Chapter 79

Chapter 79 – Golem Upgrade (3)

5 .

Ggiiii!

The firmly shut castle gate let out a bizarre sound, and it started to lower slowly . These users had waited outside the castle walls . When the castle gate was lowered, the waiting users all frowned .

“Shit . ”

There was no shout of joy . A bitter sound came out of all the user’s' mouth .

“This Battlefield run was completely ruined . ”

“Still, aren't we fortunate? We survived . The number of dead users are quite numerous . . . ”

“Like hell it is . We pointlessly messed with the Hahoe Mask…… If we acted normally, we would have gotten a good amount of EXP and Items even if we couldn't take down the Event Monster . Why did we do what we did!”

“Hey! Why are you getting mad at me? You said it was a good idea . Didn't you agree to it?”

“Yeah . However, weren't you the one, who talked to that bastard, Cho-oohroong?”

This was a stage where the reward was larger than ever . This was why everyone had high expectations on this event . It wasn't an over exaggeration to say they had ambition in their heart .

However, they didn't receive any reward . Instead, they were forced to eat a big pile of shit . They were a mess as they waited for the castle gate to be lowered . They weren't even able to hunt monsters . In the end, they had to waste a massive amount of time . If someone felt good about this situation, the person needed to get their head checked .

Kooohng!

While the users were blaming each other, the massive gates reverberated as if someone was knocking on the floor .

Chuh-buhk chuh-buhk!

As if they had been waiting for this, the NPCs were on standby beyond the castle gate, and they started to cross over using the castle gate as a bridge .

They were knights .

Every one of them had shining armor on . At a glance, one could tell the armor was expensive, and it had a lot of options . The knights also had a sense of dignity that went well with the armors . There were 13 knights . All the knights wore helms, so it was impossible to find out their identity .

There were exactly 11 users .

Amongst the 13 knights, there was one that was noticeably smaller than the others . It was easy to discern his identity .

‘It's Bagel . ’

‘There's Bagel . ’

As the users guessed, the short knight was the castle's owner and its manager . It was Bagel .

As if he was answering the user's' expectation, he revealed his identity through his voice .

“From now on!”

When Bagel shouted out those words, the 12 knights moved quickly . After they moved outside of the castle gate, they formed a semi-circular formation . They took off the shields equipped on their backs, and they placed it in front of them . The semi-circular line was like a castle wall when the knights placed their large shields in front of them .

After the formation was solidified, Bagel finished his speech .

“I'll give you 1 hour!”

After the speech ended, the users enter the castle gate one or two at a time . Each user's shoulders were slumped .

Stragglers .

There wasn't any other word that could describe what they were . They had wasted their time . The 144 hours wasn't a short amount of time . All they could do was reflect on their actions .

From behind them, they heard a voice that gave off a different feeling from their own .

“You guys were all here?”

The owner of the excited voice was none other than Hyrkan .

“Did you guys all do well in your hunt? Did you have fun? I had a really good hunt . Do you see this? I had so much Ingredient Coins that it was a chore to pick out the best ones! Ooh-haha!”

Hyrkan stabbed a dagger into the heart of the stragglers, who had barely survived .

This was Hyrkan's last revenge .

6 .

“Amazing . ”

Hyrkan had entered Bagel's office, and Hyrkan was sitting face to face with him . Bagel's expression was honest as he complimented Hyrkan . Hyrkan slightly lowered his head as he received the compliment .

“No . I only carried out the mission you gave me . ”

“You carried out the mission . You carried out the mission…… . ”

It seemed Bagel really liked what Hyrkan had said . He even recited Hyrkan's words a second time to mull over it .

“I like that expression . You carried out the mission . ”

While he was watching this, Hyrkan was glum inside .

‘I don't give a shit if it is a good expression . Just hurry up and give me the reward . ’

He had no more business with the Battlefield . Each minute and second was precious to Hyrkan . He wanted to just received the reward then leave . However, Bagel had no idea what was in Hyrkan's mind, so Bagel spoke for almost 10 minutes .

It wasn't as if he was talking about some meaningless story .

“Recently, the number of monsters have significantly increased . Amongst them, there are some bizarre ones that we have never seen before . ”

“These monsters have blue skin, and they let out a frigid energy…… They do not belong in the forest located across the castle wall, and they are growing in number . ”

“In my opinion, if one travels past the forest on the other side of the castle wall, one would come across another forest . I think these bastards are coming from an unknown place beyond that forest . ”

“If you have a chance in the future, I would like you to break the frontier of the land beyond the forest . I want you to find out what's on the other side of the forest . We are at a time where we will have to attack first to survive . ”

He was giving out information .

There was a new stage beyond the Battlefield . Bagle was giving him hints about the Frozen Kingdom .

‘I'll take off the Ice Queen's head for you later . Just stop talking, and give me the Skill Book . ’

It was a precious clue, but from Hyrkan's perspective, he already knew all of this . Basically, this was useless chatter .

Hyrkan endured through the 10 minutes that felt like 10 hours . Then Bagel finally gave Hyrkan the book .

‘Oh!’

At a glance, the cover of this book was different from a normal book . The cover was bound with black leather, which gave off a very luxurious feeling . There was a handprint on the leather cover, but it looked more like a unique design . It looked as if a master artisan had put his heart and soul into making it .

‘Finally’

The Unique Skill Book had finally appeared . Hyrkan rejoiced .

However, Bagel didn't give the book to Hyrkan immediately . Bagel continued to speak after he took out the book .

“This is a present I am only giving to you . I will never give this out to anyone again . It is only for you . ”

Hyrkan laughed inside .

‘It said the reward belonged only to the user, who acquired it . Still, was it necessary for him to say all that? Couldn't he have just given it to me?’

“Yes . I will receive it with thanks . ”

He had no thoughts of giving it away to someone else . Hyrkan was afraid Bagel was going talk more, so he immediately put his hand over the cover with the hand print .

[The identity of the Skill Book is revealed . ]

The no name Skill Book was unsealed .

‘It would be a jackpot if something like Vodoo Skeleton came out . Please let it be Voodoo Skeleton . Voodoo Skeleton! Come out Voodoo Skeleton!’

Hyrkan's heart was racing when a new announcement popped up .

[Would you like to learn the Clay Play Skill?]

‘Huh?’

This was the first time he had seen this kill .

‘Clay Play?’

It was a skill he had never seen before, and it was a name he couldn't come up with even if he tried . A question mark formed on top of Hyrkan's head .

However, there was only one choice for Hyrkan at this moment .

[You have learned the Clay Play Skill . ]

He had no choice, but to learn it .

‘What is it?’

Hyrkan had a confused expression on his face, when Bagel tried to speak to Hyrkan once again .

“I hope this will make you stronger, and I hope you will show me more brilliant exploits in the future . ”

“What?”

“Across that forest…… . ”

It seemed Bagel wasn’t going to let go of Hyrkan any time soon .

7 .

[Clay Play]

– Proficiency : Rank F

– Skill Use : A monster's gem is used as sacrifice . The Golem can transform into the sacrificed monster . The gem is consumed when used .

– Miscellaneous : The Golem will take on the outward appearance of the monster . As the Skill Proficiency increases, the Golem will get closer to the original monster's capabilities .

There is an exception . It won't be able to use the monster's skills classified as Special Ability . Also, the monster cannot be bigger than summoned Golem . Moreover, the Defense and Stamina won't change .

Clay Play Skill .

‘So if I sacrifice the gem dropped by a monster, it can take on the same appearance as that monster?’

Basically, the very lackluster appearance of the Golem could be changed into a monster's shape with this skill . Of course, only the appearance changed . As the Skill Use explained, its Defense and Stamina wouldn't change . However, if the sacrificed monster gem was of high level, the Golem could almost reach the offensive capability of the monster once the Skill Proficiency was raised . Basically, the outer appearance and the Attack Stat was being copied .

The downside was quite obvious .

‘It's a skill that requires money once again . ’

Every time he used this skill it would consume a gem . If it was a Boss Monster gem, a single use of this skill would consume at least couple hundred gold . On the high side, he might have to use a gem worth couple thousand to hundred thousand gold .

This was on a different level than the Armament Skill . If he armed the Skeletons with weapons, he could take it back and resell the weapons on a later date . This skill used up the gem . It was like the Bone Explosives .

Moreover, the characteristics of the golem made it hard to travel with it . In Hyrkan's case, he sometimes had to run away or hide during battle . In a day, there were times when he had to re-summon the golem several times a day .

He had a lot of places where he had to spend his money on . He even had to cut back on his food money, and living costs . This skill could a critical blow for Hyrkan . He had been eating only ramen and kimchi these days . This skill was the critical blow that could eliminate kimchi from his daily diet .

‘If the Golem could copy the monster's battle AI then this is a jackpot . ’

However, Hyrkan wasn't disappointed by this turn of events .

It was the opposite . This was an incredible deal if the Golem could copy the battle AI alongside the appearance . It couldn't copy the special ability or skill possessed by the monster, but the monsters were designed to face numerous users . This meant their battle AI was outstanding . Moreover, it was normally almost impossible to train the Golem's battle AI like the Skeleton Warriors .

Also, there were skills that could reinforce the Golem's lack of Defense and Stamina . It was possible to cover up the deficiency . He would even be able to change its attribute . There were the Fire, Ice and Iron Golem Skills . This Skill had the chance to be as powerful as the Armament Skill .

‘Wait a moment . Will I be able to make those mosters? Can I make a Wyvern or a Griffin?’

It might be possible for him to ride it .

In fact, the Golem had Travel mode, except the Golem was too slow . The ride quality was the worst, so no one used it . However, if he used the Clay Play Skill to change the Golem into a flying monster, Hyrkan would be able to earn a frightening amount of mobility .

Great mobility was valued much more than Unique Items in Warlord .

‘I never expected such a Skill to be in existence . ’

It was a surprising Skill . Moreover, he had never seen this Skill before, so the surprise Hyrkan felt was that much bigger . Hyrkan had never seen it . It was a skill that had never come out on Rich Lich's Solo Raid vids . Basically, it was a skill that even Rich Lich didn't have . Rich Lich was someone, who had so much money, that it was rotting away . Yet Hyrkan was able to get his hand on a Skill that Rich Lich didn't have .

‘I'll have to test this Skill out first . I'll have to make a proper evaluation . ’

8 .

‘I'm finally level 90 . ’

He used his Tablet PC to check Hyrkan's Stats, Item Setting, and Items in possession . Ahn-jaehyun put his empty hand into a bag of chips . The bag of chips was so large that it swallowed his arm up to the elbow .

However, Ahn-jaehyun's hand came back out empty . Ahn-jaehyun's gaze left the Tablet PC, and it headed towards the inside of the bag . There was only crumbs left . Ahn-jaehyun frowned when he saw this .

‘I didn’t eat a lot of it yet it's already empty?’

He could eat as much caviar sushi inside the virtual reality, but Ahn-jaehyun was stuck with a bag of chips filled with nitrogen .

Chet!

Ahn-jaehyun clicked his tongue .

‘The world is only filled with thieving bastards . ’

He moved his gaze away from the empty bag of chips, and he checked the time .

‘It's time to go to the dream land . ’

It was time to sleep . He would sleep for 5 hours . After his physical body recovered, he would connect to Warlord like always .

Then he will go on a trip .

‘I'll be finally going to the great Urugal mountain range . ’

The great Urugal mountain range!

He hadn't been able to attempt it, since his level was lacking . Now he would have to depart towards this scary, and desolate land .

Hyrkan's character was already on standby inside the Parung forest . He had already finished gathering the consumable Items . He also readied his confidence .

‘I haven't advanced yet, but I should be able to reach the entrance of the Urugal mountain range without dying . ’

Of course, if he moved after reaching level 100 and advancing in rank, he would be able to travel much more safely .

The problem was time as always!

Currently, the Stormhunter guild had caught up right behind Ahn-jaehyun . The Stormhunter guild had already took over the Parung Forest, and they were getting ready to take down the Helm Ogre .

Truthfully, the Stormhunters were ready to fight the Helm Ogre at a much earlier time . They had already sent out a notification into the surrounding . There was a reward for the user that could find and provide the location of the Helm Ogre . Moreover, those who helped the Stormhunters, would be given ample compensation .

Of course, they didn't say they didn’t have to say they would punish those, who catches the Helm Ogre, instead of them . However, most Warlord users inside the Parung Forest knew enough to stay out the Stormhunter's business . Nothing good would come from interfering with them . When that information came out, it was fair to say the Helm Ogre was basically the property of the Stromhunters .

However, another group had caught the Helm Ogre before them .

When he thought about that incident, it made Ahn-jaehyun let out a hearty laugh .

‘I don't know who those users are, but I'll have to give them some medicine if I come across them in the future . Those lovely users did a very lovely act . ’

It wasn't known who had caught the Helm Ogre . However, if one looked at the surrounding circumstances, there was high possibility that one of the 30 great guilds secretly caught the Helm Ogre . It was probably done to cause a setback for the Stormhunters . No one in the 30 great guilds wanted the Stormhunters to leave them in the dust .

Ahn-jaehyun had gained some time, but he couldn't delay any longer . He had a reason why he had to hurry .

‘I will never lose to the Stormhunters!’

For the last time, Ahn-jaehyun check the youtube page views, and the support payment . Then he immediately went into his sleeping place .

*snore snore*

Soon, the snoring sound of sleeping Ahnjaehyun filled the small one room .

9 .

The 5 man party was using the fallen tree as a bench .

It was a very strange mix of users . It was a 5 man party yet there were no Priests or Magicians in this group .

Each of the 5 users wore armor, and they all had at least one weapon . The Items equipped by them were quite diverse . There was no unifying look to their Items . The color and design of the items were all different .

However, they were all powerful Items .

The Items worn by these 5 people had the best options for the current standards of Warlord . These items boasted the highest level and price . This was akin to the best sports cars of different models being gathered in one place .

“Should we go catch the Helm Ogre?”

“Don't spout such nonsense . The best members of Stormhunters were dispatched to the Parung Forest . If the 5 of us go there, it would be tough even for us to survive . Truthfully, we were lucky last time . ”

“Still, we should accept the risk to interfere with them . We'll be able to give the Stormhunters a big setback in progressing their Main Scenario Quest . Moreover, they wouldn't know we did it . I'm sure this will lead to a war . ”

“Still, we should know our limit . Isn't it more important for us to block the Hydra guild? I cannot find out any information about their Main Scenario Quest . I'm sure they are the furthest along amongst the 30 Great Guilds . ”

“From what I heard, Red Bulls and the Sweeper guilds are unexpectedly fast in their progress . ”

“Of course, everyone is fast . They are spending a lot of money on this game . It would be absurd if their progress was slow after spending that much . ”

“Uh?”

“Uh . ”

“Ah!”

They all stopped their conversation, and they focused on their ear . The 5 of them stood up at the same time .

“I'm going north . ”

“Let's go together! Moreover, where will the rest of you guys be going?”

“North, South, or East . I'll choose from one of those three . First, I have to meet up with the Triple Wing . I don't know where I'll go . ”

“You are going to suffer some hardship this time . ”

“Our actions won't have meaning if we don't suffer hardships . ”

“I guess so . ”

When the conversation ended, they didn't even say farewell . They immediately dispersed .