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The appearance of the Maserrati Guild was obviously a threat to the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom. Through Orleed, Minhyuk discovered that the ‘Absolute Monarch’ was an Absolute God class that appeared to counter Nerva Sephiroth.
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Considering the fact that Nerva Sephiroth would take control of all of the continents in the future, then there would be many people that would come to knock on the doors of the Maserrati Guild. If that happened, then the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom’s position would naturally decrease. That was why Minhyuk had judged that it was necessary for them to take over the rankings of the time attack dungeons.
“We’re going to take over the rankings?”
Orleed could not understand what Minhyuk meant. There were no time attack dungeons available for Level 400~500 players. Because of that, no executives from Beyond the Heavens could go and clear the time attack dungeons.
“Who’s going to take over the rankings?”
At Orleed’s question, Minhyuk looked at the new guild members and said, “Of course, it’s you guys.”
“…Yes?”
“Us?”
“…”
The new guild members looked at Minhyuk in shock. They were the ones that were going to take over the rankings of the time attack dungeon and snatch it from Maserrati Guild? The new guild members were obviously stronger than players at the same level as them. However, compared to the monsters that swept the top spots in the world? They were mere rookies.
“No way…”
“Yes. Exactly.”
Minhyuk chuckled. Orleed spoke up as if he remembered something, “You want us to clear those time attack dungeons with buffed dishes?”
“Dishes?”
“No matter how amazing those dishes are… Is that even possible?”
Murmur, murmur—
A commotion broke out among the new guild members.
From what Orleed said, those that had received the Absolute Monarch’s Stigma were the ones that were dominating the top spot in the time attack dungeons. So, what did that mean? It meant that all of the currently active time attack dungeons allowed ‘buffs’ inside.
If that was the case, all Minhyuk needed to do was to fight a buff with a buff. The effects of Absolute Monarch Richard’s ‘stigma’ was OP, even though they did not know the exact penalty for it.
‘However, my dishes are also like a cheat.’
Minhyuk had already planned to cook for the new guild members to build favor and good feelings with them so he could earn ‘cash’. But doing that for the dungeons seemed like it would give him a better effect. Also…
‘For the time attack dungeon, one Star Coin will be given to the challenger if they achieved a certain record. Furthermore, once the time attack dungeon event ends and they maintain the top spot, all of the dungeon participants that took the spot would be given five Star Coins and a dungeon master ring.’
One coin was worth 25 platinum. A reward of five coins meant that they would gain 125 platinum. And there was also the dungeon master ring. From what Minhyuk heard, it was an event ring that had legendary effects tailored to the level of the item user. All of the Star Coins that they would gain in this venture would be given to Minhyuk while the dungeon master ring would remain in their possession.
How would it be considered unfair?
“We, we’ll stand at the center of the world’s attention…?”
“We’ll get the title of… getting the time attack dungeon’s first place…?”
“Woaaaaah…”
Based on the new guild members’ reactions, they obviously did not think so. After all, Minhyuk was someone that could make the impossible possible. Besides, they had to use Minhyuk’s buffed dishes to achieve this. The words that could perfectly fit their situation was, ‘What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.’
‘And in the process, I will be able to gain an astronomical amount of cash. After all, they will definitely feel grateful to the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom.’
Minhyuk grinned as he looked around the new guild members and said, “All of the new guild members will participate in the time attack dungeon from now on. Make sure to create groups of four. And when you come back…”
He threw his trailer on the ground, the trailer immediately growing in size.
Rumbleeeeee—
Fweeeeeeeeeeeet—
The cooking trailer that was specialized in making bulk dishes started to operate in the middle of the Stars’ Path. The blazing flames of the eternal flames burst out from the stove as white smoke billowed from the chimney.
“…the best banquet will be waiting for you.”
***
The Beyond the Heavens Kingdom’s new guild members, including Reese, were divided into groups of four and were currently headed straight toward the time attack dungeons. Reese was one of the executives of Minhyuk’s fan cafe: ‘Eat ‘til We Die’.
‘I’ll be eating with Minhyuk?’
Just the thought alone brought excitement to Reese. At the same time, the new guild members, including Reese, were plagued with concerns.
“Can we really do it?”
“In a way, you can say that they’re the world’s number one…”
That was right. The members of Maserrati Guild could be said to be the ones on top of the world since they ranked the first in the time attack dungeons. Guilds from America, Japan, China, and many more countries were struggling to take over the number one spot in these time attack dungeons. However, the gap with the current number one was too wide that they could not do anything against it.
“We have no other choice but to trust His Majesty,” Reese said, his expression that of unswerving faith and trust. Inwardly, he was still concerned. The Beyond the Heavens Kingdom against a newly established nation. As new guild members, would they really be able to do something like that with just their power?
Before they knew it, they had already arrived at the time attack dungeon, the ‘Abyss’ Dungeon’. They chose this dungeon because Reese and the rest of his four-member group were players in the Level 300 range. From what they heard, the Abyss’ Dungeon was a time attack dungeon that had monsters similar to the monsters living deep in the sea or ancient monsters that had degenerated.
The entrance to the time attack dungeon was crowded with people. However, the faces of those that have just challenged it were ugly and distorted. Reese and the rest of his group looked at the record of the time attack dungeon’s top ranker.
[Abyss’ Dungeon. 1st place. Maserrati Guild. 15 minutes 59 seconds.]
[Abyss’ Dungeon. 2nd place. Albertine Guild. 24 minutes 31 seconds.]
Reese and his group were all shocked.
‘There’s an entire 10 minute difference between first and second place?!’
Usually, in time attack dungeons, the time difference between first and second places was around ten seconds. It was already considered a lot to have a 30 seconds time difference between the two places. This gap just went to show how superior the Maserrati Guild was.
Right in front of the dungeon stood people wearing armor and robes with the symbol of a trident on it. One of them said, “Are you trying to challenge this dungeon? Don’t waste your time. Just go back.”
Reese and the others could immediately tell that they were the members of the Maserrati Guild.
“The country that just tried earlier was America. As you can see, they’re still ten minutes apart from us. I don’t know where you’re from but you better give up and book it. Don’t bother wasting your time here. Hahahaha!!!”
“Hey, hey. Don’t be like that, let them try.”
“Wouldn’t they have a 20 minute time difference with us?”
These people had been intoxicated by the ‘Absolute Monarch’s Stigma’ that had increased their power by 20%. They had even mistaken themselves to be someone that had reached the skies.
“Now, now. Turn around and go back.”
Reese, who was an introvert and rarely talked with his party members, blinked at them and said, “But why are you talking informally to me? Are we friends?”
“…?”
“…?”
“I’m from the Beyond the Heavens, you m*therf*cking bastards.”
“…?”
“…?”
Minhyuk had told them these before they went out, ‘Keep in mind that you’re the face of the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom. If anyone dares to ignore you and mock you, return it to them full hand. I will take full responsibility over your actions.’
Minhyuk was a great and cool king like that.
Everyone looked at them in confusion.
“You… this f*cking bastard…!”
“Just let him try.”
“Ridiculous.”
“Can’t believe there’s someone this foolish in Beyond the Heavens.”
The Maserrati Guild members mocked them. They looked like they would not deal with the f*ckers in front of them. Reese and his group passed by them and entered the dungeon.
[You have entered the Abyss’ Dungeon.]
[The Abyss’ Dungeon is a Time Attack Dungeon.]
[If you don’t finish the Abyss’ Dungeon within 30 minutes, you will be automatically evicted from the dungeon. Your challenge would be considered a failure.]
[The current 1st place is the Maserrati Guild with the record of 15 minutes and 59 seconds.]
[Each person can only attack the time attack dungeon thrice.]
“But Reese… it would be very embarrassing if our record has a huge difference from them…”
“…”
Reese did not think of that. For him, it was alright to bear the ‘shame’ and carry it himself. However, he had used the name of ‘Beyond the Heavens’. That was what he was worried about.
“All we can do is do our best to clear the dungeon.”
In fact, their first try was meant to be a trial, an experiment of some sorts. How long would it take them to clear the dungeon with their own power? Reese and his group had no time to lose. They could not waste even a single second here and began to run as fast as they could.
This was the third day since the time attack dungeons had opened. Attack information? Not much was known. Why? The entire world was competing over these time attack dungeons. They were not sharing information mostly because they wanted to maintain their ranking.
A gigantic catfish suddenly appeared in front of the running group. It was large, seemingly exceeding 15 meters in length alone. The group assumed that this was an ancient monster that had degenerated over time.
Shwaaaaaaaa—
Reese was the first to jump and drew blood from the gigantic catfish.
‘I didn’t strike it well.’
He was able to inflict a wound but it was not deep enough to be called fatal. This meant that the catfish’s defense was very high.
“Lightning.”
Crackle, crackle, crackle, crackle—
The mage player released a powerful magical attack that devoured the catfish. Despite trembling from the shock of the attack, the catfish was still able to charge toward them.
“Tanker!”
Baaaaaaaaaaaaang—
The tanker immediately stepped forward, raising his round shield and increasing its size to block the charging monster. The catfish opened its mouth to reveal gruesome and sharp teeth.
Slaaaaaaaaash—
Reese took the opportunity to attack its open mouth with his sword and rip them apart.
“Kihyeeeeeeeeeck!”
It was a good start. It was not that difficult to tear the mouth of the catfish, which was a part that had a significantly lower defense than the rest of its body, causing it tremendous pain and making it struggle profusely. After that, the hunt was easy.
The group immediately moved past the catfish and went to the second section. This time, hundreds of undead mermaids and merknights were swimming in the air and getting ready to charge at them.
‘The second section deals with a large number of monsters.’
The tanker immediately blocked the monsters’ charge, effectively pulling all the aggro while the mage cast an AOE attack magic.
“Fire Field.”
Shwaaaaaaaaaaa—
A burst of blazing flames rose from the ground and stopped the mindless charge of the mob. Reese immediately dug into their gaps and went on a rampage with his sword.
‘What a breath-taking scene.’
‘As expected of players above players.’
Since most of the new guild members were stronger than their peers at the same level, they boasted excellent control.
Finally, the last section.
Baaaaaaaang—
A deafening roar resounded and broke down the walls of the Abyss’ Dungeon. Everyone turned tense at the sound. Then, a figure resembling that of a dragon suddenly fell down from the stalactites above them. To be exact…
[Ancient Imoogi[1]]
“…!”
“…!”
“…!”
Imoogis could basically be described as undeveloped dragons. However, it was very clear to them that this boss mob was very strong.
“Kihyeeeeeeeeeck!”
A mind-searing pain tormented them as the Breath that the imoogi shot at them slammed into their bodies.
“Tanker!!!”
“Haaaa!!!”
The tanker had stepped forward but it still looked like he was having a hard time. Reese, with his sword, flew up and stabbed the imoogi on its forehead. However, the attack did not go through.
‘What the hell?! What kind of defense is this…?!’
It was on a completely different level from the catfish from before. Reese and his group struggled fiercely against the imoogi. The reason for their struggle was mainly because of the imugi’s high defense and its considerable damage. Of course, it was still at a level that they could hunt it. However, the problem was that this dungeon was a ‘time attack dungeon’.
‘We need to find a way for us to hunt faster!’
But in the end, Reese and his group could not find a way. All they could do was attack the imoogi as a group and nibble away at its tremendous defense until it fell down. And their record…
[Abyss’ Dungeon.]
[You have cleared the time attack dungeon.]
[Your record is 25 minutes 49 seconds.]
[You’re currently at 71st place.]
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
The faces of Reese and his group turned ugly.
***
The four people that cleared the Abyss’ Dungeon in the first place could not help but guffaw when they saw the people that claimed to be from the ‘Beyond the Heavens’ rank at the 71st place. They laughed even harder when they saw them coming out of the dungeon.
“Wahahahahahahahaha!”
“Kahahahahahahahahahaha!”
“Bwahahahahahahahahaha!”
“Hey, foolish bastards, where are you going, huh?!”
“As expected! The Beyond the Heavens Kingdom is truly insignificant when compared to our guild!!!”
The energetic people from Beyond the Heavens left dispiritedly, their heads bowed down. The members of Maserrati Guild were very pleased.
Richard was able to give the Absolute Monarch’s Stigma to around 20 people per day. He could also give it to around 100 people with a 1% reduction in all stats. Richard deliberately gave the stigma to all of the members of Maserrati Guild that would challenge the time attack dungeon, despite the 1% stat reduction penalty.
Having received the stigma, the members of Maserrati Guild felt like they were the ‘greatest’. This just went to show how amazing the ability of Absolute Monarch Richard was. There were even mentions of ‘Is this the end of Beyond the Heavens’ era?’ in some community sites. It seemed like this was now the era of the Maserrati Guild, no, Maserrati Kingdom.
But only an hour later, the four members of the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom that had left with drooping heads came back. For some reason, a strange sense of confidence was oozing from their bodies.
“What the hell, those f*ckers again?”
“Do you think things will change if you try again?”
The members of Maserrati Guild laughed and mocked them as if they were morons. But not long after then entered…
[Abyss’ Dungeon]
[The Time Attack Dungeon’s records have been refreshed!]
[Abyss’ Dungeon. 1st place. Beyond the Heavens Kingdom. 13 minutes and 30 seconds.]
“…!”
“…!”
“…!”
“…!”
The members of Maserrati Guild could not believe their eyes. The four people that entered earlier were obviously ten minutes behind them but they were able to get first place just like that? But what was more shocking was…
‘We have received the Absolute Monarch’s Stigma…’
‘They’re around the same level as us too.’
‘What the hell?!’
…the fact that Maserrati Guild lost the 1st place to Beyond the Heavens Kingdom. This was their biggest problem.
Then, the four people came out with proud looks on their faces. At the same time, the Maserrati Guild’s chat window began to explode.
[Guild Chat | Arvan: Our record in Aultina’s Dungeon has been broken!!!]
[Guild Chat | Forno: Our record in the Temple of Babel Thiernon has been broken!!!]
[Guild Chat | Bavon: The new record that we have just set has been broken!!!]
“…!”
“…!”
“…!”
The members of Maserrati Guild were appalled. Then, the player, Reese, who asked them earlier why they were speaking informally to him approached them.
The person that Reese admired most next to Minhyuk was none other than Ali. That was because he was also an otaku and aspired to be an otaku that followed in Ali’s footsteps.
Reese raised his head sharply and looked down at the members of the Maserrati Guild, with a proud look on his face. Then, he spat out a line that he had seen from an animation, “Don’t ever look down on Beyond the Heavens again.[2]”
“…”
“…”
“…”
1. 이무기- according to Korean folklore, imoogis are serpent-like creatures that could become a full-fledged and true dragon. They could be considered as lesser dragons. ☜
2. “다시는 ~~~ 무시하지 마라.” is a line that’s been mentioned in 《두 아내》 by Shinwa’s Andy. It’s a line that parodied/paid homage to the lines that Hugh Grant said in Love Actually and has been used ever since to refer to sarcastic patriotism and nationalism. It has also been parodied in a lot of shows. ☜