Chapter 69
Chapter 69
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: Hidden Trial Strategy
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"A hidden trial?"
Park Hae-jin reacted to Lee Sang's question.
Lee Sang nodded in response.
"Yes. If I absolutely must clear the hidden trial, how should I go about it?"
If they got involved, their camp was guaranteed to win.
However, to clear the hidden trial, one had to be the highest contributor in the losing camp and survive.
The problem, as Hae-jin had pointed out, was that if the people gathered here racked up contributions, their camp could never lose.
That would paradoxically make it impossible to achieve the state of being the "highest contributor in the losing camp," which was exactly what Lee Sang's question was pointing out.
In response, Hae-jin explained how to achieve the hidden trial.
"Just kill regular soldier NPCs and players—not the special hero NPCs that spawn in the enemy camp."
"Pardon?"
Everyone's eyes widened at the mention of killing players.
And understandably so.
Killing players was tantamount to committing murder.
But Hae-jin didn't see it as anything to be shocked about.
Anyone who had survived this far must have killed at least one player.
The survival condition in the first Trials' Arena.
It had been none other than killing other players.
Because of that, Hae-jin didn't think much of killing players.
It was inevitable once you became a player anyway.
"You just need to kill regular soldier NPCs and players. Hero units that are as strong as players among the humans and orcs from each camp take a long time to respawn, but regular soldier NPCs and players respawn right away."
From Hae-jin's explanation, Lee Sang could roughly grasp what he meant.
"So, you're saying to leave the hero NPCs—who would push our camp back if killed—to fight on their own, and just kill the regular soldier NPCs and players that respawn immediately to rack up points?"
Since regular soldier NPCs and players respawn anyway, killing them allowed them to rejoin the camp later.
The idea was to maximize points from them without targeting enemy hero NPCs that could affect the camp's victory.
That way, their own camp could "lose."
Hae-jin nodded as Lee Sang summarized it.
"Exactly."
"But I have one more question, Leader."
As he listened, another doubt arose in Lee Sang's mind.
Hae-jin responded to Lee Sang, who suddenly wanted to resolve it.
"What is it?"
"What if we kill too many regular soldier NPCs and players—excluding enemy hero NPCs—to the point where our camp suddenly gains too much momentum?"
Even without killing enemy hero NPCs, as Lee Sang said, racking up kills on enemies could boost their camp's morale.
Hae-jin shared a few countermeasures.
"That's why there are a few strategies."
"A few strategies?"
Hae-jin explained what his current party members needed to do to clear the hidden trial.
"The start is key. You have to choose the right camp."
"The camp?"
"Yes."
"How?"
"Just keep waiting."
"Wait?"
"Choose last, and go to the camp with the fewest players. That should do it."
Choose last and pick the side with the fewest players.
But Lee Sang thought that wouldn't be easy.
"Won't it be hard to count over 600 people?"
Counting as 600-plus people choose camps one by one.
Lee Sang was saying that wouldn't be easy.
But it wasn't actually that hard once you started counting.
Hae-jin put it that way.
"It's not so many that you can't count them, right?"
"True... but what if that happens?"
Lee Sang also thought he could count 600 if he tried.
But another scenario came to mind.
Hae-jin knew exactly what case Lee Sang was about to mention.
"What? 'What if we don't choose a camp, and the people from our zone don't either?'"
Currently, Hae-jin and his party members were the talk of the town among the numerous players.
They had achieved hidden trials and frequently topped the zone rankings, so it was inevitable.
As a result, some players in the same zone as them were starting to watch their moves.
They realized following their lead would maximize survival chances.
Lee Sang felt that in such a case, it wouldn't be easy to know which camp other players flocked to, just as Hae-jin had said moments ago.
Lee Sang nodded as Hae-jin addressed it before he could speak.
"Exactly."
Hae-jin smirked at Lee Sang, who asked what to do if they waited until the end without choosing and others followed suit.
"That makes it even better."
"Even better?"
"Yes. If you don't choose by the final time limit, the system automatically balances the players across the camps."
"Ah!"
Lee Sang's face lit up as he understood the implication of Hae-jin's words.
If you don't choose until the end, the system divides them to balance both sides.
Based on the current zone, the strongest players were undoubtedly Hae-jin's party.
But if they were assigned to one camp?
Since they were so strong, the remaining strong players would automatically go to the opposite camp.
In other words, the balance would be struck around Hae-jin's party, so if his party focused solely on farming points from regular NPCs and players in battle, the enemy camp would inevitably push them back.
However, Lee Sang had one more curiosity.
"Then, is the reason you told us to pick the 'Statue Teleport Scroll' because the other hidden trial rewards would help our camp win?"
The rewards for achieving the hidden trial in the previous Trials' Arena.
Besides the 'Statue Teleport Scroll' Lee Sang just mentioned, there were the 'Statue Vitality Enhancement Stone' and 'Statue Escort Summon Scroll.'
Both reinforced or protected the statue, making victory more likely for their camp if used.
So, Hae-jin must have intentionally chosen the 'Statue Teleport Scroll' over the others.
Hae-jin smirked at that.
"It's one of two reasons."
"One of two?"
"Yes."
"Which...?"
Lee Sang naturally assumed Hae-jin recommended the 'Statue Teleport Scroll' because it was the least helpful to their camp.
But Hae-jin said it could serve two purposes.
Hae-jin explained to the puzzled Lee Sang.
"The 'Statue Teleport Scroll' lets you move the statue freely to any spot within your camp's base. So, if you want to achieve the hidden trial in this sixth Trials' Arena, just teleport it to the camp entrance. If you want stable survival, move it to hide if your camp starts losing."
Statue Teleport Scroll.
Lee Sang was convinced by Hae-jin's explanation of its two uses.
"Ah, so either way, the 'Statue Teleport Scroll' is the most versatile reward."
"Right. That about covers the sixth Trials' Arena, so let's meet up later, everyone."
"Yes."
With that, Hae-jin's party dispersed to their homes.
Everyone except one.
As Manager Kim was about to leave with his daughter, Hae-jin suddenly called him back.
"Why did you ask me to stay, Leader?"
Manager Kim asked Hae-jin, who had told him to remain.
Hae-jin answered.
"I wanted to ask if you and your daughter would like to live with us from now on."
"Pardon? Me and my daughter here?"
They had left his daughter with Hae-jin during Trials' Arena runs because no one else could watch her, but even so, Hae-jin thought they should all live together going forward.
Hae-jin explained why he was proposing cohabitation to Manager Kim and his daughter.
"Yes. Anyway, you'll have a lot to do with me from now on. We have plenty of rooms, so if you're okay with it, I'd like us to live together."
"Things I have to do with you, Leader?"
It came out of nowhere.
Things for Manager Kim to do with Hae-jin.
They had handled Chairman Park Sang-yong's request together before, but that was long finished.
He wondered what he could possibly have to do with Hae-jin now.
Hae-jin clarified what they could do together.
"I think the Chocolate Group subsidiaries we acquired could create great synergies if managed well."
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
"Honestly, I don't know what's good or not. I was just planning to hand them over to the original company heads and collect the profits to pass on to my daughter."
Manager Kim hadn't taken Chairman Park Sang-yong's request to become a fancy company CEO.
Only one reason.
In case something happened in the Trials' Arena and he couldn't care for his daughter until the end, he wanted to leave her enough wealth to live without issue even without him.
So, he had little interest in operations.
Then Hae-jin added.
"Wouldn't it be better if that money grew even more?"
"Well..."
What parent in the world would refuse more to leave their child?
From a father's perspective, there was no reason to reject more inheritance for his child.
Seeing Manager Kim seemed ready to accept, Hae-jin extended his hand.
"Will you join me?"
Manager Kim stared at Hae-jin's outstretched hand.
He soon accepted the offer.
"Yes. If you lead the way, Leader, I'll follow."
Manager Kim said that and clasped Hae-jin's hand.
Truthfully, there was no reason not to follow Hae-jin.
Hae-jin was the one who increased his survival chances in the Trials' Arena.
He was a leader to trust and follow there, and if there was something to trust and follow in reality, he should do the same.
To Manager Kim, Hae-jin was...
'According to the noble's will.'
Truly a noble benefactor.
A noble like Hae-jin who, with luck, could help him survive the Trials' Arena to the end.
Whatever he said, they should do it.
Afterward, Hae-jin and Manager Kim moved to plan the business direction for the Chocolate Group subsidiaries received from Chairman Park Sang-yong.
Their first stop was Kim Min-su, CEO of Chocolate Entertainment, who had decided to follow Hae-jin.
They had agreed to entrust him with overseeing Chocolate Entertainment and all other Chocolate Group subsidiaries from Chairman Park.
Whoooosh-!
A black vortex swirled in front of CEO Kim Min-su.
But now, he felt no particular surprise at the sight.
He knew what the black vortex rising from the nearby shadow meant.
After waiting briefly, CEO Kim Min-su greeted as the vortex before him dissipated.
"You've arrived, Hae-jin."
"Yes, I'm here. Did you look into the things I mentioned before I came?"
"Yes, I've compiled everything on the points you raised and the areas that can be linked as discussed."
"Shall we go over the report then?"
"Yes."
Hae-jin sat in the top seat of the sofas in CEO Kim Min-su's office, with Manager Kim, who had come with him, on either side.
CEO Kim Min-su began with the biggest item he had to report to Hae-jin.
"First, as you mentioned, Chocolate Games was preparing a 'virtual reality game.' Thanks to the employee players and testers, the previously stuck parts have been resolved unnaturally, and bugs have been fixed."