Chapter 61
Chapter 61
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: Fee Negotiation (3)
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“S-Rank item, you say?”
Demon-Slaying Spear Jin Gu-pyeong echoed back with a visibly flustered expression.
“Yeah.”
“Wasn’t our deal concluded with the SS-Rank item we gave you?”
“That was for a mission without any risk. This one requires staking our lives, so the difficulty is on another level. If we handed the mission over to Zhonghua Guild, we wouldn’t even need extra compensation.”
Demon-Slaying Spear Jin Gu-pyeong pondered deeply at Kang Hyun-soo’s words.
“S-Rank is impossible. I’ll give you five A-Rank items.”
A-Rank items were something he could procure.
“Not five—twenty, and I’ll generously yield.”
Demon-Slaying Spear Jin Gu-pyeong ground his teeth at Kang Hyun-soo’s response.
‘This daylight robber.’
But to execute his plan, Demon-Slaying Spear Jin Gu-pyeong absolutely needed Kang Hyun-soo’s help.
“I’d give you an S-Rank if I could, but there are no ownerless S-Rank items. Even A-Rank items are limited to five. No matter how massive Zhonghua Guild is, we don’t stockpile twenty A-Rank items like that.”
Even if they did, Demon-Slaying Spear Jin Gu-pyeong couldn’t use them privately.
“The weapon you use is S-Rank too.”
At Kang Hyun-soo’s words, Demon-Slaying Spear Jin Gu-pyeong clutched his neck as if he might collapse.
Asking for his S-Rank weapon, Swift Spear?
“This is like my other self! I absolutely can’t give it up!”
Demon-Slaying Spear Jin Gu-pyeong snarled, veins bulging in his neck.
“Then twenty A-Rank items it is.”
“I’ll give you ten—that’s my limit.”
“How about ten upfront and ten after? You can pay the rest after smashing Cabal Guild. Right?”
After a moment’s hesitation at Kang Hyun-soo’s words, Demon-Slaying Spear Jin Gu-pyeong shouted.
“Deal.”
The negotiation was over.
Kang Hyun-soo received ten A-Rank items upfront.
He committed to deploying his summoned beasts on the day Demon-Slaying Spear Jin Gu-pyeong desired to assault Cabal Guild’s guild house.
Once the operation ended?
He’d receive the remaining ten A-Rank items.
‘You’ll see.’
Demon-Slaying Spear Jin Gu-pyeong gnashed his teeth.
For now, he had no choice but to be dragged around by these Korean bastards.
‘Once the war ends, I’ll personally break your bad habits.’
And as a bonus, he planned to reclaim the SS-Rank item Extermination Sword and the A-Rank items he’d been fleeced of so far.
* * *
‘I can read his thoughts plain as day.’
Kang Hyun-soo let out a smirk.
Demon-Slaying Spear Jin Gu-pyeong might be acting like a meek lamb now.
But his true nature was closer to a ferocious beast.
Moreover, Demon-Slaying Spear Jin Gu-pyeong was a Named Player with a title.
Named Players’ combat prowess defied imagination.
‘He could single-handedly wipe out a mid-sized guild.’
To take on five Rankers alone, even Demon-Slaying Spear Jin Gu-pyeong would have to risk his life.
But conversely?
If he threw his life aside, he could sweep away five Rankers single-handedly.
With hit-and-run tactics?
He could take down ten, no problem.
Named Players possessed power worthy of the term one-man army.
If they rampaged without a thought for consequences?
Even a major guild would find itself in dire straits.
The reason Demon-Slaying Spear Jin Gu-pyeong was so docile now?
‘The leash called Zhonghua Guild.’
If Demon-Slaying Spear Jin Gu-pyeong ignored his political standing within Zhonghua Guild?
If he were merely a lone martial artist?
He wouldn’t need to bow so low to Kang Hyun-soo, whose identity was hidden.
‘Just think of the might those solitary Named Players displayed.’
At the pinnacle of solitary Named Players stood two figures.
‘The Death Emperor and the War Emperor.’
Those two had displayed overwhelming dominance before the regression as solitary Emperors.
In truth, no one knew the power of Named Players with the Emperor title as well as Kang Hyun-soo.
Why?
Because Kang Hyun-soo himself had been a Named Player with an Emperor title before the regression.
‘This time, I won’t stop at Emperor.’
If Kang Hyun-soo hadn’t fallen into Emperor Hwang So-ok’s trap and wasted time before the regression?
He probably could have attained the power of Sword God or Guardian God before dying.
But settling for that was unacceptable.
‘I’ll become the God of Gods.’
The pinnacle of all Players.
A Named Player who claimed the God title.
He would surpass them, eradicate the traitors and the Demon King’s army, and return to Earth.
That was Kang Hyun-soo’s goal.
‘Time to absorb them first.’
Kang Hyun-soo checked the info on the ten A-Rank items from Jin Gu-pyeong.
‘He picked all the off-meta ones.’
Not a single sword or blade.
No versatile accessories either.
Mostly daggers, knuckles, axes, hammers—off-meta stuff.
Even for a versatile weapon like spears, he got bizarre ones that were hard to use normally.
‘Well, I didn’t specify types.’
A-Rank off-meta items that few used.
Naturally less valuable than mainstream swords, blades, or spears.
But.
‘Doesn’t matter to me.’
He wasn’t planning to sell them or use them himself—just fodder for the Sword of Gluttony, so type didn’t matter much.
‘Devour them.’
Shaaa!
The Sword of Gluttony, infused with Kang Hyun-soo’s mana, began consuming the A-Rank items one by one.
[The Sword of Gluttony A-Rank has grown.]
[The Sword of Gluttony A-Rank has grown.]
[The Sword of Gluttony A-Rank has grown.]
… (omitted) …
He fed it all ten.
But it didn’t reach S-Rank.
‘I didn’t expect it to.’
No way ten A-Rank items would push it to S-Rank.
‘That’s why I asked for S-Rank.’
If it could absorb an S-Rank?
The Sword of Gluttony’s rank would’ve jumped straight to S in one go.
‘It’s just delayed a bit.’
No need to worry much.
He’d get ten more A-Rank items as post-payment after the battle.
‘Ten more should do it for S-Rank.’
Plus, he’d devoured plenty of A- to B-Rank loot from prior battles, so it was plenty feasible.
‘Now, just keep the promise.’
Until then, he needed to diligently stack stats.
When Zhonghua Guild and Cabal Guild clashed head-on.
There’d surely be casualties among the Rankers or Named Players.
* * *
Kang Hyun-soo, Song Hana, and the War Emperor hunted fervently in an empty hunting ground.
“I wish every day was like today.”
The War Emperor muttered, ears perked.
The hunting ground was deserted.
Zhonghua Guild was pouring everything into occupying Cabal Guild’s hunting grounds.
Mid-to-small guilds under Zhonghua’s influence were semi-forcibly hunting monsters in Cabal’s territories.
A human wave tactic to counter Cabal’s guerrilla warfare.
The mid-to-small guilds didn’t want to—distances were long, Players overcrowded so efficiency sucked, and worst, high risk of Cabal attacks.
‘But it’s mandatory, not optional.’
That left party-based Players like Kang Hyun-soo’s group fuming.
Especially Kang Hyun-soo’s crew—they were thrilled.
Low-level grounds had plenty of unaffiliated party hunters.
But mid-to-high level ones? Mostly guild-affiliated, with very few independent parties.
Thus, Kang Hyun-soo’s group nearly monopolized the vast hunting ground.
‘Hunting speed’s way up.’
Kang Hyun-soo benefited hugely from the emptiness.
Before, he’d limited summons due to prying eyes.
Now? No need.
He unleashed all his summons without care.
Monster clear speed skyrocketed.
‘Today, huh?’
The date promised with Demon-Slaying Spear Jin Gu-pyeong was today.
‘Blade King Kyung Wi-gang arrives in about three days, he said.’
Blade King Kyung Wi-gang, away on expedition, must’ve heard of the war with Cabal and was rushing back full force with elite subordinates.
Not confirmed.
Just estimation.
‘They went so damn far.’
Atlantis dimension had no satellites or smartphones.
Naturally, distant contacts were impossible.
Communication items existed, but.
‘Range is too short.’
Fine for close-range like walkie-talkies, useless for long-distance.
Plus, production was low, monopolized by royal houses.
So, to reach expeditionary Blade King Kyung Wi-gang, a guild member had to run there personally.
The remote expedition site swarmed with flying monsters, ruling out pigeon messengers.
Demon-Slaying Spear Jin Gu-pyeong wanted not just to bury the first battle’s loss before Blade King Kyung Wi-gang arrived, but to score even bigger merits.
‘Blade King Kyung Wi-gang.’
Like Sword Sovereign Ju Wi-cheon, one of the traitors who’d stabbed Kang Hyun-soo in the back.
‘Sword Sovereign Ju Wi-cheon’s still too weak—better to keep him alive for now.’
Blade King Kyung Wi-gang wouldn’t grow much more.
‘Levels will keep rising inevitably.’
Player numbers swelled, including talents.
700 levels got you high-level status now, but.
In time?
‘That’d be mid-level at best.’
Even current Named or Ranker Players regressed, losing spots.
‘Blade King Kyung Wi-gang was one such case.’
He’d soon hit a wall.
And never break it.
Thus, he’d lose even the Blade King title, dubbed Wraith Blade, scorned by all.
‘Not too pitiful, though.’
Before fading, allying with Sword Sovereign Ju Wi-cheon cost him honor but not power.
Meaning.
From Kang Hyun-soo’s view, killing Blade King Kyung Wi-gang now or later made little difference for summon utility.
‘But can Cabal Guild kill him?’
Blade King Kyung Wi-gang wasn’t washed up yet.
This was his peak.
Currently, the strongest in Mightor Kingdom and Lamepazil Kingdom combined.
Hence, boldly using the King title.
Future Cabal could manage.
But present Cabal?
‘Who knows.’
Cabal always hid more power than shown.
‘Eh, no need to fret.’
Kang Hyun-soo’s job: make Cabal and Zhonghua slaughter each other.
Best case: Blade King dies, Cabal crumbles.
‘Even just Cabal collapsing works.’
Impossible now, but.
With time and power?
Blade King’s neck.
‘I’ll snap it myself.’
Amid fervent hunting, promised time arrived.
‘Go.’
Kang Hyun-soo issued attack orders to prepped Sword Ghost and Cabal Units 1~4.
* * *
Kwaaaaang!
Cabal Guild’s guild house in the metropolis Dion was assaulted.
“Such insolence!”
Knight of Flames Jamie exploded in rage.
For the forced descent ritual, they’d stayed quiet as possible.
They’d counterattacked via guerrillas.
But minimally.
Without needing smooth sacrifice supply and fixing the battlefield as hunting ground?
They wouldn’t have budged from Dion at all.
Sacrifices could’ve come from inside Dion.
Yet they bore losses to fight in hunting grounds for one reason.
To prevent attacks on the guild house mid-ritual.
But the guild house was hit.
By Players presumed Rankers.
Enraged Knight of Flames Jamie drew his sword personally.
But.
“Those bastards!”
The attackers scattered and fled.
“Block them!”
At Knight of Flames Jamie’s furious shout, Cabal members charged after the five dispersing foes.
Leading was the wrathful Knight of Flames Jamie.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!
Red aura erupted from Knight of Flames Jamie’s sword like a waterfall.
Whoosh!
Knight of Flames Jamie’s sword flew at a fleeing enemy.
That instant.
Shaaa!
The enemy dissolved into smoke.
Kwaaaaang!
A split-second later, massive explosion shattered the building roof where the enemy had been.
“As expected of the Guild Master!”
“Took down that strong one in one hit!”
Cabal members thought Knight of Flames Jamie’s strike had ended the foe.
But the attacker himself knew.
‘It vanished.’
The enemy didn’t die to his attack.
It just turned to smoke right before impact.
‘What the hell?’
Knight of Flames Jamie ground his teeth.
But no matter how he scanned, the vanished enemy was nowhere.