Soo Hyuk had hoped that it wouldnât be a linked quest, but the reality was cruel. On the spot the red dot indicated on the map, was a blue book. It was also a book he had read before. Soo Hyuk checked the title again.
âKaru the 1stâ
The title of the book was Karu the 1st.
âA linked questâŠâŠâ
He had wished for a normal quest but it turned out to be a linked quest. Although linked quests usually gave better rewards, their difficulty was usually significantly higher.
Soo Hyuk pulled âKaru the 1stâ out from the bookshelf, then walked to another bookshelf. After he picked out five more books, he went to a reading desk and opened âKaru the 1st.â
.
.
.
Who can take my treasure?
.
.
.
âAs expected, the contents of this book didnât change either.â
Soo Hyuk had read the book before but he wondered if the contents mightâve changed. But it looked like the contents of books would stay the same no matter what. Soo Hyuk then closed the book.
[Special Quest â Karuâs Treasure Trove has been created.]
[âKaruâs Treasure Mapâ has been consumed.]
[You have obtained âKaruâs Treasure Map 2â.]
The blue light disappeared from the book and a message window appeared.
ââŠâŠ?â
He thought that only one message would appear, but he received three messages after reading the book. With a puzzled expression, Soo Hyuk opened his quest window and checked his new quest.
[Special Quest â Karuâs Treasure Trove]
Follow the map and find Karuâs treasure trove!
[Quest Reward: ??? ]
ââŠâŠAs expected.â
Was it because it was a linked quest? Unlike âKaruâs Heirloomâ, the description for âKaruâs Treasure Troveâ was vague.
âNo, the map could be really detailed.â
There was also the fact that this quest had a map to guide him unlike most other special quests. Even if the description was vague, the map could be detailed. Didnât the previous treasure map give an extremely detailed directions, clearly depicting the Matab Library?
Soo Hyuk closed his quest window and opened his inventory. He then brought out the new map and looked at the title.
ââŠâŠDevilâs Nest?â
Soo Hyukâs expression hardened when he opened the map. Devilâs Nest. The words Devilâs Nest were written on top of the map. It was the first time he had heard of it. Since he didnât know where this Devilâs Nest was, how could he complete the quest?
âHmm?â
He suddenly had a thought.
âMaybe Yeon Jung knows?â
Maybe Yeon Jung, who had stepped into the world of rankers long ago, knew where the Devilâs Nest was? Soo Hyuk opened his friend window and checked Yeon Jungâs status.
ââŠâŠhmm, do not disturbâ
Yeon Jung was currently blocking all notifications. Disheartened, Soo Hyuk closed his friend window and reopened his inventory.
âLetâs take it slow.â
If the quest location wasnât near Matab, it would be difficult for him. No, he wouldnât even bother trying at all. That is, until he read all the books in Matab Library, he wasnât going to leave the city. Soo Hyuk stopped thinking about the quest and dived into the stack of books on his left.
* * *
âWill you go to the Tower of Wind now?â
âI will. Deputy Park, thank you for your time.
âNo, it was my pleasure.â
Adilo replied in response to Kim Hyukâs words.
âHe actually managed to obtain a special job in the endâŠâŠâ
Kim Hyuk had been harping on about special occupations since the start, and he had obtained one in the end.
âA Rank 4 Magician.â
Adilo, who started as a Rank 6 Magician, could only become a Rank 4 Magician after hitting level 200. But Kim Hyuk managed to start as a Rank 4 Magician.
âThereâs nothing money canât solveâŠâŠâ
Adilo experienced first hand the full might of money while guiding Kim Hyuk.
âIâll see you tomorrow then.â
Kim Hyuk said.
âHave a nice day, sir.â
Adilo said while dripping with politeness. Then when Kim Hyuk logged out, Adilo let out a sigh in relief.
âHahâŠâŠâ
Adilo slowly smiled after ridding himself of his polite attitude.
âIâm finally free.â
Following Kim Hyuk and coaching him was quite the chore for Adilo. But now, he was free to do whatever he wanted.
Adilo shivered with joy at his freedom. Then he had a thought.
âIs he still at the library?â
He had tried to kill him, but he himself was killed instead. 5 days had passed since then would he still be at the library?
âLetâs check first.â
He was free to do whatever he wanted anyway, so Adilo decided to check if the player called Soo Hyuk was still reading at the library. Was it his newfound freedom? Or was it the anticipation? Whatever the reason, Adilo found himself almost skipping towards the library.
âBut what exactly happened then?â
The poison that had killed him when he tried to kill Soo Hyuk.
âIt definitely wasnât him.â
Soo Hyuk definitely wasnât the one that had cast the poison skill. After all, he was clearly a beginner.
âDid a passing ranker decide to help?â
Was it a passing ranker that decided to help?
âNo, the Tower of Poison doesnât have any good players.â
Adilo scratched his head. It wasnât that no one used poison magic, there were simply no rankers or exceptional players that used poison magic.
No matter how low a Magicianâs health was, Adilo was still level 200. If someone managed to kill a level 200 like him with poison so easily, then they would definitely be famous already.
âThis is dogshit even if I think about it.â
His anger soared as he thought about how he had suffered during the last few days. When he died, his level had dropped to level 199. He wouldnât have been so angry if he had been killed in a fierce battle, but he had died in such a nonsensical way.
âEven if I donât know who did it, Iâll kill that piece of shit who killed me if I meet himâŠâŠâ
Adilo, who was vowing his revenge, suddenly froze. He then smiled menacingly at a young man coming his way.
âHeâs actually still here!â
Adilo thought with pleasant surprise. Over 5 days had passed, so he only had faint hopes of seeing him. But in front of him was the man he was here for: Soo Hyuk.
âPoison tower robe!â
Adilo noticed the difference in his gear straight away. Before, he was wearing gear made of rabbit pelts, but now he was wearing a poison tower robe.
âI knew it! The sneaky piece of shit is related to this bastard!â
Adilo was certain. Although he didnât know who killed him, they probably had some connection with Soo Hyuk.
Adilo looked around to check for any suspicious characters that might protect Soo Hyuk. He didnât want to get ambushed again.
âTheyâre not here.â
He couldnât see any players around, just NPCs.
âIâll finish him in one shot this time!â
He decided as he stared at Soo Hyuk who was coming in his direction. He was going to be serious this time. Previously, he had waited after attacking, because he thought Soo Hyuk was already dead. That was what lead to his downfall. However this time, he wasnât going to wait. He would go all out and pour attack after attack on him.
But thenâŠâŠ
âHmm?â
Soo Hyuk suddenly stopped walking, and called out in a wary voice. Seeing his guarded body language and voice, Adilo could tell that Soo Hyuk had recognised him.
âWell, I made all that ruckus in the library after all.â
It would be weird if Soo Hyuk couldnât recognise his face after he threatened him.
âIt doesnât matter.â
âElectro Ball.â
Adile began casting Electro Ball straight away.
âMagic Missile!â
Soo Hyuk didnât stay still either.
âMagic Missile?â
Magic Missile? Was this guy a troll or what?
âWell, he might not have learnt any poison magic yet.
From what he could see, Soo Hyukâs level was too low to learn any poison spells. He could understand Soo Hyukâs situation right now. Of course, he didnât stop himself from laughing even when he understood.
âI donât even need to dodge.â
The Magic Missile was flying towards him, but it was a beginner skill. He didnât need to dodge this low-level skill from a low-level player. It would be more efficient to fire another spell instead.
âLightning Spear!â
Adilo cast Lightning Spear as he stared at the incoming Magic Missile. At that moment, Soo Hyukâs voice sounded again.
âFirebolt!â
ââŠâŠ?â
Adilo faltered for a moment at Soo Hyukâs shout. Did he hear wrong? Firebolt?
âDouble!â
As the Firebolt flew towards him he realised Soo Hyuk wasnât just a poison Magician. He was a double magician who controlled two elements, fire and poison.
âHmm, a bug?â
Adilo thought as he frowned while staring the Firebolt hurtling towards him. Like Lightning Spear, Firebolt required a small amount of time to completely activate.
Soo Hyuk had somehow completed his firebolt before Adilo, even though Adilo had started casting earlier. No, it had been instantly formed when he had cast the spell. Was it a bug?
[You have attacked player âSoo Hyukâ.]
[Your relationship with player Soo Hyuk is now âHostile.â]
(TL: this phrase above is pretty confusing. Basically, itâs not about his relationship, itâs something like the start of a fight and that theyâre fighting each other. Relationships are only for NPCs. Probably. Iâll leave the raw below and if anyone has a suggestion, say in the comments or message me in discord.)
[Your Crime Count has risen.]
While Adilo was busy brooding over Soo Hyukâs Firebolt, his Electro Ball exploded on Soo Hyuk. At that moment, Lightning Spear also finished activating and flew towards Soo Hyuk. Just after the Lightning Spear was fired, Soo Hyukâs Magic Missile and Firebolt also arrived.
[You are stunned for 3 seconds.]
A message window warned as the Magic Missile hit him.
âAh! F*ck!â
Curses came out of his mouth on their own. Of course, he didnât actually say them out loud, because he couldnât move, instead he cursed internally.
âHow did the stun take effect?!â
Magic Missileâs special effect had a 10% chance to stun the target. Adilo had thought that it wouldnât take effect because of its low chance, but it did. (TL: This guy hasnât experienced gacha battles.)
âI canât dodge it.â
Since he was stunned, Adilo couldnât avoid the Firebolt which was just behind the Magic Missile.
âHow much damage did I take.â
Of course, he wasnât worried. Magic Missile and Firebolt were both beginner spells, so he had no reason to worry. Adilo moved his eyes and checked his status window.
ââŠâŠHuh?â
Adilo was alarmed when he saw how much health he had left.
âWhat? WhyâŠâŠâ
The reason for his sudden panic was because he only had half of his health left! Adilo moved his eyes just in time to see the Firebolt only centimetres away from him.
âW-wait, stâŠâŠ.â
Boom!
The message window appeared when the firebolt exploded. Adilo grinded his teeth as he stared at the message.
[You died!]
âF*CCKKK!â
Adilo no, Park Kyung Ho cursed furiously as his surroundings faded into darkness save for the message.
When he came to himself in the capsule, he shivered.
âWhat! The! F*CK!â
He swore loudly.
âWhy! What! Why! Why! F*ck!â
He couldnât understand.
âAARRGGGHHH!âŠHooâŠHooâŠâŠâ
Park Kyung Ho screamed loudly then breathed deeply to forcibly calm himself down. As his madness dissipated, he thought of Soo Hyukâs face again.
âThis dog bastâŠhooâŠhooâŠâŠright, was he a ranker catfishing as a noob?â
Was he a high level player pretending to be a newbie?
âMy healthpool isnât particularly small either, so to kill me with a Magic Missile and a FireboltâŠâŠâ
He hadnât been killed by advanced spells. And the only people who could kill like that wereâŠâŠ
âAt least a Midranker.â
Park Kyung Ho gulped in fear when he finished his thoughts. He had provoked a wolf in sheepâs clothing. And to make it worse, he had tried to kill him on two occasions.
âIâm screwed.â
--------
Translator and Editor Notes:
Iâm guessing their ranks are decided by their âtalentâ like how Soo Hyukâs talent was measured. Also, Adiloâs back!