Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Hellgate Quest
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"Everyone, look! The Blood Citadel record just got broken!"
"What the hell? Is this clear time for real?"
"17 minutes...? No way. Who the hell is this?"
The system alert rang out simultaneously for every staff member in the management team.
"...Impossible."
And it blared on Ha Jun's computer too, where he sat in the corner of the management team office.
While everyone else was stunned by the clear time, Ha Jun—who had been tracking Woojin—was shocked for an entirely different reason.
A secret passage leading to the Blood Cave? Even I, as a developer, had no idea something like that existed!
That wasn't all.
Even Ethan, the AI who had designed this game, had predicted that clearing the [Path of Blood] achievement would be impossible for the next two years.
Yet this guy Woojin had pulled it off, as if mocking the AI's calculations.
Doing it in the Dark Forest, not even the central continent... Just who the hell is this guy?
"Quiet down, everyone."
That was when the door behind Ha Jun swung open, and Ko Jun-cheol's voice instantly silenced the noisy office.
"Team leader, just now..."
"I know. Don't make a fuss. Records are made to be broken eventually."
"But one person just smashed all of Keruga's records."
"So what? Weren't the previous ones set by Keruga too?"
Ko Jun-cheol shot back at his subordinate with a puzzled look instead.
"We're the management team. Our job isn't to freak out over changes—it's to prepare appropriate responses."
"S-Sorry, sir."
"And honestly, this is something to celebrate. Evil Tail is full of powerhouses with all sorts of classes, but if you ask who the best is, everyone agrees it's Keruga."
He took a breath and scanned the room.
"But now, someone's finally toppled his throne."
The rival to the absolute top.
This could excite the players of Evil Tail even more.
"Lee, contact the PR team right now and have them put together a special feature on time attacks for the three major Dark Forest dungeons."
"Yes, sir!"
"Handle communities, media, even comment farming to build hype. Bring in more new users. Got it?"
"Yes, sir—!!!"
The management team, which had been buzzing over the time attack record, surged back to life at Ko Jun-cheol's words.
The problem is...
Ko Jun-cheol glanced at Ha Jun, who sat rigidly before him, tense.
...that the hype-maker is Khan.
Why did it have to be him?
After the massive blackout incident, some players' data still hadn't fully recovered.
The logout incident had been worrying too.
They couldn't even grasp his info properly.
Fortunately, we caught signs of him logging out after that...
But he remained an unidentified entity.
"Kim Ha Jun."
"Yes, team leader!"
"What’s he doing now?"
"Well... He seems to be facing off against Genesis Unit."
"Genesis Unit?"
"Yeah. Remember that Orc Citadel massacre where they got wiped out?"
"I do."
Ko Jun-cheol could piece it together without more details.
"Blood Cave has no PK restrictions. That's probably their target. Who's from Genesis Unit there?"
"Colson Pawen. He's a top 200 ranker."
"Hmm..."
Ko Jun-cheol let out a low groan at Ha Jun's report.
No matter how skilled they are, they're still stuck inside the Dark Forest fence.
"Won't be a pretty sight today. Might wanna hold off on making this an issue."
"Uh, about that..."
That was when Ha Jun, eyes glued to his monitor, cautiously looked up at his team leader.
"Things are getting kinda weird."
"...?"
"No way... You're the bastard who's been breaking Keruga's records?"
Terror crept onto Colson Pawen's face, which had been smug just moments ago.
"Who knows?"
"You crazy son of a—!! Peron!! You damn traitor! You tricked me!! There's no way trash like you could take down a monster like this!!"
"Th-That's..."
"They didn't do anything wrong. They brought me here just like the request said."
"What?"
"Huh?"
To Woojin's reply, not just Colson but even Peron looked baffled.
Why's he taking my side?
"Raaargh—!!!"
In that instant, a ferocious wind howled around Colson Pawen's gauntlets.
Fist Wind, the rare boxer skill that earned him the nickname "Human Butcher."
After level 50, the second skill tree unlocks, letting you acquire [Skill Books] via quests or drops beyond the basics.
Naturally, skill grades created massive gaps even among the same class.
Whoosh—!!
Every swing of his fist unleashed razor-sharp whirlwinds at Woojin.
They say below rank 30, no one has unique skills...
Colson's rare skill was no common find.
That one skill had propelled him to continental rank 200.
But...
He'd picked the wrong opponent.
Wind attribute activated.
▶ Wind affinity enhanced on all equipment.
[Trait: Five Elements - Wind resistance further strengthened.]
Boom...!! Bang!!!
Colson's Fist Wind vanished cleanly before Woojin.
"...?!"
Colson could do nothing as Woojin casually walked through his skill.
Woojin gripped his sword and assumed a stance.
Boom—!!!
A deafening roar erupted from Woojin's blade.
"...Guh."
It wasn't even some flashy skill.
Just the basic warrior skill, Heavy Strike.
What kind of insane power is that...?!
But the result was anything but basic.
"Guh... Ack..."
One strike.
Colson's gauntlets shattered, and he sprawled on the ground in a spread-eagle, staring blankly at the sky, utterly baffled.
"I don't think monopolizing hunting grounds is illegal. If you've got the power, use it—that's all there is to it."
Crunch—!!!
"Arrrgh—!!"
Colson's arm was severed.
"You guys love that phrase, right? Survival of the fittest. You were just weaker than me."
Stab—!!
"Grk... Ngh..."
Woojin's sword plunged into his leg.
"Tell your boss this: I'll face him anytime... but I'll leave him just like you."
Skree—!!
His blade scraped the ground and launched upward, taking Colson's leg with it.
"The day you come to the central continent, you're dead... you dog bas—Guh!!"
Colson snarled up at Woojin in a final act of defiance.
Or tried to.
But his words never finished.
[Lv 53 Fighter Colson Pawen defeated.]
His head rolled off the blade.
As the pleasant alert sounded, Colson's body faded away.
"Hmm."
Once the light enveloping him dissipated, Woojin called toward the back of the cave.
"You can come out now."
"Sorry... I couldn't help at all..."
"I told you to hide. What could you do? You saw them—they're all level 50s. Getting caught would've made it worse."
"But Master handled them easily."
"'Cause it's me."
Luen chuckled at Woojin's playful boast.
I want to help him too...
She didn't want to be a burden.
To rebuild her lost kingdom, she needed strength.
But now, another reason to grow stronger was budding in her heart.
"What's your level now?"
"30."
Woojin nodded at her answer.
As an NPC, unlike him, she couldn't gain EXP from kills, so the gap between them was inevitable.
PK's great, but to head to the central continent with Luen, I need to match her pace a bit.
"...Hm?"
A small coin lay where Colson's body had been.
Likely a drop item.
As Woojin picked it up,
Thought it was junk... guess not.
Players drop a random inventory or equipped item on death.
Lucky ones drop gear like the Trinity Belt or Cheetah Ring, but mostly junk.
Is this the quest Genesis Unit's chasing?
Dropping a quest item of all things—ironic, but it piqued his interest.
Hellgate
▶ Grade: B
▶ To reach the Hellgate somewhere on the continent, you must collect ferry fare.
▶ Ferry fare fills by hunting humans or humanoid monsters.
▶ Souls collected: 9,389 / 10,000
Ten thousand kills? Damn...
Woojin let out a dry laugh at the quest details.
B-grade really ramps up the difficulty.
He had the SS-grade Illusion Dragon Egg, but luck had handed him all the hard materials, so it hadn't felt tough.
Woojin hesitated briefly.
Per the description, he'd end up clashing with Genesis Unit anyway.
Risky, but... B-grades aren't easy to snag.
He'd seen a community post analyzing quest grades' continental impact.
D-grade: basic level-up/fetch quests.
C-grade: affects individuals or factions tied to it.
B-grade and up: could reshape the continent based on outcome.
"If we're gonna meet eventually, might as well make the reason myself."
They'll gather the souls anyway... Better prep for what comes after.
The prep was simple.
Hatch the Illusion Dragon Egg.
"Hey."
Woojin called to Peron, who stood dazed.
"...Yes?"
"I kept my promise. You told me everything up to the catch—grateful, right?"
Peron realized his mistake in that moment.
He vaguely recalled wondering why Woojin had taken his side before the fight.
"Of, of course. Truly... thank you."
"Good. Gratitude means payback, doesn't it?"
As Woojin casually winked at him, Peron got it.
"Ah..."
Damn... Looks like I got hooked by someone nastier than Colson.
He could already picture his future plight.
"Come closer."
At Peron's suddenly disciplined shift, Woojin beckoned him.
"Yes, sir!!!"
As he moved, his subordinates rushed to Woojin too.
"Got a favor to ask. Need these items. Can you help?"
"Of... Of course!!"
Peron dashed up, stood at attention, and bellowed.
"What're you waiting for?"
"...Huh?"
Peron blinked at Woojin's question.
"Go get 'em. Run!"