Chapter 107
Chapter 107
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 107
Chapter Title: The Stolen Necronomicon Copy
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 107
The mountaintop, where all sorts of shouts, curses, weapons, and skills had flown wildly over the Necronomicon copy, now lay in a silence so profound it felt like that chaos had all been a dream.
Yuseong was the only one left. The others were far off in the distance, kicking up clouds of dust in a frantic chase.
From the summit, the scene was perfectly visible.
Yuseong stared at it blankly for a moment before turning on his stream.
[Oh, it's live!]
[Yuseong!]
[Hello, Yuseong!]
Viewers trickled in one by one, greeting him.
[Wait, where are you?]
[Not Silarimit?]
A sharp-eyed viewer noticed Yuseong wasn't in Silarimit. A few even quicker ones figured out exactly where he was.
[Judging by the scenery, the wasteland?]
[Silarimit's nearby wasteland—Blandel Wasteland?]
Those in the know shared updates on Yuseong's situation.
[I heard West Flower headed west with him to Blandel Wasteland.]
[Ah, so he went to meet Beauty Art in person after all?]
[Beauty Art's at Moros Canyon right now, right?]
[Yeah, she's in a standoff with Halloween Pumpkin there.]
Yuseong said nothing. The viewers picked up on how off he seemed.
Yuseong was usually quiet, but he'd never gone completely silent after starting a stream. He always made an effort to engage with his audience somehow.
[What happened?]
[Where's West Flower?]
Yuseong let out a faint sigh. Then, with his usual calm expression, he dropped a bombshell.
"Does anyone here know someone named Method? He's from C.O.T.S guild."
[Method? That scammer?]
[Yeah, he's infamous.]
[Totally fits in with trash-tier C.O.T.S.]
[The guy's either a psychopath or sociopath, no doubt.]
[He lives for trolling and mocking people.]
[But why him?]
"To put it simply, the person who came with me wasn't West Flower."
[What?]
[Huh?]
"It was Method in disguise."
[What?]
[Huh?]
Yuseong's sudden revelation threw the viewers into confusion. Method disguising himself as West Flower and traveling with Yuseong?
[Why would that guy...]
[Can't be anything good.]
[Yuseong, did he do something to you?]
Given her notoriety, the viewers worried for Yuseong. But he looked fine on the surface, so they didn't panic too much.
That changed with his next words, which flipped the chat upside down.
"I lost the Necronomicon copy."
[What?]
[Huh?]
In that short time, question marks flooded the chat for the third time. But it was unavoidable—Yuseong's statements were each shocking enough on their own.
The biggest shock, though, was the last one.
What was the Necronomicon copy? The one and only upgrade item with confirmed whereabouts in Arc right now. And he'd lost it.
[What the hell happened?!]
[How did you let him take it?!]
Bewilderment, anger, disbelief—emotions poured into the chat.
Yuseong slowly began recounting everything that had happened.
The viewers listened intently. So focused were they that the chat slowed to a trickle.
But that didn't last.
Once they had the full story, the chat exploded.
[What kind of asshole is that?]
[Totally on-brand for Method, though.]
[What a infuriating prick.]
[But you just let it happen?]
Frustration at the situation, rage at Method, criticism toward Yuseong—every kind of message flooded in.
[So what now?]
Some asked about Yuseong's next move.
"I can't just sit around. I'll try tracking him somehow."
[Think you can?]
[Method's a pro at hiding.]
"Sorry to ask, but if anyone has info on Method, could you let me know?"
[Sure, I'll check around!]
After requesting the viewers' help, Yuseong headed down the mountain.
* * *
News of Yuseong announcing the Necronomicon copy's theft on stream spread like wildfire across every community.
-Every community buzzing about it.
-Yeah, Method played it smart.
-Guy's unmatched at screwing people over.
Awe at Method snatching the Necronomicon copy.
-All that bragging, and he got played in the end.
-Knew that idiot would eat it big one day.
-Physical skills but no brains, huh? LMAO.
-Total moron lololol.
-Lmao got totally duped.
One-sided blame on Yuseong.
-So the copy's with Method now?
-Shit's even more intense.
-Stealing from Yuseong? Odds were insanely low.
Interest in the item's whereabouts.
Whatever their take, everyone's attention shifted to the Necronomicon copy and its new owner, Method.
Yuseong, who'd held the spotlight until now, slipped slightly out of view.
* * *
Beauty Art found Halloween Pumpkin utterly infuriating. She had no idea what he was scheming, but he'd pinned her down relentlessly in Moros Canyon.
A desperate fight would've been preferable. She never wanted to endure another standoff like this.
'He's stalling.'
Obvious to anyone. But she didn't know exactly what for.
'Definitely after the Necronomicon copy.'
He was clearly preventing her—and Yuseong, who had it—from meeting. But how he planned to steal it remained a mystery.
Whatever his scheme, if she met Yuseong, took the copy, and used it, everything would resolve.
Halloween Pumpkin's plot would be for naught.
That's why she kept trying to break through the canyon.
But she failed every time. The terrain was a narrow chokepoint. Halloween Pumpkin had sealed it tight with his black skeletons, blocking her path.
Even forcing her way through didn't work—he refused to engage her properly, ignoring her minion to target only Beauty Art.
Unlike Halloween Pumpkin commanding skeleton hordes like an army, Beauty Art had just one minion. When attacks focused on her, she had no choice but to send it in.
Of course, this wouldn't last forever. Halloween Pumpkin's advantage was numbers and arriving first to claim the spot, but their skill levels were close.
Thus, her single minion had to be stronger than his black skeletons.
As time passed, his skeletons shattered one by one.
Once they dwindled below a certain number, even a staller like Halloween Pumpkin couldn't hold her back.
The problem? That was still far off.
Plus, he was blocking her retreats too.
He'd trapped her completely in the canyon.
Beauty Art even considered dying on purpose. Suicide would let her respawn in the city, escaping the encirclement.
But she'd lose her minion.
Her loyal servant, forged with all her abilities into that one perfect creation.
If she died here, it'd be abandoned in the canyon without orders. Halloween Pumpkin wouldn't leave it alone.
He couldn't seize control, but destroying it? Easy.
But she couldn't stay like this forever.
Time to call in guildmates for help?
Suddenly, Halloween Pumpkin vanished. His black skeletons still plugged the canyon, but without their summoner, even powerful undead moved awkwardly.
Especially since each was weaker than her minion.
She immediately pushed through.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Skeletons swung their blades in resistance. He'd left basic orders to hold the pass. But mindless undead AI? No threat at all.
Soon, the only undead left standing was her minion. The area was cleared.
Finally, free of this damned canyon.
She rushed straight for Silarimit without pause.
The open wasteland felt refreshing after that stifling gorge. Just run in a straight line now.
But her mind wasn't at ease.
'Why did that bastard pull back?'
He'd hounded her for days.
Staying logged in nonstop was fine—her pod was top-tier with life support.
Rankers in Arc often played for days straight; nothing unusual.
What bugged her was why the tenacious bastard suddenly left.
She soon learned why. And unfortunately, it was the worst possible news for her.
"He lost the Necronomicon copy?"
The culprit: C.O.T.S's Method. And her blocker, Halloween Pumpkin, was C.O.T.S too.
Now it clicked.
This was their conspiracy.
* * *
Halloween Pumpkin, who'd been holding Beauty Art in Moros Canyon, withdrew the moment he got Method's message.
Beauty Art had been frustrated at being trapped; Halloween Pumpkin was exhausted from the canyon fight too.
He preferred overwhelming foes with sheer numbers, so skittish skirmishes grated on him.
He couldn't kill her lest she respawn, bypass the canyon, and head to Silarimit. To prolong the standoff, he'd micromanaged every skeleton to keep even one alive.
For a quantity-over-quality guy, that playstyle was pure stress.
But no choice.
To secure the Necronomicon copy, sacrifices were necessary. The world didn't let you do whatever you wanted.