Chapter 40
Chapter 40
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: The Specter
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After finishing the main event, we gathered at the pub and had a wild night.
Ri Keruna grabbed a beer mug and climbed onto the table, shouting.
“Ganbei!”
Crack.
The table leg snapped, and Ri Keruna fell.
Crash!
Beer poured down on his head.
-What are you doing, boss? Hahaha!
-Damn, guess I owe the owner a new table. Hey, barkeep! Put this on my tab too!
Ri Keruna picked himself up, grinning brightly.
“Oof, my back. Barkeep, one more round quick! Tonight’s on me!”
Everyone was having a blast.
Even Yoo Sora, who’d looked glum the whole time we’d been staying here, was chatting noisily with Ri Keruna’s crew, enjoying the moment.
I leaned back in my chair and lit a cigarette.
Sizzle. Sizzle.
Inhale.
Exhale.
“Cheers?”
As I raised my beer mug, Jeongwoo lifted his too.
“Cheers.”
Clink!
The mugs bumped with a crisp sound. I downed my beer in one go and stuck the cigarette back in my mouth.
“Whew. Everyone’s hyped.”
“Can you blame them? Thanks to you, we’ve all got hope for survival now. With these traits, those no-name scrubs won’t stand a chance.”
“……Yeah.”
Huh?
The air suddenly turned cold, and all conversations cut off.
It wasn’t outright killing intent, but a strange aura filled the pub. Jeongwoo gripped his axe handle.
I slowly inhaled my cigarette and scanned the room.
“……So it’s finally started moving.”
[System Message]
[Specters have begun roaming the ‘Ruined Village.’]
No sooner had I spoken than a small child with a transparent body passed right through the closed pub door from outside.
Silence fell.
The little kid, clutching a teddy bear, looked around the pub and tilted its head.
“No one here?”
Everyone held their breath at those words.
I exhaled white cigarette smoke and spoke to the kid.
Exhale.
“Kid. The person you’re looking for isn’t here.”
“They’re not?”
“Nope. And this isn’t a place for you anyway. Get out.”
“……Okay.”
The specter gave a cheeky smile and walked toward the exit.
Click. Click. Click. Click.
Its shoe sounds stopped right at the pub door.
“Wait a sec?”
The specter slowly turned back.
It started scanning the players in the pub again.
Its eyes turned red.
I gripped Dragon Fang and looked where its gaze landed.
Yoo Sora.
“Why’s she here?”
Yoo Sora blinked in confusion.
“Huh? Kiddo! Why’s your big sis here?”
“You’re not supposed to be in the Land of Ruin.”
“Me? What are you talking about?”
“……I have to take you.”
The specter bent its legs like it was jumping in place, then leaped high.
Its body glided through the air light as a paper airplane.
I yelled.
“Michael, block that thing!”
Michael pulled a pistol from his pocket and stuck close to Yoo Sora.
“Holy shit.”
Bang!
A bullet infused with holy magic fired at the specter.
The glowing bullet passed straight through the specter and embedded in the ceiling.
Thud.
The specter landed in front of Yoo Sora in an instant and squinted at her face.
“Hmm.”
It floated in the air like a fairy, scratching its head.
“Oh, no. You’re a player.”
Oblivious Yoo Sora beamed and patted the specter’s head like it was a child.
“Huh? What’re you saying?”
“My bad, I mistook you. You look just like her.”
“Kiddo, who do I look like?”
“……Never mind.”
The specter’s eyes lost their red glow and turned transparent again.
It glanced at me, smirked, and flew out of the pub.
All the players who knew what specters were let out sighs of relief.
-Phew!
Ri Keruna shook out his beer-soaked hair and groaned.
“Ugh. Why the hell’s that specter wandering around tonight of all nights?”
-Yeah, boss. It took Jin Chaifeng from our group last time.
-Jin Chaifeng? Jin Souchun got nabbed too.
Two specter appearances in a one-month cycle meant it moved every 10-15 days at least.
“…….”
I went over to Yoo Sora and looked her up and down.
‘Who’d she get mistaken for?’
No clue.
Any NPC resembling her?
Couldn’t recall.
Yoo Sora shyly tugged down her blouse.
“W-Why?”
“……Nothing.”
“Did I do something wrong?”
“No. That kid just said you looked like someone. Wanted to check.”
“……Can I keep drinking?”
“……Sure.”
Ri Keruna’s gang filled the pub with noise again, ramping up the excitement.
-Ganbei!
-Boss! Ganbei’s cheers, right? Cheers! Cheers to player Kim Cheonjae!
Clink!
I smiled at them, then returned to my seat and asked Ma Jeongwoo.
“Any NPC that looks like Sora?”
“Nope. Not that I know of.”
“……Right?”
One offhand line from the specter stuck in my head.
[You look just like her.]
[Not supposed to be in the Land of Ruin.]
Who’d she resemble? And why couldn’t that person be here?
My expression hardened, so Jeongwoo nudged my shoulder and pushed a mug over.
“Hey, another round?”
“……Sure.”
While enjoying the booze, I checked the new system window that had popped up.
[Trait]
▷Soul Ring (Stat Sharing)
-Place a soul ring on 1 leader summon to share stats.
[(Player + Summon Count)/2 = Bonus]
I’d gotten one of the three top traits for necromancers.
I designated Park Gyuhwan as leader summon and used Soul Ring.
[Summon List]
-ⓁPark Gyuhwan (Soldier) 1/1: Idle
My status window showed all stats boosted 1.5x.
●Status Window
Name: Kim Cheonjae
Class: Necromancer
Level: 20
HP: 340/340
MP: 83/83
Stamina: 22+20 Attack: 24+19
Defense: 21+8 Speed: 22+30
[Skill Window]- Preview Closed
Stat cap was 99, and I was already nearing 40-50s.
“……Jeongwoo.”
“Yeah?”
“You know we gotta prep for the next round tomorrow, right?”
Jeongwoo nodded.
“Yeah. The car? How many we need?”
“Four of us, so one’s enough.”
“Cool, I’ll grab it. You handle your stuff.”
“……Okay.”
* * * * *
Dawn broke.
[System Message]
[Daily Quest ‘???’ Rank Completed]
[Reward: ‘Necromancer Exclusive Skill Book’ granted.]
I got the skill book from the quest supply NPC.
Opening it revealed several skills.
-Summon
-Curse
-Mastery
“……Choose.”
[‘Skeleton Mastery’ selected.]
[From now on, all of Kim Cheonjae’s skeleton summons are one rank higher.]
[ex. Low -> Mid -> High -> Top ->]
The quest supply NPC asked me.
“Shall I issue today’s daily quest too?”
“No thanks. Taking it easy today. Appreciate it.”
The NPC smiled brightly.
“No problem.”
As I stepped out, Michael fell in beside me.
Yoo Sora had drunk too much and was resting at the inn. Jeongwoo went alone to get a vehicle for the next round.
So the bored-looking Michael tagged along with me.
“Cheonjae Kim!”
“We leave tomorrow, so no time to waste. Let’s move fast today.”
“Got it.”
“Just to be sure—you know you can’t use holy spells on me, right?”
Michael patted his pistol and grinned.
“Yes.”
Wonder if he really gets it.
There are three special summons available near this village.
Oogwee failed, so scratch that.
Of the remaining two, one’s finding the Yeti King’s tomb in the ‘Northern Spine Mountains.’
The other’s waking one of the legendary warriors in the ‘Central Plains’ on the way to the next round.
Tough choice.
Not enough time today to hit both.
To make the next round safer, better to recruit as many sword masters as possible.
Decision made. I told Michael.
“……Michael. Let’s go.”
I brought Park Gyuhwan along this time, just in case.
Heading south from the village, a guard blocked my path at the gate.
“No permit, no exiting south.”
“Here.”
I showed him the entry/exit permit Kim Juncheol had written.
It’s issued after the main event.
After checking, he let us through south. Golden desert stretched out, dotted with Z Virus-infected animals.
Park Gyuhwan rested a hand on his sword hilt and took point.
The monsters parted to either side like they were scared, clearing a path.
Instinctively avoiding him.
We ignored them and pressed on.
After walking over an hour, the ground shifted from sand to hard dirt.
[Northern Central Plains]
The landscape opened up like a savanna from TV.
Different animals appeared.
Giraffes, rhinos, lions, hyenas, zebras.
Heading to our goal, we even saw non-infected animals.
Like the elephant passing right in front of me now.
Prrrrroooo!
Its footsteps shook the ground.
Thud!
“……Cheonjae Kim. Isn’t this dangerous?”
“Shut up. Talking draws eyes. Stay quiet.”
“Shut up again? Okay.”
Should’ve left before sunrise.
Heat rose across the vast plains.
Michael and I wiped sweat from our brows and kept going.
“……Found it.”
A dome-shaped village appeared on the horizon.
Where the legendary warrior slept.
I approached the soldier guarding the entrance.
“Hello.”
Buildings from another era, far from the ruined village vibe.
Just an hour and a half walk away, but it felt like stepping back in time.
“Who’re you.”
“Travelers.”
“Travelers? Sorry, plague’s going around. No outsiders allowed.”
I pulled out Kim Juncheol’s permit and showed him.
“Here.”
“……Huh? This is!”
“Is the mayor inside?”
The guard switched attitudes fast.
“……Yes. I’ll escort you in.”
One of the two guards led us into the village.
Old houses lined the streets.
This village, modeled after Seoul after Japanese occupation, handles all later storylines—an incredibly important spot.
Daekyungseong (Great Capital)
Where players from every server gather.