Chapter 5
Chapter 5
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: An Old Habit
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If you were to ask players of Avala Online 1 who the strongest ranker was, opinions would be divided.
Everyone has different standards, after all.
There were mage rankers who excelled at siege warfare, rogue-class rankers who dominated the arena, and explorer rankers skilled at solving quests.
Thus, there was no single right answer.
But if you changed the question slightly.
If you asked who the *worst* ranker was, the answer would likely be unanimous.
The undisputed number one most hated player.
It was Lee Shin.
A player born for PK.
Of course, other players occasionally engaged in PK, but Lee Shin was on another level.
For starters, he was strong enough to be considered a high ranker, and the sheer number of his PKs was in a different league.
And he had no reason.
In fact, that last part was the biggest reason for his infamy.
Lee Shin didn't PK for personal gain or out of grudges.
If anything, he was often detached from such things, never obsessed.
The problem was his impulsiveness.
The primary cause of a psychopath's unpredictable behavior patterns.
If Lee Shin wanted to do something, he did it.
For example, if he suddenly coveted another player's item, he would either PK them on the spot or hunt them to the ends of the earth to take it.
If they didn't drop what he wanted, he would kill them again and again until they did.
‘Sob…!’
‘Why on earth are you doing this to me!’
The victims, clueless as to the reason, could only shed tears of blood.
Incidents like this were commonplace.
As a result, Lee Shin's reputation among players became greatly exaggerated.
‘I heard he kills you if you talk to him.’
‘I heard he kills you if you even make eye contact.’
‘No, he just kills you on sight….’
His reputation was practically that of a thrill killer!
The reality, however, was a little different from the horror stories.
The targets Lee Shin ‘hunted’ were usually specific.
Mostly high-level rankers.
He generally left beginners alone.
Barring a few exceptions, Lee Shin almost never killed a beginner he had no connection with.
And those exceptions were when, regardless of profit, his opponent piqued his interest.
Or when they got in his way.
It was just easier for Lee Shin to kill them than to persuade them.
* * *
“Excuse me?”
“……”
The man suddenly went silent.
The way he narrowed his eyes and twitched his fingers was strange.
Sensing something ominous, Kim Jun-sik sent a whisper to his party member, Seo Da-young.
-That guy. Why’d he suddenly go quiet?
-Hmm…….
After a moment of thought, Seo Da-young replied.
She had played Avala Online 1 for quite a long time.
She'd never been on the rankings, but she was at least more knowledgeable about the player ecosystem than Kim Jun-sik.
Usually in a situation like this, when the person in front of you suddenly stops talking….
-Maybe he’s calling someone else right now?
-What?
-Like us. With a whisper.
-Why all of a sudden.
-What do you mean, why? He’s obviously trying to take our spot.
-Ah…!
Kim Jun-sik marveled at Seo Da-young’s sharp deduction.
So that was his plan!
He asked cautiously.
-So what do we do?
-What do you mean, what do we do? We should call anyone we know nearby for help. You want to just take this?
-Uh… but is that okay? If we fight in the city….
-It doesn’t matter. I doubt he’ll actually fight. He’ll probably back off on his own if he’s outnumbered.
-I see!
A bold deduction, as expected from a veteran.
The only problem was that it was a complete misjudgment.
The only reason Lee Shin had been standing still was to check his weapon's remaining durability.
He needed to be able to keep hunting for at least an hour after dealing with these two.
Worn Iron Sword
• Durability: 59/100
Fortunately, the weapon’s durability was still over half.
The moment he confirmed it, Lee Shin moved.
*Thwip.*
*Stab!!*
[You have attacked a player!]
[A critical hit has landed.]
“Wh-what!?”
Seo Da-young, who had been secretly whispering to her acquaintances nearby, whipped her head around in surprise.
The silent man had suddenly started attacking Kim Jun-sik.
And his movements were anything but ordinary.
*Stab! Stab-stab-stab!!!*
“Ugh! Gak! Ack!?”
His movements toyed with Kim Jun-sik, a novice in Avala Online!
Flustered and clumsy, Kim Jun-sik could only manage a stunned “Wh-wha…!?” before he was forcefully logged out in an instant.
[A party member has died.]
“Huh…?”
Seo Da-young let out a dumbfounded sound.
She couldn't comprehend what had just happened.
Only a few seconds had passed, and her party member had melted away in an instant.
*Ssk.*
“????”
Adding to the unreality of the situation, her opponent was nonchalantly picking up the dropped gold.
Killing a player raised one’s infamy far more than killing a humanoid mob….
After a moment, Seo Da-young finally came to her senses and pointed a trembling finger at Lee Shin.
“Y-y-y…”
“Y?”
“You’re crazy!?!?”
She stammered, mouth agape, before finally screaming.
“Ah.”
At her words, Lee Shin let out a small chuckle.
It was a word he hadn't heard in a long time, and it brought back old memories.
Lee Shin retorted calmly.
“So they say.”
“…!?”
To be precise, he wasn't crazy, but he could certainly appear that way.
Lee Shin was well aware of the mental disorder he had.
Jeong Hui-seon had told him the test results without hiding anything since he was a child.
She wanted him to be wary of his own inner impulses but not to view the unique traits he possessed because of them in a purely negative light.
‘You are not a bad person.’
‘You’re just a little skewed.’
‘Regardless of what society thinks….’
Such ‘external factors’ did not define his worth.
Jeong Hui-seon had always told the young Lee Shin this.
Thanks to her efforts, Lee Shin had integrated into society splendidly while never despising himself.
However, that didn't mean a fundamental change had occurred within him.
Lee Shin was still different from others in many ways.
He was sometimes impulsive and, even more rarely, had dangerous thoughts.
Even now, as an adult.
He just constantly made a conscious effort not to let it show.
“But this is just a game, isn't it?”
“What are you suddenly talking about….”
“So.”
Lee Shin cut Seo Da-young off and smiled with feigned nonchalance.
Then, he slowly walked toward her and finished his sentence.
“You’re the normal one, so you should understand.”
* * *
70 gold.
One lowest-grade health recovery potion.
This was the income Lee Shin had gained from the PK.
‘Might as well be nothing.’
Lee Shin closed his inventory and smacked his lips.
His opponents’ levels were low, and on top of that, he had a drop rate reduction penalty.
He’d suspected it when his experience points were shooting up, but the buff’s effect was certainly significant.
‘To profit from PK alone, I’ll need to be at least level 100.’
The current rankers were already over level 200.
It seemed best to focus on leveling up without distractions until the buff wore off.
‘Still, they saw my face.’
Lee Shin narrowed his eyes.
He wasn't worried that his real identity had been discovered.
In Avala Online 1, he had so many enemies that he always kept his face covered, and other players’ personal information wasn't visible unless they set it to public themselves.
A ranker who had fought him before might have recognized something from his movements, but…
‘Both of them moved like beginners.’
They didn't have the skill to deduce his identity from his movements.
However, he was concerned they might come after him once their death penalty ended.
They obviously wouldn't come alone; they'd bring their friends.
‘…I should leave as soon as possible. Or get a disguise.’
Lee Shin made a quick decision.
He would try to complete the quest as fast as possible during their three-day death penalty, and if he couldn't finish it by then, he would get a disguise.
He'd have to buy a disguise kit from the auction house, but he was planning to buy one later anyway.
He would just think of it as buying it a little early!
‘Well then…’
Having quickly assessed the situation, Lee Shin resumed hunting.
* * *
“I have returned.”
Lee Shin returned to Kilgeo just as the time limit was up.
Kilgeo, who had been waiting, spoke with a slightly disappointed expression.
“You’re late!”
“My apologies.”
He had given what he thought was an easy task, yet Lee Shin had used up all the time.
But when he checked the detailed results, his eyes widened in shock.
[Hunt the Street’s Petty Thieves: 507/100]
“To catch just 100 of them… Whaaaat!!?”
Kilgeo’s reprimand turned into a gasp of astonishment.
He had used all the time, but even considering that, the number of thieves Lee Shin had caught was astounding.
“…A-amazing!”
[You have exceeded the quest limit!]
[Your Affinity with Kilgeo has greatly increased!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level….]
[You have learned the skill, Stealth.]
[Beginner Stealth Lv. 1: Use Mana to conceal your presence.]
“Thank you.”
“As I thought, my eyes did not deceive me! You have a talent for killing!”
“This son of a…”
“What was that?”
“Haha, it was nothing.”
Lee Shin swallowed his curse.
Kilgeo, laughing heartily, glanced at Lee Shin’s worn iron sword and spoke.
“Hmm? Say, your weapon is quite worn out, isn't it?”
“Yes? Ah.”
As he said, the condition of Lee Shin’s weapon was poor for his level.
It was unavoidable, as his lightning-fast growth came at the cost of a plummeting item drop rate.
He would have to save up gold and buy one from a shop later.
“Haha, it’s because I’m a new adventurer….”
“Is that so? Then use this.”
“?”
[You have acquired an item.]
[Well-Honed Dagger]
• Durability: 141/150
• Attack Power: 30
“…!!?”
A surprised Lee Shin looked at Kilgeo.
This was something that happened because his affinity was so high!
Considering that NPCs usually despised players with high infamy, Kilgeo was a very peculiar case.
‘What kind of person was he, really…?’
What kind of life must he have lived to feel favorable toward someone with such high infamy?
Lee Shin was incredibly curious, but he had no way of finding out right now.
Because Kilgeo’s next trial had already begun.
“Let us proceed immediately to the second trial.”
“Yes.”
[Kilgeo gives you the second trial.]
Kilgeo’s Second Trial
• Hunt the Street’s Elite Thieves: 0/50
• Time Limit: 3 hours
‘Elite thieves?’
He had been hunting for hours but had never seen this type before.
As Lee Shin narrowed his eyes, Kilgeo added an explanation.
“You won’t find them around here.”
“Then where can I find them?”
“You can find them if you go down that alley. It’s darker and more dangerous.”
[A new location has been marked on your map.]
“…I will be back!”
* * *
Heading to the location marked on the map, he saw the elite thieves, just as Kilgeo had said.
They were slightly larger than the common petty thieves and had long scars on their cheeks.
Overall, they didn't look too different.
‘I want to know their level.’
Lee Shin looked around.
He was hoping to find another player to use as a reference.
But besides Lee Shin and the thieves, there was no one else around.
“Tsk. Well.”
Quite a lot of time had passed since Avala Online 2 had launched.
This meant there had been more than enough time for all sorts of information to spread.
The community openly advised against it, so what kind of player would come to Eteun?
The only reason would be for a class change, but rogue-type classes could be obtained in other regions as well.
So there was no reason to risk gaining infamy by starting in Eteun.
Even if they did come, they would level up in other regions first.
The players he had just met were a very unusual case.
‘Unless they’re someone like me who doesn’t care about infamy.’
But such people were a minority.
Most people just enjoyed the game normally.
In any case, he wanted to use another player as a reference, but there were none to be seen.
Normally, he might have waited a bit, but this time he had a time limit and had to hurry.
‘Can’t be helped.’
In that case, he had no choice but to test the waters himself.
Lee Shin raised his sword.