Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: The Hard-Working Pay-to-Win Knight
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Slash—!
I swing my sword.
“Gah!?”
“Grrrraaah!!”
The goblins swarming in turn into chunks of meat, scattering everywhere, causing the teeming horde to flinch back in surprise.
“Gah! Don’t push! Don’t push!”
“Gah! An arm flew and hit my head! An arm!”
In an instant, the tight encirclement loosens, creating some space.
I advance into the open area, continuing to swing my sword. This time, I hold back my strength, cleanly slicing only their necks. It’s for stamina management.
“Monster! Monster! He recovers too fast!”
“He was chugging and munching, and now he’s recovered!”
“Fight? Run? We run!”
“But there’s only one! We’re many!”
I keep cutting down the panicking goblins.
Five, ten, twenty, forty!
A hundred, a hundred fifty, two hundred, three hundred…!
I swing my sword until exhaustion hits, then down a potion. And…
“Log out.”
I arrive at Ungnyeo Steelworks. I toss my clothes into the laundry machine at the workshop and change into my work uniform.
“Whoa. Han, you training bioforce? Your muscles are insane.”
“Haha, sort of.”
“Ability training’s good and all, but don’t overdo it—you still gotta work. You look beat.”
I haul steel plates or assist the enchanters with their tasks. It’s the same routine as always, but with constant fatigue dragging me down, my efficiency drops—no helping that.
“Han, you don’t look so hot today.”
“Haha, yeah. Maybe I should hit the hospital.”
Unlike usual, I even get scolded during work, but it’s worth it.
[Level up!]
I’ve reached level 37. The result of slaughtering thousands of goblins.
“Hunting-wise, I’m way faster than game characters.”
It’s only natural, really.
There’s a massive gap between characters hunting with basic classes, basic guardians, basic pets, and mid-tier gear—and me in Ardenia.
Even if Revenge characters grind daily quests and main quests for big rewards, they can’t keep up with this hunting speed. They’ll get left behind eventually.
“Good work!”
“Everyone, good work!”
After finishing all tasks, I change into my dried casual clothes and head to the Star Gate.
To Ardenia to hunt goblins.
Finish the prayer shift and head to the convenience store.
Back to Ardenia to hunt goblins.
To Ungnyeo Steelworks. To Ardenia. To the Star Gate. To Ardenia. To the convenience store. To Ardenia…
“Hey~! Mr. Han. Something up lately? You look seriously ill.”
After finishing the prayer shift and changing out of my uniform, a woman approaches. It’s Scarlett, the most popular DJ at the Star Gate and an internet broadcaster.
“Not sick. Just… a bit worn out.”
I give a vague answer. But it sparks a question.
‘Why’s she acting chummy?’
We’re kinda coworkers between Club Gido and the DJ gig, but Scarlett and I have never even exchanged names. We’d just nod if we bumped into each other commuting—didn’t expect her to approach first.
“More than a bit, looks like. You could collapse any second.”
She comes closer with a concerned look. I feel eyes pretending not to stare suddenly converge.
170 cm tall, perfectly maintained slim figure. Navy blue hair that suits her like it was made for her. Outfits picked by a pro stylist.
‘Ex-idol, right.’
A rare beauty. Her group disbanded without breaking big, landing her as a club DJ—not because she lacks looks. The entertainment industry’s a red ocean of red oceans, after all.
“I’m fine. Just got a packed schedule lately.”
I brush it off since the next gig’s coming up, but Scarlett steps closer and whispers.
“You seemed to be training martial arts. But only beginner level.”
“…”
I stop mid-turn.
She smiles at me.
“But now you look different. Did you pick up bioforce too?”
“…What do you want?”
I face her squarely. Only then do I snap my fatigued mind alert and [size] her up properly.
‘She’s no slouch. High-level ability user… Not martial arts. Bioforce? No. Not magic… Not aura either.’
The answer comes quick.
‘Chakra practitioner.’
Never expected someone this strong at a club.
“Don’t look so scary. Nothing big—just curious. Oh! Some secret technique? They say training bioforce and internal energy together is insane. Is this that outer martial arts thing you hear about?”
Most humans on Earth are ability users.
After 10, you get forced awakening at the local city hall. Talent doesn’t matter.
Even I, with [trash mana aptitude] basically like a spiritual cripple, awakened internal energy.
‘I wanted bioforce awakening too.’
Truth is, my body’s already half a bioforce practitioner.
Controlling involuntary muscles at will, even hormones in my brain—who’s normal after that?
So when applying for forced awakening, I chose bioforce—the one with no insurance or support.
I figured my near-bioforce body would evolve even stronger absorbing biofactors.
‘But… it failed.’
I got stuck at the essential first step for bioforce: [bio evolution]. This trash body with zero mana aptitude took the 2-million-won biofactors and shat them out instead of evolving.
“Do I have to answer?”
My low voice startles her into waving her hands.
“Huh? Oh, no, why so serious? Haha! Sorry. I just—”
She grabs my hand firmly, like she’s apologizing.
And that instant.
Pop!
Scarlett vanishes.
“Huh?”
“What?”
The waiters peeking at our chat groan. I’m a bit shocked too, turning my head.
Then I spot her.
Stuck to the corridor corner like a spider between ceiling and wall, staring at me.
‘She slipped away. That fast?’
As I inwardly groan, others finally notice her and buzz in surprise.
“Whoa, there she is!”
“Did she just teleport there in a blink? Oh my god!”
Ignoring the chatter, Scarlett clings spider-like, watching me.
Her perfect hair’s a mess, body fur—er, hairs—standing on end like a terrified cat.
“How… is this… Impossible. Chakra like this…?”
“What?”
At my calm reply, her wide pupils fix on me as she quietly drops to the floor. She immediately flattens prone.
“Sorry!”
“So what was that?”
“Ah, th-this must be uncomfortable too. Sorry.”
She scrambles up and bows deeply. Her sudden shift puzzles me, but the next gig’s almost here.
“Whatever. Go home.”
I wave her off and turn. Curiosity about her reaction bubbles, but I won’t ask ‘Why’d you freak?’—that’d tip off I don’t know my own state.
‘What’d she sense? Not the Revenge system, surely?’
But it feels different.
‘Chakra like this,’ she said.
Impossible—I’ve never trained chakra. Forced awakening failed. My final options were the basics: internal energy and mana.
‘I’ll figure it out later… Ugh. Already exhausted.’
Grumbling, I head to the convenience store.
Slaughtering goblins nonstop, hopping between Earth and Ardenia—50 hours now.
But that’s Earth time; only 4 hours in Ardenia.
My stamina’s so pathetic, a little fighting needs way longer rest. And that ‘rest’ is real-world shifts, keeping me drained.
But the payoff’s huge.
[Stamina rises 1 point for unknown reason!]
‘Stamina keeps climbing. This is pure honey.’
Level ups, stat gains—any guy’d go nuts. Even a study-hater’d grind books if levels rose and INT went up per session.
‘Stamina up 5 in just 50 hours!’
The high’s so addictive, I push to the limit each time before Earth.
But now it’s hitting limits.
Dozing off mid-work—time for a change.
‘Ugh, drop a gig?’
The thought flickers, but I shake it off. Still tons to whale on—no cutting shifts.
And above all.
‘I don’t age in Ardenia.’
I crossed to Ardenia in my 20s, lived 20 years—should be 40s. But no one sees me that way. I look the same as day one.
Not just that—beard barely grows, nails too. Only external damage like sword cuts or torture changes the body. Pulled nails regrow to original length, no further!
Earth’s different.
Sleep one night, beard’s prickly.
‘Forgot for 20 years… but yeah, this is normal growth speed.’
Earth time flows normally for my body, unlike Ardenia.
Meaning.
‘I only age on Earth.’
Realizing that makes sleeping on Earth feel like a waste. Earth time’s finite, Ardenia’s infinite—better sleep there.
“One answer, then. Log in.”
I enter Ardenia.
“Kill! Kill! Kill!”
“You kill, you!”
“Monster! Human monster!!”
Distant goblins scream in rage. Totally spooked, not charging.
Instead of rushing like before, I change jobs.
★☆Job change complete☆★
[Variant Ranger (Hero)]
Strength +80, Agility +160, Stamina +80, Vitality +40, Mana +40
[Range +50%]
[Observer of Darkness]
Class change, and I kick off the ground.
“Huh!? Huh!? Monster human’s running!”
“Catch him! Catch! Surround!”
“Block front! Front!!”
Shouts everywhere, but fighting them so much taught me goblin habits.
‘All talk.’
They scream bloody murder, but it’s just agitation—no one moves themselves. Blood rushing, they’re suicidal maniacs, but with leeway, they’re the scheming-est monsters: goblins.
[Intermediate Stealth (Passive) activates!]
Breaking from the horde, running through forest—I notice my body turning semi-transparent.
Variant Ranger trait. [Observer of Darkness] effect.
“Human! Where’s human!?”
“Find! Find him! He’s tired this time!”
“He was tired last time too!!”
Goblins pass right by me next to a tree. I casually wave in front of them.
They don’t notice.
‘Well, damn? Better than expected.’
I backtrack against the searching goblins, escaping the encirclement. After an hour’s walk, I’m fully clear.
“Haa…”
I move to a hill with good visibility, wedge into rocks. Stealth holds—no mana drain.
‘Duh, trait says [No-cost intermediate stealth if unobserved for 1+ min].’
That thought hits, and sleep crashes in.
“Oh man… this is… self-inflicted suffering…”
A spot in the monster-packed leyline nexus.
Awkward position, awkward clothes.
I pass out cold.