Chapter 7
Chapter 7
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: How the Rank 1 Hero Protects the World
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After the Red-Furred Bronze Bull that popped out first, the second monster was the comparatively manageable Gluttonous Rabbit.
I cleared it easily by tossing it poisoned bait, but since it was still a monster, it was about two meters tall and nearly chomped down on me too.
And the real problem came next—the final monster.
I pulled the spines of the Timid Hedgehog, a C-rank monster, out of my arm guard where they were embedded thickly. If I hadn’t had the right gear in my inventory, I really would’ve turned into a hedgehog myself.
Well, at least I survived.
Woo Seong-yeon survived too, for now.
I looked down at the burly young man sprawled pitifully on the ground. He’d already passed out by the time I took down the hedgehog.
He’d gotten hit in the torso by its spines when it went berserk, firing them wildly in rage, and blacked out.
Of course he was hurt, but surviving was what mattered. It was thanks to the chainmail armor I’d handed over to him in advance.
So……
“This seems like a decent hero-like deed, all things considered.”
It wasn’t for nothing that I’d saved this random guy’s life. If there’d been no purpose, I would’ve ditched him ages ago.
The reason I saved the young man was none other than my class on the system.
The system analyzes a user’s innate disposition to output a ‘Trait,’ and a ‘Class,’ in simple terms, is output based on an analysis of the path the user has walked.
Once a class is set, you get stat corrections based on it, and you can somewhat predict what skills will awaken.
And if my memory’s correct, up until I defeated Optatio in Tartarus, my job class was ‘Hero.’
Honestly, I didn’t think it suited me at all, but after strutting around arrogantly only to end up unable to stand by while others died—thanks to hanging around with the princeling and the priestess Ariadne—my class, which started as a plain swordsman, somehow shifted to Hero before I knew it.
Well, thinking about it that way, since those guys aren’t on this Earth anymore, maybe my class will change back. If I don’t meet the system’s criteria for ‘Hero,’ the class can shift anytime.
Honestly, I didn’t have any particular attachment to the Hero class myself.
Sure, thanks to the class trait, I get stat corrections when using the Apex Light Sword, but if I lose the sword, I can just get another one…… and without friends, there’s no reason for me to go around doing Hero stuff anyway.
And yet, the reason I’d deliberately done ‘Hero’-like things was because of the system message.
The message that popped up when I first entered this dungeon: The world senses chaos.
If the system’s confused because of the gap between Tartarus’s Lena and Earth’s Kang Ye-na…… then proving that I’m the same person as Tartarus’s Lena might speed up that ‘loading’ process.
No hard evidence or anything—just a hunch.
It didn’t take long before a system message appeared in midair.
- Mission conditions fulfilled. Dungeon cleared.
- Thank you for waiting! The world recognizes your existence.
- Player Name: Wandering Pilgrim
- There are unsettled achievement points. Settlement will take time……
Clearing just three C-rank monsters backs up the achievement calculations? What a slacker, this system.
……No, wait. Isn’t it because it’s calculating all the achievement points I’ve racked up since Tartarus? Makes sense—they gave me my inventory back, so maybe they’re restoring my achievements too.
If so, that’s a relief. I’d psyched myself up with mental gymnastics about rebuilding from scratch, but if they’d actually stiffed me, I’d have been bedridden for two days.
“Status window.”
Since it recognized my existence, maybe I could finally see my status properly. I called it up with that in mind, and sure enough, the status window appeared at last.
Seeing the familiar status window nearly brought tears to my eyes.
Player Name: Wandering Pilgrim
LV. 79
Trait: Piercing Talon
Class: Hero
Good, perfect. All that’s intact.
But the next system message left me dumbfounded again.
- Your physical condition is unsuitable for skill use. Skill usage suspended.
- Stamina, Strength, and Agility stats weakened due to your physical state. Level unchanged.
- Skills also unavailable until certain thresholds are met.
My overall specs on display were pathetic.
Stamina: 20
Strength: 15
Agility: 25
Mana: 750
Skills: Unavailable
“…….”
I stared up into empty space. It felt like I might cry.
Stamina…… 20? Strength 15? No wonder even the light sword made of mithril—the lightest, strongest metal—felt heavy.
How am I supposed to wield a sword like this?
At those numbers, I was barely weaker than an average person. An embarrassment for level 79.
I nearly shed real tears but held it in. Yeah, well, my body’s been bedridden this whole time, so no helping it.
At least my mana’s intact, which suggests mana is handled by the soul itself, not the body, so it didn’t reset.
That’s something, but…… with other stats in the gutter, high mana alone doesn’t help much.
If my class were Mage, maybe, but it’s Hero, and my main weapon’s a sword.
I don’t know any magic. Magic’s all about talent, and I had zero for it. The only time I used mana was to power artifacts, and even that wasn’t often.
“No, it’s fine. At least my items are intact.”
The item stockpile I’d gathered over ten years was massive.
Yeah, I can recover those physical stats eventually.
With my items, I could clear high-rank dungeons, and clearing dungeons would let me raise those stats quickly.
Plus, honestly, with my items safe, I could probably just coast like this. Hunters in Korea sell dungeon loot for good money, so I could make enough to live modestly.
With that thought, I unwittingly took a deep breath.
It was a life I hadn’t even dared imagine over the past ten years.
No gripping a sword to slay monsters, no cutting down betrayers for profit, no risking my life to save anyone.
The peaceful life I’d briefly dreamed of after defeating Optatio…… maybe I could actually have it now.
I bent my knees and squatted down to the floor.
The burns on my back hurt. A lot.
In Tartarus, I’d fought monsters on a whim to survive after crash-landing in another world, and fighting led to comrades, which led to shouldering the mission to save the world……
But here? None of that.
No final dungeon presented itself, and modern firepower had quickly contained the early dungeon breaks, keeping the country’s systems intact.
So maybe I could just…… live without ever getting dragged into dungeons again.
Earth’s Kang Ye-na could have that life.
As long as I kept Woo Seong-yeon quiet, I didn’t even need to register as a hunter, and even if I did, Korea’s hunter registration was self-service. No one else could see your status window.
I could register as a mid-tier D-rank hunter. I’m not extravagant, so diligently clearing low dungeons solo would earn plenty for my needs.
……Sounds pretty good. Should I just do that?
Is that really possible?
- Special Announcement
A message popped up abruptly. Accompanied by a grand fanfare, golden letters blazed into existence in midair.
- Hunter rankings will now be public starting today!
- Rewards given based on ranking.
- Rankings update monthly! Clear dungeons to rack up achievement points for ranking rewards!
- Rankings from 10th to 1st will be posted in global announcements.
The moment I saw it, a bad feeling hit me.
This was baffling.
And no wonder—it was a situation I’d never encountered even after ten years in Tartarus. I thought Tartarus and Earth were similar, but what the hell?
Ranking hunters by their stats?
In Tartarus, gossips would chatter about the continent’s strongest, but fights depended on so many variables that no clear ranking ever emerged.
And now the system’s outputting one?
“If I end up in the top ranks, I’m totally screwed.”
Lining up all the big shots by strength.
The strong ones are usually proud of their power and can’t stand anyone above them.
There’d be serious mind games, or straight-up bloody fights over those rankings.
Especially since the system’s flexible—being rank 1 doesn’t mean rank 10 can’t beat you.
“……Well, it’s got nothing to do with me, right?”
Right now, I’m a tin can with just a high level.
My physical stats are trash; only mana’s normal, but my class is Hero. The Tin Man without a heart in Oz has more substance than me!
As if mocking my thoughts, another message appeared right on cue.
- Rankings based on achievement points.
Not total level or stats—rankings by achievement points?
Achievement points were the system’s measure of contribution when clearing dungeons.
They determined clear rewards, and levels rose with them, boosting physical specs, so who landed the boss’s killing blow mattered big time in raids.
So, I’d been doing that for ten years……
While Earth’s dungeons have only been around for five.
A bad feeling swelled.
“…….”
No way, right?
- Announcing rankings. 10th: Kim Seong-yeon
The message kept scrolling, as if mocking my anxiety.
The unease crept closer, laughing at me. 9th, 8th, messages popping up nonstop.
- 5th: Jo Han-yul
- 4th: Lee Seon
Wait, hold on a sec.
I paused while watching the ranking announcements, struck by a question.
Why are all their player names their real names?
“W-Wait! Change player name!”
- Player name changes possible after ranking announcement. Limit: Once per month.
Swept up in dread, I shouted it out, but the system was merciless.
- 3rd: Kim Suk-ja
- 2nd: Lee Pil-yeon
They’re all using real names? Why are these player names so boring and emotionless?!
I screamed internally.
In Tartarus, no one used their real name as a player name! Even Luca agonized over his!
This makes me stand out way too much!
And sure enough.
Soon, a flashy message in golden letters, blazing like fireworks, appeared.
My bad premonition crashed into reality.
- 1st: Wandering Pilgrim
- Congratulations! Special rewards for rankers. Check your inventory.
“…….”
Rewards be damned—I squeezed my eyes shut, too scared to look at the messages.
In the globally announced top 10 rankings, only the 1st place player name stood out with its bizarre disconnect.
I shouldn’t go online for about a week……
……No, forget my player name being embarrassing.
The point is, I’m rank 1 right now…… but actually just a tin can with high level and achievements?
In this situation where top rankers are bound to clash, and they’re handing out rewards to boot?
“Fuck, I’m fucked.”
So much for a peaceful life.
I clutched my head and spat curses. But no priestess was there anymore to smack my mouth.
That realization stung…… so annoyingly that I cursed again.