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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Cheongdam-dong, Red Gate - 3
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Park Ki-taek, the Cheonghwa raid team leader, stared blankly at the sky while a healer tended to his wounds.
As a team leader, he constantly racked his brain, trying to figure out what to do next.
"…"
Then, as if struck by an idea, he shot to his feet.
"Hey! Fuck, this isn't working! Hey! Tae-seop!"
"Yes?"
"The boss mob… let's just snipe it!"
At his words, every member of the Cheonghwa raid team looked up.
*Gulp—*
Kim Tae-seop, in particular, swallowed dryly with a dazed expression.
Having his name called meant he had to do something.
Besides, hadn't he just said 'snipe'?
Kim Tae-seop was the one with the 'Sniper' trait.
"…Yes? S-snipe it?"
"Even if we make it out of here alive, that's the only way we won't get kicked out of the guild."
They were the 4th raid team, a group that had received an enormous investment of time and money.
If they finished the raid with 0% contribution, the guild's leadership would not let it slide.
"Are you… telling me to s-steal it?"
Steal, literally meaning theft.
However, in the context of a game, it meant taking a monster or item that was as good as owned by another player.
"Hey, aren't you a sniper? It's what snipers do—hide in the back and take things out with one secret shot. 'Steal' my ass, where's the law against it? It's not like the system made that rule! Right?"
"Ah, well…"
It was a blatant stretch, but it was the best excuse they had.
"We have to build up our contribution somehow so we can exercise our 'priority rights' and secure that, what's it called, the 'Spear of Achilles'… If the A.M.T. tries to claim ownership of that spear and things get complicated… well, the guild will obviously negotiate to get it, but we'll just be screwed."
The Spear of Achilles, a Hero-grade item of incalculable value, lay dormant here.
Along with the corpse of its former owner, the second grandson of the Gugwang Group, the second-largest conglomerate in South Korea…
'This is all because that arrogant bastard died in here, even with such a great item!'
This was back when the first raid on this Red Gate had failed.
Gu Dong-hoon, the grandson of the Gugwang Group, South Korea's second-largest conglomerate, who had just signed a contract with the Cheonghwa Guild, had insisted on trying to clear it himself, bringing his own cronies along.
He must have thought he could make a name for himself as a brilliant newcomer by clearing a dungeon that had already seen a failed attempt, and it seemed he had even gotten the backing of his grandfather, the chairman of the Gugwang Group.
So, after the Gugwang Group lobbied the Cheonghwa Guild, a team was formed with Gu Dong-hoon at its center.
The item he received from his grandfather at that time was none other than the 'Spear of Achilles'…
Well, the result…
However, the Gugwang Group was making a fuss, demanding that at least the spear be retrieved, even if Gu Dong-hoon's body was a lost cause.
It was an item of the highest caliber even among Hero-grade artifacts, one whose value was difficult to appraise.
According to rumors within the guild, they had agreed to a reward of 8 billion won upon successful retrieval.
'Eight billion won just to return it…'
That meant its true value was truly staggering.
The reason the Cheonghwa Guild was willing to hand it over was to maintain their relationship with the Gugwang Group.
As such, the Cheonghwa Guild's business interests were also tied to that item.
"Hoo, the situation is already bad, but for our guild to secure it even by exercising our priority rights, we still need some level of contribution, don't we?"
"That's true…"
Priority rights were the right of the party that first obtained ownership of the dungeon to choose their 'reward' first.
In this case, they were naturally planning to choose the 'Spear of Achilles.'
But with 0% contribution… what right could they possibly claim?
That was why Park Ki-taek chose his last resort.
The steal…
"Hey, Tae-seop, this is a real opportunity for you. I'm already screwed anyway, but… you, man, if you just put an arrow in the boss monster's heart at the critical moment, you'll be the guild's hero. You can go out and get that Ferrari you've always wanted! You think they won't give you a massive bonus when you're the one who secured the Spear of Achilles?"
"A F-Ferrari…"
Kim Tae-seop hesitated for a moment, then gripped his arrow and stood up.
Hadn't he come in here full of confidence, ready to risk his life for a big score anyway?
"Hoo… Alright."
"Oh! You've made up your mind?"
"That sergeant guy or whatever was a real asshole anyway. I'll give him a good stab in the back. Besides, my one-shot to a vital spot is really powerful, right?"
He slapped his cheeks and pulled down the 'Cheol-tae Bow' slung over his shoulder.
At that, the bedridden Park Ki-taek shot up and clapped Kim Tae-seop on the shoulder.
"Yeah! That's my boy! You can do it!"
With the cheers of his teammates, the 'steal' operation of Kim Tae-seop, the C-rank Tier 2 sniper, began.
***
"Don't let your guard down yet. Stay alert and watch the perimeter."
At Lee Hyun-wook's command, the eight squad members aimed their weapons in all directions, scanning their surroundings.
*Whoooosh—*
A gust of wind blew away all the sand and dust kicked up by the fierce battle.
There was no movement.
"Currently… no enemies identified."
The battle was over.
Of the 44 creatures that had ambushed them, 32 were killed, and the rest had fled.
It was a perfect, overwhelming victory.
The tide had turned the moment the iron spheres in the sand exploded beneath the feet of the gnoll pack. In a single blow, more than twenty gnolls had been incapacitated.
Furthermore, with something suddenly exploding from under their feet, the fear that it could happen again took root in their minds, preventing them from moving freely.
In other words, a single blow had completely erased their will to fight.
After that, they followed Lee Hyun-wook's commands in a systematic response that literally wiped the floor with them.
"By the way, sir… I just hit level 18 from that battle."
Ahn Min-tae said.
"Oh, awesome! You leveled up again?"
"Yeah, haha, I don't know what to make of this…"
His face was filled with emotion.
His level, which had been stagnant for months, had risen by three in just a few days.
The Kobold Gate, the Unlucky event at Seoul Station, and now this Red Gate…
An unprecedented amount of experience points poured in.
"Wow! Congratulations, Sergeant Ahn Min-tae!"
"I just hit level 17 myself. I'll catch up to you soon!"
Thus, everyone except for the F-rank Park Jun-mo had experienced a level-up.
This was incredibly encouraging.
The average level of the 1st Company, the battalion's primary combat unit, was around 23.
Truly, it seemed the 5th Squad might catch up to the 1st Squad before long.
'They're growing well, as expected.'
If they had remained below level 15, they wouldn't have been able to handle the 4th Wave.
And in reality, the first to be annihilated had been the 5th Squad, the weakest of them all.
It had even happened on the very first day of the wave.
'By the way…'
Just then, Lee Hyun-wook felt a sense of dissonance.
'Feels like a rat is tailing me…'
He could feel a 'lump of metal' moving behind a distant hill.
Lee Hyun-wook closed his eyes and scanned the metal in detail.
'This is…'
'…a watch.'
It was the watch belonging to Kim Tae-seop, Ahn Min-tae's boot camp buddy—the same one Lee Hyun-wook had messed with before entering the gate.
And crucially, the small, nail-like pieces of metal gathered densely in one spot…
That was a quiver.
The owner of the watch, Kim Tae-seop, was also an archer-class, so this confirmed it.
'…More specifically, a sniper.'
Lee Hyun-wook had even thoroughly examined the weapons of the Cheonghwa Guild's raid team to assess their combat strength.
Analyzing the opposing side's strength before a joint raid was a fundamental basic.
From what he saw then, Kim Tae-seop's bow—the Cheol-tae Bow—was equipped with a dot sight with an optical zoom, and his utility belt held a 'Marksman's Potion,' which dramatically reduced body tremors.
It was a typical item setup for a sniper.
'The only reason he'd be following us now is to snipe the boss monster…'
The act commonly known as a 'steal'—there was no other reason for a sniper to be skulking around like that.
Since they had no standing, their plan was to secure 'contribution' with a single decisive blow.
The points awarded for a 'boss monster' were quite substantial.
'But this is a bit foolish. To think he hasn't realized I can detect metal…'
Knowing one thing should lead you to know at least five or six others to be a decent Player. Yet, to tail him while decked out in metal like that, unable to predict that Lee Hyun-wook could detect metal even after seeing all the abilities he'd displayed so far…
It was pathetic.
'See, Player ranks are useless…'
Lee Hyun-wook smirked and turned his head.
He decided to pretend he didn't know for now.
"Alright, we're moving forward again. We'll be facing the boss mob soon, so stay sharp."
Because…
'This is good. I can use him at a critical moment.'
A raid was about using everything at one's disposal.
Even if that something was another Player…
***
Kim Tae-seop was running across the desert.
'Right, just like the team leader said, if I distinguish myself this time, I can climb even higher!'
He was, in fact, one of the Players the Cheonghwa Guild had its eye on.
For one, the sniper trait was quite rare and highly versatile among archer classes, and for another, a certain 'skill' he possessed drastically boosted his sniping capabilities.
[Skill Information]
- Name: Sneak Shot
- Rank: D
- Effect: While stealthed, consume Mana (100) to fire a fatal shot. (+440%)
Level-growth Players could acquire one random skill every five levels, and Kim Tae-seop had obtained this skill, which boasted the best synergy with the sniper trait, at a mere level 10.
In other words, when it came to missions involving sniping a boss monster, he was a top prospect.
Meanwhile, traversing this hot, dry desert wasn't too difficult for him.
- The 'Rough Terrain Maneuvering' skill is active.
Because he possessed even a skill like this, he could run in most adverse conditions.
And so, he quickly caught up to the A.M.T. special raid squad that had gone ahead.
However…
"Huh? Oh, shit…"
They were under attack in the middle of the desert.
A pack of over forty gnolls had formed a shield phalanx and was closing in from three directions.
The nine Players were maintaining a decent position, but…
"Wow, fuck… they're all gonna die."
No matter how he looked at it, the situation seemed dire.
They were allowing the gnoll pack to approach without inflicting any damage.
The encirclement had already closed to within 100 meters.
"B-but if they die, we're screwed too, aren't we?"
The thought made him wonder if he should provide support fire.
If he started sniping from here, he could probably take out at least five or six of them quickly.
"No…"
But he held back.
If he rashly intervened, he, being isolated, could become the target.
"No, why aren't they doing anything… They should be harassing them to keep them from getting closer…"
His stomach churned as he watched.
It felt like those nine people would be torn to shreds by the gnoll pack at any moment, and if that happened, the entire raid would be a bust.
But just then, something unbelievable happened.
*K-BOOM! K-BOOM! K-BOOM!*
"Hah! Wh-what was that?"
Like a natural disaster, the ground suddenly erupted in explosions.
Kim Tae-seop had no idea what was happening.
*K-BOOM! K-BOOM! K-BOOM!*
But the attack sent dozens of gnolls flying.
And that was just the beginning.
The nine Players, who had been static until now, moved with perfect coordination.
They unleashed the skills they had been saving one after another, pressing the attack on the gnolls whose formation had crumbled.
It was over in an instant.
The gnolls couldn't respond properly.
It was as if… their spirit had already been broken.
*A-woooo!*
A howl that seemed to urge them to attack sounded from the distance, but it was useless.
"C-crazy… What the hell is that guy?"
At the center of all these movements was the man called Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook.
Having repelled one battle without any losses, the A.M.T. soldiers advanced once more.
About 20 minutes later, they faced another ambush.
This time, the enemies burst out from hiding places in the sand in a surprise attack.
"Hah! There must be almost 60 of them…"
Warier now of the mysterious explosions from the ground than the shrapnel attacks, the gnoll pack abandoned their defensive stance and chose to charge from all sides.
It was the enemy's strategy, but it was brilliant.
If they could close in and force a 'melee', Lee Hyun-wook's greatest weapons—the storms and explosions using metal—would all be sealed away…
But that plan was not to be.
It wasn't for any other reason.
'Wh-what? How are they so systematic?'
It was because the A.M.T. soldiers responded too well.
Four of them, including Lee Hyun-wook, who were carrying shields, actually charged forward to meet the enemy.
They moved away from their own shooters and mages, stood their ground at precise locations, and drew 'aggro.'
'…What is this?'
At a glance, it seemed their 'rear line' was unprotected… but it was an optimal position that widened the distance between allies, thereby preventing the 'mud fight' the enemy wanted as much as possible.
Immediately after, the mages fired off the flame magic they had prepared in advance.
*Fwoom! Fwoom!*
They exploded in the 'middle' of the gnoll pack.
The gnolls in the 'rear' flinched and were forced to retreat for a moment.
Conversely, the gnolls in the 'vanguard,' trying to escape the flames, charged forward even faster.
Simply put, the distance between the gnoll vanguard and rear widened significantly.
In other words, just two fire spells had broken the back of the assault.
"—Now!"
Lee Hyun-wook's shout was heard.
Simultaneously, they focused their firepower on the vanguard gnolls, literally melting them away.
The rear gnolls, belatedly coming to their senses, rushed in, but…
"…Th-they're picking them off one by one."
Before a brawl could begin, they had split the vanguard from the rear and devoured each in turn.
'What the hell… It's so simple, yet incredibly precise?'
At first glance, there were no particularly complex combinations.
'A straightforward tactic…'
That was the answer.
Because it was straightforward, everyone could perform their duties without making mistakes.
In other words, it was the most efficient tactic.
Following them, Kim Tae-seop couldn't help but be amazed at every moment.
'And they said this is… their first raid?'
This was also Kim Tae-seop's first raid.
However, he had trained for a long time for this day and had even attended a special tactics lecture from one of the Cheonghwa Guild's top raid teams.
That was why he could tell, to some extent.
'That's practically textbook…'
Just how incredible their judgment and movements were…
And at the same time, he was envious.
'How much experience did they get?'
In just a few hours, a mere nine people had wiped out over a hundred gnolls.
Moreover, being a Red Gate, the bonus experience must have been substantial…
They must have leveled up several times.
'Crazy… they could probably gain at least two, no, three levels.'
This was an incredible opportunity that rarely came for low-level Players.
After advancing unimpeded, they soon arrived at some sort of 'oasis.'
Crude-looking huts were scattered around a small pool of water.
It seemed to be a gnoll village, and it looked exactly like the kind of place where a 'boss monster' would appear.
'Hoo… Right, this is no time to be impressed. The target is about to appear.'
Kim Tae-seop reminded himself of his objective and readied his Cheol-tae Bow.
Just then, his eyes detected the 'target.'
'That's him. He's the boss.'
Among the gnoll pack, whose numbers had dwindled from numerous battles, was a gnoll with graying fur.
The creature was a head taller than a regular gnoll, likely over 2 meters tall.
And so, with its appearance, the final battle, the 'boss fight,' began.
"Huh, what…"
But contrary to the term 'boss fight,' a scene far more one-sided than the previous battles unfolded.
It was inevitable.
The gnoll pack was already weakened from countless defeats.
In contrast, the Players had grown even stronger.
It was because they had repeatedly 'leveled up' through overwhelming victories.
"N-no way… they're really doing it all by themselves…"
The outcome of the battle already seemed decided.
'No, it's useless if they can't kill the boss mob.'
Kim Tae-seop shook himself out of it and turned his gaze to the boss monster.
By then, Lee Hyun-wook and the Old Alpha Male were already locked in combat.
*Swoosh— Swoosh— Swoosh— Swoosh—*
The creature drew two enormous Kukri and swung them wildly, while Lee Hyun-wook controlled half a dozen iron spheres and two daggers to corner it.
However, Lee Hyun-wook's attacks couldn't reach the creature's body.
*Cl-ang!*
The Old Alpha Male swung its Kukri at incredible speed, easily deflecting them.
*Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!*
Even when he sent five or six at once, the creature swung its arms about and deflected them all.
Incredible reflexes and nimble movements.
It was like watching a master from a martial arts novel.
'…Is a boss monster really that different?'
Just then.
*K-BOOM!*
With a loud bang, one of the 'iron spheres' exploded near the Old Alpha Male's face.
However, unlike the regular gnolls, its hide seemed thick, and it didn't appear to take much damage.
'Hmm, isn't that the maximum firepower that guy can produce? If that's blocked, he can't win, can he?'
But the Old Alpha Male's defense didn't end there.
The moment the iron sphere exploded and its fragments scattered, something translucent appeared around the creature's body.
It was…
'…Crazy! It has a magic shield too? It's over!'
A magic shield. That meant they couldn't inflict any effective damage unless they broke through it.
In other words, that man didn't have the ability to kill the boss monster.
However…
"Hehe… but even so, my one shot will get through."
Kim Tae-seop chuckled.
He felt that his turn had come.
He wasn't a sniper for nothing.
He had a single shot with enough damage to overcome the magic shield and then some.
"Yeah, I get it now, Lee Hyun-wook or whatever your name is. You're a real piece of work."
He took out a sniping arrow with a thin 'Orichalcum' plating on its tip and nocked it.
*Creeeeak—*
He then took precise aim at the Old Alpha Male's chest.
"Sorry, but…"
A smile played on his lips.
"…life's the real deal, you bastard. I hope you learn a thing or two from this."
Once he released this bowstring, the steal plan would succeed.
His arrowhead would pierce the Old Alpha Male's heart, securing his 'contribution.'
Also…
Those A.M.T. bastards were in for a nasty shock.
The thought was rather satisfying.
But, at that moment—
"—Ack!"
He cried out, feeling a sudden pain.
The watch on his left wrist had bitten his arm again.
"Wh-what!"
And because of that…
*Twang—*
He had let go of the tautly drawn bowstring by mistake.
"Uh…"
*Sh-iiiik—*
It was flying toward the target, but it was slightly off—
In other words, the angle was wrong for it to be a fatal blow.
"N-no…"
And as if it had heard Kim Tae-seop's scream, the Old Alpha Male turned its head toward him.
The creature turned its body, preparing to deflect Kim Tae-seop's arrow.
Meanwhile, Lee Hyun-wook, who didn't even seem to notice, as if he had known all along, started moving again, seemingly taking this moment as an opportunity…
In that instant, Kim Tae-seop realized.
'N-no way…'
The wristwatch… the strange pain…
Lee Hyun-wook… his ability to control metal…
"…Y-you knew I was following you from the beginning?"
It was unbelievable.
But what happened next was even more unbelievable.
"What!"
In the blink of an eye, the Old Alpha Male was torn to shreds.