Chapter 42
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Rival?
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“Eeee!”
The first one to check the loot chest after the Ice Queen – Anisa fell was Yuna, who let out a loud shout. It was because the chest contained a Crystal of Agility.
“Whoa. She draws her own loot? Is that what they mean by self-sufficient?”
Hyun-ah looked envious as she eyed the green-glowing crystal in Yuna’s hand.
A Red-grade crystal obtained from a Rank 3+ boss monster wouldn’t be enough to turn a three-star hero into a four-star one. But it could boost mana capacity to a certain extent. Numerically speaking, it would grant about 10% experience toward three stars from a state of 0% at two stars.
The amount was small, but repeated absorption could quickly push someone to the three-star limit. Naturally, it was far faster than raising mana through training or enlightenment.
Sheathing her greatsword on her back, So-jeong—who had been checking the other items in the loot chest—turned to look at Raid Leader Minguk.
“That was a fight where the gear gap made a huge difference. So, are we moving on to conquer a [B – 8] difficulty dungeon now?”
“Of course.”
So-jeong slowly nodded at Minguk’s immediate reply.
Ever since they’d started repeatedly tackling three-star special entities, anyone on the team could easily guess that Minguk had his eyes set on higher raids. It was just that the pace was incredibly fast.
A first-year rookie hero who got his raid qualification this year and became raid leader less than a month after joining the clan is already challenging a [B – 8] dungeon...
So-jeong’s gaze shifted to Minguk. Today, as always, he boasted a warm, heart-fluttering handsome face.
Anyone hearing of Minguk’s ambitions would assume he had the clan’s full backing—and they wouldn’t be wrong to think so. Team GGW’s growth was unnaturally rapid.
But Team GGW hadn’t received any clan support except for Revival Stones. On top of that, it was a team made entirely of first-year rookies with no veterans. And that was all thanks to Raid Leader Minguk’s capabilities.
He’s truly amazing...
This wasn’t just flattery because she served as his secretary. In So-jeong’s eyes, Minguk’s abilities were on another level.
She couldn’t fathom how he’d scored at the bottom of Hero Academy. According to Hyun-ah—who was in the same cartel and living with him—apparently, the academy had been too boring, so he’d just coasted through.
“That said... we’re wrapping up today’s schedule here.”
“Huh? No [B – 8] dungeon or Ice Queen farming?”
“Yeah, we’ve hit a snag.”
Minguk scratched his head as he faced the team’s puzzled looks. It was an unexpected issue for him too.
Revival Stones—the essential item for dungeon clears—had run out completely. And Team GGW had already pulled ahead by receiving this month’s allocation plus extra support, even advancing next month’s share for repeated Ice Queen – Anisa farming.
“I’ve requested support from the clan, but...”
Minguk had no idea how it would turn out. The admin team member who’d heard his request the other day had looked troubled, as if something was up with the clan.
Depending on the contract, R’s Clan’s new raid teams received between 10 and 15 Revival Stones per month. The clan provided them because the stones’ price was steep, making it a huge burden for rookies to procure on their own.
While the numbers varied by clan size, other clans aiming to nurture rookie heroes did the same as R’s Clan. It was a financial strain, but sending greenhorn heroes into dungeons without Revival Stones was sheer madness.
Government and Hero Association support existed anyway, and sending new raid teams in without stones was legally prohibited. The Hordes of Darkness were no pushovers. A single minor mistake could end a life for real.
The Revival Stones used by rookies were partially funded by clans’ own budgets, with the rest covered by taxpayer money from government and association aid. Naturally, support scaled with clan rankings.
But this aid alone couldn’t cover the massive consumption by major clans. Heroes battling the Hordes of Darkness burned through stones by the thousands daily.
Thus, clans ran Revival teams—crude slang for mining teams—to produce their own stones. They were mostly staffed by second- and third-string heroes.
So that’s why they send high-rank, skilled heroes to low-difficulty dungeons. Some clans even set quotas in contracts. Obviously, it has to be tough enough for frequent Revival Stone drops, and they prefer dungeons with lots of boss monsters for more loot chests.
So you use one stone to clear and get multiples back, right?
Ding ding ding. But only big clans can swing that. Even ‘low’ difficulty needs at least [B – 3] for efficiency. It’s still a grind, but you gotta mine those stones somehow...
How’s welfare in top clans? I’m stuck in DickClan mining every day. Real dungeons? Maybe three times a month.
Damn, that’s rough. GTFO of DickClan ASAP.
Problem is, nowhere to go even if you escape. Top clans have zero T.O. ㅠㅠ
R’s Clan, like others, operated a Revival team composed of second- and third-string Rose Shield heroes.
They brought in about 400 Revival Stones a month—roughly 44 million dollars. But it wasn’t nearly enough. In fact, it was woefully short. Compared to other ranker clans’ Revival teams, output was only two-thirds.
“Hoo...”
Clan Leader Hyun-jung scanned the documents with strained eyes. They detailed projected Revival Stone acquisitions and allocations for next month.
In R’s Clan, the Revival team’s haul went roughly 80 to new raid teams, 120 to second- and third-string, and 200 to first-string. Any surplus went to the clan’s emergency fund.
But lately, even that surplus had been wiped out, budgets stretched razor-thin. The Hero Association’s clan evaluation was less than two months away, in Q1 next year.
“...And Team GGW’s Raid Leader Han Minguk requested to advance stones for two months from now?”
“They plan to tackle a [B – 8] dungeon.”
Hyun-jung nodded silently at her secretary’s report.
One-star heroes independently smashed powerful special entities befitting their level, swiftly growing to two stars—now aiming for the upper-tier [B – 8]. From a clan leader’s view, it was heartwarming enough to hand out daily bonuses.
Plus, her sister Oh Hyun-ah was Team GGW’s tank, amplifying her fondness for the team.
“...”
But while bonuses were feasible, Revival Stones weren’t. Most of the clan’s stock was being funneled madly into first-string raids.
R’s Clan’s situation was far from rosy. People didn’t call Rose Shield a “fallen powerhouse” for nothing. This year’s top-difficulty dungeon clears were disappointingly few, unworthy of ranker clan status.
Thus, their ranking was set to plummet dramatically in the upcoming evaluation—meaning slashed government support next year. And likely losing ranker clan title too.
To counter this, after long talks with the first-string raid leader, Hyun-jung planned at least three top-difficulty raid successes in the remaining time. It might save top-10 status even if ranker title slipped.
“How’s first-string doing in the Spire of Winds? I heard they took down the fourth boss yesterday.”
“No further progress. Stacking mistakes have stalled the clear.”
“This is bad.”
And... Revival Stone consumption was skyrocketing beyond expectations.
They’d ambitiously entered the [A – 4] dungeon—first with Rank 8 monsters—but the raid kept wiping.
Stuck on the fifth boss-grade monster, the Spire of Winds featured 11 in total. Factoring the final Rank 8 boss, the stone needs were unimaginable.
Can’t redirect first-string stones to GGW, though...
Hyun-jung saw Team GGW—with Han Minguk as leader—as R’s Clan’s future. But first-string was the clan’s face, representative, and pride. All support prioritized them above all.
With the clan’s multi-year decline straining funds too, it wasn’t easy. Still, for Raid Leader Han Minguk—not some random rookie—she’d scrounge whatever possible.
“Can we buy from auction house?”
“Possible, but clan funds are tight. Unless we ask the parent company...”
“Ugh...”
Hyun-jung’s face stiffened at the secretary’s words.
R’s Clan’s parent, Rose Group, was the world’s 69th-largest conglomerate. Its third-generation heir handled clan liaison.
Not all chaebol heirs are like that, but...
The Rose Group third-gen was a classic arrogant bully, abuse as daily routine.
“We’ll think on parent company aid.”
“But HQ’s strategy meeting is soon. Next year’s feedback too.”
“Wish I could take that day off. Any way?”
“I’d love PTO too...”
Hyun-jung let out a deep sigh at the secretary’s cheeky reply.
Revival Stones mostly sold in bulk to nations or major clans. But quantities were modest.
Top-dungeon clears devoured unfathomable stones, so clans consumed internally. R’s first-string used 20-30 per upper monster.
Many nations stockpiled for future Hordes of Darkness offensives—America foremost.
“They’ll go in thousands-unit lots... Any good loot from first-string this time?”
“[Gear Score – 625] gloves, ‘Goldrian’s Legacy.’ Valued at about 124 million dollars.”
“Oh ho?”
Decent market price. Auctioned, it could cover most stone costs. But hurdles remained.
“Any buyers lined up?”
“Four dealers want it, but...”
“Then we can’t sell publicly.”
Hyun-jung’s face darkened. Prime gloves, apparently—dealers coveted them. Clan had to sell internally at 30% market—auction or not, similar outcome.
After raid payouts, clan profit? Barely 15 million dollars. Another sigh escaped.