Chapter 212 *
Rust*
—Hanbit and the twins emerged from the black gate and faced a drastically changed landscape.
In terms of appearance alone, it resembled the forests they had seen within the kingdom.
However, there was one strange thing.
“Is this that mana thing? It feels really heavy.”
Haneul, who had been waving his hand, asked curiously.
Hanbit also nodded, sensing a peculiar sensation.
“That’s right. The Forbidden Zone has a high mana density.”
The mana that makes up the world often showed differences in density depending on the region.
The Forbidden Zone, in particular, possessed the properties of heavy and dense mana, to the point where it could be felt even on the skin like this.
“High? What do you mean high? If you can’t even survive here, you’re just going to go die.”
Hylen, walking ahead with his hands in his pockets, spoke nonchalantly.
As he said, this was the entrance to the Forbidden Zone.
To be precise, it was the path leading to Zone 1.
It was known to all players as the place where the first trial begins.
– [Information] You must reach at least level 200 to be active.
– [No, level doesn't matter if your stats are high.]
"-I just need gear at the level of the advance party, right?
" -Did your ancestors buy you that gear?
-Just reset the episode and start over.
-Seriously, replaying is the most efficient way to level up right now.
In the Forbidden Zone, where mana density is high, the physical strain was bound to increase.
In the other world, one built their body through repeated training and combat, but here, there existed intuitive numerical values called stats.
Good equipment helps, but it couldn't be a fundamental solution.
'It's more popular than I thought.'
After digging through the community a bit, I found that many players were left idle for quite a while after clearing Episode 6.
This was because they needed to raise their level in various ways to enter the next episode, the Forbidden Zone.
Then came the opportunity to reset the episode.
It was said that even players who had already cleared the original story would receive results equivalent to the amount excluding the rewards they had received in the past.
Since that amount was better than expected, it proved to be the ultimate efficiency in terms of time for those who had been relentlessly chasing fields and dungeons.
It was by no means a coincidence that the number of Black Dragon Channel membership sign-ups suddenly surpassed 5 million.
Grrr!
Crunch!
As they advanced, monsters appeared here and there in the forest.
However, they met their demise before they could even be properly seen.
Crunch!
Splat!
The moment Hylen’s gaze fell upon them, the monster’s waist snapped and it folded in half.
Its body, suspended in mid-air, crumbled completely, scattering blood everywhere.
“Wow, seeing it like this, it really is overpowered.”
“Just looking at it is….”
The twins were shocked by the situation that unfolded in an instant.
The viewers shared the same reaction.
-Overpowered skill;
-Investigation Team class is insane
; -At a level where just looking at it is an attack;
-That must be a hidden skill, right?
-Black Dragon, I trust you.
[Josadan donated 10,000 won.]
[Holding my breath until a guide on Hylen’s skills comes out.]
As the examiner used his power, the viewers’ reactions appeared immediately.
As the Investigation Team has the most contact with the players, the scene demonstrating his power had circulated widely in the community.
However, exactly what it was, or if it was a skill, what its name was, had not been properly revealed.
It was because even asking Hylen himself only elicited a scoff.
'He wouldn't tell me yet.'
As an examiner, his objective was to discover talent.
Beyond a simple role, this was also an area Hylen was interested in.
To discuss skills, earning his approval was a prerequisite.
Of course, players who had gotten off to a bad start were hopeless.
*Crunch*—the
path proceeded smoothly, leaving no time to even use weapons.
Hanbit and the twins, following behind Hylen, simply surveyed their surroundings in silence.
After about fifteen more minutes, the examiner ahead stopped.
“Now, this is Zone 1. The entrance is 1-1, and the area further inside is 1-2.”
A large ruined village was visible beyond the collapsed wooden fence.
The sight was incredibly eerie, with vines and roots entwining as the forest had encroached upon it.
The area, especially the back half, was shrouded in fog, making it impossible to see clearly.
“Looking at it like this, it’s definitely big. They said 1-2, inside the fog, is the main area.”
“It’s the first test, but it was known that the perceived difficulty is quite high.”
The twins, who had already grasped the details, shared their respective information.
Hanbit was aware of these things as well, but this was merely a place to pass through.
“What about the test? Does it start here?”
“Well, it is a test, but let’s try a different approach.”
Hylen took a few steps forward and stood before the collapsed wooden fence.
Then, lifting his foot, he slammed it down hard on the ground.
Boom!
It was an immense force, unthinkable for a human.
The impact caused the fence to dig into the earth, scattering a deafening roar and vibrations.
Crunch—
snap—
Just then, something emerged from among the rubble of the ruins.
A gray spider and a wooden doll with its head half-broken.
Name tags were clearly visible above their heads.
[Spider of the Evil Ruins (Lv. 217)]
[Doll of the Evil Ruins (Lv. 218)]
“It’s still swarming. Perfect.”
Hylen took a step and turned around with a satisfied look on his face.
Then, he leisurely approached Hanbit and said,
“I’ll give you 20 minutes. Go clear that fog.”
Ding-
[Main Quest #1 completed.]
[Progress is increasing.]
[Main Quest #2: Ruin Zone]
Arrived in Zone 1 with Hylen.
You must pass his first test within the time limit.
What method should you use?
Objective: Clear the fog that has settled over the Ruin Village.
Reward: 2,000,000 Gold, 10,000,000 Experience, 5 Stat Points
Time Limit: 20 minutes
*Current Progress: 1 percent
-?
-20 minutes??
-Are you finally crazy?
-What's wrong with this bastard?
-20 minutes is f*ck lol
-Info) The average player clear time is 6 hours.
-Our examiner has lost his mind.
The chat window flared up at Hylen's remark.
An average of 6 hours.
It wasn't that strange for this quest to take that much time.
No matter how many guides and information were available, it was difficult to overcome unavoidable problems.
“I said 20 minutes, right?”
“Why, is that not enough? But I have no intention of giving you more.”
Hylen spoke firmly.
If he didn't meet his standards, that was it.
He was the kind of person who would invariably abandon his expectations in the blink of an eye and steer the conversation toward a suitable test.
However, Hanbit didn't need any more time.
"That's enough."
-??
-Huh?
-This turn of events… surely not…
-You have something going on.
-Preparing notes.
Viewers who had followed the previous episodes had already noticed that something was amiss.
"Right?"
As he nonchalantly acknowledged it, Hylen nodded and stepped back.
This first test was like a rite of passage to gauge Hanbit.
If he met his standards, he would be taken to a real testing ground of hardship and adversity next.
Hanbit turned his gaze to the twins.
"Let's go in."
"Huh? Aren't you making a plan?"
Just as he was about to walk away, Haneul followed beside him and asked.
Noeul, who was scanning the interior, did the same.
"They said the Fog Core is held by a monster. However, the target is random, so a strategy is practically meaningless…"
As he said, the way to clear that thick fog was to remove the core.
However, the interior was a space with visibility of less than a meter.
Normally, they would have had to go around searching for monsters one by one.
Naturally, there was no way to find out where the entity possessing the core was located.
This was because the fog had properties that hindered mana, so even items were ineffective. Furthermore,
since these were not monsters that actively preemptively attacked enemies, it was quite tricky.
“Well, that’s usually the case. But what do we have?”
“Huh?”
“Something we have?”
The twins looked puzzled at the sudden question.
Watching them ponder, Hanbit pointed to the spot by Noeul’s head.
“I told you, didn’t I? What kind of being the Spirit of Light is.”
“Ah.”
“Is she going to find it for us?”
Upon reminding them of the spirit’s existence, the twins’ faces lit up as if they understood.
Hanbit took a bow from his inventory and spoke to Noeul.
“Use the Path of Light to find the monster harboring the pentagonal object. Haneul, let’s move inside with me and take out the approaching ones. Focus on the Wind Spirit rather than Silver Moon’s Dagger.”
“Understood.”
“Yes!”
Having finished clearing the area, the three of them ran straight to where the fog was.
Creak—!
Snap—!
As enemies appeared within range, the spider and the doll reacted with a creaking sound.
Naturally, they were no match for him.
Swish—!
Slash—!
Hanbit lightly kicked off, piercing and slashing through the hearts of the enemies.
Snap—!
Haneul, who had struggled in the maze, changed his fighting style, focusing solely on the Wind Spirit.
It seemed he had even adjusted his dagger handling, as if he had incorporated his own thoughts into the short time he had spent.
Snap—!
In the meantime, a crystal of light burst forth and burrowed into the fog.
Creak—!
Swish—!
Hanbit and Haneul dealt with the monsters while protecting Noeul, who was surveying the interior.
And after about three minutes, the results appeared.
“Lord Black Dragon! It’s over there!”
“Well done.”
The diagonal position to the left that Noeul pointed to with his finger.
The path of light clearly led there.
Ta-ta—!
Pushing off with his foot, Hanbit charged forward, lightly leaping over obstacles.
The structure of this area was already vivid in his mind.
Short visibility was no problem at all.
“I found it.”
Hanbit stopped in a corner of the upper floor of a half-destroyed abandoned building.
A single spider was visible directly ahead, where a line of light connected.
Its appearance was identical to the others, but the core of this fog was hidden within its body.
Creak—!
Sensing its life was in danger, the spider raised its legs and assumed a stance.
However, no unnecessary exchange of blows ensued.
Thud—!
A multicolored sword wrapped in flames pierced the spider's exoskeleton and lodged itself in its chest.
Whoosh—!
At the same time, flames flared up intensely.
Just as they completely engulfed the spider's body, a change occurred in Zone 1-2.
Swoosh—
The fog, which had been so thick that the surroundings were invisible, scattered at an unbelievable speed.
It was only a moment before the completely cleared zone appeared.
-?
-Is this for real?
-Didn't it take less than 10 minutes? -Spirit is a total piece of shit. -If you don't like it, you
should … … -What am I supposed to do? -Damn it, now I'm on brotherhood with Balder. "-They told me to stop coming here so much. Haha. Viewers vented their frustration at the results shown by the Spirit's grace. It was unfortunate, but it was a mistake not to know how important Spirits are in this world. Of course, the realm of talent was unavoidable, though. " *Thump! * Hanbit lightly brushed off his sword and stepped over the debris to return to his original position. As he returned to the entrance with the waiting twins, Hylen watched them silently with his arms crossed. "…I did hear you were Spirit Summoners, though." He wore a subtle expression at the situation, which was completely different from what he had expected. However, Hanbit knew full well that this was merely an attempt to further fuel his curiosity about the other person. "So, is this enough?" "Well, you passed the first test. I guess my assessment was a bit underestimated." Ding- [Main Quest #2 completed.] [Rewards are increased to the maximum based on clear time.] [5,000,000 Gold received. ] [ 20 Stat Points awarded.] [ Experience increased by 20,000,000.] [Level increased by 1.] [1 Stat Point awarded.] [Progress rate increased significantly. ] The rewards came in large, compounded by the achievement of finishing quickly. As I examined them with satisfaction, Hylen continued speaking. “Good. I’ve decided.” He pulled something out of his waist. It was a high-quality Warp Crystal. “I was originally thinking of Zone 4, you know. Zone 5 would be better for you guys.” “…Zone 5?” Since Hanbit had also been thinking of Zone 4, the change to Zone 5 was unexpected. Having already made his decision, Hylen pulled out another magical artifact from his pocket. It was an item used to communicate by inputting text. But then. “What kind of bullshit is this?” Hylen, who had been checking something, suddenly scowled intensely. It seemed his plans had gone awry. *Tap-* After a brief moment of rapidly exchanging messages, Hylen, who had looked upset, grinned. "There are no normal bastards here, anyway. Though that's a good thing." * Clack* He closed his magic tool and turned his gaze toward the three of them. Then, he brought up something unexpected. "The test in Sector 5 will be conducted with the Holy Kingdom candidates. Sounds fun, right?"
