Chapter 68
Chapter 68
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: Pattern's Assault
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The most luxurious inn in Silaremit.
Returning to the place where he had stayed the night before, Pattern first contacted the guild.
"...Fuck."
He had no choice but to report it since he couldn't omit the guild report, but it was utterly humiliating.
He could understand failing a mission. Their guild wasn't some villainous group from a novel that absolutely refused to tolerate failure.
But in his mind, this mission was one that absolutely could not be failed.
It was about scouting a low-level player just as their great guild was starting to gain fame. Naturally, the player should have accepted the invitation immediately, seeing it as the honor of three lifetimes.
Yet Yuseong hadn't. He'd made the absurd request for a little time to think and ultimately rejected the invitation.
And that was to join 'Willful'—a guild on extremely bad terms with them (though, of course, how many guilds were on good terms with them anyway?).
Crunch!
Just thinking about it made his teeth grind.
Yuseong's brazen attitude in declaring he'd join 'Willful' and Cooking Day's infuriating mockery of their guild.
'I can't let this slide.'
They had to pay for daring to screw him over.
Pattern glanced at his spear propped against one wall. Its sharp blade reflected the light from the magic orb hanging on the ceiling, gleaming ominously.
* * *
It had already been three days since Yuseong and Cooking Day started hunting together. Today, too, they roamed the Mud Toad hunting grounds.
Having grasped Yuseong's personality to some extent by now, Cooking Day judged there was no longer any need to observe him. So they decided today would be their last day of hunting.
That meant they planned to completely clear the Mud Toad hunting grounds this time.
"Impressive accuracy as always."
Cooking Day clapped at the sight of Yuseong taking down a Sturdy Mud Toad—one of the upper variants—in a single shot.
After three days of hunting together and chatting about this and that, they'd grown quite close, so Cooking Day now spoke casually to Yuseong. Cooking Day was in his mid-thirties—plenty old enough to drop the formalities.
Yuseong had no complaints. He had such a faint concept of formality that it was odd for him to use it in the first place; casual speech wasn't off-putting.
Besides, he knew it was normal for older people not to show deference to the young.
Yuseong and Cooking Day ventured deeper into the hunting grounds. The monsters they encountered grew more varied as a result.
Rock Toads covered in stones instead of mud, Sand Toads cloaked in sand, even Horn Toads bristling with tough horns all over their bodies.
But no monster could halt Yuseong's advance. He dispatched even first-time encounters in seconds, and once he got a feel for them, he swept through like a whirlwind.
The spectacle came when they neared the deepest part of the hunting grounds: the field boss.
Quadruple-Tongue Toad.
True to its name, it wielded four-pronged tongues to unleash a storm of attacks on players, while coating itself in a mix of sand and rock to boost its defenses. Its massive size came with proportionally greater power and speed, to boot.
Yet the gunfire from Yuseong, who drew his dual pistols, was an even fiercer storm. His shots pierced weak points precisely, rendering the sand-and-rock shell useless.
Boom!
It didn't take long for the field boss to fall to Yuseong.
"Wow! In the blink of an eye!"
Of course, Cooking Day himself could have done it faster, but that was due to the level gap. At Yuseong's level, no one could handle a Quadruple-Tongue Toad this easily.
No matter how many times he saw it, the skill warmed his heart.
'We really struck gold.'
It was a huge relief they hadn't let the crib crew snatch him away.
'Come to think of it, that guy's probably about to make his move.'
He thought of Pattern—a guy infamous even among the crib crew for his nasty temper. Cooking Day didn't expect him to back down quietly.
'It'll be soon.'
Neither Pattern nor Cooking Day could stick around here forever.
Ark's rankers were people who earned money and fame by pioneering new lands in Ark and constantly providing fresh content.
To do that, they had to keep investing time in leveling up, raising skill levels, and gearing up.
Fall behind the competition, and you'd be weeded out.
Famous rankers like Cooking Day, or aspiring ones like Pattern, had no time to waste.
It wasn't for nothing that their guild master had been shocked when Cooking Day said he'd meet Yuseong personally. How much more so for Pattern, who was only there on orders?
'Today or tomorrow.'
And Cooking Day figured it was likely today.
Sure, holing up in the city for a week would solve it safely. But as he said, time was gold—even for him.
Since he needed to gauge Yuseong's personality, he'd had no choice but to roam the hunting grounds together.
And sure enough, as the two moved to find other monsters to hunt.
Whoosh!
A chilling whoosh cut the air.
"Dodge!"
Cooking Day shouted loudly and looked at Yuseong, ready to shove him if he froze up.
But Yuseong had already leaped aside before Cooking Day even yelled.
'As expected—superb reflexes and situational awareness.'
Amazed once more by Yuseong's abilities, Cooking Day dodged to the side himself. Something slammed into where they—more precisely, Cooking Day—had stood.
Kaboom!
A deafening explosion. Cooking Day eyed what had flown at them.
It was a spear. From tip to shaft, entirely metal. Ornate patterns and the strap bound below the blade added a touch of luxury.
Cooking Day recognized it. He'd seen it just the day before yesterday, after all.
"No need to ask what this is about, right?"
He called out to the one who'd thrown the spear.
"Pattern."
"Yeah, that's me."
Pattern replied nonchalantly, then beckoned with a finger.
Swish!
The spear stuck in the ground pulled itself free as if possessed by a will and flew back to its owner.
Thud!
Pattern caught the incoming spear and slung it casually over his shoulder.
Yuseong stepped up beside Cooking Day.
"So that's the spear."
"Yeah."
Given Pattern's level, the spear he wielded was top-notch. It boasted high attack power and durability, but it even had the ability to return to its owner when thrown.
Cooking Day spoke.
"I'll ask anyway, but you're picking a fight with us right now, yeah?"
"Of course."
No denial there. Cooking Day let out a smirk.
"This is rich. Even if I'm not a combat class, for a low-level punk to come at us so openly."
"I figure I can handle you, even if the other Willful guys are off-limits."
"So you're lumping us both together out of wounded pride?"
"Yep."
"You'll get an earful from your boss."
"Sure. But flip it around—that's all it'll be."
Ark was realistic, but it was still a game. One where PK was a legitimate content feature, no less.
Giant guilds like C.O.T.S had too much to lose, so they avoided clashes with other top guilds.
Even if they won, it'd likely be a Pyrrhic victory, leaving them weakened for rivals to exploit.
That meant members steered clear of full-blown conflicts with other major guilds' members.
But ironically, that led to guilds ignoring the occasional small-scale member skirmishes.
No matter how big the losses, it was just experience or items for the losers.
Unless someone was systematically hunting their members or repeatedly killing one guildmate, the guild wouldn't intervene just because PK happened.
Sure, he'd get chewed out, but as Pattern said—that was it.
"Don't worry. I'm a big-hearted guy. I'll kill you once right here and call it even."
"A truly big-hearted guy wouldn't bother with revenge over something this petty."
With that, Cooking Day drew his bow.
Even as an alchemist, you needed some basic combat ability to feel secure. Probably because it overlapped with honing craftsmanship, Cooking Day had invested somewhat in bow skills.
The fine stat differences and lower skill proficiencies meant he wasn't a great archer.
But his high level made even clumsy archery nothing to scoff at.
It also synergized well with classes like archers or gunners that burned through ammo.
Still, Pattern showed no tension.
High level or good class synergy didn't change that it was a non-combat job. He was one of the elite at his level, acknowledged by all around him—he had full confidence.
So he sneered.
"An alchemist's bow. Not exactly scary."
"You seem pretty scared yourself. Didn't bring a bunch of friends?"
Cooking Day glanced at the people behind Pattern. Seven players stood there—obviously his crew.
"Don't worry. They won't interfere in our fight. And more importantly, they're not from our guild."
"Mercenaries, huh."
As expected.
Even if guilds overlooked small disputes, several guildmates ganging up on one person would raise alarms.
To minimize fallout, the number of guild members involved had to be as low as possible.
Hence, mercenaries. Hired players paid in real money, game coin, or items.
They weren't guildmates, so the direct disputants were only the hiring guild member.
It was like covering your eyes to steal a bell, but giant guilds needed these absurd measures to curb infighting.
"These guys'll handle your new buddy. Don't worry—they won't lay a finger on you."
"Yeah, right."
For all his words, if things went south, he'd flip in an instant.
"Believe it or not, doesn't matter."
Pattern lowered the spear from his shoulder. He swung the blade threateningly, aiming it at Cooking Day.
"Ready?"
"Yes."
Cooking Day glanced at Yuseong.
The enemies: a top player from a giant guild and his hires, who looked leagues above the local players.
Their side: a top-tier player, but in a non-combat class.
Not an advantageous position.
Yet Yuseong showed no fear.
'The more I see, the better he gets.'
Bringing Yuseong into the guild might be the best gift he'd ever given them.
That was Cooking Day's thought.