‘… Level 368!? 371!? Is there something wrong with the SYSTEM transceiver?’
Vulcan stood speechless.
They were numbers which he had never imagined, let alone though existed. He rubbed his eyes in shock. What had he just seen?
‘Is this a dream?’ thought Vulcan, as a deep crease formed between his eyebrows.
He had thought that there was none with levels above his, as he had done as much as humanly possible.
Undeads of the Elder Lich Frezole were slain in hopes to find monsters above level 100, however none were found.
It was impossible for people stronger than him to exist, as his power was already monstrous.
His lowest stat was his ‘Hit Points’ (HP), numbering around 100 points. His HP meant that a direct blow from an ogre’s mace would only tickle him. .
‘If I got more anymore stronger… Would I perhaps become a God?’
Those were the thoughts he once had.
Vulcan turned his eyes back onto Fulvike and Jung Yeop Lee’s ability screens, which were still open from five minutes ago.
His face flushed. It felt like showing a stranger your childhood diary, which detailed your dreams of becoming a superhero.
A middle aged merchant, Jake, approached Vulcan and asked:
“Son, I was wonderin’. Is this your first time here?”
Vulcan looked up in surprise and saw a gentle-looking merchant.
“… How did you know?”
It had been 5 years since he had entered this world, but he had never seen someone with similar abilities.
He tried joining many guilds, the most notable being the Adventurer’s Guild, the Thieves’ guild, and the Empire’s Faculty of Information and Services , however there was nothing.
But now, in front of him, was someone who knew who he was.
Vulcan’s eyes sparkled again in surprise.
‘Inventory…’
It seemed Jake did not care whether Vulcan was shocked or not. After he took a sip of his liquor, he began to talk after taking a sip of his liquor.
“Well… It’s a long story. If I explained how I found out you were a Player, we’d be here all day. You saw me using my inventory, right? I’m a Player, too. We call people like ourselves ‘Players’. The man in the black robe from earlier is a ‘Murim’. The muscle brain he was fighting is a ‘Powel’. I’m not going to tell you what this place is. If I did, it would really take forever to explain. Also, it’s not something I should say.
“Um, what? Err… Hey…”
“Stop. If I explained everything, I’d have to close my shop for today. Trust me, kid, I don’t want to do that. Not today. Mhm.”
Vulcan looked at Jake, hoping to get more answers, but it appeared like Jake had already made his mind up. He refused to answer any more questions
He wanted to abduct him even with force and question him all day.
‘But he’s stronger than me…. Fuck…’
One needs strength to demand something.
He sighed and dropped head, looking like the most unfortunate person in the world.
Then he heard Jake’s voice.
“Hey.”
“…?”
“Man. It looks like you’ve misunderstood me. I’m not a bad person who'll bully a newbie I don’t even know.” said Jake, scratching his head.
“What? Newbie? What are you...?”
“Stop. I know you have a lot of questions, but just listen.”
Jake pointed at an alleyway with his index finger, as he defended himself against Vulcan’s endless questions.
“If you turn left after that building over there, you’ll see another building with pictures of meat and wine on it. That’s the only pub in Beloong city. They’ll probably tell you they haven’t opened yet, but if you tell them it’s your first time here, they’ll invite you in. They’ll greet you and answer all the questions you have. It’s been ages since I last saw a Player. I’d love to talk more, but I have some important business to attend. We’ll discuss about it later, okay?”
Jake averted his eyes, and started looking over the crowd, as if he had nothing else to say. He looked at his stand and began to organize it.
“Thank you.”
Vulcan idled around for a moment, before nodding. He headed towards the alleyway Jake had pointed out. It would be rude to bombard a busy man with so many questions.
Vulcan felt strange as he had never been scanned before. It was always him using the ability scanner on other people.
After arriving in this world, everything seemed to confuse Vulcan: whether it be the unbelievable levels of the inhabitants of the city, or the existence of a Player, whom he had been seeking for five years. The more he tried to comprehend the situation, the more difficult it became for him to understand.
“AW, FUCK!”
Vulcan gave up on thinking.
He spat on the street, and left behind all other miscellaneous thoughts.
‘Let’s just go to the pub and not worry about things for now.’
Vulcan sped up, and began to head towards the pub.
The pub was a three-story wooden building, and it was larger than what Vulcan had expected. It looked like they were closed, as he didn’t hear any trace of boisterous drunken men.
‘So, they will tell me everything I want to know here, eh?’
Vulcan nervously took a deep breath, and thrusted the door to enter.
Vulcan shoved against the door again. It was still unmovable, akin to a thousand tonne boulder.
‘What in the world?’
Judging by the naked eye, the door appeared to be made from wood. Yet, obviously it was something else.
Like all stores before opening hours, the place was free and empty.
Dazzled by the emerald pillar, Vulcan stood in silence. He heard voices coming from the corner of the building.
“Protection? Practice basic skills? Are you saying that it’s too dangerous here for me? Me, the former head of the ‘Nokrim*’, and the ruler of the city? You’re currently talking to the one and only Dokgo Hoo. Are you saying I, in all my supreme glory, need to work under you, a mere peasant!? Are you saying I need to hide here and practice basic skills because it’s too dangerous for me!?”
TLN: The original name of 'Nokrim' was actually described as 'Nokrimbaekpalchae', but I have shortened it for reasons*
Yet, the table did not break.
The face of Dokgo Hoo, the middle-aged man in the tiger coat, flushed red.
‘He must have done that thinking he could break it.’
Vulcan glanced at the so called ‘ruler of the city’, Dokgo Hoo.
Vulcan gazed at the two-meter tall, muscular man, who was emitting a fierce aura. Seeing that man blush in embarrassment, made him incredibly uncomfortable.