Chapter 72

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Translated by Jinmu

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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“Huh?”

[Bait Combat Lugworm (Lv.31)]

Dirt-colored skin dripping with slime and sharp protrusions jutting out from everywhere.

The circularly open mouth had hundreds of teeth densely packed in layers.

– We’re fucked.

– What’s with the way it looks?

– Didn’t it come from hell.

– The bait is too strong?

“Ugh.”

Yeon-woo, who had flinched, set his stance again.

And asked Han-bit, who stood behind him. “It was a place to catch monsters?”

“It was like that in the Challenge Dungeon too. Why? Is it hard?”

“Hard? It’s just right.”

Clang.

Yeon-woo pulled out the sword at his waist.

And then, kicking off, he charged towards the lugworm.

Slash.

Kiek.

With a strong blow, the monster’s neck was split open.

Han-bit quietly watched from a few steps back. “Oh, you’re good.”

– Viewing ON

– Lugworm butcher Loafer.

– The mobs melt so easily.

– Compared to how it looks, it seems weak?

The viewers reacted immediately to Yeon-woo easily catching the monsters.

Slash.

Yeon-woo, who killed even the last lugworm, looked back with a triumphant face. “How is it? It’s okay, right?”

“You have the right to boast. You’ll probably get through quickly?”

“I told you to just trust me. Hurry and follow.”

Yeon-woo, in a better mood, bravely began to advance.

He still kept his right hand on the wall.

Tatatak.

When they turned the path a few times, a few new monsters appeared.

This time, it was crabs with sharp pincers.

[Bait Combat Crab (Lv.31)]

Monsters of the same level as the lugworm.

Yeon-woo, whose heat had risen fully, immediately kicked off and rushed in. “This much is nothing.”

Crunch.

Rushing in bravely again, he disposed of the monsters.

“Good job, good job.”

Han-bit, who was a few steps behind, clapped leisurely.

Yeon-woo’s shoulders, advancing while showing his back, were hiked up all the way.

‘It seems the outside has increased even more.’

Chats saying that the number of players waiting outside the dungeon was increasing continued to come up.

It felt like the time to gradually move was approaching.

Step.

Yeon-woo continued to advance along the right wall.

Rustle.

“Are there this many monsters?”

At the continuous appearance of monsters, he finally spat out a complaint.

Even in such a situation, the swarming monsters didn’t stop.

Rustle.

Just then, bug monsters crawling down from the blind spot above Yeon-woo.

Han-bit, taking out his bow, quietly pulled the bowstring.

Twang.

The fast-flying arrow embedded itself into the bug’s head.

There was no way Yeon-woo, distracted by the battle, would see it.

– Hahaha look at him not knowing.

– He’s working hard.

– But this is seriously a noob dungeon?

– Difficulty re-evaluated.

The chat window’s evaluation of the dungeon gradually tilted to one side.

Because the fact that the monsters weren’t that strong alone made it feel easy.

Han-bit glanced sideways at the camera.

‘How is it, does it look easy?’

He swallowed down the words he wanted to spit out aloud.

The appearance of a dungeon that looks easy to conquer.

He just had to keep showing them exactly that.

“Oh, aren’t we almost there?”

“Really?”

“Keep going straight. You might become the first clearer.”

“Then I’ll have to go quickly again.”

Adding a slight bit of hope, Yeon-woo’s will burned.

Slash.

Twang.

His struggle and Han-bit’s assistance continued a few more times.

And a few more minutes passed.

Ding.

A clear alarm sound rang in his ears.

[Cuckoo has sponsored 1,000 won.]

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

‘They’re here.’

Han-bit clenched his fists.

Over 2,000 players, including Ranger.

It was an absolutely perfect composition to become sacrifices for clearing this dungeon.

“Huh?”

Yeon-woo, who was fighting diligently, finally stopped in his tracks. “They’re already in? We haven’t even passed through the maze yet? Besides, 2,300 is too much.”

Ignorant of the hidden plan, he showed a natural reaction.

Han-bit slightly frowned on purpose. “This is troubling.”

Muttering as he looked at the chat window, he hesitated for a moment, pretending to ponder.

Then he turned his gaze to Yeon-woo. “Will they arrive here soon?”

“At least Ranger will probably come quickly. But what do we really do? It’ll be a massive accident if the clear is stolen.” With a drooping sword, Yeon-woo sighed as he looked at the maze.

But the news in the chat window that followed created a deeper sigh.

– Breaking news) Ranger declared he would even risk PK.

– He must have been really triggered. Lol

– Why is he throwing a fit when kids are just playing.

– Sry lol;

– I’ll be in your care for a moment.

– Huh? You too?

“He’s going that far? Haa.”

“Wow, PK? This is a big problem.”

The reactions of the two were let out simultaneously.

Yeon-woo, who really seemed to have a headache.

On the other hand, to Han-bit, PK was a story that didn’t matter at all.

Because the situation would end before they could even try anything.

“I’ll try to do it quickly.” With a hurried heart, Yeon-woo tried his best to move forward in a rush.

It’s commendable, but it’s time to switch roles now.

“No, you’ve done well enough.” Han-bit patted Yeon-woo’s shoulder with lighter steps.

And drawing his blue-white sword, he took a step forward. “I’ll take the lead now.”

***

The entrance of the waterway where the debris was cleared aside.

Among the countless players, Ranger’s group was visible.

Their gleaming equipment with the logo of the corporation Rashten caught the eye.

Grind.

Ranger clenched his molars tight.

The broadcast screen he had pulled up on one side.

There, Loafer and Black Dragon were navigating through the maze.

‘Black Dragon… that damn bastard.’

Ever since starting Record Project, Ranger’s life had changed.

A superior status almost akin to a noble.

Even within the large corporation Rashten he was a part of, he received the highest treatment.

Although he might be pushed back compared to other competitors, he always existed as an aloof Vanguard.

At least, until that day struck.

‘Then luck is a skill too. Or maybe you don’t have either?’

The first insult he suffered from a man named Black Dragon.

He managed to pull his expression together somehow back then, but he was infuriated to the point where it could have led to a PK if things had gone slightly wrong.

‘If only that business hadn’t gone awry.’

It began with the guaranteed Hero-grade skill quest from Atsbel.

Right after Black Dragon cleared it, Ranger, who had been gathering information from various sources, received an anonymous tip.

Using that, they easily collected the materials of Bomb Slimes from a hidden cave, eventually leading to a monopoly.

Even the confident announcement that they could easily suppress players who had just started was perfect.

But the situation reversed when a whistle-blowing post went up on Community RPG.

Whose doing it is, the judgment is up to you all.

– So Rashten monopolized it like this?

– Total trash.

– They are fucking full of greed.

– Large corporations are originally like that.

– For real, selfish bastards.

The arrows naturally pointed at Rashten, who had committed the monopoly.

Afterwards, Ranger and the employees who were observing the public opinion heard the news that Black Dragon had logged in.

And when he went to the front of Atsbel’s general store, the quest appeared.

[Quest]

Learn the second magic from Atsbel.

After 5 minutes, the lock on the book will be released.

Objective: Use Atsbel’s Magic Book

Rewards: 10,000 gold, Fire Burst (Rank 2 – Hero), Stat Points 3, Experience Points 3,000

A Rank 2 skill quest that appeared bewilderingly fast.

Black Dragon, with a calm expression, easily succeeded in learning the skill.

Ranger and his subordinates also rushed at the quest immediately, but only the worst result remained.

Let alone succeeding, the opportunity itself completely vanished.

‘Does he have a helper? Or is it another company?’

There were quite a few companies at odds with Rashten.

As it was in the form of guilds inside the game, the competitive structure also appeared more clearly.

It wouldn’t be strange if one of them was backing Black Dragon.

But an event happened yesterday that blew away even such speculations.

‘An episode reset. This is ridiculous.’

A shocking world message that appeared to all players.

Its aftermath even shook the real world greatly.

Informants struggling to grasp the situation were still moving busily.

‘Even so, rejecting Rashten?’

Even if he didn’t like it, he couldn’t help but acknowledge the knowledge Black Dragon had.

Because he had an intuition that if the guy assisted him, he would shoot up as a top Vanguard.

With that thought, he met the chairman of Rashten, finalized the recruitment, and went to find Black Dragon.

But that guy, whose shoulders were hiked up to the max with arrogance, spat out absent-minded remarks and rejected the recruitment.

‘What do you trust to go to Rashten? From what I heard, they didn’t seem to be that great.’

Even if he had achieved a lot from the beginning, Black Dragon was still an ordinary player.

Instead of realizing his status, he ignored the corporation where Vanguards belonged.

He even strongly gave off the nuance that a Vanguard ranked higher than him had proposed recruitment.

It was a statement that dug out the inferiority complex he had locked deep in his heart.

‘Oh, aren’t we almost there?’

‘Really?’

Just then, a voice could be heard from the broadcast.

Ranger, who was watching the screen, slowly drew the progress of the maze in his head.

And soon made a decision. “We’re entering too.”

“Captain, wouldn’t it be better to enter after seeing everything up to the maze?”

One subordinate watching the situation approached his side and asked.

Ranger firmly shook his head and answered. “No, we have to enter now. When those bastards escape the maze, it might be after everything is already over.”

Even if anger surged, it was a decision that completely excluded emotions.

Neither complete trust nor complete distrust could be applied to that guy.

Black Dragon’s actions are difficult to predict from one to ten.

Because the method, the process, and the result all didn’t flow as expected.

What’s more, he’s a guy possessing the ability to make a fool of others, so he had to move cautiously.

He had no intention of getting swept up in Black Dragon’s plans.

This time, he would gain the upper hand even if it meant risking PK.

“I will stand at the front. Follow closely.”

Tap.

Ranger kicked off and entered the waterway.

He raised his speed in an instant matching his high Agility stat.

Thud.

A few frogs that appeared on the path ahead.

Ranger intuitively grasped his bow and pulled the bowstring with emotion.

Twang.

Bzzz.

The arrow that rushed in exhaling electric shocks cleanly killed all the monsters in the passageway.

It was a sharp attack as if containing his anger.

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

If Black Dragon is cocky, making him face reality is the most effective.

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

Ranger, with a resolute face, clenched his fist tight and vowed.

‘I’ll unconditionally steal the boss.’