Chapter 75 - Battlefield (2)
5.
[Blue Giant]
- Quest Rank : Unique
- Quest Level Range : Over level 80, Equal or Below Level 100
- Quest Content : Defeat the mutated monster, Blue Giant, who has appeared on the Battlefield.
- Quest Reward : Unique Skill Book(Belongs only to acquired user)
- Miscellaneous : This Quest is an Event Quest. When the event ends, the Quest will disappear.
Unique Skill book.
Hyrkan couldn't get used to the content of the Quest, even though he kept looking over it again and again. He felt thankful once again that his Hahoe Mask hid his expression.
‘Isn't this a bit over-powered?’
The Quest was quite powerful.
There was the stipulation that this Skill Book couldn't be traded. However, the fact that the Unique Skill Book couldn't be traded wasn't that important. The fact that it had come out was a big deal in itself.
Unique Skills couldn't easily be gained even if one had money. This meant possessing a Unique Skill allowed one to differentiate oneself from the others in the same class. Moreover, it meant a user would gain separation in an outstanding fashion. This game was all about competition, so the advantage of having an excellent differentiator was invaluable.
However, Warlord wasn't a game where it would allow anyone to easily gain this excellent differentiator.
That wasn't the case at all.
Until now the people, who earned a Unique Skill book as a Quest reward in Warlord, was either incredibly lucky or they put in enormous effort that made up for the lack of luck. Or one could use enough money to make up for the effort and luck.
If one wanted to earn it, there needed to be as much cost or luck proportional to what was earned.
One thing was certain right now. Hyrkan didn't think this situation wasn't solely based on luck.
‘It means the difficulty must be set incredibly high.’
Hyrkan had never properly run a Battlefield, so his knowledge about the Battlefield was limited. However, he knew when a jackpot reward was on the line, then the difficulty was very high. It was an Event Quest with a reward that made one question if such a jackpot reward had really appeared. He was well aware that there was an equal amount of failure and success when such an Event Quest appeared.
‘Well, the difficulty level doesn't mean anything to me.’
No, the difficulty of the quest was probably the ancillary problem.
The reward was frightening.
This was natural.
‘Of course, everyone's face has changed.’
The competition would become frightening.
He looked through the eye holes of the Hahoe Mask. His eyes were barely visible behind the mask, and Hyrkan quickly looked around his surrounding. He looked at the expression of his competitors.
‘It seems everyone knows who the strong one is.’
The guarded feeling towards him couldn't be compared to before. It had become so large that it was almost visible to his eyes. Hyrkan was able to calm himself after seeing their expressions.
Hyrkan bit his lips hard. From their perspective, Hyrkan was the player that demanded the highest level of alertness. They wouldn't allow Hyrkan to do as he liked. If it was necessary, they would ally with each other to attack Hyrkan first.
‘The difficulty has suddenly increased.’
He didn't have any relationship with anyone here, so he wanted to enjoy the Battlefield a little bit. He'll record the footage he would sell, and he'll level up! He had approached this place with a light heart, but now he had to bet life and death on this event.
Of course, it didn't mean he wanted to give up.
‘Yes, I'll do it. Haven't I survived even messier situation than this? Ahn-jaehyun! Use your head. Analyze the situation. Find a way.'
The Unique Skill Book will help him in the future when he face enemies that couldn't even be compared to the ones right. Later, Hyrkan will have to compete with large and scary existences called the 30 great guild. The Unique Skill would be of great help when he went up against them. He had the chance to gain much here. If he ran away just because he was afraid of dying, then he would be better off exchanging all his items into cash. He would be better off using that money to go eat some beef.
‘All right.’
In the end this was a dog fight. Numerous people will hold hands with each other for profit, and attack him. They'll try to fuck over Hyrkan.
‘If they bother me, I'll take at least 30 of their watches.’
Hyrkan was at his best in this kind of fight.
[There is 59 minutes left until the castle gate is opened.]
At that moment, the time showed up on their wrist watch.
6.
- Hyung-nim. The Hahoe Mask is over here.
Big Smile guild's large membership base was the guild's weapon.
Since there were a lot of members, it was inevitable that cliques formed within the organization. Whenever a large number of people gathered, the number of factions would increase. This was a truth that wouldn't change even when people were at death's door.
If one wanted to survive in a competition against a rival faction, one needed to grow allies hidden from the public eyes.
This was also true for Heh-bibin. He had diverted a part of the guild's capacity for his own use, and before he knew it Heh-bibin was growing a promising prospects for his own faction. Cho-oohroong, who he had contacted, was someone he had put the most effort into developing amongst all the prospects under him.
There was some company in China, who wanted to get rich by creating a pro-gamer's club. They gathered prospects to train them, but when Warlord came out, it suppressed all the other games. The club folded, and Cho-oohroong became unemployed. This was when Heh-bibin had stepped in to feed Cho-oohroong. Heh-bibin gave him enough respite, so he could game once again.
He was a prospect worth waiting for. If Heh-bibin did well in growing him, he had enough skills to one day become a key member of his force. It was a shame he hadn't been able to bring him to Warlord earlier. He was growing this prospect in secret, because he felt it was a waste to develop Cho-oohroong openly in the guild.
Cho-oohroong was such a person, and he had stepped onto the same stage as the Hahoe Mask by coincidence.
Heh-bibin was annoyed by Cho-oohroong’s words instead of being surprised.
‘Fuck.’
He had wanted to just overlook this request, but now he wouldn't be able to.
“Are you sure it's the Hahoe Mask?”
- His Item Setting is the right one for the Hahoe Mask. Of course, this could be a copycat Hahoe Mask. However, he looks the part. Moreover, I've seen his vids several times. My intuition is telling me this is him.
Heh-bibin pulled up the information on where the Hahoe Mask had been seen last.
‘The bastard was at Parung Forest, so why did he come to the North Battlefield? How did he earn an admission ticket into the Battlefield? Is he perhaps doing the Subjugation Association's Quests, while doing the Main Scenario Quest?’
The Parung Forest was located at the easternmost part of the current Warlord. The Terube Castle Walls, where Cho-oohroong was at, was located at the northernmost part of the map.
Just moving from the forest to the walls would take several days. This was why most users, who were focused on leveling, would never do such a thing. It was more profitable to hunt during that time period. For a ranker, one's ranking changed depending on what you earned and lost in the span of several days. Of course, Hyrkan wasn’t a ranker, but he was in a position where he had to level up quickly.
However, the important part was the fact that Hyrkan was there.
“When are you guys being inserted into the Battlefield?”
- We have 50 minutes left.
“Your identity?”
- There is no way I was discovered. You know that I don't work out in the open.
‘Hoo-ooh.’
After hearing his answer, Heh-bibin started tapping at the calculator inside his head.
There was a risk in getting rid of the Hahoe Mask. He was strong, famous and popular. He had more fans than haters.
‘The thing that bothers me is that he probably has someone behind his back.’
There was another reason. Hyrkan had a backer. It wasn't out in the public, but if one looked at his level up speed, hunting style, skills and the Items he possessed, one could tell he wasn't someone, who had no money. The result he achieved couldn't be attained with only his own skills.
It was impossible to get that kind of result without any help. No, even if it was possible, Heh-bibin wouldn't accept such an explanation.
To become the best in Warlord, one had to make an enormous amount of investment.
If one bothered the Hahoe Mask, it would inevitably irritate his backer.
‘There must be a good reason why he keeps his backer's identity a secret.’
However, one could extrapolate what would happen based on Hahoe Mask's previous pattern of movement. The backer wasn't someone who would move just because the Hahoe Mask was defeated once. The probability was low. If the threshold was that low, then the fact that he had been hiding himself until now was laughable.
‘If I keep thinking about it, it'll be endless.’
Heh-bibin froze the complicated thoughts that was filling his head.
Truthfully, his worries weren't based on evidence. It was a worry that was based on guesses. He couldn't guarantee the result of what would happen after this.
This was why he had to organize his thoughts.
He had to look at it simply. Should he take out the Hahoe Mask or not? He tried to make a list of the merit and risks involved in these two choices.
‘If I don't take him out, there is no risk. However, if Apollo found out the truth about my non-action, the relationship I have with Apollo will be severed.’
Apollo was a greedy and selfish bastard. Apollo would never let someone be if the person got on his nerve. Hahoe Mask hadn't insulted the man, but he had insulted the guild he had created. This was why he was making a request to Big Smile, who was one of the 30 great guilds. It was purely for revenge. This showed how petty and vindictive he was.
Moreover, Apollo knew about Cho-oohroong. He knew Cho-oohroong focused leveling up through hunting on the Battlefield Stage. The Hahoe Mask will probably release his battle vid, and there was a high chance Apollo might see Cho-oohroong there. Information spread pretty quickly in this business.
Then Apollo would unconditionally leave Heh-bibin. He would leave Heh-bibin, and give that money to someone else to establish a new connection. Moreover, Apollo might try to screw over Heh-bibin if Apollo felt betrayed by him.
‘If I catch the Hahoe Mask, I can get a lot of benefit from Apollo. The problem is I'll make the Hahoe Mask my enemy....’
There were merits to taking care of the Hahoe Mask. Apollo had a lot of connections.
However, as he said earlier, he would be making enemies of the Hahoe Mask and his backer.
The heart of the matter was determining if he could eliminate the risk.
‘There is a very small number of people, who know Cho-oohroong is part of Big Smile, and not many know he is specifically under me. The world doesn't know. However, they'll find out once Cho-oohroong makes his debut... When we reach that point, no one would nitpick on what I did. Moreover, even if the Hahoe Mask had one of the 30 great guild as his backer, there was no reason why he would be pushed around. Of course, I’m assuming Big Smile was still one of the 30 great guild when that time arrived.’
Cho-oohroong wasn't part of Big Smile. At the very least, he wasn't officially part of their guild.
“Hmm.”
The choice was unexpectedly easy.
The only thing left was the method.
“Cho-oohroong.”
- Yes, hyung-nim.
“Do you think you can kill the Hahoe Mask?”
The answer was immediate.
- Do I just have to kill him?
The reply came back really fast.
He didn't have a single iota of hesitation.
‘Mmmm?’
Heh-bibin knew Cho-oohroong had supreme confidence in his skills, but he wasn't someone, who did anything beyond his capability.
- So I just have to make it so that the Hahoe Mask doesn't step into Warlord for the next 48 hrs?
It sounded as if something was up.
Heh-bibin answered with an expression of anticipation.
“If you can record a vid of the process, then I don't care what methods you use. No, it doesn't have to be a vid. You can also take a pic.
- It'll be possible. No. Actually, I might not need to step forward at all.
As expected, something was up.
“What are you talking about?”
- This Battle Field Quest's Reward is a Unique Skill book.
‘Ah!’
When he heard those words, Heh-bibin's thoughts did a complete 180. Heh-bibin delivered his last words.
“I'll contact you after 20 minutes. You get ready.”
- Yes.
After ending the call, Heh-bibin immediately attempted to call Apollo. The phone call connected immediately. As if Apollo had been waiting for Heh-bibin to contact him, it took him mere seconds to pick up the phone.
Heh-bibin asked a direct question to Apollo.
“I just have to kill the Hahoe Mask?”
- Yes. You just need to kill him. I don't care who does the deed.
“Tell me the scenario.”
7.
On the battlefield, no one knew who would become their enemy or ally. Everyone firmed their resolve, and they looked towards the closed castle gate.
Bagel appeared once again in front of them.
He still wore his armor. Instead of a feeling of gravitas, he still gave off a feeling of cuteness. Several female users stared at Bagel, and they fanned their face with their hand. They were most definitely recording a vid of Bagel.
When Hyrkan saw this, he had a sullen expression on his face for a brief moment.
‘Now that I think about it I've never seen a stacked and beautiful NPC, since the start of the game. Why do I always meet tanned dudes? Is there a shortage of pretty NPC in this game? Do I have to go the Fairy's Forest?’
Suddenly, he felt his progress of his gameplay inside Warlord was very dry.
Of course, it was a very trivial matter, and the thought was wiped away by Bagel's words.
“Open the gate!”
Bagel's loud and energetic voice rang out. The single gate that existed between the walls started to move slowly.
Ggi-ri-ri, ggi-ri-ri, ggi-ri-reek!
The mechanisms sounded like a stiff body complaining as it limbered up. The sound gave off a sound of desolation. The loud sound gave goosebumps to the users. The door that descended into the floor didn't look like a door. It looked like a piece of the castle wall that was shaped like a big door.
Everyone was silent at the sight in front of them.
Were they admiring the view?
No.
They were overwhelmed.
This was an amazing sight. It was a ridiculous sight that can only be seen in virtual reality through the game machine. At times, the view made one hold one's breath.
It was the same for Hyrkan. He had seen numerous sights such as this, so it wasn't as if he couldn't breathe from being overwhelmed. However, it didn't mean he wasn't amazed by it.
‘This is why Warlord is fun and scary at the same time.’
Anything was possible in this world. It was a scary place, where the virtual reality sometimes seemed more real than the real world.
The world of Warlord was a stage Hyrkan decided to live in.
The door finally descended all the way. There were 8 parties behind Bagel. It meant there were 53 users.
“You've accepted that you might die here, so I won't say come back alive. Die at your appointed time, but kill as many monsters as you can. Also, I'll give you a last warning. Even if you return to the castle gate for the purpose of survival, the castle gate will not open unless 144 hours has pass.…….”
It happened before the word came to an end.
Hweek!
Hyrkan quickly put on his hood. With the darkness covering his face, he was the very first one out the castle gate.
“Uh?”
“Huhk!”
Several people unconsciously flinched when they saw this. They weren't surprised from the simple fact that Hyrkan had moved. They were like hunters that flinched when they witnessed their quarry suddenly move.
“……ed.”
After they flinched, Bagel finished his words. Bagel quickly turned to see Hyrkan run past him.
Hyrkan was very fast. He was already disappearing into the forest located beyond the walls.
Hyrkan was the first one to throw the dice.
8.
When Hyrkan ran forward, Cho-oohroong had a brief thought.
‘Oh no.’
He felt his plan going awry.
‘This is going off script.’
He had to kill Hyrkan.
To do this, he had come up with a plan. It wasn’t difficult. Cho-oohroong approached the users, who were wary of Hyrkan, and he had floated a deal to them.
They'll eliminate Hyrkan first, then they can hunt peacefully afterwards. When the Event Monster, the Blue Giant, shows up, the competition would start anew!
When numerous factions were in competition, it was basic tactics to ally oneself with some of the groups to eliminate the competition. No one had turned down Cho-oohroong's suggestion.
There were 7 parties excluding Hyrkan. Including the party Cho-oohroong was in, 5 groups had agreed to the suggestion. Even someone of the players, who took photos with Hyrkan, was included in the group.
This was this, and that was that…… This was the proof that the Hahoe Mask's reputation, the distinct way he handled himself, and his skills didn't always attract admiration and applause.
‘I thought this would be easy…….’
He thought the game was already over. Hyrkan would have had to face 5 groups. There were a total of 38 users. Since the surrounding was crawling with monsters, he thought Hyrkan wouldn't have any place to run, and no one would help him.
However, Hyrkan had moved immediately.
Hyrkan's actions were unexpected. Those who agreed to catch Hyrkan together started to look at each other.
It was so sudden that there was confusion. Cho-oohroong was the one to organize everyone amidst the confusion.
‘If he's going to hunt, he'll leave a trace. He still have 144 hours left. We could also catch him at the end.’
Cho-oohroong looked at the users, who had formed a community with him.
Cho-oohroong used the voice-talk program to inform them of the change in plan. They nodded their heads instead of answering back. Then they looked at the users, who hadn't agreed to work with them.
“Why is the Hahoe Mask moving so fast?”
“Should we hurry up our pace?”
“Let's take this slowly. We have to catch monsters first. The most important thing is to protect one's body.”
At that moment, they had decided to eliminate anyone, who hadn't joined their community. They would do this before they eliminate Hyrkan.