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114
About thirty minutes later.
Hanbit’s party, having left the city, headed for the snowy mountains.
Gorik and Zenon, who accompanied them, disappeared from sight after passing through the city gate.
They would appear again once the destination was reached.
Moving forward, Hanbit checked the community post.
⟨Hidden skill coordinates have dropped.⟩
Snow Drake location came out on Black Dragon’s stream.
Whoever finds it first is probably taking the dwarves’ heirloom.
Hand it to Gorik and you can learn dwarven metallurgy.
Head for the highest peak of Ifrit’s snowy mountains.
All the corporations are out there tearing through snow, so maybe wait and sneak in when they’re distracted?
Still holding the number one spot on the RP community trending list.
Watching the comments that had multiplied several times over, Hanbit scrolled to the list of newest posts.
⟨Breaking news) Location identified as probable fortress entrance⟩
Vanguard team Blood dug up a uniquely shaped crevasse.
The incredibly bright glow inside suggests it’s the path leading to the fortress.
Currently preparing to enter.
-They found it;
-But the information’s already spread everywhere. Lol.
-Whoever gets there first will win at this point.
-Heading out right now.
-Aren’t we falling behind Blood?
└Lol, try it if you want the penalty.
└Right, dying is all it takes~
-Info) Insane number of people already converging.
-How do you beat vanguards to come in first?
└’Work hard.’
└Thumbs up if Black Dragon is crying.
└Must have thought vanguards were nothing. Lol.
The already-discovered fortress entrance drew enormous attention.
The first to find it was the vanguard Blood.
A player Hanbit had heard mentioned once in the chat before.
‘It’s not like I was dismissing them.’
Hanbit had a certain respect for the strength and experience of the vanguards.
Getting ahead quickly while experiencing this world for the first time was absolutely not easy.
The reason he had used Ranger, who he had gotten one over on, in his plan was precisely because he acknowledged the man’s strength.
“They found it already — is that okay?”
Kim Jaeha, walking beside him, asked quietly.
He appeared to have been reading the community mood as well.
“It’s fine. We’ll arrive in time too.”
The crevasse Blood found was, at the end of the day, only the entrance.
Even after going inside, reaching the fortress in one step was structurally impossible.
Even if they were to engage the Snow Drake first, there would be no problem with the plan.
“By the way, what’s the vanguard Blood’s level like?”
“Blood? Isn’t he somewhere in the top 6,000?”
-Yeah, correct.
-Exactly 5,812th.
-The wall below 4,000 is too high.
-Still insanely strong though with that skill.
-For real, the style is incredible.
-Living up to the name, legendary.
The chat pouring out supplementary explanations on its own.
And the subsequent donation caught Hanbit’s attention.
[SkillExpert has donated 1,000 won.]
[Blood’s hidden skill ‘Bloodletting’ is godlike.]
“Bloodletting?”
A vivid memory surfacing the moment the word landed.
Seeing that reaction, Avantgarde quickly joined the conversation.
“It’s a hidden skill with only one known user — Blood. Just as the name implies, a power that makes use of an opponent’s blood — but not a single piece of detailed information has been made public. It’s all speculation.”
“Is that so?”
Bloodletting.
A technique that draws out and controls the blood of living beings using mana.
It typically made use of monster blood, but in practice it had been most effectively used in human warfare.
Everything from crafting small weapons to large-scale killing magic — the limits were difficult to measure.
It was also a skill that could potentially have a significant impact on Hanbit’s plan.
“What are you planning to do about those people following us?”
Avantgarde glanced behind them and asked.
Players who had been tailing them ever since they left the city.
There were enough of them that pretending not to notice was hardly possible.
“Ignore them for now.”
Without giving them even a glance, Hanbit continued moving forward.
And when he stepped into the entrance of the snow-white snowy mountains, he angled off diagonally.
“Oh, there they are.”
A space below a slope thick with bare trees.
Right in the middle of it was a group of about ten people.
“Hey!”
Spotting Hanbit at the same time, a blond male human raised his voice.
A character that had invested needlessly in appearance — but the sour atmosphere alone made it obvious who it was.
“That’s the section chief, right?”
“Yeah. Looking at the character makes it even more nauseating.”
Kim Jaeha nodded and reacted with visible disgust.
Hanbit gave a nod and stepped forward.
The section chief had closed to a few paces before them at some point and was glaring at Kim Jaeha.
“This insane bastard has really lost it, hasn’t he? You kept me waiting for nearly two hours? I went to the trouble of sneaking in without other players noticing like you said!”
-?
-Who does this guy think he is?
-Who are you?
-Should we message-raid him, Master?
-Already sending friend requests.
-With a personality that broken, the face must be broken too;
-Look at that tone. 100% an ugly stubborn pot-bellied geezer.
At the sudden stream of profanity, the viewers’ keyboards turned into weapons.
“You……!”
The section chief, watching the stream, widened his eyes and trembled.
Hanbit approached him and said:
“That message — I was the one who asked Jaeha-hyung to send it.”
“What?”
“I said to meet at 3 PM. I can run a little late when I’m busy. Ah, and the bit about coming without other players noticing — that was just something I threw in.”
“You little——!”
The completely disrespectful attitude made the section chief grind his teeth.
Glancing at the subordinates standing behind him, he sidled close and lowered his voice.
“You still don’t understand the situation? Once I open my mouth, you simply fall to the gutter.”
“Then stop picking petty fights and let’s just do what needs doing. What you want is the hidden skill anyway, isn’t it?”
“…Tch.”
Having thought he could needle under the skin, the section chief clicked his tongue and backed off.
As long as what he wanted was given, nothing else mattered.
With vanguards and players flooding in, there was no time to waste.
“So what’s the information?”
“The location of the dwarves’ heirloom. I’ll tell you exactly that and nothing else. The fortress entrance has already been found, hasn’t it?”
“Hmm.”
The section chief stroked his chin as he listened, deliberating.
Then, wearing an expression as though something had clicked, he continued:
“Who do you think you’re pulling something on?”
“Pulling something?”
“You think I don’t see through your plan to just throw out some information and skim off all the good stuff for yourself? That doesn’t work for me. We generously gave you a capable employee for free.”
The section chief raised the corner of his mouth and shifted his eyes.
Kim Jaeha’s fist involuntarily tightened at meeting that gaze.
But this situation was the flow Hanbit had been aiming for.
-What is this even?
-Someone explain.
-You’re giving that guy information?
-Who is this?
-Can you just get lost.
The chat, which had been simmering, was now blazing.
Watching it with amusement, Hanbit waved his hand and said:
“Viewers, please hold off. I said I’d give information in exchange for bringing on Jaeha-hyung.”
-Is this the EPL?
-Transfer market, incredible.
-Info) The RP industry really is a transfer market.
-Jaeha-hyung is reassuring.
-Still, hidden skill information feels like a lot.
-If it’s just giving information at the end of the day, I guess……
The chat’s opinions split at the reasonable-sounding explanation.
“…Right, that was it. Our Jaeha doesn’t come cheap.”
The section chief responding as though he had caught on to the intent.
Hanbit found his attitude revolting too, but ruin was what awaited them regardless.
“You said information wasn’t enough, right? Then I’ll personally take you to where the dwarves’ heirloom is.”
“Take us there personally?”
“That said, I have no intention of spoon-feeding you. Keep in mind there’s risk of death and figure that out yourselves.”
“…Hmm.”
The section chief drew it out, pretending to deliberate.
But having gotten what he had hoped for, he was inwardly exulting.
Even the expression he was forcing into calm had the corners of the mouth twitching almost imperceptibly.
“Well, not bad, but…….”
He composed himself and narrowed his eyes slightly.
Because the fire of greed that had blazed up had not gone out.
The section chief glanced at the map displayed on his screen and said:
“One more thing. The location of the heirloom should be told to us in advance.”
“Why? I said I’d take you there directly.”
“How long do you expect us to trail along behind you? We need to be able to make flexible decisions too.”
-Lol.
-Trying to get there first and take it.
-Should we just kill him and move on?
-Yeah, Jaeha-hyung is already ours.
-Want a taste of fire?
Intentions so transparent even the viewers could see through them.
Hanbit, pretending to deliberate, let out a sigh and said:
“Before we enter the fortress, Gorik will appear again. When the token is used and the heirloom’s location comes out, I’ll share it.”
“Conversations go so smoothly like this. When a person has ability, progress really does come easy. Take note, all of you. Understood?”
The section chief addressed his subordinates with unsolicited advice.
The people receiving his gaze reflexively nodded along.
‘What a joke.’
Hanbit, maintaining the performance for a little while, inwardly let out a hollow laugh.
The purpose was to gauge just how greedy the man in front of him was — but it had exceeded expectations.
Just as Hanbit had planned, he was going to play right along beautifully.
As a large and foolish piece of bait.
“So when do we leave? We’re heading to the crevasse Blood found, right?”
The section chief, thoroughly worked up, asked with an air of impatience.
Hanbit looked at the people around them and said:
“That’s going to be difficult. There won’t be enough entry passes.”
“Entry passes?”
-?
-There are entry passes?
-Where do you buy them?
-Looking to buy scalped tickets.
-Reported.
Entry passes that no one knew about.
But in a way, it was only natural.
It would be strange for just anyone to be able to walk into the Snow Drake’s fortress.
“Black Dragon-nim!”
Just then, someone burst out from between the trees.
An appearance extravagantly decorated with flashy accessories and a hat.
In their hand was a magical device for amplifying their voice.
“Who are you?”
“Ah! I’m the streamer MintSquidStirFry!”
“…Pardon?”
-Ah;
-This person finally showed up.
-What is with that name?
-Person who does nothing but farm aggro.
-Pretend journalist behavior, constant. Lol.
-Kill them and ignore, move on.
At the streamer’s sudden intrusion, all manner of scathing reactions poured out.
The reason became immediately understandable.
“Allegations of collusion with the developers. What is your response?”
“Collusion? There’s absolutely nothing——”
“There are also rumors of a romantic relationship with the CEO of a major corporation’s subsidiary! Is it true that you’re racing ahead with support fueled by the power of love!”
“No, that’s——”
-Isn’t that person on mute?
-Black Dragon, did you have a girlfriend?
-Disappointed.
-My condolences.
-Don’t believe it;
Questions continued pouring out without end.
It was nothing but pure fabrication, which only made it more absurd.
‘Well, there are people like this too.’
Using the restricted area guide as a hostage was a deterrent, but not an all-purpose solution.
There were people like Liwei who simply didn’t care.
The strange streamer in front of him was, of course, radiating nothing but a negative atmosphere.
“I’d like a statement regarding the controversy of ties to political factions! At a time when both ruling and opposition parties are showing great interest in RP…….”
“Are you alright?”
“…Pardon?”
Neither a confirmation nor a denial — the question ‘are you alright?’ was returned.
MintSquidStirFry, puzzled at not being able to read the intent, wore a puzzled look.
Hanbit, meeting their eyes, pointed a finger upward.
At that moment.
Shhk—
A massive shadow fell over the streamer’s head.
Boom boom boom—!
Something that descended on them before they could even evade.
The tremendous impact that followed shook the ground.
“What in the——!”
The section chief, knocked backward, stumbled and couldn’t get his bearings.
Grrk—
Just then, a strange sound reached his ears.
Filled with an eerie chill, the section chief slowly raised his head.
And.
Shrieeeek—!
Locked eyes with a massive snow-white wyvern.
