Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: A Notorious Return
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Lee Shin slowly approached, sword in hand.
Confident in his control, he wasn't particularly worried.
He figured he could easily escape if things went south.
'Still, just in case.'
[Stealth has been activated.]
[Mana will be consumed continuously.]
Lee Shin's form flickered, then began to fade, starting from his fingertips.
The skill level was still low, making it crude, but his stealthy movements compensated for its shortcomings.
Tiptoe.
He quietly closed the distance.
Lee Shin aimed for the Elite Thief's neck and swung his sword.
[A powerful critical hit has landed!]
The attack from stealth resulted in a powerful critical hit.
However, likely due to its higher level, the thief wasn't stunned this time.
Instead, it quickly recovered and shoved Lee Shin away.
"Ugh?! Who are you!"
"…!"
Lee Shin was pushed back several meters. At the same time, the tip of the thief's sword glowed red.
'A skill!'
As expected of an elite, it seemed to have an attack skill.
Lee Shin lowered his stance and raised his sword, preparing for the enemy's attack.
It wasn't that he lacked the confidence to dodge, but he wanted to block it first to gauge its approximate level.
Clang!
[You have perfectly blocked the attack!]
[Weapon durability will not decrease.]
Lee Shin flexed his hand and leaped backward.
His eyes narrowed.
“……”
Although he had blocked it perfectly, his hand tingled, indicating a significant stat difference.
The opponent's level was higher than he thought.
'Around level 35, I guess.'
In contrast, Lee Shin's current level was 26.
He had gained some levels from the first trial, perhaps due to a buff, but it still wasn't enough.
Only then did Lee Shin realize that this trial from Kilgeo was surprisingly difficult.
Even for a unique grade quest, this was only the second trial.
To ask him to hunt a mob that out-leveled him so significantly?
'Most people would get stuck here.'
The reason was simple: insufficient damage.
An average player at this level wouldn't be able to pierce the defense of a level 35 monster.
Not unless they’d spent real money on expensive equipment from the auction house.
Lee Shin's case, however, was a bit of an exception.
He hadn't invested any stats into health, so his damage output was more than sufficient.
The trade-off was his dangerously low health, but he was confident he could avoid taking hits with his control.
It would have been risky against an opponent with area-of-effect skills, but a thief was unlikely to have any.
AoE skills typically only appeared on much higher-level mobs.
Grip!
Lee Shin tightened his hold on his sword.
He then tilted his head, narrowly dodging an incoming attack.
He plunged his sword into the opponent's neck.
Thwack!!
[A critical hit has landed!]
The opponent's HP dropped instantly.
Lee Shin didn't miss the opportunity.
Tap!
With his other arm, he struck the inside of the opponent's elbow.
Crack!
Simultaneously, he kicked its knee joint.
No matter the level difference, a blow to such a weak point was bound to have an impact!
It was a move only possible for someone like Lee Shin, who had always enjoyed PvP.
It was purely a matter of the player's own senses.
"Kuhk!?"
The thief lost its balance and fell.
Lee Shin pounced on it, relentlessly attacking its vital points.
Struck in its weak spots, the creature didn't last long before collapsing.
[You have gained experience.]
[You have acquired gold.]
[Your Stealth proficiency has increased.]
A notification announced the enemy's death.
[Your infamy has increased.]
[Residents may now express disgust toward you.]
"Hmm?"
While picking up the gold, the last message caught Lee Shin's attention, and he checked his status window.
How high had his infamy become?
[Infamy: 15,000]
'It... has gone up quite a bit.'
Lee Shin nodded, thinking it made sense.
There probably wasn't another player in the starting village with such high infamy.
Of course, compared to his infamy in the original game, this was just a drop in the bucket, but considering his current level, it was an astonishing amount.
What was even more surprising was the situation in the Eteun Kingdom.
'…They're still not coming after me.'
Lee Shin clicked his tongue.
He had wondered if something would change once his infamy surpassed 15,000, but it seemed he didn't need to worry just yet.
Lee Shin moved on to find another Elite Thief.
And there was someone watching him.
* * *
"How are things lately?"
In the monitoring room for Avala Online 2.
Team Leader Jeong So-yeon, who had just arrived at work, handed a warm cup of coffee to Park Seong-hwan as she asked.
Park Seong-hwan, who was monitoring the high-profile rankers, shook his head and replied.
"Nothing unusual. The early race among the rankers is pretty much over... and we had that patch recently, right?"
"The one adjusting experience and drop rates?"
"Yes, because of that, it seems the rankers are starting to look for other paths."
Thanks to the patch, a playstyle focused solely on leveling now had its limits.
To maintain a consistent lead, a different approach was needed.
Things like outstanding achievements or better equipment.
There had been some backlash from the rankers, but it was a necessary measure for the game's long-term health.
After all, the number of new users was already skyrocketing again.
Jeong So-yeon nodded in satisfaction.
"Oh, by the way, Team Leader."
Just then, Park Seong-hwan remembered something and called out to her.
He pointed to a screen and said.
"What's this?"
"Huh? What?"
"It's a user who just started, but the AI keeps flagging him. Do you happen to know who it is?"
"Is his level low?"
"Yes, not even 50."
Jeong So-yeon's eyes widened.
Judging by the level alone, he was just another run-of-the-mill player.
After a moment of thought, she said.
"But if the AI is flagging him, he might have been a ranker in Avala Online 1. The personal data is linked, you know. Did you check that?"
"Well..."
Park Seong-hwan wore a troubled expression.
Seeing this, Jeong So-yeon clapped her hands with a soft "Ah."
"Right. You haven't been with the company for long, have you?"
"Less than a year."
"Then it makes sense you wouldn't know."
Jeong So-yeon approached with a grin and said.
"I'll take a look. Bring it up."
"Yes, here..."
[Lee Shin]
"...Pfft!!!"
Her smiling expression remained as she sprayed a mouthful of coffee all over.
"Cough! Gack!"
"T-Team Leader!?!?"
Jeong So-yeon coughed violently.
It took her quite some time to stop.
Finally catching her breath, she looked up.
[Lee Shin]
But that didn't change what she had clearly seen.
Jeong So-yeon let out a sigh that seemed to come from the depths of her soul.
"Ugh, ah..."
"What's wrong?"
Park Seong-hwan asked with a puzzled look.
From his perspective, it was strange for the team leader to react so strongly to a complete newbie.
Wasn't he just a user who'd chosen the wrong starting point because of some prank on the community forums?
It happened from time to time.
"That's not it."
"Pardon?"
"He went there on the AI's recommendation."
"Huh? You're right. But he went to Eteun? Why?"
Park Seong-hwan's eyes widened, but Jeong So-yeon's reaction was one of course.
Given who the player was.
If *that* Lee Shin received an AI recommendation, it was impossible to imagine him ending up anywhere but Eteun.
"Is he that big of a deal?"
"Of course. We rolled out so many patches because of that user."
"Then why didn't I know? I feel like I would've at least heard rumors."
"He quit partway through."
"Ah..."
But now, he was back.
'I knew we shouldn't have taken him off the blacklist.'
Park Seong-hwan asked.
"But we still have plunderer-type players even now, don't we?"
"We do."
"But they're rarely a problem, right? The system does a good job of keeping them in check. So you don't need to be so worried, do you...?"
It was a valid point, at first glance. But Jeong So-yeon shook her head firmly.
"No."
"?"
"This one... he was on a different level. There was a madness to him, I guess? Anyway, he was anything but ordinary."
"I-Is that so."
Jeong So-yeon nodded and checked Lee Shin's status window.
"His stats are agility-focused, as expected. Is he planning to become a rogue-type class?"
It wasn't strange.
He was a warrior in the first game, but his PvP-oriented playstyle was better suited for a rogue.
If anything, it was back then that he had been wearing ill-fitting clothes.
"He's currently doing a unique grade class-advancement quest."
"That region... Kilgeo's Trial?"
"Yes."
Completing Kilgeo's Trial would grant the Shadow Assassin class.
A pure assassin class specialized in assassination rather than hunting or raids.
It was a very niche class, making an objective evaluation difficult, but it was undoubtedly a perfect fit for Lee Shin.
"...Wait a minute. Isn't this a problem?"
Park Seong-hwan turned his head sharply and asked.
If a user who was already a master of PK obtained a class that perfectly suited his skills, what kind of terrible things would happen later on?
"No. Let's think positively. It's just a unique class, after all."
"To say 'just'..."
"It's lower than a legendary class."
"That's true."
Legendary classes had a strong element of randomness in their performance, but in exchange, their ability to create variables was outstanding, and their growth potential was incredibly high.
But what if that psycho got his hands on a class like that?
'That's a chilling thought.'
Jeong So-yeon rubbed her arms, which were covered in goosebumps.
It was impossible to even guess what might happen.
It was far more comforting for him to get a straightforwardly good unique class.
The class obtained from Kilgeo's Trial was intuitively powerful, but that was it.
Because its skill set was so direct, it would be difficult to pull off any creative, insane stunts.
‘…….’
Jeong So-yeon tried to console herself with that thought, but her anxiety didn't easily subside.
Eventually, she rose from her seat.
"I'm stepping out for a bit. Keep monitoring."
"Yes. Where are you going, Team Leader?"
"To the archives."
It seemed she couldn't rest easy without checking one thing.
'What was it that's in Eteun?'
* * *
"I've returned after hunting them."
[Hunt Elite Street Thieves: 117/50]
"...Incredible!"
[Quest over-fulfilled!]
[Your affinity with Kilgeo has greatly increased.]
[You have learned the skill, Escape.]
Lee Shin cleared his throat with a "Ahem," and replied.
"It was nothing."
"Haha! And humble, too..."
[Your affinity with Kilgeo increases.]
His affinity was rising with practically every breath!
Knowing that there was no harm in raising the class instructor's affinity, Lee Shin took every opportunity to inject humility and flattery.
"This is all thanks to your teachings, Kilgeo..."
Although Lee Shin had been diagnosed with borderline psychopathic tendencies, it didn't mean he was socially inept.
On the contrary, a highly trained psychopath could blend into an organization far better than an ordinary person.
Social skills, even if not innate, could be developed through learning up to a certain point.
In fact, during his school days, Lee Shin had been a celebrity at school, in a good way.
His affable and respectful demeanor earned him high praise from teachers and students alike.
"...is it not?"
And now, those skills were being put to full use.
Kilgeo was completely swept up in Lee Shin's masterful flattery, unable to think straight.
"Haha! You really know your stuff."
Kilgeo laughed heartily, his face completely relaxed!
Lee Shin quickly seized the opening.
"Ahem. By the way, I was injured quite a bit during the battle..."
"Is that so? Then you must need some potions."
[You have acquired an item.]
[You have acquired an item.]
[You have acquired an item...]
"...Thank you!"
Only after getting everything he could did Lee Shin stop the flattery.
He glanced at the new skill he had acquired.
Escape: Low-grade, Level 1
• Consume MP to move quickly. Speed increases when moving away from an enemy.
'Nothing special yet.'
Perhaps because the skill level was low, it offered nothing more than a speed boost.
But as its proficiency increased, it would likely gain additional options like an increased evasion rate, much like Stealth.
Lee Shin closed the status window and asked.
"What should I do now?"