Chapter 27
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Red King Tiger
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While hunting Red Tigers, he discovered traces of Blanc.
Blanc's bloodstains were a murky green.
A color in stark contrast to the bright red blood of the Red Tigers.
Confirming that the green blood led to the boss zone, Jeong Hoon left the remaining Red Tigers to Pripon and headed into the boss zone.
Lv.42 Red King Tiger
"Grrr, who gave you permission to enter here?"
The beast was about 1.5 times larger than the Red Tigers outside.
Drooling saliva and baring its fangs, it threatened Jeong Hoon.
Who was it that said?
That your whole body freezes when facing a fierce beast like a tiger.
It was hard to believe this was a virtual reality worldthe Red King Tiger's killing intent was that intense.
Jeong Hoon's gaze shifted to the side of the Red King Tiger.
A severely damaged corpse.
And the pendant lying next to it.
This dungeon was indeed the right one.
"Grrr!"
Lv.42 Red King Tiger uses 'Intimidation.'
Boss-grade monsters Lv.40 and above used at least one special ability.
That made it even harder to take them down solo.
Debuff applied.
With the debuff, his entire body stiffened as if paralyzed.
"I'll kill you, human!"
The Red King Tiger charged at Jeong Hoon.
Jeong Hoon stepped forward and unleashed Continuous Slash.
Slash.
The sharp sword strike tore the Red King Tiger's hide.
"Grng?!"
Startled, the beast hesitated and stepped back.
How did it shake off the Intimidation?
The Red King Tiger's eyes wavered.
'That's why holy power is necessary.'
Intimidation was a debuff-type ability.
It sealed the opponent's movements for a moment.
That was why holy power was needed to dispel it.
Martial Artist exclusive skill, 'Unyielding Will' activates.
Acquire skill, 'Dispel (Rare).'
As he tried to dispel it, Unyielding Will activated, granting him Dispel.
Thanks to that, he instantly released his paralyzed muscles with Dispel.
If the level gap were extreme, holy power wouldn't work, but the difference between Jeong Hoon and the Red King Tiger was just over 10 levels.
So Dispel worked easily.
Jeong Hoon began pressuring the Red King Tiger.
Slash.
The beast's tough hide was sliced open, and it let out a scream.
Jeong Hoon swung his sword with all his might at the beast's neck.
"Kieeng!"
A different scream erupted this time.
The beast hurriedly leaped back, putting distance between them.
"Is this the best I can do with a sword right now?"
Jeong Hoon felt a bit disappointed.
He had struck the neck precisely just now.
Yet he couldn't sever itthe blade sank in but stopped.
Unless he acquired a Legendary-grade skill like Myeongwang Fist Technique, overcoming the level gap wasn't easy.
But that was fine.
In time, all these skills would grow to Legendary or higher.
"Grrr...."
The killing intent was gone from the Red King Tiger's eyes.
It had completely lost the will to fight in the face of death's terror.
Jeong Hoon approached it step by step.
"Don't come closer!"
Bleeding profusely, the beast tried to evade nimbly, but Jeong Hoon leisurely cornered it.
As time passed, the Red King Tiger's movements slowed noticeably.
Due to the severe bleeding.
Eventually, it was fully backed against the wall.
"Grng...."
In the end, the beast slumped down right there.
"Time to end this."
Slash.
Jeong Hoon delivered the finishing blow, severing the Red King Tiger's neck.
Level up!
All stats 1.
Bonus stat 1 granted.
His level was now 31.
Achievement unlocked! Completed 'Savor the Good Stuff (2)'! 2,000 achievement points granted.
Achievement Shop level increased to 3!
Uninvested bonus stats: 40.
Breaking through 40 unlocked the next achievement.
'Good. I've accumulated a lot of achievement points.'
He had just gained 2,000 more, raising the Achievement Shop to level 3.
Still far from 6, but level 3 was enough to buy some good items.
Jeong Hoon collected the dropped magic stone, approached the damaged corpse to retrieve the pendant, and left the boss zone.
"You damn bastards!"
Pripon was swinging his axe like a madman, fending off the Red Tigers.
But with their overwhelming numbers, Pripon's body was covered in wounds.
He had held out impressively.
Jeong Hoon cast Healing on Pripon.
Using Basic Healing.
The now Rare-grade Basic Healing quickly healed Pripon's minor wounds.
"Huh? Isn't this Healing?"
Pripon, mid-swing, widened his eyes as his health recovered.
It had just been Healing.
The familiar energy he felt every time Healing was cast washed over him.
Weird. There shouldn't be a Healer here.
"Let's finish them quickly."
"H-Huh? Was that you who cast Healing?"
"Who knows?"
While Pripon was flustered, Jeong Hoon stepped forward and hunted the remaining Red Tigers.
Event Quest completed.
Level up.
All stats 2.
Bonus stat 2 granted.
Pripon checked the level-up message and clenched his fist.
"Whew, finally over!"
It wasn't just the level-up; the day spent with Jeong Hoon had been exhausting, like death.
Still, he had snagged a skillbook mid-way and leveled up, making it a satisfying day.
"Good work. Let's part ways now."
"Yeah! No more business between us!"
Pripon logged out like he was fleeing.
"Why's he running off like that?"
It made him feel like he had done something wrong.
Pripon had asked for help, and in exchange for dragging out time during the dungeon clear, Jeong Hoon had yielded the skillbook.
Though to Jeong Hoon, who had the superior Indomitable Body, it was pretty uselessbut once he hit Lv.70 and could access the auction house, it could fetch a decent price.
'Whatever, not my problem anymore.'
Jeong Hoon returned to Edenhark Village and sought out the old man who gave the quest.
"Oh, thank you! Thank you so much!"
The old man took the pendant, tears streaming as he expressed endless gratitude.
Quest completed.
Acquired 'Worn Map.'
Perfect.
He had obtained the first must-have item: the Worn Map.
"This is a map I received from someone long ago. They said it was something amazing, but I'm too old for it to be of any use now. Please take it, benefactor."
Worn Map
-Type: Map
-Grade: ?
-An old, worn map that's illegible.
-Restoration potion unusable
Even an alchemist couldn't restore it.
That's why no players came to take this old man's quest.
"Thank you."
Jeong Hoon took the map and headed to the next NPC.
The most remote spot in Edenhark.
A place where street vagrants stopped to rest.
He stopped in front of a dilapidated mansion.
A two-story building with the front door wide open, and a few vagrants already occupying spots on the first floor to rest.
"Hey, if you're here to rest, go inside."
With the NPC's kind guidance, Jeong Hoon entered the mansion.
The interior was surprisingly tidy.
The resting vagrants cleaned up before leaving.
"Second floor's off-limits, so use the first floor."
"Got it."
"But you're different from us, huh? Your clothes are clean."
The vagrants' clothes were all filthy.
In contrast, Jeong Hoon was neat from head to toe.
They immediately pegged him as an outsider, not a vagrant.
"Yes. I'm here on some brief business."
"I see. Alright then."
The vagrant asked no more.
Jeong Hoon toured the mansion, opening closed doors one by one.
"Huh? What?"
Some vagrants were chatting in groups, others snoring away in naps.
But none were the NPC he sought.
Then he opened the last door.
An old man in the room was fiddling with a worn monocle while examining a map.
The walls were plastered with yellowed maps.
NPC Info
-Nickname: Yorden
-Level: 35
-Job: Interpreter
And a question mark blinked over his head.
Hiss
The capsule door opened, and Lee Jun-sik stepped out.
His body was soaked in sweat.
"Whoa... finally escaped."
Glancing at the clock, 13 hours had already passed.
He had flailed around that whole time, swinging his axe desperately in the dungeon just to avoid dying.
"But... what the hell was that guy?"
A guy way below his level massacring Red Tigers?
Lee Jun-sik pulled out his phone and logged into WorldCom.
Guys. Is it possible for a Lv.30 low-rank Martial Artist to massacre Lv.39 Red Tigers?
-The weapon was a sword. He took down 20 at once solo. Cleanly targeting vitals each time.
As soon as he posted, replies poured in like ghosts.
lololol what kind of new aggro is this?
A low-rank Martial Artist massacring Red Tigers? 20 at once?
Driving me crazy lololol a low-rank Martial Artist? lololol
Even pulls aggro poorly... total noob lololol
Dude, say something that makes sense lololol don't spew nonsense lol
Aggro? Noob? Nonsense?
"It was kinda expected..."
Lee Jun-sik chuckled.
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would've dismissed it as nonsense too.
Then, speculative replies started appearing.
Huh...? Wait. A Martial Artist using a sword? Not that hidden class Martial Artist, right?
Heard there's an off-spec Martial Artist causing a stir. Maybe that's him?
Hidden classes have a blind system, right? Maybe hiding it as low-rank Martial Artist on purpose?
Yeah, not impossible.
"Huh...? Wait."
Lee Jun-sik's eyes went wide reading that.
Right.
The recently emerged hidden class Martial Artist!
Why hadn't he thought of that?!
"G-Gotta log back in quick!"
Lee Jun-sik rushed into the capsule.
If that was true, he should've friended him to build a connection.
He hadn't fled because he desperately wanted to log out.
"Please... please still be there...."