Chapter 60
Chapter 60
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Off to Steal Again Today
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile, at that very moment.
Agas headquarters.
The planning team, which had been granted special monitoring access ahead of this second anniversary event, let out a collective sigh of relief amid thousands of screens.
"Some areas got delayed a bit, but we still managed to kick off the event somehow."
"Yeah, that's a relief at least. Oh, just in case, make a separate list of users who got eliminated before it even started."
"Already handled it."
"Good job."
Event planning team leader Son Kyungmin gave his subordinates a thumbs-up.
It had been a slow start, but things were progressing smoothly enough.
All that remained was to wrap up the event without any hitches.
To that end, Kyungmin kept the key zones displayed on his monitors, diligently checking the screens and log codes.
Just in case something went wrong.
"Speaking of which, Yong Hoseop really is something else. To come up with an event like this."
"True, his ideas have definitely been a huge help."
Indeed.
The second anniversary event had been planned around developer Yong Hoseop's ideas.
In fact, most of the rules explained by the helper Pierrots stemmed from those very concepts.
'The challenge was bridging the gap between lowbies and high-levels, but he solved it just like that.'
Hundreds, even thousands of Pierrots wandering Agas Land.
Hidden among them were special ones.
Like a spot-the-difference game, these stood out with unique appearances, dialogue, movements, and more, concealed throughout.
Players had to hunt down these special Pierrots to claim their cosmetic items.
'Every Pierrot carries cosmetics, but only the special ones actually drop them.'
And that wasn't all.
The Pierrots even reset their positions every ten minutes.
In other words, the special ones respawned in random spots each time.
Situations like that popped up all the time.
'Even if you find one, that's no guarantee.'
Kyungmin glanced at a screen showing players fiercely pummeling a Pierrot.
The Pierrots had sky-high HP by design.
And every bit of damage dealt to them was fixed at 1.
Meaning, spotting a special Pierrot first didn't guarantee you'd snag its cosmetic solo.
Not when others could swoop in for the steal.
In the end, everyone had to play it cautious and watchful.
'No matter how high your sustained DPS or uptime, you can't one-shot a Pierrot. That's the core hook of this event.'
Which explained why some players avoided the chaos altogether.
A player sharing vision with their pet launched into the air.
Players teaming up to monopolize cosmetics.
Even players spawning obstacles to hinder routes.
Of course, extreme tactics got shut down live by helper Pierrots, but players kept finding clever workarounds.
"It's evened out the level and gear gaps a lot. If it keeps going like this, low-levels could snag top spots in some zones."
"That was the whole point. Wouldn't feel right otherwise. In that sense, we've already hit half our goals."
"Yes, exactly!"
"But the other half? Even we can't touch that."
"Ah..."
Kyungmin gestured, and certain screens zoomed in.
All zones packed with rankers or higher.
"I said before that being strong doesn't mean you're set, right? Still true—plenty of zones where underdogs are turning tables. But I also mentioned RPG limits we can't fully close? Those are it."
"Like drawing the worst bracket in a tourney."
"Rankers gonna ranker."
Vast experience.
Solid basics.
Top-tier gear.
Versatile high-end skills.
And the stats to back it all up.
"We narrowed the gaps as much as possible, but exceptions exist."
"Ah, high rankers and top rankers..."
"Yep. They devour variables like that. Straight-up monsters."
Outlier freaks.
No matter the rules chaining them down, limits existed.
"That's why balance teams slaved away daily back then, hunting that sweet spot. Now self-aware AI handles it all."
"An event satisfying tops and bottoms alike. That's the big goal for this anniversary."
"Yeah, but some zones are lopsided anyway."
"Ah, that one?"
"F-43."
All eyes locked on one zone.
F-43.
Despite random grouping, it drew multiple rankers—including two top rankers. The absolute worst of the worst.
No way players there wouldn't gripe, rules or not.
'Top five's basically locked.'
Barring a miracle.
Rankers.
They started flexing hard soon after the event began.
"Ooh, it's toast!"
"Almost dead!"
"Last hit's mine...!"
Players hammering a special Pierrot relentlessly.
Its once-massive HP now under 5%.
Then.
Tududududuk!
Dozens of arrows streaked in, wiping that 5% in one go.
'Precisely 17 shots.'
The culprit: Ranker Minerva.
One of the archer class stars making waves.
He'd calculated remaining hits and arrow flight time perfectly to steal the finishing blow—and the cosmetic.
'Easy.'
Just yoink others' kills.
Minerva smirked, nocking another arrow at a fresh target.
That was when.
Kugugugung!
A mud wall erupted around the near-dead Pierrot.
"What the hell? Open up!"
"No way, my finisher!"
"Pierrot, you said trapping with walls was impossible!"
"Total scam!"
Nearby players vented frustration.
But moments later, a mage teleported atop the wall, silencing them.
"Said no trapping players. Never said anything about trapping them."
"M-Mud Sorcerer Noah?!"
"Can we drop that lame nickname already?"
Indeed.
Top ranker Noah—the Mud Sorcerer—had walled off the Pierrot with his skill.
Perfectly thwarting Minerva's distant steal setup.
"Oh, Minerva's here too. Hey."
She greeted him casually as their eyes met.
"What, you been here too, sis?"
"Huh? Not just me—others are revving up. Can't sit this out solo."
"..."
Noah was right.
Outlier powerhouses surging everywhere.
All fellow rankers on her level.
"What was that? Something just blurred by."
Insane movement speed and mounts were standard.
"Damn, floating the Pierrot mid-air? Brutal!"
Sharp combat sense to juggle Pierrots airborne for solo clears.
Pinpoint accuracy targeting only special Pierrots.
Tudududuk!
Tududuk!
Peng, peeeeng!
Creeeak!
Lightning-fast attack and cast speeds from godlike stats and epic gear.
Chained with versatile top skills low-tiers could only dream of.
The gap was widening fast.
A chasm event rules couldn't fully bridge.
Now on full display.
"They're already stacking cosmetics with sustained DPS and high-hits-per-sec skills. Slack off here, and you'll fall behind."
"Whoa, this unbalanced as hell? Why are so many rankers crammed in one zone?!"
"Not us. The real headaches are those two."
"Aah..."
Looking up at Noah's words.
Two figures now hovered overhead, surveying below.
Witch of Blazing Flames Dorothy.
Iron-Blooded Lord Leon.
The duo billed as two of the top hundred were gearing up.
"Once they move, it'll hurt. Other rankers are grabbing cosmetics preemptively."
"Mm."
"So hustle. See ya!"
Noah vanished.
Minerva scratched his head, then checked the airborne leaderboard.
(Reveal in 1 hour 40 min)
Real-time rankings of Pierrot cosmetics collected.
Question marks for now, but they'd reveal in an hour as indicated.
'Gotta hustle harder.'
Top five.
No lower spots shown, so that must be the cutoff.
Crack that, and rewards like Leon's last year awaited.
Minerva hustled across Agas Land, scooping cosmetics.
'...These devs just crammed all the cosmetics on them, huh?'
Oblivious to the anomaly unfolding somewhere.