Chapter 94 - Waltz (1)

Chapter 94 - Waltz (1)

Ddahk ddahk ddahk!

Every time the chin of the Skeleton Magician moved, it clacked.  It was as if a crazy magician was laughing.

Accompanying the bizarre laughter, the Skeleton Magician threw a big fireball.  It flew quickly through the air in an arc.  At the end of the arc, the body of the Corrupted Comrade was present.  The size of its body had decreased significantly.

Puh-uhng!

When the fireball reached the target, it exploded.  Accompanying the explosion, the flame blew apart into sparks of flame, and they stuck to the Corrupted Comrade's body.

Hwah-roo-roo....

Up until now, the flames had quickly extinguished itself. However, the flames continued to burn, and it let its presence be known.

Hyrkan was watching all of this from a nearby location.  He gripped his sword as he stood 2 meters away.  Hyrkan lowered the point of his sword towards the ground instead of pointing it towards the Corrupted Comrade.

Battle Complete.

However, Hyrkan didn't let go of his feeling of tension.

He still hadn't heard the announcement.  There weren't any announcement indicating that his Quest had been completed, and he hadn't received any Titles.  This meant the battle was over, but the instance wasn't at an end.

Hyrkan looked at the Corrupted Comrade, and he stood vigilant of his surrounding.

More time passed, and nothing special was happening.

“Whew!”

Hyrkan was finally able to let out a short sigh. When he let out the sigh, his mind had some available space to think.

The available space was occupied by idle thoughts.

‘Tsk.’

Hyrkan's idle thoughts were filled with self-reflection.

‘I got hit twice.’

He took out a candy from a secret pocket located near his chest, and he put the candy into his mouth.  There were various spots on his clothes that was blackened. This was the trace left behind after he was hit by the Skeleton Magician's magic.

He hadn't been hit by the full brunt of the magic spell.  When the fireball exploded after hitting the Corrupted Comrade, the sparks of flame had hit him.  This was what had left behind the marks on his clothes.

It was hard to see this as a big problem.  The clothes worn by Hyrkan was a Defensive Set made from of the Clear Spider's webs.  It wasn't an item that could be destroyed by such minor damage.  To be truthful, he hadn't taken much damage.  Moreover, it had been necessary for him to stick to the Corrupted Comrade, so the amount of damage he suffered was inevitable.

It wasn't something that should make him take time for self-reflection.

‘I'll have to practice a little bit more.’

However, Hyrkan was still not satisfied with this battle, so corner of his mouth drooped.

Hyrkan chewed on the candy as he had an introspection.  The flame that had been burning the Corrupted Comrade's body started to subside.  When the flames died down, its muscular body was gone.  Hyrkan saw a skinny body that was akin to a skeleton.

“Thank you.,”

It was burnt black, and an unpleasant voice emanated from the skeletal body.

Hyrkan realized what was happening, so he moved closer to the Corrupted Comrade.

When Hyrkan approached the Corrupted Comrade, it spoke while standing upright.

“Thank you from freeing me from this pain.”

Hyrkan took off his glove.  He spoke as he displayed his golden ring, the Proof of the Secret Society.

“Ah, you are…….”

Its eyes were already burnt black, so it was impossible to see Hyrkan through its naked eye.  However, the Corrupted Comrade had no problem identifying Hyrkan.  As with the other NPCs, it could sense the distinctive energy emitted by the Secret Society's ring.

“Please take my keepsakes to Maeung.  Then....  Tell Maeung that he was right.  Please deliver those words for me.”

After he spoke those words, the Corrupted Comrade dropped to his knees.  This was the first time the Corrupted Comrade had fallen to his knees.

Pshhhhhhh!

Then he started to disintegrate into ashes.

[Quest 'Elf's Keepsake' has been completed.]

[The Quest ‘Will of a Comrade’ has started.]

The Quest Announcement immediately popped up.

‘Great.’

He could wrap this up.

Hyrkan released the built up tension.

[You've earned the title ‘Destroyer of Corruption.]

However, Hyrkan became tense once again.

‘Uh?’

Something unexpected had happened.

The thick blue fog made it hard to see even an object right in front of their noses.  Five users walked together through the blue fog.

It seemed this group had gone through several battles already.  Their clothes were a bit rumpled.

On the other hand, that was a huge accomplishment.  This place wasn't an easy to place to fight.  They had fought several battles within the Blue Mist Forest, yet only their clothes were rumpled.  This meant they hadn't taken much damage.  It was evidence that their skills and levels were extraordinary.

The five of them came across a boulder that could be used as a chair within the thick fog. For a brief moment, they slightly relaxed as they started a conversation.

“It really is hard to hunt here.”

“How can there be so many monsters here?  No matter how I think about it, this is an abnormal amount of monsters. ”

“Even though there used to to be a Block Field here, there is a good reason why the Users aren't flocking to this place.  This place is the worst as a hunting ground.”

“Doesn't that make it more appealing as a place to conduct the Sweep?”

Sweep.

If one overheard this word, anyone could discern their identities.

Sweepers!

The five of them were part of the Sweepers guild.  They were an advance party sent to investigate the location they were going to do a full-scale cleaning.

Their average level was 130.  They all possessed high level, and they were masters at survival.  

Moreover, they were outstanding at evaluating monsters.

“Will it be possible for us to Sweep this place? The level of the monsters seem quite high?”

“But isn't their Health and Defense weak?  I'll be an easy Sweep.  The problem is whether we will be able to take footage in this place.”

“I guess the fog is a bit much here.”

“How about clearing the fog with the Wind type magic?  We can push away all the fog then we can commence our magical bombardment.  Wouldn't that make a great vid?”

“Bring a magician here to check if it'll work.”

“Anyways, it'll be hard for a small party to hunt here.  At least, we confirmed that.  There is no way anyone is hunting here.”

They were holding a conversation to get rid of their nervousness when it happened.

“Prepare for battle!”

One of the user hadn't been participating in the conversation.  The user, who had been keeping watch, suddenly let out a yell.

The party members immediately got into their battle stance when they heard the shout.  The Tankers stepped forward, and the Priest got his Heal magic ready.  Moreover, they were cautious.  They didn't try for pre-emptive attack.  No matter what happened, they were confident that they'll be able to cope with the situation.  They were veterans affiliated with one of the 30 great guilds.

‘Huh?’

‘Uh?’

The being that was approaching them was most definitely a user.

They could see a rough outline of the figure, but it was completely different from the shape of a Smogrian. If one considered the sight one could actually make out, there were plenty evidence that suggested that the person in front of them wasn't a Smogrian.  The Smogrians had a similar coloring to the blue fog, so one couldn't see it unless it was really close to a user.

The deciding factor was how fast this being was approaching them.  When this user discovered the Sweepers guild members, he stopped.  Only a user would stop when one sees another user.

‘Who the hell hunts in this place?’

Moreover, the user was alone.

‘Crazy!’

‘He's hunting by himself here?’

The five users had a dazed expression on their face.

Eventually, the distance between them narrowed.  The two sides were close enough to be able to see each other's faces.

“Hahoe Mask?”

Someone spoke.

A reply came immediately.

“Which guild are you affiliated with?”

It was a pretty unfriendly answer.  It was a non-answer, and that point couldn’t be argued.

He didn't even confirm his identity, yet he asked for their affiliation.  They couldn't consider his words to be a proper answer.

However, the Sweepers guild members answered without making any fuss.

“We are affiliated with the Sweepers guild.”

At that moment, Hahoe Mask finally came fully into view.  Hyrkan asked the five users a question.

“Did the Monster Sweep already start?  When I saw the announcement, it said the Sweep would be starting five days from today.”

“We are the advance party.”

After a brief conversation, the two sides looked at each other.

Hyrkan's appearance was bizarre in the eyes of the Sweepers guild members.  The most striking part of his appearance was the big bag he was carrying.  It was a large duffel bag that a soldier might use.  The bag looked as if it was about to burst.

It was evident that the bag was filled with Ingredient Coins. As members of the Sweepers guild, they were well aware of this fact.

This was why their surprise was much larger.

‘My god. He really was hunting here?’

‘By himself?’

The number of Ingredient Coin was basically the number of monsters Hyrkan had taken down.

They were beyond being impressed. The Sweeper Guild members were shocked.

‘Incredible.’

‘Recently, I heard the 30 great guilds were competing with each other to recruit him.  I now understand why.’

The five of them were still trying to process their surprise when it happened.

“Then I'll…….”

Hyrkan was about to leave, but he stopped as if he just remembered something.

‘Ah.’

Soooohk!

Hyrkan extended his hand towards them.  He wasn't asking for a handshake.  He had his palm up as he extended his hand.  If he wanted a handshake, he would have extended his hand straight.

The Sweepers guild members were confused as they looked at his palm.

What was the meaning of this?

Then doubt started to creep into their expression.  Hyrkan gave a curt explanation.

“I'm retreating since I saw the Sweeper guild's Announcement to clean this place. Don't I qualify for the compensation?”

The Sweeper guild members put on awkward smiles at his words.

‘My god.’

‘If he sold the the Ingredient Coins he has right now, won't he be able to gain several thousand gold in return?’

He was probably making a lot of money from the views he got on his videos.  It was an amount of money that a regular person couldn't even dream about making.  This was the first time the Sweepers guild members met Hyrkan, so they were also having a hard time imagining it.

“Are you perhaps saying one of the 30 great guilds is going back on their word?”

Hyrkan spoke again, and his words were strict, earnest, and serious.

“I'm in a hurry, so it would be great if you can settle the account right now.”

If he didn't immediately receive the compensation, it felt as if he was ready to make this situation bloody!  That was the vibe he was giving off.

In the end, Hyrkan left after receiving 100 gold.

Ahn-jaehyun wordlessly stared at his Tablet PC.  He was staring at a particular Item's Option.

He stared fixedly at the Tablet PC, and it seemed Ahn-jaehyun's vision became blurry.  He turned his eyes away from the Tablet PC.  He closed both his eyes, and he cover his face with both his hands.  His eyes throbbed.

It was easy to read the Item’s Option.  If one knew Korean, even a child could read it.  Ahn-jaehyun was overly knowledgeable regarding the game of Warlord, so he could understand the content just by glancing at the Stats.

This was the reason why he reacted this way.

‘Wow.’

Ahn-jaehyun knew the value of these Items better than anyone. He couldn't help, but be surprised.

‘I never expected to get my hands on these items through such a method.’

These were the Items that made Ahn-jaehyun so surprised.

[Corruption Destroyer's Necklace]

*Main Properties

- Unique-rank Item

- Increases class-specific stats proportional to level

- All stats +33

- Class related Stats +33

- Chosen Stats +33

- Required Level : 100

- Required Condition: Title ‘Corruption Destroyer’

*Sub-properties

- When one wears items related to the Pursuer of Corruption, Destroyer and Arbiter, chosen Stats + 99

- When equipped, damage received is decreased by 10%.

- This item reverts to its owner.

*Miscellaneous

- It is a necklace for Corruption Destroyers, who resist against the power of Corruption.  It holds a strong power.

[Member of Society, Ivan's Sword]

*Main Properties

- Unique-rank Item

- Strength +77

- Stamina +66

- Intelligence +55

- Magic Power +44

- Required Level : level 120

- Required Condition : At least, 1000 points Strength

*Sub-properties

- When equipped, 15% of monster's defense is ignored

- When equipped, it is possible to use the Skill, 'Haste (C)'. (Cool time 15 sec)

- This Item cannot be destroyed.

- This item reverts to its owner.

*Miscellaneous

- This is Ivan's Sword.  He was a member of the Secret Society.  As expected of a sword made by the Blacksmith Olf, it contains a strong power.

These were the two items left behind by the Corrupted Comrade.  It was the Keepsakes left behind by Ivan.

He had to take the 3 Keepsakes to Maeung, which included the Secret Society's Ring.  As the reward for the Quest, Maeung had given him this two items.

When he received the Items, Ahn-jaehyun was in a state of disbelief. He threw away the Pursuer of Corruption Necklace, and he equipped the Corruption Destroyer's Necklace. He stored the Ivan's Sword in his storage, since he couldn't equip it yet.  Then he exited the game, and he had been staring at the two Item's Options until now!

‘I never expected such a jackpot to show up.’

Ahn-jaehyun had a hard time believing in his current situation.

He had gained incredible Items that was well beyond his expectations.

Ahn-jaehyun removed his hands from his face.  He opened his closed eyes.  It was hard to believe, but reality was reality.

‘There is no reason to be flustered. There is no need to be worried.’

Ahn-jaehyun simplified his current situation.

He had been lucky, so he had gotten a Spec Up. Now he just had to use the Spec Up to his advantage to play the game.

No, he had to ride this momentum.

‘Yes, I have to keep this momentum going.’

Ahn-jaehyun had his savings and the money he received from his sponsors.  He thought about his financial situation.

He worked hard to save his money, so he had a good amount of money saved.

‘I have to burn it all.’

He hadn’t used his money , since an unexpected situation could crop up in the future. Still, he hadn't been planning on spending the large sum of money.

‘This is the time to let it all hang out.’

However, he had to build upon his momentum, so he would have to make a direct investment. It was time to spend his money even if his spending money for food decreased.

‘I have to seriously invest in the defensive gear of my Skeletons.’

If he upgraded his Specs a little bit more, he would be able to hunt in level 140 hunting grounds at level 110.

Currently, the level 140 hunting ground could be considered the front lines right now.  The number one ranking player, Perfect One, was at level 164.  The top 100 Ranking started from level 152.

If he was going to hunt in the frontlines, he had to equip himself with the latest items.  As always, the latest gears were the top-selling items.

Ahn-jaehyun made a fist.

‘Yes.  I have to charge for my footages from now on.  Then I'll be able to bring in the real jackpot when I sell my footages.’

He had to get a little bit more serious about bringing in more profit.

‘Wait, what should I do with the footage?’

Ahn-jaehyun thought about the footage of him battling the Corrupted Comrade.  When he gained the Corruption Destroyer Title, he hadn't been able to think of anything else.  This was why he hadn't given any thoughts to his footage.

‘At best, I don't think I'll be able to hit a million view with this...’

Truthfully, the footage wasn't that appealing in the eyes of Ahn-jaehyun.

Hahoe Mask fans liked Hahoe Mask fighting a full-fledged battle with a monster.  However, in this footage, he hadn't even attacked.  He avoided, baited and danced.

‘I guess I'll leave it to the Romani Films.’

Ahn-jaehyun thought about the Romani film company. If Ahn-jaehyun did a poor job editing the footage, he was sure his reputation would take a hit.  This was why he needed help from a professional.  

Ahn-jaehyun prepared his video file, then he contacted the Romain film company.

The conversation was brief.  It was as if they been waiting for Ahn-jaehyun to contact them.  They happily accepted the job.  When he sent the video file to the Romani film company, Ahn-jaehyun had a small wish.

‘I hope there will be enough views to offset the cost.’

When the file was sent, any thoughts about the footage containing his fight with the Corrupted Comrade left his mind.

‘What should I spend my money on? Shall I buy a staff that can be used by the Skeleton Magicians?’

From that point on, his mind was filled with thought about equipping his Skeletons.