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Chapter 56: The Herdsman of Las Vegas
Senia’s wings trembled. She was maintaining an expressionless face, but inside, she was greatly shocked.
‘Are you telling me there was a special hidden piece here?’
That was something even she, an Intermediate Administrator, didn’t know about. She had never thought that such a hidden piece would exist in what was merely the beginner period, not even a higher level period.
A special hidden piece. It was the sort of thing the Guardians, as addicted to spectating as they were, went crazy over.
The messages of Guardians reacting and entering her channel hit her almost like a deluge.
[Anonymous Guardians are entering Channel #19207 in great numbers.]
[The ‘Herdsman of Las Vegas’ has sent a subscription contract request to Channel #19207.]
[The ‘True Master of the Heavenly Demonic Mountain’ has sent the Intermediate Administrator a 200 Coin sponsorship.]
…
[The ‘Lady of the Scales’ has sent the Intermediate Administrator a 120 Coin sponsorship.]
The stream of notices continued without end. A whopping ‘special hidden piece’ that no one had anticipated in the beginner period was discovered. And that was being streamed exclusively by Senia. The Guardians were not stingy with their sponsorships to such a commendable(?) Intermediate Administrator. Of the guardians who had just come in and didn’t know yet what was going on, the anonymous Guardians shot out a barrage of questions.
–What in the world is this?
–Isn’t this the beginner period? A special hidden piece actually existed?
–Could it be a special area made by some respected Guardian?
–Can someone explain this to me please?
The ‘True Name Guardians’ who, unlike such rabble, could be called the real Guardians, watched the situation in silence. They might be staying quiet, but it was a definite fact that they, too, were on the edge of their seats.
Senia was bewildered.
‘This is the strength of good quality content.’
Actually, she knew. She knew she wasn’t good at talking, that she couldn’t make things fun like the other Intermediate Administrators, and that she couldn’t accommodate the Guardians’ tastes very well. The only advantage she had was her appearance, which could contend for the top ranks even among Intermediate Administrators in beauty.
‘But beauty alone… isn’t enough for me to survive.’
That was something Senia knew keenly, as well. But now, there was already a Guardian wanting to ‘subscribe’, and countless Guardians were showering her with Coins. There were also many Guardians who didn’t go into the channels of other Intermediate Administrators and stayed exclusively in hers, Channel #19207.
Standing in front of the door going into the ‘Forest of Unknowns’, Senia stared at Kim Hyukjin. His movements held no trace of hesitation or delay.
To Hyukjin, it was definitely uncharted territory, but he didn’t look fearful in the least.
‘Player Kim Hyukjin.’
Just like Hyukjin had guaranteed, he certainly proved his worth as ‘quality content’. If not for him, Senia would have probably not even made it this far.
[The ‘Courageous Lion King’ has sent a subscription contract request to Channel #19207.]
[A great number of anonymous Guardians have become excited.]
[A great number of anonymous Guardians are unable to take their eyes off Player Kim Hyukjin.]
She looked at Hyukjin once again. She, like the Guardians, was unable to take her eyes off him.
‘Please don’t die.’
Senia was suddenly taken aback, greatly startled by her own emotions.
‘No. I was just mistaken for a moment.’
She unconsciously shook her head, and three times at that.
‘This emotion isn’t me worrying about Player Kim Hyukjin.’
She, Senia, did not stoop to the likes of worrying. Such an emotion was worthless. She had no emotions. She was convinced of that. So the thought that had just run through her mind was absolutely not worry.
‘This is merely uneasiness about what I would do if something happened to my quality content.’
Though no one was listening, she thought that to herself.
‘Because it would be difficult to find such quality content again.’
While she was thinking, Hyukjin entered the ‘Forest of Unknowns’, and she followed, still amazed that he had discovered such a thing.
The field changed. She saw an extremely dense forest, which suited the area’s name perfectly.
[You have entered the ‘Forest of Unknowns’.]
[Issuing a clear quest.]
[Find the master of the ‘Forest of Unknowns’ and converse with them.]
A clear quest was issued. Hyukjin had to find the master of the forest. Senia cast her senses far into the distance.
‘It’s large.’
It was a massive forest the likes of which could not exist in the beginner period. The size of this one forest was almost on par with the size of all of Seoul.
‘I can hardly believe he was given a quest to find the master of such an enormous forest. Is this really a hidden piece that can be cleared?’
There was no knowing where he could be, or who the master of the forest was. This was really a quest with a lot of legwork.
She heard his voice.
“This… If things go wrong, I could die of hunger. Even though I’m almost level 30 now.”
“…”
Senia didn’t respond. Hyukjin’s words weren’t wrong. It was possible he could starve. This place was so large, and he hadn’t brought any provisions.
* * *
I anticipated a response to my meaningful words. This was a place that the Guardians would go crazy for, a so-called special hidden piece. There probably weren’t many Guardians who wanted a super rookie like me to perish out of hunger in such a place.
‘My level is 29. The Guardian selection time is coming up.’
So what will you do, Guardians? What kind of card will you offer me?
In mere moments, the notices rushed in.
[The ‘Herdsman of Las Vegas’ lends you a ‘Magic Camping Set’.]
[The ‘Lady of the Scales’ lends you ‘Magic Spring Water’.]
[The ‘True Master of the Heavenly Demonic Mountain’ lends you the ‘Heavenly Demonic Breathing Art’.]
[The ‘Courageous Lion King’ lends you a ‘Magic Campfire’.]
[The ‘Nameless Observer’ temporarily increases the grade of your ‘Eye of Perception’.]
Though I was the one who wanted this to happen, even I was struck speechless.
‘What the hell is this?’
The number of Guardians who could send messages at the same time was limited to five. Therefore, the previous stream of messages meant that all five slots were filled up to send me aid.
‘Magic Camping Set, Magic Spring Water, Heavenly Demonic Breathing Art, increase in Eye of Perception’s grade, Magic Campfire?’
A Magic Camping Set was basically some simple cooking tools and equipment for camping bundled as a set.
Senia approached me. “I will begin explaining the items. The Magic Camping Set is…”
I knew everything even without her explanation.
‘Magic Camping Set. Even though it looks shabby, it’s a camping set that costs over $30k.’
This set of items was something future Rankers possessed at least one of and wasn’t something that should appear in the beginner level period. With this, I could even establish a safe zone, though it would be weak.
“Also, the Magic Spring Water is…”
“Drinking water.”
“…Correct.”
In an extended dungeon exploration, this ‘Magic Spring Water’ was even more important than the Magic Camping Set. You could get at least 1,000 liters of fresh drinking water from it.
“Moving on, the Heavenly Demonic Breathing Art is a special skill temporarily granted by the True Master of the Heavenly Demonic Mountain that…”
It was a skill that the Sword Empress would get in the future. You could think of it like a cure-all that instantly restored your fatigue. Even though it counted as a crucial ability of the Sword Empress, I would be able to use it, at least temporarily.
“The Magic Campfire is…”
As one might expect, it was an enchanted campfire that could be turned on and off repeatedly. It was thought to be able to stay lit for at least 3,000 hours, could not be extinguished by rain, and also had a great effect in keeping monsters away.
“Player Kim Hyukjin. Are you listening to me?”
My eyes whipped to Senia. Was it my imagination, or did she raise her voice just now?
‘Is she mad because I ignored her words?’
But the feelings I could pick up from her with Eye of Perception were a little strange.
‘I don’t think it’s simple anger.’
I couldn’t say what exactly she was feeling. For now, I increased the grade of Eye of Perception with the help of the ‘Nameless Observer’.
[Temporarily increasing the grade of ‘Eye of Perception’.]
Afterwards, I was able to perceive Senia’s emotions in greater detail. Things that I hadn’t seen before were revealed to my eyes.
[Intermediate Administrator]
Name: Senia
Age: 332
Level: ?
Race: Angel
Subscriber Guardians: [Courageous Lion King], [Herdsman of Las Vegas], +1
State: Neutral / Observing / Facade
Summary: Woman Denying Her Feelings
Level cannot be determined.Because Eye of Perception’s proficiency is not high enough, viewing more detailed information is impossible.
‘Something’s a little weird about her state and summary.’
Neutral and observing were fine, but what was with facade? And the summary was ‘Woman Denying Her Feelings’.
‘It’s not even Angel Denying Her Feelings, but woman?’
Was she bound by some kind of taboo where she had no choice but to deny her feelings?
‘It would have been nice to be able to see more detailed information.’
What I found funny was that the ‘Courageous Lion King’ and the ‘Herdsman of Las Vegas’ were subscribed to Senia.
‘They sure did it fast.’
There was also a +1 next to their names, but I didn’t know who it was.
‘In Eye of Perception…’
Strangely enough, I got the feeling that a little ‘worry’ was mixed into Senia’s emotions. However, that feeling disappeared before long.
‘I must be mistaken.’
An Intermediate Administrator would never worry about a mere Player. Streamers and Players had a you-use-me, I-use-you relationship. In other words, a business relationship. It was hard to imagine that she would worry about me when I was only a business partner.
Senia reiterated, “Player Kim Hyukjin. I asked if you were listening to me or not.”
“I heard it all, don’t worry.”
Surprisingly, Senia’s face reddened. Her wingtips trembled visibly.
“I do not lower myself to ‘worry’. Don’t be mistaken. Player Kim Hyukjin.”
“…”
That kind of reaction made me think she really did worry about me. But Senia continued, and I shelved that thought.
“With my authority as an Intermediate Administrator, I will issue a quest.”
In order to make the content more fun, an Intermediate Administrator could issue a quest that wouldn’t alter the scenario. It wasn’t that unusual an occurrence.
But… the quest was a little strange. No, it was very strange.
[Receiving the quest ‘Repeat After Me’.]
“…Is this a real quest?”
“Yes. There is no doubt.”
Repeat After Me. It was self-explanatory.
[Repeat After Me]
A quest from the Intermediate Administrator Senia. Explain all the information Senia gave you in detail.
Quest reward: 300 Coins
Giving me this kind of joke quest, was she really worried about me? Was she purposefully trying to confirm that I knew everything? Even at the cost of her precious Coins?
‘Well, it’s easy enough.’
“First of all, a Magic Camping Set is…”
I already knew all there was to know about these items.
“And the Magic Campfire… on and off repeatedly.”
When I finished explaining all the items, I got a quest clear notice.
[The quest ‘Repeat After Me’ has been cleared.]
From that, I noticed something odd. It was only one small oddity, but it didn’t evade me.
‘What the heck?’
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