Chapter 53
Chapter 53
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 53
>Chapter Title: Spider Queen Eliza
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Chapter 53
Do-hyun stroked his chin as he gazed into the full-length mirror, grinning.
"Looks good on me."
He wasn't just saying that.
His previous outfit—vaguely red top, blue pants, with black and green mixed in here and there—had screamed amateur hiker or total newbie.
But now?
"Two-tone, sure, but it actually gives off a better vibe. Don't you think?"
-Well... it doesn't look bad, Master.
Zihard nodded reluctantly, but even he had to admit it wasn't half bad.
The leather quality was top-notch, and the overall red hue with blue stains painted on made him look even more menacing.
Like a primitive tribe painting themselves fierce for battle.
The sleek impression paired perfectly with the training sword in place of a greatsword.
'Time to sell the rest.'
Besides these, he'd gotten some junk items and rewards from the warriors, but they were all just inventory fodder or auction house material.
So Do-hyun put them up for auction.
[Auction registered with basic settings.]
[Minimum bid set to average market price.]
[Auction item registered.]
....
[Auction ends in 12 hours.]
The items were warrior sets from the warriors he'd taken down.
'Not something I need at all.'
They might be pre-graduation gear for some Raven hopefuls, but to Do-hyun now, they were less useful than trash.
They overlapped perfectly with the great warrior set.
He'd kept the weapons from before in case they came in handy later, but the warrior sets? Straight to auction.
'Sets go for about 2 to 3 million won each, right?'
Not insanely pricey since it was just top, bottom, and belt, but with six sets up, it was more than enough.
Roughly 15 million won incoming.
'So this is my first earnings in God Ose.'
Not 1.5 million, but 15 million.
Money that took ranking first in Delrock to make, now earned just from the first mainland city.
A strange feeling, but the tickle in his chest was pure pride.
Pride, regret, anticipation, and an inexplicable swell of emotion filled him as Do-hyun let out a deep breath.
'Keep it going like this.'
Ranking first? He'd just claim it again.
For now, being able to properly make money in the game again felt too damn good. He was practically high on it.
"Keuheuk...."
Shaking off the heat in his chest by rubbing his hands, Do-hyun suppressed the feeling.
He could savor it fully when the money actually hit.
That would be the real deal.
'But first things first.'
When do you feel the most joy after getting a new skill or gear?
Most players would give the same answer.
Right before testing it out, brimming with anticipation and excitement.
Like waiting for your new car during the delivery period—the day you finally drive it is the happiest.
Same principle here.
"Let's go."
-Where to this time, Master? Aren't you moving around too frantically?
"Gotta stay busy. This isn't the time to slack."
Without a second thought, Do-hyun turned on his heel.
"I've got just the right opponent in mind."
-Someone "just right" for a guy who chewed through great warriors... Oh?
Zihard, following behind and voicing his doubt, suddenly gaped in realization.
Come to think of it, he'd never seen it himself but had heard rumors. After he vanished, a new ruler had appeared in the forest.
Do-hyun turned his head, eyes flicking to empty air.
More precisely, to the quest window floating there.
[To proceed to the next city, you must pass the mainland's trial.]
[Field Boss Hunt]
-Rank: First Trial
-Description: Those seeking to graduate from Raven, the first mainland city, must pass the mainland's trial.
Achievement points update based on field boss hunt performance, determining reward rank. Clear by defeating Raven's official ruler, 'Spider Queen Eliza.'
-Clear Conditions: Reach level 24, Defeat Spider Queen Eliza (0/1)
-Rewards upon clear: Rank-based (D~S)
-No time limit.
The field boss of the western forest and core of the graduation quest—Spider Queen Eliza.
Time to take her down.
* * *
Spider Queen Eliza.
At first glance, she seemed like a named boss, but she wasn't.
Unlike named bosses that vanished forever upon death, Eliza respawned steadily in the forest.
So why the name Eliza?
-Eliza, Eliza, Eliza, Eliza, Eliza....
"Ugh, sick of hearing it."
"Stuff a fireball down that spider freak's throat to shut it up!"
"It's a poison type, so even its screams are 'Eliza.' Nasty bastard."
"Poisonous as hell!"
Because she spat out nothing but "Eliza" with every ounce of effort.
Monstrous spiders so huge normal ones looked cute—and they spoke human words?
Just the word "Eliza," over and over?
It was goosebump-inducing enough to make arm hairs stand on end, and most players said enduring it was harder than killing her.
But God Ose had 1 billion players.
Not everyone dismissed it as mere creepiness; some dug deeper.
"Why 'Eliza' of all things?"
"Is there an NPC named Eliza? Some hidden piece? Like a secret quest or whatever."
"Could be."
A non-named boss repeating a specific word?
Rare even across God Ose's vast continent, unseen outside Raven for normal route players.
Something had to be hidden. Sharp players concluded as much.
But....
"Hidden my ass."
"Damn, wasted money for nothing. Do you know how much I spent on explorers?"
"Scoured from Raven to Pratel and found zilch? Ridiculous."
"Adventure King swept the whole mainland and gave up. Basically ruled it doesn't exist."
"If even Adventure King says that... it's over."
No hidden piece for Eliza ever turned up.
"Huh? I saw an Eliza."
"? Agro no-no."
"For real. There's a general store in the fourth city called Eliza...."
"Hot?"
"Yeah, pretty cute. Pure innocence."
Even desperate players checked that shop owner, but she knew zilch about the Spider Queen.
So players concluded:
God Ose just loved quirky bosses and tormented players with this gimmick.
Infuriating setup, but what could you do? Had to kill her to graduate Raven.
At least one upside.
"Still, they made her killable."
"Unlike those mutant goblin warriors with their weird traits. Thank god no gimmicks here."
"If they added that to noise pollution? Everyone would've quit. Shivers."
"True that."
Relatively tame traits compared to past bosses.
And fast respawn rate.
Graduation quest meant everyone hunted her, so convenience demanded quick respawns.
"But doesn't she respawn fast?"
Fast relative to other field bosses, not every few minutes.
Not even always same spot.
Once per hour, in one of four spider nests at cardinal directions. First to find claims her.
Not like they politely queued.
"Spider nests are such a pain, for real."
"Web blocking the entrance after one party? Overkill for a field boss."
"No biggie. Webs wear off after 90 minutes."
"If you can't kill in 1.5 hours, that's on you. Basically, just wait."
Moment prey spotted, Eliza webs the entrance shut.
Boss tactic to trap food, but connected entrance means outsiders can't enter either.
Lure out before webbing? Sure, but....
"Why bother?"
"She sets it up safe for us. No need to make it harder."
"Steal-proof OP!"
Usually, yeah—but Raven's field boss differed.
Hunt performance affected graduation rewards.
Unless sacrificing rewards for group hunts, no reason risk steals.
First finder wins—that's why Do-hyun roamed the forest.
"You sure you don't know the spot?"
-No clue. Been buried 150 years, Master. She's next-gen ruler, so....
"You said you knew everything about this forest once."
-Kh-hm.
Zihard averted his gaze sheepishly.
Do-hyun shook his head at the evasion, but it wasn't Zihard's fault.
He'd done plenty already.
Hero-grade set and two mid-tier skill draw tickets!
'Yeah, asking more is greedy.'
This one's on Do-hyun's power.
[Time until field boss respawn: 00:04:49]
[Field boss will respawn shortly.]
'About five minutes.'
System alert to all western forest players.
Hence crowds gathering everywhere.
Especially here—center let you watch all four nests.
"Hurry and ping the field boss."
"I'll grab aggro first—I'm the fastest."
"Don't forget scattering folks everywhere. We gotta claim it."
Speedy claimers for monopoly,
"Excuse me, we're all graduating anyway—wanna team up?"
"Honestly, we're no gearheads. Monopoly gets us C-rank tops. Better save time, right?"
Cooperators pooling parties for graduation.
All types present.
Flashy gear screamed confidence on excluders; warrior-set wearers (or lack thereof) dominated cooperators.
Fierce competition either way.
Silent wait now would shatter into frenzy at respawn.
"If we're late and they spot first, just spam ranged skills from afar."
"Drag from nest, they got no choice. Gotta share the kill."
"Won't we get marked?"
"We attacked first—what's it matter? First strike counts as our attempt."
Plenty cheated too.
This chatter near Do-hyun? Probably same everywhere.
'Delrock was like this too.'
Fights broke out constantly back then.
Hyper-aggressive game full of battle maniacs.
Do-hyun, who'd claimed first amid that chaos, had no intention of going easy.
At spawn sight, fastest backstab to claim.
Confident in reflexes.
Slower than nest guards, sure... but no choice.
'No luck guessing respawns anyway.'
Never nailed the lottery-style spot once.
Foolish to hope now.
Backstab had better odds.
'Wish Truth's Eye showed this too.'
Such a greedy thought crossed his mind.
Then,
"Huu...."
"Nervous."
Voices faded into hush.
[Time until field boss respawn: 00:01:01]
Respawn imminent—everyone confirmed.
Like pre-race silence before the gun.
*Ring-*
A crisp chime like a whistle, message popped.
[Condition met.]
[Trait 'Slayer' activates.]
[Target boss confirmed nearby.]
[Location of hidden field boss 'Spider Queen Eliza' revealed.]
'Huh?'
The message visible only to Do-hyun.