Eden's Unbelievable Outcome
Eden was shocked by the unbelievable result. He hadn't received detailed information about the VIP from Cha Eun-kyung, but he had been confident that he had almost fully grasped the man's strength—at least in terms of raw power.
The status window only pointed to the facts. It calmly informed him that an absurd amount of stamina had been shaved away and that he had truly come close to dying just moments ago.
“……I barely survived. My stamina is in tatters.”
The Asura-exclusive stat, Blood Qi, clashed with his mana and continued to churn violently inside him. On top of that, the stacked debuffs from blocking the barrage of attacks were blocking natural recovery.
Active Debuffs
Dissection (3 stacks) — Stamina will not recover for a set duration. (29 minutes remaining)
Mana Overload (Minor) — Mana is surging due to momentary shock. (14 minutes remaining)
Blood Qi Reversal (Minor) — Blood Qi is flowing backward due to momentary shock. (41 minutes remaining)
This was a bad situation. The matchup had been unfavorable from the start.
“Cough.”
For an Asura who fought by rapidly recovering stamina through Blood Qi, Dissection was the perfect counter. If he continued fighting the VIP here, the odds of being hit by another unexpected, bizarre sword strike would be far higher.
“Are you all right?”
Regardless of how things had turned out, he and the VIP had maintained confidentiality regarding the mission and built a cooperative relationship of sorts. So both sides had achieved what they wanted. He had landed a valid hit on a high-level player, and Eden had sustained wounds severe enough to force a retreat and recover.
“No problem. I have plenty of potions.”
Eden quickly pulled out debuff-cleansing and stamina-recovery potions from his Dimensional Pocket.
‘Oh no.’
The VIP began eyeing the Dimensional Pocket with interest. It wasn’t simple curiosity—his gaze suggested he knew something. This was a clear mistake that could lead back to Cha Eun-kyung.
‘……A blunder. I’ll have to report this to the young lady.’
Still, spilled water couldn’t be put back in the cup. He had no choice but to respond calmly and adapt on the fly.
‘Combat ability, eye for detail, even the performance of his equipment—everything about him is monstrous. Now I understand why the young lady is paying attention.’
Perhaps it was because it had been a long time since he had carried out a mission with any sense of self. Thoughts he normally never entertained began to surface. Eden was starting to take an interest in the VIP—in the player named Kael.
Looking back, he had thought he had already finished assessing the VIP’s combat power the first time he tailed him. Based on the strength he felt, his level was in the 40–50 range, his equipment was top-tier, and he had a somewhat arrogant personality. He had judged that while the man was inexperienced in real combat for his level, he compensated with gear and fought at a level appropriate for his rank.
‘This is the first opponent who has exceeded my predictions since the young lady. It’s surprising that someone so young has reached this level, but what’s even more remarkable is what lies beneath. It’s not something that can be measured by stats alone.’
The powerful young lady who had hired him had become the giant known as Cha Eun-kyung and proven herself. Just how far could this VIP—this player named Kael—whom such a giant had taken notice of, rise?
His once-cold head and chest grew hot.
Hisssss.
Eden hid his expression as best he could, dispelled the debuffs, and downed a recovery potion. His depleted stamina began to return.
“Whew. I feel alive again.”
“I’m glad you’re all right. I used that technique for the first time, so I couldn’t control it properly.”
“I see……”
At that moment, other players began getting caught in the detection skill Eden had spread—Black Blood Net. Eight from the left roadside, five from straight ahead. They were likely players drawn by the commotion that had just occurred.
The conversation ended here. Eden immediately began the best performance he could manage. He deliberately pushed his Blood Qi to the extreme.
“Cough! So this is the Black Dragon Room.”
Eden gave Kael a subtle nod.
‘Maybe I’ll keep a sense of self until this mission is over. This is also part of adapting on the fly. It should be entertaining to watch.’
With that firm resolve—
* * *
The sudden change in Eden’s attitude left him bewildered for a moment, but the sound of footsteps spreading from all directions made him grasp the situation.
“The Black Dragon Room’s executive-level members really are on another level. Even within Seogwang, there aren’t many this strong. Heh.”
“……Do not lump me in with mere experts. What you faced was a calamity.”
“Ahem! I see. So the calamity of the Black Dragon Room.”
He thought he had played along well enough, but awkwardness began to creep into Eden’s usually calm expression. At this rate, he was the one who would feel embarrassed. Even acting like this was difficult against Seogwang Guild’s real experts.
“Entertain me more. Struggle all you want.”
“Heh. I’ll pass on any further mockery.”
He exchanged glances with Eden. Before the act began, he had confirmed the man’s subtle nod. Even if they met again, he didn’t seem likely to harm him.
“We’ll see about that! Calamity of the Black Dragon Room!”
Whoosh!
With those words, Eden poured a potion over his head and quickly left the area. Then the players who appeared to be the ruling faction belatedly rushed over and began kneeling on one knee.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
“Salutations! We greet the Calamity of the Black Dragon Room!”
Thanks to Eden’s realistic performance setting the stage, he could now stir up even more trouble. Though the bizarre alias “Calamity of the Black Dragon Room” had stuck to him. He had simply thought it the most arrogant phrase that fit the situation.
“……”
Just like he had done in the southern forest, he remained silent. He had realized that doing so would resolve things on its own.
“We’re sorry for being late! Please forgive us!”
“Forgive us!”
“……”
Silence truly was all-powerful. If they had fought, it would have been a difficult battle, yet the opponents were bowing on their own. This felt like the perfect timing to run the southern forest macro.
“The village is in a sorry state. What have you people been doing?”
“W-We’re sorry……”
“Come closer. And say it again.”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorr……”
Crunch.
There was no reason to refuse the experience points that came to him on their own. This way, he could incidentally preserve the southern forest faction as well.
“No answer, I see.”
Thud.
This time he had killed quite a few high-level players. Thanks to the unresisting high-level monsters willingly offering their vital points, his level rose once again.
“Next.”
“……”
Next was Macro #2’s turn. This time he applied a new update.
“Making me repeat myself.”
After quickly closing the distance with Gale Rush, he reproduced the realization he had gained from sparring with Eden.
Boom!
Four Chinese players who had been clustered together were instantly crushed and died, while two more fell into a near-death state.
“My lord……”
The reaction was exactly as scripted. There was no need to rush. Taking his time to examine the wounds of the near-death players was more than enough. The Rend and Bleed effects imbued with the Mauro Wooden Sword’s unique grudge allowed for an even more dramatic presentation.
Right now.
“……Gurgle.”
“I merely swung a wooden sword.”
Thud.
“S-Spare me……”
“It was merely ordinary wooden-sword training.”
Thud.
Honestly, even he thought the presentation was impressive. He had never created such an overwhelming scene even in his previous work, so it hit him even harder. The extra level-up was just a bonus.
“Is this not the result of leaving everything to your subordinates and neglecting training?”
“……That is correct!”
The remaining players didn’t care who died around them. The only thing that mattered to them was not dying themselves. Of course, he had no intention of cooperating. Only when players like these decreased would Boa Village return to normal.
“You cannot even withstand such light training.”
“That is correct!”
They had developed unnecessary military discipline. Naturally, none of them were former soldiers, and his standards were set to his own military days. In other words, it was a mess.
“How utterly weak. Disappointing.”
At that moment, one Chinese player raised his hand high and shouted.
“Please give us a chance to redeem ourselves!”
“Please!”
An unexpected development. The original scenario had been to act as a moderately disappointed company commander and kill them all. Of course, there was also the plan to kill every player who made excuses and shouted. The so-called Gung Ye-style iron mace purge. But a new variable appeared: the remaining Chinese players’ eyes were now filled with venom.
“……”
In times like this, all-powerful silence was best. The situation would resolve itself.
“Thank you for granting us permission, my lord!”
“……Hm.”
The player who had spoken first immediately drew the sword at his waist and attacked the player beside him.
Stab!
“You bastard!”
The situation was being sorted out, albeit in a chaotic, hellish manner. He considered calming them down and taking the experience points himself, but decided to think further ahead. One of them would survive anyway.
Crunch!
Bang!
“Aaaagh!”
There were only a few players left, all of them mid-tier level, so intervening recklessly was awkward. Besides, he still predicted that a head-on fight would be disadvantageous. That was the lesson Eden, a true expert, had left behind. What he had done with Eden was scripted WWE, while the hell unfolding now was UFC where lives were on the line.
“……Gurgle!”
“Huff! Huff! I won! Khaha!”
A few minutes passed. Just as he had hoped, the situation was resolved. The last surviving player was undoubtedly an expert, even if not on Eden’s level. Moreover, he possessed a hidden class and wielded a viciously sharp chain-scythe as his weapon. It was an unknown weapon he had never faced in his previous work.
“Huff! Huff! O Calamity of the Black Dragon Room! I have slain them all! I survived to the end without disappointing you, my lord!”
A shameless answer. On top of that, he had hogged all the experience points that were supposed to be his. Of course, he had no intention of granting him a peaceful death. He would make him pay dearly for stealing precious experience points.
“Good. I shall personally acknowledge you. I suppose I can give you one more chance.”
“Thank you, my lord!”
“I’ll give you one shichen. Return immediately, gather the village’s forces, and inform them of my will. Wait at the fountain.”
“As you command!”
The despicable final victor sprinted away. No more presences could be felt. Once again, he thoroughly looted the dead players’ coin purses and set a new profit record.