Grokion's Armor

It hung on the wall.

The other items hanging alongside it on the wall were all exceptional in their own right, but none held much appeal for Mu-hyuk.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

This armor in his hands, however, was different.

It was the item he needed most, which was why he couldn't hide his excitement.

To think this would be here...

His heart pounded fiercely.

Thump, thump.

No matter how hard he tried to calm it, the throbbing wouldn't subside.

"Hoo."

Deciding to savor the moment, Mu-hyuk checked the item once more.

Grokion, a mage and exceptional swordsman. One of his items had been discovered in Duke Amur's private warehouse.

Required contribution: 3,000.

It would use up everything he had, but there was no need to hesitate.

He had to buy it.

Duke Amur probably knew the value of Grokion's armor to some extent, which was why it was displayed on the wall.

But the use restriction must have been a concern.

That was likely why he hadn't priced the contribution higher.

Or not?

Whatever. It didn't matter how Duke Amur had obtained it. What mattered was that Mu-hyuk could claim it now.

He selected Yes, and his contribution points were deducted.

Grokion's armor was now in his hands.

The feeling was profound.

"Ahh..."

What set effects would it unlock?

Unable to hide his anticipation, he unequipped the Armor of Passion and donned Grokion's armor.

He immediately checked the set effects.

Mu-hyuk's brow furrowed slightly.

It was a bit disappointing.

Maybe his expectations had been too high. The letdown was real, but upon reflection, it wasn't a bad skill at all.

Like an extra life.

HP and MP recovery.

And a stat boost.

In a crisis, it would be a thick, sturdy lifeline.

Yeah, that's enough.

Plus, acquiring Grokion's armor had caused growth across the board.

Even without the set effects, he should be thanking the heavens—what more was there to say?

Let's see just how much better everything had gotten.

He started with the belt.

"Kugh...!"

A gasp of admiration escaped him involuntarily.

And the bracelet?

He checked the ring next.

But the real star was the armor.

Without any growth, its options had felt a bit lacking.

Now, thanks to the other Grokion items, it had skipped straight to 3rd growth.

What would those options be like?

"Whew. Check."

The hologram filled his vision.

His fists trembled.

Jackpot.

The Armor of Passion he'd been wearing had solid stats: Defense 20, Magic Defense 25, Evasion 10, All Stats +5.

Thanks to All Stats, it had even outperformed the ungrown Grokion's armor.

But this 3rd-growth Grokion's armor was on another level entirely.

How dare you compare yourself to me?

It felt like the item was laying down the law. A single piece had led to massive growth.

This was why you collected sets.

A powerful surge of elation washed over him as Mu-hyuk headed for the exit.

*

He'd been waiting for Sung Min-woo and Ye-rin for about an hour.

"How much longer...?"

"Just a sec!"

"Oppa, I just need to pick one more!"

The two were still rummaging through the warehouse, hunting for items.

Tsk.

Well, opportunities like this didn't come often.

If he hadn't found Grokion's armor, Mu-hyuk would probably be doing the same.

He understood and waited patiently, but after an hour, irritation was starting to creep in.

"Still...?"

"Just a bit longer!"

"Oppa, hold on!"

"......"

Mu-hyuk let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes.

Should he step out for a bit?

As the thought crossed his mind, he felt eyes on him and opened them.

"Hm?"

"What're you doing? We're done."

"Me too."

"Oh, yeah? Phew, let's go then."

"Okay!"

He knocked, and the door opened.

"Hoo."

Finally out. Mu-hyuk went to find Duke Amur to report the items they'd chosen, but the duke was away.

"I'll let him know we stopped by."

"I'd appreciate that."

After informing the knight, Mu-hyuk left the mansion.

"Mercenary guild next?"

"Nah."

"Then?"

"I got a quest from Duke Amur."

"Oh? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Wanna clear it together?"

"If possible?"

He formed a party and tried sharing, but it failed.

Mu-hyuk shook his head.

"Can't share it."

He'd expected as much.

They'd told him not to mention it, after all.

"Guess I'll solo it then."

"You good?"

"Of course. Hell, it's perfect. Things have been intense lately anyway."

"True that."

"We hit the jackpot this time—few more days of chilling. Heh, proper fun time."

Mu-hyuk chuckled.

"Yeah, that's you."

He glanced at Ye-rin next.

She looked fine with it too.

"I was in the middle of a quest anyway."

"Then we can each do ours."

"Yeah. And you're coming this weekend, right?"

"Obviously."

"Got it."

"Hey, keep plotting your love life. I'm out!"

"Yeah, bye."

Sung Min-woo headed off first.

"Hehe, me too!"

"Sure."

"Mwah!"

Her lips brushed softly against his.

"See you this weekend!"

"Y-yeah!"

He watched her go for a moment, then summoned his warhorse and rode toward the black mage's final laboratory.

*

Monsters along the way.

"Skeleton Summon."

No need to handle them one by one himself.

"Wipe 'em out."

One command was all it took.

Kieeeek!

29 Armor Knights, 1 Burtan, 1 Hydra, 17 Bone Swords.

15 Armor Archers, 8 Bone Bows.

7 Armor Mages, 14 Mages.

5 Armor Cavalry, 12 Cavalry.

109 skeletons total, excluding the warhorse.

At a glance, the skeleton legion pressuring one or two monsters looked like the many bullying the few.

"M-man, that's pitiful."

"Right?"

"Who knew monsters could look that pathetic."

He overheard nearby players.

Pitiful? Hardly.

He tried to ignore them, but one bit caught his ear.

"Gangster Necromancer, right?"

"Who else could pull that off?"

"Maybe I should restart. Hunting looks way too easy."

"Nah. Wasted effort so far, and it's not as good as they say."

"Just rumors."

"Dunno. Seemed legit..."

Popularity was fading, as expected.

Soon, most players would abandon Gangster Necromancer.

Unless they got titles or cleared hidden quests to boost stats like Mu-hyuk.

Not his problem.

He spurred the warhorse onward.

More monsters appeared.

Sweep!

He carved through the blockers and pressed on swiftly.

*

At some point, the number of players thinned out.

His advance slowed accordingly.

The monsters here were at least level 130.

"Hmm."

Once monsters hit level 100 and started using skills, players faced hellish difficulty in hunts.

Early rankers had died a lot fighting level 100+ ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠monsters.

They'd complained to Illusion HQ plenty.

But Illusion gave the usual line.

[Illusion prides itself on extreme freedom...]

In the end, the frustrated had to adapt.

Now, players were used to the brutality—praise outweighed complaints.

[Monster difficulty ramps up, no more boredom.]

[Heart races with every kill. Tension's real, sweat pouring. Can keep fighting. Gotta rest after a few, but senses sharpened big time.]

[Combat feel's better—PKers don't own me anymore. Good stuff.]

Mu-hyuk liked the high difficulty too.

Why? It was more fun.

And now, he entered the foothills of the Alpono Mountains, home to the black mage's final lab—a true hellish challenge. Still just the entrance, so he had some leeway.

Should he test Latent Power Burst?

Mu-hyuk decided to check his new skill firsthand.