The Aurora Trap
I reopened the status window just in case.
Even the lowest stat was Luck at 33. Anyone could see these numbers were impossible for a level 16 player.
“Anyone heading to see the aurora! Come straight to the landmark and take plenty of photos!”
They claimed simply viewing the aurora granted +30 to Strength, Agility, and Vitality. The buff had no listed duration either. What made the hawker most suspicious was something else entirely. If the aurora he spoke of truly existed, that man would have needed higher Strength than me. Adding 30 to a base of 5 would put him at 35.
‘He looks far weaker than me.’
No remarkable equipment, and scanning him from head to toe revealed none of the presence that came with high Strength. At best, he might have a third of my power. I was certain something more lay behind the aurora.
‘Might as well dig a little deeper.’
If the aurora really existed, it would only benefit me. Unlike Boa Village, the fountain in Lis Village gushed water with real force. Even if the aurora’s buff lasted only five minutes, I could turn it into a permanent effect with Eternal.
Gulp.
Eternal has increased by 1.
Eternal: 4 | Mana: 1
Now Eternal had risen by one more point.
Lis’s Never-Drying Water
Slightly increases Health Recovery Rate
Duration: ∞
With the buff slot secured, I approached the hawker without hesitation.
“Excuse me! This is my first time in Lis Village. Is it true there’s an aurora here?”
“Hmm?”
He first studied my appearance. Then greed and delight flooded his eyes.
“Of course! Newbies and tourists get a free escort straight to the aurora!”
“Oh. I’ll join too.”
“Yes, sir!”
The aurora tour group consisted of me, two newbie users, and the guide—four people total. The guide looked ready to depart immediately rather than gather more people.
“It takes quite a while to reach the site, so let’s head out now!”
The faster things moved, the better. The moment I drank from the fountain, my business in Lis Village was already finished. All that remained was finding ways to save on teleport costs or securing faster transport than a carriage.
“This is the north gate of Lis Village. Thanks to Mount Falken over there, the local blacksmiths sell climbing gear.”
“Um, do we have to climb the mountain too?”
One newbie raised a hand nervously. It wasn’t an unreasonable question—Korean and Chinese players tended to overprepare climbing equipment.
“No. The view from the summit is beautiful, but it’s dangerous for newbies. Even for a beginner village, the monsters here are tricky. We won’t be climbing.”
“Ah, thank goodness. I just made this character and I’m broke.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll be back before you know it. With +30 to Strength, Agility, and Vitality, you can handle most monsters. Earning a gold a day isn’t a dream. Heh.”
That was a pipe dream. A gold a day was 1.5 million won—insane money no matter the country. If players could earn a gold daily in an ordinary Chinese beginner village, high-level users would be swarming the place. Yet Lis Village had far fewer people than Boa Village.
“A whole gold? That’s over 7,000 yuan—more than my monthly salary.”
“Exactly. Plenty of people turn their lives around here and go on to make real money in the big cities.”
The cracks in his story were starting to show. If what he said was true, the aurora buff had to last dozens of days or more. High-level players would need to visit regularly.
“Sounds good. I was worried because there wasn’t much info on Lis Village.”
“Of course. Valuable information is worth money. You’re lucky today. Heh.”
Once outside the village, several more people joined us. This group was properly equipped.
“My acquaintances. From here on, monsters will attack first, so they’re coming along to keep you safe.”
“Kuhuhu. Nice to meet you.”
Their eyes looked nasty. They were openly deceiving us now. I’d seen similar incidents in the news.
“This way, please.”
The place the guide pointed to was a cluster of random huts. Why would anyone build something like that on the village outskirts? There was only one entrance, and several users stood guard around it with stern expressions.
‘Users, not NPCs, are running this compound.’
No threatening users were visible yet. We naturally followed the guide into the compound under the watchful eyes of the many guards.
“What are those huts for?”
“Ah, they’re set up so people can properly prepare before climbing the mountain. Let’s eat something in one of them.”
“Uh, I didn’t bring any food.”
“We’ve prepared everything. There’s porridge to warm you up. Please, go inside.”
A considerable number of guards were stationed inside the compound as well. With backup nearby, the guide’s attitude grew increasingly shameless.
Seizing what felt like the right moment, I decided to probe a little.
“I’m not hungry.”
“Then we’ll issue you exploration gear. Just step inside first.”
“You even have exploration gear? I’m just a tourist.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
The moment the guide raised his hand, the surrounding guards rushed toward us.
“Then drop all your gear and get inside.”
The guide finally dropped the act. I realized Lis Village was just as rotten as Boa Village. I still didn’t know their source of income, though.
“Just in case, am I being kidnapped?”
“Yeah. If you get it, hand over the items.”
Kidnapping inside a game, not real life—and a sloppy one at that. They were clearly planning to overwhelm us with numbers.
“What happens if I say no?”
The worst that could happen was dying in-game. No reason not to fight back. Still, how did they even plan to make a kidnapping stick?
“Then you’ll just take a nap.”
The guards stepped closer, weapons raised threateningly. I examined the weapons of the guards inside the compound. Each carried a different one, but all were coated in a sky-blue liquid.
“Poison?”
“That’s right. Extracted from sky flowers—one of Lis Village’s specialties. Heh.”
“Oh. Nice.”
A good training partner had appeared. And they even used poison. I’d seen this pattern plenty of times in my previous game. Poison was one way ordinary humans dealt with monsters that outclassed them physically. It meant I couldn’t afford to take even a single hit.
Defense: 25
Cold Immunity | Heat Immunity | Despise the Weak
Immune to physical attacks from targets with Strength below 10
Immune to magic attacks from targets with Wisdom below 10
Increases level penalty when level difference exceeds 10
Immune to physical and magic attacks from targets whose stats differ by 50 or more
A masterpiece crafted with the soul of a master artisan. Retains the unique properties of golden fox fur. Can also be used as a blanket. Logout permitted.
But with the Golden Fox Fur Cloak, the situation changed. Despise the Weak granted attack immunity, and the stat difference added even more protection. I wasn’t sure about poison immunity, though.
“Get him!”
“Hraaah!”
Everyone except the two newbies turned hostile. Thanks to Gale Rush, however, I had the initiative.
Thud!
I was the first to leap. I even had a skill that could end lives in a single strike.
‘Instant Kill.’
Bang!
The overwhelming stat gap let me pop an enemy’s head like a balloon. Instant Kill shone in fights like this, letting me slay foes effortlessly. Best of all, it required no mana and could be used freely with minimal strength.
‘Instant Kill. Instant Kill.’
Thud! Thud! Bang! Bang!
Two more users who charged in collapsed instantly. The enemy side finally began to react.
“Damn it! He’s high-level!”
“He’s just a rich tourist! Just poison him!”
At the guide’s command, attacks flew from every direction. Some users even used active skills with flashy patterns, but nothing I couldn’t dodge.
“Bugs.”
The Black Dragon Fang inside me stirred, but using it here in relatively peaceful Lis Village would be wasteful. That card was meant for far more dramatic moments.
“Guys, what are you doing?”
“Huh? I don’t know how to fight! I just came to see the aurora!”
“There’s no such thing.”
The newbies were useless in combat, but simply witnessing this kind of extreme fight would be valuable experience.
“Just stay alive and watch.”
“U-uaaah!”
I decided not to expect much. They were newbies too, after all.
“Everyone’s responsible for themselves.”
In truth, I wasn’t high-level either. I lacked the skills to protect others, and I had no spare energy to do so anyway. To avoid getting hit even once, I had to keep moving nonstop. I would have to handle this situation alone.
Fwoosh!
“Aagh!”
A newbie took a poisoned arrow from a blind spot. He didn’t die, so the goal was paralysis rather than killing. This had turned into a raid-style fight, so from now on I had to keep my feet moving constantly.
Thud!
Every time Gale Rush came off cooldown, I used it on the archers to neutralize their ranged attacks. For melee fighters who only tried to harass me, I simply lopped off their heads with Instant Kill.
Clang! Crack!
“Kuhk!”
Archers’ counterattacks weren’t a problem. When they stabbed with daggers, Despise the Weak activated and repelled every blow.
“Damn it! We can’t handle this guy! Report to the boss!”
“Report what?”
Boom!
“Kek!”
The next targets after the archers were users trying to flee. Even without Instant Kill, my raw attack power overwhelmed them. Ever since I gained mana, my body felt much lighter too.
“Just poison him somehow!”
“Shit! He’s too fast!”
The former guide screamed desperately, but nothing changed. Even without Gale Rush, no user here was faster than me. Agility 58 made me untouchable in a beginner village.
“Kuk!”
Plus, there was only one exit from this compound.
“None of you are leaving here.”
I shook the blood off my wooden sword.