Chapter 11
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: The Field Bosses Emerge
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The 16th day began in this bizarre new world.
However, the players didn't grasp the gravity of 'this day.'
And why would they? In a world where battling monsters—and even fellow humans—was a daily necessity for survival, who had the time?
By now, any place that might have held food, like supermarkets or convenience stores, had been either occupied by large groups or completely looted.
Naturally, people's primary concern had become the desperate search for their next meal.
"Haa. People are so damn stingy. Would it kill them to leave behind a single can of tuna? Fuck..."
"If you have time to whine, help me clear this area. It'll make the work go faster."
"Yeah, yeah, leave it to me."
Still, perhaps the world wasn't so cruel as to let everyone starve to death.
The Chapter #1 update had caused various species of natural vegetation to sprout up across the regions.
Among them were edible plants, and some even left behind seeds, making it possible for people to become self-sufficient through farming.
But that didn't mean harvesting this vegetation was easy.
For one, these plants were native to various dimensions, not Earth, so no one knew what they looked like. To the average player who hadn't properly identified them, they just appeared to be rocks or weeds.
"Alright, the area is clear. We'll keep watch, so we'll leave the rest to the elders."
"Got it, lads."
"Heh heh, you're all so reliable."
For this reason, the task of gathering natural vegetation mostly fell to those with non-combat professions.
Farmers and gatherers, who inherently possessed skills in 'Gathering' or 'Detection.'
While the combat-focused players cleared out monsters and stood guard, the gatherers moved quickly, harvesting every plant in sight.
But perhaps it was because they had fallen into this repetitive cycle of survival.
For a moment, people had forgotten that the Chapter #1 update contained another important item besides 'natural vegetation.'
*Sssst-*
A single movement slipped past the watchful eyes of the combat players, who were using their senses to survey the surroundings as if mocking their efforts.
"Hiss— Hiiiiss—"
Flicking its long tongue, the creature instinctively approached the weakest individual among the players present.
A crowd of players, hoe in hand, were frantically digging at the ground.
To the creature, they were nothing more than a fresh meal. Without hesitation, it lunged, its two sharp horns glinting.
"Kuh, keuh... Mmph!"
The attack came without warning.
The player tried to scream from the searing pain, but tragically, no sound escaped.
A crushing weight enveloped their entire body, starting from their mouth.
Unable to move a muscle, they struggled desperately, but their thrashing soon ceased.
*Crack— Craaack!*
From within the coiled mass came the gruesome sound of snapping bone.
Having claimed a life in the blink of an eye, the creature pried open its massive jaws and swallowed the neatly prepared 'food' in one gulp.
"Kishishishi!"
A laugh escaped its lips as its hunger was sated.
But a creature that had been trapped and starved for so long could hardly be satisfied with a single kill.
*Crunch— Crunch—*
*Craaaack—!!!*
*Gulp—*
The silent, vicious meal continued.
"Huh? Where'd Mr. Lee go?"
"What the heck? What's goin' on here?"
"H-Hey, you guys! Get over here, quick! S-Something's not right!"
"What's the matter?"
As players, belatedly realizing people were missing, cried out in alarm, the combat players began to gather one by one.
"Kishishi!"
But this was exactly what the creature wanted.
Unlike before, when it had been starving, its belly was now reasonably full.
Its hunger satisfied, the creature no longer felt the need to hide.
[Field Boss Monster 'Two-Horned Giant Serpent (★★+)' has appeared.]
[Two-Horned Giant Serpent Lv. 14 (★★+)] - Field Boss Monster
"Wh-What is that?"
"H-Holy shit..."
"That bulge in its stomach... isn't that Mr. Lee?"
"Hiiik! R-Run!"
The Field Boss, the Two-Horned Giant Serpent, made its entrance, its belly swollen as if to boast of the player it had devoured.
"Kishishishi!"
It seemed intent on immediately sating the hunger it had endured for ten days.
It pursued the fleeing players, hunting and devouring them without letting a single one escape.
* * * * *
Day 16.
Or, to be more precise, ten days after the Chapter #1 update.
The shackles that had bound the Field Bosses were released. Starving in their designated zones, they began to attack players like beasts escaped from a cage.
"R-Run!"
"You son of a bitch game master. What kind of balancing leads to monsters like this spawning?!"
"What a shitty, broken game!"
Until now, players had been able to overwhelm monsters by utilizing their class-specific traits and forming groups.
But the appearance of the Field Bosses rendered all that useless.
The power gap was overwhelming.
These monsters, who had become predators through their individual strength alone, hunted players with cunning intelligence.
Of course, that wasn't to say players were dying without putting up a fight.
"Let's go, Jong-su. Time to give a sturdier one a good thrashing."
"Save some for me."
"You'll have to get your own."
Go Dal-su, who had reached level 15 by monopolizing the rewards from judging evil-doers as the Judge of the People, and Park Jong-su, a Berserk Barbarian Warrior with a 3-star unique class who had reached level 12 by picking up the scraps, fought side-by-side.
It was no exaggeration to say that each of them was a ranker who could be counted among the top ten on the Korean server based on individual skill alone.
Moreover, Go Dal-su had gained new skills upon reaching level 15 and had unlocked additional class specializations by meeting various conditions.
"Let's gooo!"
*Thwack, thwack, thwack— Clang, claaang—*
Following Jong-su's frenzied assault with an axe in each hand, Dal-su's three-section staff delivered a brutal beating.
To an onlooker, their method seemed utterly brainless and devoid of common sense.
But, as if to prove the saying that unique classes of high level and star-rating were just plain broken...
The two, drenched in blood and panting for breath, celebrated their victory.
And they weren't the only group to achieve victory against a Field Boss.
"Why is its skin so tough? Our K-2 rifles aren't doing jack!"
"Lure it into the minefield!"
"All M60 gunners, get ready! The moment it reaches the target point, shred it to pieces!"
"Corporal Yoon Hyeon-seong, sir! Don't we have any tanks?"
"Tanks in this cramped-ass base? Are you kidding me? If you don't wanna die, quit spacing out and provide cover, you bastard!"
That place was the military, which possessed what were arguably the most powerful modern weapons in the Republic of Korea.
Of course, each unit had different specializations and thus different ways of dealing with the threat, but the firepower of modern weaponry and the nation's defense forces were not to be underestimated. The military's casualties from Field Bosses were generally minimal, and some units even succeeded in taking them down.
【Jeongrichung: Urgent news! Be careful of the released Field Bosses. They are not ordinary monsters! P.S. Stick together as much as possible! If you split up, you die!】 - Views 13,2...
- The monsters we've faced so far have been a threat, to be sure, but they were mostly just walking coins and experience points. With the exception of the occasional mutant, we could handle them easily enough by working together. But Field Bosses are different. Most of them are capable of intelligent thought that surpasses humans, and some can use ranged magic or lead packs. I've even heard that one of them captures people and uses them as test subjects.
First off, all this information isn't just mine; it's the result of the support and help from many of you. As such, I will share the general locations of Field Bosses and villains.
Please, don't die. Let's overcome this shitty world and make sure we survive!
【Comments (177)】
- Attention Seeker No.1: Jeongrichung. You. Are. The. Real. Deal. I applaud your information-gathering skills.
- Attention Seeker No.5: Saw my big bro comment, so I'm dropping a fat upvote too.
- Fencing Girl: Wow, for real, this is a super helpful tip.
- I'll Abandon My Humanity: Thank you, Speedwagon.
- Whatevs: Ugh, look at these attention seekers sucking up. It's disgusting.
...
And finally, the information on the community board provided the finishing touch.
The game's system, which awarded a certain amount of experience for meeting specific objectives without necessarily having to hunt, encouraged the exchange of information on the general locations of Field Bosses.
Thanks to this, there were many high-quality, well-organized posts, and a few of the more exceptional players' unique nicknames even became famous.
【Kikirot: No Field Boss in the Sillim-dong area!】
【Green Bean: We have finished clearing the Field Boss that was located near us. Anyone in need of food or help is welcome to come to the Yeouido Station shelter at any time.】
【So So Many: For real, are these people's classes for real? At this rate, is the apocalypse just gonna end and we'll rebuild the Republic of Korea? Makes my chest swell with pride.】
Following the community board posts, news about shelters and the successful elimination of Field Bosses continued to pour in.
Players who had been in hiding burst into cheers at the news of these heroic feats, even amidst the chaos of villains preying on their own kind.
But could they ever have imagined?
- *Kikikik.* To find hope in something so trivial. This is why humans are so fun to play with.
The apocalypse that had descended upon this bizarre world.
- Squirm and struggle a little more, my livestock. For that will become my, Riggle's, product, and the entertainment of the Transcendent Beings! *Kilkilkilkil!*
The truth was that the curtain had only just risen on the first act.
* * * * *
At the same time that the outside world, facing a near-apocalyptic situation, was in an uproar over the release of the Field Bosses...
*Scrape, scrape, scrape, scrape—*
*Clang— Clang— Claaang—*
Seong-hyeok was in his own personal space, carved out in a corner of the forest, dripping with sweat as he sawed and hammered away.
*Bzzzzzz— Bzzzzzz—*
*Buzzzz— Bzzzz—*
And beside him, a festival of bees tirelessly transported nectar they had collected from the flowers.
It was a continuous stream of work, with not a single one resting, perfectly embodying the phrase, 'He who does not work, neither shall he eat.'
This was the most prominent characteristic of social insects.
And it was one of the very reasons Seong-hyeok had fallen so deeply for bees.
[Beehive Construction: Great Success! The Honeybee Guardian's blessing is engraved upon the beehive.]
[An item with an engraved keyword was used as a material. The keyword vanishes, granting an additional effect to the item.]
[Guardian's Extra-Large Gilite Plywood Beehive (★★+) has been crafted.]
"Nice!"
A result born from the effort of those who worked without an ounce of laziness.
Perhaps it was the combined power of dedication, materials, and hard work.
The completed beehive was the highest grade Seong-hyeok had ever owned, a 2-star+ item.