Chapter 111
Chapter 111
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 111
Chapter Title: Busted
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To reiterate, the Necronomicon copy is a necromancer promotion item. And promotion items are things that high-level players on the cusp of the level cap hunt for with fire in their eyes.
A considerable amount of time has passed since Ark launched, and the number of high-level players approaching the level cap has been steadily growing.
As a result, the value of promotion items has skyrocketed.
Given Ark's dominance over global culture, its high-level players have naturally amassed enormous wealth, every one of them.
That includes streamers, of course, but also those who've leveraged Ark's popularity to break into entertainment or formed guilds to monopolize dungeons for profit.
Even players who quietly stick to the game hold information, in-game money, and items that make ordinary players swallow hard with envy.
Disposing of those assets properly could net them a fortune.
So, when such affluent players all set their sights on something, its value can't be low.
Moreover, promotion items weren't just something high-level players "wanted"—they desperately needed them.
To varying degrees, high-level players were always haunted by a fear of the level cap.
Whether through luck or skill, they'd outpaced others to claim wealth and fame. Naturally, to hold onto that, they had to keep pushing ahead.
That's why top rankers never fall back from the front lines, fretting about getting left behind.
But the level cap rendered all that effort futile. No matter how many monsters they slew or quests they cleared, their levels stopped rising.
The onset of stagnation.
Sure, if everyone else stalled too, they might find some peace of mind. But players who snagged promotion items could level beyond the cap.
Stagnation turned to obsolescence in an instant.
Thus, high-level players had to secure promotion items to maintain their wealth and status.
The problem? Those items were infuriatingly rare.
Basic economics of supply and demand had driven their value through the roof.
Yet high-level players never gave up on them. To them, promotion items weren't luxuries—they were necessities.
That's why they always perked up their ears for any whisper of promotion item intel.
And naturally, they showed keen interest in this Necronomicon copy fiasco.
However, factors like it being a necromancer item, already having an owner, and being in a remote region kept most high-level players from mobilizing personally.
But that didn't mean they'd lost interest.
This was a scramble over a promotion item, after all.
A few had moved for it, and even famous guilds Whatever and C.O.T.S had clashed.
Inevitably, people grabbed popcorn and cola to enjoy the spectacle.
"This is another clash between those guys? They're overflowing with energy."
[For real, how long ago was it they threw rankers at each other?]
[Just go full war already!]
"Beauty Art's probably on the verge of losing it right now? She finally gets her hands on that promotion item she's craved, and there's all this interference."
[I'd collapse lol]
[But what's that pumpkin head even trying to do?]
As high-level players openly showed interest and monitored the situation, their fans naturally learned of the turf war.
And proving the massive influence of high-level players, the conflict drew enormous attention.
Even news outlets were covering it live—you could guess the heat from that alone.
Yuseong naturally became a hot topic too.
He was right at the center of it all—no exaggeration.
Some gaming channels even aired programs tracking his movements.
For all the excitement as masses watched this turf war unfold, the famed feast turned out to have no food, as the saying goes—the developments weren't that entertaining.
Beauty Art and Halloween Pumpkin, the biggest draws, dragged on in what barely qualified as a fight—more like a picnic.
Yuseong faced raids daily, but such skirmishes were a dime a dozen if you looked in Ark.
So people were stuck in a dilemma: bored, yet unable to ignore a promotion item showdown.
Then, suddenly, things took a dramatic turn.
Disguised as a Western Garden NPC, Method effortlessly snatched the Necronomicon copy from Yuseong—pathetically easy. At the same moment, Halloween Pumpkin vanished, mid-"fight" with Beauty Art.
Anyone could see it was a conspiracy between them.
-No way, those bastards pulled it off
-Bunch of spineless punks lol
Everyone knew how hard it was in Ark to steal a specific item from a player.
Direct theft or robbery had abysmal success rates. The most viable threat was disrupting their game until they handed it over.
But threats like that wouldn't faze Yuseong, under the protection of the famous guild Whatever.
Guilds generally stayed out of personal squabbles, but if harassment got that bad, Whatever would surely respond.
Yet they'd exploited Method's traits perfectly to wrest the Necronomicon copy from Yuseong.
-Still impressive tho
-Admit it. Skill, brains— that's legit. Hate those C.O.T.S crib babies and all, but gotta respect this.
Even those harboring grudges against C.O.T.S gave them applause.
It was that big a deal.
And the more they were praised, the more Yuseong—who'd lost the book so lamely—became the butt of jokes.
-What a moron. Let it get snatched like that?
-Stick it in the bank and chill in town—no one touches it. But nope, got robbed flat-footed.
-Guy's got the physicals for extra bosses but no brain for thinking huh
-Great body, shit head? That's just an animal lol
-And he's streaming, begging for Method's whereabouts lol
-lmao no shame? I'd quit the game from embarrassment, let alone stream
-He got time for shame? How much value just flew away?
-Impossible to price. Demand's huge, supply's zilch.
-lmao as if
The backlash against Yuseong's usual overwhelming physical praise amplified the mockery.
If he'd been a ranker, his massive fandom might've fought for him.
But he'd only started Ark recently, and his fame even shorter—his fanbase wasn't mature yet. Malice swept communities unchecked.
Then Method went live, thickening the atmosphere.
-Halloween Pumpkin and Method used their heads well
-No way he could've dodged that
-Unavoidable my ass. Method said himself he didn't expect it'd be this easy. Planned to gaslight hard, but Yuseong just handed it over no prompt
-Fr real, how quick to trust such a precious item? Handed?
-Like Method said, Yuseong really likes Western Garden NPCs?
-lol how long they even known each other
-A little rapport's possible, why crush the kid's spirit
-So C.O.T.S wins this round? Last clash was Whatever's decision victory
-No contest. Necronomicon copy on the line now
-Whatever nibbled crumbs, C.O.T.S swallowed the whale
-Crib babies take the W then
If it'd ended there, Halloween Pumpkin and Method would've been hailed as geniuses who turned impossible into possible, while Yuseong solidified as one of Ark's top idiots.
People would've seen C.O.T.S as clearly superior to Whatever too.
But once again, the tables turned.
Halloween Pumpkin, eyeing the Necronomicon copy with honey-dripping greed, suddenly twisted his face in demonic rage and screamed.
His words shocked viewers following via Method's stream.
"This is the Necronomicon copy? This is just a necromancer skillbook!"
"What?"
They'd successfully stolen the Necronomicon copy amid all the attention—only it wasn't.
-Wtf, not the Necronomicon copy?
-Then what is it?
-What's going on?
People clutched their heads in confusion, watching Method and Halloween Pumpkin bicker. They devolved into ugly accusations, even suspecting each other of hiding the real copy.
Naturally, their skyrocketing rep crashed through the floor into the basement.
-Figures
-Knew it was too smooth
-Classic crib babies
-But seriously, what's the real story? Where's the Necronomicon copy?
While cursing Method and Halloween Pumpkin, people scrambled to piece it together.
Then Halloween Pumpkin analyzed the situation, and they leaned in.
The conclusion was shocking.
-Yuseong never gave the real Necronomicon copy?
-Switched it from the start?
-So it's still with Yuseong?
Confusion reigned. Halloween Pumpkin guessed why Yuseong tossed a fake, but it was just speculation—no certainty.
So people tried another tack.
-Yuseong still streaming?
-Check there
Ask the man himself.
His stream showed Yuseong wandering the wasteland. Remaining viewers urged him to head back to Silaremit, but he refused, digging in.
He looked utterly dejected, no question.
His expression was oddly subtle for that, but fans knew he was poor at showing emotions, so nothing strange.
Perfect timing—his viewers were asking what happened. They'd seen Method's stream.
Yuseong's face changed. To the surprised crowd, he left just one line.
"Got caught."
Then the stream cut off.
The moment Yuseong etched himself indelibly into the world's consciousness.