◈ Episode 200. Whether it’s a Mountain Range or the Sky, It’s Only Goes Up
Thursday.
AAU.
The moment the appointment time passed.
Sung Hyunjoon let out a sigh.
“Seriously, how long has it been, senior?”
Regular update history, none!
Not even regular updates for a while.
It was Arcana, who had been pouring out updates in an emergency.
I don’t know what suddenly got into him.
“Thank you, Rayman Sean.”
Sung mumbled and hurriedly packed his bag.
“I don’t even remember leaving work on time on Thursday.”
But somehow.
Yoon Soogyeom, who should have been able to tell the difference, had no answer.
Why is it that his ominous predictions are never wrong?
Sung Hyunjoon looked at him and freaked out.
“……, what are you doing?!”
“What? I’m working.”
“No, I don’t think you should be working, you should be celebrating!”
Even so, the sincere senior has become more sincere these days, and it is he who is getting tired.
Why, Mr. Park was saying one thing after another.
-“The new recruits these days, they don’t have any fighting spirit.”
followed by a terrible lecture.
Okay, he’s the boss, so let’s listen to him.
I tried to listen with the pride of a rookie, but I couldn’t do it.
It was unfair to begin with.
Where in the world is a newcomer with n years of experience!
AAU’s entry requirements?
There was only one.
To have worked at Cosmo, back when Arcana was just a game.
But since Cosmo had gone out of business with the disappearance of Raymond Sean, there was no way they were hiring.
“No, senior! Does it make sense to be the youngest forever?”
It was then, now, and forever.
It meant he would always be the newest employee.
He glared at Yoon Soogyeom with resentment.
“Even you’re going to be harsh on me?”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Why are you working overtime voluntarily, senior?”
Why work overtime.
Druk─
I pull my chair closer.
Yoon Soogyeom straightened his back.
“Pride of place.”
“Oh, really!”
“Haha, I’m kidding, I have to do something.”
Yoon shook his head.
Hundreds of monitors.
All he could see were the players.
“Don’t you think you’ve never seen anything like that before?”
Regular updates didn’t come to mind, but the players didn’t stop.
They were still hunting all over the Zero Mountains.
Yoon continued.
“Everyone is more serious than ever.”
It was different.
There were no smiles on the players’ faces.
Maybe it was the danger of the Zero Mountains.
Or maybe it was their pride as players.
There was no way to tell.
Just looking at them…….
Yoon Soogyeom looked down at his pectoral.
“My conscience is pricked.”
At those words, Sung Hyunjoon looked around.
Apparently, he wasn’t alone in his thoughts.
It was already well past business hours.
No one had left their seats.
Constructive conversations could be heard everywhere.
“What about the Named Mob patterns? Did you get anything?”
“Yeah, I found a unique pattern value for each race……. I’m not sure if this applies to the Zero Mountains mobs.”
“That’s fine, the players are the ones who should be judging, not us.”
Shrug.
Finally, Sung sank back into his seat.
“Yeah. I guess I’ll have to do it, youngest member for life.”
The seniors always seemed so lighthearted.
I thought it was all an illusion.
‘…… Not.’
It was the Cosmo days.
Should I say that I found the majesty of my heavenly seniors?
“What, you’re not going to work?”
“Never mind, I’ve got some seniority, and I don’t want to look like a rookie.”
“Really? Well, can I ask you a favor?”
“What?”
I was just thinking about what I could do without……….
Sung Hyunjoon checked the link Yoon Soogyeom sent him.
The first thing that came to mind was an image attachment.
“Not a lizard……? This is a dragon, right? Wings!”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“Wait, you’re entrusting me with a dragon?”
Well, it’s a small dragon.
Suddenly, it’s a dragon.
It’s the ultimate king.
Young, it’s not the kind of content a rookie can handle.
“Senior, this is a bit…….”
Sung Hyunjoon was about to ask a question.
Yoon Soogyeom sent additional materials.
It was a list of class.
“Wow, that’s a lot of class.”
“That’s right, there are thousands of combat class alone.”
“But why did you send me this again?”
Along with the dragon files?
“Because the Zero Mountains have appeared, of course.”
“But dragons are still a long way off.”
“That’s why we need to start gathering information now. Of course, there may be players who need information about dragons even now.”
“Huh? Who?”
“Who do you think? Take one from that class list.”
“From the class list……. Ah!”
At those words, Sung Hyunjoon remembered.
Arcana’s countless class lists.
One of only a hundred or so hidden classes.
The existence of the [Dragon Knight].
“Skal!!!”
A click.
The information of the Dragon Knight pops up as soon as you click.
From class requirements to class quest plots.
It’s a new feeling.
The world was big and there were so many different people.
“How did Skal get through the conditions to change class?”
“Are players normal? In the early days of the game, there was a guy who could only wield a wooden sword for days on end because of a single strength stat, so I’m sure there’s at least one.”
“Sure…….”
Sung shook his head.
Good, that clears up some questions.
Let’s get started.
He quickly put his hands on the keyboard.
“So……. What you want is an option where humans and dragons don’t clash, right?”
“you’re just pretending, aren’t you? Well, maybe in the really distant future. Because there is no chance of winning right now. Even if Mr. Hoyeol steps forward… … .”
“Right, because if it wakes up and thinks it can flap its wings, the damage that will follow will be enormous. I guess we’re stuck with Skal. That’s the only option.”
A dragon knight can handle dragons.
[Taming] Because he was the only one who could do it.
‘Well, then…….’
Dragon Knight, we need to gather information to help Skal with his class quest. Let’s see……. After skimming through the materials for a while, Sung finally found a starting point.
“The [Evil Dragon Hunter] quest, does it start here?”
*
Zero Mountain Range.
A dragon lives in its top chamber.
Therefore, there was one quest I couldn’t forget.
[World Quest: Evil Dragon Hunter]
You have hunted a clan of evil dragons.
The legends of the mountains call to you.
Reach the peak of the Zero Mountains. (Ongoing)
[Teffern Labyrinth] The Rift.
A World Quest that arose after slaying an Evil Dragon, a being that should not be awakened.
For contributing the most to the defeat of the Evil Dragon.
I was the only one who received a different quest from the players.
“The Zero Mountains, not so high.”
Don’t bluff after teleporting through the portal, Grandfell.
You have no idea how high the Zero Mountains are!
Why, they look so big on satellite views.
Grandfell is right.
I manifest a portal.
I could reach the top of the Zero Mountains in no time.
But the real problem wasn’t getting there, it was getting home.
And then what happens when you really wake up?!
Vivace…….
So, thanks to my disturbance with Shegwin just below the Dragon’s Nest.
I felt, if only slightly.
The overwhelming power of the dragon!
An elf, a peculiar being, comparable to a dragon.
It was a pressure I hadn’t felt from Elsidor.
Of course, it was only because of the [Blessing of the First World Tree] buff that I could easily handle Elsidor.
Anyway…….
‘Right now, I’m no match for him.’
The [First World Tree Blessing], the [Natural Enemy], and finally, the Ego Sword.
I’m the one who unintentionally got stuck in a bunch of bubbles while struggling.
But that means I never forget it.
Know your stuff.
[Name: Grandfell Claudi Arpheus Romeo]
[Title: Last Adventurer, Sublime, Transcendent]
[Class: Demon Hunter]
[Level: 595]
[Stats]
Strength: 130 / Agility: 131 / Magic: 514 / Luck: 12 / Aesthetics: Mid / Tenacity: 1
[Points held: 0]
The Magic Tower were the ones who couldn’t even win the Dragon in the first place.
What happens now that the top owner is unable to act?
It goes without saying.
The moment the dragons awaken, and turn their hostility against humanity, it will be…….
It’s not just me and you sinking in pride, is it, Grandfell?
“But a mountain must be climbed. Procedures must be followed.”
Okay, well said.
The Zero Mountains are unnecessarily huge.
They don’t have dragons at the top for nothing.
You work your way up the mountain from the bottom, and by the time you reach the top, you’ll be at the right level to face the dragon.
Isn’t that right, AAU instructors?
‘That’s probably why they set it up.’
A hundred thousand caves.
A hundred thousand caves in the Zero Mountains.
According to AAU’s settings, [Dungeons], [Labyrinths], [Ruins], [Battlefields], and so on.
“I said there’s a lot of different content.
Now that the Zero Mountains have appeared in reality.
A hundred thousand caves can be seen as a hundred thousand [rifts].
If you think about it that way…….
‘……I guess it’s possible?’
To become strong enough to face a dragon.
The creators of Arcana didn’t create it for nothing.
They have a plan, a plan.
‘Unlike the guy who didn’t have a plan and just took what was good, what was cool, what was there.’
But so what?
You can’t really blame anyone.
Besides, let’s change the perspective.
‘I don’t actually like it.’
Dragon.
A creature that can only be defeated by clearing 100,000 rifts.
When you put it that way, you realize how formidable it is.
In that case, well done, Hoyeol.
“A hundred thousand caves. I don’t need any arrangements.”
Yes, it’s better to be proud than intimidated.
Of course, there’s a huge side effect of sinking under the weight of pride.
There’s a big side effect.
It is a specialized field as much as understanding the topic.
Struggling.
‘In that sense.’
We need to talk to Skal.
His class is a hidden class, a Dragon Knight.
To top it all off, he called me an Evil Dragon Hunter.
He must know something about the Evil Dragon Hunter quest.
I don’t have high hopes, because high hopes lead to high disappointments.
‘Maybe we can avoid a conflict with the dragon.’
Even the smallest possibility is worth exploring.
After all, clearing all 100,000 caves wasn’t much of a possibility.
Let’s just say the poor bastard will try harder.
Of course.
“Skal, you must first be qualified.”
Skal was hated by Grandfell.
I’m concerned.
If Grandfell’s bitterness made Skal vomit.
That would be exhausting.
“Dignity and pride.”
In that sense, take it easy, Grandfell.
I pulled out my phone.
You, who are fleeting in wealth and fame, and who are pure and innocent, would have no way of knowing.
Buying something is the best way to relax.
‘Shopping is the best.’
By the way.
“It comes out even in cold water. Interesting.”
You’re so generous with your new green tea.
You’re an easy man, Grandfell.
.
.
.
Sneaky.
Skal, number one in Arcana’s official rankings.
Skal never stopped brushing.
My beloved horse wagging its tail as if it was in a good mood.
He turned to Alexander and muttered.
“What did I do wrong, Alexander?”
What was wrong?
Lee Hoyeol.
A hero to mankind.
An infinitely compassionate being, even to players.
And yet.
Why.
He doesn’t even want to talk to me!
Skal was resentful in more ways than one.
“Failure is not enough, it’s humiliation. It’s painful, Alexander.”
Skal was different from most players.
Or, more accurately, from the start.
Why had he kept his identity a secret for so long?
Because of his family.
His real name, Skarla Rothschild.
Skal was born into one of the few prestigious families on the planet.
The enormous wealth and power of a family that has been around since the Middle Ages.
Born with it all, life was easy for him.
For him, the Arcana was alluring.
Another world.
Different from the real world.
It sounded like there was so much to gain.
Skal’s purpose in playing Arcana was simple.
I will bring the continent of Arcana under my feet.
For Skal, who had such a goal, the Dragon Knight was the most suitable class.
There’s no better symbol of conquest than putting a leash on a dragon, the most powerful creature on the continent.
What better symbol of conquest.
Even after the Cataclysm, that didn’t change.
Skal was just as excited as he had been when Arcana was just a game.
I cleared the rift and grew.
Following the class quest that served as a guide.
And then.
” …… What the hell is this?”
Skal’s wide eyes turned to the quest window.
[Class Quest: Evil Dragon Hunter]
A legendary being.
Those who wish to face dragons.
Prepare yourself to face them.
When the class quest first came up.
I thought, “Finally, the goal is within reach.
But then.
─Defeat the evil dragon sleeping in the golden station. (Failure)
Failure, out of nowhere.
Failure, the moment he saw that word.
Skal almost fainted.
Failure for the first time in his life.
Is this what failure tastes like?
How could anyone in the world keep failing so horribly? It was enough to make him sick. So he had to move.
Updated quest objectives.
─Encounter the Evil Dragon Hunter. (Ongoing)
Failure for a reason.
Someone intercepted the quest objective.
I realized that someone had intercepted the Evil Dragon.
It shouldn’t have been hard to find someone.
The world should have been abuzz.
Lee Hoyeol.
Gold Station, Teffern.
The evil dragon, the one who must not be awakened.
A puzzle that was being put together in his head.
At that point, Skal moved.
-“There is no need to tremble.”
“Lee Hoyeol, I would like to speak with you.”
-“The great evil dragon hunter.”
But what was the problem?
” …… even complimented him on how great he was.”
Hoyeol, the Evil Dragon Hunter, didn’t even have time for me.
And as usual, while lamenting to his horse.
“?!”
Skal heard it.
The Zero Mountains, where the dragon slept.
He had reached the bottom of the highest peak.
Thud─
The comb fell from his grasp.
“Stand, no way.”
……Did Hoyeol also receive a quest related to dragons?
Now that he’s defeated the evil dragon.
I’m sure he’s ready to face a dragon.
What if the quest I failed was transferred to him……?
“!”
A moment.
A scene pops into my head.
Hoyeol flying through the sky on a dragon.
Skal’s face flushed with panic.
“Oh, no, my dragon!!!”