Episode 251
-?
-Did the Ranger do that?
-Suddenly?
-Didn't the Black Dragon shoot and miss?
-Haha, sorry;
People were taken aback by the Ranger's sudden, unexpected attack.
The members of the Black Feast were no exception.
“What is this…….”
Trigger, who had planned a sniper attack using the Stringed Bow of the End, widened his eyes.
It wasn't that he didn't know the player known as the Ranger.
However, why was he interfering with them?
How had he detected a sniper from that position?
With what had he killed an ally nearing level 300 in a single blow?
There were so many things he couldn't understand.
*Thump*
In the meantime, the Ranger slowly moved closer to Hanbit.
Stopping his feet, he tilted his bow again and spoke.
“I think killing them all is the right thing to do, what do you think?”
“…What is your purpose?”
“It is my will. Even if you don't believe me, I don't think persuasion is necessary.”
*Thump*!
Leaving his words behind, the Ranger quickly stepped back.
Light was already emanating from the black bow in his hand.
However, Hanbit's decision had already been made.
Whoosh!
A massive sphere of wind appeared around him.
It was the effect of using the Dance of the Heavenly Sword.
"-Huh?
" "-Did you use a skill?
" "-Something has changed a lot;
" "-Is it because of the stats?
" "-Did you awaken as a Sylph?"
Viewers reacted with surprise at the area, which had changed significantly in density and scale compared to before.
It was only natural, given that there was quite a bit of unshared information, such as Aerial's power and the World Tree's legacy.
"……!"
The players of the Black Feast were trapped in the area without a chance to escape.
All 100 or so people were completely trapped.
"What are you scared of, you punk?"
Just then, a man raised his voice irritably and approached the side of the barrier.
"I can just break this crap, right?"
Snap!
A red light emanated from the axes held in both hands.
Twisting his waist sharply, he charged forward, swinging his weapon with all his might.
However, the result was not good.
Crash!
As soon as the axe blade made contact, the sharply swirling wind raged wildly.
The power far exceeded the man's expectations.
"Ugh!"
Startled, he stepped back to shake off the wind engulfing his axe.
But before he could even think, the wind enveloped his body.
*Quack!*
With a grotesque sound, his body was completely butchered.
Soon, a message appeared before Hanbit's eyes. *Ding!
*
[Experience points increased by 20,300,000.]
[Faction points increased by 120.]
Perhaps the player was stronger than expected, as the rewards were not bad.
Even considering the increased experience gain from the World Tree Legacy effect, it was a decent amount.
"You idiot."
"See? I told you we should kill him inside."
"Let's finish this quickly."
The other players, having confirmed the danger level of the barrier through a comrade, agreed to
kill Hanbit inside.
"Let's try to reduce the numbers as much as possible."
The Ranger, who had entered the area, spoke while keeping a watchful eye on the enemies.
Although it was spacious, there were more things to worry about in a confined space.
However, the Black Dragon's voice soon rang out quietly.
“I don’t need it.”
Lowering his stance, Hanbit kicked his leg forward.
Whoosh!
He, who had vanished like a flicker, reappeared before the man standing at a distance.
A multicolored blade appeared with a concise movement. The enemy
, unable to react, had their neck severed without even letting out a groan.
“Damn it…!”
“Kill him!”
The enemies, unable to keep up with Hanbit’s movements, attempted to launch an attack belatedly.
It was a strategic offensive of their own, led by skilled fighters.
However, the result remained unchanged.
Whoosh!
Hundreds of blades of wind sprang from all directions within the sphere.
As soon as they took shape, they began to pour down like mad.
Whoosh!
Crash!
“Ugh!”
“You crazy…!”
The enemies shrank rapidly under the barrage of attacks filling their vision.
They could not even tell where or how the attacks were coming from.
[Experience points increased by 15,300,000.]
[Faction points increased by 100.]
[Experience points increased by 18,300,000.]
[Faction Points increased by 110.]
[Experience points increased by 22,000,000.]
[Faction Points increased by 125.]
… … .
Kwa-wa-wa-wa-!
The one-sided slaughter continued for a moment.
Hanbit, with his sword lowered, slowly moved forward.
There stood Trigger, who had survived alone using a comrade as a shield, with a bewildered expression.
“What are you hiding?”
It was a question filled with sincerity, not a provocation or anything of the sort.
The power, which was completely different from what had been seen on the broadcast, was disconcerting.
It was an unreasonable level where even the term “variable” did not apply.
“Hiding?”
“I’m asking how you got strong so quickly. It doesn’t make sense logically. Surely it’s not related to the goddess Everett was babbling about
, is it?” “I’ll let you go, so ask her yourself.”
“What?”
Thud—!
In an instant, a multicolored sword blade plunged into the neck of Trigger, who was wearing a puzzled expression.
Having suffered instant death damage, he let out a hollow laugh.
“This crazy bastard…”
Ding-
[Faction Points increased by 100.]
-Hahaha
-Goddess, one more is going up
-Oh, they say he went to hell
-Goddess, you actually believe that bullshit. Haha
-Aren't the entire Holy Body Faction fallen into a cult?
-Yeah, that’s the established theory.
As he mocked Trigger, the series of situations viewed by the public came into his mind.
Certainly, who would believe the Goddess story out of the blue?
It was most reasonable to lump the Holy Body Faction together and view them as an abnormal group.
“…Overwhelming.”
The Ranger, who hadn't even managed to draw his bowstring, approached while looking around. Although
he didn't strictly need his assistance, it was a grateful gesture that he had dealt with the enemy wielding the Hellbow of Destruction.
“It feels a bit strange to take it for free, so share what dropped. There’s a lot of stuff.”
Hanbit said, looking at the gold and items scattered on the ground.
But the Ranger shook his head.
“It is unnecessary. It was a duty I had to fulfill anyway. Rather, you would be better off picking up the Bow of the End.”
“The Bow of the End?”
“I see it lying where that guy died. If I don’t pick it up, someone else…”
Whoosh!
Hanbit kicked off before the Ranger could even finish speaking.
Having sprinted across the distance in an instant, he spotted a crude, gray bow lying beneath a tree.
Crouching low, he quickly picked it up.
[You have obtained the Bow of the End (Rank 7 – Unique).]
'I got this.'
The Bow of the End is an item that ranks among the rarest even in this world.
The biggest reason for its abysmal difficulty of collection was 'luck.'
Because you never know when, where, or how this item will appear, I had failed to obtain it even five times out of 55 attempts.
[Remaining attempts: 2]
Three chances are given for the Bow of the End.
One has been used, but it was no problem.
I was able to achieve a magnificent harvest with just the remaining two.
Ta-da!
Pushing off again, Hanbit returned to his original spot.
The Ranger was still keeping watch over the surroundings.
“There are a considerable number of Adult Faction members attacking here. You’d better hurry.”
“…What? If a person changes so suddenly, it means they’re about to die.”
“People change more easily than you think. Trivial matters are often the trigger.”
-?
-Suddenly?
-I haven’t seen you for a while, but you’ve become a sage;
-You must have had a really hard time… … .
Words uttered calmly, as if he had realized something.
The Ranger, still scanning the distant surroundings, hooked his hand onto his bowstring.
“I won’t be able to keep up with your speed anyway. I will reduce the number of Adult Faction members in my own way.”
Swoosh—
He pushed off and disappeared in a different direction.
Although he still didn’t quite understand, he didn’t feel the need to stop him.
Swoosh—
lowering his stance, Hanbit gathered the dropped gold and items.
There wasn’t a massive harvest, but there were quite a few items to use as materials or consumables.
-Sob… … .
While he was finishing up that task.
The sound of a woman sobbing echoed through the space.
'I must hurry.'
A time limit began the moment the first fragment of emotion, Resignation, was obtained.
Given the nature of the Witch of Sorrow, the private zone was no different.
It was time to quickly find the remaining Sorrow and Anger within roughly 20 minutes.
Whoosh!
Wrapped in wind, Hanbit moved toward her target.
The second fragment of emotion to be obtained was Sorrow.
Fortunately, the method wasn't difficult.
Ta-dat!
He checked his location with X-ray vision and continued moving forward.
Reaching the destination was quick.
Sssss—
A path shrouded in a cold, damp atmosphere.
Wooden benches were placed here and there.
Thump—
Hanbit quietly took steps and advanced along the path.
Everything looked similar, but there was a way to distinguish them.
Swoosh—
Translucent monsters appeared here and there along the path.
They were different from the phantom beings he had seen when obtaining Resignation.
They were closer to undead shedding tears.
Screech—
They staggered and moved with bizarre cries.
Hanbit quietly passed them and sat on a bench scattered with blue flowers.
Ugh—
Monsters began to gather, but Hanbit did not move.
It was a method to obtain a Fragment of Sorrow.
If only he could hold out just a little longer… …
Swoosh—
Just then, a sound came from the bushes far behind him.
He knew it was the player without even turning his head.
Their intention to ambush by exploiting this opening was obvious.
'Not going to happen.'
Thud—
Hanbit used the power of 'Judgment' possessed by the World Tree's legacy.
Although the power was enhanced in many ways compared to when he possessed the branches, there was a major difference.
It was the sharing of sensory forms.
It encompassed sight, hearing, and touch.
'So many have come.'
The number of players hiding at a distance was thirteen.
Their equipment was all crafted with the technology of the Holy Kingdom.
Swoosh—
Hanbit quietly extended sharp branches from the ground.
Then, he thrust them simultaneously toward their necks.
Thud—!
“……!”
The thick branches instantly severed the players' heads from their bodies.
[Experience points increased by 13,000,000.]
[Faction points increased by 89.]
[Experience points increased by 17,300,000.]
[Faction points increased by 105.]
[Experience points increased by 18,000,000.]
[Faction points increased by 106.]
… … .
The pouring notification messages continued in a continuous stream.
A silent death, devoid of sound or anything else.
Since the situation would not appear on the broadcast screen, any response would have been impossible.
Swoosh—
Just then, the monsters circling around Hanbit simultaneously crouched down.
The forms of the weeping creatures scattered like air.
Ding—
[You have obtained a Fragment of Emotion (Sorrow).]
The second Fragment of Emotion obtained without doing anything special.
The method to reach this sorrow was simple.
It was to sit on the bench where spirits gather and quietly synchronize with the emotion.
It was truly easy, yet standing still amidst those bizarre monsters required a certain amount of courage.
Swoosh—
Hanbit moved into the bushes and collected the gold and items dropped by the enemies.
The rewards obtained from dealing with the previous Black Feast and this player were substantial.
Leveling up 25 stages and approximately 12,000 faction points.
Considering the gold and minor items, there was practically no need for a separate hunting ground.
Wasn't it similar to the Golden Goblins rushing in to their deaths?
Swoosh—
Hanbit rose to his feet and turned his gaze.
'Let's finish this quickly.'
Acquiring 'Rage,' the last remaining fragment of emotion, was very simple.
It was just a matter of killing a single monster.
The remaining 10 minutes would be more than enough.
Ta-da!
Wrapped in the wind, Hanbit kicked off and moved swiftly.
His destination was the center of this space.
It was where the Witch of Sorrow resided.
