《Hyper Luck》 Chapter 1 - Prologue Chapter 1. Prologue < 26,187 / 1,500,000 > 1.5 million, an insane number. In order to lower that threshold, a total of 2.1 million users stepped forward¡ª12,200 raid groups and guilds well over three digits. Naturally, the participation rate of larger guilds with corporate backing was next to none. Due to one elf¡¯s foolish ambition, a giant portal has opened in , the Magic Continent. The aftermath of this incident was massive. In the holy land of magicians, Lundebarun, where the ¡®White Tower¡¯ stood, came the savage, blue-skinned creatures with one goal in mind¡ªto Conquer. Named ¡°Raebacan¡± in the southern continent, and ¡°Azureman¡± in the northern continent, the invasion of these creatures was catastrophic. For the first time in ¡¯s history, a huge raid quest had occurred. The average level of a Raebacan was near three digits, and the most concerning problem was in their numbers. Certainly, there are millions of users who play . Many of their levels also exceed those of the Raebacan. But! In the world of , rather than blood-splattering action, most users enjoyed the fantasy-like world of the game, with occasional battle-class users who enjoyed the adventure. Given the situation against the Raebacan army, which was well-organized and moved under tactical command, average parties and guilds stood no chance. ¡°Tell me when we¡¯re ready!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± With big and small battles occurring in the battlefield of Olu, a user, covered in sweat, laid flat on the ground while ordering the other users nearby. ¡°Tanks, to the front. Other attackers, apply the Bearskin potions and join them. ¡°Healers, are the buffs ready? Cast them as we engage! ¡°When they start firing arrows, a tank and attacker will form a group of two and dodge the attacks. ¡°Tanks! They have homing arrows, so prioritize protecting the attackers!¡± Garuza, the 11th-ranked user, quickly commanded them. Most users in the group receiving the orders were also high-ranking players, famous amongst the playerbase. The guild, commanded by Garuza, were well on their way to raiding deep within the territories of the Raebacans. The tremble in Garuza¡¯s pupil informed them that it was time for them to begin. Like that, ¡°Attack! Go straight to the command center!¡± Deferring to Garuza¡¯s orders, the users moved. ¡®It will be us, the guild, who will reign victorious by clearing the quest, and erase the dreary shadow that has engulfed the Olu continent!¡¯ But that dream was shattered within minutes. Despite effortlessly charging through the Raebacans, there was something that stood in their way. Tremble¡­ Tremble¡­! It was a huge, moving wall. The occasional blood splatter tells of the countless battles it dominated. It was the that caused many discussions between the users in the community for the past five days. The wall specialized in causing simplistic and primitive destruction. It acted as a defensive structure for the Raebacans inside, but also served as a tool of destruction against normal battalions by smashing down on them. Forget about new users, even the elite group of players that averaged three digits in levels had trouble determining the possibilities of succeeding in the raid. In front of this wall, the guild members of froze. The analysis was off. This is impossible. As the wall approached, the formation of the Forge guild fell apart. Not only that, many guild members were starting to fall one by one, due to the downpour of magic and arrows. During that instance of despair, the guild master Garuza closed his eyes. ¡°Shit!¡± As he cursed them, he grabbed his axe and slowly walked towards them. ¡°Die! All of you!¡± As he went on to swing his axe, Screech! Garuza quickly let go of his axe and covered his ears, due to the intense noise from afar. Boom! Boom! Kaboom¡ª! Three blades¡ªwhich felt as if the air froze around them¡ªappeared above Garuza¡¯s head and pierced the head of the Wailing Wall. It all happened too suddenly. Garuza could only stare in awe at the magnificence of the sight. The same was true for all the other users on the battlefield. It was due to the change in the quest window that popped up in front of everyone. After the swords penetrated the Wailing Wall, the tides were turned. Users focused on the pop-up screen, only available to the ones that entered the battlefield. < Mose has joined the battle. > After the notification, all users were left astonished. It was their moment to finally witness the strongest player in all of . Even the guild members of the Forge guild, who were in the heat of battle, focused their attention on the hole in the Wailing Wall. Garuza, who couldn¡¯t do anything but watch the situation unfold, noticed a man floating above his head. Grey-tinted armor. Wearing a shoulder guard that resembles a lion¡¯s mane as its most impressive feature, the man flew past with a breeze¡ªtowards the hole left in the Wailing Wall. After that, the screams heard from the other side of the wall could resemble that of the ¡°Wailing Wall.¡± < 28,171 / 1,500,000 > Swoosh! ¡°Keuaaak!¡± Garuza could hear the sounds of the blades cutting down its foe. < 29,988 / 1,500,000 > The corpses of Raebacan flew over the Wailing Wall. < User Mose has defeated the Boss of the White ¡°Legond.¡± > < 31,542 / 1,500,000 > Swoosh-! From across the wall, a fire erupted like a volcano. < User Mose has defeated the Boss of the Blue ¡°Lubenas.¡± > < 39,981 / 1,500,000 > The users were dumbfounded after the continuous notifications on their pop-up screens. They knew better than anyone of the true meaning behind the unbelievable speed of annihilation. As they were the users who put in their utmost efforts into taking down one Raebacan. Mose. It was only after the screams stopped within the wall, that he came out drenched in blood. Then he asked Garuza, who could barely stand in disbelief. ¡°Where are the others?¡± ____ Chapter 2 - Circuit Chapter 2. Circuit Circuit. There wouldn¡¯t be many people who understand the meaning of this word. But I assure you, as of now, there won¡¯t be one person who never heard it. I¡¯m not talking about the English translation of the word. As you would guess, I¡¯m talking about the ¡°title¡± of a game. It¡¯s been nearly three months since the initial release of the game. The exact date may be near a hundred days. In reality, there is no reason to count each individual date. You wouldn¡¯t be able to remember a thing I¡¯ve said once you¡¯re in the game. Ah, except for the word ¡°Circuit.¡± Was it nearly a month since its initial release? The time when the number of active players reached fifty-four million. During that time, the whole world was busy talking about Circuit. If you think ¡®My gosh, what kind of game could pull this many players in?¡¯ There is a simple explanation. Virtual Reality Up to this moment, if you had fun slaughtering monsters controlling the main character in a video game, made you become the main character itself using virtual reality. You could experience a fantasy world filled with adventure with your own two feet! Who wouldn¡¯t be intrigued by this! I was the same. In a single room the size of a rat¡¯s tail, who would think I would be able to smell the refreshing smell of the sea in front of Linduroak. Ah, Linduroak is a harbor village in . There was another reason this game gained this much popularity, and that was in the ¡°real-life transactions.¡± Yes, I¡¯m talking about the realism between fantasy and reality, that even the most profound fantasy novels couldn¡¯t imitate. The currency in , or commonly referred to as gold, gained nearly the same value as real-life currency. The reason for that is due to the rare items, which would normally be impossible in reality, bringing in astronomical amounts of money. I remember hearing from somewhere that the auction in Circuit was dealing with nearly three trillion dollars in real-life currency. This appealed to many as a way to gain wealth, instead of enjoying the game. I was no exception. Instead of the bleak reality, a new opportunity had arrived. Following suit, in order to pay off the student debt of two semesters, I ventured off to Circuit with an optimistic mindset. To this day, users have found three types of rarity for items. Normal, Magic, Rare As the users were well experienced in this type of game, the vocabulary didn¡¯t deter them. But the concept was very different. Normal items, as the word suggests, were normal items without any special effects to them. You could view them as the original versions of a magic item. Magic items are where it gets a bit weird. From this point on, the items affect your ¡°stats¡± or give frightening ¡°buffs¡± to the item. Last but not least, the rare items. To be fair, no one knows of the effects of rare items, as no one has come across them yet. Therefore, in this game, the magic items are what matter the most. The problem lies in their cost, you wouldn¡¯t believe it. Let¡¯s say the magic item is an accessory. Yeah, it¡¯s a ring that fits on my pinky. If this ring increases my stat ¡°Strength¡± by three points¡­ Then it has the power equivalent to three levels of grinding. Now you might think that three points in Strength may not seem like much. But, imagine if you could wear the ring, and be able to have a strength equivalent to heavyweight boxers. Now, you might be able to tell the significance of the three points. If a ring with said stats ever drops¡ªat the current exchange rate¡ªa student would have no worries about finishing their education. An employee could earn up to a year of work at once. Right after the release of the game, a magic item involving stats did go up for sale. The final offer was 590 million dollars, through fierce competition. Of course, after more magic items have dropped, the price has fallen off. However, their value is still high. If you could obtain one of these items, you are set for life. Billions of players set off to this world with that in mind. I thought if I played the game enough, I would be able to obtain at least one of these items. If possible, a necklace that had the stats ¡°regeneration¡±, which are popular these days. If you are a gamer, you would understand the meaning of health regeneration. Commonly referred to as ¡°regen¡±, a magic item with a stat buff in regen could cost up to hundreds of millions of dollars. With such an item, in just a few seconds, you could sustain any damage and be fine the next second. Yes, just like Wolverine. As an example, a famous streamer who was level 5 at the time, purchased a regeneration ring for 300 million dollars and fought a bear with his bare hands as content. The effects were evident, as even if he was getting clawed by the bear if he had at least 1 health, he healed fully within seconds. On a side note, if you had a magic item that increased speed, you could even aim for having the world record for a 100m dash. Well, there would be more competition within the game. What if someone had multiple of these magic items? You would be able to tell why many gamers despise ¡°Overgeared¡± players, firsthand. Anyways, the reason for my rant is that I¡¯ve been trying to get one of these items for the past 2 months. But to no avail. Worst of all, I¡¯ve spent those two months hunting slimes. As currently, slimes are the only common monster that even a beginner could defeat. There were countless days where I starved in order to hunt slimes. I was better off working part-time. In desperation, I looked for the items I could sell. But, the only items I¡¯ve ever come by, were the dull steel sword and raggy leather cloth that you get from tutorials. To be honest, most people who looked for magic items like me, were in the same predicament. The magic items, as extraordinary they are, were extremely hard to come by. To add fuel to the fire, when I was enthusiastic about clearing quests, some high schooler killed a slime in Lundebarun and got a regeneration ring. As you can tell, most slimes in Lundebarun after that incident were nowhere to be seen. Not long after that, I¡¯ve come across multiple people obtaining a magic grade item near me; Which increased my motivation. But, it was only the chosen few who got to obtain said magic item. was known for its drop rates being abnormally low. With that in mind, a concurrent user of 8,8 million and a total of 400 million users; Not even 1% claimed the magic item. And to no surprise, I wasn¡¯t part of the 1%. I thought I could be special at least in the game. But that hope has shattered. ¡°Of course, not everyone is born lucky.¡± ¡°Azure lady¡¯s inn,¡± the cheapest inn I¡¯ve stayed at for a couple of months in Linduroak. As I leaned on the inn, I reflected on my past self. I thought, if I play enough for a couple of months, I¡¯ll be able to obtain a magic item. And, by selling that, I thought I could pay off the student debt and continue my education. Instead, this game screwed me over by giving me a 2-year break from school. ¡°I¡¯ve heard some guy bought 3 or 4 magic items, and now is the VIP to many guilds? Sigh¡­¡± I kept sighing. In the first place, many users weren¡¯t focusing on the adventure or hunting aspect of the game. As the currency within the game is nearly the same as in real life, working to earn money in the game was the same as working in real life. Being an official in the empire was the same as working for a AAA company. Blacksmiths, Enchanters, Alchemists. There were users that specialized in crafts. There were even players who signed contracts with NPCs or worked part-time. You could say there were more stable ways of earning money in the game rather than hitting the jackpot. Some even opened up their own stores and blew up. There were even television programs benefiting from the success stories of these CEOs. In other cases, real-life companies signed contracts with developer company to have stores in-game. I too should have worked diligently like them. I¡¯ve wasted two months, and there¡¯s nothing but 5 gold in my inventory. Converted to real-life currency, it was nearly 500 dollars. But, this much was nearly nowhere enough compared to the work I put in for two months. To be honest, I¡¯ve completely lost the joy in playing the game. At first, I was in awe of the emerald-tint sea in Linduroak, and what surrounded me was thoughts filled with expectations and amusement. But now, I¡¯ve come to despise this pungent sea. Whenever I went out hunting, I would only come back with injuries. I used to persevere through the pain, but nowadays I just get annoyed. ¡°This is driving me crazy!¡± I scratched my hair in anger. I thought it would ease my ferocity, but the sight of my messy hair only angered me more. Okay, let¡¯s quit. This is the conclusion I¡¯ve come to. I¡¯m going to quit the game and work hard in real life. But, I couldn¡¯t get rid of this tightness in my heart. If only I started playing the game wholeheartedly, would I have been better off? Well, it doesn¡¯t matter now! ¡°Shall I leave? Inventory!¡± I accessed my inventory, which no others could see. 5 gold left. I thought spending this gold would leave me with earnest happiness. When it came to my attention, I was in the middle of Linduroak park. The temptations of alcohol I couldn¡¯t afford, the tasty smell of meat and fish skewers. Holding these delicacies in both of my hands, I walked across the park. I¡¯ve even donated 50 silver to a concert by a user. At that moment, I heard cheers all around me. Even the interface informed me that my fame has risen. I was absolutely exhilarated. I thought I could finally enjoy as it¡¯s intended to be. With my remaining two gold, I heard a crowd at a corner of the park. ¡°Shit! Another loss!¡± ¡°Hahaha!!¡± ¡°How many is that!¡± ¡°You¡¯re so bad at gambling!¡± Filled with people¡¯s laughter, in the middle of the crowd, I saw an old man operating a gambling shop. On either side of the shop, there were heavy-armored mercenaries protecting the place. ¡°Come come, It¡¯s the most precious artifact from deep within the ruins!¡± As the old man captivated the crowd, ¡°Dream big, and earn big! An antique for 30 silver, and the ¡®identification scroll¡¯ for 1 gold!¡± ¡°Hey, aren¡¯t we getting scammed?¡± ¡°What! There¡¯s no way this is a scam!¡± ¡°Cut the bullshit! I¡¯ve already spent 8 gold, it¡¯s only been trash!¡± As the man stomped towards the old man in anger, the two guards stopped him. You could tell at a glance they were skilled. NPC or user, they were fully equipped. ¡°I just want these antiques to find their owners! Now~ Now~ if you use this identification scroll on these antiques, you would be able to see their true value! You never know, they might be a rare item!¡± In other words, a gamble. Unidentified item, with a deteriorated exterior. By using the identification scroll, it could restore the item to its true form. From the looks of things, the business was booming. A normal identification never exceeds 50 silver. The old man probably explored these ruins and grabbed many antiques to sell at an expensive price. Despite that, the reason people were thrilled at this gamble was probably the hope of being part of the 1%, as many wished to be, when they joined ¡°Choose, Choose!¡± Okay, let¡¯s end it with that. I didn¡¯t have any regrets left. It¡¯s funny to think the last thing I¡¯ll ever do in this game, was to gamble. In the first place, I was fully drunk. Playing this game whilst being drunk, made me realize this really is the best game in the world. ¡°Old man, I¡¯ll give this one a go.¡± As I stepped forward to choose my artifact, the crowd around me cheered me on. ¡° Oh! Another brave hero stepped forward! Here, the total is 1 gold 30 silver!¡± After the artifact left the old man¡¯s hands, I left the scene. Behind me, I could hear disappointed grumbles. ¡°What? Wasn¡¯t he gonna open it now?¡± ¡°Scared?¡± ¡°He probably doesn¡¯t wanna get embarrassed. That¡¯s why he ran.¡± As I left the crowd, I walked towards the Azure lady¡¯s inn. The place that I¡¯ve stayed at for the past 2 months. The place that I won¡¯t ever come back to after tomorrow. I quickly went inside my room at the inn. Strangely, the buzz of alcohol disappeared quickly. Well, that¡¯s a given. I¡¯m probably healthier in this game than in real life. ¡°It was a fun ride, !¡± As I talked to myself, I held the small artifact with my identification scroll worth 100 dollars. ¡°Analyze.¡± In response to my chant, the artifact started disassembling around my room. As the artifact dematerialized into black smoke, ¡°¡­H-Huh?¡± From within the center, ¡°W-What?!¡± A ray of purple light came brighter and warmer than the sun. ¡°This¡­This¡­¡± Filled with excitement that I never knew I had, ¡°Wait¡­ That¡¯s¡­¡± I watched as the smoke materialized into a necklace. < You¡¯ve gained an item > [Polorun¡¯s star] Type: Necklace Grade: Rare Weight: 0.08kg Effects: Strength + 7 Health + 4 Speed + 4 Intelligence + 3 [Polorun¡¯s star] ¨C Health regeneration per second +101 [Polorun¡¯s star] ¨C Health regeneration in party + 43 (Form: Aura, Max range 250M) History: My beloved, my other half. Before I leave, I give you my blessing. I pray this necklace could serve as a beam of hope during the darkest hours. ____ Chapter 3 - It’s not a Dream Chapter 3. It¡¯s not a Dream I couldn¡¯t tell if I slept properly. In the world of Circuit, if you¡¯ve fallen asleep in game, you could also sleep in real life without disconnecting. Therefore, when I woke up in the morning, I saw the wooden panels of the Azure lady¡¯s inn, rather than the ceiling of my dirty room. It felt as if yesterday was a dream. I was clueless on what just had happened. I couldn¡¯t remember when, or if I even went to sleep. Nevertheless, after waking up, I could tell I¡¯ve been asleep for at least a few minutes or hours. ¡°It¡¯s not a dream.¡± There was a rush of blood as I mumbled to myself. Right. Yesterday was not a dream. I collected myself before opening my mouth. ¡°Inventory.¡± I could barely hear my own voice over my own heartbeat. But as I observed the interface in front of me, even the sound of the heartbeat was muffled. Inside my inventory, Amongst many trash, there was one item that stood out. An item enveloped by the purple light! ¡°This¡­¡± Certainly, ¡°This¡­ Is insane!!!¡± I jolted with excitement. I began to twirl around my bed, as if I was a freshly caught fish. ¡°This is the real jackpot!¡± After a brief moment, I calmed myself to inspect the item in the interface. The necklace was cold to the touch, with numerous jewels on the cord; With its most notable feature being the giant red gem in the middle. From what I know, this was the first rare item in this game. [Polorun¡¯s star] Type: Necklace Grade: Rare Weight: 0.08kg Effects: Strength + 7 Health + 4 Speed + 4 Intelligence + 3 [Polorun¡¯s star] ¨C Health regeneration per second +101 [Polorun¡¯s star] ¨C Health regeneration in party + 43 (Form: Aura, Max range 250M) History: My beloved, my other half. Before I leave, I give you my blessing. I pray this necklace could serve as a beam of hope during the darkest hours. After inspecting the item, an interface popped up under it. After only ever inspecting normal grade items, the interface of a rare item was extraordinary to me. Even the borders of the interface were glowing purple! ¡°Ehehe¡­ I can¡¯t believe this is mine¡­¡± This item had all the effects I¡¯ve ever wanted in an item; Ever since I first logged in this game 2 months ago. Combining the stat points, it was nearly 18 levels worth of stats. In conclusion, by wearing this necklace I¡¯ve gained the same effects of levelling up 18 times. And! Health regeneration is the most expensive special effect currently in the game. And, this item boasts a health regeneration of, ¡°A whopping 101 health per second¡­¡± For a health regeneration effect on a normal magic item, at most it gives nearly 5 to 8 health per second; And that¡¯s being generous. But this item gives 101! An exceptional number, deserving of a rare item. What surprised me the most, was that it had the first ever aura form effect in all of . Which means, by partying with me, you could gain the same effect of 4~5 magic items with health regeneration! This is the power of a rare item that exceeds that of a magic item! Now then, ¡°Exactly how much will this item sell for¡­?¡± As excited as I was, I couldn¡¯t exactly estimate the price for this item. ¡°1 million? 2 million? No, if I follow recent trends, at least¡­ 10 million?¡± With this item, I was certain I could sell for an astronomical amount of money. With such special effects, this item will probably be sold to a guild or corporation rather than individuals. However, I abruptly stopped my train of thought. I don¡¯t want to sell. Isn¡¯t it funny? I started this game called with a goal to sell a magic item to be better off. Just yesterday, I was debating if I should stop playing. But, now that I have a rare item, I don¡¯t feel like selling. ¡°Maybe this is an opportunity.¡± I started to convince myself. No, I needed to do this to justify the reason I started this game. Yes, this is an opportunity. Wasn¡¯t there a saying that a person gets one extraordinary luck during their life? This is mine right now. The luck that can change my life forever! I had to think about the aftermath of just equipping this item. Why are people desperately looking to search or buy these expensive items? Firstly, people who search for these items are probably like me. To sell the expensive item in order to gain a profit. It¡¯s not wrong to say a majority of people started this game with a goal like that. Secondly, people who are desperately trying to buy these items. It¡¯s undeniable that these items give great benefits in the game. But certainly, some users question these types of people. Also, before there were definitely many people who played a huge sum to gain items in the game. This game however, was different. Virtual reality. This game gives indistinguishable experience in progressing in the game and real-life. changed the paradigm of entertainment. Nowadays, the standard of entertainment stems from . Just with that, the prices of items in are justifiable Like I said before, if you purchased a magic item with a speed buff, at least in virtual reality, you could experience being Usain Bolt in real-life. With a health regeneration option, the experience of being unkillable. With a stat bonus in strength, you could even be one of those main protagonists in martial manhwas, that can throw 100kg rocks. Just by equipping the magic items, you could be exceptional in this game where everyone begins at the same starting point. And by becoming exceptional, you could reach stardom amongst the interests of many people. Along with experiencing spectacular adventures with groups of similar people. This item itself is the stardom, and people who claim it could experience riches beyond belief. And now, I¡¯ve claimed that item. Opportunity creates other opportunities. And, this was the best opportunity I¡¯ll ever have. I¡¯m doing the right thing. Yes. I¡¯m not making a mistake. Like that, After giving myself a satisfactory explanation, I started sweating. Then, slowly, I started equipping the necklace. As a person who¡¯s never equipped an accessory in this game before, the sensation of the cold necklace around my neck was surreal. After a brief moment, however, the necklace quickly heated to match my temperature. I¡¯ve also felt some irregularities within my body, probably due to the 18 stat bonus. Already, I felt beyond the grasps of human limitations! I felt tingles all across my body, as if riding the world¡¯s scariest roller coaster. ¡°Ok, This is where I begin.¡± I, Lee Ki-Ho, is the most amazing person starting from now. After that, I left the small room in Azure lady¡¯s inn. Even the sound of waves; Which I¡¯ve heard for the past 2 months, never sounded as pleasing as now. The sunlight that scorched me, even the flowers that annoyed me; It was all a thing of the past now. As I left the front door of the Azure lady¡¯s inn, ¡°Are you leaving now, adventurer?¡± The old lady, who¡¯s an NPC, stopped me. She¡¯s the owner of the inn, who allowed me to stay at the inn for a cheap price. ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Congratulations. You look much better than yesterday. I wish you the best.¡± The old lady smiled as she waved her hands. I gave her the most earnest gratitude. Who would look at such a soothing old lady, and possibly think that she¡¯s an NPC. Like that, I left. I¡¯ve started my first adventure from Linduroak, the tutorial town, and the place that took care of me from level 1 to 9. At the exteriors of Linduroak, I¡¯ve arrived at a carriage. ¡°Do you need a ride?¡± A friendly middle-aged man hopped off the carriage to greet me. This was a user. Normally, the user needs to tell you their name before their name pops up above their head. In other words, if they never tell me their name, there¡¯s no way of me knowing it. Unlike old online games, where your identity was always visible, in you could choose to be anonymous. But, after a while, people started to be able to distinguish between NPC and users. An NPC will be fully immersed in the world of , like the old lady from Azure lady¡¯s inn just now. ¡°Rusty Swallow! It¡¯s been a while since you¡¯ve gotten a customer!¡± A user from a different carriage came to greet us. It seemed possible to use the carriage with ¡®Nicknames¡¯. ¡°Yo, Poolu! I¡¯ll be back soon~¡± As the man greeted him back, He turned to me with gleaming eyes. ¡°Did you decide where d¡¯you want to go? In a weird sense, this was the first page of my adventure. As the guy who¡¯s gained the first rare item in the world, where should I go? As a person who has only ever stayed at Linduroak, only one place popped in my head. ¡°To the capital, Asparagan.¡± The city that all adventurers go to, Asparagan. The place where all competitive user guilds gather to form ¡®Raid parties¡¯ for large-scale raids. That was my first destination. ¡°Huh? Brother, that¡¯s a long way to go. You¡¯ve got to pay at least 55 silver¡­¡± ¡°Here¡¯s 55 silver.¡± After handing the silver, the coachman laughed as he climbed up the carriage. As the horses felt the weight of the coachman, the veins on their thick thighs were visible. ¡°My name¡¯s Rusty Swallow. There¡¯s a thing that Mr.Poolu likes to say in this situation¡­¡± After thinking for a bit, he smiled, showing his neat set of teeth. ¡°We¡¯ll be there faster than Rogon¡¯s Silf or Priya¡¯s lightning! Royal customer!¡± And just like that, the carriage bolted forward. ____ Chapter 4 - Joining a Raid party Chapter 4. Joining a Raid party Asparagan, as a city that copied the name of its continent, was the biggest city known to users. Since the emperor left as part of the expeditionary force to the north, currently the third prince controls the land which is also often referred to as the promised land. The name stems from the many opportunities the land offers, such as jobs offered by the empire, guilds made by users, and part-time jobs. Far away from the adventures or dungeons of this world. Despite that, the reason I wish to go to Asparagan is due to its numerous quests. After arriving, I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off of the Asparagan castle walls I¡¯ve heard countless times before. Known for its grandeur, the walls felt as if it were made from thousands of bricks bigger than the size of the carriage I¡¯m currently in. After returning my gaze to the front, I noticed the numerous people trying to enter through the castle gates. From men with alluring armor, women with glamorous robes, merchants, to shepherds that herd massive bulls. It gave me the impression that they made a promise beforehand to meet at Asparargan. At the front gates, the first thing I noticed were the two distinct districts. On the left were the residential areas, while on the right there were commercial areas. After entering the city, along with loud orchestral music, large yellow letters were displayed in front of me. At that moment, as if a little child, my heart was filled with excitement. As expected, there were many points of interest from the start. In the residential area, there was a sign that read , and in the commercial area, it read . Obviously, I immediately turned right, as I had no business nor the money to head on to the residential area. ¡°Potion made from the extracts of red berries! Buy 10 get 1 free!¡± ¡°Perfect for a spellbook! 100 Magic papers made from Limpy wood for just 99 silver!¡± ¡°Recruiting adventures to explore ruins! Locals are immediately accepted! Users depending on their stats!!¡± As soon as I walked in, the place was filled with a loud noise. There must have been some magical equipment to mask the sounds from the main road. Users and NPCs, as if parts of a painting, were blended seemingly indiscernible. In other words, it was an enjoyable crowd. With just a tent and some wooden pillars, anybody could open a venue. But, behind them was the real deal. These were established shops, with buildings that were constructed. ¡°Woah, there¡¯s Temple Tteokbokki here?¡± I was baffled. It was a famous franchise in Korea. I couldn¡¯t believe I would see them here; Especially in these old gothic buildings. There were people waiting in line in front of the shop. As I continued to walk after witnessing such a bizarre occasion, there were no more stores in sight. Instead, there was a plaza with a huge building in the center, surrounded by countless people. It was the¡±¡®Information Guild¡±, known to be the biggest guild in the game. Currently, there are 5 countries discovered in this game. Which in turn translates to roughly 1.1% of the world map. There¡¯s still much to discover, but the reason for even getting this far is thanks to the information guild. They are not bound by any country but have establishments in every country. They collect raw data of the world and refine it to sell usable information. Also, they are responsible for issuing nationwide quests depending on the situation. These quests are commonly referred to by users as ¡°Raids¡±. This is due to the larger size of parties for the quest, but also the opportunity to face absurd monsters never seen before. If the raid was a success, the rewards were unimaginable. And now, I¡¯ve finally got to witness the vast size of the guild. Unlike the shopping district, the noise here took a serious tone. In this place, filled with heavy-armored people, they seemed to be waiting for something. ¡°I heard there was gonna be something big in the Bass mountain range?¡± ¡°This is an opportunity to gain fame!¡± As I absorbed some of the ushers of the users around me, I kept a keen eye on the situation. Soon after, a man came out of the large building, silencing all other noise. ¡°There has been a report that a group of trolls in the Bass mountain range have ransacked some travelers. We¡¯ll be accepting raid parties now. Soon after the speech, the silent crowd started to roar with excitement. But, the man in charge quickly shushed them again and continued to talk. ¡°But there¡¯s a catch. Since the confirmed numbers of trolls are humongous, this raid party must be formed as a group of 120 people.¡± After the shocking announcement, a man lifted up his hand. It was a man with a silver robe that I recognized. The most popular ranker in Asparagan as of late, ¡°Si¡­Silborun¡­!¡± ¡°There¡¯s a ranker here?!¡± ¡°Since when was he here?!¡± It was Silborun. With 7 magic items fully equipped, he was the object of envy to all users. ¡°Our guild will take this raid. The Guild master of the guild, Silborun, will extend a proposal.¡± Silborun confidently carried on. But, the man from the building shook his head. ¡°There are only 40 people from the Silver guild?¡± Silborun calmly refuted. ¡°It¡¯s not going to be a raid party formed officially by the guild. Though it¡¯s a bit sudden, I¡¯m thinking of making a temporary raid party.¡± ¡°A temporary raid party¡­ Well, I¡¯ll trust your fame. Okay, there¡¯s not enough time so please quickly form a party, and head on over to Bass mountain range.¡± After the man left, the crowd started gossiping. In the midst of it, Silborun shouted from the center. ¡°We¡¯re accepting users to join our temporary raid party! There are 80 spots open, so anyone who¡¯s interested please come apply!¡± ¡°Requirements?¡± ¡°What about the rewards?¡± ¡°Obviously the Silver guild will take it all!¡± After noticing their unpleasantness, Silborun smiled slightly as he spoke. ¡°The loot distribution will not be up to us. Anybody that joins us, will be given the rewards equal to their contribution.¡± Upon hearing a satisfactory answer, a crowd started to form around him. I was also one of them. Troll, I¡¯ve only ever heard of it. Apparently, their leather, bones, even a drop of blood are worth a lot of money. ¡°Since we¡¯ll be facing trolls, what¡¯s the minimum requirement?¡± To his curiosity, Silborun confidently shouted. ¡°Either equipping at least one magic item or reaching level 15.¡± In where it¡¯s hard to level up, a level 15 could confidently do his part as a battle class user. After he declared the requirement, the majority of people turned their heads and left. Despite that, there were still many people left at the plaza. ¡®These people all have at least one magic item or are level 15¡­¡¯ ¡°Okay! Any users equipping a magic item with a strength buff! Here are the tryouts!¡± A man, with a silver robe like Silborun, guided the people in the plaza. I too had a high stat in strength, so I joined their tryouts. The lineup quickly shortened, and soon it was my turn. The people who already finished the tryouts gathered around to observe the others. The crowd either consisted of a dark or bright mood. Which probably is relative to their test results. The man in a silver robe immediately gave me a bronze coin, one of the currencies in the game. ¡°It¡¯s simple. If you fold this coin in half, you¡¯ve passed.¡± Stat tests for strength are quick and precise. As I¡¯ve said before, 1 stat point in any stats has a major influence. Obviously, if a user invested in strength stat, more than any other stat, this is not a hard test. After logging in , this was my first time having an official guild test. So I couldn¡¯t help being nervous. It reminded me of the time I took my final exam in high school. After accepting the coin, I slowly applied pressure. At that moment, The coin, ever so slightly folded, as if it¡¯s paper. The bizarre sensation coming from my fingertips also bewildered me. As I was busy being baffled by my own strength, the crowd around me was also amazed. ¡°Woah. He folds it like paper!¡± ¡°What magic item did he equip?¡± ¡°I wonder what his level is?¡± ¡°That¡¯s super sick!¡± Feeling the attention of the crowd near me, I unknowingly applied more pressure to the coin. In response, the coin folded to a shape of a half-moon. The man in the silver robe looked as amazed as others. ¡°You¡¯re in. You¡¯ll be the party leader of the 13th party.¡± He said as he smiled. < You¡¯ve joined the raid party formed by Silborun. > After an alarm, the notification appeared in front of me. Soon after obtaining the rare item, I joined a raid party! What a lucky occurrence! Soon after the tests were over, only the users that qualified remained. Silborun quickly organized the users into a 4 man party. I was also placed into a party of 4. Out of the 80 users that qualified, only 3 users had a white outline to them. It was obvious that they were my party members. ¡°How are you doing? I go by the nickname ¡®Swordsman¡¯.¡± A cheerful man approached me and offered a handshake. He had a white outline, indicating he was a party member. Judging by how he gave his nickname instead of his username, it seemed like he preferred having anonymity. And, so did I. ¡°My nickname is ¡®Mose¡¯.¡± The reason for my boring name was due to my name Ki-Ho, being similar to Morse code. T/N: The MC¡¯s name is Ki-Ho and in Korea, Morse code is called Morse Bu-Ho. Thinking back on it, it was an extremely half-assed attempt at making a nickname. ¡°My nickname is ¡®Sharan¡¯.¡± Following the introduction was a female user. ¡°I¡¯m called ¡®Gaeil¡¯.¡± Lastly, a male user with a cool mustache. At the same time, < 13th party is formed. > There was a notification. It wasn¡¯t a party with a fancy name, but since we¡¯re all here with the same goal, there¡¯s definitely some form of connection. ¡°After checking with your party members, exactly after 30 minutes we¡¯ll meet up at the castle gates of Asparagan!¡± Quickly after the man next to Silborun shouted, the crowd quickly dispersed. It still felt surreal. It felt like it was only yesterday when I was hunting slimes in fear of facing a huge monster. But not anymore! I¡¯ll be facing my first huge monster soon! In a twist of excitement and nervousness, I was certain that my excitement was more domineering! ____ Chapter 5 - Encounter with a Troll Chapter 5. Encounter with a Troll For a few months, I¡¯ve played the game as if it¡¯s single player. But, right now, it feels like I¡¯m finally experiencing the excitement of the game as it¡¯s intended. In a twist of fate, I encountered a raid announcement in Asparagan and managed to join their raid party. If you had no connections in online communities like or , it was nearly impossible for a newbie to join a raid party. But, the raid party I¡¯ve encountered just happened to have a few spots open, and I¡¯ve managed to join them! And now, the mix of 120 Users and NPCs marched towards our location. With the ranker Silborun in front, Silver guild members were at the front of the march. Behind them were the party members that the guild recruited. I was part of the latter. Located in the middle of the march, I was walking with 3 other users that I had partied with. ¡°Mose-ssi, try some of this.¡± With the nickname of Swordsman, a member of my party approached me. He handed me bread that had engraved runes, which were the ancient letters of . This appeared to be the specialty of Asparagan, the ¡°Rune bread¡±. ¡°Thank you.¡± After accepting his offering, I took a big bite. The bread harmonized with the sweet and sour taste of apple sauce that exploded in my mouth. Inside this game, which has a fantasy genre, the possibility to feel all 5 senses were marvelous. ¡°Sharan-ssi, try this too.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± The man nicknamed Swordsman seemed to be very open with others he met for the first time. But, the friendliness he radiated did not seem off-putting. ¡°Anyways, I¡¯m very nervous about this raid.¡± The user nicknamed Gaeil caressed his mustache. ¡°Is this your first raid party?¡± After the user nicknamed Sharan asked, Gaeil nodded frantically. Upon seeing him, I also nodded. ¡°What about you, Miss Sharan¡­?¡± After Gaeil asked, Sharan fixed her posture and began to speak. ¡°I¡¯ve been to exactly one other raid to hunt the White fangs.¡± ¡°White fangs? They looked extremely hostile¡­¡± Gaeil responded with a surprised expression. White fang, it¡¯s a term for the white wolf monsters in this game. But, unlike wolves in real life, White fangs were humongous as well as fierce. I too heard that magic items drop often from White fangs. But, I was too scared to hunt them after searching up their images on the web. And she managed to hunt the White fangs. Sharan-ssi must have the most experience in hunting out of our party. Right before we began to converse, the party that was in front of us halted. ¡°Why did we stop?¡± Soon after Gaeil asked, a man carrying a flag that had the Silver guild emblem passed by us on a horse. ¡°We¡¯ll take a quick 5-minute break before moving!¡± I assumed this was to check on us right before entering the Bass mountain range. At this point in time, I felt nervous like a toddler before his vaccine shot. ¡°Anyways, if the troll raid is a success, how much money could we earn? I wish I can get at least a drop of the Troll¡¯s blood.¡± Gaeil started the conversation. Soon after, Swordsman continued, ¡°I heard there¡¯s nothing to waste from a Troll.¡± Sharan leaned on the rock behind her and smiled. ¡° Leather to the tanner, bones to the blacksmith, and blood to the alchemist. It¡¯s a material that there¡¯s not enough of. For a better quality material, you could easily earn tens to hundreds of gold.¡± Listening attentively to her words, everyone¡¯s eyes sparkled. I¡¯ve also heard of their value. I still remember what some NPC told me. It¡¯s better to search for a Troll than search for gold. The value of their drops were that valuable. ¡°I could only ask for a single magic item. Then my worries regarding tuition would disappear.¡± Gaeil scratched his head seemingly embarrassed. Following that, party members including me stared at him. It was due to his appearance as a middle-aged man with a bushy mustache. ¡°Umm¡­ Gaeil-nim? May I ask what your age is¡­?¡± After my question, Gaeil spoke as he caressed his mustache. ¡°I¡¯m 22.¡± He answered shyly. Subsequently, Sharan showed a small smile. ¡°What about you Sharan-nim?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m just a normal office employee. I play this game to relieve stress, and who knows, if you¡¯re lucky you can earn a lot of cash. What about Mose-nim¡­?¡± Upon her question, I answered awkwardly. ¡°Same with me. Well in order to study you need money¡­¡± Consequently, Gaeil stared at me with empathy. Almost naturally, we all turned our heads towards the ¡°swordsman¡±. Having a surprised expression, Swordsman smiled as he spoke. ¡°I¡¯m just a father to daughters in high school and middle school. By some twist of fate, I¡¯m here now.¡± To his sheepish laugh, I responded. ¡°That¡¯s awesome.¡± Gaeil quickly agreed with me. Swordsman bowed his head. ¡°In truth, this game was a big and precious opportunity for me.¡± Simultaneously, all of us agreed. ¡°To a person without much experience, such an opportunity is rare.¡± Everyone fell into a solemn silence. It¡¯s clear that any users or even NPCs have a story for being here. It¡¯s obvious they were looking for an opportunity. I too was here due to insane luck, I fully heartily agreed with what Swordsman had said. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s start moving! Soon after arriving at the Bass mountain range, let¡¯s first organize the parties. We¡¯ll issue orders after that!¡± A fully-equipped Silver guild member shouted as he passed by. Around me, users start to pack up their stuff. It¡¯s finally starting. It was the first major event after joining this game. It was also the opportunity to experience the insane effects of my rare grade item. ¡°Parties without an assigned party leader should form one themselves!¡± After the new information, whispers can be heard all around me. But, since this 13th party already had a party leader, we did not have the need for such discussion. Instead, I quietly spoke. ¡°I believe Sharan-nim should be the party leader, instead of me.¡± ¡°Is this your first party quest? ¡°Yes.¡± After I responded, Sharan nodded her head. And soon after that, she accepted my suggestion. Since she had the most hunting experience in this party. Soon, Sharan went up to the front to accept the paperwork about the raid. ¡°Hmm¡­ This operation is a bit weird?¡± ¡°Sharan-nim? What¡¯s wrong?¡± In response to her odd expression, Gaeil quickly asked. ¡°There¡¯s already traps laid out by the members from the Silver guild. We¡¯re in charge of luring them to the location.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s why they confidently accepted the quests with just 40 guild members.¡± The swordsman nodded as if he understood. Soon, I could verify the contents of what the papers stated. It read, < Subjugation of a group of Trolls from the Bass mountain range. > < Each party in their given position should lure the Trolls on their way down. > < At the located area, once the Trolls have been caught in the traps, attack all at once. > < Rewards will be distributed automatically. Therefore, try your best to obtain the most. > < Signed, Guild master of guild, Silborun. I wish you the best.> ¡°Guild members from the Silver guild aren¡¯t part of the decoy squad.¡± To Sharan¡¯s query, Gaeil spoke up. ¡°Maybe in between the parties Silver guild members will join in?¡± Sharan did not seem content with Gaeil¡¯s proposal. I also questioned the positions of the parties, but I didn¡¯t have time to spare to speculate. I was more worried about the group of Trolls that I was about to face! Eventually, we arrived at our individual locations at the Bass mountain range. The sour smell of grass, the sweat accumulated by the march, and the mix of emotions due to nervousness pressured me. Next to me stood Gaeil with a nervous expression, on the other side Sharan silently stood with her bow, and in front of us, Swordsman stood his ground along with his shield. Lastly, me with a lousy steel sword. The stillness of the forest, however, was intervened by sounds of arrows from afar, Along with the heavy vibration from the ground, the silence was quickly broken. Thump! Thump! Thump! With the heavy vibrations that rumbled the ground, the twigs in front of us started to shake. Soon after, The huge tree in front of us was picked up along with its roots, and thrown away. After focusing my attention back in front of me, There stood a giant figure with somewhat black skin color. At the Bass mountain range entrance, where all the traps were laid, Silver guild members were seen forming a single line. Amongst them, there was a person smoking a strange-looking cigarette. Next to him, a teenager who covered his face with a steel helmet started to shout at the small device flying next to his shoulder. ¡°Oh my gosh~! Brother Charles~! Thanks for the 50 stars, no a whopping 5 million stars! Thank you! Livestream of the Troll Subjugation is about to start! Like! Follow! And subscribe!¡± T/N: Stars are like bits on twitch that are donations to Korean live streams. He faced the small device next to him towards Silborun at the front of the line. ¡°You guys already know Silborun, right? His staff alone costs a whopping 2 hundred thousand!¡± With a provocative accent, the teenager carried on with excitement. ¡°Brother Silborun is about to display a fire show worth 2 hundred thousand dollars, aren¡¯t these donations a bit cheap? I¡¯m gonna get upset? I might even end the stream?¡± After the teenager bargained with his viewers, he laughed with a burst of distinctive laughter. ¡°The 80 people over there are going to die without knowing what happened to them? This is gonna be the funniest clip in the history of live streams, where are the donations?¡± Soon after he finished speaking, Silborun got off his horse after noticing the disturbance in the forest, along with his staff. ¡°Kyahh~ Brother Silborun¡¯s ready to go~ Brother JulJul, thanks for the 10 million stars! Please accept my bow of gratitude!¡± The streamer carried on, ¡°Automatic distribution, isn¡¯t this an item? Everyone? How much profit are we gaining in one raid?¡± And he did not seem to stop any time soon. Silborun noticed the many players running down the mountain. Behind them, were the trolls that destroyed the forest along the way. With ash grey leather, the trolls splattered their saliva as they chased the users in front of them. They were about to arrive at the trap point. But even from afar, you could notice their expressions of despair. Faced with the thick and sticky layer of oil, all users around the entrance couldn¡¯t move forward. On top of that, the trolls that chased them down caught up, resulting in being crushed to death, or panicking upon catching a glimpse of others¡¯ death. Silborun, who was quietly witnessing the spectacle, waved his staff above him and spoke. In response to his grand and shuddering voice, the staff glowed a bright red light. And, soon after, Silborun finished his chant. ¡°Fireball.¡± ____ Chapter 6 - Battlefield Chapter 6. Battlefield Imagine this. You suddenly got placed in a world where supernatural powers are perceived as normal. And you face gigantic monsters you¡¯ve only been able to witness through CGI in movies or imagined in novels. The same monster is now looking at you with intent to kill. What would you do? And what would you have done if this was a computer game? In the case of the latter, you would use your keyboard and mouse to control your character, and rush to try and kill the monster. Because the characters you control in games would keep their cool in front of any situation! But the same does not apply to the former. They are vastly different. And my two trembling legs proved that. ¡°Ah¡­ Ah¡­¡± Gaeil had already fallen to the floor at the sight of the monster. The same applied to me. All my life, the slime was the most monster-like thing I¡¯ve come across in this world. Sometimes, there were spiders or moles the size of children. Needless to say, the irregular size of the monsters frightened me. So maybe that helps you understand why I¡¯m in shock right now. On top of its head, there were red letters in a box. It was the highest-level monster I¡¯ve ever fought. Frequently, levels did not reciprocate the monster¡¯s strength. There are often buffs or skills that they have, which doubles or even triples the strength of their level. ¡°H-How are we gonna hunt this¡­¡± Gaeil cried as he dragged his butt across the ground. Painstaking screams could be heard from the fallen leaves under his bottom. As if reacting to that noise, the giant troll wheezed a nasty spit. Puff! Soon, the wheeze turned into a strong wind and enveloped my body. His cough alone is enough to tangle my hair. Unlike Gaeil or myself, Swordsman and Sharan stood with a relatively calm expression. Swordsman whispered to me, ¡°Calm down. This is a game, not real life. We need to lure them down the mountain.¡± Perhaps due to the sudden stat rise, I could deduce what he said to me, despite not being able to hear him properly during all this commotion. I quickly gulped down the emotion called fear. Gaeil, who was ready to scream in between us, also stood up quietly. After checking our position, The first one to make the move, Was Sharan. Soon after, she pulled out her bow from her back. ¡°I¡¯ll take its attention!¡± She screamed as she drew her bowstring with remarkable skill. Then, she leaped, as if the hard ground were like cushions. At the same time, ¡°Kuahhhh!¡± A powerful roar hit my whole body. It felt as if I got pushed back just from its pressure. Shortly afterward, the arrow that left Sharan¡¯s hands grazed past the Troll¡¯s eyelids. Upon witnessing such misfortune, the Swordsman yelled. ¡°Dodge!!!¡± Following the trace of the voice, as soon as I turned my head, I felt a chill running down my spine. Once I realized what it was, < Your HP is below 20% > < Durability of Rusted Steel Sword is 0. > < Rusted Steel Sword has been destroyed. > < Durability of Rusted Huero¡¯s leather fauld is 0. > < Rusted Huero¡¯s leather fauld has been destroyed. > While the notifications clouded my vision, I also found myself high up in the air. I could also witness the Troll, enraged by Sharan¡¯s arrow, swinging around the tree that was once next to him. It seems like I¡¯ve taken a direct hit from the tree. Soon as I fell to the floor, a rush of searing pain could be felt from within my body. I could barely breathe from the sudden rush of pain. ¡°Kuhaak¡­!¡± ¡°Damn! Mose-ssi!¡± Gaeil screamed as he looked at me. But, to me, he just looked like white fog. ¡°One hit can nearly kill you! Duck!¡± By Sharan¡¯s orders, Gaeil barely dodged the second hit from the Troll. ¡°It¡¯s a shame I¡¯m the only ranged damage dealer! Keep dispersing his attention! We should focus on just bringing it down the mountain!¡± Sharan told her plan to Gaeil and the Swordsman. In response, Swordsman bravely took his steel shield and slammed it down on the Troll¡¯s foot. ¡°Kuahhh!¡± The scream of the Troll could be heard. But it was more of a scream of rage, than a scream of pain. The Troll brought up the tree he just swung above his head and had smitten down on the Swordsman. Soon after the impact, thick smoke of dust covered the surroundings. ¡°Mister!¡± Amid the smoke, Gaeil¡¯s shouts were faintly heard. Then, a sudden change occurred. The blurry vision started to clear up. In addition, the searing pain also started to dissipate. It was an impact nearly enough to break a bone or two; but, I stood up with both my legs. Looking at my body, There were no injuries. After a brief moment, a blue text popped up in front of me. < HP fully restored > This was the Health regeneration effect that most would die for! While I was admiring its effects, ¡°Mister!¡± Gaeil¡¯s shouts have turned into screams. But after the smoke lifted, he was shocked. ¡°Gasp¡­! Mister!¡± Gaeil first opened his mouth, and I soon ran towards them, right after seeing what happened. Even the Troll looked down with a dumbfounded expression. Swordsman, in addition to blocking the hit with his shield, stood his ground with both his legs. But looking at his awkward posture, it seemed that he was almost at his limit. ¡°Now¡¯s the time¡­! Sharan!¡± Reacting to Swordsman¡¯s shout, Sharan quickly drew her bowstring with perfect posture. It was a flawless posture, making it seem like she poured most of her playtime into practicing with her bow. Soon, the arrow precisely hit the Troll¡¯s left eye. ¡°Kuahhhhhh!!¡± The Troll screamed. As it twisted in pain, it started to strike rapidly at where Swordsman was. ¡°Uakk!¡± Resembling a nail being hammered to the ground, Swordsman couldn¡¯t withstand the thrashing of the Troll and fell. But during that time, I¡¯ve been sprinting towards the Troll. When I arrived, I gasped for air. ¡°Pant¡­Pant¡­!¡± It was no wonder I was out of breath due to how quickly I arrived. I¡¯ve underestimated the strength of a rare item. However, I did not have the time for such fascinations. Despite my crazy fast heartbeat, I charged towards the Troll. ¡°Take this!!¡± And so, I rammed my right shoulder into his thick thigh. I could feel the pain from my shoulders, but the results were clear as the Troll lost its balance and fell. Gaeil, who¡¯ve witnessed the development, stood astonished. ¡°My god¡­!¡± But, the most surprised person was none other than myself. Certainly, the troll lost its balance due to the arrow in its eye, but I didn¡¯t expect my body bash to push him down. Additionally, ¡°Mose-ssi¡­!¡± Gaeil remarked as he ran over to the Swordsman. ¡°What are these luster¡­!¡± After listening to his observation, I¡¯ve noticed the radiance all around me. It was very faint, but the bright dust enveloped the area. As Gaeil crouched to recover the Swordsman¡¯s body, ¡°Kuhak¡­!¡± Swordsman, covered in blood, regained his consciousness. ¡°Oh my god, He¡¯s alive¡­!¡± Gaeil remarked as he looked at me with an expression filled with admiration. Sharan shouted behind me. ¡°This¡­This is an area heal¡­! Who exactly¡­!¡± It was then that I finally realized the influence this single rare item brought. The single rare item could not only handle an overwhelming monster never faced before but could also instantly heal wounded party members! ¡°Wait¡­!¡± Sharan halted as she was running towards us. At that moment, I knew Gaeil was thinking the same thing. We realized that nothing has changed. It was the result of too much adrenaline. The troll soon regained consciousness and was struggling to get back up. ¡°Damn!¡± ¡°Stand still, I¡¯m gonna shoot your eye out!¡± As I cursed the troll, Sharan aimed her bow at his other eye. But, to hit the eye of a flailing troll, was near impossible. At that moment, ¡°Mose!¡± The swordsman, who regained consciousness, threw his sword at me. A well-refined hardened steel sword, incomparable to my previous one! As I caught the sword, I slashed the Troll¡¯s stomach. To my actions, the Swordsman gave a thumbs up. ¡°Get the last hit!¡± ¡°Ahhhh!¡± By his orders, I pulled in all the strength I had left and lacerated the monster¡¯s neck. ¡°I think that¡¯s about it?¡± ¡°Kue Kue of course Brother Silborun. But, where¡¯s the quest complete notification?¡± Silborun was making a proud expression while observing the fiery hell across the river. It was because he cleared a quest with 40 guild members, which normally takes 120 users. The 80 users that joined his raid party were just a ¡®Handy Alternative¡¯, nothing more nothing less. He wasn¡¯t worried about the backlash of this action either. Whatever the case, he was one of the rankers in the game that gained the respect of many; Meaning, many users took on the role of being a ¡®fan¡¯ to justify his actions. In the end, this raid allowed him to boast his achievements of annihilating a massive group of Trolls on his own; along with a good amount of cash! What¡¯s more, since he hired a famous streamer to tag him along, He gained more fame to increase his popularity within the game. The results were obvious. The drops from the Trolls would easily bring in thousands of dollars, and if the backlash were severe, he would just hop over to a different continent for a bit. In the end, isn¡¯t it part of the game to be freed from any past mistakes, by doing some good for the community! To be fair, most of the 80 users were probably in dire need of money, so if he handed them 1 or 2 gold coins, they would keep quiet. It was going all according to plan. The automatic distribution system of this game depends on the ¡®Contribution¡¯ of the user. Therefore, since he exterminated most of the Trolls, he would get the largest cut. For using just 80 users as a sacrifice, the rewards were too good to be true. ¡°Kyah~! The chat is blowing up~ This is all thanks to our brother Silborun! Brother, would this earn you nearly 100K in just 10 minutes?!¡± The streamer signaled the end of his stream with a provocative tone. Soon enough, they got what they were waiting for. Alongside the orchestral music, there should have been a notification in front of anyone in the raid. < Subjugation of group of Trolls complete. > But, the texts that appeared stunned Silborun, his guildmates, and the streamer. < Main quest complete ¡® Defeat the Boss Black Mountain.¡¯ > ¡°Brother, were there any black trolls back there?¡± After the streamer¡¯s question, the group fell into a bigger panic upon seeing the next set of texts. < Subjugation complete. > < Starting Automatic Distribution. > < The party that placed 1st in ¡®contribution¡¯ is¡­ > < ¡®13th Party¡¯ > < User ranked 1st for contribution in party heal is nickname: ¡®Mose¡¯. Special rewards are distributed. > < User ranked 1st for contribution in party damage is nickname: ¡®Mose¡¯. Special rewards are distributed. > < ¡®Swordsman¡¯ is voted Super MVP. The special title ¡®Left Hand of Support¡¯ is given. > ____ Chapter 7 - Amazing Reward Chapter 7. Amazing Reward The virtual reality game , and within its biggest community in the game , there was an unusual amount of discussion because of a post. The horrible misdeeds of a ranker! And the appearance of a possible new ranker!? <127> The source of the discussion came from the stream of a random streamer. The stream had 30,000 concurrent viewers at the time, but the video has now racked up over 4,000,000 views. Since was a global site, users all over the world who¡¯ve watched the video have now started heated debates. They have recently concluded the unethical quest clear of the ranker in question. [ Isn¡¯t it because he bought those items that he can do those things? It¡¯s always the broke people that can¡¯t afford those items that get angry. ] [ It¡¯s just a game, why are you guys mad? Are you guys, game addicts? ] Oftentimes, some people defend certain rankers, called ¡°Shielders.¡± But, most times, they get hit with a counterargument. [ A ranker should play like a ranker. ] [ What faults lie on the users that got used as bait? In the first place, the orders they received were unfair. You could probably sue him for this. ] Like that. But, the ranker was not the main topic this time around. The decisive reasoning for the huge discussion was due to him. The most searched nickname on website, ¡°Mose¡±! Responsible for defeating the boss in the Troll subjugation quest, he¡¯s the user that received rank 1 in both healing and damage contribution in the raid. The anonymity of the said user was what thrilled most people. [ Look here. I was on a quest about investigating monsters, and I¡¯ve found out that Black Mountain Trolls are very aggressive. They often attack the strongest player nearby. Therefore, in order to attract the attention of the Black Mountain, Mose is at least ten times stronger than the loser Silborun. ] [ Who is this nerd? ] Soon, the community started to bring out their extensive knowledge, and I¡¯ve gained the support of many users. [ Justice has been served to wallet warrior Silborun claiming to be a ranker~ ] [ But really, what class is Mose? ] [ I wish to get boosted by Mose too~ ] The issue of the misdemeanor of Silborun quickly faded away. In its place, the talk about Mose was slowly catching fire, and after a while, it was the talk of the town. I blankly stared at the object in front of me. This was the biggest ¡°Core¡± I¡¯ve ever come across in this game. Core, In my personal opinion, this object called Core was the closest object to the fantasy genre in this virtual reality game Circuit. To the players that focus on the adventure in this game, if you ask them ¡°Why do you hunt monsters?¡±, you should expect an answer with a bit of sarcasm. It¡¯s obviously the rewards. To hunt a monster, it¡¯s the most primitive way to analyze your strength and look to improve yourself. The amazing thing about this game is that by hunting these monsters, they drop a sort of materialized loot box, that is relative to their strength or their experience. And now, in front of me, the black object that dropped from hunting the Troll named Black Mountain was bigger than any other cores I¡¯ve ever witnessed. ¡°It¡¯s my first time seeing a core this big¡­¡± Gaeil observed with a bewildered expression at the sight of the Core. I too had the same opinion. Swordsman stood up, as he wiped off the dried-up blood under his nose. He too looked excited about the core. ¡°Mose, no Mose-nim¡± In the middle of the ruckus, only Sharan did not care about the giant core in front of them. She was surveying me; With furious and intimidating eyes. ¡°Yes¡­?¡± I answered softly. Then, she closed her eyes. Shortly, a text popped up in front of me. < Nickname ¡°Sharan¡± wants to send a friend request. By accepting, you could form a hidden chatbox with each other. > At the appearance of the sudden text, I unconsciously stared back at Sharan. I just happened to notice her bright blonde hair. ¡°Surprised? I made a ¡®bind action¡¯ to send a friend request to other users; Close my eyes for 3 seconds towards the target of interest.¡± She explained as she blushed slightly. Furthermore, she changed her chilly attitude from before to a more compassionate tone. ¡°I¡¯ve never thought an expert like Mose-nim would come to hunt here.¡° Sharan said as she curled her hair. Gaeil, who was right next to her, carried on. ¡°I realized that the moment Mose-nim pushed over the Troll with his shoulders~!¡± He exclaimed as he was laughing. To be honest, the reason why the Troll fell over was mostly because of Sharan¡¯s arrow that punctured its eyes. But, I¡¯ve noticed even if I explained, they wouldn¡¯t change their opinion of me. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you party with us more often from now on?¡± ¡°I want to hunt more with Mose-nim. I would be able to gain more experience in hunting monsters with you!¡± I was embarrassed at their positive opinion of me. Speaking frankly, I¡¯m no more than a lucky player that just happened to come across an extremely good item. Thus, it was a little thrilling to think that in their eyes I was some kind of off-the-top expert at the game. However, after noticing Swordsman, who was still observing the core, I calmed myself. ¡°I think it was a team effort?¡± In response to my opinion, Sharan and Gaeil widened their eyes. ¡°Back when I was panicking, I think it was amazing how decisive you coordinated us.¡± Swordsman agreed after listening in. ¡°That¡¯s right! It¡¯s like my daughter was scolding me!¡± ¡°You¡¯re right! Sharan-nim, that was amazing!¡± With Gaeil joining in, Sharan blushed as she fell victim to our compliments. ¡°I just thought I should have taken the lead¡­ My position being ranged and all.¡± She thought for a bit and focused their attention on Swordsman. ¡°What about Swordsman-nim? How did you even think about blocking that big tree alone!¡± Gaeil nodded. ¡°It was awesome how you threw that sword at the end!¡± ¡°Then Mose caught it magnificently.¡± Swordsman looked at me. ¡°Thank you. If I had died right there, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to log in for at least a week. I¡¯ll never be able to forget your extraordinary party heal.¡± Swordsman smiled as he spoke. There was a brief moment of silence between us. During that time, we all met our eyes one by one. Suddenly, We all burst into laughter. All of us at once. Before the mood turned awkward again, I quickly focused on the text that was hovering in front of me. < You¡¯ve accepted the friend request > Soon after I accepted the friend request, I noticed a glimpse of happiness on Sharan¡¯s face. I quickly sent a friend request to Gaeil and Swordsman too. They were my first friends, no comrades, in this game. They were random people playing the game for different goals. But, they were special to me in this game, and vice versa. The thought of that filled my heart with warmth. ¡°Ok, I think it¡¯s time for what we¡¯ve all been waiting for.¡± Swordsman stood up and walked towards the core. Myself, Gaeil, and Sharan quickly followed afterward. ¡°I think Mose-nim should open it since he contributed the most!¡± Sharan smiled at me. Gaeil nodded his head, and Swordsman gave me a thumbs up. ¡°Get the last hit!¡± I followed suit and laid my hands on the core. ¡°Gain.¡± At that moment, the core started to rumble with a shred of light protruding from deep within the core. And soon after, Along with noise that resembles broken glass, the core shattered. The pieces disintegrated in midair and the objects within the core scattered around me. The dispersed items hovered around for a bit before heading towards individuals in our party. < Items are automatically distributed according to their contribution. > < You¡¯ve gained Bone of the Black Mountain x 3 > < You¡¯ve gained Leather of the Black Mountain x 3 > < You¡¯ve gained Argot Mountain Boots. > < You¡¯ve gained Argot Mountain Tendon Ring. > < You¡¯ve gained Mulek Mountain Steel Longsword. > < You¡¯ve gained Small Steel Shield. > From the items I¡¯ve gained, there were some that made me thrilled. Although I didn¡¯t know what it was yet, Some of those items were glowing ¡°Blue¡±! My party mates were as baffled as me, as they quickly checked their loot. I calmed myself down before bringing up my inventory. ¡°Inventory.¡± [Bone of the Black Mountain] Type: Material Grade: Normal Weight: 8KG History: I¡¯ve heard if you process these bones it¡¯s lighter and harder than steel? So that¡¯s why the folks at the empire are going crazy for these! ¨C Random Mercenary Dalek ¨C [Leather of the Black Mountain] Type: Material Grade: Normal Weight: 4.5KG History: The Shudre Bread you¡¯ve made is as tough and hard as the Black Mountain Leather! ¨C Cook Lanez ¨C [Argot Mountain Boots] Type: Boots Grade: Magic Weight: 0.8KG Effects: While equipped, 15% increase in swiftness when running. History: It may look like an ugly fur boot, but it¡¯s the only doctor that¡¯s tending your toes right now. Now be quiet and wear it! ¨C Some Hunter stuck in the Hailing Argot Mountain ¨C [Argot Mountain Tendon Ring] Type: Ring Grade: Magic Weight: 0.02KG Effect: Strength + 2 History: You first dry out the Troll¡¯s tendons, then douse it with wax. Now if I wear it on my fingers, how is it? Now it¡¯s a knuckle breaker disguised as a ring! ¨C Fighter Rabal ¨C [Mulek Mountain Steel Longsword] Type: Longsword Grade: Magic Weight: 6.2KG Effects: Single-hand Attack Damage 46 ¨C 76 Double-hand Attack Damage 88 ¨C 102 History: Made from a white ore only found in the Mulek Mountain. It is more flexible but sturdy than normal steel, giving it considerable lethality. But, if the blades are dull, it breaks easily. ¨C Weapon Appraiser Bodern ¨C [Small Steel Shield] Type: Small Shield Grade: Normal Weight: 8.5KG Effects: Attack Damage 29 Defense 64 History: The most merciless soldiers on the battlefields are the Shieldbearers! These bastards smash down their shield onto the toes of their enemies! Imagine if you kept on ramming your toes against the wall! ¨C Toeless Lingamon ¨C All I¡¯ve ever wanted was in my inventory; The magic items in bulk. There was definitely some factor of luck involved in defeating the Boss monster this easily, but ultimately it was all possible thanks to this incredibly rare item. From deep within my consciousness, an idea was starting to unfold. An idea for my future. Not for the character Mose, but for Lee Ki-Ho! Chapter 8 - This is The Answer Chapter 8. This is The Answer At first, it felt as if I was turning deaf from the sound of my heartbeat. My mixed emotions of excitement and happiness boiled my blood; The chilly wind contributing to its emphasis. Worried about the sudden success, I also checked if this was all a dream. The liveliness of my heartbeat, however, rejected the possibility. I returned from the raid back to Asparagan; My steps were lighter on the way back. After the raid, my party members and I have all separated. As soon as we checked our items, we were in a rush to head back. This was due to the threat of a guild called , which gained its reputation for sabotaging other players. This guild was so infamous, even a player who has only stayed around the beginner town knew. Sharan was the first to leave. She gave a bummed expression, as she reminded me to give her a call as soon as possible. Swordsman, along with Gaeil, declared to head over to the magic city ¡°Igla¡±, north of Asparagan. Finally, I hurried over to Asparagan myself. After encountering the huge castle walls of Asparagan, only after hearing the grandeur music and the text that read , I let out a little sigh of relief. It was a huge relief not encountering any members of the guild. I pierced through the crowd in front of me to visit the ¡°Peg-man¡¯s Auction¡± As I headed over carefully towards the counter, the bob-haired girl with pointy ears greeted me cheerfully. ¡°Welcome to the Peg-man¡¯s Auction, where you can¡¯t leave without breaking a leg for carrying all the stuff you could buy!*¡± T/N: Korean idiom where it basically means you¡¯re gonna buy a lot of stuff from the shop enough to be crushed by its weight. Judging by how smoothly she introduced the market, it seemed that she was a veteran NPC here. ¡°I want to use the Auction house.¡± After listening carefully to my request, she pulled out something from under the counter. ¡°Are you making a request to purchase goods?¡± ¡°No, I want to register.¡± To my answer, she smiled slightly and handed me a chart. As soon as I looked at the paper, there was a pop-up. < Integrated Auction Goods Registration > You are automatically registered to the ¡°Arantas Gobling Integrated Auction House¡± by registering any goods you want to sell. Caution! As of recently, there have been some fraudulent events in regards to adventurers. Please write your information carefully. ¨C Head Auction Committee of Arantas ¨C It was the same paper I used when I sold all of my slime solutions before. At that time, due to my immaturity, I needed the help of a nearby NPC elder to register. But, I am used to it now. Back then, selling 100 slime solutions gave 1 gold and 50 silver. Converted to real-life currency, it was the equivalence of a hundred fifty dollars. Hunting slimes might sound easy, but it took quite a long time to hunt 100 slimes due to the competition between other users. Thinking back at the time I wasted hunting slimes, it filled me with grief. But, I¡¯m different now. People often talk about others who are gifted, such as their appearance, heritage, or smarts. There is, however, one gift that could be given to just anyone. ¡°Luck is the best gift.¡± This is what happens when you are gifted with luck. The magic item I¡¯ve yearned for a long time. Now was the moment to feel its value with my own hands. From all the magic items I¡¯ve collected, the one I needed the most was definitely a weapon. Since I¡¯ve gained a magic-rank sword, that was a huge relief. Since I¡¯ve already equipped the rare item Polorun¡¯s Star, there was no need for accessory items that only give stat boosts. It would be better to sell them for a good amount of money to upgrade my basic gear. Confirming my thought process, I¡¯ve opened up my inventory. The first item that caught my attention. [Argot Mountain Tendon Ring] Type: Ring Grade: Magic Weight: 0.02KG Effect: Strength + 2 History: You first dry out the Troll¡¯s tendons, then douse it with wax. Now if I wear it on my fingers, how is it? Now it¡¯s a knuckle breaker disguised as a ring! ¨C Fighter Rabal ¨C The item outline glowed a blue tint. A ring that boosted the most sought-after stat right now. I carefully placed the ring on the Goods Registration papers. Soon after, The ring that I placed on top of the paper melted away, and on the paper showed a picture reminiscent of the ring I¡¯ve just had. As soon as the paper absorbed the ring, I lifted up the pen and looked carefully at the blank space below the picture. ¡°Starting price¡­¡± Looking at the blank space for writing the minimum starting price, my heart started to throb. It was nothing like the slime solutions I¡¯ve sold before. ¡°Should I ask for more¡­¡± Unlike my aggressive comment, it felt like I had no clue on the current trends of a ring that improves stats. In the end, I¡¯ve listed for lower than the asking price. Hoping for users or NPCs to increase the bid, < Starting Price: 80 Gold > [Request to Auction] Nearly eight thousand dollars were written off of my hands. Who would¡¯ve thought I¡¯ll ever have the need to write such a tremendous amount of money? After finishing writing it down, I handed the paper to the receptionist. The receptionist accepted the papers, and upon inspecting their content, she shined her eyes. ¡°Sir Adventurer! You¡¯re amazing! I¡¯ll quickly get you registered!¡± The receptionist inserted the paper in a complex machine behind the counter. And soon came the notification. < Argot Mountain Tendon Ring has been registered > ¡°Okay¡­¡± I suddenly felt calm. It felt like all the exhilaration leading up to this moment had gone away. But, I couldn¡¯t be at ease until the auction was over. Like that, I left the Peg-man¡¯s Auction and headed towards the bustling streets. I wanted to find the cheapest inn to stay in. I found myself a reasonable inn to stay in for Fifteen silver and laid myself onto the bed. ¡°Log-out.¡± Soon, the countdown began. < Logging out. 3, 2, 1 > My vision went dark. This feeling of my consciousness being thrown off a cliff was not something I could get used to. The scent of mold from my inn slowly faded away. And the scent more familiar to me assaulted my nose. My room, my bed, the slight fragrance of detergent. As I slowly opened my eyes, the ceiling of my small room greeted me. ¡°Hoo¡­¡± Due to the realistic aspect of the game Circuit, it almost makes me feel repelled to the world I¡¯m currently living in. Carrying those feelings, I felt a little headache as I got up. ¡°Did I lie down for too long?¡± Talking to myself was one of the habits I¡¯ve picked up from living alone and playing . It might be a bit of a depressing habit, but since I¡¯ve only done it when I¡¯m alone, there was no one to criticize my behavior. I opened up my fridge to drink water. I could still taste the rune bread I had before. I laid down for a long amount of time, but I found myself laying down again after getting some water. Due to the relative time difference in real life and the game, although I¡¯ve spent nearly two whole days in the game, it had only been in the afternoon in real life. The time difference stirred up some trouble during the launch as it produced side effects such as dizziness and depression, but since it was a change you could get used to, it did not cause too much trouble. So, about half a day in real life, and two days in Circuit? There was a lot that went on in those two days. In reality, I still felt that if I slept right now, this whole thing would have been a dream. As I contemplated whether it was a dream or not, I fell asleep anyway. Although unsure of how long I¡¯ve slept, You could tell it was near dawn from the smell. I got up and picked up my vibrating phone to find no calls, but some messages from my parents. [Son~ are you taking care of yourself? Don¡¯t starve yourself or fill up with ramen, try some instant rice~ I transferred some money into your bank account just in case, use it however you like~ From Mother.] Since my parents were still new to texting, the message was a bit rough around the edges. But, it was the content of the message that made me look down in gratefulness. I checked my other messages. [Phone Banking Service] Customer Lee Ki-Ho, a transfer of $100 has been made to your account. Payment History: Mother Balance: $174.48 It was the money that my mother sent me. I would have gotten my pay from my part-time job tomorrow. It only made me more grateful. ¡°She didn¡¯t have to¡­¡± After letting out a big sigh, I checked my next message. [Phone Banking Service] Customer Lee Ki-Ho, a withdrawal of $65 has been made from your account. Payment History: PK Telecom Balance: $109.48 It was due, my payment for mobile service. Though the price was not a light one, I still felt comfortable thanks to the money she sent me. I promised myself to give back the money with a bit extra after getting my pay tomorrow. ¡°It¡¯s all payments¡­¡± I started to skim through all the messages. This was due to the fact that my alarm went off every time I didn¡¯t check a message. Skip, Ski¡­ I stopped. It felt as if I¡¯ve just gone past an important message. I slowly moved my fingers back to my past messages. At that moment, I could not breathe. I held my breath as I rolled my eyes across the screen like a tumbleweed in the desert. I read the message Again, And Again, And once more. I was certain. I was certain of being freed from the looming anxiety of what happened in the past half a day and reconfirmed the extraordinary luck that has been given to me. My future was here, In ! [Phone Banking Service] Customer Lee Ki-Ho, a transfer of $58,650.50 has been made to your account. Payment History: Circuit Currency Auction Service Balance: $58,759.98 ____ Chapter 9 - Making Preparations to Level Up Chapter 9. Making Preparations to Level Up I could not sleep. I rolled and tumbled in my bed, before having to get up from the sunlight. My body was tired, but my mind was clear. And, I read over the message that I probably already read over a hundred times. In short, I¡¯ve made a lot of money. Due to the relativity of time in the game and in real life, in nearly half a day I¡¯ve been asleep, the auction had already gone through. Confused and with subtlety, I could not determine what state of mood I was in. I ended up getting up and taking a cold shower. My body laid low as if floating. But, my mind was clear as ever, I checked the message again. My part-time pay has also made its way into my bank account, but in truth, I could care less about it. Perhaps the unusual experience of such an amount of money in my bank account made it underwhelming? This weird perception of money from my part-time job being this petty made me zone out again. I took a deep breath And then, Clap! I slapped both of my cheeks. Now time was of the essence. It was a waste of time to think about making conclusions when there¡¯s really only one answer. All that¡¯s left to do was to bolt across the road paved for me and myself only. I got changed and left the house. The first place I went to was the gym in front of my house. Though it was indeed a bit sudden, to proceed, this was a necessary step. In the many cautions of playing , one of them made it clear that playing for a long period of time could lead to atrophy and deterioration of muscle mass; Especially near the jaw, due to not chewing as often. It was also stated that playing this game could affect healthy lifestyles, as it was commonplace for a user to get lost in time, and forget if it¡¯s day or night in real life. Thus the reason I visited the gym, Which I¡¯ve never been to in my whole life. ¡°Welcome, it doesn¡¯t seem like you¡¯re a member, are you here to register?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± The troll of a man at the counter took me to sign a 3-month membership to the gym. It happened all so quickly. Next, I visited a place you can find more commonly than cafes nowadays, the ¡°Circuit Offline Store¡± or as others often call it ¡°Circuit Off¡±. Here, you could buy various connection tools that you could use to connect to , but that was not the purpose of my visit today. ¡°What¡¯s the best ¡®powder¡¯ you guys have?¡± The young lady at the counter started to guide me. ¡°Ah, you didn¡¯t apply for the monthly care service? To start off there are three types of powder. First, the standard, then the¡­¡± ¡°Give me the best you have, for three months.¡± As soon as she heard my request, without finishing her speech, she pulled a small circular container out of a bigger one. ¡°That¡¯ll be $480~¡± It was not a cheap price, but I made the purchase right away. To be spending this much, I was a little worried about the consequences. I took the well-packaged bag that the receptionist gave me and headed out. I¡¯ll be fine for at least three months with this powder. Powder. It was a 3-month expendable that often came with purchasing the connector for This was a consumable that minimized the nutrition loss from not being able to consume food for long playing sessions. If you eat any food within the game, this powder will be sprayed from the equipment behind the user¡¯s ear and supply nutrition to their body. It¡¯s a nutritional powder that is absorbed through the skin, so it minimizes any natural excretions and supplies essential nutrients, but obviously, the best option was to have a proper meal after logging off. But to me, Who¡¯s bought the best grade powder for the first time, such recommendations did not concern me. I promised in the future, even if I have to suffer from muscle pain, I will harvest more profit from the game. I was also surprised at myself. It seemed money really made people move. Now for the next problem. There was no hesitation in my steps. As I¡¯ve gone through my plan of action, each time there was a weird sense of strength welling up inside of me. With that confidence, I went on the subway. University has always been the bane of my existence. The extended education that I thought would prepare me to propel towards society, instead filled me with debt and part-time jobs to degrade me. This was the case for many students. In this harsh reality, we¡¯ve educated ourselves. But, the rising uncertainty of the future placed fear in us. Even so, the reason why they prevailed was not because of the debt. It was the hopes of their successful selves laughing back at this time in the future. I was also one of them. But I could not overcome the pressure. As my passion for education heated up, my parent¡¯s shoulders have been slumping like a melted candle. I¡¯ve tried harder and harder to not be late and bring in good grades, but all I¡¯ve gotten back were more debts. I¡¯ve thought numerous times how nice it would be to sell this grain of rice to pay off my debt. In the end, I chose a different route. To not let go of the rare opportunity, I was on my way to request my last break from school. As I said this in my head, I laughed at the fact that I was relieved to know I could still take a break for a year. It was a ridiculous thought that I¡¯ve still thought of the painful university as my last option. The university I arrived at looked very different from two years ago. From the front gates, the new scenery of the school made me question if I was at the right place. As I walked towards the office, I absorbed the memories of when I was a student here. Like that, I decided to take a leave for one more year. As I was clearing my thoughts, I stepped in front of the ATM right outside of the school. I took out my card, which had nearly the same amount of money since leaving the house. My parents. Worried about the shock from suddenly sending a large sum of money, I only sent the money I¡¯ve made from my part-time job first. Along with a message that emphasized I¡¯m doing well this month. Though, a part of me was heavy. After finishing every task, I went back on the subway to return home. Organizing my thoughts, I took out my phone. It was to check out the ¡°Community¡± Sharan mentioned before the troll raid. I deemed it to be beneficial for me to gain more information in the future, as I¡¯ll be fully invested in this game. The community size of was already beyond the size of the national search engine of South Korea. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Unconsciously, I let out a sound. I could feel the stinging stare of the elder next to me. But, before recognizing that attention, I looked back at my phone. [Community Total Search Ranking] It was all articles related to me. To begin with, my nickname was the first in ranking for the site¡¯s search rankings. ¡°My god¡­¡± It was the second time I unconsciously let out a sound. After finally noticing my surroundings, I quietly looked back at my screen. [The secluded expert in question ¡°Mose¡± center of attention after defeating the Boss ¡°Black Mountain¡±] [80 users fierce after falling victim to Silborun¡¯s acclaimed ¡°Bait Tactic¡±¡­] [Silborun found dead. The suspect is believed to be a member of the Dark guild. Respawn point in a week is found to be a Church in Shalulion¡­] [Group of guilds that claims to be ¡°Arthur¡¯s trinity¡± fiercely looking for the user ¡°Mose¡±. They are willing to pay 500 gold to any users or NPC that could give them his whereabouts¡­] [Tensions rise in the infamous three guilds, known as ¡°The Trinity,¡± due to all three guilds looking for the user Mose, who¡¯s allegedly the only user to have an area heal skill.] After acknowledging all the events that occurred, I could feel a cold sweat on my back. I would never have thought for things to be this big. To top it off, Somebody put an extraordinary bounty of $50,000 on me. My hair was on edge, and my lips were starting to chap. I started thinking of the worst outcome. Both users and NPCs ferociously looking for me everywhere. As expected of the information era, they¡¯ve already located the respawn point of Silborun next week. If they found any more dirt on me, it wouldn¡¯t be a surprise for them to discover me in real life. There¡¯s only one conclusion. Leave Asparagan. I just need to be vigilant. I just have to go far, far away. Like that, as soon as I left the subway, I bolted towards my single room. Drenched in sweat, I entered my room to rush towards the only modern-looking thing from my bleak room, which is the Circuit Connecter. I quickly exchanged the powder within the system for the new expensive one I¡¯ve just bought. I took a short shower to rinse off the sweat on my body. It felt like I was finally at peace right before logging in. All of the preparations have been made. Truth be told, I did feel a bit anxious near the end. On the flip side, it might have been a better outcome. The world of Circuit currently has only 1% exploration completion. This was the perfect motivation to join the frontier to explore the rest of the world. ¡°Indeed exploring the world of Circuit is fantastic, but most of all¡­¡± My frantic heartbeat. Much akin to the one of a kid at an amusement park, I laid myself down. Even so, my inner thoughts made their way outside my mouth. That¡¯s right, most of all, ¡°For an RPG, leveling up is a top priority.¡± I closed my eyes. And whispered softly. ¡°Connect.¡± Soon after, I entered a state of drowsiness. A weird sensation of tranquility. My body started to float, and light started to fade away from my eyelids. Once near the end of the journey, I¡¯ll open my eyes. And be greeted by a world not reality, but somewhere with more practicality, along with the sour smell of mold. I left the old inn and unconsciously started to pay attention to my surroundings. The awkward sensation made me sweat a little. The popularity I¡¯ve gained online made me feel tense. But, I couldn¡¯t proceed like this. To start off, I needed to leave this humongous city, Asparagan. Also, due to the fight with the troll, currently I was wearing tattered clothes. Who would possibly think of me as the ¡°Secluded Expert¡± Mose? The game¡¯s system of privacy, which never reveals my name unless I intend to, will be of great help in my anonymity. First priority was to prepare myself with proper equipment. Being anonymous was an added bonus. Making a serious expression all by myself, I quickly faded away from Asparagan. ____ Chapter 10 - The Preparations Are Complete Chapter 10. The Preparations Are Complete ¡°Though it¡¯s a bit sooted, this much Troll leather is to be thankful for! I¡¯ll purchase all of them!¡± Pointy nose, flat forehead, and protruded front fangs, the dwarf looked carefully at the leathers I¡¯d brought. Upon inspecting the stacked leather, the dwarf lifted up his golden eyeglass with his fingers. ¡°Anyhow, it should be hard to come by this much troll leather within these parts? Perhaps you¡¯re an adventurer around here? Or part of a large guild?¡± ¡°I¡¯m an adventurer¡­¡± When he heard my answer, he smiled as he caught my arm. Relative to his small hand, I could feel vast strength compared to his small stature. ¡°You must be an expert adventurer. If you could continue to acquire these items, would you sell them to me? Shouldn¡¯t you know by now that my prices are very reasonable?¡± To be honest, before selling the leather, I did much prior research on the current exchange rate of these items, and the price the dwarf offered was perfectly reflective of the trends. ¡°Sure, anytime.¡± Satisfied with my answer, the dwarf pulled out a small bronze flower within his pouch and handed it to me. ¡°I¡¯m the Ramzbush Merchant, Yotun. This is my business card.¡± ¡°This¡­ is a business card?¡± Upon accepting the flower, I looked at him with a confused expression. He hinted at me to look carefully at the flower stem. I followed his instruction, and after pressing on a button-like figure near the stem, I¡¯m the Ramzbush Merchant, Yotun. I¡¯m open to buy and sell each and every item. The bronze flower bloomed to spout a misty smoke and showed a smaller replica of Yotun bowing as if he were an English gentleman. The smoke transformed once more to the location of this store. ¡°Thanks for everything.¡± ¡°Likewise!¡± Like that, the trade has been successful. Coincidentally, all the tension melted off of me as if snow in the heat. 4 large troll leather. That was equivalent to a whopping 45 gold. Due to the extra rewards based on contribution, I¡¯ve made a huge profit. Truth be told, due to the panic at the time, I¡¯ve completely forgotten about the two bonus loot boxes from the party heal and damage contributions. Only after inspecting the two loot boxes in my inventory, I hurriedly opened them. Inside, there were materials you usually get from hunting trolls. In the box I¡¯ve gotten from contribution in damage, there were 4 large troll leather. In the box from healing contribution, there were 3 large glass bottles of Troll¡¯s blood. Who would¡¯ve thought I would be handling these luxury materials ever in my life? Cautious of selling these luxury materials in Asparagan, I moved all the way to a relatively secluded town ¡°Ramzbush¡± to sell my belongings. ¡°Okay, next up is¡­¡± Satisfied with the way things were going, I moved quickly on my feet. Ramzbush was a rural town with slight smells of compost all over the city. The treehouses built from the tough grass each stood with their distinctive features. But rather than being frail, they actually looked quite sturdy. Passing by an elder sweeping grass, I headed over to a place with black smoke puffing out of the chimney; The Ramzbush¡¯s smithy. As I¡¯ve made my way in, ¡°A little bit more! That¡¯s right!¡± ¡°It¡¯s my first time touching Black Mountain¡¯s leather! It¡¯s so damn tough!¡± ¡°Hey! We¡¯re going to thread this part now!¡± ¡°What! Are you not ready yet?!¡± Inside, five bulky men were moving frantically whilst sweating. This was the first place I¡¯ve visited upon arriving at the Ramzbush, and they were working on the request I¡¯ve made before. ¡°Who¡¯s this! If it isn¡¯t our client!¡± ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to interrupt.¡± A man with soot all over his face smiled at me. As if to follow suit, all the other men also smiled at me. As their faces twisted from their facial expression, the beads of sweat made their way around the cracks on their faces. The reason as to why they were working this hard, was because I requested them to make me armor with the Black Mountain¡¯s leather. With curiosity and passion, they continue to hammer down the leather with their hot hammer. ¡°It¡¯s thanks to you we¡¯ve gotten the opportunity to refine such a material! Wait there, we¡¯ll make you the perfect armor!¡± The aggressive man who first greeted me started to hammer down with a hammer nearly the size of his forearm. As I watched them work, I turned my attention to the text above me. < 4 hours and 51 minutes until completion. > ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± I gave them a farewell, though it seemed no one heard it. So, there were nearly 5 hours of time before completing everything on my to-do lists. I should spend that time efficiently. As I pondered on what I should do, I got goosebumps over realizing that I¡¯ve been ignoring the most important task. ¡°I never checked my stats.¡± After talking to myself, I perked up. Virtual reality was very different from a normal game with a mouse and a keyboard, that I failed to appreciate the game system features. ¡°Status screen.¡± Soon after, I was face to face with my new status. [Lee Ki-Ho] [Nickname: Mose] Class: Adventurer Lv: 9 Vitality: 280/280 Mana: 60/60 Strength: 12 Health: 8 Speed: 7 Intelligence: 6 Abilities: [Polorun¡¯s Star] ¨C Health regeneration per second +101 [Polorun¡¯s Star] ¨C Health regeneration in party + 43 (Form: Aura, Max range 250M) Certainly, the stats I¡¯ve gained were drastically increased thanks to the single rare item. To begin with, did not implement the common feature in many games such as level limitations, or required stats on any items. It just states that if the item is in your possession, you should be able to equip it straight away. But, unlike the games where if you equip a good weapon, you could be an expert in that field, made you adjust to your items and train yourselves with it. Moreover, since one stat difference in this game was very difficult and painful to do, the stat bonus this item gave was more than it seemed. My level was at nine, which is pretty common, but my stats were arranged in a way that it was four times my actual level. This was demonstrated at the time where I knocked down the humongous Black Mountain with a body bash. I dare to say that I might be the most powerful user within my level range. However, amongst the waves of satisfaction, there was still something that made me feel a bit useless, and that was the absence of my class. Every user is compelled to find their class that is reflective of their own playstyle. Some people join the infamously hard paladin class factions to live out a life with more sense of duty for the world than the NPCs. As a warrior, they would be looking to fight, and through furious battles, they would level up. Or others will live a life unlike any other, like specializing in alchemy, or through otherworldly powers such as divination to experience the sense of transcendence beyond the mortal realm. I was also in need of a class. The conclusive reasoning behind my gameplay was possible to be described in one word, which is ¡°Rags to Riches¡±. But if I play this game just for money, what would be different from how I¡¯ve played when I was only hunting slimes! I needed to find my goal. As I¡¯ve determined to enjoy a better life through this game, whilst enjoying the game myself! As I contemplated how I should play this game, I noticed that the sun was setting with a dazzling orangish glow. ¡°It¡¯s the sunset of Belica. I should prepare dinner soon.¡± Perhaps she has just finished her groceries, a middle-aged woman walked across while carrying two full bags of food. She made her way into her home. As I blankly stared at that scene, I quickly got up from my seat after remembering something. It¡¯s already near dusk. I even forgot that I was hungry. Since my equipment should be nearly done, I made my way over to the smithy. But maybe it was due to seeing those groceries earlier, it was only after purchasing some grub to eat from the Ramzbush¡¯s eateries that I knocked on the smith¡¯s door. As I let myself in, I was greeted with the dissipating heat of the smithy, but also the intensity of all five blacksmiths¡¯ passion. Feeling the burning passion these blacksmiths radiated, I gave my thanks. ¡°Thanks for your hard work.¡± They all looked a bit out of it, but they all radiated a sense of ferocity. They had confidence on their shoulders, and all of them looked proud. ¡°It must¡¯ve been hard, I¡¯ve brought some food¡­¡± As I lifted the basket full of food, the blacksmiths suddenly started to surround me. ¡°The matching Bashakura Spider String for the joints of Black Mountain¡¯s leather!¡± First, the blacksmith with a black mustache declared, as he fitted a gauntlet my size on both of my hands. It was a splendid black leather glove, made with a spider engraving. ¡°By feeding the wax made from the essence of a 100-year-old Numal Tree, the Black Mountain¡¯s heart could block even the strongest of steel swords!¡± The blacksmith with a golden beard equipped me with a chest plate behind my back. Also in perfect tune with my body just like the gauntlet. ¡°Made from Lashmo¡¯s fur, Belica¡¯s blessing during the winter, Valus¡¯s blessing during the summer!¡± Finally, the blacksmith with brown pupils equipped me with greaves. As if following a single line down my body, the armor that seemingly fitted me perfectly, was extremely well-refined. ¡°To think we¡¯ve made a masterpiece like this!¡± ¡°It¡¯s my first time in my twenty years of smithing to make a piece like this!¡± All the blacksmiths near me looked emotional. They¡¯ll never have the opportunity to recreate this type of armor in the town of Ramzbush that they live in. I also was overwhelmed by emotions upon wearing the armor. ¡°Thank you very much. To think I have the opportunity to wear such magnificent armor¡­¡± The brown-eyed blacksmith gave a horselaugh. ¡°Thanks to you, all our tools have been worn out. To people like us, who¡¯ve only made tools for farming, we didn¡¯t have the proper tools to cut the leather of a troll that pulls out a hundred-year tree by the roots.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t thank you enough.¡± Feeling their puffs, I bowed my head over and over again. ¡°Well, it was indeed a nice experience, but it¡¯s a bit troubling to not be paid¡­¡± The man with the black beard checked my reaction. I immediately handed them the 20 gold fee. ¡°This amount pales in comparison to what I¡¯ve gotten, but please accept.¡± Upon accepting the fee, they all made a satisfied expression and laughed. After exchanging a deep handshake with each one of them, I left the smithy. It was only after that I could express the emotion of happiness deep within my chest. ¡°This¡­ This is really¡­¡± [Black Mountain Full Armor Set] Grade: Magic 5/5 The essence of Black Mountain (Leather Full Helm) The heart of Black Mountain (Leather Chest Plate) The muscle of Black Mountain (Leather Brace) The Strength of Black Mountain (Leather Gauntlet) The remnant of Black Mountain (Leather Greaves) Effect: Strength + 8 Health + 9 Speed + 3 Protection + 118 [Set Bonus] 3 Set Bonus ¨C Health Regeneration per second + 14.4 5 Set Bonus ¨C Strength + 11 Five magic-grade items. On top of that, even without the set bonus, this armor gave an enormous stat increase. Including the stat bonuses, this set piece was nearly equivalent to equipping another Polorun¡¯s Star. As soon as I was equipped with the armor, I felt I was stronger than before. ¡°Now¡­¡± All preparations had been made. Personally, it was my first time to set up such a plan and follow through with it accordingly. ¡°Should I get started?¡± What should I be afraid of with all these magic items! I started to sprint without hesitation towards the outskirts of the Ramzbush town. From now on, it will be a journey to level up as fast as possible. I skipped towards the dense forest, whilst keeping high hopes of obtaining an item nearly as wonderful as Polorun¡¯s Star. ____ Chapter 11 - Dungeon (1) Chapter 11. Dungeon (1) It¡¯s been quite some time since I left Ramzbush. It was chilly in the forest during the evening, but my Black Mountain leather kept me fairly warm. I had my Mulek Mountain Steel Long Sword equipped on my waist, but I couldn¡¯t even feel its weight due to my high strength stat. ¡°Now that I think about it, it¡¯s my first time walking through a forest like this.¡± I took a deep breath and looked around me. The messy dirt road was illuminated slightly behind all the fallen leaves. Ramzbush was a small town located north of Asparagan; I kept moving north, even further from Asparagan. To be honest, I didn¡¯t make any plans for my whereabouts before heading out on this journey. It was indeed a bold plan, but I was gunning for the fact that you could find ¡°Dungeons¡± or even ¡°Ruins¡± just by exploring randomly. For such a lucky occasion, I needed to have a sense of uncertainty. Unlike real life, ¡°Chance¡± in this world worked concretely, and accurately. If you lost your life, you could wait out a week of the death penalty and play again. Or, if you found a dungeon, even if you fail the first time you could just try again. In a world with such principles, making elaborate plans did matter as much. In the end, knowing where I¡¯ll be headed means someone else is likely to have the same information. Therefore, the area will be congested with NPCs or users like me. What good is in that? Having to experience things for the first time is, in its essence, the definition of luck. It was the kind of realization I¡¯ve gained from reminiscing myself frantically hunting slimes before. It was better to think that this dull walk would in turn help me appreciate the fruition of hard work. After the sunset, the forest took a darker tone. From time to time, some peculiar plants illuminated in the dark forest, like a lighthouse in the dark sea. ¡°Inventory.¡± Though it¡¯s a game, since it was virtual reality, I had to prepare for the darkness in the forest. As I held up a wooden club covered by a stem with numerous holes, it radiated light from each hole. Glow cane stick. It was a type of torch. Along with the torch, I took out some dry bread and started chewing it. It was what I purchased back in Ramzbush. It was very dry bread, but instead of being tough and flavorless, this bread got sweeter as you chewed. Any new experience gave a different perspective to the simplest of things. I was no exception, as I enjoyed the foreign sensation in my mouth. After getting prepared as such, I went back on the road. The starry night gave a positive impression of the journey ahead. After arriving at the endpoint of the trail, I realized I was at the dead center of the forest. I moved around aimlessly for nearly an hour, and it was no exaggeration to say that I¡¯ve gotten completely lost. As the Glow cane stick I held was starting to lose its glimmer, ¡°Rock?¡± That was my first impression. It was my reaction to the strange sensation I¡¯ve felt after walking in the damp ground of the forest. At that moment, With eerie background music, a frightening set of red text appeared in front of me. < First Discovery! > As first to discover this place, Your strength is raised by one. Dungeon! It was a dungeon! Regarded as the identity of the RPG genre, it was a place that was filled with danger, but with a compensatable amount of loot! As I approached it, the nearby black rocks formed an intimidating mountain and blocked my way. After closer inspection, I noticed a small pitch-black entrance that seemingly stared back at me. The first dungeon I¡¯ve discovered in this game. For that achievement, I¡¯ve gained a stat point. It was an amazing reward, that was equivalent to leveling up without putting in any work. Filled with expectations, I headed towards the cave slowly. ¡°Inventory.¡± Before entering the cave, I opened up my inventory to take out the ¡°Adventurer¡¯s kit¡± I¡¯ve purchased from Ramzbush. A kit for the most basic adventurers, as the name suggests, it contained many essential items for newbie adventurers like me. Out of the numerous gadgets contained within, What I took out was a small yellow orb. [Bellesect¡¯s Orb] Type: Expendables Grade: Normal By squeezing the orb, it will illuminate. The range of illumination is fifteen meters radius based on the marble. (Thirty-minute duration) History: Also regarded as a Flashworm, a Bellesect contains an organ that lets out strong bioluminescence to attract nearby mates, or confuses predators. The Bellesect¡¯s Orb is an invention made from utilizing that feature! ¨C Vector explaining from the Inventions Convention ¨C In simple terms, it was a flashlight. After squeezing the soft orb, the small object quickly started to disperse light. By tying the orb to my waist, the pitch-black cave has become observable. The interior of the cave was very spacious. There were numerous rotten roots on the ceiling with water dripping from them, whereas the cave floor was as damp as it can be. All over the cave, there were occasional unrecognizable writings from a red dye, which contributed to the overall atmosphere. As I ventured deeper into the cave, the interior kept on growing larger. At a contradicting size compared to the pea-sized entrance, I was growing a little frightened. Only after passing by a great hall littered with red writing, I recognized some of the writings on one of the slates. ¡°This¡­¡± Seemed like a diary of some sort. Mixed with the empire¡¯s language, the writing went a little something like this. [Morutal, Ivory, and Skull. These cursed words imprisoned us.] [The death¡¯s shadows quickly enveloped our army] [We, who fought for our lives, did not get to enjoy the gratification of death.] [We pray for the one who cursed us to forever be in excruciating pain.] After fully deciphering the contents, I felt an ominous change in the hall I was in. It wasn¡¯t the sound made from a single entity. The noise quickly surrounded me in sync, as if they¡¯ve been waiting for this moment. Shortly, I could find out the source of this ruckus. Discovered from the light of my Bellesect¡¯s Orb, What I saw was a decaying skull. It was Skeletons. Thankfully, their levels weren¡¯t that high. The problem lies in their numbers. I could not even fathom how many there were at that short notice. ¡°Gasp!¡± There were no screams of terror, but my tight chest blocked my breath. The skeletons, who could not care less about my situation, quickly started to charge at me. ¡°Uh, Uahhhh!¡± Quickly, I took out the Mulek Mountain¡¯s Steel Long Sword. Despite its exterior, this was a magic-grade weapon. I took the sword and swung it as hard as I could at the first set of skeletons rushing towards me. The sword let out a glow reflected from my orb, which was reminiscent of a half-moon. Screech! Any skeleton within reach of my half-moon disintegrated. ¡°Huff¡­¡± I was able to take down any skeleton that was within reach of my long sword. To add on, I was never able to swing a blade this precise within the entirety of playing this game. This was the explosive synergy made from a rare-grade accessory, a set of magic-grade armor, and a magic-grade weapon. Despite not having any specialized class in combat, five or so skeletons were defeated from the swing of my sword. Only after recognizing that fact, some form of confidence lit up inside me, and I held my sword with both hands. ¡°Hmph!¡± After taking a deep breath, I swung my sword towards the group of skeletons. Unstoppable! That was the impression I had. With strength and speed stats unthinkable for my level, I was annihilating any skeletons in my way. When I swung my blade into the waves of skeletons, they exploded violently, like a wave hitting a cliff. Although their weapons were rusted, the little luster in their blades shone around me as they flew away. Slash! Slash! My rough swings, as if swinging a baseball bat. Despite the bluntness of my swings, the skeletons flew away regardless. ¡°Puff! Puff!¡± I was running out of breath. Sweat has infiltrated within my leather armor. My neck guard has dampened from my breaths. After quickly readjusting my armor, I looked around. The mountain of bones in front of me was a sight to behold. Until I caught my breath, I did not look away from the bone mountain once. After checking, there were no survivors, I looked back. Two sets of texts appeared in front of me, along with a trumpet sound effect. < You have leveled up. > < You have leveled up. > After hearing the same sound effect two times, I¡¯ve gained two levels just like that. The young teen who couldn¡¯t even breathe properly before, ¡°Yes!¡± Danced in joy and happiness. But, this was not the end of the dungeon. After exiting the hall, I moved towards the deeper route. At the end of the road, many dead bodies seemingly met a terrible fate. Unlike the skeletons from earlier, the horrific scene of the dead bodies made me sick. ¡°Uak¡­¡± In the end, it made me cuss. But, enduring the sickness, I slowly headed inside a room to find an altar inside. [I despise them. I despise the Empire.] [I despise the empire who stripped me of my skin, and ridiculed my soul.] [I despise the empire who lied about their help to engulf my town in flames.] [I despise the empire who trapped us in this room and waited for us to starve.] [They are remnants of their dishonorable lives] [They are deserters of the empire] [The deserters of the empire put on their masks to coax us into believing they were from the empire.] [To this, I, Morutal will place a curse on you.] [The curse to never be able to leave this cave! The curse of despair to not be freed from death!] [Morutal, Ivory, Skull!] A set of descriptions that seemingly contradicted the ones from earlier appeared. After discerning what events took place in this room, I mourned the skulls that were littered on the ground. Soon after, A middle-aged man¡¯s voice has reached my ears. In front of my eyes, a crimson set of texts appeared. < Assault Quest Activated > Grade: B You can subjugate the leader of the deserters that Morutal sealed, ¡°Gilutin¡±. Activation Trigger: Speak the cursed words. The first quest I¡¯ve received in a dungeon was the newest type of quest in this game; The ¡®Assault¡¯ quest. The middle-aged man¡¯s voice and the crimson text both frightened me. But, I did not hesitate. The activation trigger for this quest was blatantly obvious. After a moment of silence, I opened my mouth. ¡°Morutal, Ivory, Skull.¡± ____ Chapter 12 - Dungeon (2) Chapter 12. Dungeon (2) There were demons that wore the masks of the empire. There were also people who fell victim to their crimes. What I have in front of me was the last effort of these victims to keep the demon in the overworld to be rightfully judged. After letting out an ominous aura, the bones littered around the room started to collect at the altar in the middle to form a body. The formation of tattered bones and rotten flesh was horrible to even look at. After forming a full skeleton, the ominous red aura got sucked into the back of the skeleton¡¯s head. The process made me stagger and nearly throw up. After looking back at the front, A fully armored crimson skeleton was looking right back at me. His eyes were just a plain abyss, but the goosebumps on my skin showed he was staring at me. After staring for a bit, his lower jaw rattled down, and let out a stinging shout. ¡°Morutal, Ivory, Skull! How dare this bastard tarnish my body and soul with these cursed words!¡± Just from his movement, I could tell that he was different from the skeletons I¡¯ve fought earlier. ¡°Instead of starving them to death, I should have just crushed them myself!¡± Only after the crimson skeleton finished throwing his fit, I could check the text that appeared on top of his head. He had the appearance of a skeleton but did not possess the common name of ¡°skeleton¡±. Recognizing the fact that even the boss of the Bass Mountain¡¯s Troll had a name as broad as Black Mountain, The skeleton that possesses a ¡°Unique Name¡± will be vastly stronger than any other monsters I¡¯ve faced before. In addition, this was the first ¡°Assault Quest¡± I¡¯ve ever seen. With even a letter grade of B, this quest was an unprecedented challenge. ¡°Are you the one that freed me!¡± His razor-sharp voice pierced my ears. ¡°T-That¡¯s right¡­!¡± After barely numbing my rattling jaw, I answered. A cold chill engulfed my body. ¡°Are you a scoundrel that got sent by Morutal? Or are you an envoy sent here by my majesty?¡± His voice filled the room. It was my first time to be questioned by a monster. Judging by the written slates all over this dungeon, this Gilutin fellow was the commander of a cavalier from the empire that violated their orders and swept havoc onto the villages they came across. One of those victims was a shaman by the name of Morutal, and he placed this curse on them in exchange for his life. Therefore, there was only one reason I¡¯ve called him here. I opened my chapped lips slowly. And held up my sword. ¡°Gilutin, I¡¯m here to vanquish you!¡± At the same time, in the hollow socket of Gilutin¡¯s skull, a red glow lit up. ¡°You good-for-nothing rogue! If you had a better sense of judgment, you would have been able to retain your life!¡± After a barrage of curses, he bolted towards me. A different level of strength than the skeletons from before. Before I could even react, Gilutin¡¯s skinny bone fist reached my nose. Bam! ¡°Keuk¡­!¡± Even with my enhanced speed stats, I could not catch a glimpse of his fist. But thanks to my quick reaction, I could barely block his fist with my long sword. Or so I thought, ¡°Beurk¡­¡­¡± My head spun around. The drifting dust made my throat prickly. Before knowing what happened, I was attacked from behind. With indescribable pain, both of my hands went numb. ¡°Keu-heuk¡­!¡± From my obstructed throat, came a tiny moan to partially describe my pain. Only after clutching my spinning head, I could reassess the situation. I did succeed in blocking his fist with my sword, I could not withstand his strength and flew all the way to the wall behind me. Even so, I did not let go of my long sword. ¡°Pant¡­Pant¡­!¡± I panicked for a while, but that was only for a minute. The burning pain seemingly dissipated as if an ice pack was applied. Both of my numbing arms quickly regained their senses. It was the freakishly strong regeneration option from my armor and Polorun¡¯s Star. ¡°What kind of sorcery did you use!¡± Thump! Thump! Thump! Gilutin clattered his jaw as he charged at me again. But, before his feet even hit the ground, I was already in motion swinging my long sword. Slam! Gilutin, who was rushing at me just now, was now stuck in the wall like myself from before. These consecutive scenes sent shivers down my spine. In this short moment of time, I was able to swing my blade against his speed. The ability to keep my composure against this monster was nearly inhuman. This was the strength of all my stats. The slight increase in my intelligence helped me learn from my mistakes. The added stat bonus helped me beat a monster that would normally be impossible to do at my level. I¡¯ve heard about this before, This is being ¡°Overgeared¡± in ! While I was fascinated by my strength, I noticed a slight movement in the wall that Gilutin was stuck in. ¡°Be it the cursed body, but for me to allow such a hit from this scoundrel¡­¡± A different tone of voice from before, and inside of it was thick murder intent. ¡°I shall skin you and be freed from this curse.¡± After finishing his horrifying speech, he held up his arms. Then, a red magic circle appeared under his feet. ¡°Though I¡¯ve lost the skin and muscle of my right arm, the ¡°Engravings¡± did not vanish! Answer my call¡­ My sword¡­¡± Answering his prayers, the red magic circle under his feet burst a stream of red light. From the center of the stream, came a sinister shape. ¡°Manifest, ¡®Sharma¡¯!¡± Soon, the shape started to morph, and Gilutin grabbed it. At that moment, I was swept with despair. His level has increased. I¡¯ve never heard of a monster that can increase its own level before. Is this the power of a monster with a unique name!? ¡°Die!¡± A swift motion even faster than before. I could vividly witness the will of his sword. If not for my Black Mountain Armor, I would have instantly died. ¡°Euaak!¡± To the shock that seemingly pierced my body, I screamed. Sheik! Kaching! His last thrust hit my body, and I flew back into the wall. ¡°How regrettable! To think I couldn¡¯t split your body!¡± Gilutin sighed as he swung his sword around. ¡°However! You wouldn¡¯t be able to preserve your body against my sword techniques!¡± I could hear him approach my fallen body. He made a clunking noise every time his bones hit against his hard armor. But! This Gilutin guy, or skeleton, underestimated me a bit too much. My HP just surpassed three hundred, but my health regeneration boasts over a hundred per second. Which means, If I¡¯m given at least three seconds, even if I was unconscious, I would be as healthy as I was at the beginning of the fight. Therefore, As that Gilutin bastard takes leisure in walking towards me, every second is an opportunity for me! Watch! The power of a necklace I¡¯ve received from my insane luck! I stood up with confidence. I stretched my neck and looked directly back at Gilutin. ¡°How did you stay conscious after withstanding my attack!¡± ¡°Come at me¡­!¡± Do you think this was what that superhero with adamantium claws felt when he fought? The feeling of being able to regenerate instantly after being dealt a devastating attack. I, who is insignificant in real life. Here, I¡¯m the same as a superhero. The thought filled me with determination. The momentaneous pain was still threatening, but I could heal it in an instant! I could take on his blows any number of times! I ran towards Gilutin like a crazy person. Then got stuck back in the wall, then traded more blows with the sword and stuck again. Like that, I continued to fight him. Clank! Ching! Kang! Kaching! Gilutin started to attack me more furiously. It was because he probably realized giving me time was not beneficial for him. But it was too late. For me, who lacked combat skills, all I could do was strike at a single point on his body no matter how many blows I took. And after I struck for countless times, The result of my fruitful endeavor appeared. Sweeesh! ¡°Keuaak!¡± His scream signaled the start of my revenge. Gillutin has lost his right arm. It was the result of striking his shoulder countless times with my sword. The reason why this reckless plan could work was, None other than, All my items! The armor to defend against Gilutin who was now level thirty-four. And, the weapon strong enough to knock off his right arm behind the protection of his armor. This was the reason why I was confident in my plan. ¡°Have Bellica blessed you! Or do possess the bloodline of Benandoru that opened the Dead man¡¯s vessel! What are you¡­!¡± His jaw opened wide. ¡°I¡¯m the Golden Beast of the Empire, Gilutin! The honorable Gilutin!¡± ¡°You¡¯re just a criminal that tarnished the reputation of the empire!¡± I responded after barely catching my breath. To my response, Gilutin stared at me blankly. ¡°That¡¯s not true! I¡¯m the honorable commander of¡­! ¡°You¡¯re just a traitor to your empire!¡± Be it the world inside a video game, but I screamed my heart out to him as if responding to his genuine emotions. ¡°How would you know the determinations of a soldier!¡± To his last cry of a plea, I shut my mouth. I could not respond to his question. A monster in a game just asked me if I knew their determinations. It was an unfamiliar experience to me, who¡¯s only been hunting slimes my whole life. ¡°Do you know the duties of a soldier! I¡¯m a soldier! A proud and honorable soldier protecting the empire!¡± To his speech, I frowned. ¡°If so, why would you raid and kill the villagers?¡± ¡°We were famished! As the war went on, my army was on the verge of extinction from not getting any supplies from the empire!¡± ¡°Then?¡± ¡°Therefore, we¡¯ve replenished our supply from the town we¡¯ve protected.¡± ¡°From the town that you¡¯ve slaughtered?¡± ¡°They failed to show appreciation to our army! The empire! We were the honorable knights that protected them!¡± His jaws opened wider. ¡°It¡¯s true we were deprived of many things! Yes! So, we tried to solve some of those desires. And asked these bastards for cooperation. But apparently, they had the audacity to say no! To us, who¡¯s been protecting them all our lives?!¡± ¡°Is that why you¡¯ve slaughtered them all?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t leave a single one left. Although Morutal, that bastard, did leave us with a curse.¡± As he chatted on, I was getting nauseous from my resentment towards him. Soon, that feeling turned into powerful hatred. ¡°Did you ask if I knew the determinations of a soldier?¡± Then I looked at the skeletons littered on the ground. Some of them were missing the end of their fingers from scratching the cell wall. ¡°I might not know more than you, but I know the basics.¡± ¡°What would you know about the soldier¡¯s honor!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been there for two years.¡± ¡°What?¡± As if cussing him out, I yelled at him. ¡°The soldier¡¯s creed!¡± So I screamed towards Gilutin, who stood dispirited. ¡°We are the soldiers of our nation, loyal to the country and its people!¡± Then, I struck my long sword firmly onto his head. Although my claim left me a bit embarrassed of its flaws. At least it was enough to refute Gilutin¡¯s flawed opinion. Like that, his skull split into two, and I was covered by a swerve of light. < You have leveled up. > < You have leveled up. > < You have leveled up. > < You have leveled up. > < You have leveled up. > < You have leveled up. > A whopping six levels of experience, and¡­ Gilutin¡¯s skull evaporated into smoke and started to siphon into a single spot. After a while, a core came about from that spot. But, this core took a different appearance compared to other ones from before. The core immersed in crimson aura struck occasional flashes of lightning from within. The core of a monster with a unique name was different from other monsters just from their exterior! Into the gloomy dungeon floor came a bright light. And under that light, After gulping down my excitement, I slowly reached for the core. ____ Chapter 13 - The Start of My Happiness Chapter 13. The Start of My Happiness In front of my eyes were brilliant sparks of fireworks. These colorful sparks showed off their individual presence. Some showed their dazzle even after falling to the floor. They were items. An immense amount of items spread out after touching the core I¡¯ve got from defeating Gilutin. What¡¯s more, the core hasn¡¯t even broken fully yet. The core that hovered in the air soon broke down after a little tremble. At the same time, I shrank back from the intense light from within the core. Soon after, A strong gust hit me. The strength of the wind was formidable as I was blown back a bit. It was only after the gust, I was able to witness the item at the center. A sword floating where the core previously struck. It had to be the sword that Gilutin spawned. As I¡¯ve never experienced an item with this kind of effect, I nearly pissed my pants off the impact. If the curse that held Gilutin was a bit weaker, or if the flesh on his body was a little more vigorous, I probably would¡¯ve been relentlessly slaughtered by this sword. Gilutin, the monster beaten only by the strong determinations of its victims, and my god-like items, was easily the strongest monster I¡¯ve faced surpassing that of Black Mountain. To prove my point you only had to look at the state of my sword. This magic grade long sword has lost most of its durability. This only meant his bones were incredibly sturdier than that of a human bone. Now, enough of my admiration towards the strength of GIlutin, and came the time to check my haul. Obviously, my first step was to check the item that dropped with overwhelming force. This sword hasn¡¯t even fallen to the floor and just hovered over the ground. After focusing on the sword, A cleansing sound of the bell rang in my head. < Achievement Complete, [One that possesses the remnant of the Eleven Swords] > < All stats increase by two > Just from looking at the sword, I completed an achievement. Just under the sword, there was its item details window. The item showed off an alluring branch-like pattern with a golden glow, it reminded me of a frame for an expensive paint. The border of the item protruded a crimson flame, Immediately after checking its content, I fell to the floor. [The Ninth Chosen Sword ¨C Sharma] Type: Long Sword Grade: Unique Inventor: Rabogeru Weight: 11.8 Kg Effect: Single-Handed Attack 211 ¨C 231 Double-Handed Attack 284 ¨C 341 Strength + 19 Swiftness + 14 By equipping this item, activates the engraving skill After engraving, the sword will disappear, and an engraving will appear automatically on the user¡¯s dominant arm. After being engraved, the user will learn ¡°Manifest¡± automatically, and through its activation summon the sword anytime they want. History: The eleven swords made by Rabogeru are weapons capable of changing the tides of battle just from its presence. Any person chosen by the swords could be freed from its weight when sheathed. From time to time, there came skilled swordsmen who mastered the manifestation skill of these chosen swords. Others complimented their swordsmanship as (Phantasmic Bladework). Sharma is the ninth of the eleven swords. ¨C Weapon Enthusiast Lee ¨C Unique!? Based on my knowledge that a rare item is the highest grade item in this world, this was a surprising find. Though in a normal game, this would¡¯ve been a common grade for an item, I didn¡¯t think I would come across this grade of an item at this dungeon. What kind of figure was Gilutin in the past to be holding onto this sword! To the Circuit community who¡¯ve concluded that a rare grade item was the pinnacle of items, I¡¯ve just obtained a new item that completely contradicts their theory. To top it off, considering the rarity of items and their value in , this will be the only [Ninth Chosen Sword ¨C Sharma] in this world. Does this mean I possess an item that others will never be able to obtain! ¡°He¡­Hehe¡­¡± I laughed. It felt like I¡¯d just done something incredible. I felt chills down my spine from the greatness of this sword that surpasses that of my Polorun¡¯s Star. With jewels embedded in a pattern that reminisces waves of flame, the flamboyant appearance of my sword looked like that of an art piece. That was enough admiration. Holding back my thudding heart, I slowly reached out for the handle of the sword. At that moment, Sharma, the chosen sword, burst into black fumes and disappeared into my right arm, along with a message. < ¡®Manifest¡¯ skill learned. > < You¡¯ve learned your first skill. You can summon ¡®Skill Window¡¯. > I learned the Manifest skill. This was my first ever skill in . ¡°Skill Window!¡± It was my first time opening a skill window during my two months of playing. In front of my eyes, came a wide and well-organized window. [Manifest] Skill Level: MAX MP cost: 11 You can call the sword¡¯s name to manifest or conceal the sword. (Cooldown time 1.5 seconds) There was no reason to pass up on the opportunity to try out my new skill. I was excited about the thought of using my first skill. ¡°Sharma!¡± I shouted. After I felt like something drained out of my body, a red magic circle appeared beneath my feet. ¡°Wh¡­Whoa¡­!¡± After witnessing that occurrence, I was thrilled. I rolled my feet from the shock. The magic circle soon disappeared and in front of me, Was a sword that hovered directly in front of me. I seized the sword and swung it around. The sword felt heavy, but I had no problem swinging it. Since I didn¡¯t know how to properly swing a sword, I was just swinging it as if it was a baseball bat, but the thought of the damage that each of my wonky swings dealt delighted me. ¡°Sharma¡­Get back in?!¡± Since I didn¡¯t know how to utilize this skill, I gave a quick and precise statement right after its name. The sword quickly dissipated back to black fumes and got sucked back into my right arm. It was stimulating. That was the impression I got from using my first skill during my two months of playing . Very stimulating! I collected the other items littered around the dungeon floor, but to be frank, I was too distracted to inspect them. I just wanted to witness the magnificence of my sword again. I was finally done looting after filling up the first page of my inventory and moved out of the dungeon. < You¡¯ve cleared the dungeon. > < You¡¯ve revealed all the secrets to this dungeon. > < The ¡®True Name¡¯ of this dungeon appears. > Right after exiting the dungeon, these texts appeared. < You¡¯ve found a new location! >