The God of Controls' One-Coin Clear: Finding the Beads (5)
In the forest clearing where Andromalius waited for the players, quite a crowd had already gathered.
“This doesn’t look good.”
Arem, a player from the fantasy dimension of Eden, scowled deeply. From the start, he had been waiting in the clearing with the intention of robbing other players of the beads they had collected.
But the appearance of the giant serpent Aksharon had twisted his plans completely. A significant number of players, fleeing from Aksharon, had returned to the clearing without even gathering any beads.
“Why are they coming back without collecting any?”
“Because the Demon King is camped out right here. They’re probably thinking it’s safer.”
“This is bad.”
There were far too many eyes watching now. Even if a player showed up carrying beads, stealing them would be difficult. Sure, he could take them by force, but the aftermath would be the real problem.
Thinking about why these players had returned made it obvious. They, too, had come with the same idea as Arem—to ambush anyone carrying beads.
Of course, not all of them necessarily felt that way. Some might simply be waiting for the giant snake to disappear before heading back out to search again.
But if, at this moment, a player who had gathered beads stepped forward toward Andromalius, it was obvious that chaos would erupt as everyone swarmed to attack that one person.
“Ugh, it’s all because of that damn snake monster.”
“We can’t even kill it. Twenty players got swallowed whole without being able to do a thing.”
“Is it really that strong?”
“They say you need an Aura Sword just to scratch its scales, and even then, the wounds regenerate in ten seconds.”
At his companion’s words, Arem shook his head.
“So it’s completely unkillable.”
Aura Sword. Sword energy.
In the Eden dimension, being able to use Aura Sword didn’t make someone top-tier, but it was a technique only knights with a regional reputation could wield.
“Because of that thing, no one even dares to gather beads. What the hell was the Demon King thinking, releasing something like that into the forest?”
“It probably means he doesn’t want us to hunt comfortably and gather beads easily. He wants us to struggle and suffer while we search.”
“Damn it. I heard powerful monsters have appeared in the northern forest too.”
“Why so impatient? It’s not like we’re the ones who have to clear it. Let’s just stick to the original plan.”
Arem shook his head again.
That’s exactly why you’re being impatient. There’s no way someone who managed to gather beads in a forest crawling with monsters like these would be an easy target.
Arem wasn’t interested in recklessly challenging the strong. His goal was simply to rob the beads that weaker players had painstakingly collected.
Clicking his tongue, Arem scanned the clearing. Even a rough count put the number of players in the dozens. Factoring in those hiding their presence around the perimeter, the total was likely even higher.
Even if the guy who shows up is fairly strong, we should still be able to take the beads. Numbers don’t lie.
But the scene that would follow was painfully obvious. The moment someone brought beads into this clearing, it would turn into a bloodbath.
“I didn’t expect to end up here.”
Taeyang clicked his tongue in disbelief.
The monstrous bird Stan, poisoned by the green sand scorpion’s venom, had flown all the way back to its own nest. Thanks to that, Taeyang had obtained beads he hadn’t even planned on getting.
And not just one—five of them.
With that, he had collected all eighteen beads.
Taeyang gained stats equivalent to twenty-eight achievements. At the same time, he completed all the bead-related achievements.
“Are there any eggs or something around here? I feel like they’d make a great sunny-side up.”
Taeyang applied the powdered sap of a grass flower to his wounds. Originally, the powder was a narcotic that caused paralysis and hallucinations, but the line between medicine and poison was paper-thin. In extremely small amounts, it could also be used as a painkiller.
“Yeah. It’s finally bearable now.”
It wasn’t his first time experiencing pain in virtual reality. Gritting his teeth and enduring it made it manageable.
The chat window scrolled rapidly downward. Taeyang and Hyeonhye ignored the messages and continued discussing their next steps.
“By now, the players should’ve been wiped out by Aksharon, right?”
“Then they must be targeting us right about now.”
It wasn’t exactly a secret that Aksharon was a relentless hunter. After all, there was even a saying about being “as persistent as a snake.”
After finishing his treatment, Taeyang busily plucked feathers from the monstrous bird Stan and coated them with as much green sand scorpion venom as possible.
“With this, we’re fully prepared to hunt Aksharon.”
Use Stan’s sharp feathers to slice through Aksharon’s scales, then apply the scorpion’s neurotoxin to slow it down and suppress its regeneration. Even then, Aksharon would still be a formidable monster, but at least it was now within the realm of what could be hunted.
After leaving Stan’s nest, Taeyang suddenly lowered his stance and hid behind cover.
“There’s something here.”
Taeyang scanned his surroundings. In that short time, a strange tension had settled over the forest. Just moments ago, the air hadn’t felt this heavy.
His senses, enhanced by twenty-seven achievement bonuses, had instinctively detected the danger.
It was a common occurrence as players climbed higher in the tower—the player would sense danger while the viewers remained clueless.
Grrrr.
From the exact direction Taeyang had been watching, a red-striped leopard appeared. It had its nose to the ground, clearly tracking his scent.
Taeyang didn’t lower his guard. There was something bigger. Something much larger.
At that moment, something pounced on the leopard.
Crunch!
A massive serpent covered in gray scales. It was Aksharon.
Hiss.
Aksharon flicked its forked tongue. Taeyang stared at the serpent and pulled out one of Stan’s feathers.
Crack.
Just by moving, Aksharon shattered the surrounding trees. The snake was slowly slithering closer to Taeyang.
Taeyang let out a small breath.
No need to doubt myself.
He could do this.
The divinity synergy he had obtained in the extremely early stages of the 4th floor. The bonus from twenty-seven achievements. Stan’s feathers and the green sand scorpion’s venom. His preparations were perfect.
Taeyang swallowed hard and counted down in his mind.
Three.
Two.
One.
Whoosh!
Stan’s feather shot toward Aksharon.
By now the sun was beginning to set.
Andromalius, who had been sitting in his chair with an expressionless face while stroking his pet snake, suddenly lifted his head.
“Oh-ho.”
For the first time since the mission began, an expression appeared on his face. If one had to put it into words, it was interest.
“So he’s facing that thing alone.”
Soon after, a vibration that shook the entire forest rattled the clearing.
Rumble!
Kssssssssssssshaaa!
“What is that? Did something happen on the other side?”
“That sound… it’s ‘that snake,’ isn’t it?”
“The snake?”
“Then does that mean someone is fighting ‘that snake’ right now?”
A commotion broke out among the players.
“I’m moving now. Anyone coming?”
“Me too! I just need one more bead to complete my goal.”
“Hey! Let’s go together!”
Players fearlessly heading into the night forest. Normally they wouldn’t have made such a decision, but the tension and impatience created by the appearance of a powerful monster drove them forward. They wanted to get out of the forest as quickly as possible.
Player Arem’s eyes gleamed as he watched them leave.
This isn’t bad at all.
The competition for ambushes would decrease, and the supply of beads would increase. Arem especially burned the faces of players who shouted that they had almost finished collecting their beads into his memory.
After the first wave of players left, a long silence followed. About thirty minutes passed.
“I don’t hear any screams.”
“Did they succeed in hunting it?”
“No, that doesn’t make sense. There was no sign of a large group moving.”
“How would you know that?”
“Even if it’s just one or two people, when that many move it’s pretty obvious.”
“We don’t know if they hunted it or not. Maybe the snake just left.”
When Aksharon had first hunted the initial twenty players, bloodcurdling screams had echoed through the forest for a long time. Based on their experience, the players concluded that Aksharon was no longer nearby.
At that moment, a man entered the clearing.
“Who the hell is that guy?”
His clothes were half-torn rags, with only his belt looking fancy. A man with a shoulder injury and an extremely exhausted appearance. It was Taeyang.
Arem immediately realized that this was the player who had collected all the beads.
“Hey. Get ready.”
“Alright. Looking at his face, it seems like he went through a lot.”
Without hesitation, Arem and his companions drew their blades and moved toward Taeyang. They weren’t the only ones. The players who had never left the perimeter of the clearing moved as well.
Arem muttered carefully.
“We go slowly. Test the waters first. The guy who gathered beads in the middle of all this chaos definitely has some tricks up his sleeve. There’s no need for us to take the risk, right?”
“We’ve held back until now. No reason to hold back anymore.”
Half of the players who had been staying in the clearing all converged on Taeyang at once.
Crack. Crack.
Taeyang rolled his neck.
“I did collect the beads, but… don’t you guys need some traffic control? Will the ones I brought be enough?”
“First come, first served!”
“Watch your back!”
There was one Taeyang, and a whole group of players. Naturally, the players saw each other as competitors rather than Taeyang.
The impatient players charged at Taeyang with bloodshot eyes.
“Getting looked down on like this… that’s a new one.”
Taeyang shot forward toward the players. The word “shot” was far more accurate than “ran” or “dashed.”
Thud.
The players couldn’t even react properly.
Bam.
One punch shattered a lower jaw.
Bang.
One kick folded a spine in half.
The average number of achievements among the players was four. Taeyang had twenty-seven. The difference in level was greater than that between an adult and a child.
“Crazy!”
“How is he this strong?!”
To those trying to flee, Taeyang threw Stan’s feathers.
Since I won’t be able to use them again anyway, I might as well use them all.
The green sand scorpion’s venom oxidized within three hours of leaving the stinger. Stan’s feathers also lost their sharpness as their magic power drained after being plucked.
They were literally weapons made exclusively for fighting Aksharon.
Starburst High Kick.
Booom!
After the player knocked unconscious by the Starburst High Kick, silence fell over the clearing.
Thirty seconds. In just thirty seconds, half of the players who had rushed Taeyang had lost their lives.
Taeyang looked around and shouted.
“Anyone else need beads? If so, come out.”
No one stepped forward.
It was a completely different picture from what Arem had imagined. Arem broke out in a cold sweat and grabbed his companion, who had drawn his sword.
“L-let’s do it next time. Now doesn’t seem like the right moment.”
“Y-yeah. You’re right. This isn’t it.”
Taeyang, who had been looking around, muttered.
“If no one needs any, I’ll be going first.”
Hesitantly.
The players in the direction Taeyang was walking parted like the Red Sea before Moses.
Andromalius, who had been sitting at the end of Taeyang’s path, let out a small chuckle.
“You came.”
“Yeah. I’m here.”
“Spit the beads out here.”
The snake wrapped around Andromalius’s right arm opened its mouth wide. Taeyang poured in the beads he had collected.
Clink. Clink.
One. Two. Three… Ten. Eleven.
Arem muttered with a horrified face.
“My god, how many beads did he collect?”
…Seventeen. Eighteen.
In the end, eighteen beads piled up inside the snake’s mouth.
Andromalius looked at Taeyang and smiled.
“Eighteen. A very respectable score.”
At the same time, a system window appeared.
[2-1 Finding the Beads: Collect 3 beads. - Pass]
[Achievements Acquired: King Snake Hunter, Monstrous Bird Hunter, Bead Collector (3), Bead Collector (5), Bead Collector (7), Bead Search Clear.]