Chapter 66
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 66
Chapter Title: The Mercenary King's Favor
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[You have defeated the Orc Warrior!]
[EXP +37.73%]
[Gold +4,000]
[Additional Gold +2,000]
[You have acquired 'Hwandudaedo'.]
[You have acquired 'Orc's Heart'.]
[You have acquired 'Low-Grade Indigo Magic Stone'.]
[You have acquired 'Stone of Balance'.]
[Sub Quest Progress: Stone of Balance 1/4]
A smile crept onto Ryu Min's face as the messages flooded his vision.
'Just as I thought. Taking down one boss is more profitable than killing a bunch of mobs.'
His experience, which had been crawling up by tiny increments, shot up by over 37% from a single boss.
He'd also earned 4,000 gold, plus an additional bonus on top of that.
'And that's not all. I got a lot of decent items, too.'
[Hwandudaedo]
-Type: Weapon
-Grade: Epic
-Attack Power: 100
-Effect: Attack Speed +5% per hit (Max 10 stacks)
-Durability: 1,000/1,000
-Usage Requirement: Regular Grade or higher
-Description: A sword with an impressive round ring on its pommel.
The Hwandudaedo was an Epic weapon for Regular Grade players.
It had high base attack power and increased attack speed on hit.
'Looking at the stats alone, it's a pretty decent weapon.'
It was a shame it was a sword and not a scythe.
If it had been a scythe, he would have used it without a second thought.
'I'd probably deal more damage if I ditched my scythe for this sword, wouldn't I?'
The attack power of the Reaper's Scythe he was currently using was 25.
Even considering the Reaper's Rune, which doubled weapon attack power when using a scythe, it only amounted to 50.
A simple comparison showed that the Hwandudaedo, with its 100 attack power, was far stronger.
'But a sword isn't my main weapon.'
Since his first class was Hunter, he could handle most weapons, but not as well as he could a scythe.
'Even with lower attack power, it's probably more efficient to stick with the familiar scythe.'
Besides, he was planning to upgrade his weapon after this round anyway.
'I'll hold onto the Hwandudaedo and sell it to someone who needs it later.'
A weapon like this would be hard to find anywhere else, so he was sure to get a high price for it.
[Orc's Heart]
-Type: Item
-Description: A hard, red stone. Despite its appearance, rest assured it is not a real heart.
Next was the item, Orc's Heart.
Some might find it disgusting and throw it away, but…
'They'd regret it for the rest of their lives. This is a crafting material for a Unique item, after all.'
It was an item Ryu Min desperately needed.
'I also got a Low-Grade Indigo Magic Stone and a Stone of Balance.'
He had gained quite a lot from killing a single mid-boss.
After checking his items, he turned his head.
'Hm?'
Jo Yong-ho and his party were staring at him blankly.
Then, they snapped out of it, their eyes sparkling as they spoke.
"Black Scythe! That was incredible!"
"To think you took down that monster all by yourself!"
"I wouldn't have even dared to fight it!"
It's natural for men to admire the strong.
In a way, their reaction was to be expected.
The moment the Orc Warrior appeared, they must have thought they were dead for sure.
"Black Scythe."
Jo Yong-ho, having calmed his excitement slightly, bowed his head respectfully.
"Thank you for killing the monster. You saved my life and the lives of my men."
"I'm not fond of watching innocent people die."
"I see. Did you perhaps know the monster was going to appear?"
Ryu Min, not wanting to bother with a long explanation, gave a vague answer.
"In the other settlements, a mid-boss would appear after all the orcs were killed."
"Ah, so that's why you told us to hurry and leave?"
Jo Yong-ho nodded as if he understood, his eyes once again filled with reverence.
To them, who struggled against a single orc, Black Scythe was an object of admiration.
"My business here is done, so I'll be on my way."
"Yes! Thank you again for saving us!"
"Take care, Black Scythe!"
As Ryu Min turned to leave, he heard voices from behind him.
"Let's get going, too."
"We need to start hunting right away!"
Watching Black Scythe single-handedly take on an army had sparked their motivation.
Just then, the injured mercenary grunted, "Ugh," and fell to his knees.
"Man-gi! Are you okay?"
"B-Boss. I can't. I can't hold on any longer."
"What are you talking about?!"
The sudden commotion made Ryu Min stop and turn around.
Jo Yong-ho was shouting at the injured mercenary.
"You said you were fine earlier, didn't you?"
"I only said that so you wouldn't worry. This is my limit…"
"Just hang in there! We have to survive the remaining time to live in the real world!"
The mercenary, Choi Man-gi, shook his head weakly.
"You know it too, Boss. It's all meaningless if we don't kill 300."
"…"
The reality he had forgotten silenced Jo Yong-ho.
Failure to clear the main quest meant certain annihilation.
Pleading with the angel with tears in your eyes would do no good.
The moment they could no longer hunt orcs, all hope was lost.
And right now, Choi Man-gi had lost that hope.
"I'm done for. I know my own body. I can't fight like this."
"You really can't even hold a weapon? Isn't your other shoulder fine?"
"Fine? I'm barely holding it together as it is…"
He had been bleeding profusely without any first aid.
He might have seemed fine at the time, but his condition had severely worsened.
It was a miracle he had lasted this long with a shattered shoulder.
"Just leave me and go. I can't be a burden to you and the others."
"That's not true. There… there has to be a way…"
Jo Yong-ho, who had always remained calm as a leader, was panicking.
"You can hold a sword, right? Right? We'll beat the orcs until they're half-dead and bring them to you, so all you have to do is stab them. You have enough strength for that, don't you?"
"Then you and the others won't be able to hunt. I'm already a nuisance; I don't want to drag you down until the very end."
"Hey! Choi Man-gi! Listen to me! If we don't do this, you're really going to die!"
"Heh, I'm already a dead man. Even if I somehow manage to kill 300, it's impossible to survive the remaining time… Ugh!"
A sudden jolt of pain made Choi Man-gi grimace.
He could feel death looming over him.
"Hah, ugh… Boss. Please, go. I don't want you to see me like this…"
"No… I can't. Are you going to keep talking like you've given up? How can I leave you and go anywhere…?"
Seeing Jo Yong-ho on the verge of a full-blown panic, Ryu Min wore a surprised expression.
'To think that the future Mercenary King, who will command hundreds of mercenaries, would show such weakness over a single comrade…'
But if he was a truly close friend, it was understandable.
He had a younger sibling himself, after all.
'Looks like I can help here.'
Ryu Min opened the shop window and quickly purchased a common skill.
He then stepped into the grim, funeral-like atmosphere surrounding Jo Yong-ho's group.
"Hey."
"…?"
"Looks like you need help. Mind if I take a look?"
Ryu Min's appearance was so sudden that question marks seemed to pop up over the group's heads.
He sounded like he wanted to help, but their situation was so desperate that they could only think negatively.
"Is there really a way to save him…?"
"Yes."
At Ryu Min's calm words, Jo Yong-ho stepped aside, as if grasping at straws.
Ryu Min approached Choi Man-gi and examined his wound.
"The wound is severe."
"…"
"But not beyond healing."
Muttering something incomprehensible, Ryu Min placed his hand over the injured area.
'What is he doing?'
As the group tilted their heads in confusion, something happened.
A green light emanated from Ryu Min's palm.
It was an energy that felt warm just by looking at it.
"Black Scythe, what in the world are you—"
Jo Yong-ho, who couldn't contain his curiosity, suddenly couldn't believe his eyes.
An unbelievable event was unfolding right before him.
The gushing blood staunched, and the wound began to mend on its own.
"Whoa?!"
"The, the wound!"
The onlookers' jaws dropped in unison.
Even the patient, Choi Man-gi, was speechless, staring at his wound.
No, he was staring at where his wound used to be.
"The, the wound… it's gone?"
And not just the wound.
The pain had vanished completely.
"Black Scythe. How on earth…?"
"It's a skill called First Aid. Anyone can buy it from the shop."
"First Aid?"
"Ah! I think I've seen that."
"Yeah. I saw it in the shop too. It was a 20,000 gold skill, I'm sure of it."
"I can't believe it was such an amazing skill…"
The group was amazed by the incredible healing effect, but in truth, the skill wasn't that powerful.
'It's only supposed to stop bleeding and heal minor cuts, not mend a shattered shoulder.'
Yet Ryu Min had almost perfectly repaired the shoulder.
How was that possible?
It was because the healing power scaled with the Intelligence stat.
'My currently boosted Intelligence is 123. On top of that, the Rune of Radiance increases skill effects by 32%, so fixing a shoulder is easy.'
First Aid was fundamentally a Holy-type skill.
It was only because its effects were amplified by the Rune of Radiance that it could display such power.
"Try moving your shoulder. There's a scar, but you should be able to move it without any problems."
At Ryu Min's words, Choi Man-gi rotated his shoulder as if to confirm.
His face was soon filled with overwhelming emotion.
"I-It moves normally!"
"That doesn't mean it's fully healed. It's just first aid, so if you overdo it, the wound might reopen. But it shouldn't be a problem for hunting."
"Ah… Th-Thank you so much. Black Scythe, you're my savior! Thank you so much!"
Choi Man-gi shot to his feet, bowing repeatedly.
He thought he was a dead man, but thanks to Ryu Min, he had been given a chance to live.
The rest of the group was just as grateful.
Jo Yong-ho's gaze, in particular, was different.
'The more I see of him, the more extraordinary he is.'
His eyes were a mixture of awe, respect, and gratitude.
"Black Scythe. Thank you for healing Man-gi."
"I thank you as well."
"Thank you for saving my comrade."
As Jo Yong-ho bowed his head, his crew followed, bowing deeply to Ryu Min.
"I don't know if it's of any use, but please take this. It's a token of my gratitude."
Jo Yong-ho was the first to take an item from his inventory.
It was a Lowest-Grade Red Magic Stone.
The others also scrambled to offer their items.
Some offered magic stones, while others offered equipment, saying they would fetch a decent price at the shop.
"You don't have to do this."
"No, please. It's a sign of our gratitude, so we hope you'll accept."
Even when he refused, they insisted on pressing the items into his hands, leaving him no choice but to accept.
Of course, his refusal had just been a formality.
'Even if it's junk, getting it from five people adds up nicely.'
He had collected the items, but the greater gain was something else entirely.
"Thanks to you, Black Scythe, this friend of mine has found the will to live again. Separate from the tokens we just gave you, I swear I will repay this debt one day."
It was none other than putting the Mercenary King in his debt and earning his favor at the same time.
'To gain this much from a common skill I needed to learn anyway… Not bad.'
In the future, when he needed the Mercenary King's power, this day's events would have a significant impact.
"Well then, I'll see you around."
"Take care!"
As Ryu Min turned away, the Mercenary King and his men bowed their heads respectfully.