Darkness already begun?¡¯ Steel Rock shook his head at the sudden thought that crossed his mind. ¡®No. It¡¯s still too early for that.¡¯ It hadn¡¯t even been a year since Asrian opened. ¡®That should happen after Deception¡¯s conspiracy¡­ If the flow of time matches, Darkness won¡¯t appear for another four years.¡¯ Chapter 175 Chapter 175 ¨C The Other Side of the Case (2) ¡¸Okay. We don¡¯t need to worry about controlling the area anymore. Everyone, come inside.¡¹ At that moment, everyone heard the guild leader¡¯s voice. Since Steel Rock¡¯s contribution rate had surpassed a hundred thousand, it wasn¡¯t likely that another user would be able to kick him out of the top 10. ¡°I have important information.¡± When everyone was gathered, a woman archer spoke. ¡°Mayday is here.¡± ¡°What? Mayday?¡± They checked the Hall of Fame rankings all the time, so there was no way they wouldn¡¯t know about her. But didn¡¯t all the other users die when Shakron appeared? The archer displayed the footage she¡¯d seen from the top of the mountain. ?Clairvoyance?. Everything looked crystal clear from the companion hawk¡¯s view. The archer couldn¡¯t see well because of the thick fog, so she carefully looked around the entire place. When she looked into the canyon, she saw a long-haired Magician everyone knew about. ¡°Oh, it really is Mayday.¡± ¡°How is she alive?¡± Although everyone could think of possible reasons, they couldn¡¯t easily come up with an answer. She probably logged out like them before Shakron appeared. There was a time between when the Knights left the town and the Returner¡¯s Guild members did, so Mayday probably logged in first and left the place before them. ¡°But it really doesn¡¯t matter, right? Mayday is of the Abyss. She isn¡¯t going to compete with us.¡± ¡°Even if we fight, it also doesn¡¯t matter.¡± ¡°Yes, she¡¯s a Magician, so she¡¯s weak alone. Even Steel Rock could probably win against her in a one-on-one.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t the point!¡± The archer pointed out the important thing. ¡°There might be more users besides Mayday who entered that place before us!¡± The possibility of more users that had moved faster than them¡­ ¡°There¡¯s no guarantee that we missed only one!¡± ¡°Well, it still wouldn¡¯t matter, right? It isn¡¯t like the quest reward ranking is going to change if we miss a few guys.¡± ¡°What if we missed Hyun or Ain?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± After hearing their names, the guild members became silent. One of them laughed and replied. ¡°There¡¯s no way that¡¯s true. Ain is of the Heavens. If she entered before us, there¡¯s no way the contribution rate would be like this.¡± Everyone that participated in the quest could see their ranking. All ten members of the Returner¡¯s Guild were in the top 10 positions. ¡°Hyun probably belongs to the same force as Ain, but does that mean that they¡¯re ranked below ten? If that¡¯s the case, that¡¯s more of a reason to not be worried about them.¡± Everyone nodded since it sounded quite reasonable. ¡ªExcept for three people. Steel Rock was among them. ¡®I wonder if that¡¯s the case¡­¡¯ Steel Rock fell into thought. While thinking about Hyun during Asra Online¡­ He always received quests before everyone else and made the story develop alone while sometimes accompanied by Ain. ¡®The scale is too big.¡¯ Since it wasn¡¯t a quest that existed in Asra, the guild members thought there was no way it was that huge of a quest. But the more Steel Rock thought about it, the more he couldn¡¯t help but think that it was too abnormal. He used to be quite interested in Asra¡¯s history. There was no way the Holy Kingdom would be generous to users for no apparent reason. It also didn¡¯t make sense that they would make the Knights move if it was a small quest. ¡®I don¡¯t think that the Black Town is an important place¡­ Is the main event happening in another place¡­?¡¯ What if Hyun or Ain were doing a huge quest? If it were huge enough to make the Black Town¡¯s quest seem small, then deciding to not take part in that quest would make more sense. BOOM¡­! Steel Rock was thinking that when everyone felt the earth move. ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡± ¡°An earthquake¡­?¡± Once the ceremony began, the heart started to rise toward the surface. The guild members felt abnormal energy coming from the horizon. ¡°Se-ryeong, use ?Clairvoyance?!¡± ¡°Wait a moment, please¡­!¡± Everyone soon saw the black figure on top of the pyramid full of magic circles. What¡¯s that? Is it Demonic Energy? While everyone was mumbling, the guild leader fell into thought and rubbed his chin. ¡°There¡¯s a chance there¡¯s at least one of the two¡­¡± He opened his mouth after a while. ¡°No, there is someone for sure.¡± ¡°Hyun or Ain?¡± Instead of replying, the guild leader nodded. ¡°Then we¡¯ll have to go there, too.¡± ¡°Are we going to fight them?¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to kill them.¡± Everyone gulped at the guild leader¡¯s words. Everyone within the guild had suffered because of them. After all, they¡¯d created the Returner¡¯s Guild to get their revenge. The guild leader thought it was a good opportunity to overcome the trauma. ¡°Everyone has seen Ain on Iluna, right?¡± They¡¯d seen her fighting Lattice. Ain died immediately after that while fighting devils. Taking that into consideration as the base and calculating the growth rate, they could more or less guess her specs. She should be at level 200 at best. ¡°Just two of us should be able to give her a good fight. If there are three of us, we have the advantage. Ah¡­ Leaving Steel Rock aside.¡± The guild leader looked around and spoke. ¡°Anyway, we have no reason to cower anymore. If we see her, we¡¯re going to get her!¡± If such a big story was going on, one of the two was definitely involved in it. They weren¡¯t sure what quest they were doing, but if they managed to clear it, there was a chance the distance between them would grow. They had to stop them at all costs if they wanted to leave Asra¡¯s nightmare behind. A blue skeleton wearing a luxurious robe waited. Hyun moved the skeleton¡¯s fingers. ¡®Interesting.¡¯ After obtaining ?Assimilation?, he¡¯d tested the skill with a golem. Since then, it was the first time he¡¯d ?Assimilated? into a body that wasn¡¯t human. ¡¸If you go against Darkness¡¯s will¡­ I¡¯ll cancel the contract with you¡­¡¹ After saying that, the lich became silent. It just answered the questions he asked from time to time. According to the status window, the guy was a level 325 elite devil. But because it was a magician, it didn¡¯t have many useful skills for hand-to-hand combat. Hyun thought that, if he lowered its defense with ?Powerless Wave?, Ain could probably win against it. ¡®Well, it¡¯s not the individual strength that is important.¡¯ The king of all undead¡­ The lich had the ability to control undead as it wished. Thanks to ?Assimilation?, Hyun could feel its soul connected to numerous others. A countless amount of undead¡­ A surprisingly big army answered to that one lich. ¡¸How many underlings do you have?¡¹ ¡¸About 2500¡­ 30% of the undead are under my control¡­¡¹ ¡¸Does that mean there are two more commanding-level liches?¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡­¡¹ There was no way he¡¯d be able to control more than a thousand undead, so Hyun thought of another strategy, and he put 10 normal liches in charge of them. In other words, he would control over a thousand devils through the liches, and each would be in charge of about a hundred. ¡®I can see them!¡¯ The lich could see what was happening through the eyes of its underlings. Hyun quickly learned how to do it, so he became able to see two places simultaneously. Crack! The surface started to rise again. The fog accumulated on the floor started to drip down. Hyun saw a group of Holy Knights charging toward them from above. ¡®Support soldiers?¡¯ They didn¡¯t seem to be elites like the ones Shakron led¡ªthey were mostly average Knights and soldiers. A group of soldiers that seemed to be about a thousand strong was quickly charging toward them. ¡®Since they sent only one Knight Squadron, I figured there was a restriction on NPCs entering the Symmetrical World.¡¯ Hyun¡¯s guess wasn¡¯t wrong. The beings with strong Divine Power couldn¡¯t easily enter the Underground. Lots of soldiers could enter because they didn¡¯t have Divine Power. Not only that, but their average level was 200. ¡®What, she¡¯s¡­¡¯ He saw a familiar face. ¡®How is she still alive?¡¯ Mayday, who¡¯d been left alone, was walking along the road. ¡®Didn¡¯t she die in the town¡­?¡¯ A Psychokinesis Sorcerer didn¡¯t have an immortality skill, so she should¡¯ve been killed by Shakron unless she was able to log out. ¡®Ah, she survived thanks to me!¡¯ Hyun remembered that he¡¯d given her some advice. He told her to be careful. Just with that, Mayday was able to survive, so she was indeed impressive. Yes, a Psychokinesis Sorcerer should be useful in a war. She should have an easy time getting the contribution rate, so she was probably ranked 1st. ¡®Wait¡­¡¯ Hyun suddenly realized something important. ¡®Couldn¡¯t I get the quest shared from her?¡¯ Mayday was an Abyss user like him. Hyun remembered hearing from Salon that the Abyss also got a quest. ¡°Wait¡­¡± ¡°What happened¡­? The war¡­ Is about to start.¡± ¡°I have a place I need to visit first.¡± After ?Disassimilating?, Hyun ran in Mayday¡¯s direction. A quest¡¯s contribution rate was calculated based on your achieved results. He¡¯d been able to protect Louise, hunt Shakron, and make the ceremony start, and he¡¯d done most of the things by himself. ¡®I wonder what rank I would be in terms of contribution¡­¡¯ Hyun fell into thought. To Mayday, he was probably only an unknown user. What did he have to do to get a quest shared from someone he¡¯d never seen before? ¡®I need to get it no matter what. First, I¡¯m going to try with money¡­ If that isn¡¯t possible, should I try to threaten her?¡¯ Hyun was running while thinking about numerous possibilities when something unexpected happened. ¡°Huh? Aren¡¯t you¡­ Hyun¡­?¡± Hyun¡¯s eyes widened after Mayday suddenly called his name. ¡®How does she know my name? But more than that¡­ she knew my face?!¡¯ ¡°Ah, yes. You are! As expected, you were with Ain before!¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Thanks for the warning. If it weren¡¯t for you, I would have turned into dust along with the town.¡± Hyun never imagined that someone would have discovered his identity at the Asrian festival. His appearance in the game was the same as in real life, so Mayday immediately recognized that Hyun was the vampire. ¡°You¡­ know me?¡± ¡°Oh, yeah. Now that you say it, this is the first time we¡¯ve seen each other, right?¡± Many words came out of Mayday¡¯s mouth. After the guild¡¯s policy was decided, Mayday had already thought of what she would say when she met Hyun. ¡­About Ain, how she discovered ?Assimilation?, and that she¡¯d seen him at the festival. Although Mayday¡¯s story was long, Hyun understood the situation. ¡°Aah, at the festival¡­ So that¡¯s what happened.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I know you want to hide your identity. Although, there are about five people who already know¡­ those people can¡¯t ignore what I say, so they¡¯ll probably be quiet about this.¡± Mayday said what Hyun was probably worried about. Her priority was, at the moment, improving their relationship, so she wanted to avoid things that could cause problems in the future. ¡°It really doesn¡¯t matter. I think that it will soon be revealed.¡± ¡°Revealed? Are you going to start making public appearances?¡± ¡°Haha, it¡¯s nothing as grandiose as that.¡± Hyun thought about the footage they¡¯d filmed recently. In about three or four months, everyone would probably find out about his identity, but more than that¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t think I have a reason to hide anymore.¡± He¡¯d remained hidden until then for the future first fight against Asra users¡ªto obtain an advantage by using skills they¡¯d never seen before. But that would only work if they hadn¡¯t figured out his skills. Once they fought, there was no point in remaining hidden, so from then on, he¡¯d try to take over the game without hiding. Mayday remained silent. It seemed like she more or less understood what Hyun wanted to say. ¡°It seems like something big will happen in the near future¡­¡± After they finished the introductions, Hyun decided to bring up the main topic. ¡ªWhy he¡¯d approached Mayday. ¡°You came here for the contribution rate, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I know a way to obtain contribution rate and experience quickly¡­¡± ¡°Yes¡­?¡± Hyun pointed toward somewhere and smiled. ¡°Protect the road that goes up to that hill¡­ It¡¯s a place blocked by fog and devils. It¡¯s a good place for bottlenecks, and a Psychokinesis Sorcerer should be able to obtain lots of experience and contribution rate.¡± ¡°R-really¡­?! But why would you give such information¡­¡± ¡°Haha, I¡¯m not sure about the future, but for the moment, we¡¯re part of the same team, so it¡¯s just helping each other.¡± After saying that, Hyun observed Mayday¡¯s expression. He wanted to see if his generosity had been well received. The moment he thought the atmosphere was okay, Hyun said what he¡¯d prepared beforehand while trying to make it sound as natural as possible. ¡°Okay. Then¡­ could you share the quest with me?¡± Chapter 176 Chapter 176 ¨C Just in Case (1) ¡°Okay. Then¡­ could you share the quest with me?¡± Hyun said in the most natural way he could. Mayday almost went along without even giving it a thought. ¡®Quest? Is he talking about the Black Town¡¯s Quest?¡¯ As if showing she wasn¡¯t a top ranker for nothing, Mayday was more serious than the other people Hyun had met before. Hyun¡¯s plan to sneakily receive the quest failed. ¡°Which quest do you mean¡­?¡± Mayday carefully asked. ¡°That¡¯s obviously¡­ The quest to block the Heavens¡¯ invasion. The one you obtain by being friendly with a Duke.¡± Hyun used the words Salon told him because he couldn¡¯t remember the exact name of the quest. Mayday gulped after listening to Hyun¡¯s explanation. ¡®As expected, he didn¡¯t receive this quest!¡¯ She¡¯d expected it from the moment she checked she was ranked 1st. It seemed like Hyun and Ain hadn¡¯t received the quest. Mayday thought Ain was clearly of the Abyss after remembering how she tore down Heaven¡¯s users. Mayday took a glimpse at the quest window. [Reward List] 1st place: Demon¡¯s Token X10, high-ranking devil¡¯s horn x2¡­ 2nd place: 100000 gold, high-ranking devil¡¯s horn x1¡­ 3rd place: 50000 gold, mid-ranking devil¡¯s skin X¡­ A devil¡¯s horn was a very important ingredient with Demonic Energy, and it was fundamental to creating equipment! Mayday was about to do the 2nd Awakening, so a high-ranking devil¡¯s horn was something that had more value than 10 unique items. ¡®If I share the quest, I¡¯ll probably be pushed back to 2nd place. No, if he shares it with Ain, maybe I¡¯ll become¡­ 3rd?!¡¯ Mayday began to feel anxious. She¡¯d decided to participate in the quest while risking her life because of that¡­ If it became like that, she wasn¡¯t sure she¡¯d be able to surpass their contribution rates. Mayday couldn¡¯t get the ingredient she was after if she was 3rd place, and it would be hard to get it for a long time afterward. ¡®N-no¡­ If it goes like this, my plan¡­!¡¯ Even if the guild had said that they would try to have a good relationship with Hyun. thinking that she¡¯d have to let the ingredients go made her heart waver. They wanted to have a good relationship with him while thinking toward the future when the Darkness Guild reached the top. ¡®What if I refuse?¡¯ After Mayday had observed them from a distance, she¡¯d seen that they were better than she thought. Even if Darkness was growing at a fast pace, they still weren¡¯t a match for Hyun and Ain, so they had to lower their heads. The question was how much they had to cower. Was resisting a bit okay? ¡®No. I can¡¯t refuse right now¡­!¡¯ Keiji, a user from the previous game, always warned her about Hyun¡¯s personality. He didn¡¯t care what he had to do to obtain what he wanted¡ªhe got rid of everything that bothered him. ¡®If I refuse, things will probably get serious. He might try to kill me¡­ What do I have to do in this situation¡­?¡¯ Mayday opened her mouth with her eyes closed. ¡°2nd place¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Can you give me 2nd place?!¡± Hyun couldn¡¯t understand what Mayday was trying to say, so he naturally thought she¡¯d made a mistake. ¡°You meant to say something else, right?¡± Mayday¡¯s eyebrows started to tremble. Was he trying to say that he¡¯d give her another opportunity, so she should take time to think about it carefully? Was he telling her to be prepared for the consequences of her decision?! ¡°That¡­ I mean¡­¡± In that short moment, numerous thoughts crossed through Mayday¡¯s head. She wanted to ignore him and log out, but that could end up harming the Darkness Guild in the future. ¡­So Mayday decided to be honest. ¡°I¡¯m asking you to guarantee me 2nd place in exchange for me sharing the quest with you¡­!¡± ¡°Huh? What¡¯s your current rank? ¡°I¡¯m¡­ 1st¡­¡± But Mayday¡¯s words confused Hyun even more. ¡®Just what could the 2nd place reward be for her to want to give up on 1st place?!¡¯ It was weird for a lower-ranking reward to be better than the higher one. There was a saying that one person¡¯s trash was another person¡¯s treasure. Was it a case like that? ¡°Well, if you want it so bad¡­ I¡¯ll give you 2nd place.¡± Mayday was silent. Hyun kept talking. ¡°I can¡¯t understand it. If it were me, I wouldn¡¯t have asked for something like that.¡± A situation where the ranking changed when sharing the quest¡­ If it were him, he wouldn¡¯t have done that, or he would¡¯ve asked something in exchange. Hyun said that without any other intention, but Mayday misunderstood. ¡°W-wait! You can¡¯t understand¡­? Then¡­! I¡¯ll give you another thing, too! How about information? Have you heard about the Returner¡¯s Guild?¡± To be honest, Mayday wasn¡¯t planning to reveal that information. The Returner¡¯s Guild was Darkness¡¯s Rival, after all, but they were also a card they were going to use to keep Hyun in check. But Mayday really wanted to remain 2nd, so she even told him that information. Hyun frowned after hearing the name Mayday blurted out of nowhere. ¡°Returner? What kind of name is¡­¡± ¡°They¡¯re a guild full of Asra users. Aren¡¯t you curious?¡± ¡°Wait, Asra users¡­?¡± The moment he heard the words ¡®Asra users¡¯, Hyun became interested. At the same time, he was surprised. Besides encountering Berard, he hadn¡¯t heard any news on other Asra users. ¡°How do you have information on them¡­?¡± ¡°Because we¡¯re the Darkness Guild. How about that? I¡¯ll give you this information, so let me have 2nd¡­¡± ¡°Just what is the 2nd place prize? Share the quest first.¡± Ting! [You¡¯ve obtained Quest: Duke¡¯s Support Request!] ¡®Why is she acting like this?¡¯ Was a legendary-rank item a reward? From what he¡¯d seen, that didn¡¯t seem to be the case. The best item was the high-ranking devil¡¯s horn, but the 1st-place reward had two of those items. All of the other rewards were of lower quality than the 1st-ranking ones, but there was exactly one thing that the 1st-place prize didn¡¯t have¡­ ¡®Does she need money?¡¯ Gold. But to think that the 2nd place in the rankings, Mayday, lacked gold¡­ It didn¡¯t make sense. Hyun couldn¡¯t understand it, but it wasn¡¯t something that affected him. ¡°You¡¯ll give me that information if I give you 2nd place, right¡­?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll make sure you have 2nd place no matter what.¡± After hearing Hyun¡¯s answer, Mayday¡¯s face brightened up. Finally, she told him what she¡¯d promised. Mayday knew more than Hyun expected. They knew so much that he couldn¡¯t help but wonder if they hadn¡¯t put a spy on the other guild. ¡°The Returner¡¯s Guild is composed of 30 Heavens and 20 Abyss users, but there¡¯s something particularly important¡­¡± At that moment, unexpected information came out of her mouth. ¡°Among them, about 10 people have participated in the ¡®Black Town¡¯s Quest.''¡± ¡°They came here?¡± ¡°Yes, they¡¯ve obtained a monopoly in the rankings, so they¡¯ve become quite strong, but I think that they¡¯ve probably all died by now.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ because of that?¡± ¡°Yes. The explosion in the town swept everything away. I saw with my own eyes that nobody else survived,¡± Mayday mumbled while thinking about the ruined town. ¡°Thanks for the information. If it weren¡¯t for that warning, I would¡¯ve probably died too, right?¡± ¡°Considering how powerful it was¡­ everyone should be dead.¡± Still, Hyun couldn¡¯t help but feel anxious. What if they¡¯d survived? Wouldn¡¯t that mean they were somewhere around there? The chances of a user surviving ?Incineration? were extremely low, but it wasn¡¯t impossible. ¡°About 10 people participated?¡± ¡°Yes, probably.¡± ¡°Do you know how good they are?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ They probably grew fast at the beginning with information from Asra, so they¡¯re probably above the average ranker. Maybe a few are at a similar level to me¡­? Well, I¡¯m sure I will grow faster from now on!¡± That was how far Mayday¡¯s explanation went. Adding Heavens and Abyss users, there were about 50. Hyun remembered the faces of those he used to see in the rankings of Asra. In the later part of the game, users like Lattice or members of Darkness could become more menacing, but at the moment, it¡¯d only been half a year since Asrian opened, so they were the ones who could become the biggest variable. ¡°Don¡¯t you have any other information?¡± ¡°We barely managed to get this¡­¡± ¡°If you manage to find out more¡­¡± Hyun realized something and changed what he was saying. ¡°If you get more information, let¡¯s exchange. Is that okay with you?¡± ¡°Th-that¡­ Of course¡­!¡± Hyun realized what he was missing from their conversation. He was sure he knew more about the game¡¯s world and lore than anyone else¡­ But outside of that, especially when it came to the personal information of other users, he couldn¡¯t compete with the data big guilds had. That wasn¡¯t an ability that a small guild could have. Hyun felt that, to reach his goal, he had to find another way to do things. If he separated all users into allies or enemies, Mayday and the Darkness Guild members were enemies. Hyun knew the Darkness Guild¡¯s goals. As long as they were both trying to reach the top, they would eventually end up becoming enemies. Even if they were to become enemies in the future, that didn¡¯t mean they couldn¡¯t be allies at the moment. ¡®The Magician¡¯s firepower will increase if it can ride on top of a flying monster.¡¯ Hyun lent a giant bat to Mayday to increase the effectiveness of the Psychokinesis Sorcerer. The giant bat didn¡¯t seem to want to let a human ride on top of it, but it couldn¡¯t go against the lich¡¯s orders. ¡®How can you give an order to something like this¡­?¡¯ Mayday was surprised. After they went on their own, they talked via whisper, so she wasn¡¯t able to see Hyun ?Assimilated? into the lich. She just looked at the bat, surprised. ¡¸You can change directions by pulling the wing¡¯s joint. Check out for movements around the altar as you fly around.¡¹ ¡¸To check if ¡®they¡¯ are somewhere nearby, right?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. Also, if possible, try to stop the advance of the Holy Kingdom¡¯s soldiers, too.¡¹ Thankfully, Mayday followed Hyun¡¯s instructions without any objections. Hyun took that opportunity and used the lich¡¯s abilities to look through the devil¡¯s eyes. ¡°You¡­ what¡­ are you¡­ looking¡­ for¡­?¡± ¡¸It¡¯s a group of guys that could be a threat to Darkness.¡¹ ¡°Then we¡¯ll¡­ have to find them¡­ no matter what! I¡¯m not sure¡­ where to look¡­¡± ¡¸It doesn¡¯t matter. I can look for them.¡¹ The lich¡¯s underlings were scattered around, so Hyun could see the area around the altar like they were security cameras. The canyons, under the mountain¡­ Hyun watched every area that a user could approach from. He even looked below the pyramid and saw Ain looking around with her round eyes wide open, but he wasn¡¯t able to see any other users. ¡®There isn¡¯t anyone here. If they managed to survive this long, are they somewhere far away?¡¯ Goudou-! The ground shook again. Even then, the area around the altar was still going up. Except for a few places, the entire area had risen to become a cliff face. The steeper the hill became, the more the fog poured down like a waterfall. Hundreds of devils were being swept away by the fog. ¡®Good, most of the roads are blocked, so they won¡¯t be able to infiltrate!¡¯ In a way, their forces were being reduced, yet Hyun was exclaiming in excitement. The more the fog and cliffs blocked off potential approaches, the less he had to look around. ¡®The other passage also doesn¡¯t seem dangerous.¡¯ Thanks to the devil¡¯s eyes, Hyun could see how Mayday¡¯s fight was going. A Magician riding a bat resembled a witch like the ones that appeared in fairy tales. Every time she used her psychokinesis to lift the rocks, fog accompanied by a part of the surface fell. Sometimes, the flow of the fog itself changed. Both the Heavens¡¯ and Abyss¡¯s forces were being wiped out by the fog. ¡®Aren¡¯t they coming?¡¯ Hyun narrowed his eyes and looked into the distance. He still couldn¡¯t see anyone that looked like a user. Chapter 177 Chapter 177 ¨C Just in Case (2) ¡®Maybe they really died.¡¯ There were 10 of them¡­ Had they really all died? Hyun couldn¡¯t help but feel that they had managed to survive, so he decided to give a warning to Ain, too. ¡¸Ain, is there anyone suspicious around?¡¹ ¡¸Hmm? No. Why?¡¹ ¡¸Try to maintain the buffs at all times just in case.¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t have the ultimate attack anymore. You¡¯re talking about ?Latent Potential Boost?, Right?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. Also, try to maintain your HP bar at full. I¡¯m going to send some devils you can hit.¡¹ ¡¸Fufu. If it¡¯s your order, I¡¯ll do it.¡¹ It had been dozens of minutes since she began protecting the altar, but nobody had neared it. Although, at first glance, it might have sounded like too much, she followed his orders without question. ¡¸If you see a user around there, send me a message.¡¹ ¡¸U~ser?¡¹ Hyun quickly realized what she meant, so he quickly replied. ¡¸I know what you¡¯re thinking, but don¡¯t try to fight alone.¡¹ ¡¸I know that much. After all, you care a lot about Louise.¡¹ ¡¸No. It¡¯s an important quest, after all¡­¡¹ ¡¸But you know that, If three years pass, Louise will probably grow a lot.¡¹ ¡¸What do you mean¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Come on. Even if I don¡¯t say it, you know it. The only one that suits Hyun¡¯s tastes will be me¡­¡¹ Hyun said the rest of what he had to say before his head began hurting. ¡¸Anyway. Send me a whisper immediately if you feel like something is going on.¡¹ ¡¸Okay!¡¹ Hyun sighed and shook his head. At the same time, he saw a group of Knights moving toward the altar. ¡®I¡¯ll have to block the remaining ones.¡¯ [Remaining time before Darkness recovers part of her Ego: 60 minutes 16 seconds] Once again, Hyun borrowed the lich¡¯s strength. The commander¡¯s order was sent to every one of its underlings. The huge group of undead, by itself, was like a lethal weapon. They were cutting off the cliff, redirecting the fog, and blocking the passageway with their corpses. He¡¯d given an order to block the Knights at all costs. ¡®Haa¡­ As expected, their specs are lacking, so it isn¡¯t easy.¡¯ Even if they¡¯d lost their commander, they were still a Knight squadron. The only thing that he could do was slow them down. He couldn¡¯t help but think that he was able to slow them because it was him who was doing it. He really needed Ain¡¯s help, but she was the last line of defense for Darkness, so he couldn¡¯t call her without thinking about it carefully. ¡®It really is hard.¡¯ Hyun looked to Louise at the top of the altar and smiled bitterly. She was very demanding until the end. The heart of Darkness¡­ In the past, people believed that they thought and felt from their heart. The fact that the brain was in charge of consciousness was revealed quite a lot of years in the future¡­ so the title of ¡®Heart¡¯ was probably put in many years before. Kurrrr. Darkness¡¯s heart kept going up. Fog spurted from the altar like a fountain. ¡°Ah. If we cannot block Darkness¡¯s ceremony¡­!¡± The Heart was the Transcendent¡¯s consciousness. The Underground rising meant that Darkness was starting to get an Ego. The few Heavens followers that knew what that meant were looking at the scene in front of them with desperate eyes. ¡°Darkness is going up to the surface¡­!¡± In a place that was far from the altar¡­ Steel Rock heard what the NPCs around them were mumbling. ¡®How weird. The NPCs seem to be talking about Darkness¡­ But it isn¡¯t time yet for an episode related to Darkness to appear.¡¯ Even ¡®Deception¡¯ hadn¡¯t appeared yet. In the previous game, the episodes related to Darkness appeared a year after Deception¡¯s episode. Unless the main story had completely changed, that wasn¡¯t something that should happen. While he was thinking about that, an alarm sounded. Ting-! [You¡¯ve recognized Darkness!] [You¡¯ve fulfilled the conditions!] ¡°Huh?!¡± Steel Rock suddenly stopped. ¡°Huh? Why?¡± ¡°Do you want to go to the bathroom?¡± Steel Rock couldn¡¯t answer the questions of his allies due to the influx of quest messages he was receiving. [You¡¯ve activated the ¡®Main Quest: The Will of Light¡¯!] You have the brightest possibility, so be prepared to accept my oracle. ¨C Go through the road indicated by the light. ¨C If you cannot block Darkness¡¯s ceremony at the end of the road, the seed of Darkness will rise to the surface. Reward: Increased affinity with the forces of Light, Divine Power. ¡°Darkness¡­! Main quest¡­! The oracle of Light¡­!¡± Steel Rock had received an unexpectedly huge quest. While he was mumbling some words, his partners began gathering around him. ¡°Hey, guys, wait. Steel Rock is acting weird.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. What is he mumbling about¡­?¡± While everyone was looking at him in worry, someone guessed a few things from the words he mumbled. ¡°Light, Darkness¡­ Are you talking about the archangel and the great demon? And a quest on top of that. Don¡¯t tell me, did you receive a quest from them?¡± ¡°What? Steel Rock, give us more details!¡± ¡°O-oh yeah!¡± He returned to his senses after hearing the guild leader¡¯s voice. He explained to the rest what he¡¯d just discovered. ¡°The Black Town¡¯s Quest¡­ I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a normal quest.¡± ¡°Then¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s related to Darkness.¡± ¡°Darkness? But there was never an episode like this before.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It also isn¡¯t time for Darkness to appear yet.¡± Steel Rock began answering the other¡¯s questions. ¡°Just like Iluna¡¯s event time changed, it seems like Darkness¡¯s appearance also changed.¡± ¡°Then, this Black Town¡¯s Quest¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably the first part of Darkness¡¯s episode. To put it simply, it might be the prologue.¡± ¡°Prologue¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. Of the story that was advanced by NPCs in Asra.¡± Ting-! [You¡¯ve recognized Darkness!] [You¡¯ve fulfilled the conditions!] After Steel Rock finished explaining, everyone got the same message. ¡°What? Me too!¡± ¡°Main Quest¡­? What¡¯s this?¡± As something unexpected happened consecutively, there was a commotion among the group. It took them a bit of time to realize what was happening. ¡°It really is Darkness¡¯s episode?¡± ¡°Yes. Even if it¡¯s the prologue, it¡¯s the main story!¡± ¡°Haha. We¡¯re finally at the front! We¡¯ve finally caught up!¡± ¡°As expected of Steel Rock. You don¡¯t miss any information related to the world¡¯s story!¡± ¡°Everyone, calm down¡­¡± The guild leader raised his hand and calmed everyone. ¡°Darkness¡¯s story is already being done. What does that mean?¡± ¡°Ah, don¡¯t tell me¡­!¡± ¡°Yes. That probably means that there¡¯s someone who has advanced history.¡± Hyun, and Ain¡­ Among the Returner¡¯s Guild, those two IDs had a special meaning. It didn¡¯t matter what they did, they weren¡¯t able to surpass them. How much they¡¯d lost against them had become a trauma for them. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if we¡¯re going to meet them¡­ but we don¡¯t have a reason to be afraid anymore.¡± ¡°Right¡­?¡± ¡°We already know their specs. We¡¯re going to overwhelm them.¡± The guild leader thought that they couldn¡¯t live forever having trauma. It was time they got their revenge. It was also time to make them feel defeat for the first time. ¡°Steel Rock, record it properly.¡± ¡°Hmm? I¡¯m doing that already.¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you to focus on recording. If we face them, we must figure out their skills.¡± Was it cowardly to try to win a fight with numbers? In the past, they¡¯d lost despite having the number advantage. Winning, no matter what, was the most important thing. How much had they prepared to make the main quest a success? Feeling the desperation of all your efforts crumbling to dust¡­ It would be great if Hyun and Ain felt it at least once. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The guild leader took a step forward while biting his lips. Fwoosh-! A beam of light shot from the group. The light from the Returner¡¯s Guild was melting down the fog and opening a road. ¡°Over there.¡± They went along with the oracle¡¯s indications and followed in the direction the light indicated. Suddenly, they were crossing through a fog tunnel. ¡°This fog¡­ Seems dangerous.¡± ¡°I think that we better not touch it.¡± Kurr. Kurrrr! From time to time, they heard the ground shake, but they didn¡¯t know what was going on outside. Except for the path indicated by Light, all of their surroundings were covered by a curtain of Darkness, so they didn¡¯t know where they were walking. They just walked along a passageway where there weren¡¯t any humans or devils. ¡°How much do we have to walk?¡± ¡°There doesn¡¯t seem to be an end.¡± After they¡¯d walked for dozens of minutes, the light¡¯s guidance finally ended. They saw a pyramid with a waterfall of fog falling below it through a half-transparent curtain. They saw a devil there looking around. Judging by how she blinked, it seemed she couldn¡¯t see them. ¡°A vampire?¡± ¡°No. Her face seems similar.¡± While everyone was looking at the devil that looked somewhat familiar, someone shouted. ¡°It¡¯s Ain, you idiots!¡± She wasn¡¯t covered by Demonic Energy, so everyone was able to recognize her face. ¡°I knew we were going to meet her! But isn¡¯t Hyun here with her?¡± ¡°She¡¯s alone!¡± Ting-! At that moment, a new task appeared in their shared quest. ¨C Before the time runs out, you must cut the Seed of Darkness. ¨C Make sure fear doesn¡¯t spread to the surface. ¡°It¡¯s obvious, right? Fight!¡± ¡°Are you recording?¡± ¡°Yes! I¡¯m recording in the highest possible quality!¡± ¡°Nice.¡± Suddenly, he felt somewhat disappointed. It was true that Hyun¡¯s death would have a bigger impact than Ain¡¯s, but what if they weren¡¯t together? Things might end too easily. The guild leader hoped things wouldn¡¯t end so boringly. CRACK! A disturbing sound echoed everywhere. Hyun turned around in surprise after hearing a loud sound. ¡®To think that the entire land would go up.¡¯ A surface that went over dozens of kilometers was separated from the rest of the land and became an island floating in the sky. A huge hole appeared from where the land was. It was something that had happened because they were in the last part of the ceremony. Darkness¡¯s heart was rising up into the air. ¡°Ah, this humble man wasn¡¯t able to defeat Darkness!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pay the price with my life¡­!¡± As a waterfall of fog fell from the floating island, the Heavens NPCs screamed in desperation. Hyun sighed and looked at the sky after retreating from the dangerous place. ¡®This is better for me.¡¯ As time passed, the altar rose higher up into the sky. The road that led toward the altar was cut, so except for a few NPCs, they probably couldn¡¯t even get close to her. ¡®Now I just need to be careful about the flying Magicians!¡¯ Even for a Magician of over level 300, going through the fog and reaching the altar shouldn¡¯t be easy; that was also probably the case for users. ¡®Is it about to end now?¡¯ The moment he was sure that the quest would be cleared successfully¡­ Ain¡¯s hurried voice reached HHyun¡¯s ears. ¡¸Help me!¡¹ Hyun¡¯s heart sank after hearing Ain¡¯s scream. ¡¸Ain? What¡¯s wrong?¡¹ ¡¸Come right now!¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s wrong? Did an enemy appear¡­? Ain?¡¹he asked back, but he didn¡¯t hear Ain¡¯s voice again. Hyun checked his friend window. Seeing that she was still online, it seemed like she hadn¡¯t died yet. Was she in such a desperate situation that she couldn¡¯t answer? ¡®What¡¯s going on¡­?¡¯ Hyun bit his lips. After giving a giant bat an order, Hyun ?Disassimilated? from the lich. ¡¸Try to resist. I¡¯m on my way!¡¹ Hyun got up on a bat that approached. Fwoosh-! The moment the bat began flapping its wings, the floor he had been standing on crumbled. ?Shadow Shield?! When he rose into the sky, dozens of rays of light suddenly flew toward him. He blocked the rays and turned his head. There, he saw that the Archers from the Holy Kingdom were targeting him. ¡®Damn!¡¯ He had made a mistake in his urgency. After flying up into the sky without looking around, he¡¯d become a target for enemies. A rain of arrows was about to pour on him when¡­! ¡°Ah¡­!¡± As if time had halted, the arrows flying toward the bat stopped. The arrows changed direction and¡­ Pang! They flew back toward where they were loosed. It was ?Reverse Track?, a magic that changed the direction of an attack. Hyun saw Mayday sitting on a bat behind him. ¡°Hyun, so you were here!¡± It seemed like Mayday had gone to him while blocking the enemies. ¡°It seems like the entire world is crumbling¡­ Shouldn¡¯t we return to the town?!¡± ¡°Go alone. I can¡¯t.¡± He was thankful for her help, but he didn¡¯t have time to explain. After making a short reply, Hyun rose toward the sky. A foggy rain dripped from a very high place. Did he have to go through that foggy rain? Suddenly, he understood how Shakron felt before dying. He wasn¡¯t sure if he¡¯d be able to go up to the top of the altar¡­ But he would have to do it anyway. Chapter 178 Chapter 178 ¨C Last Battle (1) ?Acceleration?! The moment the giant bat¡¯s body shone, his distance from Mayday increased. ¡°Wait, if you go alone, what do you want me to do¡­? Wait for me!¡± ¡®No.¡¯ If he were to get to Ain as fast as possible, he didn¡¯t have time to wait for Mayday. Slam! Many obstacles were falling on his way to the altar. Sand, rocks, and fog¡­ ¡®This isn¡¯t the time to watch my HP!¡¯ The ?Wind Barrier? wouldn¡¯t be of any help there. Hyun decided to go through the most dangerous place. The bat began flying through the middle of the two surfaces. Soothing the bat that was screaming in pain, Hyun hoped it would be able to resist until they reached the floating island. Asra Online has been serviced for more than 10 years. NPCs and users fought all the time, so there were fighting strategies developed throughout the years. With all of that, users investigated PvP the most. [You¡¯ve resisted!] [You weren¡¯t able to resist!] [Your speed has been reduced by 25%!] [The damage of fire-type attacks has been reduced by 20%!] [All your damage has been decreased by 15%!] ¡°Tsk¡­!¡± Ain clenched her teeth after quickly reading the message window. She had been able to resist two debuffs, but three still affected her. She wasn¡¯t able to use her ultimate attack at the moment. If Hyun hadn¡¯t told her to keep ?Latent Potential Increase? up, she would be lacking in terms of speed and damage. ¡°What? Is she really under a debuff? She¡¯s moving faster than expected.¡± ¡°It¡¯s an Agility increase buff!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay! We were able to nullify it with the debuff. Everyone, attack!¡± Paf! The opponents got into formation and moved. At that moment, Ain stopped breathing for a short while. ¡®I¡¯ll die if I make a mistake¡­!¡¯ Her extreme concentration told her there was danger coming from all sides. There was someone trying to stab her from the front with a sword, There was a dagger flying toward her from behind, and an archer was aiming at her from a distance. ¡®Save the movement buff.¡¯ She suddenly felt she was hearing Hyun¡¯s voice. Ain left movement to her instincts and let her body move according to its memories. The stabbing attack changed directions thrice in an instant. Ain read its trajectory and brushed off the attacks, she twisted her waist and slipped past the dagger aimed at her back, and she purposefully didn¡¯t dodge the arrows. Each party had 8 members at a maximum. She quickly realized the swordsman in front of her and the archers weren¡¯t in the same party. ¡°Ugh, damn!¡± The swordsman let out a moan of pain. Ain pulled his arm and interrupted his movements, so he received twice the damage. ¡°It hurts!¡± ¡°The damage is higher than expected!¡± ¡°She also has a magical power increase buff!¡± ¡°So she won¡¯t go down easily. Good. This is more like Ain.¡± Fwoosh- Fwoosh-! The flames rising from both of Ain¡¯s arms swung through the air. There were feinting and off-beat movements mixed in with her attacks. They were Ain¡¯s attack patterns she used in the past when she was a werewolf. No, her movements had improved compared to before. Even though they¡¯d used a damage debuff and were using passive defensive skills, the HP of those touched by Ain¡¯s flames was going down very fast. Everyone couldn¡¯t help but exclaim in surprise. ¡°I understand why we couldn¡¯t beat her in the past¡­¡± ¡°But we became stronger, too. We¡¯re able to face her with three people. Also, Ain became weaker compared to before!¡± When Ain first appeared in Asrian, they couldn¡¯t easily believe that the violent werewolf was, in reality, a girl. Everyone was sure the girl was Ain after fighting her, though. ¡®These are guys I used to see in Asra!¡¯ On the other side, Ain had also finally understood everything. Even though it was her first time seeing their faces, she knew who they were based on their movements. ¡®Am I going to lose?¡¯ She found fighting harder than before. It was obvious. It had only been five or six months since the servers opened. She still didn¡¯t have time to increase the difference in specs. ¡®No. If it¡¯s only resisting, I can do it.¡¯ Ain knew she was at a disadvantage, but she didn¡¯t intend to give up. She¡¯d guaranteed it to Hyun¡­ She had to resist no matter what. ¡®My body is hurting even though I didn¡¯t use the ultimate attack.¡¯ From a certain point, Ain felt her body burning. Even though she was in a dire situation, she thought of why she felt that way. Thanks to the ?Assimilation?, she¡¯d learned how Hyun treated Asrian. That probably influenced her. Yes. She¡¯d never felt so anxious before. ¡®I must do it!¡¯ She quickly looked at the opponents in front of her. Through the shadows on the floor, she even knew where the enemies behind her were. She wasn¡¯t going to lose track of a single movement. For the first time, Ain wasn¡¯t fighting to have fun but to survive. ¡°I¡¯m recording it, so we better kill her slowly.¡± ¡°Yes. Four people can comfortably kill her!¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s chain attack with four.¡± ¡°Now!¡± The moment they leaped forward¡­ Ain felt her body moving on its own. With a precision that surprised even her, she pushed away the attacks pouring in from all directions. To think she¡¯d be able to block the attacks so perfectly despite not using ?Efreet¡¯s Claws?¡­ ¡°Good. We¡¯ve managed to restrain her movements!¡± But after using the ?Steps of Incarnate?, she was caught by a vine that rose from the ground. At the same time, the four swordsmen were about to slash her from the front. ¡°Die!¡± The swords swung in her direction while making whooshing sounds. Ain tilted her hand and changed the direction of the sword¡¯s attack. Redirecting attacks with the palms of her hands was a risky technique she¡¯d used against Lattice¡­ but it didn¡¯t seem dangerous at that moment. She was sure she¡¯d be able to brush it away. Paf! The sword hit the ground, but the chain attack wasn¡¯t over yet. ¡°¡­!¡± Immediately after, Ain saw an arrow flying toward her through a different swordsman. Attacks between party members passed through each other¡¯s bodies. Five arrows infused with magical power went flying toward her from all four directions! It was an attack that was hard to react to with a human¡¯s limits. Even Ain wasn¡¯t able to dodge the attacks. [You¡¯ve received 2552 damage!] [You¡¯ve received 2932 damage!] [You¡¯ve received 3175 damage!] ¡­ Still, she twisted her body and turned them into grazing hits. The damage she received was greatly decreased due to the equipment given to her by Hyun, Recard¡¯s Devil Armor. Her movements resembled a beast¡¯s¡­ The desperation she felt for the first time while playing Asrian allowed her to move like that. ¡®I¡¯m still alive¡­!¡¯ After the vine¡¯s duration ended, she quickly moved off the dangerous area. Everyone looked confused at what suddenly happened in front of them. ¡°Didn¡¯t she get hit with the ultimate attack up front?¡± ¡°Yes, I think so¡­¡± ¡°How did she survive¡­?¡± Each attack had damage of over two hundred thousand. She hadn¡¯t used any special skills, but despite being hit with five of those attacks, she hadn¡¯t died. That was impossible unless you had a defensive stat of four digits. ¡®I must resist.¡¯ Even though her HP had almost plummeted, Ain thought of ways to drag the time a bit more. The enemies wouldn¡¯t be able to leave a variable behind and go up the altar. As long as she was alive, Hyun¡¯s quest wouldn¡¯t fail. ¡°She¡¯s just stalling now. Kill her.¡± In the end, the guild leader gave the order. Ain hit the tankers to recover HP and resist a bit more, but¡­ The enemies soon realized what she was doing, so they changed the members out for long-range ones, and once again, Ain¡¯s HP plummeted. ¡°Finally¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯re finally going to kill her!¡± Every time they were about to complete a decisive quest in Asra, they were interrupted by Hyun and Ain. The fact that they were able to take revenge had a lot of meaning to the Returner¡¯s Guild members. Questions and doubts exploded from everywhere when they were about to finish her together. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± After they saw her in Iluna, the Guild members thought they¡¯d figured out all of Ain¡¯s skills. But they remained cautious just in case she¡¯d learned more skills. Steel Rock was recording while making such an effort to be able to detect new skills. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± But it was their first time seeing such an effect since they started playing Asrian. ¡­They had also never seen it in Asra Online. In front of everyone, Ain¡¯s body was being covered by pitch-black energy. The top of the Darkness¡¯s land¡­ Scothanatos was looking at everything happening in his territory. The appearance of the Knights, Darkness¡¯s awakening, the sadness and pain that she felt through Empathy, the movements of the Heavens users after the ceremony began, and their trying to interrupt the ceremony¡­ ¡®If I couldn¡¯t understand it in the beginning¡­¡¯ By using the strength of a powerful Duke, it wasn¡¯t hard to complete the ceremony, but Scothanatos only watched from a distance. He¡¯d received an order from a demon saying he shouldn¡¯t interrupt the natural course of events. ¡®Now¡­ I think that I finally¡­ understand the meaning behind it.¡¯ The last part of the ceremony¡­ As the heart reached an incredibly high place, Darkness¡¯s ceremony began. After her eyes opened, her Empathy was unlocked. Scothanatos, who served Darkness, knew it because the soul¡¯s thread that connected them was re-established. She knew where she was looking and what she was feeling. ¡®Bahmir¡­ What did you bring¡­?¡¯ In the past, Darkness looked at every underling in the same way. To Darkness, even though he was a Duke, he was nothing more than a skeleton. Why was it that she was only interested in one soul? Scothanatos always believed he had no emotions, but for the first time, he discovered what jealousy was. ¡°Is it cause¡­ and effect?¡± Darkness¡¯s reason for only having eyes for one soul¡­ He wasn¡¯t sure why, but it was probably related to why he shouldn¡¯t move. ¡°Hmm?¡± At that moment, a new emotion flowed into Scothanatos¡¯s soul. He felt Darkness¡¯s emotions through Empathy. ¡°This is¡­ rage¡­!¡± Scothanatos had a strong Empathy, so he was able to tell why Darkness felt that way. It was because of the ten Heaven¡¯s users she saw when she opened her eyes. Darkness was enraged after realizing her connection with one soul was almost cut forever. She cared more about the well-being of a soul than her own safety¡­ ¡°I also¡­ don¡¯t understand this!¡± Suddenly, he began wondering what cause and effect meant. If it was something that a great demon said, there was no way he¡¯d be able to understand it easily. In the end, he just had to watch from a distance as he¡¯d been ordered to. The skeleton¡¯s eyes constantly shone while he was immersed in thoughts. Taing! As the countless weapons that were leaping toward her were bounced away¡­ ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± ¡°Is it a defensive skill?¡± They backed off in surprise. ¡°It¡¯s a new skill!¡± The last time Ain was seen in public was during Iluna¡¯s quest. The Returner¡¯s Guild members had analyzed her skills, and they¡¯d concluded that the skill that turned her into a fiery fox was her ultimate attack. On top of that, they¡¯d figured out her movement skills, HP absorption skills, and stat increase buffs. They thought they¡¯d figured out all of Ain¡¯s main attacks. ¡°What¡¯s up with that transformation¡­?¡± ¡°Does anyone know what that effect is?¡± No one knew about a skill that turned your body pitch-black as if it were a shadow that didn¡¯t allow even the slightest bit of light. The guild members subconsciously felt the danger and couldn¡¯t fathom attacking carelessly. Ain also didn¡¯t move from her place, so there was a weird confrontation going on. ¡¸You¡¯re late!¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡¹ Ain finally sighed in relief and complained, but she hesitated after realizing Hyun was acting strange. ¡¸No¡­ but¡­ I¡¯m not that late¡­!¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡¹ ¡¸I¡­ I wasn¡¯t trying to blame you¡­¡¹ It was at that moment that she heard a clear but low voice. ¡¸I¡¯m sorry.¡¹ ¡¸¡­!¡¹ Hyun¡¯s answer was quickly sent through the soul. Ain felt that voice was chilly and cold as ice. Was it because of the ¡®Blessing of Darkness¡¯ skill? Still, it felt different from that. ¡¸I was expecting it, but I almost missed it.¡¹ Hyun turned his head toward the top of the pyramid. He looked at Louise, whose figure was obscured by Demonic Energy. ¡®This feeling just now¡­¡¯ Darkness¡¯s Shadow realized her emotions faster than anyone else. After the ceremony started, Hyun also realized that Darkness¡¯s empathic abilities were returning. ¡®I¡¯m feeling it through Empathy, right?¡¯ Hyun tried to Empathize with Louise¡¯s feelings. What if the ceremony went wrong? The thought of not being able to see each other made her incredibly scared, so those that were trying to bother her should die. Louise¡¯s will was constantly ringing inside his head. Chapter 179 Chapter 179 ¨C Last Battle (2) ¡¸Haa¡­ I cannot calm down.¡¹ ¡¸Huh?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯d like it if she remained still.¡¹ ¡¸Me¡­?¡¹ ¡¸No.¡¹ Was it because her Ego became stronger? Louise¡¯s emotions were fluctuating more. ¡¸It seems like it will be like that until we get rid of them.¡¹ Hyun raised his head and looked around. Every time the opponents looked into his eyes, they flinched. It was the effect of the ¡®Blessing of Darkness.¡¯ Just by looking into his eyes, those that belonged to the Heavens trembled in fear. It made them subconsciously back off. ¡°What¡¯s up¡­ With these feelings¡­¡± It was an energy similar to the one named bosses emitted. Everyone hesitated before someone shouted and tried to make everyone return to their senses. ¡°Everyone, wake up! If we become afraid like this, we¡¯ll end up losing!¡± The swordsman that had put Ain into a difficult situation leaped forward. ¡°Be careful! We don¡¯t know what that skill is, so¡ª¡± Before the ally could finish the warning, ?Efreet¡¯s Claws? appeared on both of Ain¡¯s hands. ?Powerless Wave? and ?Impact Amplification? were activated, and her stats had increased thanks to the ?Assimilation? bonus. Slash! ?Angel¡¯s Sword Art? activated. ¡°Ah¡­¡± There was a short exclamation. Half of the swordsman¡¯s body vanished. Ssss- The rest of the body also turned to particles of light and scattered away. ¡°One hit¡­?¡± ¡°Just now¡­ Did anyone see what happened?¡± His partners just stood still while looking in disbelief. Even though they¡¯d gained a lot of experience throughout the years, they couldn¡¯t understand what was going on. ¡°Before Tass was hit, he used a defensive skill¡­ but how did¡­? Ah, wait!¡± Someone noticed the patterns on the floor. There was a wave expanding from Ain¡¯s feet. ¡°A debuff¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a skill that debuffs defenses!¡± There was no time to talk. Ain, covered in buffs, began moving. ¡°Everyone, check your current Defense values!¡± ¡°How could something like this¡­?!¡± Everyone that was touched by the ?Powerless Wave? exclaimed in disbelief. ¡°My Defense is 0!¡± ¡°What? Is this an ultimate attack?¡± ¡°So there was a reason why Tass was killed with one attack. He used a Defensive buff despite it having become 0¡­!¡± While everyone was confused, Ain appeared in front of a Magician. ¡®What the?!¡¯ The guild leader sensed the danger and quickly shouted. ¡°Put on a defensive shield on Kai!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Clack. A half-transparent shield appeared around the Magician. It was the Priest¡¯s ultimate attack, ?Magical Power Armor?! It protected a user from up to a million points of damage for a minute, so it basically provided a minute of immortality. ¡ªBut everyone¡¯s beliefs were crushed instantly. Ssss. The pitch-black Ain suddenly disappeared. ¡®That skill that turns you invisible. I think I¡¯ve seen it before.¡¯ ¡®Wait¡­ is it that?!¡¯ It was Salon¡¯s skill. They weren¡¯t sure how he¡¯d obtained that skill, but everyone had seen and remembered Iluna¡¯s quest highlights. Even the scary Reaper had screamed in pain from that skill¡­ ¡®If Ain obtained that same skill¡­¡¯ Their knowledge of the past was the Returner¡¯s Guild¡¯s strongest point, but it was also the reason why they were making such big mistakes at the moment. They thought they knew everything, so they only focused on analyzing new things. They¡¯d never imagined that there was a user like Hyun that used a new kind of skill like ?Assimilation?. Unlike Salon, they didn¡¯t think of analyzing the users that had the effect of ?Powerless Wave?. What was happening to them was the result of their carelessness. Clang! The protective shield was crushed on its own. Polygonal pieces scattered away. As Ain swung her claws, the Magician turned into black dust and then scattered away into light. [You¡¯ve recovered your movement speed!] ¡®I¡¯m free.¡¯ Hyun and Ain felt their bodies becoming lighter at the same time. As the caster died, the debuff disappeared. ¡¸Hyun¡­ You look scary today.¡¹ Ain mumbled. Hyun replied after thinking about it. ¡¸I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s just that I can¡¯t calm down.¡¹ Louise¡¯s anger¡­ As long as he, her Shadow, didn¡¯t resolve it, she wouldn¡¯t calm down. ¡¸No. I said it in a good sense¡­?! Y-you don¡¯t need to worry!¡¹ ¡¸Really¡­? Then I¡¯m going to focus for a while.¡¹ [Remaining time before Darkness recovers part of her Ego: 4 minutes 21 seconds] The time was almost over. FWOOSH-! A strong fog that made it hard to approach was pouring from the altar, so as long as he resisted, the quest wouldn¡¯t end in failure. Still, Hyun didn¡¯t want to remain still and wait until it was over. Haa¡­ He took a deep breath while clenching and unclenching his hands. ?Spirit Run?, ?Illusion?. Hyun began moving once a picture was completed in his head. Whap. Whap! Two shadows similar to Ain launched forward in a V-shaped formation. They were launched simultaneously, so they looked like one skill. ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± ¡°Dodge!¡± Was it because they¡¯d gone through a lot in Asra? The Returner¡¯s Guild members reacted fast. They all had high agility and movement skills, so they weren¡¯t touched by the shadows that came out of nowhere, but due to how they dodged, they all became concentrated toward the middle. That was what Hyun was after. ?Shadow Run?! The third shadow leaped forward to the middle of the V shape. As ?Biorhythm Acceleration? was added on top of that, Ain¡¯s figure extended as if it were a shadow at dusk. Unlike the two before, that was the real body. Instead of ?Efreet¡¯s Claws?, Ain held a massive sword that was over 10 meters long. ¡®If this is their first time seeing this¡­¡¯ Everyone¡¯s expressions passed through Hyun¡¯s eyes as if things were in slow motion. He swung the sword after taking every enemy¡¯s position into account. ¡®They will inevitably die.¡¯ Hyun didn¡¯t take the enemies lightly. Things could get troublesome if many different ultimate attacks began being poured down on him. He¡¯d probably be able to resist until the quest was over, but after that, there was a chance he¡¯d die. The technique he was using would allow him to eliminate all those possibilities with one hit. ?Sword of Darkness?! He didn¡¯t have Louise¡¯s skill, so he couldn¡¯t cut them as quickly. Hyun began to cut down the enemies one by one with exact precision. ?Biorhythm Acceleration? lasted only for three seconds, but it was enough time to eliminate all of the enemies. He flicked like a shadow that they couldn¡¯t put up any resistance toward. Those with slow reactions were bisected or decapitated, and those that barely managed to react lost their arms or legs to the first attack, but lost other parts of their bodies to the follow-up attacks. After the corpses scattered away into light, there was only silence left at the altar. When Ain¡¯s movements stopped, only two members of the Returner¡¯s Guild were alive. ¡®Did he resist this?¡¯ One Priest was alive because Hyun had reached the conclusion he wasn¡¯t dangerous, but that wasn¡¯t the case for the other one. ¡®It still doesn¡¯t matter.¡¯ The Returner¡¯s Guild¡¯s leader, ¡®Annihilation.¡¯ It was the ID of a user that used his charisma and leadership to lead the biggest guild in Asra Online. He had a tanker job and a passive skill that reduced the damage received by a certain percentage. Thanks to that, he was able to survive until the end. Mayday couldn¡¯t believe what had just happened in an instant. ¡°Was that¡­ The real ultimate attack?¡± Hyun didn¡¯t reply because there wasn¡¯t a need to. It didn¡¯t matter if it was an ultimate attack or not. The fight was over. Although he had survived, his HP had almost plummeted. ¡°How¡­¡± As a guild leader, ¡®Annihilation¡¯ thought that everyone had grown faster compared to before. He was sure that, with those 10 people, they¡¯d be able to beat both Hyun and Ain. Even after all that, they had all lost to just a single one of them. They also hadn¡¯t lost to Hyun, but Ain¡­ Unless it was a one-on-one battle, fighting Hyun would be more troublesome than Ain. Then had nothing changed compared to before? All their efforts had turned into dust¡­ ¡®No, wait¡­¡¯ After seeing the eyes looking down on him, ¡®Annihilation¡¯ felt a sense of incongruity. They¡¯d used all their Demonic Energy, so he was able to see Ain¡¯s eyes. Her burning eyes had turned to a cold, frosty gaze. It was as if she were another person. ¡®No way¡­¡¯ It was something that didn¡¯t make sense¡­ Even if he knew that, ¡®Annihilation¡¯ couldn¡¯t help but ask a question. Even though he was asking, he was almost sure of the answer. ¡°Are you¡­ Hyun?¡± The Ain from his memories was someone who always accepted the fight up front, she was a berserker, someone who moved based on her instincts. By definition, a beast. Still, those movements were Hyun¡¯s techniques. They were movements with very high precision. He¡¯d lost against such movements in Asra numerous times. ¡°I can¡¯t think you¡¯re Ain. You¡¯re definitely¡ª¡± ¡®Annihilation¡¯ couldn¡¯t finish his sentence. [You¡¯ve died!] Hyun cut the two survivors down before ¡®Annihilation¡¯ could finish speaking. As expected, Louise was able to calm down after all of the danger was eliminated. His heart, which was beating really fast because of Empathy, had finally calmed down. After the ceremony for Louise was almost over, Ain carefully spoke. ¡¸That¡¯s bad, right?¡¹ ¡¸What?¡¹ ¡¸He just found out about ?Assimilation?, right?¡¹ Ain was worried because Hyun always seemed to want to hide ?Assimilation? and his other skills, but Hyun answered with a laugh. ¡¸Don¡¯t worry. They were going to figure it out when they analyzed the fight anyway.¡¹ If they analyzed what happened carefully, they would easily figure out that Ain had acted differently from usual. ¡¸Firstly, our fighting styles are too different.¡¹ ¡¸Really¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Not only that, but I can¡¯t imitate you.¡¹ He¡¯d hidden the Support¡¯s skills in preparation for the first battle. Hyun was satisfied with just having been able to win once easily. ¡¸Also, we can use the fact that they know ?Assimilation? against them.¡¹ For example, they¡¯d probably feel pressured even if he didn¡¯t show up because they would wonder if he was using ?Assimilation?. The warier they were, the less they could move. On the other hand, what Ain and Hyun could do increased. ¡¸The value of information depends on how you use it.¡¹ ¡¸Hmm¡­?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s going to be more comfortable with them thinking that they¡¯ve figured out ?Assimilation?.¡¹ ¡¸Hmm, how complex.¡¹ Ain shook her head after thinking about it for a while. Hyun¡¯s thoughts were always unpredictable, so once again, there was no need to try to understand it. The countdown ended while they were talking At that moment, the sun shone over Darkness¡¯s land. Huh¡­? Both of them were stunned after looking around. ¡¸The sky¡­?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s the real sun!¡¹ It wasn¡¯t the black sun. They weren¡¯t in the Symmetrical World anymore! Hyun turned to Louise after he realized where they were. Louise was looking at the clouds with a calm expression. ¡®Is she okay¡­?¡¯ Louise was calmly receiving the sunlight. He could feel her emotions through Empathy. The real sun that she was seeing for the first time¡­ She believed it to be a blander view than she expected. ¡®It seems like she¡¯s okay¡­¡¯ During Iluna¡¯s Quest, when she was touched by the sun, she suffered in pain like she was about to die, but she seemed okay at the moment. After a while¡­ A huge amount of system messages appeared in front of Hyun. Ting-! [¡®Main Quest: In Search of Dark¡¯ has ended!] Darkness, who was trembling alone in fear, found her shadow and was able to germinate the first seed, but she only barely managed to stand on the surface¡­ So there¡¯s still a long way to go. For the moment, Darkness will require some time to get used to the surface. [You¡¯ve obtained the title ¡®Darkness¡¯s Shadow¡¯!] [Darkness¡¯s Shadow] ¨C Increase the resistance to Darkness-type attacks by 20%. ¨C Now, even while you have Demonic Energy, the skills don¡¯t lose their colors. (On/Off possible) [Your tendency had gotten even closer to the Abyss! (Currently: -85)] [You¡¯ve canceled the main event, ¡®Army of Light¡¯!] [You¡¯ve activated the main event, ¡®Light¡¯s Choice¡¯!] [You¡¯ve activated the hidden event, ¡®Unconscious Path¡¯!] [You¡¯ve strongly interfered in the world¡¯s affairs!] [Level Up!] x 14 [All your stats have increased by +26!] [Your skill points have increased by +18!] ¡¸It¡¯s finally over.¡¹ ¡¸What? Show me a clear message!¡¹ ¡¸Ah, wait. There¡¯s something more!¡¹ The message had ended, but immediately after that, there was an announcement. Slide! There was a cheerful sound, and letters began appearing in the air. Chapter 180 Chapter 180 ¨C History Quests (1) [History has reached a turning point, so the world¡¯s time will be halted. One week from now, five years will advance!] [For the next week, these actions will be forbidden.] ¨C Obtaining new quests. ¨C Talk with important NPCs. ¨C Obtaining new achievements. ¨C Changing factions. ¨C Approaching restricted areas. ¨C Things that influence the world ¨C (¡ù Alert: Quest you didn¡¯t complete within the time limit will disappear!) Hyun¡¯s eyes widened after reading a certain part. ¡®Five years?¡¯ It was the number of years that the story would advance after Louise¡¯s quest was over. He¡¯d expected it to be three years, but it ended up being more time than expected. ¡®It¡¯s longer than I thought!¡¯ Hyun turned to tell Louise about that, but she¡¯d already disappeared. According to what he¡¯d just read, he wouldn¡¯t be able to interact with certain NPCs for a few days. Since he¡¯d finished the main quest, he wouldn¡¯t be able to talk with Louise for the next seven days. He was feeling anxious when Ain suddenly mumbled something while making a weird smile. ¡¸In five years, she¡¯ll¡­ be the same age as you, right?¡¹ ¡¸Yes, probably. Although I¡¯m not sure of her exact age.¡¹ ¡¸She isn¡¯t a kid anymore¡­ so there¡¯s no need for you to be so worried.¡¹ ¡¸Is that right¡­?¡¹ Hyun laughed after hearing Ain¡¯s words. Yes. When they met again, Louise would be an adult. She would¡¯ve already passed the age of him worrying about her. ¡¸That¡¯s kind of true.¡¹ [You¡¯re in a restricted area! This area is closed for the next 7 days!] [Moving to the closest city or town!] Paf-! After a while, the scenery changed. Hyun and Ain were moved into the plaza of a small town. Hyun could perfectly tell the difference between users and NPCs among everyone mumbling. All of the users were staring into the air at the announcement. ¡°An announcement!¡± ¡°Why did the world¡¯s time suddenly stop?¡± ¡°History reached a turning point¡­? Is there anyone that knows what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Ah. There¡¯s a maintenance announcement on the official page!¡± There was a lot of noise going on. The noise made by users also influenced NPCs, and because of that, the plaza turned into a mess. ¡¸Ain, wait for me. I¡¯ll be right back.¡¹ Hyun changed the capsule to rest mode after looking around to check the situation in the real world. Just like someone said, there was a new announcement on the official page. [O month O day, 12 hours maintenance.] There was a brief description of what he and Louise had gone through to make users understand why there was a sudden maintenance. ¡¸And that¡¯s how Darkness appeared in the world¡­ To make the changes stable, the time in Asrian will advance five years. Players can keep growing while the world¡¯s time is halted! More stories will come about in a week when the patch is over!¡¹ Asrian communities were full of threads related to the announcement. ¨C Why a sudden maintenance? Lol. ¨C Why are they doing a maintenance? ¨C Asra players said that once a big story was cleared, the server entered maintenance mode. ¨C Story? When did someone do that, and when did they finish it? Lol. ¨C Maybe the Black Town Quest was related to the Main Quest. ¨C That¡¯s right. According to the announcement, Darkness woke up because of that quest. Even users that hadn¡¯t played the previous game knew about Darkness. Knowledge about the previous game world had spread a lot among the average users, but only a few users understood the flow of the story from start to finish. Even the developers hadn¡¯t expected that a few users would end up monopolizing the story. That¡¯s why Robert did his best to convince Director Kwon DaeHo to organize an event. [Update: History Quest!] After the maintenance announcement, a second one was posted. Robert wanted to tell all the other users about Asrian¡¯s entertaining story, although it wasn¡¯t by experiencing it directly. ¡¸Sculptures of history will appear in every city and town. You can do a ¡®History Quest¡¯ in front of the sculptures. Experience a wide variety of episodes and feel Asrian¡¯s story! You can do the History Quest even while time is stopped!¡¹ ¨C There isn¡¯t a time limit for History Quests, and if you fail, you can re-try them as much as you want. (When you enter, all of your skills¡¯ cooldowns are refreshed!) ¨C Every time history flows, a new quest will be added to the sculptures. ¨C The History Quests are divided into (Easy/Normal/Hard/Real) categories. Every time you clear each difficulty, you¡¯ll be able to obtain a wide variety of rewards. [Reward list based on the episode and difficulty] ¨C [Open +] They were quests you could do regardless of your level, job or faction. They were mostly things Hyun and Ain had gone through. Robert had taken them and turned them into History Quests. Users were probably going to be able to feel what it was like to follow history with their jobs. As soon as the quests were announced, users were, of course, mostly interested in the rewards rather than the story. ¨C Woah, this is crazy! Look at the rewards! The rewards are crazy, lol. ¨C What¡¯s the reward of the second quest from the last??? Of course, all Asrian communities around the world were in an uproar. ¨C It isn¡¯t that much. It¡¯s just 100 gold. ¨C That¡¯s one of the easiest difficulties. Check out the real difficulty¡¯s reward! ¨C Holy Knight of the Chain Sword¡­? Just what is it for it to be giving five skill points? ¨C All the rewards of the real difficulty are huge¡­ ¨C This is a god patch! There were already more than 10 history episodes, and among them, there were some Hyun and Ain hadn¡¯t experienced before. ¡°Ha¡­!¡± Lattice laughed out loud after checking the list of episodes. [The Dying Candles of Iluna] That was something he¡¯d already gone through. It was definitely the quest about turning off Iluna¡¯s seven magic circles. ¡°Real difficulty, huh¡­?¡± Lattice remembered what had happened at that moment. From the day the servers opened up until that moment when he was about to reach level 200, he¡¯d done numerous quests, but he¡¯d never gone through one that had been more bothersome than that. ¡°I wonder how many people will clear it.¡± There was also another very famous episode¡­ After the announcements, Salon began reading the description of the quest. ¡°This quest¡­¡± [Run Across the Snow-Covered Plains] (Suggested Members: 2) It was definitely the quest that recreated Iluna¡¯s last moments. ¡°Beat it as a group of two? Are they serious?¡± Salon began wondering who the person who organized this event was. He was wondering how many users would be able to clear the real-difficulty quest if that really was a recreation of what had happened at that moment. ¡°Director!¡± ¡°Oh, did something happen?¡± On the other hand, Director Steven Young stopped what he was doing and turned his head toward TarrTarr. He wasn¡¯t someone who judged people based on their age. There weren¡¯t many people who could edit and understand high-difficulty gameplay at the same time. In that sense, TarrTarr was someone very important to him. ¡°It¡¯s done¡­!¡± ¡°It¡­?¡± ¡°The script of the video you¡¯re making! It¡¯s been added to the list of History Quests!¡± ¡°What was added? History Quests¡­?¡± TarrTarr gave a detailed explanation to Steven, who didn¡¯t have a deep understanding of the game system. After a while, the director understood what that meant. ¡°What?! All of the users will be able to experience what happened during the battle?!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Haa. If that¡¯s right, we¡¯ll have to do a great job. Haha, okay. Let¡¯s make the world tremble with excitement!¡± There were millions of users in Asrian, so a normal user didn¡¯t have much opportunity to meet rankers. Basically, it wasn¡¯t easy to recognize Ain, who was standing alone in the plaza. Most people just thought she was a look-alike or someone who customized her character so she would look like her. ¡ªExcept for one person. ¡®Amazing.¡¯ Mayday, who was a user as famous as Ain. The funny thing was that there also wasn¡¯t anyone who recognized her. She¡¯d flown in atop a bat and watched the battle from a distance before being forcibly returned like they were. ¡®History Quests¡­ I guess half of them were done by them?¡¯ Mayday became sure of that after checking the name of each episode on the homepage. She also became interested. How close was her current self to them? She would soon be able to figure out how much of a gap there was between them, but she thought it wasn¡¯t going to be that big. Ting-! ¡°Ah.¡± While Mayday was burning with desire, she suddenly heard a voice. It was a message from Darkness Guild¡¯s vice-leader, Reina. ¡¸Mayday, the quest ¡®Defensive Line of Darkness¡¯s Land¡¯ is the quest you¡¯ve just completed, right?!¡¹ ¡¸Oh¡­ Yes.¡¹ While in the Darkness¡¯s land, Mayday had told the executives of the Darkness Guild her current situation. Reina had figured out the quest thanks to that. ¡¸What? Mayday appeared in a quest?¡¹ ¡¸Really? As expected of the 2nd ranker. This is something that was really recorded in Asrian¡¯s history.¡¹ ¡¸Yes. Thanks to this, the Darkness Guild¡¯s influence will rise.¡¹ After Reina, the voices of the other executives could be heard as well. Mayday coughed and changed topics before they kept saying embarrassing things. ¡¸Ehem, more than that¡­ I¡¯ve obtained a bigger achievement.¡¹ ¡¸What achievement?¡¹ Mayday sent a screenshot to the guild¡¯s message window. It was her friend list, and there was a name among the ones she¡¯d recently added. Everyone¡¯s eyes were focused on that ID. ¡¸Hyun¡­?!¡¹ ¡¸Yes. I think that I¡¯ve reached quite a good deal with him.¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t tell me you became friends.¡¹ ¡¸No. Not everyone that¡¯s on your friend list is your friend¡­¡¹ Mayday sighed and laughed at someone¡¯s question. After she met him, she became sure of it¡­ They were going to cooperate, but that was it. Hyun had no intentions of having a good relationship with Darkness. Maybe it was obvious. After all, one couldn¡¯t share the throne. Mayday thought it was huge that she¡¯d been able to decrease the negative relations between them. ¡¸Adding someone to your friend list is just a way to communicate with another person. We agreed to exchange information.¡¹ ¡¸Exchange information¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. Isn¡¯t this quite good? I¡¯m sure Hyun has some information not even Keiji knows. Ah, wait¡­¡¹ Mayday cut her story short because she saw Ain leaving the plaza. She knew it even if she didn¡¯t tell her where she was going¡­ She felt her body tickle because of the History Quests, so they were probably the same. ¡¸I¡¯ll give a detailed explanation at the next meeting.¡¹ Before being a ranker, Mayday was an Asrian user. From the Black Town¡¯s Quest, meeting an unknown vampire, fighting against the Heavens¡¯ Knights, and looking at the entire land starting to float¡­ Even though she¡¯d gone through all that, she still wasn¡¯t sure how Asrian¡¯s history was flowing. She just followed Hyun¡¯s orders and blocked the invasion of the Heavens. She wasn¡¯t sure how that had influenced history. ¡¸I¡¯m busy right now!¡¹ ¡­But being on the forefront with him was fun. Fun enough to make her think that she wanted to be at the forefront of history again. The patches of most game companies lasted only for a few hours¡ªa few days if it required a long time. The History Quest being added was definitely a large-scale patch. How were the developers able to add all of that content so fast? They¡¯d also added incidents that had happened that day. ¨C Did they already have it prepared? ¨C Maybe they were doing the last part of the patch while the users were doing the first part of the quest. ¨C Is something like that even possible? ¨C There¡¯s a theory that says that the skills of the developers are alien. If it¡¯s Kwon DaeHo, anything is possible. There were many guesses, but most of them were wrong. The correct answer was that Asrian was a simulator. They could take a parallel event from a certain point in time and minimize the required programming. All the episodes were created in a few seconds; NFM had just added those episodes to the interface. Since most users didn¡¯t know that, they just praised how fast and effective the developers and game management were. Chapter 181 Chapter 181 ¨C History Quests (2) ¡®It¡¯s nice that content is coming out fast¡­ but this is too fast.¡¯ While everyone was excited about the speed of the patch, Hyun was disappointed. He had to start the History Quests alone because of how tired Ain was. ¡®Tsk. Ain gets tired too fast.¡¯ Was it because she got up too early, or was it maybe that she¡¯d reached a limit because of how much she¡¯d concentrated¡­? There was a chance it was neither because Ain¡¯s tiredness level was at 75 when she logged off. ¡®I¡¯m okay until 95¡­¡¯ From 80, he began to feel dizzy, and when it passed 90, he just felt a bit of a headache. But going to sleep when her tiredness hadn¡¯t reached 80? That was something Hyun couldn¡¯t understand because he¡¯d optimized all his life patterns to increase playtime as much as possible. ¡®I guess there¡¯s nothing I can do about it. I¡¯ll start alone.¡¯ After teleporting to the city, Hyun immediately saw the sculptures of history. They were in the middle of a huge crowd of people. An angel and a demon that had their wings spread were exchanging blows, and a giant planet was between them. He thought they might be Truth and Deception, but that wasn¡¯t the case. Seeing how he didn¡¯t recognize either of them, they probably weren¡¯t actual characters that existed in the world. [The sculpture is looking at you.] [Will you enter the Palace of History? Y/N] ¡®Yes.¡¯ After he accepted the message that suddenly appeared, the scenery changed. Hyun was in the middle of a silent palace illuminated with soft candlelight. ¡®Hmm? This is¡­¡¯ It was a familiar place. It was a room with a similar atmosphere to when he¡¯d met Keidrial. It was a place that looked as if it had a long history. He could feel the intentions behind why the developers had made it that way. [You¡¯re going back in time.] [Here, you¡¯ll be able to see the records of what happened in the past.] Nobody else was around. There were various sculptures arranged along the red carpet. The moment Hyun stepped onto the carpet, he got a new message. [An episode will start once you touch a sculpture.] [For more detailed information, use the ¡®Help¡¯ section.] ¡®This pattern is also the same as before.¡¯ Just like your job was decided when you touched an object, it seems like you picked what episode to do by touching a sculpture. Suddenly, Hyun burst out into laughter. He remembered when he was deceived by Keidrial and ended up picking the Support job. He had become able to laugh about it; he even felt thankful to Keidrial, who had given him the Support job. ¡°Help.¡± Hyun read the information about the different History Quests that detailed the interface he could use, the number of members allowed in each quest, how to use the history shop, replays, and some other stuff. It was as if he¡¯d entered a game inside a game. ¡°Order by difficulty.¡± As he mumbled that, the sculptures began moving on their own, and the order changed. There was a sculpture that resembled Earth in front of it all. According to the information he¡¯d seen through the ¡®Help,¡¯ it seemed like it was the opening video that was displayed on Asrian¡¯s first patch. He discovered something unexpected. ¡®Huh? That was harder?¡¯ The Kaidan castle invasion was categorized as harder than the fight against Shakron. There was the model of a castle at the end of everything. Shakron was one enemy, but maybe the castle invasion was considered harder because the enemies were hundreds of thousands of devils. ¡°Order by time.¡± Swish! The sculptures started to move again, and the order changed. A new sculpture appeared in front of Hyun. It was a sculpture that looked like a little demon. Hyun subconsciously knew which episode it was. It was probably the record of the first day he¡¯d met Louise. Hyun¡¯s eyes deepened while looking at the statue of the little devil and he thought of a possibility. ¡®Maybe¡­ I¡¯ll be able to meet Louise here as well?¡¯ As he extended his hand and touched the sculpture, his surroundings became pitch black. Ting-! [The Day Darkness Met Her Shadow.] (Suggested Members: 1, Max Members: 4) (¡ù Warning: The level difference between party members should be less than 50!) [There¡¯s a user that hasn¡¯t bought the episode!] [Except for the ¡®Battle Section,¡¯ all of the story will be summarized! Will you proceed like this? Y/N] The price of the episode was 3 USD¡­ The battle was separated from the story, and it looked like the story itself was what was billed. Users that wanted to see the whole thing would have to buy it. It wasn¡¯t much money, so Hyun decided to buy all of the episodes. [You cannot choose the difficulty!] [Starting in ¡®Easy¡¯ mode!] Hyun ignored the messages. If he met the childhood Louise, what would he say? Hyun¡¯s heart was starting to beat fast. [With the ¡®Skip¡¯ command. you can pass through the areas that don¡¯t involve battle!] FWOOSH! He felt as if the statue was absorbing him, then everything in front of him changed. Hyun¡¯s eyes widened when he saw the little girl who looked like she¡¯d just been freed from chains. ¡°Huh?¡± It was his first time seeing her. Her appearance, robe, and atmosphere were completely different. The girl in front of him was completely different from Louise. ¡°Who are you¡­? At Hyun¡¯s question, the girl answered with an arrogant attitude. ¡°I¡¯m a demon. I cannot tell you my real name. Call me whatever you wish.¡± Ting-! [Give the little girl a name!] ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ It took Hyun a while to understand what was going on. The History Quests were similar to what had happened but weren¡¯t exactly the same. In other words, that girl was playing Louise¡ªshe was an actress made to recreate the situation. Hyun felt disappointed after realizing that. ¡°Yes. Your name is¡­ Hmm¡­ None.¡± ¡°None? What a boyish name.¡± He realized a few things after talking with her¡­ Unlike Louise, that girl really felt like an NPC. She didn¡¯t seem to be programmed¡­ So she was probably a first-generation AI. [Darkness is still too weak! Without protection, she¡¯ll probably die. Please become Darkness¡¯s Shadow.] ¨C Mission: Take the girl and reach the destination! ¨C Fail Condition: If the girl dies or the entire party is wiped out. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you where we¡¯re going as we move.¡± ¡°Even if you don¡¯t tell me, I already know.¡± Hyun moved out of the Twilight Temple¡¯s garden and began running through the forest. After a while, a familiar sight appeared before him. Although he wasn¡¯t with Louise, he felt like the memories of that day were returning to him. ¡®They¡¯re probably level 25 elite NPCs.¡¯ They started being chased by two masked people while escaping, but because it was an easy difficulty, their specs were low. He should¡¯ve been able to kill them with one attack, but Hyun let them follow so he could feel what he¡¯d felt that day again. ¡®It¡¯s been quite a long time since this day.¡¯ ¡°Quite good. Okay, I¡¯ll give you the right to serve Darkness.¡± ¡°You¡¯re quite arrogant despite not being able to do anything¡­¡± ¡°Hngh, that¡¯s because the seed still hasn¡¯t flourished yet.¡± After they reached the giant dungeon, the girl began talking again to progress the story. She also spoke about something related to sunlight. To other users, it might be interesting, but Hyun already knew all of it. Not only was he hearing the explanation of someone that wasn¡¯t Louise, but he had to hear it from the mouth of someone who lacked foundation. ¡°Don¡¯t you have any memories?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you mean.¡± ¡°Do you remember your childhood?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say nonsense. The battle is going to start soon.¡± He didn¡¯t receive a satisfying answer if he asked about things unrelated to the quest. ?Assimilation?. Thankfully, temporary Darkness was easier to control than Louise. It also wasn¡¯t hard for her to accept being the target of ?Assimilation?. She was probably built to accept most of the users¡¯ requirements. Hyun ?Assimilated? into a humanoid NPC for the first time. It didn¡¯t feel that much different¡­ from a well-made doll. He tried to make her angry on purpose but couldn¡¯t sense a ¡®real¡¯ feeling. ¡®Well. I guess that being able to pull this kind of quality is already a huge achievement.¡¯ Hyun kept following the story. The time he¡¯d spent with child Louise was an entire day. In the episode, they controlled the flow of time by making the scene change from time to time, so it didn¡¯t take that long. Hyun reached the place near the dungeon¡¯s exit in just an hour. ¡°This place is dangerous. You¡¯ll probably have to sacrifice yourself to go through this place.¡± Soon, ten masked enemies leaped toward him, but unlike what the girl said, Hyun didn¡¯t need to sacrifice himself. Enemies of the easy difficulty were weaker than trash mobs, so he didn¡¯t even need to use his skills. ¡°Come find me in five years. Fufu, I might miss you a little bit.¡± When the girl exited the dungeon, the episode ended. [You¡¯ve gained 5 gold as a reward for clearing the easy difficulty!] [You¡¯ve obtained the normal difficulty of the episode!] The full story took him approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes. Even though the character was a first-generation AI, it still had an interesting personality, and the level of immersion was also great. ¡®It was okay, but her personality was too different from Louise¡¯s.¡¯ He didn¡¯t need to see the story after clearing the easy difficulty, so Hyun skipped those parts. He realized that, every time the difficulty changed, the level of the opponents doubled because on easy, normal, and hard difficulties, opponents that were at levels 25, 50, and 100 appeared. [You¡¯ve obtained a ¡®Seal of History¡¯ as a reward for clearing the normal difficulty!] [You¡¯ve obtained 5 ¡®Seals of History¡¯ as a reward for clearing the hard difficulty!!] In the real difficulty, elite NPCs that were at level 200 appeared just like at that time. Hyun could easily go through the cylinder area because he¡¯d done the job ascension to a Shadow Linker long before. ?Sword of Darkness?, ?Invisible?, and ?Acceleration?¡­ Thanks to his skills, unlike at that time, he was able to get rid of the enemies. [You¡¯ve cleared the real difficulty of the episode ¡®The Day Darkness Met Her Shadow¡¯!] [You¡¯ve gained 1 stat point as a reward!] ¡®So I can get a stat point for investing 20 minutes?¡¯ The items that were bought using the Seals of History were at a low level to Hyun, so in reality, the only meaningful reward he¡¯d obtained was the one that the real difficulty gave. After making quick calculations, Hyun figured out how many points he would obtain after clearing all the episodes. ¡¯40 stat points! 20 skill points!¡¯ That meant that, just by clearing the history quests, he¡¯d be able to obtain an effect equivalent to having leveled up 20 times. From the outside, that seemed like good news, but Hyun didn¡¯t think about that in such a simplistic way. The grass was always greener on the other side, after all. ¡®That means they¡¯re giving such huge rewards to all users.¡¯ As time passed, the number of users clearing the History Quests would increase, so the History Quests were probably going to accelerate upward leveling. ¡®The developers finally started to worry about me¡­! This isn¡¯t good. I¡¯m going to get all of the rewards as fast as possible and use that to increase the distance again!¡¯ But Hyun was mistaken about something. He¡¯d done that when he was at around level 50¡­ but could the others do that? He¡¯d never seen normal users do quests, so Hyun lacked in terms of comprehending quest difficulties. ¡®Those guys are probably doing the real difficulty right now.¡¯ Hyun thought that the members of the Returner¡¯s Guild would be able to reach the real difficulty without much struggle, but the users of the previous game were able to reach high thanks to what they knew of the past game. Hyun didn¡¯t consider how they would react when faced with a quest they¡¯d never seen before or how much they would struggle. ¡®Among the rankers, there might be some people who are good with strategies¡­ Recently, everyone has been getting better.¡¯ He also lacked comprehension of himself. While doing difficult quests, a good controlling ability was just one of the necessary ingredients. You also needed to be able to analyze the situations, make decisions, make plans, be creative, calculate time, and comprehend the world, among many other things¡­ The quests Hyun had done were ones you would barely be able to do if you had all those qualities. Why did he think it was obvious that others would catch up? It was because he thought he lacked a bit in terms of the psychological part and some things regarding certain parts of control! Hyun only realized what others really thought when he checked the reactions on the community boards a few hours later. Chapter 182 Chapter 182 ¨C History Quests (3) ¡®There¡¯s something wrong¡­¡¯ Mayday was dripping cold sweat while looking at the 12 sculptures. ¡®I can¡¯t beat a single one¡­?!¡¯ A few minutes before, Mayday would¡¯ve never imagined she¡¯d feel so miserable. In the easy difficulty, after meeting the girl that called herself Darkness, she¡¯d even given her a cute name. She¡¯d learned a few things she didn¡¯t know about Asrian from her, and because of that, she¡¯d become trapped by its story. ¡°I might even miss you a little bit.¡± That last phrase she¡¯d said while making a sad expression had left a huge impression on her. ¡®I should see the story of such a masterpiece on the real difficulty level.¡¯ ¡®Yes, the real difficulty is probably the most vivid one!¡¯ While thinking that, Mayday focused on unlocking all the different difficulties for each episode. Easy, normal¡­ until then, everything was okay. The problem was from that point onward. To unlock the real difficulty, she¡¯d failed the hard difficulty of six different episodes! The funny thing was that, among them, there was the quest ¡®Defensive Line of Darkness¡¯s Land,¡¯ in which she¡¯d appeared. It was the result of trying to solo a quest that recommended three people. ¡®How could this be? I, the 2nd in the rankings, can¡¯t even beat the hard mode?¡¯ Enemies had their levels doubled with each difficulty increase. On the other hand, that also meant that the enemies in the hard difficulty were half of the real difficulty ones¡¯ levels. Once again, the important thing wasn¡¯t the ¡®difficulty,¡¯ but the fact that the ¡®level¡¯ of the enemies was halved! Mayday knew better than anyone that the meaning of the former and latter was completely different. Leaving the suggested members aside, she was ranked 2nd, so she should¡¯ve been able to clear the hard difficulty easily. ¡®Am I the weird one?¡¯ Mayday was able to sigh in relief after checking the community boards she often entered. Asrian-related communities were in an uproar because of how difficult the History Quests were. Korean communities weren¡¯t so different. ¨C I did all the stories. You guys should also buy them. ¨C Really? I just cleared everything on the easy difficulty, and I¡¯m having a hard time trying to do other things. ¨C What¡¯s the rare item you can buy with the seal? ¨C Can¡¯t you trade the seal of history? ¨C ¡ï History Quest Fast Clear ¡ï Lowest Price ¡î Normal, all. Hard, 4-set possible. All the threads being posted were related to the History Quests. Since time in Asrian had stopped, besides the History Quests, they could only hunt or enter the duel arena. Not only that, but the experience they could obtain by clearing them was more effective than hunting. ¨C How do you beat the difficulties after normal? The hottest topic was the extreme difficulty that the quests had. ¨C The difference between easy and normal is crazy. ¨C No one knows the difference between normal and hard. ¨C Who made the difficulties? Lol. ¨C Kwon DaeHo!!!! ¨C Kwon DaeHo, come out!!!! Users had gotten tired of trying. ¨C Now you guys aren¡¯t going to complain anymore about the lack of content. Lol. ¨C Even if you do it slowly, the rewards won¡¯t disappear. Later on, once you get better specs, everyone should be able to beat the highest difficulty. Some users were defending the difficulties. ¨C Even famous rankers are struggling with hard, so how and when will we get strong enough to clear this? ¨C Do you know what the scariest thing is? No one has beaten it with the suggested members from hard onwards. ¨C Yes. That¡¯s right. In hard, the quest that has a suggested number of one member was beaten with three or four. ¨C This is true. Even the bus service has three drivers and only allows one passenger after normal. Quests with a suggested member of more than two can¡¯t even be tried. ¨C Some buses fail to complete a quest with a suggested member of 1 with a full party. Lol. The community boards became a place where users with many different viewpoints argued. ¨C I¡¯ve seen a group of foreign rankers beat hard with the suggested member. (Link) ¨C Where are all those Koreans that brag about being good at games? Aren¡¯t Korean rankers going to upload a hard clear video? ¨C Fact: Koreans are good at typing. They usually don¡¯t do many sports, so it¡¯s understandable that they don¡¯t have a talent for virtual reality games. ¨C Yes. They don¡¯t have talent. That¡¯s why they all lose against Stardust for 3 to 0 or 3 to 1, right? ¨C Koreans lack imagination. (Link) Foreign gamers used creative ways like this to clear hard. The hot thread changed every hour. ¨C A video of Koreans clearing it with the suggested members has been posted! (Link) ¨C Kingdust¡­ As time went on, users that had cleared the hard difficulty started to appear. Unexpectedly, people Hyun hadn¡¯t expected were showing progress in the History Quests. Rather than the Returner¡¯s Guild members or the rankers in the Hall of Fame, they were professional gamers with comparatively lower specs than them. To become a professional gamer, you needed to have good controlling abilities and be able to make and execute strategies. After a big tournament ended, professional gaming teams were free, so it was natural that they would become interested in the History Quests. ¡°How about we also try the History Quests?¡± ¡°That sounds good. Uploading a clear video will help us to promote ourselves internationally!¡± It might have been because of someone¡¯s orders, or maybe it was because they became motivated. Directors, coaches, and players gathered together and started to make a strategy to clear the hard difficulty quests with the suggested members. After the news spread among professional gamers, a race between the different gaming teams started. Among them, the fastest one was stardust. Stardust cleared all the episodes from easy difficulty with the suggested members. ¡®Kaidan Castle,¡¯ ¡®Chain Sword,¡¯ ¡®Devil¡¯s Marble Ball.¡¯ As all of the episodes except those three were uploaded, they incited an explosive reaction. ¡®Huh?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t clear the real difficulty alone, so Hyun had only cleared up to the hard one. Hyun got up in surprise after looking at a video. ¡¯30 million views? Don¡¯t tell me¡­ Did someone already clear it already?!¡¯ ¡®Oops, I¡¯m late!¡¯ Although he was receiving money from Ain, TarrTarr, and Salon¡¯s channels, recently, they hadn¡¯t been uploading new videos, so Hyun¡¯s YouTube earnings had stopped. ¡®Ugh. I shouldn¡¯t have let Ain sleep!¡¯ After the festival, the number of active players had doubled. If he was with Ain, he could have cleared all of the real difficulty quests¡­! If he used TarrTarr, he also could¡¯ve uploaded all of the videos by then. ¡®Stardust¡­ This is JaeHoon¡¯s team, right?¡¯ To think that they¡¯d clear the real difficulty quest so quickly! Had users become so strong that they were already chasing after him? Hyun couldn¡¯t leave his anxiousness behind and looked at the video to see how they had cleared it. A few minutes after the video began¡­ Hyun felt that something was weird. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ After the girl that was playing as Louise got out of the Twilight Temple and the chase began¡­ Although that situation should¡¯ve been super stressful, Hyun couldn¡¯t help but feel that it was lacking a bit in terms of strength. ¡®Is the speed of the video wrong?¡¯ When the protagonist of the video began fighting the opponents¡­ When level 200 humanoid enemies with more than a million HP were killed after receiving one or two hits¡­ Hyun rubbed his eyes and checked the title of the video again; then he finally realized why he felt that something was wrong. Hard difficulty¡­ The video Hyun thought was the real difficulty was, in reality, a video of them clearing hard. At that moment, numerous thoughts crossed his mind. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­!¡¯ Hyun stopped the video and started to check Asrian-related communities. If his guess was correct, it was something he hadn¡¯t expected at all, though for different reasons. All of the community boards were full of threads related to the History Quests, so SeoHyun was easily able to find a thread related to it. ¨C The gaming team ¡®Bless You¡¯ have uploaded a hard-difficulty video! ¨C But the clear time is slower than Stardust. ¨C The job composition is different. Both are equally amazing. In other communities¡­ ¨C News! Someone in Europe has uploaded a video of the ¡®Devil¡¯s Marble Ball¡¯ in hard difficulty! (Link) ¨C It¡¯s true. It seems like they¡¯ve cleared it as a party of 4¡­ Even considering that, aren¡¯t they the first to clear the real difficulty of this episode? ¨C Wait a bit. Stardust is going to clear it as a party of 2. In other communities, too. All the other threads that were being posted made Hyun think that maybe his hypothesis was correct. ¡®Maybe this¡­¡¯ Hyun closed the notebook after browsing through the community boards for half an hour. The closing notebook revealed a few calculations involving big numbers. ¡®This is going to be historic!¡¯ He wanted to wake Ain up and immediately start to move, but he couldn¡¯t do that. He had to recover from doing the Main Quest and the History Quest. He lay down on the bed but couldn¡¯t easily fall asleep. He couldn¡¯t help but smile while thinking about the next day. Even after he fell asleep, the smile didn¡¯t disappear from SeoHyun¡¯s face. The next day, Sunday afternoon¡­ Hyun, who had logged in first, was anxiously waiting for time to pass. Wasn¡¯t there a saying that the more urgent the situation was, the more relaxed you should be? Ain had to be in the best possible condition. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t force Ain to wake up¡­ Let¡¯s let her rest.¡¯ He already knew Ain¡¯s weekend pattern. When it was about time she logged in, Hyun always shouted through the capsule messenger to make her come to her senses. LeeSeoHyun: Ain! When are you going to log in? A few seconds later¡­ Ain¡¯s status changed to online. Hyun was waiting at the place where she last logged off, so he was able to find Ain quickly. ¡°Wh-what? Did you just call me?!¡± ¡°Good. It seems like you¡¯ve finally woken up. Let¡¯s get going.¡± ¡°Wait. I still haven¡¯t finished the preparations.¡± ¡°Do you need to make any other preparations? You already logged in, so let¡¯s just go.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have my clothes on¡­ Is that okay?¡± ¡°Yes. We have to record a video so¡­ Hmm¡­?¡± Hyun took a glance at Ain at her sudden words. ¡®But she¡¯s definitely wearing the Recard¡¯s Devil Armor¡­?¡¯ Paf-! Ain changed to rest mode for a minute and then appeared again while making a wicked smile. ¡°Hyun, maybe, did you just imagine¡­¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Hyun raised his hand before Ain could finish. ¡°I know what you¡¯re trying to say. I¡¯ll listen to jokes¡­ but later.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± ¡°Because things are urgent!¡± Hyun stopped Ain¡¯s mischievous act by a narrow margin. He told her the plan he¡¯d thought of while they walked. He told her what happened in the community boards regarding the History Quests and what they had to do. ¡°We¡¯re going to record real-difficulty videos and upload them.¡± ¡°All of them?¡± ¡°All except one.¡± The Kaidan Castle Invasion. Not only was it the most difficult one, but it was also an episode TarrTarr and Salon had also taken part in. Doing that quest only with Ain was hard, but even if he could, he wasn¡¯t planning to do it. Even if he didn¡¯t make it, a video of high quality would be made as a movie, so it would be better to leave it alone for it to have a bigger impact once it released. ¡°We¡¯re going to do a total of eight episodes¡­ Assuming we don¡¯t fail any of them, it should take around nine hours.¡± Hyun was planning to do the full stories so they could create the perfect video. The more effort they put into the recordings, the more things to see there would be. Using TarrTarr¡¯s skills to cut out the boring parts would reduce the video¡¯s time, and it wouldn¡¯t become unnecessarily long. Chapter 183 Chapter 183 ¨C History Quests (4) ¡°First, we must unlock your quest difficulties¡­ Even if we skip all of the stories, it will take us about three hours, so taking into consideration all the other clears, we will use about 12 hours to do the History Quests.¡± Hyun checked Ain¡¯s reaction. After saying all that, he thought it was a little bit too much. Wasn¡¯t he using her as if she were a slave¡­? He was worried Ain would go on strike. ¡°Woah¡­¡± Unlike what he thought, Ain¡¯s eyes shone after she heard his plan. Hyun tried to leave the guilt behind and started to move forward with the plan. ¡°Then, let¡¯s go.¡± [¡®Ain¡¯ has joined the party!] Hyun and Ain looked at the 12 sculptures within the candlelit palace. To unlock the real difficulty, they had to clear all of the easy, normal, and hard quests. They did them one by one while skipping all of the stories. ?Possession?! The cooldowns of the skills were applied individually in each episode. Basically, by using Louise¡¯s wind, they could go through most of the places very fast. It was something he¡¯d figured out while doing the History Quests alone the day before. If he didn¡¯t know that, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to clear the ¡®Kaidan Castle Invasion¡¯ quest in hard difficulty. ¡¸Use the ultimate attack.¡¹ ¡¸Is that okay?¡¹ ¡¸The cooldown times here work separately.¡¹ Fwoosh! Flames covered Ain¡¯s body, but instead of the flames being pitch-black, they looked like normal flames thanks to the effect he¡¯d obtained after earning the ¡®Darkness¡¯s Shadow¡¯ title. ¨C Now, even while you have Demonic Energy, the skills don¡¯t lose their colors. (On/Off possible) As the red beast¡¯s claws danced in all directions, the opponents were covered in flames and melted down. They were opponents that they could kill with just one attack, so wouldn¡¯t it be better to take that opportunity to cause as much damage as possible? Ain had shown for the past two hours how an Elemental Berserker was supposed to look. She still wasn¡¯t used to controlling Louise¡¯s wind. So she hit the walls occasionally as they went, but even so, she seemed to be having fun. All of the opponents within the 100~200 level range died from the ?Black Wind? and ?Efreet¡¯s Claws?. It was as if they were grains of sand being swept away by the waves. Hyun started to wonder about something as he watched Ain hunting. Except for users, had they fought against monsters with lower levels than them? When he thought about it, they had never faced monsters that were weaker than them. Most of the enemies they¡¯d fought against had better specs than them. ¡®Even in Asra, there weren¡¯t many cases when such hardcore play was needed.¡¯ Time passed quickly, and before they noticed, they only had the real difficulty quests left. Hyun made up his mind after looking at the status window in front of him. ¡®It starts now.¡¯ Just showing people them clearing the hard difficulty may have been enough to get a positive reaction from users, but Hyun always tried to do the best he could. He wouldn¡¯t be satisfied if he did things half-heartedly. ¡¸Leave everything to me from now on.¡¹ ¡¸What about me?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll call you if I need help.¡¹ For a normal user, it was a way to learn about and follow history, but to Hyun and Ain, it was like revisiting what they¡¯d gone through. ¡°Order by time.¡± Whish! As Hyun mumbled with Ain¡¯s voice, the sculptures started to move and change places. ¡®The Day Darkness met her Shadow¡¯ showed up first. As he touched the sculpture, he got the following message. (Suggested Members: 1, Max Members: 4) [You can¡¯t enter the real difficulty because you¡¯ve passed the number of suggested members!] [The Last Gatekeeper, Betty] [Devil¡¯s Marble] [The Giant¡¯s Forest Where a Heavenly Being Lives] [The Dying Candles of Iluna] [Iluna Crash Landing!] [One Heavenly Being and One Priestess] [From the End of Kaidan Castle] [The Holy Knight of the Chainsword] [Ceremony Offer to Darkness] Lattice¡¯s History Quest, ¡®The Dying Candles of Iluna,¡¯ also had a suggested number of one, so Hyun decided to do it later. They also couldn¡¯t do Kaidan Castle, so there were eight episodes in total he could do with Ain. From then on, he would use Ain¡¯s body to film the videos. Was it going to improve the speed at which users caught up to them? Of course, he was worrying about things like that. After all, he¡¯d been feeling anxious because of that for a few hours, but he soon changed his perspective. ¡®These are eventually going to be beaten.¡¯ There were millions of users in Asrian, and users had unlimited potential, so new videos using strategies he couldn¡¯t think of would probably come out. He would rather upload it first and obtain benefits from it before someone else did. The idea was to make a video using techniques and strategies everyone could copy and follow. ¡®I¡¯d rather not use any difficult moves.¡¯ From the real difficulty onward, he planned to do the full story. He would use basic techniques without doing any unnecessary movements. He was going to avoid using too specialized skills like ?Prepared to Die?, ?Possession?, and ?Sword of Darkness? on purpose. He also wasn¡¯t going to use ?Acceleration? or ?Invisible>. unless it was absolutely necessary. Hyun had chosen four active skills: ?Efreet¡¯s Claws? (Attack), ?Shadow Shield? (Defense), ?Wind Barrier? (Utility), and ?Steps of the Incarnate? (Movement). On top of that, if he used the Support¡¯s passive skills, he would probably be able to clear the real-difficulty quests without using any high-difficulty skills. ¡¸Amazing,¡¹ Ain mumbled while watching Hyun fight using only basic movements. ¡¸What?¡¹ ¡¸Hyun, I think that you¡¯ve gotten better compared to before.¡¹ ¡¸Before? When?¡¹ ¡¸When we started playing Asrian.¡¹ ¡¸Is there anything worthy of being called skillful? I¡¯m just using basic moves right now.¡¹Hyun asked back after thinking about it for a short while. ¡¸That¡¯s what¡¯s amazing. At first glance, it might not look like too much¡­ but it kind of looks fancy.¡¹ ¡¸Haha. What does that mean?¡¹ Hyun just laughed because he couldn¡¯t understand Ain¡¯s words. Among the real difficulty episodes, there were many he hadn¡¯t done with Ain, such as when he¡¯d infiltrated the pitch-black palace with TarrTarr and activated the Devil¡¯s Marble, or when he¡¯d run through the plains of Iluna with Salon. As for the one that was most recent, the quest that was about blocking the Heavens in the Darkness¡¯s Land, Ain was protecting the Altar, so it was as if she hadn¡¯t been there. ¡¸History Quests¡­ I wonder who made these.¡¹ ¡¸Hmm?¡¹ ¡¸The one who created them is probably a genius.¡¹ Ain¡¯s eyes shone while doing the episodes she hadn¡¯t done before. She was having fun doing the pieces of the past she hadn¡¯t been able to take part in. ¡¸I¡¯m ?Assimilated? to the past Hyun at the moment!¡¹ ¡¸What does that mean?¡¹ Even the quests they¡¯d done in the past weren¡¯t exactly the same as before. For example, in the quest that was about hunting Betty, they didn¡¯t have Practice or Jini to help. Louise and Radiette were also changed, so it felt different. Clearing up eight episodes of the real difficulty required a lot of time. Hyun was worried Ain would get bored¡­ ¡®I¡¯m glad she is having fun.¡¯ Ain¡¯s feelings he¡¯d read through ?Assimilation? were of interest, fun, and many other positive emotions. That meant she was enjoying the moment. Finally¡­ [You¡¯ve cleared the real difficulty of the quest ¡®The Holy Knight of the Chainsword¡¯!] [You¡¯ve gained 5 skill points as a reward!] ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Back in the candlelit palace, Ain collapsed to the ground as soon as ?Assimilation? was dismissed. ¡°Tsk. It took more time than expected.¡± It took them 14 hours. Time spent eating wasn¡¯t a problem. He and Ain could finish eating in 10 minutes, but there were some episodes they weren¡¯t able to clear in a single go, so it took them more time than expected to finish them all. Especially the ¡®Holy Knight of the Chainsword¡¯ episode that took them five tries to just barely complete. ¡®It¡¯s hard to concentrate in practice as much as in the real battle.¡¯ The most difficult quests required them to use all of their skills and also Ain¡¯s help. That¡¯s why Ain had used a lot of her mental capabilities and was exhausted. ¡°What¡¯s your tiredness level?¡± ¡°88¡­¡± Hyun checked his tiredness level and saw that it was at 73. It seemed like Ain definitely got tired quicker than him. Ain¡¯s tiredness level had barely ever passed 80, so he was thankful to her since she¡¯d followed such a hard regime without complaining that much. ¡°It¡¯s 3 am¡­ Ain, you should be sleeping if you plan on making it to school.¡± ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°I have a few things to do,¡± Hyun mumbled while looking at the 12 sculptures. ¡°Order by suggested members.¡± Whish. Two sculptures appeared in front of him. [The Day Darkness Met Her Shadow], and [The Dying Candles of Iluna] both had a suggested member of one. You couldn¡¯t beat the real difficulty episodes with more than the suggested members, so those were episodes he couldn¡¯t do with Ain. ¡®I guess I¡¯ll have to do these again.¡¯ When they first created the YouTube channel, they¡¯d talked about him appearing on camera. ¡°I don¡¯t care about uploading videos¡­ but I don¡¯t want Hyun to appear instead.¡± Ain had said. He more or less understood why she¡¯d said that. Taking that into consideration, he had something he wanted to ask of Ain. ¡°Ain¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Before you go to sleep, let me use your body as I want.¡± ¡°Wh-what¡­? What do you mean?¡± Ain reacted in surprise after hearing a question that could perfectly be misunderstood, but Hyun¡¯s intentions were far from what Ain was thinking. Hyun had tested the possibilities of his skills from level 50 onward. How far could he take ?Assimilation?? For example, could they do a one-on-one duel while ?Assimilation? was active? [A party of 2 can¡¯t enter!] At first, he thought it was impossible. Even while ?Assimilated? to Ain, teleportation circles made them pay the price for two. The circle probably counted the number of souls, but Hyun managed to find exploits in the system. He could exploit it by making the other person change to rest mode! ¡°You know. Just like when we teleport together, I¡¯m asking you to change into rest mode.¡± A user in rest mode wasn¡¯t different from an empty, soulless body. If the target of ?Assimilation? changed to rest mode, they could teleport and only pay the price of a single person. Rest mode left people exposed, so it wasn¡¯t something that could be casually done, but with ?Assimilation?, that wasn¡¯t a problem. After Hyun finished explaining, Ain smiled mischievously and opened her mouth. ¡°Hyun, you¡¯re brave. What are you planning to do while I¡¯m not here¡­? Don¡¯t tell me¡­?!¡± ¡°Stop thinking about things like that. I will record everything from start to finish if you aren¡¯t sure.¡± It was the first time he¡¯d asked Ain for something like that, but there was nothing else he could do about it. Leaving aside the fact that the damage output of the Elemental Berserker was too high, its skill combinations were quite good in terms of base skills. To make a video with a strategy everyone could copy, there was nothing like using Ain¡¯s character. More than that, wasn¡¯t it she who¡¯d asked him to record only when he was ?Assimilated? into her? ¡°Okay. I¡¯ve removed the adult filter.¡± ¡°Huh¡­? There¡¯s no need to¡­¡± Ain¡¯s smile deepened after she said she¡¯d eliminated a filter she didn¡¯t need to. Before she could say anything else, Hyun quickly changed topics and stopped Ain from saying anything mischievous. He just wanted her to rest while he finished the remaining episodes. [Ain has changed to rest mode!] Hyun took complete control of her body. He couldn¡¯t feel anything through ?Assimilation? anymore. Hyun finished the remaining two episodes in that state. One was repeating what he¡¯d already done the day before, but the other one was new. [The Dying Candles of Iluna] When the second quest began, Hyun was standing in the middle of a plain with a snowstorm raging around him. ¡®It¡­ Isn¡¯t cold.¡¯ Whish- Was it because of the Heavenly Being title? Even though he was in the middle of a huge snowstorm, he just felt refreshed. As he waited with both arms open, a message window soon appeared in front of him. Chapter 184 Chapter 184 ¨C Effect of the Strategy Video (1) [The servant of Deception is giving you an order. You must deactivate every magic circle, but you must do it in the correct order.] ¨C Mission Goal: Take control of all magic circles! You should deactivate the Western one last. ¨C Fail Condition: Death or failure to deactivate the magic circles in the correct order. Since it was considered a History Quest, Hyun expected for Deception¡¯s name to appear. Some of the most important Transcendents were probably involved in the Main and History Quests. ¡®There¡¯s a condition.¡¯ Hyun realized something unexpected. Lattice had to turn off the magic circle to the west at the last moment. That just happened to also be the city Louise was hidden in. ¡®Was Lattice¡¯s quest like this, or did the History Quest change somehow?¡¯ The History Quest and real history were different in a sense. Just like Louise had been replaced with an unknown girl, there was a chance that other quests had also been changed. ¡®Louise¡¯s city is last.¡¯ If the quest was exactly the same as the one Lattice received, it was probably Deception who ordered him to turn off the one at the west at last. ¡®Did Keidrial know Louise¡¯s location?¡¯ The memories of the past were coming back, but Hyun didn¡¯t have time to think about them too deeply. At the moment, he was borrowing Ain¡¯s body to make a strategy video. ¡®I¡¯ll think about it later.¡¯ Iluna¡¯s Quest was a very famous one, even in Asra. Thankfully, after he turned off one place¡¯s magic circle, the scenery changed immediately, so Hyun didn¡¯t need to wander around. ¡®Still, that guy is quite impressive.¡¯ Hyun was surprised by Lattice. After doing it himself, this quest required you to know the weak point of each magic circle and make an effective strategy. If you couldn¡¯t do that, it was nearly impossible to complete it. Lattice had never played Asra Online and was able to complete such a quest before hitting level 200. ¡®Is it until here?¡¯ After the sixth magic circle, the battles were easy. He was able to turn off the seventh magic circle after a lot of events and the quest ended. [You¡¯ve cleared the real difficulty of ¡®The Dying Candles of Iluna¡¯!] [You¡¯ve gained 3 stat points as a reward!] Paf-! Hyun returned to the palace with the 12 sculptures. It took two more hours to complete the other episodes with Ain¡¯s body. It took him so long because he hadn¡¯t skipped any of the story. ¡®Haa, I¡¯m also starting to feel tired¡­¡¯ What was left was to send the recorded footage to TarrTarr. Taking into consideration the time difference, TarrTarr should have been awake. ¡®It¡¯s the first time sending him so much at once¡­ I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll still do well, right?¡¯ TarrTarr had never missed a deadline, so he was sure that, once again, he¡¯d be able to do it. ¡¸Edit it by tomorrow. Don¡¯t touch the battle parts that much¡­ It¡¯s only editing the story, so I guess it will be easy¡­? Once you do it, don¡¯t forget to upload them.¡¹ Hyun calculated the amount of money he¡¯d be able to earn based on previous experience. ¡®I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll need to upload something else for a while after the History Quest.¡¯ The money was just a means to an end, after all. His personal goal wasn¡¯t to become famous or a millionaire¡ªhe was trying to get to the top of Asrian¡¯s world. He had earned enough to live comfortably, so from then on, he was planning to focus more on the game. After sending more than 10 hours of footage with a message, Hyun logged off. It had been four days since the History Quests were released. As professional gaming teams and rankers uploaded strategy videos, the number of users clearing the hard difficulty increased, and because of that, most started to pay attention to the real difficulty, and the streams of rankers trying to clear the real difficulty quests had become really popular. ¨C Bishop Man has passed the middle part of the 1st episode! ¨C Woah, more than 100K people are watching. ¨C Ah, he just died at the part where you must go up stairs. ¨C Level 200 humanoid elite NPCs¡­ I¡¯m not sure how someone is supposed to beat this. ¨C From the 1st episode, the difficulty is ridiculous. The users gave each episode a number. The one that happened earliest was number 1, and the last was the 12. People talked on the internet about which ranker had reached which part of which episode. As they did that, they began wondering about something. ¨C What does real difficulty mean? Lots of people started to wonder about that, but the most popular theory was the following: Wasn¡¯t the real difficulty a recreation of a certain player¡¯s gameplay? There were two episodes that made users think that. [Iluna Crash Landing!], [Run through the snow-covered plains] The protagonist of one was Ain, and the other one was Salon. They¡¯d caused a great sensation for quite some time, and the background of the History Quests resembled the videos they¡¯d shown! It was the most popular theory since the levels of the enemies that appeared and the skills they used were similar. ¨C Is that even possible? They fought enemies like this? Not even current rankers can beat them. ¨C They could¡¯ve increased the level of the enemies based on the current growth of users. ¨C I think that makes the most sense. ¨C Everyone got trapped by the word ¡®real.¡¯ The opposing theory said that the opponent¡¯s level had increased by the same % as the users. Most people couldn¡¯t dismiss that theory because the users who¡¯d done the real difficulty had felt the huge wall. ¨C If real really meant real, Salon and Ain should be able to beat those quests again, right? ¨C Then why haven¡¯t they uploaded it for the past three days? Lol. ¨C Maybe they find it too bothersome. ¨C There are many episodes easier than the one Salon did. Do you really think that attention whore wouldn¡¯t upload a video? Lol. ¨C Lattice has always been silent, but not a single top 10 ranker, including Mayday, has been able to upload a video. Does that mean Salon is better than them? Was the real difficulty the same as the real history? Was it different? Every side of the discussion had solid arguments, so it seemed like the discussion would never come to an end, at least until someone puts an end to the fight. ¨C Someone posted a real-difficulty clear! (Link) ¨C The link is 100% a virus. ¨C No, it really is the real deal. ¨C But it¡¯s real? Lol ¨C It¡¯s real. Lol TarrTarr had finished editing in just a day. How could he deal with such a huge amount of footage so fast? The first reason was that Hyun told him not to touch the battle parts. Thanks to that, TarrTarr could save a lot of time. The second reason was thanks to someone who¡¯d been around TarrTarr those past few days. ¡®I¡¯m definitely not used to the world inside the game.¡¯ Director Steven was an expert in directing, producing, and editing movies, but he was a newbie in things related to Asrian. How would he edit and produce content that had a speed beyond a normal human¡¯s capabilities? TarrTarr received 10 pieces of footage at once, and director Steven could watch TarrTarr editing right next to him. There was something Director Steven felt after watching him edit. TarrTarr exclaimed in surprise after looking at battle scenes that looked like nothing much to him. ¡°What was impressive about that?¡± ¡°Ah, that¡­? It¡¯s a bit hard to explain, but the theory behind that move is¡­¡± The footage Hyun had sent had basic moves that worked as a strategy. For a newbie like Director Steven, there was no better resource than that. The longer TarrTarr¡¯s explanation became, the more Director Steven nodded as if he was inspired. After talking for about five minutes, TarrTarr apologized and gripped his head. ¡°Director, I¡¯m going to be busy for a while!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I have to finish this today!¡± The explanation was cut short, but Director Steven couldn¡¯t resist his urges. Why did he feel different although they¡¯d both watched the same thing? It seemed like he wouldn¡¯t be able to move on to the next stage until he figured that out. There were many users that were at the level of rankers, and there were many people that were good at editing videos, but there weren¡¯t many people who understood both sides as much as Steven wanted. For Director Steven, TarrTarr was like a diamond. He couldn¡¯t help but think he wanted him to stay by his side. ¡°It¡¯s just editing the story? That¡¯s my specialty. Can I help you?¡± ¡°What? Really?¡± ¡°You helped me. I¡¯m going to ask a few more people to help, but instead, once we¡¯re done, give me some time. The talks might get a bit long.¡± ¡°O-of course. That much¡­!¡± Director Steven had lived most of his life editing movies, so to him, YouTube video editing was easy. That was how TarrTarr was able to edit the story videos so fast. [A real difficulty clear video appeared!] The first time a thread like that appeared, everyone thought it was clickbait, but after they realized that the channel that had posted the video was AIN and they looked at the video, they couldn¡¯t help but be impressed. Most were so surprised that they couldn¡¯t even close their mouths. ¨C What??? ¨C What the¡­ is it all solo play? Most people thought a user capable of clearing some of the easiest episodes might appear. After all, the rankers were at a level beyond a normal human, but no one imagined that someone capable of clearing most episodes alone might appear. AIN. In game-related sites, that ID was mentioned countless times, and it was also mentioned on TV. It was the first time one user had caused such a sensation since Asrian¡¯s servers opened their doors. Many of the strategy videos have received huge reactions all around the world. Even rankers and professional gamers were unable to hide their surprise. While everyone was in an uproar, someone who had been becoming popular, Practice, JaeHoon, was also looking at the videos. A few minutes after the battles began, JaeHoon realized a hidden truth about the videos. ¡®This is SeoHyun¡¯s playstyle!¡¯ He knew about ?Assimilation? and Hyun¡¯s style, so he wasn¡¯t deceived by the outer appearance. They were flawless movements¡ªa playstyle that sought the maximum efficiency possible and was the complete opposite of Ain¡¯s, who used small movements on purpose. ¡®Impressive¡­¡¯ JaeHoon remembered when he was taught how to move from Hyun. ¡°With this, you should have learned enough of the basics. I think you¡¯re ready for harder movements.¡± After hearing that from Hyun, he¡¯d tried to do more complex movements, but after looking at the videos posted, JaeHoon had time to reflect on himself. ¡®Haha. This makes it look as if anyone could do it.¡¯ All the moves used in the real difficulty video were ones he and other rankers could do without issue, but depending on who used the equipment, the results could be completely different. How far someone could take the basics¡­ JaeHoon was able to see it through the screen. Also, he learned his direction for training in order to reach a higher place as a professional gamer. Ring! JaeHoon was looking at the videos when he received a call. ¡°Noona¡­?¡± It was Jini, and he thought he knew why she was calling. After a short greeting, Jini began explaining herself. JaeHoon talked about SeoHyun as if he were proud he was his friend. ¡°Noona, you saw it, right? As expected of Lee SeoHyun!¡± ¡°I saw it, of course¡­¡± Jini also realized that the person in the video was Hyun and not Ain. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m calling.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Professional gaming¡­ I¡¯m thinking about giving up¡­¡± Jini said in a tired voice. Chapter 185 Chapter 185 ¨C Effect of the Strategy Video (2) ¡°What?!¡± JaeHoon asked back in surprise. ¡°Why so suddenly? Noona, you¡¯ve obtained good results in tournaments, and you were starting to become really popular¡­!¡± Jini was pretty and had good skills, so she was one of Stardust¡¯s most popular members. There were many professional gamers who envied her, but she said she was thinking of retiring¡­ JaeHoon couldn¡¯t easily understand. Although the two professional gamers had watched the same video, they¡¯d felt different things. One felt his desires burn, but the other one felt disheartened. ¡°I found out I lack something required to be a professional gamer.¡± ¡°What thing¡­?¡± ¡°Talent.¡± There were only about a hundred players who received attention in the professional gaming world. Unlike rankers, skill determined everything for a professional gamer. Even someone with a talent that was one in ten thousand might not receive much attention. Immediately after receiving Hyun¡¯s teachings, Jini reached a peak in tournaments. After that, her results worsened little by little. Jini was in the middle-upper range among players, but it didn¡¯t seem she was going to improve. She¡¯d watched the video while thinking that her growth had stagnated. ¡°Quitting¡­¡± JaeHoon soon realized he wouldn¡¯t be able to make Jini change her opinion. It wasn¡¯t a decision she¡¯d made lightly. It was just that the video had cleared up her muddled head, but JaeHoon couldn¡¯t help but feel sad about that decision. ¡°What about changing jobs to being a coach? I¡¯m sure that, if you decide to become a coach, you¡¯ll be able to join not only Stardust but any team! That¡¯s going to be better than quitting¡­¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m not going to quit Asrian. Although I have to think about what I want to do inside this world¡­¡± The next day, the news that Jini would retire became public. To people that liked PvP, it was sudden and shocking news. Although the communities had been turned upside down because of the History Quests, many people were sad about Jini¡¯s retirement. The videos posted on Ain¡¯s channel shook up many people¡¯s confidence. The video caused more shock among professional players and rankers than the average users. ¡®How tiresome.¡¯ Lattice had cleared the second real difficulty quest and emerged from the capsule. It was then that he saw Ain¡¯s video. He was about to take a rest when he couldn¡¯t help but stop. A few hours passed. He wasn¡¯t able to take his eyes off of the screen mounted on the wall. His cigarette turned to ashes and scattered away; the dinner that was brought to him didn¡¯t fare much better. Lattice kept watching the videos as if he were a statue. He just blinked sometimes and used the remote control to replay the videos. ¡°¡­¡± Again, and again¡­ He was frozen in that state. He didn¡¯t move from the sofa until well after it became morning. ¡°Haa¡­¡± The silence broke after a while. Lattice let out a short laugh after an entire day had passed. ¨C Woah¡­ So the people in the Heavenly Realm are separate from the rankers. ¨C It seems like the distance with those at the top is too big. It isn¡¯t just a matter of specs¡­ but the things that can¡¯t be seen. ¨C Isn¡¯t Ain just strong? Now that I see it, it seems like Lattice lost to her because she¡¯s strong. ¨C But not even ¡®Ain¡¯ can beat that episode. Lol. ¨C Yes. I¡¯m not sure what they were thinking when they made it. Lol. The users were talking about the real difficulty quests for a few days. Not only that but the videos Ain uploaded, which had a higher quality than the ones she usually posted, grabbed the attention of many users. ¨C Woah¡­ I¡¯m also going to buy all of the stories. I¡¯m going to beat the normal difficulty while watching the story. ¨C The History Quests have a better quality than most console games. ¨C Yeah. I came here to watch strategy videos, but I got trapped by the story. A few people became interested in Asrian¡¯s world. ¨C Woah. So if you do it there like that, it becomes easier¡­ ¨C With enough specs, I think I should be able to beat the hard difficulty. A few people were able to beat certain parts they hadn¡¯t been able to beat before. People rewatching the videos numerous times was what Hyun was after from the beginning. It wasn¡¯t rewatched so much only because it caused a huge sensation, but also because it gave people reasons to rewatch it, so the views went up like crazy. ¨C Didn¡¯t Ain look different? ¨C That¡¯s right. It¡¯s as if she was a completely different person. ¨C She changed her playstyle to make a strategy video so people could easily copy it. ¨C It isn¡¯t just the control, but her atmosphere is different. ¨C Her eyes look different from normal. I would believe it if you told me she was a completely different person. It was understandable that people would wonder about that because no one could imitate Ain¡¯s unique atmosphere¡ªnot even Hyun. Many users tried to figure out what it was, and Hyun¡¯s name was also mentioned. ¨C Where¡¯s Hyun? They said he was the overwhelming top ranker. ¨C Yes, that¡¯s right. They said that they were both quite close in Asra, so it would be weird if they didn¡¯t play Asrian together. ¨C I think Hyun is playing Asrian. ¨C Me too. Some people are saying that the other figure that appeared in the Leopard hunting video is Hyun. Many opinions were exchanged, and people gave numerous hypotheses. Why had Ain¡¯s atmosphere changed 180 degrees? The first explanation people gave was ID share. ¨C Maybe Hyun is using Ain¡¯s ID? That might explain why her atmosphere changed. ¨C Woah, that would be totally unexpected¡­! In the past, there was a ranker who, in reality, was numerous people sharing an ID. That was how they were able to remain online for 24 hours. After capsules appeared, those kinds of cases disappeared, but maybe they had figured out a workaround. Each Asrian account was restricted to one person so if that hypothesis were correct, they would¡¯ve gone against the TOS of Asrian. [About a certain user¡¯s ID share controversy.] ¡¸We¡¯ve checked that user¡¯s login info and have determined that there were no problems.¡¹ That controversy quickly died down after an announcement was made on the official page. Then people began talking about a second possibility. ¨C Maybe Hyun is a girl? Maybe they set their appearances to be exactly the same and are moving as if they were twins. ¨C This! ¨C Lol. ¨C Is this person a genius? Surprisingly, a nonsensical theory became really popular among people. ¨C Maybe Hyun is controlling Ain¡¯s body? ¨C Is Ain a robot? Lol. If Hyun had read that guess, he would¡¯ve been surprised, but that opinion didn¡¯t get much reaction. On the other hand, people began thinking that another theory was the most likely answer. ¨C The most likely answer is that he used a skill to look like Ain. ¨C Woah, that actually makes sense. ¨C I think this is the answer. ¨C This is the only possible answer unless Ain has bipolar disorder. Users kept mentioning different theories, and Hyun¡¯s name was mentioned numerous times. Hyun hadn¡¯t revealed himself in Asrian yet, but his name was always mentioned when people talked about users that hadn¡¯t registered in the Hall of Fame. ¡®How strong would Hyun be if he was playing Asrian?¡¯ Threads like that always received hundreds or even thousands of replies. ¨C Anyway, I don¡¯t think Hyun has quit Asrian. ¨C If he hasn¡¯t, there¡¯s a chance he¡¯s close to Ain. Thanks to the History Quests, a few users became aware of Hyun¡¯s existence. At the same time, they became expectant. When would he show himself? As Hyun expected, the video got a number of views they had never seen before. Not only that, but it seemed like the video was going to keep constantly receiving views. The secret behind the success was that, unlike before, he¡¯d made it as a ¡®Strategy Video.¡¯ ¡®But¡­¡¯ Hyun smiled while looking at all the views that soon would turn into money. He couldn¡¯t help but click his tongue while looking at the community boards. ¡®No one noticed?¡¯ While recording the video, Hyun thought ?Assimilation?¡¯s existence would be revealed. After all, the Ain in the video was completely different from her usual self. The reason why he¡¯d uploaded that video was that he had already used ?Assimilation? in front of the Returner¡¯s Guild, so he thought that the effectiveness of keeping ?Assimilation? hidden had run out. ¡®Everyone¡¯s worse at guessing than expected.¡¯ Users began mentioning numerous possibilities as if they were bragging about their creativity. ¡®Still, it¡¯s not like nobody knows.¡¯ Darkness and Returner¡¯s Guild members knew about ?Assimilation?, and so did Stardust. He was sure Practice and Jini wouldn¡¯t tell other people, but he¡¯d decided to leave all possibilities open. Besides Returner¡¯s and Darkness, he would have to face numerous enemies in the future. ¡®I¡¯ll have to deal with them differently depending on whether they know about ?Assimilation? or not.¡¯ To users that didn¡¯t know about ?Assimilation?, it would become a secret card, and to those that knew about it, he would be able to bluff and fake. For example, he could make enemies give up by just having Ain go alone to certain places. Not having competition would make his portion bigger. ¡®Good.¡¯ After deciding on how he was going to react, Hyun began thinking about how he was going to move after the patch. The golden time after the patch¡­ From a user¡¯s point of view, it was a time of supreme opportunity. There were many ways to profit in a land users hadn¡¯t touched for five years, after all! Of course, one couldn¡¯t monopolize everything, but everything left after just a day would probably be trash due to how fast users and guilds moved. ¡®What should I get?¡¯ Hyun quickly began thinking about his Asra knowledge. What were some important things in that period of time? The achievement for being the first one to discover Acresia, monopolizing the Mythril Mountain, hunting a famous criminal wandering around the north area and increasing his fame, taking control and becoming lord of a weak country¡¯s castle¡­ ¡®Any choice should have great benefits. Then¡­¡¯ He remembered something he¡¯d missed in Asra. If he was going to make a choice, he would rather get control of what he¡¯d missed in the past. ¡®Demonia Gorge.¡¯ He wasn¡¯t able to monopolize that place in the previous game because he was in the middle of an important quest. He reached it later after other users had profited from it. Hyun had regretted missing out on it for a very long time back then. He had benefited at that same time in other ways¡­ but the other person¡¯s food always looked better. ¡®Okay. I¡¯ll make sure to monopolize that place this time.¡¯ Demonia Gorge¡­ The land where souls die. The silver fog that sometimes appeared on the land devoured all souls within. Travelers were afraid of death, so they avoided Demonia Gorge. Beasts were also instinctively afraid of it, so they didn¡¯t get close to it. It was a land where there weren¡¯t any NPC, monsters, or undead! There was one reason why Hyun was so interested in such a cursed land¡­ ¡®If I take control of that place, I won¡¯t have to worry about Sacred Stones.¡¯ That was one of the few places where you could get an ingredient with Divine Power. ¡®I can¡¯t understand why I didn¡¯t know about this before.¡¯ It had a weird-looking terrain that looked as if a giant had torn it down, and a deadly fog swept over the ground at regular intervals. He could understand how Demonia Gorge was formed. He¡¯d just completed the Darkness¡¯s Land quest, so it was easy to understand. ¡®It¡¯s probably traces of Darkness¡¯s Heart that separated from Darkness¡¯s Land.¡¯ Hyun remembered the last part of the Main Quest¡ªhow a giant portion of the Symmetrical World moved toward the surface. Demonia Gorge was probably the part that connected with the land that ascended from Darkness¡¯s land, which could explain the Gorge¡¯s weird terrain, why Sacred Stones could be gotten there, and why deadly fog appeared from time to time. ¡®Since it¡¯s a restricted area, I won¡¯t be able to get close. Okay. I¡¯ll go there as soon as the patch is done.¡¯ Ting! While Hyun was thinking that, he suddenly got a notification asking for a personal conversation. Chapter 186 Chapter 186 ¨C The Day Real Life Invaded the Game (1) Robert Conner had sent the message. The moment he accepted the conversation, he was greeted by a bright voice. ¡¸Long time no see, Hyun.¡¹ ¡¸Did something happen?¡¹ ¡¸It seems like the video will be ready sooner than we thought. I called to tell you about the change in the agenda.¡¹ Robert Connor told him how production was going and thanked him for TarrTarr¡¯s help. He¡¯d sent TarrTarr without thinking about it too deeply, but it seemed like he¡¯d been of great help. ¡¸It¡¯s going to be done in a month?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. If that¡¯s a problem with you, we could push back the release.¡¹ ¡¸No. There¡¯s no need for that. The faster, the better.¡¹ Fufu. Robert Connor laughed inside. He understood why Hyun had said that. ¡¸Understood. Then we¡¯re going to proceed.¡¹ After the conversation was over, Robert nodded. He¡¯d seen the video Hyun had uploaded. He hadn¡¯t cleared the Kaidan Castle episode because of their future plans. That way, their video would have a bigger effect when it released! ¡®Flawless as always.¡¯ It was as if he had the world in the palm of his hands. He was someone who had both the appearance of a hero and an intellectual. It wasn¡¯t intended, but Robert heard what Hyun had just mumbled. ¡®Did he say he was going to Demonia?¡¯ Of course, Robert had no right to reveal a user¡¯s plans, but he could more or less understand what Hyun would do next. ¡®To think he¡¯d leave other things behind and go to the Demonia Gorge first¡­!¡¯ The more he thought about it, the more impressed he became. There were two huge benefits to controlling Demonia Gorge¡­ The first reason was obviously ¡®Sacred Stones¡¯, and the other one was hidden. If it were Hyun, he surely knew of both. ¡®Does he have a personal information network?¡¯ One would easily be able to figure out the Sacred Stones, but the hidden reason wasn¡¯t that easy to see. Kwon DaeHo¡¯s research team had announced that, by using Asrian, research teams could reduce research costs to 1/1000 of the price. They¡¯d even announced how to do that through a thesis. After that, numerous research institutions, universities, and big corporations started to become interested in the possibilities of Asrian¡¯s world. Demonia Gorge was a place that corporations and other real-life institutions were looking at with great interest. ¡®He shouldn¡¯t have been able to figure out things like that if he was so immersed in the game.¡¯ Their thesis started with the question of where The first one was a ¡®Private Room¡¯, but in the end, such a place wasn¡¯t picked because destroyed objects returned to normal in such places. That meant that the laws of physics inside the room were different from the outside. It was also impossible to process something into the form they desired. If it was Director Kwon DaeHo, he should¡¯ve been able to solve that issue, right? People in high positions met with Kwon DaeHo with those expectations. They wanted to get an area for research just like there was a place separated that was used for tournament purposes, but Kwon DaeHo rejected them. ¡°The rules of the world also don¡¯t apply in the tournament area; that¡¯s why, to obtain a realistic result, you must conduct the research inside Asrian.¡± Most of the Asrian¡¯s world was full of wars, monsters, or were places where a certain NPC or a country had strong leadership, so there wasn¡¯t a place exclusive to users. In the end, corporations were forced to get ¡®information¡¯ from ex-Asra users. The desert, underground, the forest, the sea, the sky, or even space! All places available inside the game were considered. The place that ultimately was chosen was ¡®Demonia Gorge.¡¯ It was a place safe from the influence of NPCs or monsters. The gorge was a place where fog appeared from time to time, so it was like a valley of death for NPCs. Users could easily dodge the fog by using the ¡®logout¡¯ method. After that became publicly known, huge research groups started to plan to move to Demonia Gorge. The investors had already made deals with rankers that were to get control of that area. Among those that had been contacted, there was the most famous guild of the time, ¡®Darkness¡¯, included. ¡®Not only that, but he knows his own strength exactly¡­!¡¯ Asrian wasn¡¯t a place where the laws of the real world applied. It was a world where what mattered was your strength. Everyone had proposed such a contract to Darkness because they believed they were the strongest. but what if there was a force who could face them? ¡®If it¡¯s Hyun, he could destroy that contract. The Returner¡¯s Guild members are too few in the first place. Not only that, but they¡¯re in another place¡­ Is there another force that could face Hyun?¡¯ The story might change if a fort was created around the gorge and defensive magic circles were put in place, but Hyun was probably going to move as soon as the patch was done. If he was with Ain, an average guild wouldn¡¯t be able to face them. Thinking about the variable that two users could bring to the table made Robert tremble in excitement. ¡®The Emperor of Asrian¡­ Is going to become the Emperor of the real world.¡¯ It was something Director Kwon DaeHo had said as a joke. The social status and influence of a few rankers were already comparable to big corporations, and the one who was at the top could become capable of being on top of the corporations. Robert, who was expectant, reassured himself that he would look at what would happen in the near future. A Sacred Stone was a stone that had the power of a Transcendent. It could be used to fortify and create items. Not only that, but you could use it to enchant, fortify skills, and even change jobs! There were many uses for Sacred Stones. From level 200~300, people would start paying attention to the Sacred Stones, and they would struggle after realizing they had no other choice but to buy them from NPCs for a high price. Sacred Stones appeared near sacred places, and most of those places were under the control of named NPCs, but Demonia Gorge was free from the influence of NPCs. ¡®It¡¯s a land that hasn¡¯t been touched by anyone. I wonder how many Sacred Stones there are stacked over there.¡¯ During Asra, he realized that late, so Hyun was forced to be satisfied with what was generated from natural means, but with his second chance, he would probably be the first to step into that territory. If he went to Demonia Gorge once the patch was done, all the Sacred Stones that were stacked during the past five years would probably become his. ¡®If I go with Ain, we might lack hands¡­ No, it probably won¡¯t be enough with all the guild members.¡¯ The gorge was a few kilometers big, so even an entire day wouldn¡¯t be enough for four people. He also had no intention of doing manual work for the entire day. ¡®I¡¯ll have to get some people.¡¯ Hyun left the capsule and logged in to a site, Asrian Job World. With Asrian¡¯s explosive popularity, web pages with jobs for users started to appear. [Looking for users with more than 100 Strength] [Hiring mercenaries that are among the 0.1% of the Hall of Fame (Escort Mission)] [Looking for someone who can work part-time in a shop inside a big city! (Someone who has experience working in a convenience store is preferred)] [Looking for users that are either Magicians or Priests who have experience programming (Looking for someone who can sign a contract for more than 6 months)] There were lots of different threads, and some seemed to have no purpose whatsoever. It was something that couldn¡¯t have been imagined a few months before, but users had gotten used to it. SeoHyun posted a new thread using a similar format. [Searching for 4 people to do a manual job! (More than 150 Strength)] He was going to pay 250 USD per person. Although it might¡¯ve seemed like a lot at first glance, you had to use that much money to hire a user who had more than 150 Strength. He set things up so that, in case lots of people were interested, users with more ¡®Strength¡¯ and ¡®Agility¡¯ would be prioritized. ¡®I¡¯ll also have to hire someone with a specialized job.¡¯ [Searching for 1 Theologian! (Someone who can detect Sacred Power)] ¡®Good!¡¯ SeoHyun nodded, satisfied, after reading the two threads he had posted. The amount of money he had to pay a scholar was higher, but it was still cheaper than hiring an NPC with a similar job. NPCs would refuse to go to Demonia Gorge, so that was also the only choice he had. ¡®Should I get going?¡¯ SeoHyun looked at the time. It was afternoon, and he had finished everything he had to do. He had arranged to meet up with JaeHoon for the first time in quite a while. Tournament, videos, main quest, etc¡­ He had lots of things to talk about. ¡°You won the finals, right? Congrats.¡± ¡°Thanks. Although I lost the MVP¡­¡± ¡°I saw it. That happened because you messed up the combo during the last confrontation.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ Yes, my mistake.¡± They talked about Ain¡¯s video next. JaeHoon told him that he immediately knew it was him ?Assimilated? into Ain. He told him that, thanks to that video, he became motivated. Not only that, but Hyun told him how to clear the areas he had been having trouble with. ¡°Woah, that¡¯s crazy. You even had to think about those kinds of variables?!¡± ¡°Yes. You can¡¯t look at the entire battlefield with just a recording, so it¡¯s an easy mistake to make.¡± ¡°I was surprised when I saw it, but hearing it makes even less sense.¡± It became night while they were talking. Then Hyun heard something somewhat surprising. JaeHoon began talking about Jini while they drank coffee. ¡°SeoHyun, have you heard that Jini noona quit being a professional gamer?¡± ¡°Quit?! What do you mean?!¡± ¡°As expected, you seem busy these days¡­ I thought you might not have heard about it.¡± JaeHoon showed him the news article that mentioned Jini had retired. The news said she¡¯d completely quit being a professional gamer. SeoHyun was expecting her to convert to a coach, so he was surprised after reading that she had decided to quit the professional gaming world completely. ¡°Why so suddenly?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ Noona sounded too disheartened yesterday, so I spent all night drinking with her.¡± ¡°If she quits being a pro, what will she do? Become a streamer?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± ¡°Then is she going to quit Asrian? But she¡¯s worked so hard and done so much on her character¡­¡± Hyun was once again shocked. He was sure she wouldn¡¯t be able to throw away the character she¡¯d taken so much time and effort to nurture. It seemed like JaeHoon understood what he was thinking. ¡°No, she isn¡¯t going to quit Asrian. Have you heard of a Magical Engineer?¡± Something SeoHyun had never even been able to imagine came out of his mouth. ¡°It seems like the science and engineering fields have recently been growing in Asrian.¡± It was something that already went beyond how much Asrian¡¯s popularity had been increasing. ¡°Magic Engineer¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. To put it simply, they¡¯re those who try to take the things that exist in the real world to Asrian.¡± It was surprising. Although Hyun was studying something related to engineering, he just did the attendance check, so it was the first time he¡¯d heard about Magic Engineering. He was surprised that something like that was happening in a place he wasn¡¯t aware of. ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, it¡¯s still far away from being practical, but isn¡¯t it still quite impressive? Who would have thought that jobs like that would appear in real life?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that Jini noona¡¯s new job is¡­¡± ¡°Yes. It seems like a company scouted her. It seems like noona¡¯s ultimate attack, ?Retrogression? has a lot of potential for Magic Engineering. Oh, yeah. Noona told me that she¡¯d contact you and that she probably won¡¯t take classes anymore since she doesn¡¯t need them.¡± ¡°Really¡­?¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t contact you?¡± ¡°No.¡± Suddenly, Hyun became confused. It wasn¡¯t that they had a deep relationship, but they¡¯d seen each other constantly for a few months. Not only that, they¡¯d done the Betty raid together, which later became a History Quest. He had not only taught her, but when he looked at the matches Stardust had, he cheered for Practice and Jini. Although she wasn¡¯t quitting Asrian, she was one of the few people he had a close relationship with, so it felt as if she¡¯d left for somewhere far away. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± As SeoHyun hesitated, not knowing what to say, JaeHoon opened his mouth. ¡°I don¡¯t think we need to worry about her. Maybe that area suits her more because it¡¯s an area that has been becoming really hot recently.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I see.¡± ¡°Haha. Let¡¯s meet with Ain, the four of us, one day. We¡¯re the party that took out Betty. To be honest, I think that was when I had the most fun.¡± After that, he didn¡¯t talk with JaeHoon for much longer. After returning to his house, Hyun couldn¡¯t help but think that what he¡¯d heard that night would stay in his mind for quite some time. Chapter 187 Chapter 187 ¨C The Day Real Life Invaded the Game (2) The community boards were still in an uproar because of the History Quests. It didn¡¯t seem like the video¡¯s effect would die off quickly. A few rankers even tried the real-difficulty quests while using the same movements. After the dungeon that appeared in the 1st episode was located, a few users started to explore it. ¡®I guess a day should be okay.¡¯ There was one day before time began running again in Asrian. It was the weekend, so Hyun could stay with Ain for the entire day. Hunting, raising skill proficiencies, or dueling experience¡­ There were numerous ways to grow your character in Asrian while time was stopped¡­ but Hyun didn¡¯t want to focus on character growth at the moment. ¡®Yes. Let¡¯s take a break today!¡¯ He just wanted to hang around with Ain. He just wanted to wander around with her without worrying about anything else. Ain usually did what he wanted to do, so he left things to her. Time was stopped, and the duel arena was probably full of people, so they decided to do a friendly match, and then they walked through the neat night streets of a big city. Ain was surprised by Hyun¡¯s sudden change in attitude. ¡°What happened? Did you suddenly want to have a date with me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­ Hmm¡­ Yeah, maybe that¡¯s true.¡± ¡°Really~?¡± As Hyun started reciprocating what she said, Ain began making mischievous jokes. ¡°Hyun, it seems like you¡¯re under abnormal status.¡± ¡°Abnormal status?¡± ¡°You know. What happens when you eliminate the adult filter¡­¡± Usually, he had to cut those sorts of jokes short, but Hyun let them be for the day. Hyun remembered his conversation with JaeHoon. Suddenly, he asked Ain a question. ¡°Ain, what are you going to do once you become an adult?¡± ¡°Huh? Without the filter? Wh-why are you asking something like that¡­?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not talking about that. For example, are there any jobs you want to do?¡± ¡°Jobs?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Ain remained silent for a while and then answered. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I still haven¡¯t decided if I¡¯ll go to university or not¡­ I mean, there¡¯s no need to think about that, right?¡± ¡°Then what are you going to do after graduating?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll probably just hang out with you like I¡¯m doing right now.¡± ¡°Like now¡­?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s us, we¡¯re okay even without a job, right? Also, you could say that we¡¯re YouTubers.¡± Paf! Suddenly, Hyun scattered away into the light and entered Ain¡¯s body. Ain jumped in surprise, but she soon calmed down. After a short while, Hyun laughed in disbelief. ¡¸You really live carelessly, huh?¡¹ ¡°Then what about you, Hyun? Is there anything special you want to do?¡± ¡¸Hmm¡­ being a YouTuber? No, not really? I¡¯m not thinking of doing that long-term.¡¹ ¡°Then you¡¯ll be unemployed?¡± ¡¸I¡¯m still a student.¡¹ Hyun logged off at the same time as Ain on that last day before time resumed. It wasn¡¯t intended, but he felt a bit relieved thanks to her. The next day, at five in the evening in Korea. Asrian¡¯s patch was finally done. [Logging into Asrian!] Hyun got inside the capsule just in time. NFM¡¯s logo appeared and then disappeared, and the world loaded on the screen. Then, instead of the login screen, a new screen appeared. A story video that anyone that had done the History Quests should be able to follow appeared in front of them. ¡®The flow didn¡¯t change that much compared to Asra.¡¯ Of course, those were all things Hyun already knew. Videos that explained the situation of countries and factions appeared in front of him. A story from five years before began. [As Darkness rose to the surface, her underlings became stronger.] The number of devils on the surface increased, and a few territories of humans were wiped out by the devils. Among the weak nations, there were some that had collapsed. {Light became angry. Thanks to the underlings of Light, the situation on the surface calmed down.} Light gave an oracle and took control over the chaotic surface world. The sculpture of Truth lost its center position, replaced by Light thanks to the increase in her followers. [Darkness again went into hiding.] The situation on the surface hadn¡¯t completely calmed down. According to the video, the devils had scattered away and were still on the surface. As the figure of what he thought was Louise faded, the video ended. The scenery in front of him changed, and Hyun looked around. He was in the lobby of Shade Guild¡¯s private room. Hyun was expecting that maybe a grown-up Louise would greet him, but there wasn¡¯t anyone else inside the room. ¡®Ah?¡¯ Instead, Hyun found something on top of the table. There was a piece of paper on top of the table where there hadn¡¯t been anything the day before. ¡®This¡­ it¡­ reminds me of that day.¡¯ After looking at the writing, Hyun realized that it was a letter from Louise. He remembered that the 10-year-old Louise had also left a letter to him. She¡¯d left a letter and the items he¡¯d lent her at the dungeon¡¯s secret shop from which the History Quest was created. Hyun read the letter as he recalled the past. ¡¸I wasn¡¯t able to keep the promise once again. No. This time, it was you who didn¡¯t keep it, right? At this moment, three years have passed.¡¹ It seemed like Louise had kept her promise but ended up leaving because three years had become five. ¡¸I¡¯m kind of feeling nostalgic here¡­ Hyun, just like you said, I wasn¡¯t someone destined to live a calm life.¡¹ Did something happen once again? It seems like an incident had once again swept Louise away. ¡¸You shouldn¡¯t trust anyone. Even if that someone belongs to the Abyss! Ain is okay, but you should be wary of everyone else.¡¹ Hyun frowned while reading Louise¡¯s warning. He couldn¡¯t help but think something bad had happened. ¡¸That¡¯s why I¡¯ve sealed my ¡®Empathy.¡¯ You shouldn¡¯t worry even if you cannot feel me. Oh, yeah, you probably don¡¯t know how I look right now.¡¹ Hyun smirked after looking at Louise¡¯s figure drawn on the letter. A beautiful woman wearing a white robe was smiling while making a smug expression. ¡¸How about that? This is how I look right now. Don¡¯t you think that I¡¯m around Ain¡¯s size now?¡¹ The atmosphere he could see from Louise¡¯s drawing was clearly different from before. Was it because her Ego became stronger? Her fearful eyes were full of confidence. Considering that Louise was 10 years old when they first met. She was probably around 20 after the time skips¡­ About the same age as him. If she wasn¡¯t able to fully become a demon, her body should have aged the same way as a human¡¯s. ¡¸This time, I¡¯m going to find you, so just wait. You¡¯re my Shadow, so I can figure out where you are whenever I want to.¡¹ The letter ended there. After reading the letter, Hyun lowered his consciousness and prayed to Darkness. At that moment, he felt another person¡¯s emotions getting mixed with his. Although it was weak, it was definitely Louise. She seemed to be in her usual condition. ¡®Eh? Didn¡¯t she say her Empathy was sealed?¡¯ In the letter, it said that¡­ Had the seal been broken? No, Hyun shook his head. He remembered what had happened in Darkness¡¯s land¡ªLouise had struggled after empathizing with the devils¡¯ emotions. By sealing Empathy, maybe she meant she was blocking the emotions of those that served her from getting mixed with her emotions. ¡®Now that I think about it, I could ?Pray? to her from the first time I met her.¡¯ Hyun could feel relaxed after remembering that. Although it was one-sided, he could see how she was doing through ?Pray?. Paf-! At that moment, Ain had logged in. She looked at the paper that was in Hyun¡¯s hand. ¡°Is that a letter from Louise?¡± ¡°Yes. Our meetings are never on time.¡± ¡°I want to read it, too!¡± The tips of her mouth went up after reading the letter. After all, it didn¡¯t have the content she was worried about. ¡°As expected.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Hyun, you were disappointed Louise grew too much, right?¡± ¡°¡­?¡± After calming down Ain, who was saying some weird things while making a mischievous smile, Hyun began making preparations to leave. ¡°Anyway, it seems like Louise isn¡¯t here, so let¡¯s leave.¡± ¡°To Demonia Gorge?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He¡¯d told Ain his plans the day before. He¡¯d mentioned maybe having to fight users, but that had just excited her. ?Assimilation?. They went to a place using the teleporters that was forbidden the day before and rented a carriage to the place they¡¯d arranged to meet. ¡®Good. It seems like everyone arrived on time.¡¯ There were four workers and one Theologian. Was it because he said he wouldn¡¯t pay them if they were late? Everyone arrived early. After taking a glimpse at the group of users, Hyun saw a female user wearing a robe that looked like a Theologian¡¯s. After seeing something unexpected, he asked something dumb with Ain¡¯s Assimilated voice. ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± The face of the theologian was very similar to Ain¡¯s. It was as if they were twins. The two Ains looked at each other while everyone was confused. It was Hyun who opened his mouth first. ¡°Are you Ain¡­?¡± ¡¸What are you saying? Hyun, you¡¯re ?Assimilating? to me!¡¹ ¡°No. I¡¯m just a fan, but¡­¡± The girl, who looked like Ain, exclaimed in surprise. ¡°Are you the client? You look more like Ain to me!¡± In Asrian, you could change your appearance through magic, and that included not just facial features, but also build and height. Although you couldn¡¯t completely change it, you could modify it in a range between 0 and around 10%. Basically, as long as you had a similar physique, you could modify your character so it looked like another person. Her role in the History Quests became known, so she¡¯d become some sort of mascot for Asrian. Ain had become more popular than most professional gamers among Korean users in particular, so it was understandable that people imitating her would appear. It didn¡¯t take Hyun long to realize the situation. ¡®Is she okay?¡¯ Hyun suddenly became worried. Except for the hairstyle, Ain looked exactly like her character in real life. ¡¸Hey, don¡¯t you have any problems in your daily life?¡¹ ¡¸I have ways to get over it.¡¹ ¡¸Hmm¡­¡¹ Hyun thought there wasn¡¯t a need to reveal Ain¡¯s identity there. If it became publicly known where she was, users might gather around Demonia Gorge, and he also felt bad at the thought of Ain becoming a public figure. ¡°Where did you get this armor? I wasn¡¯t able to get it!¡± ¡°It¡¯s called Recard¡¯s Devil Armor¡­ It¡¯s rare equipment.¡± ¡°Woah, not only the equipment, but you also have a similar height, and your face is exactly like hers!¡± At the Theologian¡¯s overreaction, Hyun realized he was looking up at her. Only her face was similar, and her height seemed to be between his and Ain¡¯s. ¡®It seems like she wasn¡¯t able to imitate the height.¡¯ Customizing your body was very expensive, even in Asrian. Even if you had enough money, taking into consideration Korea¡¯s average adult female physique, it would be hard to become exactly like Ain. ¡°Okay, then let¡¯s go. We must hurry, after all.¡± After a short conversation, everyone got on top of the carriage. The leading horses were trained so that, if there weren¡¯t any special indications, they would run forward. Chapter 188 Chapter 188 ¨C Golden Time (1) ¡°Everyone, check the site. Once today¡¯s job is done, the specified amount of money will be deposited in your accounts.¡± ¡®Asrian Job World¡¯ had a tight security system. Although the deal was made among users, jobs were done so that it was very hard for people to get scammed. ¡°Yes, everything is okay!¡± ¡°We also confirmed it.¡± Hyun analyzed each person while the carriage was going. The Theologian was Ain¡¯s fan. Seeing how the rest were talking with each other, it seemed like they knew each other. They might have been friends or maybe members of the same guild. ¡°Ms. Priestess, could I ask something?¡± One of the four workers asked. ¡°I¡¯m not a Priest, I¡¯m a Theologian.¡± ¡°Ah, I see. Could I ask how much you¡¯re earning?¡± It was a question that could be considered rude, but she answered them. ¡°$950 USD.¡± ¡°Woah. R-really¡­?!¡± ¡°You¡¯re earning almost the same as us!¡± ¡°I told you. Rather than Warriors or Thieves, there¡¯s more demand for Magicians and Priests.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ I should¡¯ve chosen another job.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that. There are only about 30 Theologians in Korea who have learned how to detect Divine Power, so I think now is when my work is the most expensive.¡± Hyun, who was hearing the conversation, nodded. Since rankers were about to reach level 200, and Divine Power was starting to get attention, Theologians were like the best possible workforce. After all, ascending a job to a Theologian and learning Divine Power detection was very hard. ¡®It seems like jobs have become more varied than before.¡¯ In Asra, users divided the jobs into tiers, but Asrian was different from back then. After meeting up with JaeHoon, he discovered that job preferences had changed compared to the past. For example, the ¡®Magic Engineer¡¯ had been born. If the content inside the game got mixed in with things outside it, the definition of a ¡®good job¡¯ would change compared to before. Dddd. The carriage the group was riding entered the Hetrian Forest that surrounded Demonia Gorge. Hyun frowned after seeing a figure through the grass. ¡®As expected. It wasn¡¯t just me who thought of this.¡¯ There were lots of figures and carriages going in the same direction as him. They were clearly users going to Demonia Gorge. It wasn¡¯t a place that the average users knew about. A few rankers with information probably realized its value. That was most likely why they were going there like a bunch of hungry hyenas. ¡®A party¡­ no, a guild?¡¯ Hyun counted the number of opponents he could see outside of the carriage. ¡®Wait. There are more than expected¡­!¡¯ There should have been only about five Guilds that knew about the Sacred Stones, but Hyun thought not every single one would go to Demonia Gorge since, after the patch, there were many good places, and the chances of everyone choosing one place were extremely low. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­ are there many huge guilds also after this place?!¡¯ Seeing the situation¡­ It seemed like that low possibility had become a reality. Hyun didn¡¯t know that research institutions worldwide had chosen that place to conduct research, so he thought that, just by chance, more people than expected had started to gather in the place he¡¯d chosen. At that moment¡­ Boom! The carriage shook with a loud explosion. Thanks to him using ?Shadow Shield?, the impact wasn¡¯t huge, but it seemed like someone had targeted him. ¡®Where did that come from?¡¯ Hyun saw a man in a carriage across from him extending his wand. They also realized what was going on and began shouting. ¡°Ugh, we¡¯re being attacked!¡± ¡°Wait¡­ You didn¡¯t say it could be dangerous!¡± ¡°Yes. Nothing was said about an extra for the danger! We should get at least 100 extra per person¡­!¡± ¡°Everyone, quiet.¡± Hyun calmed everyone down and took a step forward. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything because it isn¡¯t dangerous.¡± Ain, who was analyzing the situation alongside him, murmured. ¡¸ There are about 20 around us! Should I just wipe them away?¡¹ ¡¸No.¡¹ Hyun looked at the carriage in front of them and activated ?Shadow Run?, but the target wasn¡¯t the user¡ªit was the horse that was pulling the carriage. Fwoosh! A shadow that resembled Ain shot forward and caused a Demonic Energy explosion. As the horse pulling the carriage slowed down, the carriage naturally overturned. ¡¸First, let¡¯s focus on those attacking us.¡¹ ¡¸What about the rest?¡¹ ¡¸We don¡¯t need to deal with them yet.¡¹ To reach the Demonia Gorge, they had to go through Hetrian Forest. Many devils lived within that forest, which was another reason why NPCs avoided Demonia Gorge. GRRR. GRR. The beasts¡¯ cries were soon heard. The devils, not liking the noise the humans were making, began moving. ¡¸A wolf?!¡¹ ¡¸We don¡¯t need to fight that.¡¹ They were trash mobs that were between levels 150 and 200. They weren¡¯t enemies that Hyun, Ain, or even those that were also trying to get to the Demonia Gorge would have difficulty with, but doing so would just drag time. ¡®Blessing of Darkness, On.¡¯ Ain¡¯s teeth showed at Hyun¡¯s smile. Demonia Gorge had traces of the Darkness¡¯s land that had moved toward the surface, so the monsters around the area were definitely related to Darkness. ¡®As expected!¡¯ The wolves around them were passing by to hunt other users. The other people inside the carriage looked at the scene in disbelief. ¡°What the¡­? The monsters aren¡¯t attacking?¡± ¡°They aren¡¯t monsters, they¡¯re devils!¡± The Theologian corrected someone. ¡°Aren¡¯t they more aggressive than monsters?! They¡¯re just passing by!¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I told you we¡¯re safe.¡± While other users were blocked by the wolves, Hyun¡¯s group was able to pass safely. The other five people in the carriage couldn¡¯t believe what they saw. ¡¸Hmm, this isn¡¯t fun.¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t worry. Even if you don¡¯t want to, you¡¯ll have to fight soon.¡¹ Hyun smirked after sensing that Ain was very motivated. If so many people gathered, a fight would definitely happen. If it was a battle big enough, they¡¯d have to use ?Prepared for Extinction?, or even¡­ ?Possession?! GRRR! The carriage reached a downhill road dozens of minutes later. Hyun saw a huge canyon in the distance that connected with the place from where Darkness¡¯s heart rose. Hyun subconsciously looked at the sky. ¡®It¡¯s been five years?¡¯ He wanted to see if there was a huge piece of land floating, but there wasn¡¯t anything in the sky. If everything was the same as what he knew from Asra, then Darkness¡¯s land should have been floating somewhere in the sky above the clouds. ¡®They used to call it Darkness¡¯s castle¡­ so it was called the ¡®heart¡¯.¡¯ He looked down again. Rather than a canyon, there were other words that suited the canyon more from where Dark¡¯s heart was torn. It was closer to a basin or a crater. They probably used the word ¡®canyon¡¯ because there wasn¡¯t another way to describe the terrain that was surrounded by steep cliffs. ¡¸Good. Let¡¯s see how many gathered!¡¹ The carriage began charging toward the cliff as Hyun jumped from the front. Kyaa! W, what¡­! We¡¯re falling¡­! There were numerous screams, but Hyun ignored them. ¡®Glider.¡¯ Whir- The moment the blue circuit engraved in the magic circle activated, the carriage wheels left the cliff. ¡®I¡¯m glad I rented the expensive one.¡¯ Renting it cost 600 gold, and you needed a security deposit of 40000 gold. It was too expensive for users that weren¡¯t rankers, so none there had ever ridden a carriage that had magic circles placed on it. The rest of the group that had closed their eyes preparing for an impact opened their eyes after feeling they were floating. They saw the world going by slowly outside and realized they were floating in the air. ¡°What, we¡¯re flying¡­?¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t flying. We¡¯re gliding!¡± The group mumbled while looking out of the window. ¡°I never thought I¡¯d experience something like this while going to work.¡± ¡°Me too. It feels like I¡¯m doing a History Quest¡­¡± ¡°Everyone, wait inside. Don¡¯t try to look out of the window.¡± Hyun looked at the ground while riding the gliding carriage to count the number of enemies in the canyon. ¡¸About a hundred? A little bit more¡­?¡¹ ¡¸I think it¡¯s about that number.¡¹ ¡¸Is this an alliance of guilds? Is it one massive guild?¡¹ All of the enemies were looking at them. The fact they weren¡¯t fighting was proof they were all together. ¡¸It doesn¡¯t seem to be an alliance.¡¹ Hyun told her what he¡¯d realized. ¡¸They seem too organized for that.¡¹ After they got closer to the surface, they were able to see the faces of the users. There were a few familiar faces. Hyun¡¯s eyes shone after realizing who they were. ¡¸Ah, it¡¯s Darkness!¡¹ ¡¸Darkness? Them?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. But¡­ I never imagined it would be them. For a big guild, it¡¯s better to try to monopolize a hunting ground rather than Sacred Stones¡­¡¹ At that moment, Hyun thought of Mayday. They¡¯d meet as enemies, but they¡¯d joined forces before in Darkness¡¯s land. Recently, they¡¯d reached an arrangement that they¡¯d exchange information, so they had a decent relationship. ¡®No, but still. I cannot let this go!¡¯ Hyun quickly began making calculations. Maintaining a good relationship with Darkness was important, but not important enough to give up on the Sacred Stones. He¡¯d made plans for the future, so he couldn¡¯t back off. ¡¸Anyway. We¡¯re going to fight. Right?¡¹Ain asked with her eyes shining. ¡¸Probably.¡¹ ¡¸Then the reasons don¡¯t matter. Should I use my ultimate attack?¡¹ ¡¸No. Rather than that¡­¡¹ After comparing strategies, Hyun decided on what to do. ¡¸Let¡¯s go with my skill.¡¹ In a battle between one and numerous enemies, it was obvious that they¡¯d receive a ton of debuffs. If they received the max five stacks of speed debuff, even if Ain had a lot of Agility, they would have a hard time. ¡¸There¡¯s something I wanted to test.¡¹ Hyun had a skill that allowed him to ignore the speed debuff. No, to be precise, it wasn¡¯t his skill. ?Black Wind?. The technique that used the reaction of wind wasn¡¯t his but Louise¡¯s. Hyun mumbled with a voice full of expectations ¡¸So, let¡¯s see what skills she learned over these past five years.¡¹ ?Possession?. [The one that ?Pray?s is set to become like the one they pray to! The most familiar being will dwell in your body.] Dark energy exploded through his body. Hyun noticed that Ain¡¯s height and bodily curves were becoming more mature. Her body became someone else¡¯s completely. Basically, it was the Darkness of five years later, how Louise looked at the moment. Louise¡¯s clothes became white¡­ No. Soft Demonic Energy was pouring out of her body. Unlike her previous foolish appearance, she had a confident smile on her face. Was it because of Louise¡¯s influence? ¡°What¡­¡± ¡°Who¡­ Are you¡­?¡± The Theologian, who had seen the transformation, mumbled in confusion. The unknown girl who had hired her¡­ At first, she thought that, just like her, she was a fan who had copied Ain. After riding the carriage, she began feeling an unusual atmosphere because the opponents she was facing felt that they were at the level of rankers. Maybe¡­ was she the real Ain? While she was thinking that, the girl suddenly began transforming into another woman. At that point, the Theologian had no way of knowing which was real, so she decided not to think about it. ¡°Wait inside. Don¡¯t come out, no matter what.¡± Hyun once again used the magic that was applied to the carriage. ?Positioning?. As the magic circle was covered in blue light, the carriage stopped in the middle of the air. Hyun left them and jumped off the carriage, quickly reading his status window as he fell. Chapter 189 Chapter 189 ¨C Golden Time (2) There were three skills he hadn¡¯t seen before. He gulped and started to read them. [?Wind of Purification? Lv.3] ¨C You have an 80% chance to resist a harmful debuff! ¨C All negative effects are removed on use! (Cooldown Time: 3 minutes) [?Stepping on Air? Lv.2] ¨C Step on the air and leap forward! (Mana Used: 3% of maximum) [?Ascension? Lv.0] ¨C You do not have enough Demonic Energy to use this skill! (Demonic Energy required: 500K ~ 10M) (Limit: Once per Possession) Hyun¡¯s eyes shone while he read over the skills . There was one to dismiss debuffs and one that was a better version of ?Wind Barrier?, and he couldn¡¯t even see the description of the other skill. It seemed like it was going to unlock once his maximum amount of Demonic Energy surpassed 500K. ¡®It¡¯s quite good!¡¯ In reality, he¡¯d obtained two extra skills. As soon as he read the descriptions, Hyun knew how to use them. [You¡¯ve resisted ?Vine Restraint?!] [You¡¯ve resisted ?Ankle Frostbite?!] ¡­ Numerous debuffs were launched toward Hyun before he could land. The members of the Darkness Guild reacted after noticing that a woman with an abnormal atmosphere was approaching. The ¡®Blessing of Darkness¡¯ naturally made Heavens users afraid. Except for Mayday and a few other people, most Darkness Guild players belonged to the Heavens, which was why Hyun was bombarded with attacks that didn¡¯t have much effect. ¡®To think I¡¯d already use the debuff release skill.¡¯ Hyun let them use debuffs skills even after he landed. Among the countless debuffs, there were some that got lucky and ended up affecting him, but there were only five that got through, and they weren¡¯t able to overlap the maximum amount of five. ?Wind of Purification?! Pang-! Even those three ended up vanishing. ¡¸Can I do it?¡¹Ain asked in an excited voice while surrounded by about a hundred opponents. ¡¸Yes. I think it¡¯s going to be good practice for you,¡¹Hyun answered while smirking. ¡¸Practice?¡¹ ¡¸You have a wind skill tree. Since you¡¯re an Elemental Berserker, you might have to use those in the future, so there¡¯s nothing bad about practicing beforehand.¡¹ Ain wasn¡¯t that good at using Louise¡¯s wind skills, but he still didn¡¯t think she¡¯d lose if he used the correct buffs on her. Whir Whir- After eliminating all the debuffs, he started applying buffs on her. ?Powerless Wave?, ?Impact Amplification?. Darkness, who had appeared in front of users thanks to ?Possession?, was receiving protection from her Shadow. Boom! On top of that, there was Ain¡¯s ?Latent Potential Increase?! The tips of Ain¡¯s mouth went up when she saw the opponents get anxious because of all the buffs being stacked up, and giant claws appeared on her hands. Thanks to her physique becoming bigger after transforming into Louise, Ain¡¯s body seemed slightly more stable. ?Black Wind?! Whoom- A typhoon was added on top of the flames as she used Louise¡¯s technique. Strong wind surrounded her body, and flames began pouring in all directions. It was as if Ain had become a giant fireball. Ain smiled while looking at the opponents making horrified expressions. Next, a red typhoon hit the enemy formations. The number one guild, Darkness, had 500 members. They were bigger than a mid-sized corporation. Thanks to that, they were able to make a huge contract. [Research Institute Protection Contract] To put it simply, they were hired as mercenaries. They wanted to use the strength of the Darkness Guild to stop users from getting close to Demonia Gorge. ¡®It¡¯s all going according to plan.¡¯ XL had proposed the contract to the research institutes. He was also sensitive to what happened outside of the game and had discovered that they were planning to build research institutes inside Asrian and that Demonia Gorge was a place of interest for them. ¡®We¡¯re the only big guild targeting Demonia Gorge!¡¯ According to their information network, there wasn¡¯t another big guild that could become a competitor for the gorge. A Sacred Stone might sound attractive to an individual user, but it was a bit lacking to a big guild with many members, especially to a guild with hundreds of members. For them, being able to monopolize a good hunting ground was more effective. ¡®This means no one has read what was happening outside the game!¡¯ Even the most dangerous guild, ¡®Returners,¡¯ had chosen another target. They were users of the previous game, so they were sensitive to the information inside the game, and that was probably why they hadn¡¯t been able to see what was happening outside the game. Thanks to that, the leader of the Darkness Guild was able to monopolize a huge honeypot. ¡°We¡¯ve figured out Lattice¡¯s position! He¡¯s in the north!¡± ¡°Okay. We can also cross that variable off.¡± Still, they couldn¡¯t relax. They were certain of what most of the big guilds were doing, but there were some unexpected variables among users that couldn¡¯t be called guilds. ¡®What are they doing?¡¯ Hyun and Ain¡­ They couldn¡¯t guess how strong those two were because they didn¡¯t know how effective ?Assimilation? was. ¡°What are the chances of Hyun¡¯s movements overlapping with ours?¡± ¡°Less than 1%!¡± Someone in the guild had reached that conclusion. It was a number they reached after calculating how many areas more valuable than the Demonia Gorge there were, how risky each one was, and when taking into consideration that Hyun made decisions based on what was the most effective. One percent¡­ If that analysis was right, the chances of that happening were close to 0. ¡®But if it¡¯s Hyun¡­¡¯ That was a conclusion they reached after calculating only the in-game variables. It was hard for a user to figure out the intention of big corporations, but that didn¡¯t mean it was impossible. ¡®What if Hyun knows that information?¡¯ XL changed the question and asked again. ¡°What if he learned about what the institutions are planning? ¡°If he knows about that¡­ There¡¯s a 100% chance he¡¯ll go to Demonia Gorge. Isn¡¯t it a contract worth a huge sum of money? Of course, there¡¯s no way he¡¯ll be able to manage it alone, but just by saying he¡¯s not going to interfere, he should already be able to get a lot of money.¡± If they added information about the real world, the value of Demonia Gorge would greatly increase. That¡¯s why, from Hyun¡¯s point of view, there was no reason not to choose Demonia Gorge. He would be able to mess with their plans if he wanted, even if it was just through guerilla warfare. If that happened, he would be able to obtain a portion of the earnings. ¡°Do we need to worry that much? There¡¯s no way an individual would know about confidential corporate information.¡± ¡°Hyun won¡¯t be aware¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s most likely the case.¡± But the words ¡®most likely¡¯ weren¡¯t enough to calm XL. He thought of the worst possible outcome. What if Hyun knew that information? What if he faced the Darkness Guild while knowing that? In that case, what should he do as the leader of the guild? ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. I¡¯m sure everything will be okay.¡± ¡°Reina is right. I don¡¯t think those two are interested in things that happen outside of the game.¡± The executives were saying that he was being worried about pointless things, and he wasn¡¯t sure why, but he couldn¡¯t calm down. That¡¯s why he couldn¡¯t help but become cautious when he heard that a ¡®suspicious carriage¡¯ was going through the forest and rushing toward Demonia Gorge. ¡¸How many people are inside?¡¹XL asked again. ¡¸We believe there are around five or six.¡¹ ¡¸Are they users?¡¹ ¡¸We aren¡¯t sure, but they don¡¯t look like NPCs. Judging by how they¡¯re dressed, they¡¯re most likely users.¡¹ To protect and control the forest, the Darkness Guild had made a contract with other guilds; that was why they couldn¡¯t get a grasp of what was going on in many places. After the patch was over, a group of five or six users rushed toward the forest as if they¡¯d been waiting for it to be over. Were Hyun and Ain among them? ¡¸ There are many users¡­ so I¡¯m sure it¡¯s not them.¡¹ While Reina said that, they began to receive more reports. ¡¸It seems like the carriage is heading from the Northwest!¡¹ ¡¸The Northwest? Isn¡¯t there a cliff there?¡¹ XL looked in the direction that the report indicated. While everyone was holding their breath, a carriage flew off the cliff, but it didn¡¯t fall. The carriage started to ascend and stopped in mid-air. ¡®Descending magic¡­!¡¯ XL calmed down after seeing a user jump out of the carriage by herself because it was the first time he¡¯d seen her face. ¡¸Is she a user?¡¹ ¡¸She¡¯s a user! She just checked her status window!¡¹ ¡¸If she¡¯s strong enough to go through the forest, she should be a ranker¡­ but has anyone seen her face among the rankers?¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s a chance she¡¯s a ranker that hasn¡¯t registered herself in the Hall of Fame. If she isn¡¯t Hyun or Ain, it¡¯s okay. Let¡¯s get rid of her.¡¹ The conversation that happened between the executives was forwarded to the unit leaders and then to the subordinates. It was at that moment when the Darkness Guild members felt that something was wrong. Whir- Whir Skill effects that were familiar to them surged around the woman¡¯s body. When ?Powerless Wave? and ?Impact Amplification? spread from her feet, everyone asked the same question. ¡®Where have I seen that skill? I¡¯m sure it was pretty recent.¡¯ ¡®Ah¡­!¡¯ The expressions of those that realized became pale. It was the passive skill that appeared in Ain¡¯s strategy video! It was also a skill that created numerous debates in the communities because no one knew what it did. Why did that appear there? After that, fwoosh! An explosion blasted from her fingers, and ?Efreet¡¯s Claws? wrapped around her hands. It was then that the Darkness Guild members realized that something had gone wrong. ¡°It¡¯s Ain¡¯s skill!¡± ¡°Ain? But she looks completely different¡­?¡± There were many there that had fought against Ain before. The Darkness Guild suffered a major loss in the Count¡¯s Quest, after all, which was the first time they had lost since the guild was born. ¡°Did she change her appearance¡­?¡± ¡°No. Her physical features are too different!¡± You could change your physical features slightly through magic, but you couldn¡¯t completely modify it. The woman in front of them was clearly an adult. Ain shouldn¡¯t be able to obtain such a body, even if she invested tons of gold. ¡®Is she ¡®Hyun¡¯?¡¯ Hyun¡¯s existence wasn¡¯t known by those that weren¡¯t executives of the guild, so there were many people who¡¯d guessed that. Some people have talked about a skill that allowed you to change your body. That was possible if that funny theory was actually real. ¡®So it wasn¡¯t a joke that Hyun¡¯s a woman¡­?!¡¯ At that moment¡­ Pang! The air exploded, and the guild members saw the Magicians in the rear being torn apart in the blink of an eye. ¡®From behind?¡¯ ¡®When¡­?!¡¯ ¡°Everyone, use your survival skills!¡± After three people died instantly, they began using their defensive skills. ¡®It¡¯s too dangerous!¡¯ Pang! Pang! Explosions continued to go off. Every time they heard an explosion, fire swept out in all directions. A few users that weren¡¯t used to such fast movements just looked around in confusion and ended up being melted by the fire. ¡°What speed¡­!¡± ¡°We cannot land an attack!¡± ¡°Ah, it stopped! This is our chance¡­¡± Reina was about to give an order when she suddenly felt a chill. Her eyes met with the woman¡¯s, and the woman had a smile on her face¡­ The unknown woman was stretching out both her arms. She had flames in one hand and wind in the other. ?Efreet¡¯s Claws? mixed with ?Black Wind?. The moment the scorching heat was blown forward by the wind, it became an AOE attack. Chapter 190 Chapter 190 ¨C The Thing Hidden in Demonia Gorge (1) ¡°S-spread out!¡± ¡°AAHH!¡± FWOOSH! Flames spread from her hands almost at the same time the commander shouted. Sadly, the warning came too late. Half of the guild members were swept away by the flames and scattered into light; the other half was confused. ¡°What magic is that?!¡± ¡°Those that have high fire resistance, please take the front!¡± ¡°Done. I also put up an ice protection shield!¡± Crack, crack, crack! Frost appeared on the bodies of the users that were leaping forward. The frost shield reduced the damage of flames up to 70% until it reached a hundred thousand damage! ¡°With this, we can perfectly resist the flames!¡± When they got close to the opponent while being covered with frost, the users saw the flames shut off. ¡°Huh¡­? Instead of flames, there was wind. She drew a line in the air with her wind-covered hands. BOOM! A black typhoon cut through many people. When the wind stopped, the bodies of the people that had leaped forward turned into light and scattered away. ¡°What kind of skill is that now¡­?!¡± Instead of giving orders, the commander that was in charge of rear support had his mouth wide open in surprise. ¡°No way¡­¡± ¡°They all died again?¡± Even if the opponent was a ranker¡­ It wasn¡¯t damage a normal user of level 200 could do! It was similar to the first time they¡¯d met Ain. Everyone was losing their will to fight because of the strength of the opponent when¡­ Boom! Another ?Latent Potential Increase? overlapped. A bloody energy was mixed into the wind. The moment they saw a girl smiling there, a few guild members remembered the past nightmare. ¡®That smile¡­¡¯ ¡®Wait, no way¡­ really¡­?¡¯ Although her appearance was completely different, her atmosphere was too similar to the Ain of the Count¡¯s Quest. It was a smile that showed a bit of teeth, and she had the habit of clenching and unclenching her hands. Why was it that the girl felt more like Ain than the one that did the History Quests? It was because her usual habits were leaking out as she moved of her own will. ¡®She¡¯s Ain!¡¯ The members of the Darkness Guild and the executives thought the same thing, and their guesses were correct. Since Hyun wasn¡¯t interfering, Ain had become more like that crazy warrior that enjoyed killing. ?Latent Potential Increase?! Her body was covered in a thicker, bloody wind when the ?Latent Potential Increase? reached the max of three stacks. ¡¸Ain, isn¡¯t this too fast?¡¹ Ain still hadn¡¯t gotten used to Louise¡¯s style of movement. Even he needed some time to get used to the reaction of the wind. Hyun didn¡¯t believe that Ain would be able to control herself properly at such speed. ¡¸Hyun, you¡¯re going to cover my mistakes, right?¡¹she playfully replied. ¡¸Well, for the moment, yes, but¡­¡¹ ¡¸Fufu, then I don¡¯t need to worry!¡¹ Ain rose to the sky as if she were a hawk and looked at the prey on the ground. At that moment, her eyes got fixed on a user, and she pointed at him with her finger. ¡¸He seems to be the leader.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s Bearshield! You¡¯ve fought against him before!¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t remember seeing his face.¡¹ Ain¡¯s smile deepened. ¡¸Anyway, I just have to kill him first.¡¹ Ain suddenly vanished. After using ?Invisible?, Ain stepped on a ?Wind Barrier? and leaped toward Bearshield. Clang! ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Ain was pushed back right when her attack was about to land. As soon as Ain went invisible, Bearshield had used his ultimate attack. Whish Whish- A shield was orbiting around Bearshield that could automatically block all attacks that happened within a five-meter range. Bearshield¡¯s shield was going to even protect all of his allies that were close to him for the five minute duration. ¡®Hmph!¡¯ Ain¡¯s was flipped away, but she stomped on the air and landed on the ground. [Fall! You¡¯ve received 103 damage!] BOOM! When she landed on the ground, spider web-like cracks spread over the surface. ¡¸Woah. He was able to react to that? I guess that¡¯s expected from a ranker.¡¹ ¡¸It was a mistake. You shouldn¡¯t have looked at him before using ?Invisible?.¡¹ ¡¸Well, he did well this time¡¹ While Ain regained her posture, the Darkness Guild members got into position. Swoosh! Mines made of magical power appeared in the air and limited possible aerial movement. Crash! Crash! The ice and steel that rose from the earth limited the movements she could make on the ground as well. They also used fog magic to hinder her vision. The guild members moved as if they were just one body. The tankers got in the front and behind them, Assassins that dealt close-range damage followed. There were some Magicians and Priests that dealt long-range attacks far in the back as well. They did all of that in just three or so seconds. Darkness was probably the only guild that could react so fast in such a short time frame, and their skills at moving as a group were better than the Returner¡¯s Guild. Hyun understood why Darkness was able to maintain 1st place. ¡¸Is it dangerous? Should I help you?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m okay.¡¹ Most users would be overwhelmed in that situation, but Ain and Hyun were relaxed. ¡¸I¡¯m also starting to get used to it¡­!¡¹ Ain was starting to understand how to use Louise¡¯s skills because, every time she made a mistake, Hyun forcibly corrected her movement. ¡¸You don¡¯t need to make an effort to kill the commanders. Killing the weak ones one by one should be enough.¡¹ ¡¸Okay.¡¹ ¡¸There isn¡¯t anyone who can even touch you in a one-on-one.¡¹ ¡¸Understood.¡¹ ¡¸Okay, then let¡¯s go again.¡¹ Ting! He received a message at that moment. ¡¸Hyun, are you in Demonia Gorge at the moment?!¡¹ It was Mayday. Before Hyun could answer, she shouted again. ¡¸If you¡¯re that girl, we, Darkness, have no intention of fighting you!¡¹ There were three executives of Darkness inside the Gorge¡ªthe guild leader, vice leader, and Bearshield, who was ranked 8th. Mayday contacted Hyun because the guild leader, XL, had urgently contacted her. ¡¸Ain. Wait¡­ Wait a bit¡­¡¹ ¡¸Huh? I¡¯m having a hard time talking at the moment!¡¹ Ain was listening to the whisper while the Darkness Guild members were turning into light and scattering away thanks to the ?Efreet¡¯s Claws? that had got mixed with Demonic Energy. Was Ain going to understand what he said? Hyun decided to answer Mayday first. ¡¸It¡¯s true that I¡¯m fighting there, but¡­¡¹ ¡¸As expected, it¡¯s you!¡¹ Mayday¡¯s voice became louder. ¡¸Stop the attack! The guild leader says he¡¯ll listen to all of your requests!¡¹ ¡¸All¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. As long as it isn¡¯t something ridiculous, he probably won¡¯t refuse!¡¹ Hyun understood that the Darkness Guild would give up on the Demonia Gorge. It was a harsh reality, but there was nothing he could do about it. He needed Sacred Stones for his future plans. Even if that meant they were going to become enemies with the Darkness Guild. ¡®If things go like this, I¡¯m going to feel bad.¡¯ Hyun remembered that the information Mayday had given him about the Returner¡¯s Guild had been of great help to him. After that, they¡¯d registered each other as friends to exchange information. Right, he¡¯d have to give her some face. ¡¸Okay. Let¡¯s listen to the deal.¡¹ ¡¸Okay. We¡¯re also going to order our members to stop attacking!] After the conversation with Mayday was over and he was about to stop Ain¡­ ¡®Hmm?¡¯ A question mark appeared over Hyun¡¯s head. ¡®What¡¯s going on¡­?¡¯ He realized that the Sword of Darkness had appeared in her hands. At that moment, his sight became blurry, and it felt similar to when he used ?Biorhythm Acceleration?. When the corpses turned to light and scattered away, Hyun realized what had happened. ¡¸Ain, what did you¡­?!¡¹ ¡¸Did you see? I managed to use the technique you used before!¡¹ ¡¸That technique¡­¡¹ ¡¸Yes. Since they were trying to escape, I caught them all simultaneously. I probably killed about 20!¡¹Ain said proudly. Hyun began thinking about what he should tell the Darkness Guild leader. As promised, Bearshield and the other Darkness Guild forces moved beyond the walls of the gorge. There were only two people left in the gorge¡ªThe guild leader, XL, and the vice-leader, Reina. Reina said that it was humiliating for them and that they had to fight even if they lost, but XL and the other executives didn¡¯t think that. There wasn¡¯t anything more stupid than fighting a battle they couldn¡¯t win. ¡°You can come out now.¡± After their soldiers moved back, the carriage floating in the air started to descend. While the carriage was descending, ?Possession? was dismissed, and Ain returned to her usual self. The five users looked at Ain differently, especially the Theologian that called herself Ain¡¯s fan. ¡°Uhmm¡­ Excuse me¡­ You¡¯re the real Ain, right?¡± There was no point in lying anymore. Hyun nodded but asked for something in exchange. ¡°I¡¯m okay with anything else¡­ But please don¡¯t reveal in the community boards that I was seen here.¡± ¡°Yes, of course¡­! I just wanted to know if I could add you to my friend list.¡± That didn¡¯t depend on Hyun, so he let Ain answer that. Ain wasn¡¯t satisfied that the battle had come to such an abrupt end, so she opened her mouth sharply. ¡°I¡¯ll allow it if you win in a PK. How about that?¡± No one said anything about how she had suddenly gone from formal to informal speech. They¡¯d found those people on a Korean page, so they were most likely Koreans. ¡°No, then it¡¯s okay¡­!¡± It was after she¡¯d gotten rid of more than a hundred users that looked stronger than them. They might have been more surprised if they learned that the guild that had suffered such a loss was the Darkness Guild. Since XL and Reina weren¡¯t that well-known, no one recognized them. [All items are set to go to the party leader!] Then Hyun made the five join Ain¡¯s party. Even after the deal was done, the distribution of Sacred Stones probably wouldn¡¯t change that much, so Hyun decided to start the job beforehand. ¡°Ms. Theologian, search for Divine Power inside the Gorge. The rest just have to use this to dig.¡± He also gave them a warning. If they got too far away, the effect of everything going to the party leader could dissipate. ¡°Ah. You mustn¡¯t dig more than a meter!¡± ¡°A meter?¡± ¡°Yes. After digging enough, I¡¯ll do it all at once when I come around.¡± Even if the Sacred Stone was small, a small one was worth at least ten thousand gold, and the big ones could cost more than a hundred thousand, so he needed to control them tightly. ¡®Still, you never know, so I¡¯ll have to be careful.¡¯ While they did that, the Darkness Guild members finished the meeting, and Hyun faced XL and Reina. An average user might not have known their faces, but Hyun knew both of them. He had seen them before, but he also tried to remember the faces of the most important members of the big guilds. ¡®Ain¡­!¡¯ XL and Reina also recognized Ain¡¯s face. Reina remembered how they¡¯d lost to Ain, so XL had to be careful so that Reina wouldn¡¯t say something unnecessary. ¡®Her appearance changed again. Was her previous appearance the effect of a skill?¡¯ XL greeted Ain while smiling, but on the inside, he was making lots of calculations. ¡®Hyun is probably ?Assimilated? into her. After all, Mayday said that she sent a whisper to Hyun!¡¯ Lots of messages were being exchanged between the six executives in the chat. Thanks to Reina¡¯s personal stream, they could see what was happening inside the Gorge. Chapter 191 Chapter 191 ¨C The Thing Hidden in Demonia Gorge (2) ¡¸So Hyun knew about it¡­!¡¹ Bearshield exclaimed while looking at the stream when he saw the users that were with Hyun take out their pickaxes. ¡¸See? They¡¯re already checking the terrain around the area since many buildings will be constructed there.¡¹ According to the Darkness Guild information analysts, the chances of their movements overlapping if Hyun didn¡¯t know the information were less than 1%, but that 1% of possibility had turned into reality. The truth was that the probability was 100% from the beginning. ¡¸Hmm¡­ Isn¡¯t he trying to get Sacred Stones?¡¹ Pias asked, but Bearshield dismissed his commentary. ¡¸No. Why would he dig so little in so many places if that were the case?¡¹ ¡¸Pias, think a bit more logically. The deal hasn¡¯t even started. Who would touch a resource when the deal has yet to begin?¡¹ ¡¸I guess so.¡¹ After hearing Bearshield and Mayday, Pias had no choice but to clear up his doubts. XL and Reina also agreed with that. ¡¸It¡¯s clear that he came here with all of that information.¡¹ ¡¸Yes. It would be better if we avoided unnecessary conflict.¡¹ XL remembered what Hyun had said. ¡°I forgot to obtain control priority, so they ended up dying. If I had control priority, that wouldn¡¯t have happened.¡± That¡¯s what Hyun had said after they met. He knew the hidden meaning behind those words. By ¡®control priority¡¯, he was probably talking about the protection clause in contracts. He was probably threatening them because of that. ¡¸There¡¯s no way he doesn¡¯t know the situation.¡¹ XL decided to accept his mistake. He was sure that was information an individual wouldn¡¯t know, but it seemed like Hyun had obtained the same information as the Darkness Guild by himself. ¡¸There¡¯s a chance any further action would cause even more animosity.¡¹ ¡¸Then are you saying he should give it all up?¡¹ ¡¸No. I¡¯m just saying we should make the best deal possible.¡¹ The Darkness Guild had already invested a sum of money they couldn¡¯t ignore. The day after a patch was as valuable as gold and dozens of guild members had lost their lives! If they backed off without any results, their guild members would lose trust in the higher-ups. ¡¸We have a reputation to maintain, after all.¡¹ How should he make the deal? The benefits of Demonia Gorge could be split into two: One was the obvious benefit, and the other was the hidden benefit¡­ The outer benefit was the Sacred Stones. The Sacred Stones had stacked up a lot after five years of no one going to those lands. On top of that, if someone sold the one or two that were generated each month, they would be able to obtain quite the benefits. Still, that was nothing compared to the other benefit. The hidden benefit was the contract to protect the research institutions. That contract was worth millions of dollars! ¡®We¡¯ll have to give up¡­ On the bigger benefit.¡¯ XL analyzed the situation coldly. Hyun and Ain were the only users and the only faction that could nullify their contract. If they overreacted, their guild could have to pay a penalty for breaching the contract. ¡®Although it¡¯s too bad, I¡¯ll have to offer him something good.¡¯ XL thought of what he would do. He¡¯d already prepared something that would satisfy Hyun, wouldn¡¯t ruin the Darkness Guild¡¯s reputation, and wouldn¡¯t make them have to pay a penalty. Even if Hyun¡¯s personality were as Keiji described, it wouldn¡¯t be easy for him to refuse such conditions. XL brought up what he¡¯d prepared when the conversation ripened. ¡°We¡¯re going to give you however many control rights you want over Demonia Gorge.¡± ¡°Control rights¡­? ¡°Yes. Also, we can¡¯t help you build the infrastructure.¡± ¡®What is he talking about¡­?¡¯ Hyun couldn¡¯t understand what XL was talking about. A Sacred Stone appeared once every two or three months there, so was he talking about giving him the right to obtain them? He wasn¡¯t planning to visit Demonia Gorge constantly¡­ There were too many things he had to do, so he couldn¡¯t be bothered with a task like that. Then XL took a few documents out of his inventory. ¡°Here¡¯s a brief explanation of everything we can help you with.¡± ¡°Hmm? Documents?¡± ¡°Yes. There¡¯s also a copy of the contract. Feel free to read it and tell me what you want.¡± Confused, Hyun took the papers. Was there a need to have so many written words while discussing the distribution of Sacred Stones? ¡®¡­?¡¯ Those thoughts disappeared as soon as he began reading the documents. After feeling as if he¡¯d been hit in the back of the head over and over, he realized it wasn¡¯t something he could quickly give the answer to. Hyun opened his mouth again after a while. ¡°I have something urgent I have to do¡­ Could we talk again in a few hours?¡± After spending some time in the middle of an awkward atmosphere, Hyun left the administration of the people to Ain and changed to rest mode. He began searching for information about Demonia Gorge, research institutes, and a few other keywords, but he wasn¡¯t able to find the information he wanted. [Research Institute in Asrian attacked by monsters.] [The instability of the other world.] Thanks to a few news articles, he realized that there were a few corporations and organizations that were interested in Asrian. ¡®This is bigger than I thought¡­ If I didn¡¯t see it wrong¡­ Wait, maybe?!¡¯ Hyun remembered that JaeHoon had told him that Jini had found a job in a research institute. He obtained Jini¡¯s number through JaeHoon and called her. ¡°Where did you hear that?¡± she asked in surprise. ¡°What?¡± ¡°The thing about Demonia Gorge¡­ that¡¯s top secret! Ah, this isn¡¯t something I can say, but¡­!¡± For some unknown reason, Jini began to kindly explain things to Hyun after telling him it wasn¡¯t something she could say. To make it brief, Demonia Gorge was the only place that wasn¡¯t affected by the influence of NPCs or monsters, and that¡¯s why many research institutes had chosen it as a base. It seemed like the Darkness Guild was chosen as the mercenary group to stop other users from interfering there. ¡®Why are they sharing the information they obtained?¡¯ SeoHyun began wondering about how the executives of the Darkness Guild had reacted. ¡®Were they worried I would interfere with their plans?¡¯ He still had some questions, but he understood what was going on. He could understand why they looked uncomfortable¡ªthey were worried he¡¯d messed up the contract they¡¯d obtained after a ton of effort. ¡®Seeing that people from real life are interested in Asrian, it seems like Asrian really is a simulator.¡¯ SeoHyun thought about it for a while. A contract with a company¡­ If it were the current him, he could not only put a spoon on a table that they had prepared, but he should also be able to grab it all for himself. For some reason, he didn¡¯t want to do that. YouTube was okay. Making strategy videos and looking at the comments were fun¡­ but that was something completely different. SeoHyun realized he was standing on top of a border¡ªthe border that divided work and hobby. Hyun felt that, the moment he crossed that border, he wouldn¡¯t be able to enjoy Asrian as much as he did before. ¡®Is there a need to do things like this?¡¯ Hyun imagined himself dealing with real-life situations. Of course, he might be able to earn a lot of money, but he was for sure going to become busier than before. He was definitely going to get a step away from his goal of getting to the top of Asrian¡¯s world. ¡®There¡¯s no need to take control over things like that.¡¯ A land that couldn¡¯t be influenced by monsters or NPCs¡­ In a few years, he would be able to create a place like that on his own. A place much bigger, safer, and more peaceful than the Demonia Gorge¡ªhis own castle¡­ Or territory¡­ A country! Demonia Gorge was nothing compared to the future he¡¯d planned. ¡®Just becoming the owner of a castle would make me very busy¡­ I probably won¡¯t have time to think about a real-life contract.¡¯ SeoHyun decided to refuse the contract they had offered. Giving up on an amount of money that could change your life wasn¡¯t something a normal person could think of doing. Was he just not greedy? No, SeoHyun didn¡¯t think that he was greedy. In reality, he was more ambitious than most people. His goal was to obtain the crown of Asrian. He wanted to get what other people couldn¡¯t even imagine. SeoHyun¡¯s goal was to get to the very top from the first moment he started to play Asrian. ¡°Hyun, when are you going to return?!¡± ¡°On my way.¡± After hearing Ain¡¯s urgent voice, SeoHyun quickly got into the capsule. The leader of the Darkness Guild and the vice-leader had been waiting for more than an hour, sitting on top of a rock. As soon as he saw them, Hyun told them what he¡¯d prepared beforehand. ¡°I thought about it, but I¡¯m going to take everything that¡¯s here.¡± ¡°Everything¡­? Really?¡± At that moment, XL¡¯s eyes became cold. What Hyun said sounded like he was going to refuse to make a deal with them. Hyun refusing to make a deal with them was what they were the most worried about. Whir. Mana started to gather around Reina¡¯s wand. Even if she couldn¡¯t prove a challenge for him, she would fight to the death if Hyun tried to get everything. ¡°So Keiji was right. I guess we don¡¯t have anything else to talk about with you.¡± ¡°Really? I haven¡¯t finished talking yet.¡± Hyun¡¯s, no, Ain¡¯s smile deepened. ¡°I don¡¯t need that contract. Things would probably get bothersome for me if I accepted¡­ Right now, I don¡¯t have time to do that.¡± ¡°What does that mean¡­?¡± While XL was trying to understand what Hyun said, he finally told them his condition in a clearer way. ¡°What I¡¯m requesting is all of the Sacred Stones within the Gorge at the moment.¡± ¡°Wait. Is that all¡­?¡± ¡°Ah, there¡¯s one more thing¡­ You see the people working for me?¡± Hyun pointed toward the worker. There were four people digging and a Theologian watching them. ¡°Please look over those people in my place. It¡¯s probably going to take about three days to dig out all of the Sacred Stones, and I hate the idea of wasting so much time.¡± ¡°Then¡­ The contract?¡± ¡°I told you I¡¯m not interested. I don¡¯t care if you invest in the land, become a building owner, or whatever, so do as you wish.¡± Reina lowered her wand. It took the executives quite some time to understand Hyun¡¯s words. Their chat became noisy as they were watching the stream. ¡¸What?! He really came here just for the Sacred Stones?!¡¹ ¡¸Hey, Keiji, you told us Hyun is trash one couldn¡¯t even negotiate with! How are you going to explain this?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right. Everyone¡¯s too naive. This is also probably part of Hyun¡¯s long-term strategy. It¡¯s better to be careful from now and not regret it in the future.¡¹ Keiji was still sure of his opinion. Mayday, who had looked at everything along with them, mumbled in disbelief. ¡¸Hmm¡­ I think that, from now on, we should reduce how much Keiji can talk and not take his opinion into consideration so much.¡¹ ¡¸Oof, I don¡¯t understand what¡¯s going on.¡¹ ¡¸Huh¡­?¡¹ Mayday let out a short exclamation. She¡¯d received a quest from Hyun through the friend window and slowly read it over. [I heard that the people Ain killed were Mayday¡¯s underlings¡­ With this quest, they should be able to overcome the death penalty a bit. Up to 25 people can participate in this quest, so if there are some places left, you could add more people. (Detailed Information)] Mayday laughed after reading the message. Hyun was too different from what she¡¯d heard. She spoke up again in the noisy guild chat. ¡¸Can we kick Keiji from the executive position?¡¹ ¡¸Hmm? Why so suddenly¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Kicking him out is a bit too much. Keiji has been of great help numerous times. Although, this time, his criteria were a bit weird.¡¹ ¡¸Weird?!¡¹ ¡¸Hmm. I guess so¡­¡¹ When she thought about it, except when it was about Hyun, Keiji was always right. Anyway, Mayday concluded that she would be more careful about listening to other people from then on. Chapter 192 Chapter 192 ¨C Changing Things (1) The fog seeped through the cliff walls and swept over the surface of Demonia Gorge for ten minutes before vanishing. It was something that happened once or twice a day in Demonia Gorge. [Logging in to Asrian!] Those that had escaped the fog by logging out logged in again once the fog was gone. Hyun, Ain, and the workers that they¡¯d hired appeared all at once. It had been three days since the incident. Hyun returned to the place to obtain the Sacred Stones they¡¯d gathered for the past three days. ¡®It has only been four days since I was last here, but it changed completely.¡¯ The architects had built a fortress that surrounded the canyon, and magic circles shone from the tops of the walls. He could see the members of the Darkness Guild between the walls. Thanks to that, a defense structure was made. The wall that surrounded Demonia Gorge was like a big castle that was a few kilometers in size. It was so big that Hyun wouldn¡¯t even think of going through it if he didn¡¯t have ?Possession?. ¡®There weren¡¯t many cases of a user building a castle in Asra.¡¯ Was it because it was a castle built by users? It fused modern designs and Asrian¡¯s fantasy architecture, so it gave off a mysterious atmosphere. There were numerous buildings for all sorts of things surrounded by the walls that looked like something from a fantasy movie. ¡®It seems like the border between the game and real life is starting to disappear.¡¯ The movie industry becoming interested in Asrian, the birth of a new job called the Magic Engineer, and people doing part-time jobs in Asrian were probably because of that. It was something unique to Asrian that he hadn¡¯t seen before in Asra. Hyun had no intention of ignoring that difference. On the other hand, he began thinking he should also accept that change faster. He thought that he had probably been lucky. Thanks to Robert, Jini, and Darkness, he¡¯d opened his eyes to a new world faster than others. [You¡¯ve obtained a Sacred Stone x 28!] ¡°Exactly 28.¡± Hyun nodded after checking the items he received from Mayday. He checked the amount of Sacred Stones and how much divine power each had. He was thinking of comparing it to the numbers obtained by the Theologian and acting on it if the numbers were too different¡­ but thankfully, there wasn¡¯t a need to do that. ¡°Also, please accept this.¡± He also received another gift from Mayday. ¡°This¡­?¡± ¡¸Hmm? What¡¯s that?!¡¹ Ain¡¯s eyes shone when she realized it was a ¡®ring.¡¯ ¡°Ha. I don¡¯t need something like th¡ª!¡± ¡¸Hey, stop!¡¹ Hyun used his control priority to silence Ain, but the voice had already come out. Mayday knew the effects of ?Assimilation?, so she realized it was ¡®Ain¡¯ and not ¡®Hyun¡¯ who said that, and she added some explanation. ¡°It isn¡¯t a personal gift, but it is something that the guild is giving you, so you don¡¯t need to feel pressured.¡± [Ring of the Unidentified Henchmen] ¨C An old ring someone used to use a long time ago. ¨C Some Demonic Energy can be detected. ¡¸What. It¡¯s a quest item¡­?¡¹ Ain calmed down after realizing that the ring wasn¡¯t a piece of equipment. ¡°We struggled a lot to obtain it, but no one knew how to use it. We thought that maybe you would know.¡± Even without Mayday saying it, Hyun could guess how to ¡®use¡¯ the ring. It was probably similar to Louise¡¯s necklace. The old necklace was still inside Hyun¡¯s inventory. He¡¯d tried to return it to her after meeting Louise, but she didn¡¯t accept it, so it was still in his inventory. ¡°If it¡¯s a gift, I¡¯ll gladly take it.¡± After receiving the ring, Hyun began to examine it; then he realized something about it. ¡ªThe symbol on the ring seemed familiar to him. Two bolts of lightning intersecting¡­ Hyun could guess whose it was without checking the interloop. ¡°A Heavenly Being¡¯s¡­?¡± Mayday¡¯s eyes shone after hearing Hyun¡¯s mumble. ¡°As expected. You know something, right?¡± ¡°No. I have an idea, but I¡¯m not 100% sure¡­¡± Hyun¡¯s reply could sound suspicious from the point of view of the person who gave him the ring, but Mayday didn¡¯t question it. After a short greeting, Hyun left the Gorge along with the workers who¡¯d spent eight hours a day working for the past three days. ¡®I have the Sacred Stones, so I guess I won¡¯t have to come back here for a while.¡¯ They met a group of devils while they crossed Hetrian Forest, but to someone with the Blessing of Darkness, a forest full of devils wasn¡¯t different from one with animals. It took them 30 minutes to reach the town. The last day¡­ Someone complained, saying that digging for the entire day was too hard, but the other users said that they wouldn¡¯t be able to forget what happened that day and expressed their regret. The Theologian who liked Ain seemed quite sad. He didn¡¯t have any lingering feelings about people he would probably never see again. After saying farewells, he teleported to a high-level hunting ground in the north. Ain opened her mouth after they reached the town. ¡¸Hyun, you¡¯re quite cold.¡¹ ¡¸Hmm?¡¹ ¡¸It was a girl that looked like me. I was wondering what I would do if you found yourself unable to refuse her.¡¹ ¡¸You weren¡¯t similar at all¡­ Her face was different, and she was taller than you.¡¹ ¡¸Does that mean you can recognize all my disguises?¡¹ ¡¸In most cases, yeah.¡¹ The hunting ground was an area that most users couldn¡¯t get close to due to how cold it was. Hyun and Ain hunted monsters while talking as usual. ¡¸I think it should be fun if I add wind-type attacks.¡¹ ¡¸Why? Did you like it after testing it with ?Possession??¡¹ ¡¸A bit?¡¹ It was 3 am. They were able to reach their goal before Ain went to sleep. Fwoosh! A level-up effect popped up from Ain. ¡®We were able to reduce our level gap to five.¡¯ After the Main Quest, he had gained many levels at once, so they were focusing on reducing the level gap between them. To be able to hunt and do quests together more comfortably, it was better to have similar levels. He was giving all the experience to Ain, so in two or three days, they would probably be able to close the gap in their levels. [Hyun (Lv. 182)] HP: 16016/16016 Mana: 1295/1440 Demonic Energy: 300300/300300 Job: Shadow Linker (Hidden) Tendency: -83 (Abyss) [Strength: 58] [Agility: 145] [Vitality: 88] [Magical Power: 144] [Empathy: 462] There had been many changes to Hyun¡¯s specs thanks to the experience dungeon, Main Quest, and History Quests. He¡¯d evenly distributed the Agility, Magical Power, and Empathy stats, so that calculation was easy, but it became a bit complicated when he considered his skills. Hyun had even used the skill reset potion, so his skill order had also changed. After thinking about it for a while, the best combination of skills he could reach was the following: [Skill List. 1] [?Shadow Shield? Lv.9] [?Shield? Lv.0] [?Wind Barrier? Lv.4] [?Pray? Lv.9] [?Angel¡¯s Basic Sword Art? Lv.6] [?Blessing of Darkness? Lv.Max] (¡ù You have ¡®2¡¯ unused skill points in this skill list!) [?Impact Amplification? Lv.5] [?Powerless Wave? Lv.5] [?Invisible? Lv.4] [?Biorhythm Acceleration? Lv.2] (¡ù You have ¡¯13¡¯ unused skill points in this skill list!) Hyun hadn¡¯t learned a new skill for a simple reason¡­ When ?Assimilating? with Ain, ?Impact Amplification?, ?Latent Potential Increase (Magical Power)?, and ?Latent Potential Increase (Agility)? were pretty much always at their maximum of three stacks. If they added ?Invisible? and ?Biorhythm Acceleration?, Ain would end up reaching the maximum amount of five buffs. Hyun couldn¡¯t add any new buffs to that, so he had two choices: Learn a debuff skill similar to ?Powerless Wave? or fortify an existing skill. Hyun chose the second option, so his skills changed like so: ?Impact Amplification? Lv.2 ¡ú 5 ?Powerless Wave? Lv.3 ¡ú 5 ?Wind Barrier? Lv.0 ¡ú 4 ?Invisible? Lv.2 ¡ú 4 ?Shadow Shield? Lv.8 ¡ú 9 He¡¯d given priority to the wave-type buffs to increase the range of the skills. Since the range went from two meters to four, he could cover an area similar to the range of ?Sword of Darkness?. ?Wind Barrier? broke too easily without an upgrade. He invested skill points to increase the duration of ?Invisible? so that it would match the three-second duration of ?Biorhythm Acceleration?. Finally, he invested almost a hundred skill points to take ?Shadow Shield? from level eight to nine. Hyun had to empty one skill slot for that one. Not only that, but taking it from level nine to ten required 150 skill points, so he couldn¡¯t do it yet. ¡®Is it because it¡¯s a skill related to Demonic Energy? How many points it uses is ridiculous.¡¯ From the description, it was clear that it was a skill worthy of investing in. The damage absorption went from [Empathy]x150 ¡ú x200. The maximum amount of Demonic Energy he could have had increased from [Empathy]x500 ¡ú x650, so the maximum amount of Demonic Energy he could have surpassed three hundred thousand. The most important effect¡­ The sister skill of the ?Sword of Darkness?, the ?Armor of Darkness?, was generated. [?Armor of Darkness?] ¨C Use all the Demonic Energy you have and create a shield for the same amount. ¨C The shield lasts for [Empathy/100] seconds. (Max 5 seconds) ¨C When the duration ends, the remaining shield becomes ¡®Demonic Energy¡¯ again. If the ?Sword of Darkness? was an offensive skill that burned all of your Demonic Energy, the ?Armor of Darkness? was a skill that used all of the Demonic Energy and allowed you to withstand a blow. With enough Demonic Energy, you could create a shield capable of resisting an attack that dealt more than a hundred thousand damage, so in a sense, it was the most support-like skill he had. ¡®That¡¯s too bad. It would be a great skill if it didn¡¯t have the five-second limit.¡¯ It also lacked in other terms compared to the ?Sword of Darkness? in that there was a limit to its duration. ¡®It¡¯s still great compared to one second.¡¯ The last change was in his ¡®title.¡¯ [Darkness¡¯s Shadow] ¨C Increase resistance to Darkness-type attacks by 20%. ¨C Now, even while you have Demonic Energy, skills don¡¯t lose their colors. (On/Off possible) It was the second title he¡¯d obtained after ¡®Heavenly Being¡¯. Having resistance to an element was always welcome. Although the second option didn¡¯t seem like much initially, it was more useful than expected. After changing his job to a Shadow Linker, something bothersome began happening. ¡­His body turned pitch-black when the amount of Demonic Energy he had increased, and now he could stop that from happening. ¡®I can finally walk around the towns now.¡¯ Until that point, Hyun had used the ?Sword of Darkness? from time to time to empty his Demonic Energy so that NPCs wouldn¡¯t be wary of him. Thanks to the title, he didn¡¯t have to do that anymore. ¡®Should I also check out Ain¡¯s?¡¯ Hyun decided to check out her stats since he was ?Assimilated? to her. After all, Ain was his partner and would also be in the future. [Ain (Lv. 177)] The following soul is Assimilated: Hyun (Lv. 182) HP: 17352/18408 Mana: 4836/6310 Demonic Energy: 0(+300300)/0(+300300) Job: Elemental Berserker (Hidden) Tendency: -3 (Abyss) [Strength: 25 (+12)] [Agility: 215(+29)] [Vitality: 86(+18)] [Magical Power: 356(+275)] The biggest change was Ain¡¯s faction. They had to think about whether she would keep being part of the Abyss or convert to the Heavens again. Besides that, her stats had also improved. Ain had increased her Agility and Magical Power in equal amounts, but thanks to ?Assimilation?, her Magical Power stat had surpassed 600. The total stat value with ?Assimilation? was 1015, which was ridiculous! ¡®?Assimilation? is definitely an impressive ultimate attack.¡¯ At first glance, they seemed like specs beyond those of a level 400 user¡­ It was impressive, but that wasn¡¯t all. Asrian¡¯s growth system¡­ 200, 300, 400¡­ The higher the level of a user went, the harder growing became, but instead, growth rate increased. For example, you obtained three stat points per level from level 200 on. From level 300, earned skill points also changed. From level 400¡­ Every level was extremely difficult to increase, and how much stronger you become with each level couldn¡¯t be compared to before. Taking everything into consideration, 1015 stats were equal to a level 350 user that hadn¡¯t received any achievement bonuses. Of course, that was already quite impressive. ¡®This¡­ Has remained the same.¡¯ [¡ù You have ¡®133¡¯ unused skill points!] Surprisingly, Ain hadn¡¯t used a single skill point after she surpassed level 100! She probably hadn¡¯t felt the need to because he was almost always ?Assimilated? into her. ¡°I wanted to test other attributes as well.¡± ¡ªThat was Ain¡¯s answer when he asked her about the skills. Chapter 193 Chapter 193 ¨C Where¡¯s Louise? (1) Fire, wind, lightning, and ice¡­ The Elemental Berserker had four skill trees, so he was curious about which element she¡¯d choose. ¡¸It¡¯s late. Aren¡¯t you going to sleep?¡¹ Hyun realized Ain hadn¡¯t logged off while he read the status window. It was very late. ¡¸I want to sleep.¡¹ ¡¸Yes. See you tomorrow.¡¹ ¡¸Hyun, you too. Go to sleep.¡¹ [¡®Ain¡¯ has logged off!] With the log-out message, silence came. Ain usually wasn¡¯t online from three in the morning to five. A few weeks prior, no, five years prior in the game¡¯s time, he had played with Louise during those hours. Not being able to do that, he spent most of the time alone. He did things like organizing his inventory, searching for quests, scouting the item market, etc¡­ basically, he did the mundane things. He also practiced alone or burned time in the Duel Arena. Those past few days, he used ?Pray? to check on Louise. Shouldn¡¯t she have come searching for him already? There¡¯s no way Louise hadn¡¯t heard that ¡®users¡¯ had begun appearing again, yet there was no news from her. Did something happen like on Iluna? Maybe she was too busy at the moment. She said not to trust anyone in the letter. Why had she said something like that? Hyun used ?Pray? from time to time while worrying over such thoughts. ¡®I¡¯m not sure.¡¯ Was it because her Empathy was restricted, or was it because there was too much distance? He couldn¡¯t feel her emotions as clearly as before, and it wasn¡¯t that her personality had changed. Those past few days, although it was weak, Hyun could feel slight but intense emotions. Those emotions didn¡¯t seem to belong to the girl who had a lot of fear, but they felt similar to those that appeared when Louise made up her mind about something. Even then, Louise was probably fighting for something. ¡®If it¡¯s similar to the story of the previous game¡­¡¯ Hyun looked at the sky. There were hundreds, no, thousands of islands floating in the skies. Five years before, Darkness¡¯s heart went over the clouds and reached the territory of the Heavenly Beings. Considering that the episode of Darkness started from that point, Louise would probably be on one of the thousands of islands floating in the skies. She¡¯d probably restricted her Empathy to hide from the Heavenly Beings. ¡®If that¡¯s the case, I guess finding her will be harder than before.¡¯ Iluna was a place you could go to by spending money, but the land of the Heavenly Beings wasn¡¯t like that. A normal human wouldn¡¯t be able to step foot inside most of the places there. He would probably be barred from entry, even with his Heavenly Being title. In reality, he and Ain lacked strength compared to the Heavenly Beings, and there was no way to overcome the rank among Heavenly Beings. The fact they were users was probably going to hinder them. ¡®Should I use this?¡¯ Louise¡¯s necklace¡­ If there was still ¡®Demonic Energy¡¯ left inside this item, he could use the ¡®Demonic Energy Crystal¡¯ to find Louise¡¯s location. ¡®No. This time, it¡¯s going to be hard.¡¯ Hyun shook his head after thinking about it for a while. The thousands of islands that floated in the sky above the clouds moved about quickly. They could reach the other side of Asra in just a few hours, so pinpointing her location at just a single moment was pointless. ¡®I¡¯ll just have to wait, like the letter says, until Louise comes to find me.¡¯ One day, they would meet again. He had no other choice but to think positively like that. Hyun decided to focus on leveling up for the time being. Ten more days passed. Hyun and Ain¡¯s levels equaled out, and each went up another five levels. Hyun thought about hunting a hidden named, but he decided not to. Finding a hidden named that was above level 100 would take them a few days. Not only that, but their spawn rate was quite random. Rather than using a strategy with a random component, he decided to pick a definite one. ¡®I¡¯m going to get to level 200 and increase the proficiency rate of ?Angel¡¯s Sword Art?.¡¯ There was some interesting news during those 10 days. Lattice¡¯s name had suddenly disappeared from the Hall of Fame, and the forever-2nd-place, Mayday, became ranked 1st for the first time. There were a few people that mentioned seeing him, so it seemed like he hadn¡¯t deleted his ID. ¡®Is he doing a secret quest?¡¯ If you deleted your name from the Hall of Fame, your popularity among NPCs diminished. Ain¡¯s name was being forgotten among Empire NPCs because of that. In most cases, having recognition was better, but there were some quests you could only do by having a low recognition, so Hyun thought that Lattice probably had such a reason. There was also another piece of news¡­ The Darkness Guild announced that they were going to recruit a thousand guild members. Darkness had 500 members when they announced that, so that meant they were going to triple their numbers. There was no need to say that users from around the world gathered to do the Darkness Guild entrance test. ¡®To think that they can control such an amount of people.¡¯ Hyun felt a bit wary after reading that news. The size of their guild was something one couldn¡¯t have imagined during the Asra times. Hyun began thinking about how he would do if he had to fight against them in the future. ¡®Maybe I should start building my forces.¡¯ While they were spending the day following his plans¡­ ¡®Hmm?¡¯ Hyun visited the Knight¡¯s Road with Ain for the first time in a very long time to increase the proficiency rate of ?Angel¡¯s Basic Sword Art?. Hyun¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Unlike in normal cities, on the Knight¡¯s Road, big posters were posted with requests throughout the road, and among them, there was a face Hyun was familiar with. The Empire was offering compensation for someone. [White Witch] ¡¸(Picture)¡¹ ¡¸This person infiltrated Hartia Temple¡­ X year X month X day, killed two people in the Sentinel River and escaped¡­ Last seen X year X month, X day.¡¹ ¡¸She controls an evil Demonic Energy wind, so you should be careful.¡¹ [Reward: 22500 gold] ¡°Wait¡­ don¡¯t tell me?¡± ¡°Hyun. Isn¡¯t that Louise?!¡± Ain shouted in surprise. The wanted sign and the picture in the letter overlapped within Hyun¡¯s head. It wasn¡¯t just the face that was similar. ¡°So it¡¯s Louise!¡± It said that the witch that was in the wanted sign controlled a Demonic Energy wind. ?Black Wind?¡­ It was probably talking about Louise¡¯s main skill! ¡°Hyun, you said she would probably be in the land of Heavenly Beings¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I thought, but what happened?!¡± Ain realized something and shouted. ¡°Huh? Check out the ¡®last seen¡¯ date!¡± ¡°A week ago¡­? It hasn¡¯t been long!¡± Hyun felt as if he¡¯d been hit with a hammer. It had been two weeks since the patch ended. The incidents described in the wanted sign had happened a week prior. Basically, it was after he and the other users had returned to Asrian. He felt that Louise was fighting against something when he used ?Pray?, which was why Hyun thought that she was probably fighting somewhere in the sky like it had been in Asra, but that guess was completely wrong. ¡°Louise¡­ Do you think she¡¯s still in the Empire?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but she definitely isn¡¯t in the sky!¡± Hyun realized that history had changed once more. Asrian¡¯s history flowed in a similar way to Asra¡¯s, but there were some differences like that one. ¡°Why hasn¡¯t she come to see us? If she isn¡¯t in the territory of the Heavenly Beings, she should have some space to do that.¡± ¡°How should I know?¡± It was just as Ain said. It had been two weeks since he¡¯d read Louise¡¯s letter that told him to wait for her. Did he have to go and search for her, or was he supposed to wait like the message told him to? Ting-! Hyun was thinking that when he suddenly received a message. ¡°Huh¡­ A quest!¡± There were some quests in Asrian that activated when you became aware of something. After getting out of Darkness¡¯s land, Hyun received the Main Quest again. ¡°I got it as well!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Look! Isn¡¯t this the same one that you received? It even says ¡®Main Quest¡¯.¡± For some reason, Ain received the quest as well. That night, in the private room¡­ Hyun thought about what had happened. ¡®To think that I would suddenly get the Main Quest.¡¯ His goal had been to reach level 200 and increase the proficiency rate of ?Angel¡¯s Basic Sword Art?, but it seemed like he¡¯d have to change plans. The Main Quest, which didn¡¯t interfere with history, had a secret ¡®time limit.¡¯ If he didn¡¯t do anything, the quest could end up failing on its own¡ªhe¡¯d learned that from previous experience. ¡®I¡¯ll have to do this first.¡¯ The reward of a Main Quest far exceeded those of a normal quest. Even if it weren¡¯t for the rewards, Hyun wanted to meet up with Louise quickly. He realized her state wasn¡¯t good after he used ?Pray?. Hyun once again read the description of the Main Quest. [Main Quest: Reunion with Louise] ¨C If Darkness doesn¡¯t come searching for you, you should go and find her. ¨C Finding one of her underlings first might be one way. ¨C You¡¯ll probably understand her intentions as you search for her. The goal of the quest was to find Louise. Hyun thought about the last part of the quest. Louise¡¯s intentions¡­ What could her intentions be? Seeing that she hadn¡¯t gone to the private room, was sealing her Empathy part of her plan? There was a sentence that said not to trust anyone in the letter she had left. ¡®Maybe there¡¯s a spy or a traitor in the Abyss¡¯s forces.¡¯ Maybe she¡¯d sealed her Empathy to stop information from leaking. Hyun thought of numerous possibilities but couldn¡¯t find an answer. ¡®I won¡¯t know the answer until I meet her. I¡¯ll have to find and ask her in person.¡¯ He had to figure out a way to find Louise first. The Empire was big. If he had to compare it to Earth landmarks, it would be around half the size of Asia. His first strategy was the same one he had used on Iluna. The necklace Louise had used for a long time had her unique, characteristic Demonic Energy. Thanks to that necklace, he would probably be able to use the ¡®Demonic Energy Crystal¡¯ to figure out her location. ¡®If I could use the Demonic Energy Crystal again¡­¡¯ Infiltrating the Abyss Repository was a quest that appeared in the History Quests, but a few users that were interested in the quest had reported that it wasn¡¯t possible to reach the Abyss Repository using the same strategy as before. Thanks to that, Hyun realized that the location of the Abyss Repository had changed. ¡®No, it isn¡¯t going to be as easy as before. The security has probably become tighter.¡¯ It was obvious. The Dukes weren¡¯t stupid enough not to do anything after realizing someone had infiltrated. ¡®Yes. I¡¯m going to ask a Duke.¡¯ Rather than the strategy he thought of, Hyun decided to focus on the quest¡¯s description. Until then, he¡¯d never been harmed from following a quest¡¯s description. ¨C Finding one of her underlings first might be one way. Wasn¡¯t that an indication that he should search for a ¡®Duke¡¯? It had been five years since the ceremony, so most Dukes like Bahmir or Scothanatos had realized that Louise was ¡®Darkness.¡¯ Since they were Dukes that served Darkness, they were probably aware of her location! That¡¯s right¡­ Hyun decided to ask a Duke about Louise¡¯s location. ¡®I hope it isn¡¯t dangerous.¡¯ Hyun was thinking about what was written in the letter. Louise had said not to trust anyone except Ain, and maybe that ¡®no one¡¯ included the Dukes that served Darkness. Hyun thought that he should be careful when he talked to a Duke. ¡®Okay, I¡¯ll have to ask TarrTarr!¡¯ It was early in the morning inside the private room. Hyun realized TarrTarr was online after he checked the guild¡¯s status window. It was four in the morning. Why wasn¡¯t he sleeping? He wondered about it for a bit but decided to send a whisper after realizing it was due to a timezone difference. Chapter 194 Chapter 194 ¨C Where¡¯s Louise? (2) ¡¸Are you busy?¡¹ A reply came after a while. ¡¸Hello? Are you planning to send me more footage?¡¹ ¡¸No. We aren¡¯t going to make videos for the time being.¡¹ Thanks to the success of the History Quest strategy videos, Hyun didn¡¯t feel the need to upload more videos. He earned enough money just to lay around and play for a long time without doing anything else thanks to those videos. The day before, he¡¯d spent almost 80 thousand USD on a new capsule machine. He had plenty of room for other uses, too. ¡¸Then, what¡¯s going on¡­? Ah, you¡¯re going to pay me, right?¡¹ ¡¸Oh, yeah. I forgot about that. I¡¯ll give that to you tomorrow, but besides that¡­ You can talk with the Duke, right?¡¹ ¡¸Yes, but why do you ask?¡¹ ¡¸Then come to the private room.¡¹ AHyun began to prepare for the encounter with the Duke. ¡®I haven¡¯t done anything wrong, but¡­¡¯ He decided to take insurance just in case. He wanted to increase friendliness with the Duke as much as possible. ¡®Blessing of Darkness, On.¡¯ After a while, TarrTarr got to the private room and called the name of the Duke. Intense Demonic Energy began gathering in the lobby. [Duke Bahmir wants to visit the private room of the Shade Guild!] [Will you let him in? Y/N] A black magic circle appeared on the floor. Bahmir, who had walked out of the magic circle, was emitting ferocious energy as always. As the figure of the Duke became clearer, Hyun became more nervous. The Duke had seen his, Ain¡¯s, and Louise¡¯s faces in Darkness¡¯s land. Since he knew that Louise was Darkness, how would he react to him? The Demonic Energy curtain went off, and the Duke appeared with a smile and looked around. ¡°Long time no see.¡± ¡°Haha. Is that right?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s been five years for me. You two haven¡¯t changed at all.¡± Bahmir had clearly gone through some changes. It wasn¡¯t that he¡¯d become older, but the Demonic Energy that lingered around him had changed. Hyun could feel that the Duke¡¯s Demonic Energy had become thicker and stronger compared to five years before. ¡°Duke¡­ you¡¯ve changed a lot.¡± ¡°Woah, you noticed that? To be more precise, all those that serve Darkness have changed.¡± As Darkness recovered her strength, all of her underlings would become stronger. The energy surrounding Bahmir had probably changed because the soul knot that connected him with Darkness had become stronger. ¡®Does the Duke know where Louise is?¡¯ If the letter hadn¡¯t warned him, Hyun would have immediately asked him, but he was thinking of making the Duke open his mouth first. Thankfully, because Hyun had the ¡®Blessing of Darkness,¡¯ the Duke had a positive opinion of him. They sat at the table in the lobby along with TarrTarr. Hyun responded positively and agreed to what the Duke said in a close imitation of what someone just entering the workforce would be like. Hyun had one more secret weapon¡­ He always thought spending money on food inside the game was a waste, but something happened that changed his opinion. The alcohol with a taste that changed depending on the amount of Demonic Energy you had, the Frenzy Immersed in Darkness! ¡®To think this would be of help here.¡¯ He¡¯d bought too much, so he couldn¡¯t keep it in his inventory, but Louise would drink them all if he left them hanging around anywhere, so that¡¯s why he¡¯d hidden them. ¡°Hmm? You have this?¡± ¡°Yes. I prepared it for the Duke.¡± ¡°Hahaha, good.¡± Bahmir¡¯s smile deepened after seeing the Frenzy Immersed in Darkness. Good alcohol and the Blessing of Darkness¡­ ¡®Fufu. Yes, you should give me any information you can.¡¯ By using a strategy to increase the positive opinion as much as possible, Hyun was able to obtain quite a lot of information from the Duke. Bahmir¡¯s story started with a brag about himself. He was proud that his rank went from around 100 to 50. According to him, it wasn¡¯t common for a Duke that used to be a human to reach the top 50. The society of the Dukes that belonged to the Abyss was a part of the game Hyun didn¡¯t know much about, so he just listened to Bahmir¡¯s explanation. Suddenly, the Duke began talking about that day five years prior. ¡°What relation do you have with Darkness? You were with her before.¡± ¡°Ah. About that, you see¡­¡± Hyun told him the answer he¡¯d prepared beforehand about how he¡¯d met Louise and why she was with him. He told him that, before the ceremony, he didn¡¯t know she was Darkness. Bahmir nodded when he heard that because he also hadn¡¯t noticed her identity. After a while, something interesting came out of Bahmir¡¯s mouth. ¡°Have you heard anything about Darkness¡¯s movement in the past five years?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking if you¡¯ve heard any news about her.¡± At that moment, Hyun thought of the wanted poster and the letter, but he shook his head. ¡°No¡­ I don¡¯t know what happened while time was stopped.¡± ¡°I asked just in case¡­ but as expected, you also don¡¯t know.¡± Bahmir clicked his tongue and began explaining what had happened during the past years. ¡°I¡¯m going to tell you what happened. After the ceremony ended, we were connected with Darkness through Empathy for a very short moment.¡± ¡°A short moment¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. After a short while, her Empathy was sealed again, and once the ceremony was done, she disappeared.¡± That was something Hyun didn¡¯t know. According to Bahmir, no one had seen Louise for the past five years. ¡°Then¡­ you also don¡¯t know where Darkness is?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t just me. No one has seen or felt her. Scothanatos said he followed the traces of Demonic Energy, but he wasn¡¯t sure where she disappeared to.¡± ¡°Why did she disappear?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­ If the skeleton doesn¡¯t know, then no one does.¡± ¡®Even the Dukes don¡¯t know¡­!¡¯ At that point, Hyun realized history had changed once more. In the previous game, from the first moment Darkness appeared, she used the Dukes as her underlings. She had borrowed the strength of the Dukes to increase her influence and was a menace to the Heavenly Beings because of that. On the other hand, Louise was alone, wandering around somewhere in the Empire. ¡°But still, there¡¯s a place I can think of.¡± Hyun came back to his senses after hearing what Bahmir said next. ¡°Where¡¯s that?¡± Bahmir pointed toward the sky and said, ¡°The sky.¡± ¡°The sky¡­?¡± ¡°It is something that Scothanatos said.¡± ¡°You said no one knows where she went to.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. That¡¯s why I said it¡¯s a place I can think of.¡¯ For Darkness to fully recover her strength, she had to regain the pieces of her Ego. The place where her next Ego fragment was sealed was the sky, so that¡¯s why the Duke thought that. Hyun was troubled. According to the Duke¡¯s explanation, Louise was in the sky¡ªjust like he¡¯d thought at the beginning. ¡®Since there¡¯s wanted signs for her, she shouldn¡¯t be in the sky¡­¡¯ In the end, Hyun decided to use the first strategy. ¡®I¡¯ll have to find her.¡¯ After the Duke finished part of his explanation, Hyun asked him a question. ¡°There was something I wanted to ask.¡± ¡°Say it.¡± ¡°Do you happen to know where the Abyss Repository is?¡± Bahmir¡¯s eyes narrowed after hearing the words ¡®Abyss Repository¡¯. ¡°Of course I know.¡± ¡°Then, I want to use the Demonic Energy Crystal.¡± At Hyun¡¯s request, the Duke asked back in a low voice, ¡°For what purpose¡­?¡± The Abyss Repository was a place allowed to Dukes only. Although Hyun¡¯s action in Darkness¡¯s land was impressive, he was still a normal human being. On top of that, he was a user, so there was no way he¡¯d easily accept. His being willing to ask for the reason instead of outright denying it was already progress. ¡®How should I answer?¡¯ Although he was planning to use it to find Louise¡­ Hyun decided to use another reason just in case. He thought of a way to get the Duke¡¯s attention and not to touch his nerves. Hyun showed him the ring Mayday had given him. ¡°It¡¯s to find this ring¡¯s owner.¡± ¡°Hmm? That¡¯s interesting. Does this belong to a Heavenly Being¡­?¡± The Duke¡¯s eyes showed interest. ¡°Still, it has Demonic Energy.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Well. If it¡¯s to find a Heavenly Being, I guess it doesn¡¯t concern me.¡± ¡°Does that mean you can let me use the Demonic Energy Crystal?¡± ¡°Hmm. If it¡¯s you, I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t do anything dumb¡­¡± The Duke didn¡¯t immediately accept. ¡°Before that, you¡¯ll have to prove one more thing if you didn¡¯t know about the existence of Darkness before the ceremony.¡± Ting-! Hyun returned to his senses after suddenly hearing a notification sound because he¡¯d received a quest out of nothing. Bahmir¡¯s story began with an incident Hyun was familiar with. ¡°You don¡¯t know this¡­ but previously, a rat infiltrated the Abyss Repository. He disappeared after using the Demonic Energy Crystal twice, but we weren¡¯t able to catch him. That¡¯s also why security around the Abyss Repository has become tighter.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Bahmir¡¯s eyes while saying that were so scary that Hyun couldn¡¯t say it was him who had infiltrated the Abyss Repository. ¡°We weren¡¯t able to figure out the rat¡¯s intention, but there¡¯s something we¡¯re sure of¡­ He was definitely a spy of the Heavens.¡± ¡°A spy¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. These past five years, we¡¯ve exposed numerous spies. There were some cases in which someone from the Heavens managed to hide his identity, and there were some others that were part of the Abyss but changed factions.¡± The Duke gave the Holy Knight that was in Kaidan Castle as an example. Back then, someone from the Heavens had hidden his identity and taken over his castle. ¡°Of course, we executed the spies, but do you know what all those that changed factions had in common?¡± As Hyun shook his head, Bahmir answered with a smile on his face. ¡°They all were part of ¡®Deception¡¯s¡¯ forces!¡± He kept talking. ¡°I have no doubts you are loyal to the Abyss. Not only did you help me recover my castle, but you also managed to make Darkness¡¯s ceremony a success. Still, I¡¯m not sure you won¡¯t get deceived by the forces of Deception.¡± Bahmir wanted to make sure of Hyun¡¯s loyalty to Darkness. ¡°Prove that your loyalty is directed toward Darkness in the Ranking Ceremony. If you do, I¡¯ll let you use the Demonic Energy Crystal.¡± Ting! After the Duke finished talking, Hyun got a new message. [Quest: A faction against a faction] ¨C Participate in Bahmir¡¯s ceremony and show him you¡¯re loyal to Darkness. ¨C In the Ranking Ceremony, you¡¯ll have to face Dukes that are against Darkness¡ªDukes that serve Deception. There might even be spies that belong to the Heavens. ¨C Could defeating them help Darkness? (Reward: Increase friendship rate with Bahmir, decrease friendship rate with the forces of Deception) (On Failure: Decrease friendship rate with the forces of Deception) ¡°I haven¡¯t seen them personally, but I heard about your abilities many times. According to Mablen and Scothanatos, you¡¯re quite clever. Use that against the forces of Deception.¡± ¡°Still¡­ Is there a need to use strategy in a Ranking Ceremony?¡± Hyun couldn¡¯t help but have some doubts. According to his memories, the ceremony consisted of a one-on-one duel that lasted until one was put into a near-death situation. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll have a place in a fight between Dukes¡­¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. I haven¡¯t told you yet.¡± At that moment, something Hyun hadn¡¯t expected came out of the Duke¡¯s mouth. ¡°Have you heard about ¡®tournaments¡¯?¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°After users appeared, many things around the world changed. You really have quite a few forms of entertainment, and they¡¯re all quite addictive. Even during the five years you weren¡¯t here, the users¡¯ culture spread around the world.¡± ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­?¡¯ Suddenly, Hyun imagined something that made no sense. ¡°How the Ranking Ceremony is conducted changed because of that. It¡¯s similar to the tournaments created by users, so you are probably going to be familiar with it, too.¡± What Bahmir said next was exactly what he imagined. While time was stopped, the culture of the real world spread among the Dukes. Hyun was so surprised that he couldn¡¯t say anything for a while. Chapter 195 Chapter 195 ¨C The Ranking Ceremony That Changed (1) ¡®The Ranking Ceremony changed format and became a tournament? Really¡­?¡¯ ¡°I¡¯ve seen a tournament among users before.¡± After tournaments appeared, other types of matches were added to the Duel Arena. Besides the 1 vs. 1, 2 vs. 2, and 3 vs. 3, ¡®league matches¡¯ were added. More users were doing ¡®league matches¡¯ than simple duels because you could earn ¡®Battle Coins¡¯ faster through league matches. The Duke said he¡¯d visited the Duel Arena before. NPCs had no reason to visit the Duel Arena, but it wasn¡¯t that they were forbidden. It seemed like he¡¯d also seen a tournament of professional gamers through the screens inside the Duel Arena. ¡°It seemed like a group called Stardust won.¡± ¡°You even saw that match?!¡± ¡°No, what I saw was another tournament, but I heard the news.¡± ¡°Oh, my god¡­¡± To be honest, news of the Duke¡¯s Ranking Ceremony had been covered by some Asrian-related news outlets and community boards. There was a column posted with the title [NPCs that imitate users], but it was buried because of the History Quests, concerns about where Lattice was, what the Darkness Guild was doing, and information about the patch, among other things. ¡°The high-ranking Dukes were mesmerized by the tournament, ao many people started saying that we should change the Ranking Ceremony format to something similar. That¡¯s why¡­ something like this appeared during the five years you guys weren¡¯t here.¡± BZZT! As Bahmir¡¯s hands shone, a light appeared in the air. Footage was displayed on the screen that was created in mid-air. ¡°This is how the ceremony currently looks.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Do you want to watch it?¡± Hyun approached the light without being able to answer the Duke¡¯s words. A battle was happening inside a big magic circle as if it were a movie, and two armies were clashing across the fort. The people leading the armies were probably imitating ¡®players.¡¯ Others who looked like the Duke¡¯s underlings were cheering from outside the magic circle. Hyun didn¡¯t know what to say at the familiar yet foreign scene. ¡°A tournament¡­¡± ¡°Hahaha, that¡¯s right. They said that Magicians struggled quite a lot to recreate the magic circle.¡± Bahmir told Hyun many things. When a competitor received fatal damage, the magic circle surrounding the tournament arena sent the competitor to a respawn area, and then it recovered their HP for 60 seconds. It seemed like the lives of those that weren¡¯t competitors wasn¡¯t guaranteed, and if something happened, they¡¯d die. ¡°The number of underlings you can use as a competitor is four.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t it be five¡­?¡± ¡°The other one is me,¡± Bahmir said while pointing to himself. Hmm? If the Duke participated, he could sweep away everyone alone, so was a tournament even possible? Hyun thought that for a short while but soon realized that Dukes had some sort of restriction. For example, the Duke couldn¡¯t move from his fortress, but he could fortify his underlings from a distance or use long-range support magic. After listening to the explanation, Hyun understood why Bahmir cared so much about ¡®strategy.¡¯ ¡®I need to see it more carefully.¡¯ After listening carefully, Hyun realized that the Ranking Ceremony and tournaments had three differences. The first one was that the level of players wasn¡¯t restricted to 100 for balance purposes among competitors. There wasn¡¯t a stat or skill restriction for those participating, so everyone could use their strength to its full extent. The second one was that defense and attack happened simultaneously. Was that why the sight of soldiers clashing against each other really made it look like a war? The third difference was how the normal soldiers participated. Although the specs of the competitors were untouched, the specs of the soldiers couldn¡¯t go beyond the established standard. The magic circle debuffed those that weren¡¯t competitors. Since their strength was limited and lives weren¡¯t guaranteed, most of the soldiers were either undead or low-ranking devils. ¡°I heard that there are some Dukes that use users as soldiers. Since they aren¡¯t afraid of dying, they can get them to participate just by offering them some rewards.¡± ¡°Users as soldiers¡­?!¡± ¡°Why are you so surprised? After all, you will participate in the Ranking Ceremony as a competitor.¡± Bahmir kept saying one explosive thing after the other. ¡°Oh, by the way, I¡¯m going to put you in charge of leading since Mablen praised your ability to make strategies.¡± It seemed like, usually, vampire Mablen was the brain among the Duke¡¯s aids. The Ranking Ceremony was very important to the Dukes, so putting a user in charge of leading was quite impressive in itself. Hyun realized that Bahmir was serious when he said he would give him an opportunity to prove himself. ¡°I¡¯m also going to let you pick all the competitors.¡± ¡°All¡­¡± ¡°Yes. The Ranking Ceremony takes place twice. In four days, there will be a defense match, and then one for the ranking, so you¡¯ll probably have to start preparing from now on. How about that? Will you accept?¡± ¡®In four days¡­¡¯ Hyun fell into thought. Accepting the Duke¡¯s quest meant it would also take that much longed to find Louise, but he didn¡¯t feel comfortable refusing it because there was a certain hint in the quest¡¯s description. ¨C Maybe lowering the ranking of the opposing Dukes will be of help to Darkness? The quest¡¯s message was absolute; it didn¡¯t lie or say things indirectly. Hyun asked the Duke another question to make sure. ¡°Who are the Dukes we have to face?¡± ¡°There are two that have been annoying me. They could be a bother to Darkness in the future.¡± Then Bahmir said the names of the two Dukes he would have to face. They were two Dukes that weren¡¯t that famous in Asra. Be a bother to Darkness¡­ What kind of secret were they hiding? ¡°I¡¯m going to accept.¡± Hyun thought that he would have to check all the details that he could while remembering what Louise said in the letter¡ªthat he shouldn¡¯t easily trust anyone. The conversation with Bahmir became long, so SeoHyun could log off once it became morning. When he opened his eyes, the sun was right up in the sky. ¡®It¡¯s already afternoon¡­ I won¡¯t be able to do the attendance check.¡¯ He didn¡¯t have time to go to school. The Duke had asked him to find him the next day and had left a teleportation magic circle in the private room. ¡®I should tell the plan to Ain as well, right?¡¯ Before going to Bahmir¡¯s castle, Hyun sent Ain a message. He told her what had happened in Asrian the past five years, what Louise told him, and about the Ranking Ceremony that the Dukes had. There were a lot of things he needed to tell her, so he couldn¡¯t wait until she logged in. While sending the messages, he suddenly received a reply from Ain. It wasn¡¯t a voice message but a written one. AIN: Hngh? How weird of you to send me a message at this hour! LeeSeoHyun: Huh? Are you in your house? AIN: School, but I connected the capsule to my phone! LeeSeoHyun: Can you reply to my messages from school? AIN: It¡¯s okay because I¡¯m in class! ¡®¡­?¡¯ Something seemed wrong, but then Hyun thought it made sense because he remembered when he used to be in school. If Ain were similar to him, she would have more free time during classes rather than breaks or lunch. Lee SeoHyun: I might be late, so wait for me in the Duel Arena. AIN: A Duel?! Lee SeoHyun: I think that we should practice by doing some league matches. AIN: League matches? Hyun, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re trying to become a professional¡­! Lee SeoHyun: That¡¯s not it. Read the message I sent you slowly. After sending a report to Ain, Hyun visited the Duke¡¯s castle. Bahmir ordered Rublen to guide Hyun through the castle. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what Mr. Bahmir is thinking.¡± Wherever the Duke wasn¡¯t present, Rublen kept complaining. It seemed like he didn¡¯t like that Bahmir had given the ability to name competitors to a weak human. ¡°You should know you¡¯re lucky and be thankful to the Duke.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Well¡­¡± Although Rublen was a strong named NPC, Hyun struggled to speak to her formally because of her young appearance. Although in the language of Asrian, there weren¡¯t honorifics, so it really didn¡¯t matter that much. ¡°I can pick the three I want, right?¡± Since the Duke knew about ?Assimilation?, there was no need to hide. There wasn¡¯t a system in the Ranking Ceremony, so they could take six participants with ?Assimilation?. The Duke didn¡¯t like that idea, so Hyun quickly said it was a joke. When he tried to name three participants other than himself and Bahmir, Rublen complained. ¡°What. Are you trying to remove Mablen and me?¡± After hearing Rublen complaining, Hyun quickly changed what he said. ¡°Then, I¡¯m going to pick one¡­¡± ¡°Fufu, that¡¯s the obvious answer.¡± Since Mablen and Rublen were Bahmir¡¯s closest aides, they were strong devils. Hyun would change them if there were a stronger devil than them, but the chances of that being the case were quite low, so Hyun decided to listen to her complain for the moment. ¡®I could change after looking at everyone.¡¯ He followed Rublen, who showed him the numerous named devils that were in the castle, from strong Magicians to brave Warriors! Even Hyun couldn¡¯t remember all of the Duke¡¯s underlings. ¡°Present me the strongest named of each tribe.¡± ¡°Named¡­? Are you talking about the leaders?¡± ¡°Well, something like that.¡± Hyun decided to look until he saw someone he liked. He was with Rublen, so he could see their level, stat, and skills. The devils knew why Rublen was walking around the castle, so they tried their best to look strong. ¡°This guy is an ogre with three heads. Hmm¡­ I forget his name, but he¡¯s the leader anyway.¡± ¡°GUOO! I, Mauran, will put my life on the line and fight for Mr. Bahmir!¡± ¡°Then, does that mean you¡¯re willing to fight as a soldier?¡± ¡°N-no. That¡¯s not what I meant¡­!¡± Rublen began judging all of the devils as if he had a say in who would be a competitor. ¡°Until this bone¡­ breaks¡­¡± ¡°It already broke. Old man, why don¡¯t you go and take a walk?¡± ¡°GRR, Ms. Rublen! This time, please give me a chance!¡± ¡°Zombie king¡­? You stink too much.¡± Rublen refused every single devil¡¯s proposal. In Hyun¡¯s eyes, everyone seemed to have at least one or two useful qualities, but it seemed like, for Rublen, they weren¡¯t good enough. Suddenly, Hyun began wondering about who had previously participated in the Ranking Ceremony. ¡°Who were the ones that participated in previous ceremonies? I think that I¡¯ll know once I see them.¡± ¡°Fufu. How unexpected. It seems like you have good eyes. Okay, I¡¯ll let you meet them immediately.¡± The next place he visited with Rublen was a luxurious location that resembled a palace, and it was full of luxurious decorations. As they walked beyond the golden candles, numerous vampires greeted Rublen. ¡°It¡¯s these guys. They can¡¯t be compared to those dirty guys we saw before!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Hyun started to look at each vampire one by one. They had stats comparable to a named. Their stats were normal¡­ and most had similar characteristics. ¡®I don¡¯t think they¡¯re better than the ones we saw before.¡¯ It would be better to have a mixture of different devils to make a good party. ¡®I don¡¯t have a reason to choose only vampires.¡¯ Hyun realized that, until that point, those who participated in the Ranking Ceremony had been decided by blood ties. ¡°Let¡¯s look around one more time.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you like my kids?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Wh-what¡­?!¡± Before Rublen got angry, Hyun mentioned the name of the Duke. ¡°It¡¯s an order from Mr. Bahmir. We should think seriously before making a decision.¡± ¡°B-but¡­!¡± ¡°Huh? Are you going to go against the Duke¡¯s will?¡± Rublen was also quite a famous NPC in the previous game. In the past, the best way to manage her was to use the Duke¡¯s name. Chapter 196 Chapter 196 ¨C The Ranking Ceremony That Changed (2) ¡°Wh-what are you talking about?! That isn¡¯t true!¡± Although she seemed bothered, she guided Hyun as he wanted, and finally, he finished looking at the leaders of each species. ¡°So¡­ choose!¡± ¡°Wait. We haven¡¯t gone there.¡± Hyun pointed to a passageway within the castle. ¡°I also saw guys that look like named wandering around. We still haven¡¯t looked at them.¡± ¡°Where are you talking ab¡­ Ah.¡± Rublen glanced where Hyun pointed and replied as if it annoyed her. ¡°We don¡¯t need to go over there. It¡¯s a resting place.¡± ¡°Resting place?¡± ¡°They¡¯re beings that got broken or lost magical power¡­ It¡¯s a vault where we guard those that cannot fight anymore.¡± ¡°So they aren¡¯t leaders?¡± ¡°They used to be leaders, but they aren¡¯t anymore.¡± Rublen used the word ¡®vault,¡¯ but it was more like a nursing home. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Haa. It¡¯s just going to be a waste of time.¡± ¡°You never know.¡± ¡°Do as you wish¡­¡± Hyun felt a sudden change of air while he was walking through the nursing home because the cries of the devils had disappeared all at once. While they were walking, someone suddenly talked to them. As he turned around, he saw a tortoise devil with a broken shell. ¡°Hahaha¡­ Mr. Rublen, what brings you here?¡± ¡°Haa. I know, right?¡± ¡°Oh. As cold as ever. Huh?¡± Hyun could see that he had a deep wound on his back. It was probably left like that because it couldn¡¯t even be healed with magic. ¡®They really seem lifeless.¡¯ There wasn¡¯t anyone with an eternal soul. Even undead stopped moving after a long time. Except for Transcendents, everyone was equal in the sense that they would eventually die. Although they lived longer than humans, devils were also mortals. ¡®Was it really a waste of time?¡¯ Hyun started to check each one¡¯s specs. Compared to the devils outside, they were missing one or two screws, but some only had the screws left. ¡®Hmm?¡¯ Hyun found a unique door while he was looking around. A door closed as if it were a vault¡­ and the doorknob was caked in dust as if nobody had entered for a long time, but it was decorated too luxuriously for it to be simply a vault. ¡°What¡¯s in there?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Really a vault.¡± ¡°A vault?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a place where we guard things without souls.¡± It seemed like Rublen had already given up; he opened the door before Hyun could say anything. Creak. The moment the magic circle shone, the door opened. The dust rose and sank. The room was dark. If it weren¡¯t for the light that entered through the ceiling, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to see anything. ¡°Are you going to enter as well?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Yes.¡± Hyun looked at the sculptures that were on both sides of the hall. There were sculptures of humans and animals, obviously, but there were also sculptures of devils or demons. Rublen said that they were broken golems. Hyun tried to use ?Assimilation? on a sculpture that looked okay, but¡­ ¡®So this is what it means by broken.¡¯ The golem didn¡¯t show any reaction. It wasn¡¯t that only parts of them were broken, but it seemed like the magic circles inside them were broken, too. ¡°Hmm? That¡­?¡± At that moment, two sculptures that were at the end of the hall grabbed his attention. They were sculptures of two twin warriors. A light shone on them through the spider web that descended from the roof. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± They were faces Hyun was familiar with. They were Darkness¡¯s underlings. Those golems, for the Darkness of when she was weak, were like her two arms. They should have been protecting Louise, so why were they in Bahmir¡¯s castle? ¡°Ah, you¡¯re talking about those dolls. Mr. Scothanatos gave them to Mr. Bahmir five years ago.¡± ¡°He gave him?¡± ¡°Yes. They¡¯re remnants of the battle.¡± Rublen told him why the twins were there. After the ceremony was over, a battle happened in the land that connected the Underground and the surface. It was a battle between those that wanted to get rid of Darkness before she could get stronger and those that wanted to protect her. ¡°Many souls disappeared in that battle; when the battle was over, there were many remnants left.¡± Rather than the Underground, the battle on the surface was more critical to the forces of the Abyss. It was obvious. The surface was a land that belonged to the Heavens¡¯ forces, so countless souls of the Abyss were broken or destroyed. As for the remnants of the battle, Scothanatos took the undead devils, but the rest was left to Bahmir. The twin golems were also part of the broken remnants. They were completely broken, so that¡¯s why they were guarded there. ¡°Disposing of them would be a waste, and reusing them as ingredients is too troublesome, so we just left them here. I guess someone will dispose of them eventually?¡± ¡°Are there more like this?¡± ¡°This is all. I¡¯ve shown you everything, so it¡¯s about time you make a choice.¡± ¡°Thank you. I¡¯m going to decide after thinking about it a bit more.¡± Hyun thanked Rublen and told her he didn¡¯t need to be guided anymore. After hearing that Hyun would remain there alone for a while, Rublen closed the door and disappeared, and Hyun was left alone among countless broken golems. After walking around the vault, Hyun faced the twin sculptures again. As he removed the spiderweb and dust that covered the faces of the sculptures, he saw their broken armor and faces. ¡®Did they become like this while trying to protect Louise?¡¯ They had their mouths open how they had been frozen five years prior. They said that a master sculptor empathized with the feelings of a sculpture while making the face. Hyun wasn¡¯t a master sculptor, but he felt they could still breathe. ¡®Maybe I can make them move again.¡¯ Most of the golems used mana to move, but those two were different. They were like Darkness¡¯s arms and protected her from her side, and they used Demonic Energy to move. Hyun took a Sacred Stone from his inventory. [Will you use a Sacred Stone on this golem?] ¡®It works!¡¯ He gulped. ¡®It seems like the core isn¡¯t completely broken yet!¡¯ Just like a human couldn¡¯t live without a heart, a golem couldn¡¯t live without its core. Even if the core were okay, he would be wasting a Sacred Stone if the magic circles inside them were destroyed. Although he would most likely fail, Hyun used a Sacred Stone without hesitation. The moment the transparent crystal entered one of the bodies¡­ FWOOSH! Demonic Energy suddenly rose and moved among the two sculptures, and it was as if they were receiving each other¡¯s power. The two sculptures resonated with each other and suddenly stopped. ¡®Are they going to react¡­?¡¯ Hyun used one more Sacred Stone. Was it because he¡¯d used a bigger Sacred Stone? [You can¡¯t put more divine power in them!] Pang! Demonic Energy exploded from the two sculptures. The two souls that had fallen asleep while protecting Darkness in a battle had woken up after five years. The muscles that had been resting for many years began to move again. The moment they saw Hyun, they took out their weapons. Their last memories were of fighting, so it was understandable that they thought that the human in front of them was an enemy. ?Blessing of Darkness?! After realizing that, Hyun turned on the blessing. ¡®Haa. That was close.¡¯ The golems stopped moving. They¡¯d felt a familiar energy from the human in front of them and put away their weapons and knelt. ¡°Ah¡­ I stand in front of Darkness.¡± ¡°Darkness¡­¡± The lower part of one of them broke while it was trying to kneel. Was it because they¡¯d remained still for too many years or was it because of a past wound? The golems were in a bad state. ¡°¡­¡± He looked at the wreckage in silence and slowly began to repair it. ¡°I¡¯m not Darkness,¡± Hyun said with an awkward smile. It seemed like he would have to talk with them. Shatin and Shatina were the names of the golem twins that protected Darkness. The first thing they asked was how Darkness was doing. While trying to make them understand he wasn¡¯t Darkness, Hyun explained to them what had happened during those past five years. In most cases, Hyun talked, and they listened. They tried to say something from time to time, but it seemed like there was something wrong with the magic circles that were in charge of the voice, so a distorted voice came out of their mouths. ¡°So you aren¡¯t Darkness¡­? But this energy I can feel from you¡­¡± It sounded like an old robot¡­ but it didn¡¯t sound unpleasant. ¡°There¡¯s a reason. The energy is similar, but I¡¯m not Darkness.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The Blessing of Darkness allowed Darkness¡¯s underlings to feel close to you. It seemed like he was able to obtain absolute trust from Shatin and Shatina, not just simple friendliness. It didn¡¯t matter what he said¡ªthey didn¡¯t seem suspicious of him at all. After getting permission from them both, Hyun looked at their status windows. Shatin (Lv. 391) Job: Darkness¡¯s Maid [This Darkness¡¯s servant fought to protect the young Darkness until the end. Let¡¯s hope her wish has become real¡­] Durability: 203/8930 (The magic circle is distorted! To recover the durability, you need 13.7 times more Divine Power!) Stat and Skills ¨C Shatina (Lv.390) Job: Darkness¡¯s Maid [She received numerous wounds in a fierce battle. She managed to protect Darkness but couldn¡¯t protect her own body.] Durability: 103/103 (Can¡¯t repair!) (¡ù Warning: The core of the magic circle has been destroyed! As time passes, her maximum durability will decrease!) ¡­ ¡®One is doing much worse than the other.¡¯ Hyun sighed in disappointment after checking their statuses. He had managed to revive the core but wasn¡¯t able to recover what was destroyed. Golems were kind of an object. If you kept using them, they would eventually reach the ends of their lives. There was a way to repair one, but the other one was about to die. Hyun began talking with Shatin, who was the one in a better state among the twins. ¡°Do you also serve Darkness like us?¡± ¡°Well, yes.¡± ¡°Is Darkness alive¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯s something I¡¯m sure about.¡± Shatin was able to calm down after hearing that answer. After a while, Shatina opened her mouth for the first time. Hyun knew they were twins thanks to Asra. The voice of the little sister trembled quite a lot. ¡°But¡­ I¡­ Cannot¡­ Feel¡­ Darkness.¡± Hyun knew what she wanted to say, even if she didn¡¯t finish the sentence. All of Darkness¡¯s underlings were able to feel her ¡®Empathy,¡¯ but they couldn¡¯t feel it at the moment. ¡°There¡¯s probably a reason behind that, so don¡¯t worry too much.¡± Hyun told Shatina that Louise had probably sealed her Empathy. He said that to calm them down, but that just made them feel more anxious. ¡°Then we¡­ were thrown away.¡± ¡°The reason¡­ why Darkness hasn¡¯t come back¡­ is because she¡­ doesn¡¯t need us¡­ anymore?¡± ¡°No. That probably isn¡¯t the reason.¡± Hyun could read Louise¡¯s ¡®feelings¡¯ through ?Pray?, and thanks to that, he knew she was in a situation she couldn¡¯t avoid. He changed that a bit and told them that, once she became free, Darkness would come for them. ¡°Weren¡¯t we¡­ thrown away¡­ because we don¡¯t¡­ have¡­ souls?¡± the little sister, Shatin asked. They were obsessing about souls. It seemed like they thought Darkness had thrown them away because they didn¡¯t have souls. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Do golems have souls? It was a question Hyun couldn¡¯t easily answer. He wasn¡¯t exactly sure what a soul was in Asrian. Since he was a user that was forcibly logged out when he died, he hadn¡¯t taken time to think about that. ¡°Ah, could I use this to figure out?¡± At that moment, Hyun realized something and used a skill. It was a way he could check whether they had souls. The moment he used ?Assimilation?, a system message appeared in front of Shatina that she had never seen before.. [Player ¡®Hyun¡¯ wants to control your body.] [Will you entrust your soul to him? Y/N]