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chapter 7
That evening.
After returning home from work, Hanbit flopped down into the chair in front of his desk.
“The day was way too long.”
Most of what he’d done at the office today was basically spying.
The problem was that even when he looked at the blueprints in progress or listened to conversations mixed with technical jargon, it was hard to understand.
At least he hadn’t come away empty-handed thanks to his mentor Lee Minho secretly giving him the materials he’d organized.
“What’s with all these messages?”
Since he’d been out of it since morning, he was only now checking his smartphone.
There were already over a hundred messages piled up from Yeonwoo.
Giving up on reading them, Hanbit quickly finished showering and eating.
「I’m logging in.」
After sending the message, he closed his door and headed for the bed.
Putting on the still-awkward gear, he lay down comfortably and powered it on.
“Oh, it works.”
With the loading finishing quickly, his view shifted.
The sensations inside the game were still fascinating.
“Hyung!”
Already logged in, Yeonwoo raised his voice and hurried over.
He looked extremely urgent.
“Sorry. I didn’t see a single one of your messages. Today was really busy.”
“That’s fine—just look at the viewer count first!”
“Viewers? You already started the stream?”
-Oh, so this guy’s Black Dragon?
-When are you getting the hidden skills?
-How do you clear the Artsvel quest?
-Explain the Bomb Slime bullshit.
-Push the main quest already, I feel dizzy;
-Have a seat. This is a typical newbie relay room.
The number at the bottom of the chat window read 5,512.
With the increase in viewers, the chat was moving much faster.
So many people had come full of curiosity that the anticipation was huge.
“What? Why did it increase so much?”
“There were a lot of posts on the community today. People usually ignore bait posts, but hidden skills and the Artsvel quest really caught on.”
“Why the hidden skills? They just showed up in the recommendation list.”
“Their existence alone is insane! Nobody even knows what hidden skills there are! People go crazy just seeing the icons!”
“…Really?”
Hanbit was taken aback by the unexpected windfall.
Just showing a few recommended skills and getting one quest, and the reaction was this big.
He hadn’t even cleared anything yet.
-True.
-All icons I’ve never seen before. LOL
-So how do you clear the Artsvel quest?
-What the hell is a Bomb Slime?
-Can’t even get it because of that trash Julio.
-Fucking garbage.
‘Was the shock really that big?’
For players who started in Edlen, Julio was a friendly NPC, and Artsvel was a thief.
Hanbit’s progression had flipped that textbook assumption on its head.
In the end, players themselves had gotten scammed by Julio.
‘Even in this world, that guy’s a nuisance.’
Even if some people figured it out, there were countless victims.
Shaking his head in exasperation, Hanbit opened the quest window again.
[Quest]
You have discovered the concern Artsvel is burdened with.
Find a way to treat the illness afflicting her mother.
Might there be something to obtain around Edlen?
Objective: Obtain the proper cure.
Reward: 2,000 gold, Artsvel’s Fireball Spellbook (Rank 1 – Heroic), 3 stat points, 500 experience
The objective was very simple and clear, but finding information about medicine was extremely difficult.
Knowing that well, Hanbit had deliberately spread information about the cure yesterday.
“No one’s cleared the quest yet, right?”
“That’s why I kept messaging you. There were more people saying it was bait to begin with, though.”
-Yeah, I didn’t believe it.
-Anyone can tell it’s bullshit. LOL
-I just messed with Bomb Slimes for no reason.
-Seriously, explain it.
The information about the cure hadn’t been fully accepted by everyone.
Hanbit had expected that too, though he’d held a small hope.
“No unusual attempts?”
“Unusual attempts?”
“You know, there are creative people. I figured someone would twist things around and try something.”
“…Is there even anything to twist when hunting monsters?”
[InnerThoughtVillain has donated 1,000 won.]
[Roper: What the hell is this guy talking about?]
-But seriously, what is he talking about?
-Info or not, it’s all bullshit.
-Look at him dragging out time. LOL
-Upvote if Black Dragon wants to run away.
People gradually leaned toward the opinion that the information was false.
Watching that with amusement, Hanbit grinned and said,
“Then I’ll show you how to get it.”
***
Hanbit headed straight for the main gate of Edlen’s city walls.
As the crowd gradually thickened, Yeonwoo walking beside him leaned closer and said,
“Hyung, this might get annoying.”
“What?”
“Look over there.”
He gestured toward a group of people gathered off to one side.
Several groups were split up, engaging in heated discussion.
“Isn’t this quest basically a blind charge?”
“The only info is what that guy called Black Dragon spread. No one’s cleared it in a whole day.”
“Why believe some newbie’s nonsense? What could you even get from a Bomb Slime?”
Countless people had rushed to the quest after seeing the broadcast and community posts.
As seen in the chat too, it seemed quite a few players hadn’t learned fire-element magic.
“Hey, isn’t that a Ranger?”
“A Ranger? What bullshit are you talking about?”
“Huh? It really is!”
The noisy crowd’s gaze shifted toward the entrance.
There, dozens of people were entering the city together.
-Is that really a Ranger?
-Crazy. LOL Why is a vanguard here?
-Did they move because of the Artsvel quest?
-Hmm, is it that big a deal?
-It is, dumbass.
“…That really is a Ranger? Hyung, even the vanguard showed up.”
Watching the chat, Yeonwoo whipped his head around in surprise.
It was a term Hanbit was hearing for the first time.
“What’s a vanguard?”
“Rankers in the top 10,000. The system officially marks them based on level and story progression.”
“Ten thousand? Isn’t that way too many?”
“Out of 300 million players worldwide, ten thousand is insanely small. There aren’t even 500 in Korea.”
Yeonwoo shook his head firmly.
Seen globally, the scale really did feel different.
He’d even seen articles saying there were tens of millions of concurrent users.
“And someone like that didn’t learn magic?”
“They probably skipped it because of magic proficiency. They focused on their main skills to push the main story faster.”
At the very front of the crowd was a man wearing gleaming equipment.
The golden bow slung across his back stood out immediately.
‘That’s the Golden Hawk Bow.’
Hanbit knew well the brave bird figure carved into the bow.
It was the work of a craftsman with decent skill.
“He hasn’t cleared the quest yet either, right?”
“He probably just arrived in Edlen. The vanguard is always busy. A lot of them are contracted to corporations.”
“Contracted?”
“They sign contracts with companies aiming to clear RP and get full support. In return, they have to pour insane effort into story progression.”
-If you clear it, that’s a real life reversal.
-For real, a one-shot business.
-Top vanguard members are worth whatever price they ask.
-That’s a whole different level.
With the game company offering RP’s ownership as a reward, the value of the vanguard was incalculable.
It was only natural for things to get noisy if one of them came all the way down here.
Step—
The Ranger’s group disappeared into the city along the main road.
They looked accustomed to players’ gazes.
“Hey, Black Dragon’s here too.”
“Didn’t he turn off the stream? He said he’d show how to clear the quest.”
“What confidence.”
After the vanguard left, people’s attention shifted to Hanbit.
Judging by things, there were quite a few competitors among the viewers trying to dig up information.
“Should we follow them?”
“No, it’s bullshit. Finding the quest was pure luck anyway. Don’t waste time—just follow along.”
“True, what can a newbie really do.”
Most players expressed distrust and left.
The ones remaining were busy discussing things among themselves.
It didn’t look like many would tail Hanbit.
“Doesn’t seem that annoying.”
“…Yeah.”
Watching the players gradually disperse, Yeonwoo scratched his head.
Of course, some might really follow, but that wouldn’t be a big problem.
After scanning the surroundings, Hanbit spoke.
“Let’s go.”
“Ah, okay. We’re heading to the forest, right?”
“No. We’re going to the sea. I need a fishing rod.”
“…A fishing rod?”
-The sea?
-What about Bomb Slimes?
-Isn’t fishing just a life-skill thing? Why do it?
-Fishing’s boring.
Everyone was confused.
After all, Black Dragon himself had said the cure came from Bomb Slimes.
And now, out of nowhere, fishing?
It was only natural they didn’t understand.
[Julio has donated 1,000 won.]
[Everyone, don’t believe him. This guy’s going to smack someone’s head with a fishing rod.]
-Go away already.
-Go rot in prison.
-Sentenced to 20 years.
-Can’t get the Artsvel quest because of that trash.
-Fucking bastard.
-Lose all your hair in jail.
“Pfft.”
The fake Julio was getting cursed out like crazy.
The sight made Hanbit laugh without meaning to.
That guy deserved to suffer in any form.
“So hyung, about the fishing rod—Bomb Slimes aren’t in the sea, you know?”
“Oh, really? They’re not in the sea?”
“Hyung!”
At Hanbit’s teasing reply, Yeonwoo looked half on the verge of tears.
If the Bomb Slime information was false, the stream would basically be over.
Reading that worry, Hanbit stretched leisurely.
“I’m kidding, I’m kidding. We’ll get the fishing rod and then head to the forest.”
“…You’re not planning to use it as a weapon, are you? Even if you’re going variety, you still have to clear the quest. You have a level 1 sword—please just use this.”
“Well, about that…”
Trailing off, Hanbit glanced at the chat.
Then he leaned closer to Yeonwoo and spoke in a low voice.
“It’s kind of like a weapon. You have to fish up the Bomb Slime.”
“What does that even mean?”
-Why are they whispering again?
-A full-on audience exclusion broadcast. ㅠㅠ
Viewers complained about the inaudible conversation.
The core of this quest lay in the secret hidden within the Bomb Slime, but of course he had no intention of revealing it.
If he had, someone would’ve cleared it already.
Besides, messing with the viewers was more fun than expected.
Grinning, Hanbit started walking.
“Let’s go. To the harbor.”
