Chapter 61
Chapter 61
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: How the Rank 1 Hero Saves the World
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Baek Sa-hyeon's bastard sword was pointed right at me, its tip gleaming dully.
I decided to test the waters first.
"You... don't recognize me?"
His response was sharp as a knife.
"What? What kind of nonsense is that?"
Hmm, so he really doesn't know who I am.
My little experiment had succeeded.
I touched the thin silver mask covering my face.
Just a few minutes ago, Baek Sa-hyeon had been trying to get my player number, but now he couldn't recognize me—and it wasn't because he was stupid.
The item I was currently wearing was called 'Silver Veil.'
I'd gotten the Silver Veil as a reward in my inventory after clearing the last dungeon.
Unlike its name, it was a delicately silver-crafted mask that covered half my face.
When I first checked my inventory, I'd thought a mere mask—not even a weapon—was too weak as a reward for clearing a dungeon with the worst difficulty rating.
- Equipped: 'Silver Veil.'
- While wearing this item, it distances the player's appearance from others' perception.
- No time limit.
I'd already tested it once at the hospital. As soon as I put on the mask, no one recognized me as Kang Ye-na.
And yet, conversations went fine. They didn't even seem to notice I was wearing a mask.
It reminded me somehow of that last dungeon clear.
Even more surprising was that not just civilians, but Hunters couldn't detect the item at all.
Items like this were usually countered by physical senses or detection skills.
But this one had fooled Baek Sa-hyeon, a mid-tier Hunter.
This thing might actually be pretty useful.
I stroked the mask's cool surface.
Someone on Lee Woo-yeon's level might be different... but I'd test that later.
"Hey, are you ignoring me right now?"
Baek Sa-hyeon bellowed. His skill was wide-area taunt—hopefully it didn't pull aggro just by yelling.
"You're the one ignoring the situation here, Hunter Baek Sa-hyeon."
"What?"
I sighed and pointed toward the artificial island. A dome-shaped barrier of pale light enveloped the entire island.
Beyond the barrier, Hunters were methodically taking down goblins slipping through the gaps. Things still looked stable, but the tension among them was palpable.
Baek Sa-hyeon couldn't have missed that.
"You don't see that?"
I figured even an idiot would get the picture and back down by now, but Baek Sa-hyeon just got angrier.
"So what do you want me to do about it?"
"......You do know a Dungeon Break has happened, right?"
"Yeah, Dungeon Break. And?"
Baek Sa-hyeon snorted, sheathing his sword and crossing his arms—a clear sign he wasn't getting involved.
"It's just a low-rank dungeon anyway. A few dozen goblins pop out, big deal."
Was his class Prophet or something?
His confidence was so overwhelming I was speechless.
Lee Woo-yeon had freaked out upon hearing Baek Sa-hyeon's name—was it his personality?
My head started to ache, but I decided to try talking it out.
Truth be told, I wanted to ignore him and go my own way, but to resolve this efficiently, I kind of needed his help.
"But Dungeon Breaks always have exceptions......"
"Pfft, I can tell at a glance. You been through one or two Breaks yourself?"
He whipped his head away so arrogantly that the ear cuff in his ear flew off into the distance.
I was a little speechless at the sight.
And who are you to talk about Dungeon Breaks, you rookie...? I almost said it.
"But."
Baek Sa-hyeon eyed me up and down with clear disdain.
"So what are you, some punk who pops up out of nowhere to lecture me like some old-timer?"
Old... timer.
It hit me like a punch to the bones. Caught off guard, I froze in shock.
- Apex's light sword trembles.
Even the light sword in my hand was laughing at me.
I stared at my precious partner in disbelief.
Hey, you little... you're reacting in a situation like this? Wait, does that mean you've always thought of me that way...?
- Apex's light sword falls silent. It seems to just be a sword.
Look at it clamming up when things get tough!
While I trembled with betrayal, Baek Sa-hyeon asked me,
"So, who the hell are you? One of Jo Han-yul's guys?"
"Jo Han-yul?"
"The way you're asking makes me think you're not. Then... newly awakened?"
"............"
Baek Sa-hyeon openly sized me up from head to toe.
The gear I had on didn't look special at all, so yeah, I probably passed for a newbie.
"What, you think you're hot stuff just 'cause you awakened? Newbies always think they're the big deal and go wild."
I'd heard that somewhere before. Sounded like something from a guy I'd beaten half to death.
I cracked my knuckles.
So right now... Baek Sa-hyeon was treating me like some naive, self-righteous rookie?
"Hahaha. This is hilarious."
"What is?"
I was tempted to deck his smug face, but that wasn't my priority. Beating him up would just vent my frustration.
......Though that sounded pretty good.
Baek Sa-hyeon, seeing me go quiet, seemed to draw his own conclusions and snorted.
"I'll give you some friendly advice... Playing the hero like that is pointless."
Surprisingly sincere words from his cocky posture.
I'd been about to just beat him into cooperating, but I lowered my fist and asked,
"Pointless?"
"Yeah. Step up, and no one appreciates it. You bust your ass, and if anyone dies, they blame you for not doing better."
"Who blames you?"
"Media, the internet, everyone. Especially if you're famous like me. They'd think I did it all."
Baek Sa-hyeon's face was surprisingly calm as he said it—almost resigned.
Seeing that expression reminded me of the online chatter about him.
Celebrity syndrome, attention whore.
Not great stuff. For a Hunter with solid achievements, the criticism was disproportionately harsh.
Sure, he had defenders, but snide remarks mocking others always get more attention, and negativity spreads faster.
In Tartarus, it was just noble gossip, but here with the internet—the ultimate communication tool—things escalated differently.
I summed up Baek Sa-hyeon's point in one sentence.
"So... stepping up in a situation like this just gets you hate?"
"Exactly. Now you're getting it."
Baek Sa-hyeon snorted and crossed his arms again.
"I know the government's already there. Why should I bother?"
"But you told the crowd you'd step up. The nation's savior Hunter, right?"
My sarcasm didn't faze him. A shadow crossed his face, but he held firm.
"Yeah, this nation's savior Hunter is telling you. Did you see them earlier? Hunters are risking their lives. And they expect me to save the day like it's my job? How shameless is that?"
"......"
"You wanna play hero too, huh? Don't. I'm seriously warning you."
I stared at Baek Sa-hyeon as he said it.
He had a point, in a way.
Woo Seong-yeon's demands and the manager's advice would feel brazen from his perspective. They asked for help without risking anything themselves.
I'd thought he was just an attention-seeker who didn't care if people died as long as he profited—a total psycho.
But he had his reasons, solid ones.
Even his own struggles.
And here he was, treating me—a guy who'd ambushed him—like a junior and giving advice. More rational than I thought.
Or... I eyed Baek Sa-hyeon's hands. His bare hands peeked from his rough shirt sleeves.
They were trembling slightly.
'...As expected.'
I looked at Baek Sa-hyeon.
"So? That's it?"
"What?"
"That's your whole reason for sitting this out and going home?"
I'd heard his grievances.
They weren't incomprehensible.
Sure, if everyone was talking about me everywhere, I'd care a bit. Maybe feel uneasy for a minute.
Especially if they called me '=3' to dodge searches. I'd prefer they stopped that.
But that was it.
"Are you such a lost cause 'cause you're a newbie...? Keep playing hero and you'll die."
Baek Sa-hyeon frowned at my reaction, unexpected worry creeping into his eyes.
"Yeah, I might die."
But sitting it out wasn't an option for me.
"But if you don't cooperate, you'll die by my hand."
Because I...
- A quest has been generated. Accept quest performance?
- Y/N
- Rewards given upon quest completion.
The system message still floated above my head.
I'd held off accepting, worried something might happen the moment I did—waiting until people evacuated.
Now they were all at a safe distance. So I could accept...
"W-What...?"
Baek Sa-hyeon gaped, speechless at my words.
Even now, his bastard sword was sheathed. His right hand had calluses, but his left didn't.
That was the final clue confirming the odd vibe I'd sensed.
It sealed Baek Sa-hyeon's usefulness.
"...Enough chit-chat. Let's get to the point."
Yeah. This was the point.
What kind of person Baek Sa-hyeon really was didn't matter to me. If he was trash, I'd just beat him and move on.
I just had a job to do, and efficiently, I needed a bit of his help.
He didn't want to?
Then I'd force the situation where he had to.
"I need your help to clean this up."
Baek Sa-hyeon, who'd been staring at me slack-jawed, finally snapped out of it. His neck flushed red.
"Hey, what did you think I just said? I told you I don't wanna get involved!"
"Get it together."
As I drew my sword, Baek Sa-hyeon startled and stepped back.
Pathetic. He looked like the one under attack.
I pointed my sword tip at the island across the lake.
Even now, Hunters over there were fighting desperately to protect others.
"Listen up. You stop a Dungeon Break at the start."
They'd handled the initial Break well, but the barrier wouldn't hold forever.
Goblin dungeons were low-rank because of clear conditions.
Individuals weren't strong; kill thirty and you could leave.
But monsters loose in reality were different.
"What if thirty goblins become three hundred, then three thousand? You gonna sit it out just to avoid hate?"
Sure, in Korea unlike Tartarus, firepower from weapons could handle it. But the surroundings limited reckless action.
No one knew the sacrifices and time needed to wipe out exponentially growing hordes like Fibonacci's sequence.
Worst case, this area becomes goblin breeding ground.
Assuming this system glitch tied to me, it left a bad taste.
Baek Sa-hyeon looked cowed but unconvinced, like a scared pup barking.
"No way it'd get that bad."
That's why he's a rookie.
I clicked my tongue.
Newbies who haven't faced the system's malice yet... I almost said it that way but paused.
Wait, does that sound like an old-timer?
I cleared my throat, softening my words.
"You can't ignore the possibility. That's why I need your help."
"I don't know who you are, but you really don't listen. I said no..."
"Your skill—wide-area taunt, right?"
"Listen to me!"
"Actually, it's not."
"So what the hell are you talking about!"
Baek Sa-hyeon's face stayed neutral. Just annoyed, like he genuinely didn't get it.
Impressive acting.
But I'd already caught on.
I grinned.
"Your class... 'Actor', right?"