Chapter 7 – Class Quest (2)

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Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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[Name: Granfel Claudi Arpheus Romeo]

[Class: Demon Hunter]

[Level: 67]

[Stats]

Strength: 23 / Agility: 28 / Magic Power: 18 / Luck: 2

[Owned Points: 0]

Fortunately, Granfel’s brilliant brain accurately remembered the previous numbers.

Thanks to that, the change in stats could be seen at a glance.

[Stats]

Strength: 25 / Agility: 30 / Magic Power: 18 / Luck: 2

[Owned Points: 0]

Strength and Agility increased by a whopping 2 points each.

……Is it okay to receive this much?

It is huge enough to wonder that.

An increase of 4 stat points meant.

It was no different from saying my level had risen by a whopping 4 stages.

But it wasn’t something to calculate so simply and overlook.

‘Because my actual level remains the same.’

I was able to take a whopping four steps ahead of Players of the same level.

No, even more than that.

Let’s think about the price of items that raised stats.

‘Even raising it by a mere 1 point cost millions of won, and beyond that, the price per 1 point fluctuated wildly.’

Perhaps this might be a reward that my annual salary during my office worker days wouldn’t be enough to cover.

However, that wasn’t the end.

I flinched while looking at the quest window.

─Train your weakened physical body. (Repeatable)

They say the quest that raised my stats is a repeatable quest.

Of course, there is no guarantee that the rewards of the quest will be exactly the same as now.

But if I can increase my stats even by just 1 point through training……!

This was a quest that I had to carry out repeatedly whenever I could.

At that point, I understood.

Why articles poured out just from starting a Class Quest, and why people said one could even aim for the highest ranks.

I looked at the quest window.

─Defeat a demon. (Success)

─Train your weakened physical body. (Repeatable)

‘Since even the reward for the first quest is at this level…….’

What kind of reward would be waiting for the linked quest?

As a person, it was natural to have expectations.

‘I must not.’

However, I did not hold any expectations.

This much was not the influence of Granfel but entirely my own will.

Great expectations bring great disappointments.

Yes, I must not forget to know my place.

……Still, shouldn’t it be okay to be purely happy just for this moment? After how much I suffered! The aftereffects of the harsh training from the past week still remained in my body.

However, I did not reveal my emotions in the slightest.

A shirt and slacks drenched in sweat.

Two legs that felt like they would give out at any moment.

But without the slightest delay, I stood up from my seat.

My current appearance most appropriately expressed the dark history of myself, Lee Ho-yeol, being Granfel.

Just what on earth is pride. Why can’t I express anything honestly.

I was thinking that, but I stopped because even thinking about it was problematic.

Puberty is all like that. Anyway.

.

.

.

My stats increased.

There was no such thing as an additional effect that cleanly wiped away physical fatigue.

Therefore…….

Returning home, I had no choice but to prepare meals with hands trembling as if I had a tremor.

There is nothing to fault about the menu.

Chicken breast and fresh vegetables.

A very high-quality meal accompanied even by rye bread.

The problem was my knife skills.

Droop, droop

I looked at the unevenly sliced vegetables.

Then I spoke shamelessly.

“At times, preparing it in an unconventional way is not bad either.”

Holding a piece of carrot that was sliced exceptionally crookedly, I continued speaking.

“It is as if this embodies the stars in the night sky.”

Of course it does.

Although it feels like I’m getting more and more shameless as time passes.

This was also something I had to adapt to.

As I said, what else would it be but spitting on my own face?

……Still, let’s prepare at least one excuse.

If it were the past, it would have been a menu I would have finished off in 5 minutes.

I split the rye bread in half and put the chicken breast salad inside.

Because I could easily substitute a meal with a sandwich.

However, I held a fork and knife in both hands and had a very elegant meal.

Although I ended up spilling the chicken breast salad on the table because my forearms were trembling.

“……Poisoning.”

My pride did not allow even a small mistake.

“It seems pesticide from farming remained on this part.”

I had no choice but to seriously contemplate.

‘……How about the excuse that I injured my head?’

It wasn’t even like I was filming a stand-up comedy!

As expected, wouldn’t a gaze of sympathy be better than being looked at like a crazy person?

After the meal, which I was incredibly fortunate nobody was watching, ended.

I immediately picked up the bundle of papers on the table.

The concepts of magic that I had written down while watching NetTube videos were written there.

Even though I was the one who wrote it, it is dumbfounding every time I see it, right?

‘Above all, it’s even more dumbfounding that I can understand this.’

──────

Magic is not creating something from nothing.

It is 『Exploring』 the target.

It is 『Interfering』 with the target.

And 『Manifesting』.

The majority of magic starts from exploring and interfering with mana. Magic Power has a crucial influence on exploring and interfering with that mana…….

──────

It was plausible in its own way.

It wouldn’t just be classified simply as a ‘skill’,

but what if the concept of 『Magic』 really exists?

To the point where such thoughts crossed my mind.

‘Well, I don’t know if I understood it correctly, but.’

Just by looking at the video, I was in a state where I understood up to the processes of 『Exploration』 and 『Interference』.

However, I have not yet 『Manifested』 magic.

Because even though I invested stats into Magic Power,

it was insufficient to manifest the magic from the NetTube video.

‘Because that mage was close to Level 300.’

It would be natural for their Magic Power to be a similar figure.

Of course, whether it was simply due to insufficient Magic Power.

Or if this was also a defense mechanism to protect my pride.

As I am now, there was no way for me to know.

Even so, it would be conscienceless to hope my Magic Power would rise to the level of that mage.

In the end, it meant I had no choice but to delve into 『Exploring』.

and 『Interfering』 with easier magic to that extent.

‘To think I’m studying which wasn’t even in my destiny…….’

The time it took to analyze one magic from the video, three days.

Just trying to analyze another magic was already making my head throb.

But separate from those feelings, there was no hesitation in my actions.

I played a video on NetTube once again.

I immediately started writing down letters on a blank piece of paper.

“The time will also shorten once I adapt.”

Please, let this confidence not be a bluff.

While desperately praying that I could keep the words I spat out.

*

8 PM in the evening.

International Organization, Anti Arcana United.

The lights in the AAU South Korea Branch office had not been turned off yet.

“……Damn Thursday.”

That overtime work was continuing every Thursday.

Seong Hyeon-jun laid flat on his desk.

Every Thursday, he missed the past.

Those days when Arcana was still nothing more than a game.

“Where did it go. My work-life balance!!”

The world’s best virtual reality game, Chronicles of the Arcana Continent.

When he got a job at ‘Cosmo’, which developed that Arcana.

He really felt like he had the whole world.

What kind of company was Cosmo?

Starting from the CEO, Rayman Sean, he was a believer in work-life balance.

While doing so, they provided the highest level of annual salary in the same industry.

Because it was a dream workplace for all developers.

But everything changed when that CEO went missing.

Arcana became reality no longer being a game.

It was only a matter of time before Cosmo closed its doors.

From executives to the lowest-ranking employees, and down to the cleaners.

Excluding the missing CEO, all of Cosmo’s employees frequented courtrooms all over the world as if it were their own home.

What was ruled after those lengthy trials was insufficient evidence.

And it was now.

“……Seriously, Rayman, if you get caught in my hands, prepare to die.”

Seong Hyeon-jun was forcibly employed at the AAU South Korea Branch.

Yes, he was merely grateful.

To secure a position in a public enterprise in an era of employment crisis like these days.

Moreover, it was a job where he could utilize his experience to contribute to international peace.

However, gratitude and unfairness were separate emotions.

Seong Hyeon-jun asked the senior next to him.

“Senior, still, there wouldn’t be a new update until this week, right?”

“I hope to God that’s the case.”

“Seeing as there’s no notice until 8 PM, there really isn’t any, right?”

New update.

That was a different phrase expressing Arcana’s erosion of reality.

The appearances of Arcana progressively being overlaid onto reality.

There would be no more appropriate expression than a new update.

Naturally, colleagues in the same situation as Seong Hyeon-jun could not know whether that update would happen or not.

“How would I know. That capriciousness must be truly severe.”

Wouldn’t Rayman be the only one who knows?

They only guessed so.

Since Rayman wouldn’t be dead.

The proof was Arcana’s official homepage, which was operating normally until now.

Thanks to Arcana’s homepage, the world was able to know Players’ levels and rankings.

They could also find out which Player cleared which Rift, and through that, they could pay out compensation to Players.

Because that homepage existed, the world was able to keep rolling.

Just what on earth was he thinking.

Seong Hyeon-jun vigorously scratched his head.

“That human named Rayman is……. No, is he even a human? Anyway. Just for what reason is he doing these acts? It’s a sick hobby, I’m telling you! Overtime work every Thursday. It still feels like we’re servicing Arcana.”

However, even that grumbling did not last long.

It couldn’t even be pinpointed where it started.

Exclamations burst out from all over the office.

“Ah fuck. An update popped up!”

“Ah, seriously. I already took a day off for tomorrow.”

“I can’t take this. I’m writing a letter of resignation and going to catch that bastard Rayman.”

Yes, because there were no updates for nearly a month.

They were anticipating it to a certain extent.

Seong Hyeon-jun slowly got up and accessed Arcana’s official homepage.

Just as his colleagues said, the update details were really uploaded to the homepage.

The author of that post would naturally be Rayman.

“……Are you crazy?”

“I-is this real?”

“No, is that bastard Rayman out of his mind?!”

Those reading down the update details could not hide their shock.

This was an update that made absolutely no sense.

『A new demon visits your side.

New Rift, ‘Fortress of the Count Family’ will be added.

New Named Monster, ‘Count Ascura’: Lv.430

New Rift, ‘Territory of the Count Family’ will be added.

New Monsters will be added.

‘Count Ascura’s Henchman’: Lv.390

‘Count Ascura’s Knight’: Lv.350

‘Count Ascura’s Soldier’: Lv.300

New Rift, ‘Outskirts of the Territory’ will be added.

New Monsters will be added.

‘Bloodstained Beasts’: Lv.220~Lv.250

‘Bloodstained Bandit’: Lv.230』

“He already brought out Count Ascura?”

It was a whopping Level 430 Named Monster.

The level of the current Player Ranking 1st, Skal, was a mere 401.

A staggering gap of 30 levels.

Furthermore, Count Ascura was a Demon race monster.

A growth-type monster.

Atrocious status effects.

If they even considered the characteristics of the Demon race unleashed into reality…….

“……Senior, he didn’t update this expecting us to clear it, right?”

The new Rifts would absolutely be impossible to clear.

“Right. That just means to suck on our thumbs and watch.”

It wouldn’t have mattered if these were update details from when it was a game.

People would complain about how they’re doing the balance patches for Players.

They would get cursed at a little bit.

Because in the end, Players would die tens and hundreds of times to discover a clear method.

But this was reality.

Where dying means it ends just like that.

Furthermore, a terrible reality where if they failed to clear the Rifts, that horrifying demon would be released into reality.

Ring

Phone calls poured in from all over.

However, not a single person answered the phone.

Because everyone realized the severity of the situation.

“……Would it be difficult even if the Rankers joined forces?”

“We’d have to see to know, but it won’t be easy. As you know, the Demon race isn’t an opponent you can defeat by throwing numbers at them, right?”

“What if we received help from the Mage NPCs of that Mage Tower……?”

“As if those NPCs would move. According to the settings I know, the mages of the Mage Tower only move when a crisis comes to the Mage Tower. Whether the Earth is destroyed or whatever happens. As long as the Mage Tower is fine, those things won’t move.”

Seong Hyeon-jun spoke.

“Then let’s put the Count aside for now. What about the other mobs?”

“Guilds, and as an alliance at that, would have to move just to even try.”

“So there isn’t absolutely no solution. Because we can hunt the trash mobs in the Outskirts or Territory Rifts, raise our levels, and then challenge the Fortress Rift where the Count is!”

“Well, will there be time? I think the Rifts collapsing would be faster.”

“…….”

Seong Hyeon-jun lost his words.

Was there really no way?

If so, what would happen to us.

Ring

“For now, let’s start by answering the phones.”

At the senior’s words, Seong Hyeon-jun answered the phone with a blank expression.

The voice of an excited reporter could be heard from beyond the receiver.

But he couldn’t focus.

“……I am sorry. Currently, we have nothing to say.”

*

Early dawn.

“?”

My vision, as I sat at the table filling out the paper, blinked.

“!”

[Class Quest: Prelude to the Counterattack]

O last Demon Hunter.

Announce to the demons that the time for counterattack has come.

─Defeat a demon. (Success)

─Train your weakened physical body. (Repeatable)

─Hunt vampires. (In Progress) ▼

Vampires, huh.

I put down my pen.

“An inferior race is interrupting my precious time.”

I muttered in a low voice.

“I will hold them accountable for this and punish them strictly.”