Chapter 37
Chapter 37
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Grotesque Calamity (1)
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Arteil's affinity system could practically be called the flower of hero nurturing. At the same time, it was one of the systems players had to manage with the utmost delicacy.
The reason was simple: how you handled this affinity system directly caused the stats of heroes affiliated with your territory to fluctuate wildly, beyond all reason.
Thanks to that, players meticulously managed their heroes' affinities, and Kim Hyunwoo had done the same.
...Until he quit because of the killer monetization, anyway.
The point was that Arteil's affinity system was one of the most crucial elements in the game. Most players went to great lengths to raise a hero's initial affinity right after recruiting them.
This was because the initial affinity set after the "measuring" phase determined the difficulty of raising it further.
For example, if the initial affinity after measuring was Stage 1, the difficulty of reaching Stage 5 skyrocketed.
On the flip side, if it started at Stage 2 or 3, getting to Stage 5 wasn't quite as arduous.
...Though even reaching Stage 5 came with the murderous challenge of maintaining it.
In any case, the key here was that affinities only became easier to raise if the initial one was close to Stage 5. That's why all players strived to boost their early affinity stages—but surprisingly, it wasn't easy.
No matter how lavishly you treated them, heroes rarely exceeded Stage 2 during measurement. Hitting Stage 3 was rare enough to post about on the Arteil forums and get flooded with comments.
Kim Hyunwoo himself remembered that, among his 1-star heroes, only one had ever started at Stage 3. Getting Stage 2 or higher right off the bat was no small feat.
And yet.
In Elena's info window, staring him right in the face, the affinity was plainly marked at Stage 4.
"...Seriously Stage 4?"
He stared in disbelief.
Sure, the fact that Elena's affinity had been under measurement for an unusually long time was odd, but he hadn't expected Stage 4.
At least, not according to everything he knew—Stage 4 was an incredibly high rank.
He recalled how players categorized the stages.
'...Stage 1 was business relations, Stage 2 was friends, Stage 3 was close friends, Stage 4 was precious existence, Stage 5 was someone you'd lay down your life for... something like that.'
Kim Hyunwoo thought it over and glanced back at Elena's relationship readout.
The info window still showed Stage 4.
'...But she never really acted like it.'
Truth be told, rising affinity didn't drastically change every hero's behavior.
The stages weren't purely about romantic affection between men and women; they were more literally about closeness and intimacy.
Still, even without romance, Stage 4 should come with some noticeable reaction. Arteil's hero AI did change dramatically as affinity rose.
'Compared to that, Elena...'
To Kim Hyunwoo, she often seemed stuck at Stage 1 or 2 vibes. He tilted his head, puzzled.
'Honestly, I don't think I've done anything special enough to hit Stage 4... Well, good is good, right?'
In the end, that's the conclusion he reached.
With Stage 4 affinity, pushing to Stage 5 would be a breeze. And if he got her there, she'd grow far stronger than she was now.
So.
'...Elena must be the type who doesn't wear her emotions on her sleeve, like I thought.'
With that in mind, Kim Hyunwoo turned his thoughts back to the 3rd stratum.
Meanwhile, around that time, on a hill overlooking Lartania territory.
"Boss, aren't we going?"
"No."
Kirral sighed quietly as he watched Merrillda's tail swishing toward the territory, then spoke up.
"For real?"
"Yeah."
"Come on, even so, isn't it weird just leaving your subordinates down there like this?"
"You guys can just beat each other up and sort it out yourselves."
"That's the thing—our group wasn't built on that kind of vibe from the start."
"Not interested."
Kirral sighed again at Merrillda's curt reply.
'As expected... No, this isn't even expectation territory anymore.'
Truth be told, the entire situation unfolding before Kirral was a nonstop shock. Things he never thought could happen were happening.
He hadn't imagined having such a long conversation with her like this.
Nor seeing her like this.
What he'd actually expected was that even if they sought her out, they couldn't bring her back.
No one in Red Eyes—not even the Four Heavenly Kings—could move her.
But.
'...I never dreamed the reason no one could move the boss was just some human guy.'
Of course, Merrillda hadn't said anything outright.
But after quietly observing her for days, it was obvious.
All she did from dawn till dusk, sitting here, was stare at Lartania's lord's castle.
And that was it?
Whenever a human man appeared at the lord's castle window, her ears perked up and her tail wagged happily. When he vanished from the office window, her tail drooped, and her ears drooped too.
Merrillda just sat there, repeating the cycle.
'...What's so great about just staring?'
Kirral eyed her expression.
Her hollow gaze hadn't changed, but her ears were perked, tail swishing.
A faint smile played on her lips—not obvious, but there. It made Kirral doubt if this was really the Red Eyes leader.
"..."
Honestly, Kirral couldn't wrap his head around this Merrillda.
He didn't get why she was so hung up on one human man.
Or why she was content just watching him from afar.
So, for days, Kirral had said nothing beyond urging her to return. For the first time, he spoke his mind.
"What's so great about that human guy? He's just a weak, lowly species anyway—"
And he realized.
He'd messed up.
Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump!
His beastkin instincts kicked in instantly, heart pounding as his body shifted to combat mode.
Fur bristled, hidden claws extended.
Yet despite the instinctive reaction, Kirral—Red Eyes' Four Heavenly King and second-in-command—couldn't move.
The reason?
"-"
Merrillda's crimson eyes, fixed on him as she turned her head.
Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump!
His heart hammered.
Terror devoured his instincts.
His extended claws retracted under fear, his bristled fur flattening slightly.
Only then did Kirral realize once more.
The being before him wasn't just some beastkin. She was a powerhouse rivaling great heroes who could slaughter dozens alone.
And the leader of Red Eyes, his group.
Remembering that, Kirral grasped the vast mercy she showed.
He vividly recalled the fates of beastkin who'd whined like that to the old her.
"Watch your words, Kirral."
Merrillda spoke, gazing at her trembling subordinate.
"There won't be a next time."
Bathed in his boss's mercy, staring right at him.
"S-Sorry, Boss."
Kirral could only bow his head.
Two days later.
Kim Hyunwoo, who'd been agonizing over whether to tackle the 3rd stratum, finally decided.
He'd go down with Elena to conquer it.
Truthfully, for maximum safety, boosting Elena's stats a bit more first would be ideal.
'But with Stage 4 affinity, it'll be safe.'
Kim Hyunwoo's judgment that he could tackle the 3rd stratum relatively safely stemmed from Elena's Stage 4 affinity.
A recruited hero's stats were influenced not just by stars, but by affinity too.
Thanks to the stat buff from Stage 4, Elena now had solid specs for the 3rd stratum. So Kim Hyunwoo committed to pushing through.
"We're going to tackle the 3rd stratum."
He'd just summoned Elena to convey his intent when.
Vrrr—!
"?"
A sudden resonance echoed across the entire territory, drawing a puzzled look from him involuntarily.
A grotesque calamity erupts in the southern continent! Grade: GhostFirst destination of the grotesque disaster: Lartania.Time remaining: 3 days, 17 hours, 22 minutes.
※Warning! Massive territory damage expected! Take action immediately!
※Warning! Residents are starting to tremble in fear! Happiness decreasing!
※Warning! Residents are gripped by anxiety! Failure to act will cause desertions!
※Warning! Residents' work efficiency—
※Warning! Residents' economic activ—
※Warning! —
"Ah."
The alert window popped up before his eyes.
"Fuck."
Kim Hyunwoo's face hardened as he cursed under his breath.