Chapter 40
Chapter 40
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Heroic Gear
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From special grade onward, equipment comes with added skills.
No explanation was needed since anyone who obtained a special grade item would figure it out on their own anyway, so Hae-jin hadn't mentioned it specifically.
Anyway.
Lee Sang checked the skills on the equipment he had just acquired.
Type: Active
Effect: Next spell effect +20% upon activation
Cooldown: 5 minutes
Description: Enhances the effect of the caster's spells slightly more powerfully.
Type: Passive
Effect: Temperature regulation
Description: Always keeps the wearer's body temperature comfortable.
"Hmm."
Lee Sang examined the skills attached to his equipment.
With his keen insight as a top-tier pro gamer, he inferred one key fact.
"So, the Leader told me to upgrade to gear costing over 100 black stones because that's when skills start appearing on equipment?"
He had nailed it, though he couldn't confirm if it was correct.
To verify, he'd have to buy gear costing 10 black stones himself.
'That's inefficient.'
Lee Sang had become the world's top pro gamer Speller through extreme efficiency control.
Naturally, he had no desire to waste resources just to satisfy his curiosity with something inefficient.
A more efficient approach would be...
'Clear the hidden mission in this Trials' Arena, return to reality, and ask the Leader then.'
There was an even simpler way.
He could just ask people who had bought 10-black-stone gear.
But in the current zone, Lee Sang was a lone wolf.
Even with a mage class that typically needed a tank for smooth play, he was holding his own solo.
So, there was no one to ask.
'Well, now that I've upgraded to 100-black-stone gear, there's no need to obsess over 10-black-stone stuff anyway.'
With that thought, Lee Sang let go of his curiosity about 10-black-stone gear.
All he had to do was survive this Trials' Arena along with clearing the hidden mission.
'Then I can hear it from the Leader.'
Having sorted his thoughts, Lee Sang moved to clear the fourth Trials' Arena once more.
Of course, he was just spectating again this time.
Why?
Because Hae-jin had said the gear he swapped to this time meant he wouldn't need to hunt through stages 6 or 7.
And Lee Sang knew himself better than anyone.
'I'm stronger than average players, so gathering black stones at stage 7 makes sense, right?'
That was why Lee Sang wasn't hunting and just watching.
While other players wrapped up stage 4.
Then stage 5 followed.
And stage 6 after that.
Across all three stages, Lee Sang refrained from hunting again.
Naturally, some players found it odd.
"He's doing it again?"
One player remarked.
His fellow hunter asked in response.
"What's that?"
Pointing at Lee Sang with his chin, the player who had noticed something explained to his companion.
"He was just spectating earlier too, and now he's at it again."
"It is kinda weird."
As the two discussed the spectating Lee Sang, another player chimed in.
"No, he was fighting earlier."
A female player suddenly joined the conversation.
The two turned to look at her.
"Huh?"
When they stared, the woman who had interjected explained that she had seen Lee Sang fighting earlier.
"I saw him hunting undead in the stage 4 zone a bit ago."
"Really?"
"Yeah, I saw it too."
Another player testified.
Lee Sang was just spectating now, but they had seen him hunt undead in the stage 4 zone earlier.
The player who had first spotted and mentioned Lee Sang tilted his head.
"But why's he doing that now?"
"Who knows? Though before stage 4, he wasn't fighting either, right?"
This player had seen him fight in stage 4 but not before.
In response, the first female player who jumped in said.
"Well, he's Speller, so I'm sure he has his reasons."
Simply because he was 'Speller.'
He must have his intentions.
At her faith in him, the male players in the conversation wore complex expressions mixed with various emotions.
"Damn, Dae-I-Sang again!"
"Don't start the sudden worship here. This ain't a game."
Sudden worship.
It referred to the phenomenon where people abruptly idolize the talented out of nowhere.
And the one who especially drew this sudden worship often was none other than 'Speller'... 'Lee Sang.'
People commonly prefixed his real name with a big 'Dae' (great) when worshipping him.
He monopolized all the attention and love from gamers worldwide more than anyone else.
But not everyone was his fan.
Even non-gamers knew the name 'Speller.'
Some among them dismissed him, saying how great could a gamer really be.
Just someone good at video games, that's all.
That's why the one who found the sudden worship grating just now remarked that the Trials' Arena wasn't some game, so what use was Speller.
In other words, the Trials' Arena was reality, not a game.
But the infinite sudden worship for Speller wasn't shaken by such words.
The player who had suddenly worshipped Speller spoke up.
"It's basically a game we're playing in reality, isn't it?"
"True, but it's different from games controlled with keyboard and mouse."
"But considering that the current zone's number one is..."
The number one in the zone where they were running the Trials' Arena right now.
That was none other than...
"Speller."
The female player said with a bright smile.
The surrounding players reacted in unison.
"Damn! Dae-I-Sang again!"
'Time to hunt?'
After getting his 100-black-stone gear, Lee Sang hadn't hunted all the way to stage 7.
To maximize the efficiency of the info from Hae-jin.
And finally, he reached the stage 7 zone of the fourth Trials' Arena.
The spectator Lee Sang dove back into hunting.
His current kill and point scores were.
[Kill: 53.]
[Point: 205.]
He had 3 black stones left.
Lee Sang began calculating.
'I need 2,000 black stones, and I have 3.'
He still needed 1,997.
The current zone was stage 7.
Undead trolls appeared, dropping 7 black stones each.
Lee Sang calculated how many undead trolls he needed to kill for the black stones he required.
'286 of them.'
In other words, reach 339 kills and 2,207 points.
While calculating, he simultaneously hunted undead trolls.
"Burn bright, orb of flame. Fireball!"
Lee Sang chanted, thrusting his staff forward.
A red aura surged from his staff, forming a fireball that flew toward the undead troll.
Whoosh-!
The fireball sliced through the air and struck the undead troll.
Boom-!
It even exploded at the end.
Afterward, Lee Sang saw the system window pop up before him.
[Experience gained.]
[Level up.]
[Kill: 54.]
[Point: 212.]
The undead troll fell in one hit.
Lee Sang was quite surprised.
'Even with god-tier gear, taking it down in one shot?'
He was impressed anew by Hae-jin's information.
It was inevitable.
Following the job and fourth Trials' Arena route from his info led to downing an undead troll with a single fireball.
What made it astonishing was that other players struggled in parties to kill them, yet he did it with one spell.
In that vein, Lee Sang focused on the fight.
He cycled through his available spells.
For spells that couldn't one-shot undead trolls, he used them to support other players in dangerous moments.
That proved immensely helpful.
Like the third Trials' Arena, death in the fourth allowed revival in the dwarf village.
But no fool would misunderstand the meaning of that revival now.
They had all experienced it in the third.
Clearly, to survive the fourth Trials' Arena, they needed to kill as many undead as possible.
Points rising proved it.
Thus, though the overall progression differed, one thing remained the same.
Kill as many monsters as possible.
And avoid dying at all costs.
Why?
The third Trials' Arena showed that death deducted monster kills.
In such a situation, when players faced near-death, Lee Sang saved them—how could that not be a huge help?
As a result, people thought.
'As expected of Dae-I-Sang!'
They wondered why he wasn't joining fights otherwise.
But seeing him perfectly time saves whenever players were in peril, they couldn't help but praise him.
To the point where even those who disliked the name Speller and had no interest in games began to cheer for him.
Amid the adoration of all players in the zone, Lee Sang achieved his goal.
[Experience gained.]
[Level up.]
[Kill: 339.]
[Point: 2,207.]
"Perfect."
Satisfied at reaching his target, Lee Sang checked his inventory: 2,005 black stones.
He headed straight back to the dwarf village.
To upgrade to 1,000-black-stone gear.
Upon returning, he exchanged with the dwarf elder.
Handing over 2,000 black stones.
Now he could check the info on the 1,000-black-stone gear.
Grade: Hero
Options: Magic Attack +100%, Intelligence +10, All Stats +5, Intelligence +10%, Cooldown Reduction +10%.
Skills: Power Spell, Refill Spell.
Description: A staff said to be usable by imperial mages crafted by dwarves.
Grade: Hero
Options: Magic Defense +100%, Intelligence +10, All Stats +5, Intelligence +10%, Cooldown Reduction +10%.
Skills: Comfortable, Mana Charge.
Description: A robe said to be wearable by imperial mages crafted by dwarves.
"Whoa..."
Lee Sang was dumbfounded.
He already knew gear improved with higher grades.
He had learned that from special grade equipment.
Even so, he couldn't help but be shocked by this new gear.
He thought of Hae-jin.
'Then what the hell kind of gear does the Leader have?'
Hae-jin had cleared the Tower of Job Change to the end, obtaining the job 'Lord of Chaos.'
And with it, job-exclusive gear of 'God' grade, he'd heard.
Even this 'Hero' grade gear before him was this impressive—what insane specs would 'God' grade have?
Anyway, after briefly thinking of Hae-jin, Lee Sang said.
"Shall I take a look at the newly added skills?"