Chapter 12
Chapter 12
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Fames Desert
-----------------------------------------------------------------
[Title]
Cleared the Cave of the Orc King.jpg (+556)
[Content]
-Image File-
Am I the first one on this forum?
[Comments]
- Wow, grats!
- Whoa, how'd you beat the 2nd boss?
- Is this the second clear after 'Chris's Attack Squad'?
ㄴ There's a trade record for 'Orc King's Yin-Yang Orb' around the same time as Chris's squad's clear. Probably the third?
- I'm a Swordsman and I can't tank the 2nd boss for the life of me. Even when I block, the damage is too high.
ㄴ Swordsman tanking is crazy hard. The blocking is good, but you need to play for a long time to get the feel for it. Just using the skill won't reduce all the damage. The damage reduction rate is a matter of physical skill. You have to level up the skill too.
ㄴ Wow, guess I have to go to a kendo academy to play a Swordsman lmao. What is this VR difficulty?
ㄴ Our party's Swordsman keeps dying too. 'Chris's Attack Squad' and this party both have Fighter tanks.
.
.
.
- So, is it possible to solo this dungeon? I only play solo games, so I don't want to party up.
ㄴ You can't play this game without partying. The Elite Dungeons recommend 4 players, and if you can't farm them, you'll never be able to hunt in the next area's fields. There will probably be raid dungeons later too.
ㄴ It'll probably be possible later when you're a higher level. But at the appropriate level, it's absolutely impossible.
ㄴ I guess a skilled Swordsman who can block all frontal attacks might be able to, but the 2nd boss makes it impossible, even if they can handle the 3rd. How are you going to block the mages and the boss's rear attacks? You'll get hit by the orc mage's pattern and the boss's attack four or five times in one second. And you're supposed to thrust and slash in between all that?
*
I slept like the dead.
The fatigue from all the sleepless nights demanded rest from my frail body.
I finally managed to wake up in the evening and blankly looked around the room.
How long did I sleep?
I went to bed around midnight yesterday, so... about 18 hours?
The evening glow faintly streamed through the window.
The sight of the studio apartment, bathed in golden light.
I had taken out the trash before going to bed.
The only furniture in the studio was an old PC and a shiny, brand-new virtual reality capsule.
And a slightly worn, second-hand latex mattress. A set of blankets and a pillow.
"Ah!"
I quickly opened my smartphone to check my balance.
[Iseulbi]
[Hanwa Bank]
[Balance: 1,080,174 Won]
"Heh."
It wasn't a dream.
The 1 gold I earned from selling the 'Orc King's Yin-Yang Orb' on the auction house yesterday.
After converting it to cash, my bank account undoubtedly had 1 million won in it.
I'd considered saving some to use in the next area, but I needed money in the real world too.
I clenched my small fist.
"I just have to keep farming today."
Even without retrying due to failed attempts, clearing the 'Cave of the Orc King' alone took over two hours.
For someone like me, who couldn't afford to play recklessly, it took even longer.
The bosses' HP was just that overwhelming. It wasn't a 4-player dungeon for nothing.
But, if you think of it as 1 million won in cash per dungeon run?
My mouth watered without me realizing it.
I couldn't rest.
Those 18 hours I spent sleeping like a log felt like such a waste.
I sold the Yin-Yang Orb from my first clear yesterday on the auction house, and I equipped the sword I got from the second run.
Now that I had the accessory and the sword, I would be able to clear the dungeon faster starting today.
Still, before that.
I opened the food delivery app I installed yesterday.
"*Gulp*."
Chicken.
Fried chicken from a major chain, a taste I couldn't even get in 'Astria Online'.
Feeling full in the real world was important too.
"You have to eat well to have the energy to play."
I nodded in agreement and, with a trembling finger, ordered a whole chicken.
It was an incredible luxury.
But I made a lot of money yesterday.
I can afford this kind of luxury now.
*
*Thud.*
The massive body of the Orc King collapsed to the ground.
After enjoying a delicious meal of chicken and logging back into the game full of energy, I succeeded in my third clear of the 'Cave of the Orc King'.
"Alright!"
Hopping up and down to express my joy, I quickly checked the dropped item.
[Sword of the Orc King]
[Elite Grade]
[Attack Power 60]
[On successful block, linked skill 'Thrust' damage +20%]
"Hmm...."
It was a sword, a weapon for my 'Swordsman' class.
But I already had a sword equipped.
I checked the stats of the sword I was currently using.
The rest was the same, but the additional option was different.
[On successful block, damage reduced by an additional 10%]
"Mm."
I definitely prefer the block enhancement over the thrust enhancement.
It seemed better to stick with the one I was using.
Besides, once you equip a sword, it becomes bound to you and can't be traded.
Accessories were 'Bind on Pickup', while weapons were 'Bind on Equip'.
I opened the auction house to sell the weapon I had just obtained.
However.
"Gasp...!"
25 silver.
The 'Orc King's weapons' were now going for an average price of about 25 silver.
"Why?!"
I stomped my feet in frustration.
I'm sure I sold a weapon for 1 gold right before I went to sleep.
*Swipe, swipe.*
Fuming, I scrolled through the auction house and found the reason for the price drop.
The first weapon sold for 1 gold.
The second weapon sold for 5 gold.
After that, as the supply increased, the price had been in a steady decline.
More parties had started successfully clearing the 'Cave of the Orc King', and those pioneering parties were relentlessly running the dungeon, constantly supplying more weapons.
"This... This is outrageous!"
18 hours.
While I was sleeping for 18 hours, a lot had happened.
A stepping-stone weapon, especially one from an elite dungeon that was tradable and a guaranteed drop, couldn't maintain a high price for even a full day.
I had missed the golden hour for the first wave of players.
"*Sniffle, sniffle.*"
Ever since getting this new body, it feels like my tear ducts have gotten weaker.
On the verge of tears, I wiped away the frustrated tears that kept streaming down my face.
The price dropping was expected. Many more parties would be clearing this dungeon from now on.
Before long, the 'Orc King's weapons' would become the standard entry-level elite weapon for beginners, a stepping stone for smoothly farming this dungeon and entering the next area.
But the fact that I had sold the first weapon for 1 gold when I could have gotten 5 gold for it was infuriating.
"*Sniffle, sniffle.*"
I cried as I made a vow.
If I'm among the first to clear the next elite dungeon and get the first weapon, I'll make sure to sell it for a fortune.
In any case, I continued to run the 'Cave of the Orc King'.
The accessory drop rate wasn't bad, so I finished farming them quickly, but I still had to keep selling the weapons, which were fetching a decent price.
My dungeon clear time was now down to about an hour and a half.
For a solo elite dungeon run, that was a pretty good pace.
"Mmm."
The price for 'Orc King's weapons' had now dropped to about 10 silver.
About the same as the store-bought 'Vigilante weapons'.
I guess no one would buy the overpriced Vigilante weapons from the shop anymore.
The entrance to the 'Cave of the Orc King' was already crowded with people wielding 'Orc King's weapons'.
Of course, the weapons were good, but you couldn't hunt in the next area with just the weapon alone.
The stats on the accessories were crucial.
Anyway, I'd probably see those people in the next area once they finished farming their accessories too.
"Time to head to the next area."
Having completed my farming, there was no reason for me to stay in this region any longer.
I'd be able to earn much more gold by being one of the first to clear the elite dungeon in the next area.
I left the 'Orc Forest' behind and made my way to the next region, the 'Fames Desert'.
*Thump, thump.*
*
A hot wind, as if from a coal mine, made the desert sands dance.
The endless yellow sand rippled back and forth like waves.
The desert.
The desert region on the Astria Continent, the 'Fames Desert'.
Upon arriving, I soon felt thirsty.
"*Heuk.*"
I was glad I'd brought water.
Even in a virtual reality game, you could feel the thirst from dehydration.
With a low synchronization rate, your character might just slow down or something, but with my extremely high rate, I couldn't help but feel my throat actually burning.
*Gulp, gulp.*
I opened my waterskin and drank greedily, then wiped my mouth and stared blankly ahead.
The desert was silent and desolate, but within it, there was a sense of hope and life.
The will to survive even in this harsh environment filled the air.
It was beautiful.
To think I'd feel this way in a mere in-game desert.
"Fames Desert."
Surprisingly, it was a familiar place to me.
During my time as the Hero on the Astria Continent, I had passed through this desert.
The world of 'Astria Online', where none of the few people I knew existed and where I could feel the traces of an artificial game system in many aspects.
But the 'scenery' was the same.
The scenery of the Astria Continent.
That alone was a powerful reminder that I had once been here.
"Ah."
*Shake, shake.*
I shook my head vigorously.
I need to hunt.
There was no time to get sentimental.
I have to hunt quickly and level up.
I have to earn a lot of money, get stronger faster than everyone else, and use the leftover cash to buy chicken.
I targeted the first monster of the Fames Desert wandering near me, the 'Fames Scorpion'.
I drew my sword and approached quickly.
You're about to become my experience points.
Just as I got close to the Fames Scorpion, a menacing ranged attack flew in from somewhere.
*Boom! Thwack-thwack!*
"*Kieeeek!*"
The Fames Scorpion flipped onto its back in front of me and collapsed.
Left high and dry, I stood there blankly, sword in hand, staring at the scene.
I turned my head to look in the direction the attack came from.
"Oh. We finally meet."
A tall woman with red hair.
For some reason, she had a pleased look on her face.
"Eh."