Chapter 99
Chapter 99
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 99
Chapter Title: Gathering Hyenas
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Of course, if the deal was done with game money, no matter how high the price, as long as it wasn't ridiculously outrageous, it would still be a profit for her. But that's exactly why she hesitated to trade in game money.
She felt it wouldn't be fair.
Cooking Day understood her feelings and sympathized.
"But what can we do? That guy really prefers game money."
Yuseong's preference for game money was no joke. It was to the point where it seemed incomprehensible at first glance.
"Even so, I still feel too bad about it."
"If you feel that way, then suggest some other compensation. But is there anything comparable to a Necronomicon replica?"
"Hmm, I do have something in mind."
"Oh?"
Cooking Day didn't ask what it was.
She had been excited like a child at the fact that she could obtain a Necronomicon replica, but that was just joy over the chance at promotion. Her experience and skill were anything but ordinary.
'No wonder she's a ranker.'
So she would have prepared compensation worthy of a Necronomicon replica on her own.
"Alright. You know where Yuseong is, right?"
"Sillaremit, yeah?"
"Yep. I'll give you his contact info, so reach out when you get there. He said he'll be hunting in that devil dungeon we found for a while."
"Got it."
She nodded vigorously.
Just as she was about to head straight to Sillaremit,
"Hold on a sec."
The guild leader stopped her.
"I'll let him know, so take another guild member with you when you go."
"Another guild member?"
She looked at the guild leader in surprise. Cooking Day was just as puzzled.
"What do you mean?"
"Honestly, I'm a bit worried."
"Aren't you being overly protective? She's a ranker too."
"You're right, but it's still a Necronomicon replica. You never know what might happen. Plus, the one I'm trying to protect is Yuseong."
"Yuseong?"
"The rumors have spread way too far. Not just people who were already interested in the Necronomicon replica, but others too—they all know Yuseong has one now.
When they find out a low-level player has a rare promotion item that hardly ever drops, of course they'll get greedy. And Sillaremit isn't some hard-to-reach place. There are definitely gonna be guys hanging around, hoping for a chance to claim it for themselves."
"So, hyenas are swarming."
Cooking Day scratched his head.
"Yeah, considering Yuseong's level, a Necronomicon replica is way too valuable an item."
"It's not just the Necronomicon replica. The quest he's on right now is tempting enough on its own. A level 30s quest dropping a Necronomicon replica, of all things."
"Well, promotion items can drop from any monster, high-level or low. Of course, the lower the monster's level, the even slimmer the already low odds get."
"But the quest Yuseong's doing seems to guarantee a Necronomicon replica, so that's the problem."
The enemy boss had used the Necronomicon replica, and it dropped right after defeating it. In other words, it was reasonable to assume that beating that boss guaranteed—or at least had a high chance of dropping—one.
And the guild leader was certain there were people convinced of that theory.
"It's a drop item, not a quest reward, so I don't think it's guaranteed."
"I see it as guaranteed. The merchant guild leader who gave the quest straight-up told Yuseong to go for it. If it wasn't a sure thing, he wouldn't have said that."
"The dialogue could change if it doesn't drop."
"That could happen."
It was entirely possible, thinking about how Ark worked.
"Either way, it's still a more reliable method than just endlessly grinding monsters."
"Other people are seriously digging into Yuseong's trail now, huh?"
"Plenty of reason to."
If they could figure out Yuseong's movements, others could pick up the same quest he was on.
Those who thought that way had started tracking Yuseong from the village in Green Plain where he began Ark, piecing together his path.
Finding witnesses to his quests or analyzing videos he'd uploaded—their methods were surprisingly systematic.
It was possible because it had happened multiple times before.
"But right now, the simplest way to get a Necronomicon replica is to go after Yuseong himself. Buy it, steal it—whether he wants to hand it over or not."
"True. So the best move is to get the Necronomicon replica from him as fast as possible and use it."
"Or have Yuseong just sell it off appropriately."
Cooking Day frowned.
"You trying to ruin the guy's promotion chance?"
"It's one of the options. I think using it for the guild is best, but we all know he'll run into a ton of headaches in the meantime. Yuseong's a guild member now. And I'm the guild leader."
He spoke with firm resolve.
He was determined to protect even a new recruit he hadn't met face-to-face. Cooking Day nodded inwardly at the sight.
'What a good guy.'
He always went around saying he wasn't cut out to be guild leader, begging someone else to take over. He seemed to mean it, but no one in the guild—not even Cooking Day—wanted anyone else.
Compared to the thug-like, mafia-esque guilds in Ark, a leader like this was truly rare.
The woman, who had been listening intently, spoke up in a restless voice.
"I-If that's the situation, maybe just let him handle it however he wants..."
"It's fine, it's fine. The guild leader has a point, but we can't just give up on a Necronomicon replica that easily. Sure, trouble's coming, but backing down without even trying would disappoint Jeomjeo and tarnish the guild leader's name."
"The guild maybe, but my name getting tarnished doesn't really matter..."
"Anyway!"
Cooking Day cut off the guild leader loudly.
"Yuseong already agreed. We try it out, and if it doesn't work, we back off then. Honestly, don't you want the Necronomicon replica too?"
"...Yes."
"Then go find him in Sillaremit. If he ends up at a disadvantage, you make it up to him twofold. You can do that, right?"
It was for Yuseong's sake, but also for her—Beauty Art. Tying it to tangible compensation would ease her guilt a lot.
And Beauty Art agreed.
"Of course!"
It was the perfect chance to get a Necronomicon replica. She could offer any reward.
She was a ranker too. Money, items, info—she had endless things to give Yuseong.
Of course, Yuseong didn't need info, at least.
"Plus, even if Yuseong tries to get rid of the Necronomicon replica, that'll cause its own headaches. Plenty of people still want it."
"Then the conclusion's clear."
The guild leader said.
"Head to Sillaremit ASAP. If conflict arises, removing the cause is the best way to handle it."
"Yes."
Beauty Art nodded and left the guild leader's room.
"So, who should we send as backup?"
"Want me to go?"
"What are you gonna do there, old man? You'd struggle against even one pattern."
"Hey! Who struggles? Even I could beat a guy like that no problem!"
Cooking Day protested, offended, but the guild leader kept thinking.
"Come to think of it, Western Flower's near Sillaremit, right? Wasn't she shooting something there?"
"Send Western Flower? She's not really the type, is she? I asked her to help out recently already. Feels bad asking again."
"What, it's Western Flower. Give her a generous cut, and it'll be fine."
"Yeah, fair point."
"Let's do that then. And see if there's anything else we can do to help."
* * *
Yuseong sensed the atmosphere around him had changed.
There had always been eyes on him, but now they were different.
Until recently, people's gazes had felt like they were looking at some curious object.
But now, they were different.
'Like the stare of beasts hunting me.'
Greed. It was mixed into those gazes.
Of course, the intensity varied. A beast's stare was a literal threat to his life. These weren't quite that bad.
Still, it was enough to make Yuseong uncomfortable. How could he feel at ease under gazes like those?
But if it had ended there, Yuseong would have ignored it. However, those gazes were starting to cause him direct harm.
'Another one.'
Stranded Swamp wasn't a popular hunting ground. Viewers had said so, the strategy guide confirmed it, and Yuseong had verified it with his own eyes.
Yet now, Stranded Swamp was crowded with people.
More precisely, the area near the lair of the fallen devils that Yuseong had found.
As Yuseong emerged from the rock crevice, a player in front of him flinched in surprise. Yuseong brushed past, ignoring him appropriately.
He felt the player slinking back to loiter near where Yuseong had come out.
There were a few people near the stone that moved the large rock too. They kept pressing the stone, as if trying to open the large rock. But it didn't budge.
'Only people who picked up my linked quest can open this rock.'
That was according to the strategy guide.
Yuseong had come out through the large rock's crevice, but to the player he'd just run into coming out of the dungeon, it looked like Yuseong had appeared out of nowhere in front of the rock. Naturally, that player couldn't use the crevice Yuseong had emerged from.
The same went for those still pressing the stone. To them, it wasn't a button to open the dungeon entrance. It was just a rock. No matter how much they pressed, tapped, or stomped it, the entrance wouldn't open for them.
Yet they kept forgetting that—or perhaps thought they were special—and continued fiddling with the stone.
[What a pointless waste]
Since the stream was on, text popped up in the floating chat window.
[Don't they know it's impossible?]
[You gotta taste shit to know if it's shit or bean paste, but that's like elephant vs hamster level difference lol]
[Fr, makes no sense]
The viewers tsked at their futile efforts. Anyone could see it was systemically impossible, yet these people were desperately trying anyway. Pathetic.
But the problem was that these pathetic types weren't just one or two.
Beyond those fumbling with the large rock or pressing the stone, there were plenty more near the dungeon.
They all directed the same gaze at Yuseong, varying only in degree.
The beast-like one.
[True, trash never changes]
[Humanity's fading away]