Chapter 36
Chapter 36
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Assault on Hers Guild
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"Hmm."
Yusung looked around. The Hers Guild members who had charged at him with murderous intent were gone. All that remained was the money and items they had dropped upon death.
'Not bad?'
If the Hers Guild members he'd fought or the onlookers who had watched the battle heard that thought, they would have been horrified. But Yusung remained unfazed.
'Compared to being surrounded by beasts back then, this was nothing.'
Yusung had always lived with death as his collateral, but few moments had brought him as close to it as that one.
Yet in the end, Yusung had survived.
For such a Yusung, no amount of levels or numbers could make the Hers Guild members a match.
'They didn't even know how to fight properly—just brute force.'
They were seven players who could put on a decent show in the game with stats and skills, but they couldn't overcome Yusung, who had staked his life on survival struggles in a ruined world.
A few surprises threw off their movements right away. If things like that existed in reality, they wouldn't last a single day.
He wasn't sure if it was fair to say about NPCs, but the depth of their experience was simply different.
Yusung collected the money and items dropped by the Hers Guild members.
'Now what?'
The worst scenario for Yusung was failing to breach Verhill's gates and being stuck in the city. But now that he'd crushed the Hers Guild members, the worst was behind him.
Worst case, he could just move to another region.
But Yusung had no intention of doing that.
The face of the Hers Guild member who had threatened him came to mind.
'Going to make me quit the game?'
Even thinking about it again made his body tremble and his mind go hazy. It was a statement that perfectly illustrated how repulsive threats could be.
He didn't want to let it end like this.
'Strategy Guide. Show me the hunting ground that Hers Guild has monopolized.'
【This way.】
A semi-transparent map appeared, marking the destination.
Conveniently, there was a nearby village. Setting it as his new respawn point would provide at least minimal safety.
Yusung started walking toward the village.
* * *
"Let's go."
As Yusung's figure vanished beyond the road piercing the floodwaters, one onlooker muttered.
The other dazed spectators began to stir one by one.
The battle they'd just witnessed felt like a dream. It had been that astonishing.
Of course, high-level players showed similar feats in their videos. But those relied far more on system assists from their levels.
Above all, watching it unfold live right in front of them was far more thrilling than any flat screen footage.
Some onlookers were still entranced, while others messaged friends, excitedly recounting what they'd seen with spittle flying.
Among them were streamers, chattering animatedly at screens only they could see.
"You saw that, right? Everyone saw it, right? Wow! Wow! I thought I'd only see fights like that after hitting high-level zones!"
He'd probably streamed the entire battle. His excited demeanor suggested the reactions were pouring in hot.
But as the excitement faded with time, people began to drift away one by one.
"Hey, what're you doing? Time to go."
One player nudged his friend to leave.
"Uh, yeah, right."
"Man, that was one hell of a show."
"Yeah."
"Yusung, right? Wonder what he'll do now."
"Probably head to another city. Even Hers Guild won't chase him that far from their turf. And even if they lose it and try, they can't rampage openly like in Verhill."
"Makes sense."
The two chatted as they returned to their own gaming.
Their thinking mirrored most people's.
Even the Hers Guild members, gripped by rage and panic upon hearing of the battle's aftermath, assumed Yusung would leave the Verhill area.
But it didn't take long to realize they were wrong.
* * *
Yusung looked up at the wooden palisade before him. A massive stronghold built by clearing a section of the floodplains.
It was the bandit hunting ground 'Verhill Outskirts Bandit Stronghold,' monopolized by Hers Guild.
Yusung walked along the palisade. Soon, the entrance came into view, with various player NPCs coming and going.
But Yusung's target wasn't those irrelevant NPCs.
'Those guys?'
【That's right.】
Two NPCs stood at the stronghold entrance like gatekeepers, monitoring entrants. They were the Hers Guild members controlling the hunting ground.
They checked the list mechanically, their bored expressions plain, admitting people without hesitation.
Despite having no in-game authority, they acted without a shred of doubt.
Yusung strode straight toward them, Eonir pistol already loaded in his hand.
"Wait your turn—"
Without even glancing at Yusung's face, one Hers Guild member irritably began, but Yusung aimed at his head.
Bang!
The Hers Guild member's body crumpled. He wasn't high-level enough to survive a single Eonir pistol shot.
"What the—!"
The other Hers Guild member startled, thrusting his spear. But the attack was laughably clumsy.
Yusung sidestepped the spear tip effortlessly and pulled the trigger.
Bang! Bang!
This one was higher level than his fallen comrade, requiring two bullets.
But he still ended up dead.
"Whoa!"
"What? PK?"
Nearby players jolted in surprise. Some hastily drew weapons.
But as Yusung showed no further aggression, they slowly lowered theirs—though they stayed alert.
"A Hers Guild member got killed?"
"Guild war?"
"Damn it! I need to hunt bandits right now!"
As players grasped the situation, chatter spread, and eyes turned to Yusung, the instigator.
"Which guild's he from?"
Most assumed he was from a rival guild starting a war.
But a few recognized his face.
"Isn't that guy Black Bread Killer?"
"Yeah, looks like it. Got the gun too."
"Wait, didn't he have beef with Hers Guild? Something about discovering a new bandit hunting ground."
As understanding dawned, players were soon aghast.
"He's really going head-to-head with Hers Guild?"
"Does he even have a guild?"
"Not that I know. Naltorri's video said he wasn't joining one for a while."
"So he's taking on the guild solo?"
"No way."
Then one player's dumbstruck voice drew attention.
"Huh?"
"What's up?"
His neighbor asked.
Staring at a window only he could see, the player replied.
"They say this guy just wiped out seven Hers Guild members in Verhill a bit ago?"
"What?"
"Huh?"
Shocked voices echoed.
Yusung stepped into the stronghold. People followed as if entranced.
Inside, players and NPCs were actively hunting. Yusung ignored players, NPCs, and mobs alike, pressing on.
【That's him.】
Soon, the Strategy Guide highlighted an NPC as he appeared. He was hunting bandits just like the others.
The only difference: he was Hers Guild.
Bang!
Yusung's pistol flashed, and the Hers Guild member fell. Surrounding hunters, oblivious until then, erupted in chaos.
Those who had followed from the entrance were startled but stayed composed, assessing.
"That guy's Hers Guild too?"
"Probably. Saw him chatting with the gatekeepers earlier."
"Wow, so he really is fighting the guild?"
Hunters overheard and perked up. Some grabbed them for details.
Meanwhile, Yusung sought the next Hers Guild member.
In time, every Hers Guild member in the stronghold fell to Yusung.
He didn't stop there, moving to their other hunting grounds.
Regrettably, word had spread to the others, leaving few guild members—proud holdouts ignoring retreat orders.
They banded together against Yusung, but couldn't defeat the man who had crushed far larger groups.
Thus, for the first time since Hers Guild monopolized the bandit hunting grounds, they reverted to unmanaged wilds.
* * *
After hunting Hers Guild members, Yusung retreated into the floodplains to regroup.
'Pretty lucrative.'
He'd only slain every Hers Guild member in sight, enraged by their threat to cut his lifeline, but the rewards were substantial. They'd dropped a hefty sum.
'Now what?'
Time had passed, and killing them had cooled his fury somewhat.
'Funny, getting worked up over NPCs. Is this what they mean by blind rage?'
In reality, there were no humans like him, so he'd rarely felt anger. Monsters and beasts were objects of fear, not fury.
This emotion—igniting suddenly, then gradually fading after time—fascinated Yusung.
'Got to be careful.'
He'd never understood book characters consumed by emotions leading to ruin, but now in their shoes, reining it in wasn't easy.
'Should've left for another city right after escaping Verhill.'
He'd at least moved his respawn to a nearby village, but it was still frequented by player NPCs. Hers Guild could find him if they tried.
Time to move now.
Before that, Yusung checked his status window.
"Huh?"
He was surprised.
'What's this? Why'd attention skyrocket?'
His attention stat, which had been rising more slowly lately, had surged.
* * *
Internet communities buzzed with Ark talk as usual.
In low-level zones, the hottest topic was the clash between Yusung and Hers Guild.
《Yusung really clashing with Hers Guild?》
「Is that even possible?」
└ Possible or not, it happened
└ ㅇㅇ Saw it myself. Yusung straight-up headshot Hers Guild members left and right.
└ Hers Guild's in an uproar. Members scowling everywhere.
└└ Uproar? More like butt-hurt from a bug bite. Thinks one guy can smash a guild?
└└└ Why so triggered? Hers shill?
└└└└ Just calling out nonsense
└└└└└ Yeah, your guild got squad-wiped by one dude lol
└ I agree with the guy above. No matter how badass, can't beat a guild
└└ ㅇㅇ High-level solo maybe, but Yusung ain't there yet
└└└ Numbers = violence tho
Thus, the Yusung-Hers Guild war dominated online spaces daily, drawing ever more eyes to Yusung.