NOVEL NEXT Chapter 5: Star, Regress (3)
‘She’s putting death on the table from the start, huh.'
Dumbstruck, Chang-Sun snorted. This was why he hated Celestials. They believed they were the only noble beings in existence, and anyone else was nothing but a source of entertainment. If their interest faded even slightly, they discarded that entertainment on the spot.
However, Chang-Sun thought it was better this way. If he played along, he could take so much from them. Besides, a blade marked with the Seal of Taotie would help him out greatly if he could get his hands on it.
Thus, he replied, “You’re on. What do you want me to do?”
[You have accepted the bet.]
[The Celestial 'A Good Season to Hunt' bursts into laughter. She seems to find your bravado pleasant.]
[A Sudden Quest (The Hunter’s Verification) has been created!]
* * *
Meanwhile, in the Safe Zone Chang-Sun had left…
When they heard his shout, the others present looked at him.
“What?”
“Does he seriously want to play boss right now?”
Facing the murmuring crowd, the soldier pulled out his credentials from an inner pocket and continued, “I'm Second Lieutenant Park Hae-Seong, a C-Rank Player in the Awakened troop of the Military Security Support Command. Please follow my instructions according to the official manual for emergencies.”
Decades had passed since Dungeons began to break out, and there had been multiple incidents of civilians getting entangled in Random Breaks that occurred across the globe without any warning signs. Thus, countries had written up manuals regarding states of emergency and distributed them.
The first code of conduct was to follow a Player's instructions in the Dungeon if there was one. Normally, if Players completed their official registration, they were then required by law to complete a training course in leading people in situations such as this.
As the Player present was also a soldier, those present could not help but trust him even more.
Just as Second Lieutenant Park Hae-Seong instructed, the others divided up into groups. Each of them pulled out a basic weapon from their inventories, then prepared for a monster wave coming from the forest.
“We’re lucky to have a Player among us. If he hadn’t been here, well…!”
“Still, we don't know what's going to happen. Let's stay sharp.”
“Of course. Do you think he’ll be okay, though?"
“Who?”
“The guy who sprang forward right into the forest as soon as the quest message popped up.”
“Ah!”
After their emotional turmoil subsided, people began to worry about Chang-Sun.
“He seemed weak and didn't look so good. I hope nothing bad happens to him.”
“You're right. Was he in need of money or something?”
There were a lot of moths who aimed for quick bundles of cash, thinking Dungeons were lands of opportunity rather than disaster. They were primarily low-income people who had trouble making a living.
At that moment, a young man in his twenties abruptly cut in on their conversation, saying, “No way. That guy probably has more money than you.”
“Huh? How do you know?”
“He’s the Tyrant, leader of STband,” the man answered.
“Oh, that's where I saw him!”
“He spent so much time fighting with his colleagues for not listening to him. Still, thanks to his pretty face, he did a bunch of commercials. Enough to buy a 330 square meter apartment in Jamsil, some say. Actually, his parents’ families are both rich, so he was born rich. I’m telling you, he was born with a gold spoon.”
“Wait, why would that kind of guy run into the forest out of the blue?”
The young man shrugged as if to say ‘Who knows?’
“After his retirement, I heard he became an alcoholic. There were reports of dissent among the team. Well, who knows? Maybe he left to kill himself because he felt too lazy to live.”
“Dude, stop. What’s wrong with you? Are you still drunk?”
“What did I do?”
At some point, the young man's speech had become full of contempt and mockery. His friend, who had gotten swept into the Dungeon along with him, tried to calm him down. For some reason, however, the young man seemed quite irate. He sounded as if he really wanted Chang-Sun to commit suicide.
The other people’s expressions subtly changed. Some did not hesitate to reveal their unease. Using the excuse of needing the bathroom or taking a break, they tried to head toward another area.
Just then, however…
Ding!
[All 'Black Mambas' in the Dungeon have been eliminated!]
“...?”
“...?”
“...?”
Those present simultaneously tilted their heads sideways. All the participants were gathered in the Safe Zone, so how had the monsters been eliminated?
[All 'White Worms'' have been eliminated!]
[All 'Blue Crows'' have been eliminated!]
[The 'Red Mambas' are being eliminated rapidly!]
[The Player 'Lee Chang-Sun' is dominating!]
“...!”
“...!”
“...!”
The shocked people were unable to look away from the messages that continuously popped up. The young man, who had spent quite a bit of time speaking ill of Chang-Sun, had an especially difficult time looking away.
* * *
[The Hunter’s Verification]
Type: Sudden.
Explanation: ‘A Good Season to Hunt' has been feeling limited in the growth of her power. To build up Faith, she has shown an avid interest in raising apostles and priests.
However, most promising candidates currently have their own guardians, leaving her no choice but to monitor novices. Just now, she found you.
'A Good Season to Hunt' considers you, someone with elegant moves and exceptional hunting skills, a suitable candidate to be her apostle. Still, she cannot hastily select you as an apostle candidate, so she wishes to verify your qualifications.
Starting now, kill a Bloody Mamba within 24 hours using the weapon you have temporarily been given.
Requirements: ―
If you fail: Death.
If you succeed:
1. You will be gifted ‘Tiamat's Snaggletooth’.
2. You will be selected as an apostle candidate.
‘So that’s what happened.’
After scrolling through the quest window, Chang-Sun laughed dryly. No wonder the deity had begun showing an avid interest in him. She was not simply interested in his potential as a ‘hunter’; rather, she also had some problems of her own.
‘Come to think of it, there was a severe dispute between Tiamat and Bel-Marduk recently. Is this related to that too?’
Bel-Marduk was considered one of the highest-rank stars. He was the Taurus, one of the Zodiacs.
Chang-Sun wondered whether the deity was in need of more faith to enter a war with Bel-Marduk. If his assumption was correct, he could drain a lot from this deity.
‘The higher I go with my betting, the better.’
Examining the dagger with the seal of Taotie, he read through its description.
[Tiamat’s Snaggletooth]
This dagger is made from the tooth of the ‘Primordial Evil Dragon’. Her child never stayed at home, so she had no choice but to pull out her tooth and forge it into a dagger.
It contains an autonomous ego.
· Type: Dagger. Relic.
· Damage: Unmeasurable.
· Effect: Unknown.
*You have currently ‘borrowed' the relic from its original owner.
*Requirements have not been met. Unable to use the relic’s ability.
*Requirements have not been met. Unable to inspect the details of the relic.
Most of the weapon’s functions were locked, so it was simply a high-quality dagger at the moment. Still, it was enough.
As someone who had handled and seized various relics, Chang-Sun instantly realized that it was not so ordinary.
‘Hm… ‘Persistent Bleeding’ and ‘Evil Devourer’? On top of that, they’re upgradeable. Not bad.’
‘Persistent Bleeding’ would wear out an opponent’s stamina more and more with each hit. ‘Evil Devourer’ would absorb the opponent’s curses and grudges. The more malicious the opponent was, the more damage they would receive.
Chang-Sun wished to have the item. However, it would undoubtedly be a very common item by Pabilsag’s standards.
‘If I’m going to receive a gift, I should aim for a bigger and fancier one.’
Thus, he spoke, pretending to gaze at the air where Pabilsag would be. “Would you care to add one more thing to this wager, perhaps?”
[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ tilts her head in confusion.]
“Thirty minutes,” Chang-Sun continued.
[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ tilts her head even more, unable to understand what you mean.]
“Starting now, I will eliminate the Bloody Mamba within thirty minutes. In that case, I’ll have been able to entertain you even more. So in return, I want to receive a bigger reward.”
[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ has her eyes wide open in shock upon hearing such an unexpected suggestion.]
[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ bursts into laughter, saying your suggestion is incredibly funny.]
[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ accepts your proposal! The deity bares her fangs and warns that if you fail, you will never have a peaceful afterlife.]
“Thank you,” Chang-Sun said, a corner of his mouth twisting into a smile. He thought to himself that his smile was likely not so different from Pabilsag’s own.
However, the meanings behind those smiles were entirely different.
* * *
That was how Chang-Sun’s massacre began.
It was undoubtedly difficult to reach the sector where the boss monster, the Bloody Mamba, resided. Apart from the Red Mambas, he had to face White Worms that leaped out of the ground unpredictably, and Blue Crows that swooped suddenly from the sky.
Slash, slash-
Slash!
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
[Strength increased by 3.]
[Stamina increased by 2.]
...
[News of the wager between you and ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ has spread rapidly throughout Heaven!!]
[Some deities have begun to watch your performance with skeptical gazes.]
[Some deities have begun to show interest in your practical martial arts skills.]
The Celestials Chang-Sun knew of were all scoundrels. They were always curious and nosy beings, as they were unable to handle their eternal lifespans. That was why Chang-Sun had been certain that the bet between him and Pabilsag would spread almost instantly.
While he had primarily raised the stakes to turn Pabilsag into a sugar-deity, he had also done so with a greater purpose in mind: To cement his image as a ‘super rookie’, one worth being noticed by the Celestials, by creating a massive spectacle.
Just as Pabilsag had casually thrown him [Tiamat’s Snaggletooth], Celestials had a tendency to act on impulse. Thus, the more sugar-deities Chang-Sun could have, the better.
[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ is quite taken aback by the unexpectedly high number of viewers online.]
[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ has strongly warned the other Celestials who have shown interest in you!]
Of course, Pabilsag planned to have Chang-Sun all to herself, and seemed quite unhappy to see the crowd grow in size.
‘I wonder if I’ve gotten some extra deities from this. I hope I hooked a good one,’ Chang-Sun thought.
[Level up!]
[Achieved Level 10. Successfully graduated from being a novice.]
[Achievement Unlocked!]
“A Person of Talent Who Has Broken Through in the Shortest Time.”
Reward: All stats +5. Secret class opened.
Chang-Sun’s eyes shone dangerously.
‘Secret class’. Just as he had expected, the word he wanted popped up.
In his previous life, he had received the ordinary ‘Spearman’ class and had only leveled up with great difficulty. He could never be satisfied with a mediocre class.
‘If I got ‘Dragon Lord’ or ‘King of Darkness’, those would be the best options. That’s very unlikely, though. Well, if I’m going down this route. ‘Berserker’ would be the best.’
The biggest disadvantage of the ‘Berserker’ class was that its ability to explosively boost one’s damage output came at the cost of one’s sanity. However, Chang-Sun was not too worried about that, as he had planned a countermeasure for such problems.
Above all else, the reason he wanted to choose ‘Berserker’ as his first class was that it was the earliest starting point to reach the final class he planned to acquire.
‘Aside from that, the Berserker class is essential for killing the Bloody Mamba.’
The Bloody Mamba was a monster that could not be easily killed even by a group of Players at Level 20.
Chang-Sun, who was only Level 10, had made the bet because he had something up his sleeve.
[From the two-digit levels, selecting a class will enable faster growth and combine suitable skill trees.]
[Reviewing the list of suitable classes by considering the Player’s achievements and records.]
[Revealing the results.]
[Class Selection]
1. Swordsman
2. Spearman
3. Brawler
...
17. Dragon’s Child (Secret!)
18. Wanderer of Darkness (Secret!)
...
30. Rune Master (Secret!)
Considering that the first class selection provided five classes on average, and even geniuses were offered ten classes at most, the number of classes available was ridiculous. On top of that, secret classes—a single one of which would be considered a jackpot—filled half of the list. It was truly absurd.
After spending quite some time scanning through the list, Chang-Sun wavered for the first time.
‘Berserker isn’t there.’’
He had six minutes left.