Chapter 174

Chapter 174 – Red Desert (1)

[This place is north of the Highwood Forest where the Wood Devils appear . It is called the Red Desert . Until now, no one has able to approach this unknown region . ]

A User appeared within the footage . After he gave a brief explanation, the User turned to look at the Red Desert spread behind him . Then he pointed towards what he was seeing .

[It feels like I’m on mars . However, this place has a characteristic that is more interesting than its appearance . Please look over here . ]

The view was tilted downwards towards the floor . One could see the feet of the man standing atop the red sands . The man stomped with his foot as if he was knocking on the floor .

When one watched the footage, one would expected the desert or the sand box to let out a soft sound when the foot came down .

Tahng tahng!

However, the red sand beneath the User’s foot made a sound akin to what a steel would make .

The man didn’t end his actions there . He quickly unsheathed his sword from his waist, and he stabbed his sword towards the ground . The sword descended fast, and after letting out a violent sound, only the tip of the sword penetrated between the grains of sand .

[As you can see, this place is a desert . However, when you operate in this region, you should treat this place as a world made out of concrete . This holds true for the rest of the Red Desert you can see right now . These sands look like they are flowing like river water, but in truth, it could be treated as a very light layer of sand moving atop a material akin to concrete . This is a game . It is an awesome setting for one to experience in a virtual reality . ]

The User finally appeared in full inside the footage, and the man started to move . The screen started to move with the man . The man walked towards something large, and he stopped in front of it .

There was a snake in front of the man . It was an enormous snake, and the snake looked bizarre in several ways . Snakes usually had scales that looked slick with oil, but this snake’s skin looked very hard . It looked like a bug’s carapace, and the glossy sheen made it look like an exoskeleton . However, the most surprising part was the fact that the snake’s body was half buried in the sand .

The User opened his mouth again .

[However, if you decide to hunt here, the awesome setting I described earlier is actually a very horrific setting . Wait until this guy comes out or please run away . If you are pulled below the ground, prepare yourself for a vacation . The Tankers have to on alert . ]

In a flash, the mood within the footage changed . The screen started to shake as if it was really being filmed by a handheld camera .

[Shit! It appeared again!]

[Prepare for battle! Prepare for battle!]

[Don’t get dragged in! The Tankers have to be especially vigilant!]

Within the shaking footage, desperate voices could be heard . After a while, the footage stabilized, and the User spoke directly to the viewers watching the video .

[I’ll end it here . This is Big Smiles guild’s Sinclair . ]

The video ended .

Hyrkan, who had been caught up by the video, was finally able to freely move his gaze . Hyrkan moved his gaze as he lifted his head to look in front of him . Hyrkan saw the same monster from the video right in front of his eyes . The Sand Snake’s corpse had been dismantled, and it was in the process of slowly melting away .

Ddul-goo-ruhk, ddul-goo-ruhk······ .

There were two Skeleton Knights on Skeleton Steeds around the Sand Snake . They looked forbidding as they moved slowly . It looked as if they were on guard . Both of the Skeleton Knights were showing a bold front, yet Hyrkan didn’t feel good looking at them . His foul mood was inevitable .

‘The Skeleton Knight was taken down in a single…’

When he arrived at the Red Desert, it was as if the Sand Snake had been waiting for Hyrkan . He immediately came across the most famous monster inside the Red Desert .

Hyrkan decided to answer the Sand Snake’s welcome . He gave it Skeleton Fragments as gifts for coming into its house .

The battle itself wasn’t too bad . The Sand Snake’s exoskeleton was hard as it looked . On the other hand, the monster didn’t have any Special Abilities . The Skeleton Warriors were trained well enough to fight in a melee with the Sand Snake . Then there were the Skeleton Knights strengthened using the Legendary Rank Ancient Power . With the help of the Skeleton Knights on their Skeleton Steeds, the Sand Snake wasn’t a difficult opponent .

Moreover, the [Corrosive Ghost] Skill effect worked very well on this monster . Hyrkan had a Transcendent Rank Ancient Power leftover inside his storage, so he had used it on the [Skeleton Science] Skill . The [Corrosive Ghost] Skill had become much stronger, and it quickly weakened the exoskeleton of the Sand Snake . Thanks to the recently purchased [Cursed Doll] Skill, it was easy to inflict the Curse .

The early portion of the battle was so easy that it made Hyrkan surprised .

‘Of course, there is nothing easy inside this game . ’

In a flash, the Sand Snake suddenly grabbed onto the Skeleton Knight . After biting the Skeleton Knight, who was wailing away at the Sand Snake, the ground sunk inwards . The Skeleton Knight was killed .

Instantaneous Death .

Results that usually never happened to his Skeleton underlings occurred .

Afterwards, he entered into another battle with a Sand Snake . In the process, two Skeleton Warriors suffered the same fate as the Skeleton Knight .

‘I get what they were trying to do . Still, the Skeleton Knight atop the Skeleton Steed is immense . How does it make any sense that it could be dragged underground like that?’

After assessing the battle again, Hyrkan clicked his tongue in dismay .

This wasn’t an insignificant loss that could be glossed over .

Hyrkan couldn’t summon the Skeleton Knights indefinitely . The Skeleton Knight suffering an instantaneous death was a very big loss for him .

‘I think the Golems might be the only ones that can tank the Sand Snake . ’

Of course, he had to change his tactics from the norm . He couldn’t use the Skeleton Knights as hybrid Tankers and Strikers . For tanking, he would have to send out a big Golem .

‘My magical consumption would be too large . ’

In the end, that was the problem .

Hyrkan didn’t use the Golems as his main troops not, because they were weak . The Golems were strong . However, the cost of summoning was too large to use them against normal monsters . Basically, if one took out a Golem in a fight where one Skeleton Knight would suffice, one was killing a chicken with a butcher’s knife meant for a cow .

Moreover, everything Hyrkan did here was costing money . It wasn’t as if there was an infinite number of consumables he could use . If his consumption was too fast, it would restrict the number of hours he could operate here .

Hyrkan looked up at the sky .

‘I can’t fly around… . ’

The best option would be to fly on the Bone Wyvern without getting into any battles as he looked for his destination . However, Warlord didn’t permit such an easy method .

The Riding Skill could be used only if one had a destination in mind . The destination had to be a colonized region like the Heard Fortress ruin town .

Of course, it was ok to mount it . However, it was impossible to control it . In the case of the Bone Wyvern, it just stood on the ground during non-combat situations . It only moved when the battle started . Moreover, it was suicide to ride a Bone Wyvern into a battle .

This was why he had to walk around this place .

‘Shit . ’

Of course, he would have to continue to walk . He would have to leave behind his footprints on this hell-like Red Desert .

Hyrkan, who had been looking up at the sky, lowered his head .

‘Yes . Let’s see who wins . ’

2 .

[Your level has increased . ]

[The Skill Proficiency for the Iron Golem Skill has risen to Rank D . ]

[The Skill Proficiency for the Bone Dragon Skill has risen to Rank D . ]

The Level Up Announcement was heard, but the Announcement didn’t register in Hyrkan’s ears .

‘Battle Completed!’

Hyrkan ignored the Red Scorpion he had just caught . He turned his head, then he started to run .

He just ran .

“Fucking hell!”

As Hyrkan ran, harsh cuss words flowed out his mouth . A forest was seen far into the distance .

‘I’ve finally found it!’

It was a forest filled with trees that rivaled ones seen in the Highwood Forest . This forest was beyond being silent . It felt dreary . It welcomed the visitors with an atmosphere that was quite different from the Red Desert .

‘If I hadn’t found this today, it would have driven me nuts . ’

He had spent 10 days within the Red Desert, and he spent to extra days in locating this place . This was his first success on this trip .

The hardship endured by Hyrkan for the past 12 days was beyond imagination . The environment tested the Users in a different way . It didn’t allow for breaks, and one had to be always vigilant . The time spent inside the Red Desert felt longer . A 10 minute span spent inside the Red Desert felt twice as long as any other region .

Moreover, he had found his target destination only when the Consumable Items stored in his body was almost all gone .

If he hadn’t found the location today, he had no choice, but to head back . Of course, Hyrkan’s eyes were about to flip over at his current situation .

‘All right . I don’t care what comes out . Even if it is a Zombie, I’ll kiss it!’

Hyrkan approached the forest with a happy heart, and Hyrkan was able to have his long awaited encounter .

“Do not approach this place dead human . I’ll forgive your trespass only once . If you return to this place again, even your corpse won’t survive the encounter . ”

It was an Elf with red colored skin .

[You’ve gained the title ‘The First to Encounter the Red Elf Tribe’ . ]

[Quest ‘Elf’s Artifact’ has started . ]

‘Fucking hell!’

Hyrkan’s headlong charge, which even Anugas wasn’t able to stop, came to a full stop at this moment .

3 .

Poohk!

A sword was lodged within the Voodoo Lizardman’s neck like an axe embedded in wood . The Voodoo Lizardman’s body shook .

However, the only ally of the Voodoo Lizardman couldn’t give any help .

“We’ve cleared the Zombies!”

“You just have to kill that one now . ”

There were two other Users . A man and a woman cleared the Zombies . Surprisingly, all 10 Zombies had been summoned . The last Zombie was killed, and none of the Zombies were able to repair itself .

The User kept his sword lodged inside the Voodoo Lizardman, but when he heard their words, he retrieved his sword . He stopped prolonging the fight .

Poo-hwaht!

Blood sprayed out from the Voodoo Lizardman’s neck .

Goo-roo! Goo-roo!

The sound of its dying breaths could be heard .

Puhk!

As the User retrieved his sword, he kicked the ankle of the Voodoo Lizardman with his foot . It fell in an instant . Before the fallen Voodoo Lizardman could let out a cry through its opened mouth, the tip of the sword fell .

Poohk!

This strike allowed the ragged Voodoo Lizardman to meet its death .

When the short death cry ended, the three Users all heard the same Announcement .

[You’ve killed the 100th Voodoo Lizardman . ]

[You’ve fulfilled the requirement for the Quest ‘Barley Tribe’s Request’ . ]

The two Users raised both their hands into the air when they heard the Announcement .

“We’ve finally caught 100 of them!”

“I really thought this Quest was ridiculous, but we’ve finally finished it! Ooh-ha-ha!”

The two Users looked very happy . Whistling, who had killed the Voodoo Lizardman, let out a happy smile . His face was harsh, so even his smile looked very scary . He looked at the two with the smile on his face . It wouldn’t have been rude to flinch backwards, since his smile was terrifying . However, the two had seen his smile before, so they were unsurprised .

“Shall we go immediately?”

“We should go immediately!”

The two Users were like dogs running over to Whistling to beg for a walk .

Whistling spoke to the two .

“Let’s rest a little bit . ”

“Then we’ll butcher our kills . ”

“You dismantle the Zombies . I’ll dismantle the Lizardman . ”

“Hey . Why do I have to be stuck with such an unpleasant task?”

“Did you forget I’m a Crusader? The Undead monsters melt at my touch . ”

“That reason is valid only during our hunts . It has no effect during the dismantling . ”

“Eh-ee . Let me live out my character . If I was in a fantasy novel, the zombies would melt at my touch, and the loot would disappear . ”

“You’re nuts . ”

The two ignored Whistling, who was in front of them . They bickered with each other then they turned their heads away as they dismantled the corpses .

Whistling had a light smile on his face as he watched them .

‘They are an interesting duo . ’

Whistling thought about the day when he met those two for the first time .

‘I never expected to find people like me inside the Hydra guild . ’

The memory started when the Fighters guild were purchased by the Hydra guild . At that time, the mood within the Fighters guild was celebratory . Most of the Fighters guild members would be immediately inducted into one of the 30 great guilds, so very few Users had complaints .

Whistling was one of the few, who was troubled by the move . He started to think about whether he should leave the Hydra guild or not .

He didn’t have any negative feelings towards the Hydra guild . However, their policy was the problem . Whistling had been given a very long leash inside the Fighters guild, but he didn’t think the Hydra guild would give him the same type of freedom .

Moreover, he didn’t think the Hydra guild would leave an asset like him alone .

However, the Hydra guild gave a proposal to Whistling before he could speak to them .

The Hydra guild had Quest Task Forces within its rank . If Whistling wanted to, he could pursue the Quests of his choice . Moreover, they would give him full cooperation at a guild level, which will allow him to quickly progress in his Quests .

Whistling thought over it, and he gave his answer .

He decided to try it out!

If he didn’t like it, he could always leave the guild at a later time!

This was when he met the two Users in front of him . One was a Monk, who had gone through 2nd Advancement, to become a Crusader . His name was Yojori . Then there was Joba . After going through her 2nd Advancement, she had chosen the Class of Magic Swordsman . It was a Class that was as rare as the Lich .

These two Users were in the same category as Whistling .

The were skilled weirdoes . They weren’t playing this game to achieve endless Spec ups . They were here to enjoy the game .

Moreover…

“Anyways, if we finish this Elf tribe’s Quest, will we finally be able to meet the Red Elves?”

“Of course . That’s what the hint said . ”

“I can’t wait for it . What will the Red Elves look like? I’m pretty sure they’ll have red skin, so their presence would feel different from others . ”

“They’ll be pretty . ”

“You only care about beauty?”

“How about you? I bet you only care about how handsome they are . ”

“Hmmph . Handsomeness by itself isn’t that important . One to be handsome in a solemn manner like the Chieftain of Drah . ”

“Your tastes seems really perverted . ”

“How about you? Last time, I saw your gaze linger on the young Elves . ”

“N…No way! Bitch! Are you trying to get me locked up!”

“Isn’t your reaction a bit weird?”

“I said no! How about you? When you went to the Frozen Lands, you took several hundred pictures of Bagle!”

“All women would understand my action . Our basic tastes run the same . ”

They really liked Elves .

Whistling laughed when he heard their conversation .

Unlike him, these two had always had the pleasure of playing with each other . Whistling had fun playing this game, but at times, he did feel lonely . Their presence was a big boost to his game play .

‘It makes me think of that guy . ’

At that moment, he received a message .

‘Huh?’

It wasn’t strange for him to receive a message, but Whistling became surprised when he saw who had sent it .

He immediately read the message, and he put on a serious expression .

‘How interesting . So this is how······ . ’

Whistling spoke towards the still bickering Yojori and Joba .

“Let me ask you guys a question . . ”

The two immediately stopped their war of words .

“You can ask me two questions . ”

“Then you can ask me three . ”

“Does anyone here have a bad relationship with the Hahoe Mask?”

“What?”

For the first time, the two noisy Users shut their mouths .