◈ Episode 11. The Limit of Patience (1)

Like a rock turned into a teacup.

The shape of the teacup changes.

It is like a shield made of rocks.

I changed the shape of the teacup and made it into a wall.

An arrow cannot pierce a rock wall.

Fududuk─

Dozens and hundreds of arrows can’t reach me.

I checked the magic power consumption.

‘Isn’t this unusually efficient?

I wonder if it’s because it’s no longer a [Skill] but a [Magic].

It was definitely different from what the alchemist said on Netflix.

-Changing the form is relatively low in energy consumption, but that’s only when it’s small, like a teacup. The bigger it gets, the bigger it gets…….

the power consumption increases exponentially…….

‘Surely, that’s what you said.’

I put up a barrier that must have been three metres, if not more, in terms of my magic power.

Even with [Natural Enmity] activated, it was surprisingly efficient.

Well, it’s one or the other.

Either 『Magic』 is overwhelmingly more efficient than [Skill].

“The alchemist sold me a drug on Netflix.

Why, this is a common trope in games.

To avoid being accused of nerfing or character cheating.

You know, the ones where the player is being a bitch.

“I’ll have to get a demon hunter to see what it’s really like.

Sure, whatever.

At this point, what I do hasn’t changed.

I left my defence to the barrier and prepared to counterattack.

I equipped my bow and arrows.

I nocked an arrow on my bowstring.

‘Crude arrows.

Low-level arrows used by gnoll archers.

Naturally, their damage was considerably lower.

“But what if I changed its shape?

I had enough horsepower.

I quickly reshaped the arrowhead.

Lo and behold, it looked painful to look at.

Like a drill or a hook…….

[Modified Arrow]

[Rank: Normal]

[Limitations: None]

[Effect : Attacks have a high chance to cause the status ailment “Bleeding”]

[Description : A modified arrowhead, maximising its lethality].

……What is this?

It’s more than I expected.

Not only does it have damage, but it also has a high chance of causing a status effect. Indeed, all those nights of scribbling have been worth it. Hard work doesn’t always pay off.

Chirp─

Regardless of my joy.

I calmly pulled the bowstring.

Yes, I’ve changed a single arrowhead.

It’s not even worth mentioning, let alone making a fuss over.

Shush.

Indeed, a gold medallist in archery has the composure to cry.

Maybe it’s because of him.

My arrow hit the bandit hiding in the bushes.

[Natural Enemy].

[Modified Arrow].

And [shooting mastery], which is better than nothing.

The result of those three factors.

Boom.

Hit.

[The bloodied bandit ‘bleeds’].

You’re bleeding.

Thud.

You duck under the rain of arrows once again.

[You have levelled up.]…….

The ‘bleeding’ bandit is dead.

Once again, I gained four levels.

I opened the status window to check his stats.

[Level: 80]

[Stats]

strength: 25 / agility: 30 / hp: 18 / luck: 2

[Points: 13]

Arcana’s system is such that every time you level up, the amount of experience you need to level up skyrockets.

Even the number one ranked player barely passed level 400.

It was an Arcana that had been in service for over a decade.

‘Definitely fast.

Considering the system.

My growth rate was ridiculous.

But it was too soon to celebrate.

Before I blame it on Grand Pell’s personality.

‘It’s basic.

Now, if you’ll excuse the toast.

By the time the class quest was over, there was nothing left to celebrate.

I invested my reserve points without the slightest hesitation.

‘Strength and Dexterity can be increased by repeating class quests.

So I’m going all in on the magic that will help me in battle right now.

[Hp: 31].

Let’s take a look at the sudden increase in horsepower.

Naturally, the targets are bloodied bandits.

I transformed the arrow once again.

‘This time, I’ll link it with Ignite.

It was much more expensive than a simple shape-shifting spell, but I’d invested in the magic, and it would be worth testing its power once.

‘If it doesn’t work, I’ll just stop using it next time.

…… Besides, I’m not in a position to cover it up, am I?

It’s my heartbeat. Anyway, this was clearly a crisis situation.

I was surrounded by monsters that were well over 200 levels!

Sure, there were other players around.

I didn’t expect them to care about my life.

My life, for my own protection.

To not sink under the weight of my pride.

I was told that I had to try everything.

Hwoaruk─

Immediately, a flame burst forth from the tip of the arrowhead.

A homemade “fire arrow,” if you will.

I watched the flames stretch out and thought to myself.

……What, it seems to be much faster than the original?

*]

“That thing is fucking insane!”

That was Leonie shouting.

His voice soon trailed off.

“……neeeeee, eh?!”

Now, wait a minute.

What was that?!

The teacup had turned into a giant stone wall!

As it turned out, Leonie was a Ranker.

His knowledge and experience with the arcana was enough.

Yes, I could guess what kind of skill it was.

It didn’t come out of the ground, but the teacup changed.

It was definitely an alchemical skill.

But something else didn’t make sense.

“Why would an alchemist be in a rift, and alone?

The alchemist was not a combat class.

Like a blacksmith or a cobbler.

Alchemists were classified as a production class.

But as if that wasn’t enough…….

How far does that stone wall go?

“Crazy, boss. What is that?”

It was at least three metres high.

Arrows breaking helplessly against the stone wall.

Leonie gaped.

“That …… wasn’t normal either.”

The alchemy was rumoured to be extremely inefficient.

If such an alchemy could produce a stone wall the size of that…….

how much absolute horsepower would that be?

But the surprises didn’t stop there.

The strange man pulled out a bow.

Leonie looked at the situation with the eyes of a ranker.

“Still, he must be drained.

He summoned a stone wall that big.

Common sense would dictate that.

He’s using his bow to buy time until his magic recovers.

But what’s the point, I wondered.

If an alchemist can shoot arrows well, it makes sense…….

Boom!

“……Ma, that doesn’t make sense! Captain?!”

One shot.

One of the bandits staggered and soon collapsed into a heap.

By now, the attention was more on the mysterious man than the bandits surrounding them.

Unable to contain his curiosity, one of the guilds activated Hawkeye and stuttered.

“……Wait, what’s this again?”

“Why, what, again?”

“That looks like Fire Arrow. What the hell, man. I’m scared.”

An alchemist.

Archer wasn’t enough.

Now a mage?

For a moment, the lore of the Arcana flashed through Leonie’s mind.

“I don’t recognise them.

But as far as he could remember, he hadn’t seen or heard of such a class.

Sure, a player could use alchemy, a bow, and offensive magic.

But look.

Look at the trajectory of that Fire Arrow.

Its speed was beyond the reach of most mages.

The mages of the Berserker Guild whispered amongst themselves.

“You, can you shoot like that?”

“……No. Can you do it, that one?”

“But isn’t he carrying a staff?”

And all without hesitation.

It was more than confident, it was graceful.

Also.

The man’s attire had a lot to do with it.

Leonie was beginning to understand why men wore suits.

‘It wasn’t just crazy, it was a statement of confidence?

A suit and shoes were enough.

You’re not going to get monster blood on yourself.

What, like that?

“This is not going to go well.”

Just when you think you’re warming up, a reclusive guru shows up.

My berserker instincts kicked in.

Leonie raised her twin swords.

Bam!

“I don’t intend to stand idly by either!”

“Let’s go!”

“Buff, please.”

Tadadat─!

Okay, competition.

Leonie and her guildmates charged at the bandits.

The man, Ho Yeol, watched the falling bandits and thought.

“Shouldn’t I have given him a tea bag if I knew he’d help?

*.

Outside the rift.

Countless filming drones hovered overhead.

Broadcasters from around the world.

Netubers.

Even guilds.

Though their affiliations varied.

They were all watching the rift for the same reason.

“Which guild will get the title of first to clear the new rift?”

A common sight after every update.

And rightfully so.

Guilds and players had a lot at stake.

Their performance could make or break the stock market, and by extension, the order of nations.

“Especially since the stakes are so high for the capture of the Ascura Citadel, isn’t the Count of Ascura the highest level monster since the Demon King update?”

“Yes, it is. It’s a level 430 Demon Lord monster, and it’s currently rated as impregnable……. Let’s hope our players do their best.”

“Fortunately, we’re hearing reports of victories all over the place. Let’s take a look at the reports.”

Here’s the report.

Sure enough, it’s off to a good start.

The outskirts of the estate.

With a cut-off level of mid-level 200, it wasn’t much of a problem for famous guilds or high-level players.

Of course, there was the occasional video that revealed the viciousness of the demons.

“Oh dear, some of the players are out of condition.”

“Oh, that’s okay, I’ve got a good healer behind me, so I’m sure I’ll be able to recover from that. Let’s see.”

“Yes, the world number one! The Shining.”

PD watched the monitor.

Hyun Yong-seok blew his nose.

After all, the Russian wind is fierce.

He hunkered down as much as he could into the padding.

“Yuck. Well, those demons sure are tricky. The Shining’s had one sulk since the beginning, hasn’t it?”

“Ah, Director. I recovered right away – that’s a no-count.”

“Well, you’re not wrong, but……. But has that ever happened to you?”

Today’s Arcana.

A programme directed by Hyun Yong-seok, with an average viewership of 11 per cent.

Even when it wasn’t broadcast on terrestrial television, the viewership was over 10 per cent.

There was no other programme, at least in South Korea, that provided as much information about cracks and players as Today’s Arcana.

The viewership was a measure of the public’s interest in the crack and the players.

‘I don’t think there was …… either?

This is Hyun Yong-seok, who has directed Today’s Arcana from episode 1 to now.

But even looking back at past episodes, there was no such thing.

What kind of guild is Shining?

It was practically the strongest guild in the world with four top 10 rankers.

The Shining was only a moderate level, a level 250 rift.

“It’s definitely a lot to start with.”

Monsters surrounded the Shining Guild.

If they let their guard down for even a moment, they’ll be attacked.

Hyun Yong-seok concluded.

“Demons. There’s something about them that can’t be expressed in levels.”

In that sense, I was looking forward to the next chapter.

Round and round.

Hyun Yong-seok gestured to the cast.

It was a signal to raise the tension a little more.

“Indeed. As difficult as it is, the first guild to clear the rift will inevitably attract the most attention. It’ll be like making a mark on the world.”

That was the moment Castor said it.

The assistant director who was monitoring the filming drone exclaimed.

“Huh?! Senior, it’s up! First clear!”

“Where’s the crack? Get the crew out of here!”

“Let’s see. It’s somewhere around here……. Firstly, it’s not warm.”

“Well, that’s a shame, but it’s nothing.”

Koreans can’t help it.

I secretly hoped Gaon would get the first clear.

Apparently not.

Cho scratched his head.

“Ha. Mother Russia, the trees are so dense.”

“Are you sure you zoomed in as far as you could?”

“Yeah. I zoomed, but I can’t see it through the trees. Where the hell are you?”

Just then, a radio call came in from the team running to the drone’s location.

-Senpai, is this really the first clear?

“Yeah. Who am I kidding, where are they?”

-……Leoni, it’s Berserker Gilden.

“……What, what? Berserker?”

-Wait, who’s that guy in front of Leonie? I think he’s Korean? Wait a minute, senpai, there’s a bunch of other reporters coming in. Let me get this interview first!

……Korean?

Was there a Korean in the European Union guild, Berserker?

Hyun Yong-seok fumbled with his memory.

Soon, the radio crackled again.

Hyun Yong-seok asked sharply.

“What did they say? Korean? What’s the connection? Is it Berserker Guild?”

-……Yes, senior. I think he’s Korean.

“And?”

A bemused voice came over the radio.

-“Get out of the way,” I said, so I could properly interview……!

Whirring.

“……So you missed the interview?”

-Ah, no, sir, it’s not that, it’s ‘get out of the way’ and ‘my patience is wearing thin.’ It’s just that there’s an irresistible force……!

“Oh, he has the Force. My words have no Force?”

-…….

“Let’s go after him and get him, Interview. Okay?

Cold radio.

Whirring.

An equally cold Siberian high pressure.

Hyun Yong-seok packed more padding.

As expected, it’s cold in Russia.