Chapter 368
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 368
Chapter Title: I'm Going Crazy
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I'm going crazy.
What the hell is all this?
After ending the call, Jang Ha-jin stood before the red portal, his face a mask of complication.
Deleting the great rift restored the Earth... Is there any such absurd bullshit?
If anyone other than Jeong Hoon had said it, he would have snapped at them to quit spouting nonsense.
And who could blame him? The planet had been utterly ravaged, only to be restored to its original state.
Jang Ha-jin desperately wanted to head straight home and get some rest, but the warning that failing to block the invasion would lead to another devastation left him no choice but to dive right in.
Um...
He was about to step into the portal with eight hours left on the timer when someone grabbed him.
Jang Ha-jin turned his head.
A stunning beauty stood there.
What's wrong?
Jang Ha-jin tilted his head quizzically.
Her level was mid-700s.
Jeong Hoon had tweaked the code, letting tons of people skyrocket their levels.
She was probably one of them.
Are you heading into that dungeon by any chance?
Ah, she wanted to party up?
Yeah. So?
Ah... I'm a main healer, so I'm pretty damn useful. Party?
You wouldn't happen to be an Incarnation, would you?
...
It hit the markshe fell silent.
He said the Incarnations are all busy grinding contribution right now.
According to Jeong Hoon, there had been a small tweak to the original contribution quests.
They'd added a proficiency test to the process of racking up points.
The test required players to prove their chops by completing job-specific challenges to earn contribution.
In other words, she wants a carry.
Low-level players couldn't job-change, leaving their combat skills in the gutter. But a healer who'd hit late 600s and cleared her fifth job change? She'd have a solid arsenal of battle skills.
On top of that, she'd branched into fire and ice combat specs after her fifth awakening. She could solo-clear the dungeon without dragging someone like him along.
Guess she's the type Hoon mentioned who can't make proper use of it.
Why else would she come at him with such a humble pitch?
Ahem. Sure, why not.
He hadn't been told not to form parties on his own, right?
This beauty wouldn't have propositioned him if he weren't a sixth-jobbed high-level player.
It felt like a reward for all his grindhow could he say no?
Really?!
The healer's face lit up.
She hadn't dreamed a hidden-class beast over level 2,000 would say yes.
Yeah. But in exchange, mind sharing some quest details?
Hm? You're not an Incarnation?
Nope.
Truth be told, his opinion of Incarnations wasn't great, but since this was a deal with a demon under Jeong Hoon's thumb, he decided not to sweat it.
That said, he had zero intention of helping any Incarnation not contracted to Jeong Hoon's demon.
Hoon says he booted them all out, but better safe than sorry.
It was an easy ask, and Kim Se-ah nodded eagerly.
Got it!
For my class, I have to hunt using specific skills to build count, and keep party HP above 30 with my skill tree.
Sounds like there's a guide.
Yeah. Follow the guide, meet the conditions, seal the riftcontribution goes up.
Luckily, she fell into the first category.
Phew.
Jang Ha-jin sighed inwardly in relief and sent her a party invite.
Mind if I take leader?
Sure! Absolutely!
Kim Se-ah accepted in a flash, locking in the party.
Level 2,232.
A sixth-jobbed Death Lord.
Jang Ha-jin summoned an army numbering over 100,000 and crushed the Papus tribe in one fell swoop.
Wow... So that's the might of level 2,200.
Kim Se-ah watched from the rear, mouth agape in awe.
He'd helped her rack up the early count, then soloed the tribe and sealed the rift on his own.
The subjugation wrapped in a blink.
The army that had ruled the field was gone, and Jang Ha-jin returned alone.
Your contribution go up?
Ah, yeah! Thanks to you, I hit it quick.
Hm. Youve got good instinctsbet youll adapt fast.
Jang Ha-jin was another explosive-leveling case, thanks to his lucky breaks.
His hidden class, Dark Lord, was basically handed to him via Jeong Hoon.
Even so, his innate talent let him wield the Dark Lord at damn near 90 efficiencya freak of nature.
Back when he didn't even touch New World, he'd dreamed of going pro gamer. His raw gaming genius made it possible.
Kim Se-ah wasn't quite on his level, but her talent was sharp, and her grasp of New World was top-notch too.
You think? I never really gamed before...
So you picked it up after the game turned real?
Nah. Seoul got wrecked, so I holed up in a shelter and figured I needed power. Monster levels tanked hard around then... That's when I started.
I see.
Despite her talent, Kim Se-ah wasn't the type glued to games for fun.
If she'd jumped in during New World's prime... she'd have climbed high.
That's when I became an Incarnation too. Total noob with zero foundationneeded a hand.
Hm... Plenty of ways to get help without going Incarnation.
You really think that?
Yeah?
I was a blank-slate beginner. Everyone's level-madwho's gonna sincerely carry trash like me?
So she went for the surefire option.
Someone wouldve.
Jang Ha-jin held a dim view of Transcendents.
And that wasn't changing, ever.
Kim Se-ah didn't bother arguing.
Everyone's got their own take.
What one calls justice, another calls pure evil.
No such thing as absolute good.
At least, not to her.
Anyway, seriouslythanks.
Gonna scout more party after we exit?
Hm... If I ask nicely, will you keep helping?
If the pay's right.
Huh?
I'm no charity case. I move for profit.
Uh... then let's call it here.
He'd partied up because she'd spilled Incarnation quest intel.
Info shared, she had no leverage left.
Why stop?
Huh?
Let's grab a bite.
Y-Yeah...?
Jang Ha-jin flashed a sly grin.
Gotta be worth at least that to keep carrying you.
Uh... really? Just that? You're not messing with me?
She clocked the flirt but played dumb on purpose.
His looks were solid enough, and honestly? A powerhouse showing interest? Not bad.
Why enter if I was joking?
...Fine.
Deal! Next one?
At that moment.
Jeong Hoon got the report on Jang Ha-jin and let out a dry chuckle.
Ha-jin?
Yeah. Dude's hitting on one of my contract humans.
Let him.
Weird to micromanage a buddy.
Ha-jin could handle his own.
Priority was block rates post-quest tweak.
Rates keep tanking. Now what?
Wasn't just the proficiency add-on.
Amplification reactivation was tanking them.
Even with levels capped way below 1,000 and Jeong Hoon's debuff in play.
Meaning? Tons of dead-weight level-eaters out there.
Yo! Monsters in this portal are no jokestay the fuck out.
-Really damn sure of yourself? Don't even think about it.
Heard folks died going in...
900-level dungeon that chews them up.
Ugh... basically, no control? GTFO.
Dungeon vets were unanimous in their bitching.
Even axed amp and nerfed levels, and it's still like this.
Fair enoughthese weren't your garden-variety hunt mobs.
Invaders were survivors who'd thrived in other dimensions, after all.
No more brute-forcing it.
-I'm an Incarnation. Blocked a few invasionsdropping my two cents.
Critters in the portals? Intelligent like us. Brute force gets you trapped and dead.
Prep proper before diving in.
FWIW, Incarnations get proficiency tests to max out their kits. Interested? Might be worth signing up.
Lmao the tone
Lol but facts? Levels exploded, skills lagged hard.
Fucking clowns. Mastery skills mean shit now?
OP's braindead af. Mastery don't fix shit situational awareness.
Damn... sharing levels with these idiots. Tragic. Gotta spoon-feed judgment now?
Real issue: pumping noobs with zero brains.
Can't we force-downgrade the unworthy?
Well done.
Jeong Hoon skimmed the community thread and praised Thanatos.
The post was straight from Thanatos, per his orders.
Heh, humans. They'd shit bricks knowing who wrote it.
Thanatos beamed. Tenebris scowled.
This changes jack?
Changes plenty.
Does it?
Thanatos, non-Incarnation block rate?
84. Bluntly? These scrubs are tanking the whole average.
Non-contracted made up 80their 84 meant Incarnations couldn't lift overall no matter how hard they carried.
Better to nudge them toward Thanatos Incarnations for the assist. Hence the post.
Master, didn't you despise Incarnations?
Yeah. Pretty sure you did.
Muk-ho and Anima's confusion was fair.
Jeong Hoon had loathed Incarnations.
They parroted Transcendents, speeding doom.
But now? Hastening Earth's end?
Nope.
They were busting ass to defend the planet on Thanatos's orders.
It's fine. Once Earth's safe, we cut the Incarnation contracts.
Thanatos scratched his head, baffled.
So my gig ends post-invasion?
Nahwhen everything's wrapped.
Ah.
Thanatos got it and turned back to the Incarnations.
Gotta level 'em up fast as hell.
Psyche said higher races were inbound soon.
To match them, Incarnations needed massive growth.
This invasion? Prime grinding fodder.