[Trantor - Jjescus ]


    [Proofreader - Starfall ]


    Chapter: 72


    "Huh?"


    [Lure: Battle Sandworm (Lv.31)]


    Its muddy-colored skin was slick with mucus, and sharp spines protruded from its body. Its mouth, gaping open in a circle, was lined with hundreds of ovepping teeth.


    -Oh, crap.


    -Why does it look like that?


    -Is it from hell?


    -Isn''t the worm too strong?


    "Ugh..."


    Yeonwoo paused, then steadied himself. Turning to Hanbit, who was standing behind him, he asked, "Was this supposed to be a monster-hunting ce?"


    "The challenge dungeon was too, wasn''t it? Why? Is it tough?"


    "Tough? It''s perfect."


    Swoosh-


    Yeonwoo drew the sword from his waist and charged towards the sandworm.


    Thwack-


    Squeak-


    With a powerful blow, the monster''s neck was severed.


    Hanbit watched from a few steps back.


    "Oh, you''re good."


    -Sandworm Butcher Roper


    -The mob melts so easily


    -It looks weak for something that looks like that


    Viewers immediately reacted to Yeonwoo''s ease in defeating the monster.


    Thwack-


    With thest sandworm dead, Yeonwoo looked back with a triumphant expression.


    "How was that? Pretty good, right?"


    "Bragging rights earned. We''ll be out of here soon."


    "Just trust me. Follow me!"


    Feeling good, Yeonwoo strode forward boldly, still keeping his right hand on the wall.


    Tap-tap-


    A few more monsters appeared after a few turns. This time, they were crabs with sharp ws.


    [Lure: Battle Crab (Lv.31)]


    A monster of the same level as the sandworm.


    Overheated with excitement, Yeonwoo immediately charged.


    "This is nothing!"


    Crack-


    He continued to defeat the monsters with bold attacks.


    "Well done, well done."


    Hanbit pped slowly from a few steps back.


    Yeonwoo''s shoulders were rigid as he walked forward.


    ''There must be more outside.''


    Chat messages continued to pop up, saying that more yers were waiting outside the dungeon. It felt like it was almost time to move.


    Thump-thump-


    Yeonwoo continued to follow the right wall.


    Rustle-


    "Are there really this many monsters?"


    Finally, heined about the constant appearance of monsters.


    Even so, the iing monsters didn''t stop.


    Rustle-


    At that moment, an insect monster crawled down from above Yeonwoo''s blind spot.


    Hanbit drew his bow and quietly nocked an arrow.


    Ping-!


    The arrow flew swiftly and pierced the insect''s head.


    Yeonwoo, engrossed in battle, didn''t notice.


    -Aw He doesn''t know.


    -He''s trying hard.


    -But this dungeon is really easy, isn''t it?


    -Difficulty needs to be reevaluated.


    The chat''s evaluation of the dungeon was gradually leaning in one direction. The fact that the monsters weren''t very strong made it feel easy.


    Hanbit nced at the camera.


    ''How is it? Looks easy, right?''


    He swallowed the words he wanted to say out loud.


    All he had to do was keep showing the dungeon as easy to conquer.


    "Oh, aren''t we almost there?"


    "Really?"


    "Keep going. You might be the first to clear it."


    "Then let''s go even faster!"


    With a hint of hope added, Yeonwoo''s determination red.


    Swoosh-


    Ping-!


    His struggle with Hanbit''s assistance continued several more times.


    And a few minutester.


    Ding-!


    A clear rm sound rang in their ears.


    [Cuckoo has donated 1,000 won.]


    [Breaking News) 2,300 people have entered the waterway.]


    ''Here theye.''


    Hanbit clenched his fist.


    Over 2,000 yers, including Ranger.


    It was the perfectposition to serve as sacrifices for clearing this dungeon.


    "Huh?"


    Yeonwoo, who had been fighting hard, finally stopped.


    "They''ve alreadye in? We haven''t even passed the maze yet? And 2,300 is way too many!"


    Not knowing the hidden n, he reacted naturally.


    Hanbit deliberately furrowed his brow slightly. "This is troublesome,” he muttered as he looked at the chat window, feigning contemtion. Then turning to Yeonwoo he said, "They''ll probably arrive here soon."


    "At the very least the Ranger wille quickly. But what do we do? It''ll be a huge disaster if we lose the clear." Yeonwoo, with his sword lowered, sighed as he looked at the maze.


    However, the news in the following chat window made him sigh even deeper.


    -Breaking News) Ranger dered he''ll ept PKs too.


    -Looks like he got really pissed. ???


    -Why is he messing with people having fun?


    -Damn ???;


    -Just borrowing you for a bit.


    -Huh? You too?


    "They''re going that far? Haah."


    "Wow, PK? This is a big deal."


    The two responded simultaneously. Yeonwoo looked genuinely troubled.


    On the other hand, for Hanbit, PK was a trivial matter. The situation would end before he could even do anything.


    "I''ll try to go faster." Yeonwoo, feeling a sense of urgency, tried to hurry forward.


    Thoughmendable, it was time to switch roles.


    "No, you''ve done well enough." Hanbit patted Yeonwoo''s shoulder with a light step. Then he drew out his blue-white sword and stepped forward. "I''ll lead the way from now on."


    * * *


    At the entrance to the waterway, where the debris had been cleared to one side, a group of advanced yers could be seen among the numerous yers. Their equipment, bearing the logo of the corporation Rashtan, was particrly eye-catching.


    Grind-


    The Ranger gritted his teeth.


    On a screen disyed to one side, Roper and ck Dragon were seen navigating the maze.


    ''ck Dragon... that damn bastard.''


    Since starting the Record Project, Ranger''s life had changed.


    A superior status, almost like a noble. Even within therge corporation Rashtan he was in, he received the best treatment. Although he was behind otherpetitors, he always existed as a proud advanced yer.


    Until that day arrived.


    ‘Well, luck is also skill. Or maybe he doesn''t have either?’


    The first insult he had received from a man named ck Dragon.


    At that time, he had somehow managed to keep his expression in check, but he had been so angry that he could have easily provoked a PK guild.


    ''If only that incident hadn''t happened...''


    It all started with the hero confirmation skill quest that appeared from Artsvel.


    Immediately after ck Dragon cleared it, the Ranger, who had been gathering information in various ways, received an anonymous tip.


    Using it, he easily collected the materials for the bomb slime in the hidden cave, and as a result, monopolized them.


    The bold announcement that he could easily crush any new yer was also perfect.


    However, the situation reversed when an exposé was posted on the RPGmunity.


    <Where did all those bomb slimes go?>


    Whose fault it is is up to you.


    -Is Rashtan really monopolizing like this?


    -They''re trash.


    -Their greed is overflowing.


    -That''s how big corporations are.


    -Seriously, they''re selfish bastards.


    The arrows of suspicion naturally pointed at Rashtan, who had been monopolizing resources.


    Later, the Ranger and his subordinates, while monitoring public opinion, heard that ck Dragon had logged in. And when he went to Artsvel''s general store, a quest appeared.


    [Quest]


    Learn the second magic spell from Artsvel.


    The book’s lock will be released after 5 minutes.


    Objective: Use Artsvel''s spellbook


    Reward: 10,000 gold, Fire Burst (2nd rank - Hero), 3 stat points, 3,000 experience points


    A 2-rank skill quest appeared incredibly quickly. With a calm expression, ck Dragon easily acquired the skill.


    Soon, the Ranger and his subordinates also jumped into the quest, but only the worst result urred for them. Not only did they fail, but the opportunity vanishedpletely.


    ‘Does he have a supporter? Or is it another corporation?’


    There were many corporations that had a grudge against Rashtan.


    Within the game, in the form of guilds, thepetitive structure was even more clearly defined.


    It wasn''t strange if one of them was backing ck Dragon.


    But yesterday, something happened thatpletely blew away even that spection.


    ‘A global reset? That’s ridiculous.’


    A shocking message that appeared to all yers.


    Its impact greatly shook the real world as well.


    Informants were still working hard to grasp the situation.


    ‘Even so, to reject Rashtan?’


    Even though he didn''t like it, he had to admit ck Dragon''s knowledge.


    He had a hunch that if ck Dragon assisted him, he could climb up to the top tier of the advanced yers.


    With that thought in mind, he met with the CEO of Rashtan and decided to recruit him, and then went to find ck Dragon.


    But the guy, with his shoulders puffed up with self-importance, rejected the recruitment with arrogant words.


    ‘Why would I join Rashtan? From what I’ve heard, it doesn’t seem that great.’


    Even though he had achieved a lot from the beginning, ck Dragon was still an ordinary yer.


    Without realizing that, he ignored the corporation to which the Ranger belonged.


    He even gave off the vibe that a higher-ranking advanced team had proposed recruitment.


    It was a statement that brought out the inferiorityplex he had buried deep inside.


    『Oh, aren’t we almost there?』


    『Really?』


    At that moment, voices came from the stream.


    Watching the screen, the Ranger carefully drew the progress of the maze in his mind.


    And then he made a decision.


    "We''re going in too."


    "Captain, wouldn''t it be better to watch the maze until the end before entering?" One of his subordinates who was watching the situation with him approached and asked.


    The Ranger shook his head firmly in response. "No, we have to go in now. If they get out of the maze, everything might be over."


    It was a decision made withoutpletely discarding his emotions, anger still bubbling within him.


    Complete trust orplete distrust could not be applied to that guy.


    ck Dragon''s actions were difficult to predict from beginning to end. Neither the method, the process, nor the result had gone as expected. Moreover, because he was prone to mocking others, he had to move cautiously.


    He had no intention of getting caught up in ck Dragon''s n.


    This time, he would have the upper hand, even if it meant epting PKs.


    "I''ll take the lead. Follow me at a distance."


    Thump-


    The Ranger kicked off and entered the waterway.


    He increased his speed at once, as much as his high agility stat allowed.


    Bang-


    A few frogs appeared in the path ahead.


    Grasping his bow, the Ranger drew the string with intent.


    Ping-!


    Crack-!


    The arrow, which shot out with lightning, cleanly killed all the monsters in the passage.


    It was an attack as sharp as the anger he withheld.


    ‘I won’t let you spout nonsense anymore.’


    If ck Dragon was arrogant, making him face reality would be the most effective.


    He would make him feel a sense of deprivation with overwhelming power.


    With a determined expression, the Ranger clenched his fist and vowed, ‘I’ll definitely take on the boss.’


    [Trantor - Jjescus ]


    [Proofreader - Starfall ]