Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: The Thunder Cave Bus Party
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A short while ago.
A single post appeared on the community forums.
>> Party up with Lee Soo-hyuk and you can totally bus the Thunder Cave, right? <<
[Looks like a golden opportunity to leech off the Conrad starters]
It started out like a silly joke.
But plenty of people took notice.
It might not have hit the top of the best posts list.
But with over 5,000 views, that said plenty.
Most of the people who took interest were Players who had chosen the Conrad Kingdom.
Thunder Cave.
The hottest dungeon on the third floor.
Not only were the rewards something to look forward to, but conquering it would make a Player's name known far and wide.
And so, a hastily assembled party was formed.
But humans have a way of going blind with greed, missing what they absolutely should see.
For instance.
Out of dozens of comments, ones like this.
Unhyang was the one who tipped him off.
As if she'd known in advance, she sent the whisper the moment a group appeared in front of Soo-hyuk.
Figuring out what was going on wasn't hard.
"We just happened to pick up the Thunder Cave commission ourselves. If you accept it, we'll be going together."
The man extended his hand and introduced himself.
"I'm Jeremy Bale, from Earth just like you, Soo-hyuk."
A friendly smile as he approached.
But that greeting only twisted Soo-hyuk's mood further.
'That's the only reason?'
Earth origin.
He must have figured claiming the same world origin would build some rapport.
That was why the least impressive-looking guy in the group was the representative.
"Here to leech?"
Jeremy flinched at Soo-hyuk's blunt question.
"Pardon?"
"Weren't you guys the ones who gathered on the forums?"
"Ah, well..."
Not expecting Soo-hyuk to call it out directly, Jeremy hesitated before answering.
"Y-yeah, that's true. But don't mind the comments! The forums are just like that—it's not what we intend at all!"
"Then what's the intent?"
"We're just trying to tackle Thunder Cave together! We'll lend our strength! No leeching or busing, I swear."
"Exactly. We're solid!"
"This'll be my third crack at Thunder Cave already!"
Soo-hyuk scanned the faces of Jeremy and the other Players.
Some looked genuinely indignant, but not all. Not everyone was a good actor.
Even those pulling off the aggrieved faces weren't perfect.
'Thunder Cave with these clowns.'
Its reputation for difficulty aside, Thunder Cave as described by Schneider was way beyond what these small fries could handle.
But.
"...Alone... is no good."
Schneider's words came to mind, and Soo-hyuk grinned beneath his mask.
'They might have some use after all.'
This was why he couldn't quit the mask.
Hiding expressions had its perks.
Soo-hyuk nodded and looked at Jeremy.
"Anyway, let's do this."
"R-really?"
"You already applied for the commission—what can I do? Can't just kill you all because I don't like it."
"H-ha... You're intense."
Jeremy laughed awkwardly, eyes darting. He looked scared, or maybe relieved.
'I'd rather ditch them if possible...'
No matter their utility, openly recruiting on the forums to bus rubbed him wrong.
'Killing or injuring fellow mercenaries on the same commission incurs penalties.'
Unlike when he'd subdued those mercenaries before.
If he hurt or killed these ones here, he might not even be able to take the Thunder Cave commission.
'Did they plan that far ahead?'
If so, they were clever.
Knowing they were weaklings, they'd set it up so Soo-hyuk couldn't act.
Soo-hyuk smiled coldly behind the mask and left a final warning.
"And one more thing to keep in mind."
"What?"
"This is just traveling together. Not comrades. Don't expect that from me."
In other words.
Whatever happens in there, that's on you.
"A letter of recommendation..."
Thankfully, the one Soo-hyuk received did its job.
"Well, well. Can't ignore a rec from Raymond."
Apparently, this Raymond mercenary had some pull.
"Just this once, though."
One time or not, it got Soo-hyuk into the Thunder Cave commission.
Of course.
"Ugh, Raymond... Even so, an E-rank..."
He had to take some flak for it.
Suddenly, Soo-hyuk was stuck with the unenviable viewer nickname "E-Soo-hyuk."
Anyway.
One-off or not, the recommendation let him accept the Thunder Cave commission.
"Departure in one hour. Rally at the city's west gate. See you then."
The mercenary spat the words curtly, clearly displeased with Soo-hyuk.
Having timed his stream to match the raid schedule, Soo-hyuk didn't have much time left.
At the city's west gate.
There were Jeremy and his group from before, plus three mercenaries.
"What? More of you?"
"Why so many?"
The three mercenaries seemed surprised by the numbers.
Thunder Cave raids usually topped out at five people. This one had fourteen.
From their perspective, something was off.
"Here."
Soo-hyuk handed over his mercenary tag and raid permit for ID.
The raid leader, seeing the tag and permit, scowled.
"E-rank?"
"How'd an E-rank get here?"
The raid leader, S-rank mercenary Damon, glared at Soo-hyuk.
His eyes were like a teacher's spotting a cheater.
"Says it right there."
"Raymond's recommendation?"
"Yeah."
"Thought that guy had good eyes despite his meh skills..."
Visibly unimpressed, he sized Soo-hyuk up and down.
"Ah, otherworlder, huh? Figures."
The mercenary nodded as if it made sense now.
"You types never know when to value your lives. Unlike us."
Soo-hyuk turned his mic and muttered at the snide remark.
"Should I vulture this asshole too..."
"Vulture" was the name of the first mercenary who'd picked a fight with Soo-hyuk.
Beating down ten of them had earned him Raymond's recommendation.
And from then on, "Vulture" had become a viewer meme.
'This guy's got some chops, at least.'
Soo-hyuk eyed the mercenary openly showing his disdain.
An S-rank was no joke. Leading a Thunder Cave raid meant he could handle four or five A-ranks easy.
Jeremy and the other Players were no slouches either.
Having clearance for Thunder Cave meant they'd hit A-rank mercenary status too.
Decent skill for the third floor.
The viewers were split on whether this counted as a solo run.
"I'll leave the judgment to you all and whoever issued the mission."
Audman Kingdom camp.
Nearly 30 Players gathered, split into two groups glaring at each other.
And in the middle.
Schneider frowned and asked.
"Who told you to do what?"
"Half of you need to drop out. We're joining the Thunder Cave raid."
The man smirked in response.
"Guild master's orders. That answer your question?"
"Kim Il-su's...?"
"Looks like you're out, bud."
Whether out of loyalty or just wanting to mouth off.
This cocky punk with the spiked hair was famous enough that even Schneider knew his face. Famous for bucking authority on the third floor.
'Paul Lyman.'
Oddly, a Blue Zone member who wasn't Earth-born. Recently recruited.
A talented Player making waves lately.
Schneider had learned of him about half a year ago, when he'd declared a Thunder Cave raid.
Bad luck ever since.
And now they were raiding together.
"Maybe don't suck next time? You lost us a prize item to some rando—guild master's gotta hate you now."
"That's a weird way to put it."
"Weird?"
"Blaming me. Sounds like you'd have done better."
Paul's eyes widened at Schneider's words.
"Who knows. Wanna find out?"
"Pass."
Schneider slung his spear over one shoulder.
"I know how it'd go without looking."
"Makes your ego feel better?"
"Keep talking and—"
As Don Chao stepped forward in frustration, Schneider held him back.
Paul glanced at Don Chao and shrugged.
"Anyway, we're in the raid party this time. Might actually clear Thunder Cave."
Paul turned and walked back to his group.
Meaning: you figure out the ten dropouts yourselves.
"That little—"
"Enough."
Schneider stopped Don Chao from blowing up again and stared at Paul's back.
"He got one thing right, at least."
"Right? More like punchable."
"Nah, not that."
"What 'right' thing in all that bullshit?"
Don Chao's face was flushed with anger.
Meanwhile, Schneider—who'd normally explode—was oddly calm.
"There is one. Dead right."
One thing Paul had said.
"This time, we actually clear Thunder Cave."
This time, Thunder Cave would fall for real.
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