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chapter 20
The ranger standing in front of him looked thoroughly displeased.
You could say his personality showed clearly on his face.
Hanbit calmly spoke to him in informal speech.
“What is it?”
“That quest just now. How are you the only one who succeeded?”
“What would a newbie know? A veteran like you should figure it out.”
“Don’t spout nonsense. Do you think this situation is a joke?”
-Yeah, your face is.
-They copy him and then throw a fit.
-Seriously shameless.
The ranger’s brow twitched sharply at the flippant answer.
“Fifty people, including me, tried first and all failed. And just by failing, the chance to get Heroic grade was used up. Do you think it’s coincidence that you’re the only one who learned the skill properly?”
“It’s not coincidence. It’s skill. If you failed, go back to Artsvel. Don’t grab an innocent newbie.”
“We’re already checking. But she doesn’t say anything beyond greetings.”
“Guess she’s happy to see you.”
-LOL just say hi then.
-Getting a greeting is already something. LOL
-But he’s really stubbornly asking.
-The ranger’s personality is something else.
-They say you can insult parents with your face—look at him now.
At his response, the ranger’s face twisted completely.
“Hyung! Watch what you say!”
Yeonwoo whispered urgently, poking Hanbit’s side.
He didn’t want to make an enemy of the ranger, but things had gone wrong from the start.
Since Hanbit had been provoked first, he was just responding.
‘Well, should I tell him the answer?’
The difference between Rashten’s members and Hanbit was perfectly clear.
It was Fireball, a Rank 1 skill’s proficiency.
All you had to do was fill it completely.
“Did you fill your proficiency?”
“Proficiency?”
“Fireball. You have to master it completely to move on.”
“That condition is the same for everyone. You couldn’t have filled it either.”
“I did.”
“…What?”
At the blunt reply, the ranger’s expression changed.
Hanbit opened the skill window and showed it.
“Watch the stream.”
“Wait.”
Already watching Hanbit’s broadcast, he turned his gaze back.
His face was quickly filled with shock.
“…You really filled all the proficiency? That’s impossible!”
-?
-He filled it?
-All his other skills are filled too?
-Why do they all have stars?
-Report this hacker.
-RP can’t be hacked. Never been breached~
-Black Dragon does the impossible.
The ranger and viewers alike were stunned.
With his purpose achieved, there was no reason to hide it.
“I told you it was skill. And if you’re going to use the information I released, compete fairly. You’re a conglomerate with a vanguard, aren’t you?”
Hanbit scolded him disdainfully.
The ranger frowned and replied,
“This is impossible. Aren’t you just dressing up luck as skill?”
“Then luck is also skill. Or do you have neither?”
“Such childish provocation.”
“I do look young.”
“……”
-Young-looking LOL
-Info) Ranger is 30.
-Info) His character resembles his real self.
-Isn’t he mid-40s?
-The vanguard is fighting time itself.
Grinding his teeth, the ranger seemed to be watching the broadcast.
The spicy chat from angry viewers was his own doing.
Staring at Hanbit, he spoke in a low voice.
“We’ll meet again soon.”
Whip—
The ranger swung his gleaming cloak and went back into Artsvel’s shop.
There, he raised his voice in frustration.
“Don’t just stand there—keep talking to her! Don’t miss any possibility!”
Pathetic orders barked at his subordinates.
Hanbit let out a quiet chuckle.
‘Try it all you want.’
Artsvel was someone who never compromised when it came to teaching magic.
Effort, effort, and more effort.
She was a teacher who wanted her students to quietly build real ability and earn qualification without greed.
She said it was because she’d seen too many people die trying to rush ahead.
‘You want to learn the next magic quickly? I’ll give you a chance, but remember this. If your practice volume is ridiculous, I’ll never teach you again.’
He’d heard those words the second time he learned magic.
Greed had made it premature, and she truly never taught him magic again.
In that run, he’d had no choice but to desperately learn other skills instead.
‘The fidelity is incredible.’
Even with a game system layered on top, Artsvel was still Artsvel.
No matter how much Rashten struggled, that fact would never change.
Rather, the more they tried, the more their affinity would plummet.
“Hyung, that was too harsh!”
Once they were a bit away from the shop, Yeonwoo said with a distressed face.
Hanbit simply patted his shoulder.
“Cheer up. I’m rooting for you.”
“I wasn’t the one fighting.”
-LOLLLLL
-Official) Streamer Roper declares Rashten his nemesis.
-But he really looked pissed LOL
[Cuckoo has donated 1,000 won.]
[Breaking news) Six Rashten members got kicked out by Artsvel. LOL]
-So stubborn LOL
-They should have high affinity after helping her mom.
-Artsvel’s expression kept getting scarier.
-True trait: pushes it past the breaking point.
The not-at-all-unfortunate news wasn’t worth caring about.
Looking around, Hanbit said to Yeonwoo,
“Let’s stop by somewhere for a moment.”
“Huh? You’re not looking for Balder’s master?”
“Before that, there’s something I need to get. Follow me.”
The two walked along the main road.
When they reached the central plaza, Yeonwoo suddenly stopped.
“Huh?”
His gaze was fixed on the Adventurers’ Guild.
A large crowd was gathered there.
“Why are there so many people?”
“Oh, right. You wouldn’t know, hyung.”
“Know what?”
“That person in the green robe. She’s a vanguard named Rapina, one of the few spirit users.”
-Oh?
-Why is Rapina here?
-Two vanguards in one place.
-Wow, she’s pretty.
-She’s famous for good personality too.
-Ranger, reflect on yourself.
Where Yeonwoo pointed stood a female human.
As the viewers said, her smile toward those around her gave off a gentle aura.
Watching her, Hanbit turned and asked,
“You said there are only a few spirit users?”
“Yeah. Only truly chosen people can use spirits.”
-It’s famous for being insanely hard content.
-Just meeting a spirit is already a hurdle.
-You have to form a bond to command them.
-I spent two years and still failed. LOL
-Better to just learn normal skills.
-Don’t spirit skills use no mana?
-Yeah, that’s the busted part.
Viewers poured out what information they knew.
Slightly more than what was written in the guidebook.
But there was a fundamental flaw in that perception.
‘…Using spirits.’
If there was one most important element in the other world, it was undoubtedly spirits.
Hanbit himself had devoted immense time and effort to interacting with them.
Not to wield their power, but to borrow even a little more of it.
The overwhelming emotion he’d felt when first bonding with a high-tier spirit was still vivid.
“You said her name was Rapina? How strong is she?”
“She’s a vanguard in the 4,000s. Her main is water magic.”
“Magic? But you said she’s a spirit user.”
“I heard her spirit skills are stuck at Rank 3. They’re good, of course, but the Spirit User title is more like an honorary title. There are fewer than a hundred players who can even handle spirits at all.”
-They’re rare, but spirit skills can’t be main.
-Yeah, still only lower spirits.
-But Heroic grade is still pretty good, right?
-Comparable to Rank 4 normal skills.
-So what? Rapina uses Rank 6 magic.
-Just keep it for show.
-Spirit skill effects are pretty, though.
Out of hundreds of millions of players, only about a hundred.
That extreme scarcity proved the rarity of spirits.
‘Up to Rank 3 is lower spirits?’
A spirit’s tier was directly tied to its power.
Lower spirits were barely past the crawling stage.
A mid-tier spirit would already show respectable power.
Unless the skill grade itself was absurdly high.
“Are you interested in spirits too, hyung?”
While Hanbit was thinking, Yeonwoo asked cautiously.
Not just interest—spirits were something you had to reach for with everything you had.
The fact that his first step was about to happen was something only Hanbit knew.
“Of course. Spirits are good to have, aren’t they?”
“They’re good, but… this is completely different from magic. It’s a game, but innate talent applies.”
Yeonwoo emphasized innate traits once again.
It had been an extremely high barrier even in the other world.
“So what about her? Did she receive that innate advantage?”
Hanbit asked, looking at Rapina.
Yeonwoo nodded.
“She got a massive advantage. She bonded with two elemental spirits.”
“Two elements?”
“Yes. Water and wind, both in under six months. Other spirit users took at least a year for just one, so it’s incredible.”
“That is impressive.”
Bonding with spirits of multiple elements was no easy feat.
Their strong personalities made it hard to borrow power simultaneously.
And moving two spirits’ hearts within six months was a genuinely outstanding achievement.
Even Hanbit had taken quite some time to succeed with all elements.
“You said she’s stuck and can’t move on? How long has she been stuck?”
“Uh… about ten months. I heard she still hasn’t filled proficiency.”
“Hm.”
Yeonwoo focused on skill proficiency.
But Hanbit’s thoughts were slightly different.
‘This isn’t a problem proficiency can solve.’
Spirits were far too complex and unpredictable.
They wouldn’t lend power just because proficiency was filled like a normal skill.
It meant you had to become closer to the spirits themselves.
“Is she the number one spirit user?”
“As far as publicly known, yes. Top vanguards strictly filter what information they reveal.”
Only one player could clear RP and gain ownership.
With competition so fierce, information was a finely honed weapon.
‘Interesting.’
Curiosity arose about that completely hidden world.
What kind of people were the top vanguards?
Maybe someone had found even a small clue about Erfort.
That faint hope even surfaced.
“Oh, she’s leaving now.”
Rapina, done with her business, started walking elsewhere.
As a spirit user, there would probably be a chance to talk someday.
If needed, trading information then wouldn’t be bad.
There was a strange sense of familiarity between those who could bond with spirits.
“Let’s go too.”
“Right. You said we were stopping somewhere?”
“We’ll go to the grocery store, then search the forest a bit. It’ll take about thirty minutes.”
“What? Are you looking for something?”
At the mention of searching the forest, Yeonwoo sounded puzzled.
Recalling old memories, Hanbit smiled faintly.
“I need ingredients to make alcohol.”
