Chapter 101
Chapter 101
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 101
Chapter Title: VER.C.PRIM Adventurer Village
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Kyarrgh-!
A video of a monster someone had filmed.
It looked far more ferocious and grotesque than the monsters inside Ninapinta.
When the monster shook its head, nearby buildings crumbled.
Joo-ho, watching the video, made a sour face. Even though he wasn't fighting it right now, fear made his heart pound again.
He kept imagining himself being torn apart by those sharp teeth.
Thanks to the association's amazing products, his torn arm had been fully restored, but the pain and terror were still vivid in his mind.
He had to overcome this fear. That's why Joo-ho was currently simulating by watching YouTube videos.
He'd been designated an A-rank hunter, and with so many people relying on him, he couldn't be a burden.
Kyarrgh-!
"Uwaaah...."
When the monster in the video let out a savage roar, Joo-ho groaned and quickly fled to the comments section.
- Honestly, I still can't get used to the realistic fantasy stuff ㄷㄷ
- A monster's rampaging and this guy's filming it? What the hell?
- How'd that building collapse? Any casualties?
- Everyone evacuated safely, no deaths, but quite a few got seriously hurt by debris ㅠㅠ
He was easing his fear by reading comments alongside the video when suddenly a head popped up beside him.
"What're you watching that you're shaking like a leaf?"
"!!!"
Joo-ho, who had been focused, jumped at the sudden presence and whipped his head around.
A girl who looked about middle-school age was blinking at the video on his phone.
He stared at her blankly for a moment, and she seemed familiar.
'Her name was Lee Sae-byeok, right?'
The unawakened girl that the association's scary kids followed around. He'd passed her many times inside the association building, so he knew her face somehow.
Every time he trolled inside gates, the association kids would come looking for Lee Sae-byeok—he knew her name well because of that.
Joo-ho found it surprising that one of the association's secretly famous kids had approached him first, so he just stared at her blankly, unable to speak easily.
Then, a beat late, he opened his mouth.
"Ah, uh, I was watching gate videos."
Lee Sae-byeok suddenly giggled.
"If you're scared of monsters in videos, what're you gonna do for real?"
"Yeah...."
"I've heard a lot from the kids. YouTube bro's a total scaredy-cat, right?"
"Uh, what?"
Rude first words.
'She's a little... rude.'
Joo-ho stuttered in surprise and asked back. It was true, but hearing it from someone he wasn't close to stung a bit.
Hiding his hurt expression, Joo-ho let out a long sigh and ruffled his yellow hair with his hand.
"Yeah.... Compared to actual working hunters, I'm seriously lacking. Somehow I got power beyond my station, and I'm just causing trouble nonstop."
"...."
Lee Sae-byeok's expression turned subtle as she listened. She seemed about to say something but closed her mouth, fell silent in thought, then muttered.
"....Huh. For a guy who suddenly got strong power, you're a decent one."
"Hm?"
"I was gonna grab you by the hair if you were strutting around like hot shit just 'cause you're A-rank."
"Ah.... Really?"
"Yeah."
Lee Sae-byeok sat down next to Joo-ho and chugged the grape juice she'd gotten from the vending machine on the way.
Lately, Lee Sae-byeok hated everyone who awakened with strong abilities.
Especially those who couldn't even use their powers properly but got drunk on their high ranks.
When she heard a famous A-rank awakening YouTuber was causing trouble in gates, disgust surged and she came looking—but meeting him in person cooled her off.
Lee Sae-byeok crushed the empty grape juice can flat.
"...."
"...."
'Sshould I leave?'
Lee Sae-byeok was acting like she had something to say, making it awkward to just get up and go.
He wished she'd say something, but she sat there silently, lost in thought.
Joo-ho fiddled with his phone, then searched YouTube to break the ice.
He found a video of someone hilariously burning food while cooking and was about to say something when Lee Sae-byeok spoke first.
"You don't have to go into gates anymore."
"Uh, what? Why? For real?"
"Yeah. Your handler'll contact you soon. They're changing how hunter ranks are assigned. Not worldwide, just in Korea. You're roughly A-6 rank, and 6-rank means Ninapinta Dungeon with 60% pain tolerance."
"Huh, really?? What does 6-rank mean?"
"Gate ability utilization rank."
The rank adjustment was actually the result of some scheming to get into gates.
If they didn't qualify, change the criteria.
When she asked Seo Do-yoon to handle the rough plan, she was already prepared and processed it lightning-fast.
Under the new ranking, Lee Sae-byeok's measured rank was N1-rank. Thanks to that, she could run gates with the kids a bit longer.
"Phew, what a relief...."
Joo-ho murmured softly at the thought of escaping gates, even if just for a while.
Lately, even a KakaoTalk notification had him on the verge of neurosis from fear.
He was terrified it might be about a gate schedule, so he'd turned off all his alerts.
Now that wouldn't happen. Joo-ho looked down at the phone in his hand.
But then guilt hit him—people were dying in gates, and here he was, an A-rank asset, pulling back. He felt pathetic.
Lee Sae-byeok watched Joo-ho, whose emotions showed plainly on his face, then brushed off her butt and stood up.
"....No one isn't scared when their life's on the line."
"Huh?"
"No normal person's not scared when their life's on the line. You're doing pretty well for a newbie, so don't get too down no matter what I say. Th-the association kids were all crybaby scaredy-cats at first too."
Lee Sae-byeok scratched her cheek awkwardly, then looked at Joo-ho's phone. Some weirdo was burning food.
"And instead of watching YouTube cooking fails, do more gate simulations."
"Uh.... Got it."
'Rude on dungeon level, but....'
He turned off the still-open YouTube, trying to chat with Lee Sae-byeok.
She was rude and subtly sharp-tongued, a bit off-putting, but weirdly not entirely hateable. Maybe he was tamed by dungeon rudeness.
Lee Sae-byeok hesitated like she might leave or stay, then spoke again.
Just one more nag since he seemed nice.
"You didn't 'happen' to get that power. Like it or not, it's what you were given, so since you have it, raise it well."
"Hm?"
"No, tch, I mean, I'll come find you later to spar for training, so train hard in-game meanwhile."
Lee Sae-byeok spat it out, then strode off, tossing the crumpled grape juice can into the trash and vanishing.
'A bit brash, but... thanks....'
The nagging mixed with encouragement felt welcome. It might just be words, but she even offered to help later.
Thinking he should buy her something tasty next time, Joo-ho checked KakaoTalk.
Messages piled up from his YouTube manager, his hunter handler, and....
"Su-hwan hyung?"
Han Su-hwan hyung, who always treated him to booze and meat, had messaged. Checking call logs, there were a few missed calls too.
Joo-ho replied to the manager and handler messages he'd put off due to personal fears, then opened Han Su-hwan's stacked chats.
...
...
Han Su-hwan: This hyung picked out prime leveling dungeons and bought tons of攻略 rights!!!!
Han Su-hwan: No time ㅠㅠ
Han Su-hwan: I'll pin the locations, so when you see this, come to Ninapinta quick and help with what I asked?
Han Su-hwan: Not just攻略 rights, I'll buy you food and whatever you want!!!
Han Su-hwan: Call as soon as you see this!
* * *
Step one: Plant the Daboseok fantasy in players' minds.
For the first day, he used multiple accounts to post Daboseok info every hour.
-Hidden dungeon cultist at it again with bullshit
-What now
-Fine;;; not falling for it;;;;
Cold reactions.
With so many dungeon bait posts (auction dates, item sale locations, etc.), people had learned to filter dungeon info.
Next step: Summary posts from famous rankers about dungeons and Daboseok.
Well-connected Han Su-hwan asked his ranker buddies to post analyses on dungeons and Daboseok items.
-Rankers all doing this together? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ super suspicious
-Dungeon talk always makes 'em suspicious. Definitely some shady group
Too many scammers with dungeon info, so public opinion manipulation was tougher than expected.
Anxious Han Su-hwan messaged Moderator.
Moderator: Could be people like me who don't want Daboseok dungeon info spreading stirring things up ^^
Moderator: Groups watching dungeons have multiplied lately.
Five minutes later, another message.
Moderator: Checked, and the ones starting negative Daboseok comments are switching nicks/accounts to keep going.
Moderator: Want me to block their IPs for a bit?
Han Su-hwan: If you help, I won't refuse. Love you!!!
Moderator: ^^;;
For a moment, suspicious comments went quiet.
Then, suddenly, one post flipped the community's view of Daboseok.
「[Free Board] Wait, so what the hell is Daboseok anyway everyone;;;??
It's been crazy lately
The sudden push to spread Daboseok hype is weird, but blindly refusing to believe is suspicious too, right?
Honestly, I think it's a hidden unreleased continent the devs stashed ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-ㄹㅇㅋㅋㅋ Always check info posts even if fake, but aggressively calling it all lies is weird
-I wanna go if Daboseok's real.
-Blocking forces probably want to monopolize info lolㅋㅋㅋㅋ」
Comments and posts poking holes in Daboseok skepticism started appearing.
Around now, 'don't get manipulated' and 'all-time dungeon bait list' posts should've popped up, but with key counter-forces gone, positive sparks ignited.
Moderator: Put out some paid comments to start the opinion flow too ^^
Han Su-hwan: Whoa, you're going that far?(cute eyes emoticon)
Moderator: Call in a favor from me later when I need it(shy face emoticon)
「[Free Board] Yo, is Daboseok real? Heard it is?」
「[攻略 Board] Bragging my old Sparkle series buys」
As people started biting, Han Su-hwan recalled Moderator's old tricks and posted mixing a bit of truth with lots of exaggeration.
「[攻略 Board] You can synthesize insane stuff if you process field weeds/rocks right
Obsessed with dungeon sparkles, Daboseok series 'cause pretty, heard you can make epics with 'em if done right
-This is a bit...;;;
-All known Daboseok mats are organics, epic synth?
-Tone down the pipe dreams
-Put down the kimchi soup for your mental health」
"...."
Han Su-hwan posted a few more, but the exaggeration ratio was high, reactions poor across the board.
Moderator: You're fighting the good fight ㅎㅎ That's all the help from me. Fighting!
Han Su-hwan: Ahh....ㅠㅠ Kinda embarrassing nowㅋㅋㅋ
Han Su-hwan: Moderator, seemed like you had a favor to ask earlier—tell me anytime!
Moderator: ^^b
Han Su-hwan shut off his computer in embarrassment and moved to the next prep phase.
Luckily, the small spark he lit in the community grew in his desired direction.
Han Su-hwan opened his fat phone wallet case, unlocked it, and punched in numbers.
"Ah, yes, yes. Noona. Su-hwan here. Yes yes. You soaked liquor in an animal that looks like me? Ah, sending snake liquor again? No, more than that, noona, heard about the hot Ninapinta hidden continent stuff lately....... Yes? You think it's fake? Nah.... Early opinions were like that, but they say shady info-hoarding groups manipulated it. Oh, anyway, I got killer Daboseok info......"
Han Su-hwan contacted his rich contacts one by one, sending prepared VIP auction invites.
Minutes later, he closed his hot phone and erased 'solidify public opinion' from the whiteboard.
Next phase.
Make the auction house look legit.