Special Army of Familiars
He followed the Hand Mirrorâs light for quite a while.
Arkâs journey so far was a monotonous repetition of his daily routine.
The light of the Hand Mirror that functioned as a compass only came out at night.
Since he was following the light in a straight line, he ended up on a route consisting of mostly mountains. So when the light disappeared, he couldnât determine the direction and always wandered off.
Naturally, the method of following the Hand Mirrorâs light at night and wandering the area and hunting at day solidified.
Once he entered the Argus Mountains that surrounded the Jackson territory, the monsters became a level stronger.
The Magal Wolves possesses defensive powers incomparable to a regular Wolf, and the Bengal Tiger boasted of outrageous attack power with its knife-long fangs, constantly ambushing him.
However, Ark had raised his level to the limit in what was called the highest level dungeon in the Jackson area, the Shadow Forest.
There were no opponents dangerous enough for Ark, who had even hunted a Reaper.
The situation changed one week after the journey started; over two days had passed in real time.
The Magal Wolvesâ and Bengal Tigers' attacks gradually lessened.
Based on his experience, Ark knew what the change meant.
âLooks like Iâve passed the territory.â
Like people, what was called disposition also existed for monsters.
The disposition determined the friendship between monsters.
In other words, if similar small monsters were set to be hostile, they did not approach each other. If they were set as a natural enemies like the relationship between a mouse and a wolf, then fights between them would break out.
Thanks to this system being in place, a monsterâs domain was naturally made.
The ambushes of the Magal Wolves and Bengal Tigers were decreasing meant the domain was changing.
âWhat kind of monsterâs domain is this?â
Itâd be a sticky situation if he suddenly encountered a high-level monster.
âBat, observe the surrounding carefully and inform me immediately if anything shows up.â
Ark utilized Bat to increase his vigilance thoroughly as he traversed the forest. Soon, he spotted a few monsters between the thick bushes.
âThe face of a dog and a human's body, theyâre Gnolls!â
There were three of them, and they were drooling saliva while roasting a monster that looked like a Bengal Tiger under a fire. In other words, that meant they were strong enough to hunt a Bengal Tiger.
A Bengal Tiger wasnât an easy opponent either. If they were stronger than a Bengal Tiger, then they werenât opponents to thoughtlessly come at.
âWhat to do? Should I try fighting âem?â
Ark was contemplating when one Gnoll suddenly raised its head and let out a cry.
âItâs a Human. I smell the scent of a Human!â
âLetâs catch and eat it, Human meat is more delicious.â
It was a mistake to hide with his back to the wind. The Gnolls with their sensitive sense of smell carried their clubs and approached while flaring their noses.
âDamn, no other choice. Skull, Bat. Assist me.â
Ark swung his sword at a Gnoll as he leapt from the woods.
The Gnoll caught by the ambush received a critical hit and was thrown back.
Arkâs irises became awash in gold as the Gnollâs weak points and information were displayed.
'Level 45, many weak points too. At this level, I can somehow fight them.'
"Skull, Bat. We're concentrating our attack on one of 'em! Dark Blade!"
Ark loosed a concentrated attack on the Gnollâs weak point.
It was disadvantageous to be surrounded by three level 45 monsters. When fighting a group, it was important to focus the offensive power on one opponent first to reduce the number of enemies.
With Eyes of the Cat and Dark Blade as well as the addition of the Familiars' co-op bonus, the Gnollâs health decreased to 70 percent in an instant. But something strange happened.
The remaining Gnolls kept their distance even while their teammate was under attack. At that moment while Ark was thinking it was strange, the two Gnolls raised their bows.
He had not tried fighting any monster using a bow until now.
Therefore, Ark had never even considered a countermeasure concerning a bow attack.
"Damn it! Bat, block it! If you canât block it, it's five times of food!"
"Waah, stop, you dog head!"
At Ark's threat, Bat struck the archer's face while screaming.
Its outstretched wings blocked its eyes, making the arrow fly off wildly. But the other Gnollâs loosed arrow sank into Arkâs shoulder.
- You have been hit by a critical blow from a Gnollâs arrow! 250 damage. Movement speed reduced for 30 seconds.
The situation became desperate.
The arrow decreased attack speed and increased chance of attack failure.
Moreover, just getting hit increased the chance of getting hit by a critical hit and catching an abnormal status like Slow or Bleed.
While Ark was staggering, a Gnollâs club came flying at him. His movements were slow and his body felt heavy, as if someone was holding onto it.
âDamn, if I get hit again in this condition, itâll be another critical hit...â
Just then, Skullâs eyes flashed as it tumbled under the approaching Gnollâs feet. The Gnoll who stepped on Skull, lost its balance and toppled down. At that moment, a red light poured from the Gnollâs whole body.
Simultaneously, a message window popped up with a cheerful tune.
After gaining 100 skill points, the skill Eyes of the Cat has leveled up to Intermediate.
Eyes of the Cat (Intermediate, Active): Eyes of the Cat has leveled up to Intermediate, you can grasp more information and weak points concerning the opponent.
As an Intermediate bonus, if you seize a golden opportunity, you can deal a double critical effect. For 3 minutes
+Double Critical Chance. Mana Consumption : 70
*Double Critical : The opponent will fall into a completely defenseless state.
Depending on the situation and the enemyâs reaction, a Double Critical Chance will be provided for roughly 1~3 seconds.
If Double Critical Chance is invoked, one attack can deal 2 times the critical damage.
âDouble Critical Chance!â
The timing when the enemy went into a completely defenseless state, making its whole body turn into weak points!
Using Eyes of the Cat like crazy had paid off.
Arkâs sword sank into the Gnollâs nape.
- You have landed critical hit with two times the Double Critical Chance. As a co-op bonus with Skull, 30% additional damage has been added.
With just one attack, the Gnollâs Health was decreased by over 20 percent. After a few more attacks, the Gnoll disappeared while screaming its death cry.
The situation changed completely once the Gnoll standing standing in front of him, blocking him had disappeared. There were two Gnolls left. One of them was being blocked by Bat.
âWith my consciousness, Iâll concentrate on one of them!â
The reflexes he had sharpened and polished by diligently training Taekwondo shone brightly. Ark parried the flying arrow with his sword by calculating the timing.
Perhaps because he did not have a defense-related skill like Warriors did, but parry was not registered with perfect defense. However, New World was a world in which the same rules as reality were applied. The damage was reduced to less than half and a critical hit did not register.
âAs long as a critical hit isnât invoked, something like an Archer isnât a match!ââ
Ark, whose Slow hex had dissipated, quickly advanced on the Archer.
It was common sense that a monster with long-ranged attack was possibly weak to melee attacks! The Gnoll who had shot arrows became feeble at Arkâs attack and staggered.
Just then, he heard the sound of Bat caterwauling from the other side.
âDamned Master! Arenât you even paying attention to me?â
There was a limit when Bat was blocking a Gnoll Archer alone. With an arrow lodged in its head, Bat disappeared at the Gnoll Archerâs feet.
- Familiar Hatred-bearing Bat has been forcefully recalled to the Netherworld. You have received 50% of the Familiarâs Health as damage.
A tingly sensation like surging electricity flowed into Arkâs body and he lost 100 Health.
At the unexpected damage, Ark was thrown into an extremely dangerous situation.
While he was battling against one Gnoll Archer, the other Gnoll freed from Batâs interference, shot an arrow towards Arkâs back.
The state of abnormal vulnerability!
âIâll die if I get hit directly!â
A critical hit was dealt as the arrow penetrated its forehead, and Skull was forcefully recalled back to the Netherworld in just one blow.
His Health was once again decreased by about 100. But he would have died if the arrow had hit him.
"You swine! Iâll make you pay as a revenge for Skull and Bat!"
Truthfully, he didn't have the right to utter such words.
In any case, Ark parried the Gnoll Archerâs oncoming arrow and rushed in. At the end of a one minute desperate struggle, he toppled the last Gnoll Archer.
"Kuuuaak, Human... Just wait and see!"
With a dying scream, the Gnollâs body slowly faded away.
"Phew, I was somehow able to win."
Ark sank to the ground as he exhaled the breath he had been holding in.
Just then, his experience bar which had been stuck at 92% reached 100% in an instant, and with a cheerful tune and his level rose.
The Gnolls gave a lot of experience compared to their level. In addition, the Gnoll was a party monster. It wasn't an enemy that wandered alone. Exterminating a party monster that unleashed complementary co-op attacks added a 30% bonus to experience.
But he couldn't be thoughtlessly happy.
'Dammit, seems like it'll be difficult to continue hunting Gnolls since all my Familiars were forcefully recalled.'
About one or two Gnolls wasnât a match. The problem was Gnolls formed a party and fought in an organized manner.
Well, it wasn't really tremendous strategizing since they were just dog heads. At best, a Gnoll Archer would shoot arrows from afar while a Gnoll Warrior would block Ark, an incomparably simple strategy.
However, it was as effective as it was simple.
If he heedlessly fought alone, he would probably fall over after becoming a porcupine before he could take down a Gnoll Warrior.
Of course, there would be no problem at all if Ark formed a party.
But Ark, who was consumed by a deep-rooted distrust of users, wanted to avoid party hunting if possible.
And even if Ark wanted to, there wasnât a user who would come all the way to a remote area like this to help him, who was constantly moving because of a quest.
âIt would be better to avoid the Gnolls until I can resummon my Familiars.â
He had to wait 24 hours or three days in game time before he could call forth his recalled Familiars.
For the first time since leaving Jackson, Ark turned back.
It was the first time both his Familiars were simultaneously forcefully recalled. He didnât know
how useful they useful and helpful his Familiars had been until they were gone.
Batâs scouting ability, and the ability to distract the enemies attention when there were several monsters around, in addition to the co-op bonus of the Familiars. Ark hadn't largely realized these effects. But now that they were gone, hunting was twice as hard. It also took a lot of time, so just defeating one Bengal Tiger consumed 3~4 minutes. Since it took double the time it took when he'd cleared them in 1~2 minutes, he actually felt his experience wasnât increasing.
But the truly puzzling thing was something else.
âDamn, why does hunting feel this boring now?â
Ark hunted without rest. When a monster appeared, he just took it down with his sword the way his body was familiar with. He picked up items and foraged food ingredients. Then he summoned Netherworld's Egg in his spare time and made it absorb food. Since there wasn't a anything different from before, it wasnât exciting.
Ark let out a frustrating sigh.
Similar to NPCs, Familiars also had the ability to think for themselves.
Skull and Batâs reactions changed depending on Arkâs attitude. For Skull, it was a Familiar with absolute obedience towards Ark, so its reaction didnât change significantly. However, for Bat, if Ark just pushed him around straight up with a heavy hand, it would sulk and there were times when it wouldnât talk for a while, and when a battle broke out, it would run away.
But then when he humored it a little, it soon honeyed him as if it would lick his boot. Sometimes it even pointed out things that Ark hadnât thought of.
âWhy are NPCs so picky with their preferences?â
At first, he didnât like that he had to pay attention to each and every one of those points. Moreover, since it consumed Mana when a fight broke out, his usage of skill was limited. So sometimes, there were times when he wondered if he really needed to summon his Familiars.
But it seemed Ark had become adapted to it before realized.
After his father passed away, he was too busy making a living so heâd never hung out with friends. That same nature applied even in New World. Moreover, because his experience in the beginning was nothing but betrayal, he was stained with a deep-rooted mistrust of users and heâd come to avoid users.
However, Ark was also human.
Heâd gotten used to living alone, but it wasnât enjoyable. Even in New World, heâd sometimes felt loneliness while struggling and hunting for a few days in a dark forest. At some point, he stopped feeling lonely, which was after he had his Familiars around.
At the very least, it was evident that Skull, who showed absolute loyalty, and even Bat who constantly grumbled were on Arkâs side.
Their existence that moved for Ark without desiring any price in return.
They were existences Ark hadnât been able to find in reality or the game.
It was just that he hadnât felt it until now, but to Ark, the Familiars already werenât simply characters, but comrades he could trust.
â24 hours⌠is long time.â
For the first time since starting the game, time felt long to him.
âNow I wonât let the Familiars get forcefully recalled a second time.â
Ark thought earnestly of his Familiars at last.
As soon as it was summoned, Bat pointed at its forehead and threw a fit.
âDid you see? Did you SEE? Iâm saying the arrow struck RIGHT HERE and it got stuck! Do you know how much it HURT?â
When a user received damage, they didnât feel the pain. Only a stinging sensation like a slight static shock. But NPCs were different. If they were cut with a knife, they would feel the pain of getting cut by a knife. So if they were hit by an arrow, they would feel the exact pain of getting hit by an arrow.
It was just a programming setting, but everything was real to an NPC.
âIf youâre the master, shouldnât you take care of your Familiars like a master? But we endured even your HORRIBLE experiments of food since youâre our master! But for you to use us as SHIELDS! Even if youâre our master, I CANâT TAKE IT ANYMORE! Skull! You say something too!â
Skull clacked its teeth with a slightly sullen movement.
âYou see! Itâs so bad that Skull is also acting this way, huh?â
âAlright, I understand. Iâll be careful next time.â
âHmph, words like that⌠eh? What. What did you say?â
The snorting Bat flinched and stepped back. Then it stared at Ark with eyes filled with wariness.
âMa-master, did you eat something bad? Whyâre you suddenly acting like this?â
âLike you said, I was a little extreme. I mean this as an apology.â
Ark extended food that exuded an aromatic smell.
Then Bat went pale as it shortly made excuses with a servile voice.
âMa-master. I, I was wrong. I just wanted Master to pay a little more attention to us, so⌠hehehe. Well, Iâm not saying Iâll disobey you, just that itâs so. Now I donât have complaints. Really.â
âDonât worry. Because this dish is a tasty one.â
âHuh? *Sniff sniff*, isnât this is something weâve eaten before?â
Bat tilted its head after flaring its nostrils. It had wondered whether Ark was beating in discipline with another dreadful body experiment after Ark pushed forward the food without warning. But after blindly smelling it, it was a food that had its effect confirmed not long ago. And it was made by liberally using precious ingredients, a valuable food that raised Health and Agility for one hour.
Familiars did feel hunger, and they possessed gluttony towards tasty foods. But its instinct to protect itself came before the food. Bat stared at Ark with suspicious eyes after gulping down its saliva.
âThi-this doesnât have poison in it, right?â
âShall I make you one with poison mixed in it?â
Bat quickly shook its head and shoved its head into the pot.
Next, Ark made the same food again and fed it to Skull as well.
During the time he was alone, Ark had keenly realized the preciousness of his Familiars.
Of course, he couldnât stop feeding them food, since he wanted his Familiars to grow. But he did think there was a need to converse in a friendly manner now and then. Like the carrot and the stick.
Arkâs virtue allowed him to obtain unexpected information.
- The loyalty of the Familiars, who felt the sincere affection of their summoner, has increased by 1 each. Affection stat has increased by 1.
âSo Loyalty can also increase!â
Even Ark was informed of the changes in his Familiarâs loyalty.
Skull didnât change, but in Batâs case, if he shoveled food indiscriminately, its loyalty decreased a little. Every time that happened, it was a matter of fact that Bat didnât listen to him as much and complained more. Until now, it hadnât gone up even once.
âLooks like it was probably influenced by the newly formed Affection stat.â
Ark roughly understood the situation.
The Affection stat heâd earned from succeeding the miracle of Nursing!
Until now, Ark had no idea what the stat was used for. It didnât help at all when he raised his intimacy with the village NPCs. But he had unexpectedly learned its purpose.
That wasnât all. The proficiency of Survival Cooking went up by 1 each when a new type of dish was create, so it rose by 4.
Food made for other had to have meaning. Since he cooked it to show his apology and gratitude towards his Familiars, bonus proficiency had been applied.
âAttitude applies directly to the game.â
This simple fact, which he had forgotten for a long time, hit home anew.
âHuhuhu. Master. Looks like youâve finally realized our value.â
After being a little friendly with it, Bat soon became impudent. But Ark, who missed it for 24 hours, indulgently let it slide.
âThat aside, thereâs something I want to say before we start battle again.â
âI thought about it carefully, but I think we've fought with too much of a rule-of-thumb all this while. Which brought upon a problem the last time we fought against the Gnolls. So from now onwards, thereâs a need to refine our collaboration. It is to increase our survival rate as well.â
"Refining our collaboration? What do you mean, Master?"
"So what I'm saying is we need to hypothesize several situations and plot our strategy beforehand. In battle, I can't afford to assess the situation and provide commands from one to ten, since thereâs no time.â
This was the conclusion Ark had came up with after brooding over it for 24 hours.
Ark planned strategies with several patterns oriented to situations beforehand. Then in battle, even if he didnât issue each and every command, Bat and Skull would be able to judge the situation in their own and move.
It was a method inspired by an online FPS game.
[T/N: First Person Shooter]
âYeah yeah, I got it. Master, youâve smarten up.â Bat babbled impertinent noises once again.
Ark lightly ignored it and continued.
âThereâll be mistakes if itâs too complicated from the beginning. So letâs restrict it to four methods for now. First, the strategy of focusing the attack on the enemy Iâm fighting is Plan A. While Iâm fighting one guy, you guys will distract the othersâ attention, thatâs Plan B. When Skull is fighting with me, and Bat lures the other guys far away, itâll be Plan C. And the last, Plan D, is an emergency situation. Halt all operations and you guys evade the enemyâs attacks while thinking of a way to survive. Did you understand it all?â
âGot it. I like Plan D.â
Bat and Skull expressed interest as they nodded.
âNow, then letâs try practicing in an actual battle right away!â
Ark immediately led the Familiars and began to hunt. In the beginning, their opponents were the low-difficulty Magal Wolves or Bengal Tigers.
As Ark yelled, Bat and Skull leapt out first and drew the monsterâs attention.
In the meantime, Ark attacked a monster from behind and decreased the number. When there was one monster left, he shifted the strategy.
Bat and Skull, who had been fleeing here and there, suddenly attacked the monster.
This method allowed him to quickly change commands, achieved the anticipated result.
Of course, there were also a few mistakes since it was their first time trying out the formation. Sharp-witted Bat adapted quickly, but dull headed Skullâs understanding fell short, so in some cases where it was a beat slower were numerous. In addition, since their plans were too simple, there were also often situations where it was difficult for a Familiar to deal with.
Each time it happened, he undoubtedly forced punishment food into the Familiarâs mouth.
âItâs a food experiment for the guy that doesnât do it properly!â
âAaack! I was wondering why Master became nicer somehow!â
CLA-clack, CLA-cla-cla-clack!
The Familiars became ghastly pale and went into critical condition a several times. However, since their max Health had increased quite a bit, they stayed alive. And although it was a rather low chance, they discovered growth foods which made Familiarsâ stats increase steadily.
Ark also steadily taught the Familiars with patience. By adding several strategies or changing them in repeated actual battle training, these points were improved little by little.
With their horror of the food, the Familiars desperately did their best to memorize and carried out the strategies. Since he used the Nursing skill appropriately, the effect was doubled. The fact that even non-combative skills could be used without limitation according to their methods of use was a charm of New World.
In the meantime, Arkâs skill at calling the Familiars also improved.
Even in battle, he quickly made a command while constantly checking the Familiarsâ Health. And when a Familiar was fleeing with all of its might while faced with a life threatening situation, he cancelled the summoning with stunning timing.
If they were to be forcefully recalled, 50 percent of the Familiarâs Health went counted as damage Ark would be taking, and itâll be impossible to resummon them for 24 hours. But if Ark cancelled the summoning, so no penalties were applied.
On the other hand, once the target of a monster chasing a Familiar disappeared, the monster was stunned for a while.
Whenever it happens, Arkâs sword undoubtedly land a critical hit.
Once the Familiar survival rate went up, their vitality in battle overflowed.
âMaster, in this case, how about cancelling the summoning after I rush in? And canât you immediately resummon again? You can also do that after you throw Skull; Masterâs spiritual power is always full anyways, so wonât you be able to use it once in every battle?â
Once in awhile, Bat, whose Intelligence had risen quite a bit through food, would even suggest a strategy worth using.
âThis adorable rascal!â
Batâs strategy was effective. Once a monster appeared, Ark grabbed and threw Skull at a weak point heâd perceived while using Eyes of the Cat. A critical hit through an unexpected ambush! Subsequently, Ark would rapidly cancelled the summoning before the monster attacked Skull. Then he resummoned again, and Skull would appear at Arkâs side.
The monsters couldnât comprehend the situation and hesitated. Then when Plans C, B, and A unfurled one after another, it wasnât even necessary to use Plan D.
Thanks to Ark and the Familiarsâ desperate effort, they clicked perfectly. After two days of hunting in such a matter, Ark gained a level, and he entered the domain of the Gnolls again.
âGroowl, itâs a Human.â
âImpudent Human, you dare to enter our territory.â
âWeâre starting with Plan C!â
Skull and Bat fanned out according to Arkâs command.
While the Familiars quickly circled the area and diverted the attention of the Gnoll Archers, Ark deployed Dark Blade and defeated a Gnoll Warrior. Then he cancelled Skullâs summoning, who was in danger, at the same time, charging at the Gnoll Archer Skull had been distracting. While he was attacking the Gnoll Archer, Bat was flew low between the trees as it evaded arrows.
Ark, who had gotten rid of even the Gnoll Archer by raining a stream of attacks against it, summoned Skull again as he changed the plan.
Ark and the two Familiars charged at the lone Gnoll Archer at the same time.
The battle with the Gnolls, which he felt was difficult to handle before, ended so easily it was boring. The battles after that were the same.
The Gnolls normally moved as groups of three or four, and some Gnolls led around Magal Wolves. Also, since these guys were on the intelligent side, they waited in ambush. They occasionally raided as well.
In some cases, they would occasionally wound up in a situation where they had to fight as many as six monsters all at once.
However, the Familiarsâ strategy execution ability had grown to equal even the Special Army the Republic of Korea boasted of.
They werenât lacking even if you did call them the Special Familiar Army. Thanks to that, as they adjusted to the situation and their strategy played out, they were able to win without much difficulty.
It was an effect for a dynamic tactic.
After going around annihilating party monsters, his experience had increased as well. When he gained yet another level, Ark checked his information window.
Special Stat: Knowledge of Ancient Relics
Sharply Shining Sword: Attack speed +5
Black Bear Mouse Leather Armor: Agility +2, Cold Resistance +20
Cat Paws: Attack speed +10%, Agility +15, Critical Hit Rate +10%
Crystal Golemâs Helmet: Mana +100
*All abilities are increased by 20% in the dark.
* The ability to hide your body in the dark has formed (Duration time 10 minutes. Cancelled if you get into combat).
* Resistance Fear, Darkness, Blind, and Charm spells is increased by 50%.
*You can bring out the true abilities from all types of tools.
Ark invested 30 of the 50 points heâd earned from gaining 5 levels into Intelligence. It was a stat he had barely distributed any points into because in the beginning there wasnât a need to use Mana. But as he used the Familiars, his lack of Mana had became severe. Even though he raised his Mana by a lot, it was still merely 480. Even after getting the +100 Mana with the Crystal Golemâs Head, it only amounted to 580.
In addition, when battles broke out, one Familiar needed 1 Mana per second. So, 290 seconds. In conclusion, he could only endure for 5 minutes from when the battle broke out. Granted, a decent battle ended within 3 minutes.
âBut Iâm not able to use other skills because of the Familiars.â
To Ark, Eyes of the Cat and Dark Blade were absolutely necessary skills. But using Eyes of the Cat once was cost 50 Mana. Dark Blade consumed 100 Mana.
Which meant it was too much to cast them a few times even with if he had full Mana. What was worse was, since he kept his Familiars summoned, there were many times when it was difficult to properly cast them one or two times. Because his skill usage was limited, it was a situation where his skill proficiency didnât increase properly either.
That was why Ark had invested up to 30 stats in Intelligence.
Furthermore, he didnât have thoughts of regret.
âThese praiseworthy rascals.â
In Arkâs eyes, as he gazed at his Familiars, possessed an affection that couldnât begin compare to the feelings he had about them a few days ago.
He could feel the Familiarâs growth firsthand.
âFor these rascals as well, stats arenât simply all there is to their fighting power. Itâs certain that their battle ability changes based on their experience, just like users.â
In New World, combat wasnât determined simply with stats.
A user's experience and their way of thought, which couldnât be checked with numbers, were all reflected in battle.
If you only looked at stats, Skull and Bat were still incomparably lousy. A win against one Wolf or the like wasnât guaranteed.
But by accumulating combat experience along with Ark, they were showing ability beyond their numbers.
They were becoming more and more dependable!
'However, there's an ambiguous part of combat experience. The fluctuation based on the situation is serious, and to guarantee definite effect, it's best to raise their stats after all.'
Therefore, Ark concentrated on ingredient gathering above hunting in order to execute Survival Cooking, the sole method for the Familiarsâ abilities. However, since the Familiars did their share, they became difficult.
âKekeke, howâs that, Master? You survived because of me, right?â
After Bat boasted, Skull didnât lose and claimed its share of the credit.
This was exactly the problem. Bat and Skullâs skills had recently grown remarkably, so there wasnât much of a justification to feed them food.
It was certain that if he thoughtlessly fed them for growth and decreased their loyalty, Bat and Skull wouldnât help Ark desperately as they did now. Despite that, they couldnât grow if he didnât feed them food.
Matching that balance unexpectedly gave him a headache.
However, he needed the definite concept of reward and punishment. Especially in Batâs case. Oppressively pushing it yielded the opposite effect since its loyalty was low. It was a frustrating system, but in a way, it was also the reason why Ark had come to possess more attachment to the Familiars.
âHmph! Why arenât you speaking, Master? Are you at a lost for words?â Bat crossed its arms and boasted.
âDonât be ridiculous. For something like just blocking eyes.â
âWhoâs the person who lived thanks to that?â
âI could avoid that much even without you.â
âN-no way. Surely youâre not thinking of being evasive like that while feeding that awful food?â
âThere are sometimes tasty ones too.â
âThatâs once every ten!â Bat lost its temper as it yelled.
âEh? You rebelled just now, right? Didnât you definitely rebel?â
âN-no. I am a good Familiar!â
âShut up, offense taken. Itâs food for you.â
What the hell, it didnât matter if he made an excuse anyways.
Before long, Bat ate a full-body paralysis food and was sprawled on the ground.
Skull, who had avoided the body experiment thanks to Batâs sacrifice, rolled around happily on the ground.
âYouâre⌠ch-cheapâŚ. MasterâŚâ
âIâm not doing this because I like it either. Itâs all for your sakeâ, Ark equivocated while averting his gaze.
Everything was satisfactory except one thing, there were still no changes found on the Netherworldâs Egg. If the number of his Familiars increased, it would definitely be helpful.
But every time he fed the Egg food, it repeatedly trembled as if it were vibrating and just went back to being still.
âJust when is this guy even gonna hatchâŚâ Ark muttered as he licked his lips.
Seeing as it reacted every time he fed it food, it seemed something was definitely going to hatch. But even when Bat and Skullâs stats rose several times, the egg was still an egg. Moreover, he couldnât check the foodâs effect if he fed it to the egg. Since there was a limit to the food ingredients, he felt regret when he fed the egg.
âWell, itâll probably hatch sometime anyways.â
Honestly, he had half given up now.
âMore importantly, I should really try to find a village now.â
Ark picked up the paralyzed Bat and rose from his seat.
After struggling for half a day while defeating Gnolls, he found the village.
Situated at the foot of the mountain, it was a small, sparsely populated village. There were only about 40 houses. But since people didnât live in most of them, they were left there like haunted houses. He couldnât discern anything such as liveliness on the faces of the 1~2 residents he saw.
Since it was a village situated too far from the city, he didnât see users either.
Then again, if it wasnât Ark, who had traversed the mountain in a straight line while following the hand mirrorâs light, they wouldnât have even been able to find a mountain village like this. Perhaps because it was a village with a soon-to-be-ruined atmosphere, but even when he stood inside the village, his map wasnât even marked.
âItâs a place with a bad feeling somehow,â Bat murmured with a discomfited voice from Arkâs shoulder.
âKeep your mouth shut.â
Whenever Ark went into a village, he lifted Skull and Bat onto his waist or shoulder so they appeared like accessories; because although they were Familiars. And since they were Undead and Demon in the first place, Arkâs reputation could drop if the village NPCs found out.
âWell, though thereâs no reason to come back twice to a village such as this one, it doesnât really matter much...â
Ark looked through the village with indifferent eyes. Even in a dilapidated village, thankfully the oasis of travelers, the General Store, existed.
Ark blew out a sigh while looking through his bag contents.
He had concentrated on hunting without rest for several days. In addition, he had gathered all the food ingredients he could get his hands on. Thanks to that, his bag was packed full of japtem to the point where there were no empty spaces. Although bag space was expanded slightly because of his job-changed, and the items were for the most part, stacked all because he hunted in the same area. However, he had to throw away a few items for lack of bag space.
At last, after arriving at the village, he recalled the items heâd thrown away and tears obscured his vision.
âWaah, if Iâd just brought all that, it wouldâve made another 6 gold.â
6 gold meant 60,000 won (~$60).
He had thrown away 60,000 won on the ground and left.
If he recalled the scene of the six cabbage leaves that he adored flapping as they fluttered away, he felt like he was about to go crazy.
[T/N: The cabbage leaves are referring to won bills, and there are six of them because in Korea, thereâs a bill for 10,000 won. Therefore, there are 6 bills for 60,000 won.]
âAt least itâs a relief thereâs a village here.â
He feared imagining how much more loss he wouldâve have to endure if there wasnât one.
âSince I have to travel across mountains, I donât know when Iâll encounter a village again. I should depart after completely organizing my bag here and grabbing only what I need.â
When Ark entered the store, the owner had a surprised expression.
âEh? Are you⌠a stranger?â
âFor a stranger to come find our village... I cannot fathom how long it has been.â
Ark thought of something polite to say and got to the point right away.
âI will sell all of this.â
The store owner glanced at the items and said shortly, âAlright. Iâll give you 10 gold for all of it.â
âWhat?â Ark doubted his ears.
âDid you say 10 gold?â
âThatâs right, is there something wrong?â
âArenât the items filling up the entire bag? To say itâs 10 gold without even looking properly? They arenât some kind of junk, so how can you set the price by the weight of the bag?â
âI can tell even with a rough look. Whereâs the good in higher numbers? Thereâs nothing worth using, so clubs and animal hides like these donât make money.â The store owner spoke in a blunt tone.
Goods that could be easily acquired in the area were definitely sold for considerably cheaper price than the market price. But was that all? Because Ark had overused the Magic Restoration skill to raise the proficiency on the decent equipment, the max durability of every last one of them was 1. Items with 1 durability were recyclable items that werenât even worth a few coppers. He couldnât complain even if the price was set by weight like junk.
âItâs five days. I hunted for five days without rest and all for just 10 gold?â
On top of that, Ark had used up one deluxe repair toolbox while hunting because he couldnât even consider touching his Magic equipment with beginner Magic Restoration yet.
In the end that meant heâd spent 15 gold on repair fee. Wasnât it a 5 gold deficit rather than a profit? If he nitpicked the break-even point, he had to receive at least 20 gold for the numbers to be right.
But for it to be 10 gold instead of 20 gold!
âAack, for the result of hunting like crazy to be a deficit...â
Ark sold the mantle and warrior equipment not long ago, bringing a fortune of 7,000,000 won (~$7,000) into his hands. But the reason those items were expensive was because they were much harder to acquire. Heâd have nothing more to wish for if that kind of good luck kept up, but reality wasnât that easy.
Rather than hoping for a jackpot, it was a little more realistic to systematically collect money through japtem, and the majority of users did use such method in order to save money. For a user, 1 gold was a colossal fortune.
But a deficit? Was it a sound that could even be possible?
Ark made his most servile expression and pleaded, âCanât you please pay me a little more?â
âSo you acknowledge the fact that it honestly doesnât reach the market price. However, Iâm planning to clear the store soon and leave the village. To be honest, even if I purchase goods right now, itâll only become baggage, you see. If you donât want to sell, donât; Iâll have no regrets.â
It didnât work, as expected. Since it was a village heâd come to for the first time, intimacy was 0. Haggling was impossible from the beginning.
If it was a store in Jackson Castle where heâd accumulated intimacy through trades, he wouldâve received at least 10~20 percent more. If you considered the market value with the rarity value on top of that, heâd be able to receive over 2 times more. But he couldnât just take his baggage and return to Jackson to get 10 more gold either.
Ark held in his tears and nodded.
âI understand. Please take care of all of it.â
âYou thought well. You should know too, but since thereâs no village in the area⌠huh! N-no way? Isnât this Grizzly Gnollâs leather?â
âSo you do recognize it.â
Ark pricked his ears, quickly approached, and repeatedly rubbed his hands together.
âThatâs the leather of a monster I defeated with enormous difficulty. The bastards were so strong, every time I fought them one by one, I really had to overcome a life-or-death crisis. Honestly itâs nothing short of being a miracle that Iâve survived till now. Isnât it a bit too much to buy this leather that I earned with such suffering by weight? Ah, since you said you were thinking of clearing the store, I do not hope for much either. I just ask that you think of my pains, so a little moreâŚâ
âAre you saying you defeated it?â
âTh-then are you perhaps saying youâve crossed the Argus Mountains?â
âYes, I didnât know the road so I crossed the mountains. Why do you ask?â
âThatâs surprising. Although those guys donât travel aloneâŚ. for you to cross over such a place with your solitary strength. It seems youâre a more impressive adventurer than I thought. PerhapsâŚâ
The store owner stared at Ark with newfound eyes.
âIf itâs true that you defeated the Gnolls, Iâll purchase your goods for 20 gold.â
âIn return, wonât you listen to my request?â
Arkâs mouth stretched to his ears.
âAn NPCâs request! In other words, itâs a quest!â
He was so happy he could die with just receiving more, but for him to give even a quest!
This village was still a place users didnât know. In other words, a quest no one knew about. The reward aside, simply the fact that he had discovered a quest such as this made his heart leap.
Ark quickly nodded his head and the store owner continued with a serious expression.
âActually, this village is a village still unknown to the outside, and was set up by several pioneers. Though itâs just a barren place situated at the foot of a mountain, it was judged that if the village was developed and roads were made, there was a possibility for it could grow as a relay point between Jackson and commercial cities.â
The store ownerâs name was Galen, he was one among the first pioneers. Galen continued with a miserable voice.
âEverything was satisfactory in the beginning. We did worry because there were a lot of monsters, but we had a noble leader by the name of Lancel. He was a mercenary with a lot of experience, so most monsters werenât even a match. We united with him as the center and completed the village. I still canât forget the emotions people had then. Everyone else was so happy, they wept tears.â
âBut the people in the village looked like there wasnât any vitality.â
âThatâs right, all of it was because of the Gnoll bastards.â
âOriginally there werenât Gnolls in this area, but the Gnolls immigrated here as a group from somewhere. Then they situated themselves in a cave deep within the mountains as their center. So the dream of fostering the village as a relay point for trade by making roads in the area crumbled apart. Rather, the Gnollsâ raids made us tremble in fear every day.â
âDid you not think of trying to ask for help?â
âOf course we thought about it. However, this is a village with only a dozen people who put their lives on the line and developed it. We couldnât afford to hire many mercenaries or the like. And Lancel was still alive and well then.â
âHe was alive and wellâŚ.?â
Galen shook his head with a dark expression.
âLancel was a truly noble warrior. He repulsed the Gnolls raiding the village multiple times. However, Lancel, who judged himself as someone who couldnât save the village, believed he had to gather the village residents, find the cave personally, and settle the matter with the Gnolls. We also believed if it was Lancel, he could definitely do it, so we didnât doubt. But there was a trap even Lancel hadnât foresaw waiting for him inside the cave.â
âI donât know whether the Gnolls were raising them, but there was an enormous number of snakes inside the cave. It was a number enough to be labeled as disgusting. In the end, we were hit by the surprise attacks of the Gnolls and the snakes, and we were driven out. But Lancel didnât give up until the end. He went inside and fighting bravely. For several hours, there were resounding roars which shook the cave. However⌠our heroic Lancel did not return.â
âHe was a noble person.â
âYes, he was a warrior more valiant than anyone.â
âIn any case, after what had happened, the residents left the village one by one. They canât be blamed. They witnessed a horrible swarm of snakes, and even their leader Lancel died, so they must have lost the courage to go on. Although itâs a village we established with hard work, it was not more precious than their lives. Iâve endured and came this far, but I was thinking that any longer would be too much.â
âWill it do if I clear out the Gnollsâ cave for you?â
âOf course I will. I am an adventurer, after all. How could I ignore this?â
âIâve said this earlier, but I canât give many rewards.â
âI know. Since itâs something where I have to put my life on the line, it would be a lie to say I donât want any reward, but I never help to hope for a large reward. Itâs fine if you just give me your whole-hearted sincerity.â
Ark insinuated the meaning of asking for the maximum of what could be given.
A Gnoll was a monster good to hunt at his current level.
Since it was mostly a party monster, he received a lot of experience from them too. If he was going to hunt it anyways, of course it was better to get a quest and hunt it.
This was exactly what it meant to kill two birds with one stone.
Galen, who had no reason to know this kind of intention, spoke with a deeply moved expression,
âThank you. Then letâs do this. If you defeat Gnolls inside the cave and bring me their leather, Iâll pay 20 silver for each one. And if by any possibility you defeat all the Gnolls in the cave and bring peace to the village, I give you another 10 gold as compensation to your success. Of course, itâs probably not enough of a reward compared to the danger, but thatâs the most I can do.â
âHow many Gnolls are there?â
âWe donât know well either. However, we think there are probably about one hundred.â
â20 silvers for each one! One hundred of them is 20 gold!â
Ark vaguely heard the sound of jingling coins in his ear. It was definitely not an ample compensation, but it wasnât that small a reward either. Level 40 monster leather normally sold for about 5 silvers in stores. But Galen had offered 4 times that price. Given it was a mountain village quest, it was a preposterous offer.
âIf you add the success compensation 10 gold on top of that, itâs not a small amount of money!â
âIâm sorry, but I canât give you compensation concerning the snakes. Can I entrust it to you nevertheless?â
âDo not worry and entrust it to me. Itâs certain I was guided to this place in order to do this job.â
Ark clasped Galenâs hands firmly as he replied with an expression brimming with confidence.
With a simultaneous thu-thu-thump a quest window popped up.
Pioneer Village Lancelâs Misfortune
You have discovered a pioneer village still unknown to the world at the end of your long journey.
As a village made after several years of effort by pioneers who followed the admired the mercenary leader Lancel, it was named âLancelâ after the name of their leader. They wished for Lancel to flourish as a relay point between Jackson and commercial cities.
But as a group of Gnolls lead numerous snakes and settled in a nearby cave, all their efforts had gone to waste. The residents put their lives on the line and organized a punitive expedition. However, the villageâs hero, Lancel, was the sole sacrifice.
Most of the despairing villagers have left the villages, and now only total desolation is left in the village. Nevertheless, Galen wants to somehow save the village, so he has requested you to subjugate the Gnolls. Galen has promised a bounty of 20 silvers per Gnoll leather, and a 10 gold compensation for your successful subjugation. You must defeat the Gnolls and save Lancel Village from despair.