Chapter 94
Chapter 94
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: The Haunt of Fallen Demons
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The corpse of the swamp crocodile vanished, and a bundle appeared, bobbing on the water's surface. It seemed the system was set up that way so you wouldn't have trouble finding it if it sank into the murky depths below.
Even as the floating debris drifted along, the bundle stayed perfectly still without budging an inch—that was the proof.
Either way, it was convenient.
Yuseong picked up the bundle. Then he set off again.
Swamp crocodiles popped up now and then, but they died with their eyes bursting before they could even get close to him. As he scooped up the bundle, Yuseong remarked,
"If they traveled entirely underwater, it'd be a real headache, but since they stick their eyes out, it's easy."
[Easy?]
[Whoa, humblebrag much?]
[That's only for you, Yuseong.]
[No, but seriously, if they kept their eyes in, you wouldn't see them at all. How would you even hit that?]
"You can hear them, can't you? That's enough to get a rough bead on them and attack."
[Sound? You can hear a sound?]
[I don't hear anything?]
[There is a slight splashing when the swamp crocodiles move.]
The viewers cranked up their speakers or earbuds to max and focused on the faint noise.
Splish.
There was definitely a sound. But even so, they couldn't agree with Yuseong.
[You're saying you fight based on that noise?]
[That's not even a splash, that's a plip.]
[This is kinda...]
[I guess we'll just chalk this one up to Yuseong being Yuseong.]
The viewers shrugged it off as usual, settling into the mindset that this was just how Yuseong was. They couldn't imagine pulling off combat like that themselves.
But Yuseong hadn't acquired that skill because he wanted it.
If he couldn't do it, he'd just be dead.
The monsters in the swamp weren't limited to swamp crocodiles. A bit farther in, another type appeared.
[Swamp mosquito.]
[Gross.]
It was a mosquito, exactly as the name implied—identical in appearance to the ones people knew. Except it was much larger than a normal one. Way larger.
[Getting bitten by that would probably give you anemia and kill you on the spot.]
[I hate swamp mosquitoes more than swamp crocodiles.]
The sight of a mosquito the size of a person's torso flapping its wings as it flew in was naturally enough to make any ordinary person recoil in horror.
But Yuseong remained unfazed. Compared to the beasts he'd faced so far, this one had no standout features.
Bang!
He pulled the trigger. The mosquito burst, spraying blood everywhere.
[One-shot.]
One alone didn't seem very threatening. But flip that around, and it meant a group of them could be plenty dangerous.
Bzzzz!
Bzzz!
Bzzzzz!
Three more mosquitoes flew in behind the one Yuseong had killed.
It might be a nightmare for anyone else, but not for him. He had distance, plenty of ammo, and the enemies weren't high on HP or defense.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three shots rang out, and the three mosquitoes exploded.
[Why does it look so easy? Isn't this supposed to be a tough area?]
[It's Yuseong.]
After that, Yuseong roamed the swamp freely. Besides swamp crocodiles and swamp mosquitoes, swamp snakes and swamp bears showed up too, but none of them posed any real threat to him. They just handed over EXP and items before vanishing.
'It's definitely an unpopular hunting ground.'
He'd been trekking through the swamp for quite a while, but hadn't seen another soul. It was a far cry from the goblin hunt earlier.
After walking some more, he entered the area marked by the first red circle.
It was an island. But even on the island, he couldn't escape the water. The moment he stepped onto solid ground, the grass covering it compressed, and water welled up with a squelch. The ground was completely saturated.
Still, it was definitely easier to move around than being in open water.
"This is the first area."
Yuseong announced.
The island was covered in dense forest. But it was far from the vibrant woods he'd seen before. The trees themselves seemed thoroughly waterlogged.
Yuseong headed into the forest.
"The visibility's blocked—it's inconvenient."
[That's forests for ya.]
[Tons of cover, so it's bad for gunners. Be careful, Yuseong.]
[Wasn't this the place where Yuseong wiped out the Hers Guild?]
[Never mind, ignore me. Roam free, Yuseong.]
<LOLOLOL>
<LOL>
The viewers burst into laughter.
He knew this wasn't the destination, but Yuseong still pretended to search every nook and cranny.
"Nothing here. Doesn't seem like it."
[Yeah, looks that way.]
Streamers usually had a huge edge when searching for something in Arc. With tons of viewers watching the screen, they helped spot it.
If anything showed up on screen, it was unlikely to be missed. Especially for popular streamers with massive audiences.
Of course, it was nothing compared to Yuseong with his strategy guide.
"Let's head to the next area."
Yuseong kept moving between areas, pretending to search. Finally, he reached the third area—the one holding what he was after.
"This is the third one."
[Anything here?]
[Thief's secret hideout or something?]
[Probably. But not sure.]
[Frustrating not knowing what we're looking for.]
[What if someone else already got it? Even an unpopular spot like this, someone might've cleared it.]
[Unlikely. Hidden quests like this usually conceal the objective too. It's probably set so only quest recipients can find it.]
Yuseong kept dealing with monsters while pretending to search.
That's when it happened.
[Huh?]
[What's that?]
Suddenly, a person appeared a short distance from Yuseong.
Not a player—or wait, it was a player, but the viewers weren't surprised by that.
[That's the jerk.]
It was Istin.
He was skulking around like a rat, eyeing his surroundings suspiciously. Anyone could tell he looked shady.
[Maybe we should tail him?]
[LOL, obvious quest event.]
[Can we take him out?]
[Perfect timing. I was getting annoyed with that guy anyway.]
Apparently, Istin had pulled some aggro from the viewers, so they cheered at the prospect of killing him.
'If I get the chance, I should take him out.'
Yuseong didn't harbor any personal grudge against Istin, but there was no reason not to. With the viewers this excited, killing him if possible would be the way to go.
Tap!
Istin approached a large boulder and prodded a nearby stone.
Rumble!
The boulder vibrated and slid slightly to the side. A small gap opened beside it. Istin hurried inside.
Rumble!
It slid back exactly as before, sealing the gap.
[Found it!]
[Quest dungeon, obviously?]
Yuseong approached the large boulder. He pressed the same stone Istin had.
Rumble!
The boulder slid aside just like before, revealing the gap.
"Heading in."
[Heart pounding.]
[Wonder what's inside.]
That's when Yuseong fully slipped into the gap.
[You are the first to discover the dungeon 'The Haunt of Fallen Demons.' EXP increased for first discovery. 1 bonus point awarded for first discovery. EXP, money, and item drop rates inside the dungeon increased by 200% for one week due to first discovery.]
[Whoa, legit undiscovered dungeon.]
[First time seeing an undiscovered one.]
The viewers cheered at the alert confirming no one had found this dungeon yet. Those more knowledgeable about Arc focused on the dungeon's name.
[Demons? Demons here?]
[This linked quest is no joke.]
[Demons, right? The race tied to the Arc lore?]
[Yep.]
Arc wasn't a game with a strict main storyline. Its tagline was 'Create your own story,' emphasizing that every player was the protagonist of their own tale.
But there had to be some underlying world setting for those stories. Utopia never denied the speculation. In fact, they subtly hinted it was spot on.
Still, nothing was outright confirmed.
Naturally, players flooded forums with theories about Arc's core lore.
One popular one: demons were deeply tied to it.
And now, an undiscovered dungeon with demons had appeared.
Most viewers already suspected Yuseong's linked quest was something major.
Everything about it screamed special.
Now demons too.
[This quest has to be tied tight to the Utopia worldview, right?]
The excitement was inevitable.
And demon dungeons weren't valuable just for that.
[Demon mobs are efficient too. Tons of EXP and cash, high drop quality.]
Every known demon hunting ground was guild-exclusive, no exceptions.
The competition was fierce—conflicts over demon spots made up the biggest chunk of inter-guild wars.
Now one had appeared. In a place empty of all players except Yuseong—his personal exclusive spot. Plus first-discovery bonuses.
"Let's go."
[Go go.]
[Smash those demons!]
Yuseong stepped deeper into the dungeon proper, buoyed by the hyped viewers.
* * *
The first monster he encountered was a pale-skinned creature with arms dangling limply, swaying them side to side as it shambled along unsteadily.
Bat-like wings on its back marked it as a demon.
But the wing membranes were shredded, one side missing half entirely.
Its bald head had broken horn stubs barely clinging on as remnants.
[That's a demon?]
[They shouldn't even call those demons.]
Disappointed messages filled chat at the pitiful-looking monster.
Fallen demon.
That was its name.
It counted as a demon, but it didn't look the part. You could call it a zombie with weird features and believe it.
Yet they were demons, through and through.
-Grraaah!-
The nearest one spotted Yuseong and whipped its head around. Red eyes gleamed menacingly.
Shing!
Its claws shot out long like knives.
Thud!
It charged at Yuseong—far faster than any swamp monster so far. If you'd let your guard down from its looks, those sharp claws would shred you in seconds.
Bang!
But that didn't apply to Yuseong.