Chapter 254

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Translated by Jinmu
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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“Black Dragon’s information?”

The headquarters of the Baekseo Daily News in Jung-gu, Seoul.

Oh Chang-min, the RP dedicated department head, leaned back in his chair with a pen in his mouth.

Before his eyes stood reporter Gu Sung-wook, who had just passed his second year, with an excited expression.

“Yes. We received an anonymous tip.”

“Really?”

Information about Black Dragon, the undeniably most talked-about player in Record Project, was rare.

No, it was beyond rare; it was at a level that could not be obtained at all.

Even the photo taken in front of the Vestige headquarters was taken while wearing a mask and hat, so it was practically meaningless.

“What’s the content?”

“Well, about that.”

Gu Sung-wook looked around and leaned forward.

And then he whispered in a low voice.

“It was about Black Dragon’s mother. It said he lives alone with his mother, with no father or other siblings.”

“Why lower your voice for nothing? The era of writing stories by just investigating backgrounds is over, you know.”

“Information about Black Dragon is confidential from start to finish. And we can conduct the interviews ourselves for the story.”

“Interviews? What do you mean?”

“First, let me show you this.”

Swish-

Gu Sung-wook held out his tablet.

The department head, who received it, looked at an email displayed on the screen.

I am providing information about Black Dragon.

His name is Kang Han-bit.

He is an only child from a single-parent family living with his mother.

The restaurant at the attached address was quite a delicious place.

I think it could be a place to share stories about a filial son.

Please write an interesting article.

“Look at this?”

The department head, who read the content, let out a hollow laugh.

A map image with only simple information embedded.

He didn’t know the details, but ultimately it meant Black Dragon’s mother was at that restaurant.

People who provided such tips were generally those with negative intentions.

Simply put, it felt like asking them to harass Black Dragon and his family through interviews.

“This can’t be fact-checked at all until we make direct contact.”

“Of course, it’s difficult to judge based on this alone… But doesn’t it feel like something is real?”

“Do you know how many times we’ve been misled before? If we rashly disturb an innocent shop, it’ll become troublesome.”

The department head, who sighed, scratched his head with a pen.

An anonymous tip with vague source and everything else.

But since it was the story of the veiled Black Dragon, it could not be handled carelessly.

Because even though he received the world’s attention, his real name was still unknown.

If they could truly interview Black Dragon’s mother, the buzz would be more than hot; it would burn like a volcano.

Ding-//

While thinking about that, the department head’s smartphone rang.

He turned his gaze and checked the arrived message.

“These bastards never get tired of it. Why the hell are they trying to get Black Dragon’s profile from us?”

“Is it Byte News again? They’re still showing off for giving us the US Vanguard information, right?”

“That was something we bought with money. I’m still bitter about how little we paid for something worthless.”

Record Project, which had naturally become one of the media’s categories as the market grew.

Since vanguards were spread across each country, there were many cases of media exchanging or buying and selling information.

Among them, the US’s Byte News was a company that stood in the undeniably top position.

Because it was a large media outlet from the country that possessed the most vanguards.

“But aren’t they also past their prime now? The interest in existing vanguards has dropped significantly.”

“Of course. With single-digit rankers revealed, who would be interested in the hundreds? Even aiming for the top 100 ranking would be enough to make your hair fall out.”

“That’s what they get. Sacred Body Faction rankers seem to be truly secretive.”

Gu Sung-wook, who had experienced the bullying together, also spoke with satisfaction.

He recalled the email’s content again and grinned.

“If we interview this properly, wouldn’t it blow up big time? To the point where we could do the bullying instead.”

“Well, we can’t just pass it by. Byte reporters are dirty scoundrels.”

The department head knew well how unreasonable the media company called Byte was.

If information about Black Dragon continued to be blocked, it wouldn’t be strange if they concocted an absurd plan and invaded Korea.

He had to move as quickly as possible.

“Alright.”

The department head, who organized his thoughts, stood up from his seat.

And he gave instructions to the passionate reporter standing before his eyes.

“You observe the restaurant on this map for a few days. Never let it be known that you’re a reporter.”

***

Peria, the long island on the west of the continent.

On its eastern coast, there was a fairly large city.

Although it had a structure bordering the Restricted Area, it was a considerably safe space.

‘I came quite far.’

Han-bit, who had teleported to the forest at the southern tip, looked at the sea spread between the trees.

Considering the distance to the city from here, it was quite far.

Thump-//

At that moment, a heavy vibration rang from inside the forest.

Han-bit, who turned his head, discovered an animal’s head poking out above the trees.

[Giraffe Imbued with Malice (Lv.201)]

The name tag that appeared was clearly visible.

Considering his recent journey, it was a monster of considerably weak level.

It was only a story limited to his current state, but the theme of this place was clear.

Kaak-!

Krrrk-//

Animal-type monsters that began to appear here and there all had similar levels.

If this huge island were to be described in one word, it was wilderness.

Since the island’s scale was considerable, the variety was also diverse.

‘It will take about a day.’

There was one secret hidden in Peria, where players’ eighth episode was progressing.

If one went through a special process, the “wildness” dormant within these animal-type monsters would awaken, making them incredibly strong.

Since it was completely different in direction from the episode, it was originally a choice that would not be brought up at this time.

‘Let’s go first.’

Han-bit, who checked the time, turned his gaze toward the eastern coast.

That was when.

Sssak-//

With the sound of something unfolding, a semi-transparent curtain descended around him.

It was the power of a magical tool that blocked external sight and sound.

“It’s been a while.”

A hooded man who appeared in the space created that way.

Han-bit, who saw that appearance, uttered the name.

“Liwei, we finally meet.”

“I had various things to do. It was quite a period of upheaval for me.”

The atmosphere he felt from the shrugging man was different from before.

Should it be said that some color had changed?

The appearance of enjoying competitions had disappeared, and he gave off a strong feeling of an adventurer.

It was as if the figures he saw in the other world came to mind.

‘Nothing but unknowns.’

The weapons and armor Liwei wore were not even in Han-bit’s knowledge.

He could overlook one or two, but not knowing anything was somewhat strange.

“What happened?”

Han-bit asked a question filled with sincerity.

Liwei, who showed a faint smile, shifted his gaze.

“Before we talk, there’s someone I want to introduce.”

“Someone to introduce?”

“It’s me.”

Whoosh-//

The answer to that question came from above the trees.

The one who lightly jumped down was a boy with gray hair.

Han-bit, who saw the name tag floating above his head, could not help but be a little surprised.

[LLLL]

The 6th ranked player of the Moderate faction.

It was the person who had decided to join the alliance on the condition of Han-bit.

“Are you surprised I’m a kid? Your expression is quite vivid.”

LLLL, who walked closer, spoke as if amused.

If looking only at the character’s appearance, he looked similar to or even younger than No-eul.

But this was the world of RP.

In reality, there was a possibility he was a middle-aged man with hairy legs…

“Ah, just in case, I’m actually 15 years old. Call me Elpo.”

“……?”

The boy, who seemed to read his thoughts and dismiss the possibility.

Han-bit, who faced the playful gaze, turned his gaze to Liwei.

“I want to hear how this came to be.”

“Simply put, we became of one mind. He’s quite an extraordinary guy.”

Liwei replied while shrugging.

And then he sat on a nearby rock and continued.

“You don’t know why I entrusted the message to Ranger?”

“You said to hear it directly. What happened?”

“How should I explain this.”

Liwei pondered for a moment.

And then he suddenly moved his fingers in the air and spoke.

“A small problem has arisen. I can’t log out anymore. Maybe because of that, some of the player functions are also out of order.”

“…What?”

He replayed the words he heard, thinking he might have misheard.

But he had not missed a single word.

There was the case of Momo that came to mind immediately, but Liwei’s premise was different.

Because he was not an experience-holder of the other world.

“Since when? Any guessed triggers?”

“The timing was the day of the first update. The trigger would be everything after the competition with you ended. To be precise, it was because of wandering in an Error Zone.”

“Error Zone?”

A strange word that popped out from the added explanation.

He had been hit by waves of error, but he had never heard of a place called an Error Zone.

“Simply put, it’s a place that shouldn’t exist. It’s a bug map.”

LLLL, or Elpo, who had been leisurely walking around, spoke on his behalf.

It was not strange for incorrect spaces to arise as the other world was implemented as RP.

The problem was what happened there was important.

“What can you do in an Error Zone?”

“Fast leveling and farming? Well, you can occasionally learn skills too.”

“…You also went in there?”

“The Sacred Body Faction seems to have done it through oracles, but there’s no high ranker who hasn’t entered. Logically, the growth difference was too strange, right? The ones who didn’t raise it as an issue were the operators.”

Elpo replied calmly while shrugging.

Indeed, from the player’s perspective, not using high-efficiency hunting grounds and dungeons was strange.

The problem was that Zero, the developer, had let this slide.

Whether it was intentional or there was no way to stop it, it was difficult to view as a normal situation.

“So you’re also trapped in the game?”

“No, most rankers probably don’t have problems.”

“Why is that?”

“It’s just a guess, but it’s probably the difference in time. Rankers have been entering Error Zones over the two-year period. But Liwei spent too much time there in a short period.”

Elpo added that it was like a poisonous herb.

Rankers who had consumed it little by little over time versus Liwei who had entered for a long time suddenly.

For now, the explanation itself was a perfectly understandable one.

“What about your body in reality?”

“I left it with an acquaintance. They said medical staff is attached, so I probably won’t die.”

Liwei was so composed that it was almost absurd.

Han-bit, who looked at him, sighed and spoke.

“Where is the Error Zone?”

“It mostly appears deep underground. Since the early days of opening, it has gradually decreased, so there are almost none now.”

“Underground?”

That word lingered in his mind.

Because where the demons appeared was also underground.

He could not rule out all possibilities by saying there was no connection.

“Well, let’s leave what can’t be solved for now. I’ll tell you why I came to meet you.”

Elpo, who changed the subject, took a step closer.

And meeting Han-bit’s gaze, he uttered the purpose.

“We are going to kill Sirius, who is ranked 1st. Because he’s not a player.”