Ark

Volume 13 3

ACT 3 Isyuram’s Incident Records

“Huhuhu, we’ve finally arrived!”

An excited voice was heard in the darkness. The person laughing was a huge warrior wearing leather armour and holding a bayonet could be seen.

“Why are you giggling to yourself? Didn’t I tell you? Don’t relax just yet. If you made even one mistake then all our efforts will be in vain.”

“Sheesh, you don’t have to explain it again.”

The warrior scowled at the woman standing to the side. It was a woman wearing white chain mail and holding a long spear. They were users called Bread and Redian.

“But aren’t you excited? It’s already been 10 days since we came to this dungeon.”

“It’s been so long since we’ve seen sunlight. My skin has become even paler.......”

Redian murmured as she looked at the white skin between her collar. Then Bread glanced at her and smirked.

“Huhuhu, isn’t it a good thing? You look somewhat sexier.”

“Do you want to die?”

“What’s wrong with it? It’s a good thing.”

“Do you want to fight?”

Redian raised her spear, causing Bread to quiver and retreat.

“Stop it, I hate that spear.”

“Then why do you exist on provoking me every time? Don’t you have a brain? Haven’t you learnt your lesson yet?”

“It’s because of the piled up stress. This dungeon is so uninteresting. There isn’t even a common ogre in this thing. The Drakens are so boring. There was only a few of them. It’s so boring I’m about to doze off.”

“You’re just a barbarian...... You’re the only one who would think a few Drakens is uninteresting.”

“A boring thing is boring. Ah, why aren’t there any strong guys?”

“Stop whining and just look for the inscription. There’s not much time left. Fortunately we’ve seemed to have reached the last checkpoint.......”

“Okay. I understand.”

Bread grunted and started searching the nearby statues. The place where Bread and Redian was searching was an underground stone room in a complicated maze. The two people had entered the dungeon 10 days ago and it had taken them a lot of time and backtracking to find this place. Their long journey had begun two months ago when a document dropped from a high level boss called Kalropsu. A quest had been triggered when the document was picked up.

The travel diary of the legendary adventurer Asyubell. Everything is in code so ‘advanced text deciphering’ is required.

<Difficulty: C>

“Oh, Asyubell’s Notes?”

Bread was in the Adventurer’s guild and had heard of Asyubell before. He was such a legendary adventurer that a statue was built of him in front of the Adventurer’s guild. Bread realised the document wasn’t ordinary so he visited Redian and asked her to decipher it. Then he learned a surprising fact.

“This is..... Huge? You picked up something amazing!”

Redian explained in an excited voice.

“You’ve seen the explanation on Asyubell’s statue in front of the Adventurer’s guild? He travelled all over the world and collected items which he donated to the Adventurer’s guild before disappearing. But this document states that Asyubell didn’t donate everything to the guild. Asyubell chose the best items from his collection and hid it in one place. And he scattered hints to this place everywhere.”

The document that Bread found was one of the clues. In his old age, Asyubell wanted to hide all the treasures he had found. Then he sent out a challenge to new adventurers who had a lot of knowledge and experience.

“Then the treasures of the legendary adventurer Asyubell.......?”

“Clearly it would be the finest items.”

Redian smiled and spoke.

“Will you invite me as well?”

“I’ll have to think about it.”

“Don’t be stupid. You wouldn’t be able to find the treasure without my help. The clues Asyubell scattered are hidden behind puzzles. No matter how strong you are against monsters, it would be impossible for you to solve the puzzles. You can’t even decipher this document.”

“Sheesh, I understand. But it’s 7:3.” “6:4. I won’t accept anything less than that. It will be difficult to find a better magician than me. If they decline then wouldn’t rumours spread all over the place? More contenders for the treasure might appear. Isn’t that right?”

“Ugh..... You’re evil but okay. As long as you keep it a secret. Got it?”

“Hohoho, you might have a stone head but at least you can understand things like this.”

“Why does it sound like you’re taking advantage of me?”

“Calm down. Do you want to turn into a stone statue?”

“What the!”

Thus the barbarian and the magician started searching for the treasure. But finding the treasure of the legendary adventurer wasn’t that easy. Asyubell’s first clue gave a hint to the location of the next clue and they were hidden in absurd locations. Hidden deep in the nest of a herd of wyverns, a Medusa’s temple where a person could be turned to stone with just one look and the lair of the horrifying Richi. They were areas that ordinary users wouldn’t even dare go near. Bread and Redian had also died a few times and revived in the magic kingdom of Bristania. Every time they found a clue, the quest difficulty would also increase and now it was an +A difficulty. But the two of them became even more motivated as the difficulty increased. It was because the reward would become even bigger the more time and effort was invested into the quest. Just like that, one and a half months passed. The two of them had finally collected all the clues together and found the dungeon where Asyubell hid the treasure.

“Here? This is the place where Asyubell hid the treasure?

Bread muttered as he saw the huge remains. In his later years, Asyubell had become senile and hidden his treasures. But the location was amazing compared to all the troubles they had gone through to reach the place.

“What the? There is nothing in the area. There are also no monsters. Is this really the right place?”

“It was recorded in the last clue document that it is somewhere around here. The place where three people are facing each other...... Ah, there it is. It should be the place where the gaze of the three statues is concentrated....... I’ve found it. This is clearly it. Advanced text deciphering!”

Redian found the ancient characters engraved on the ruins and used the skill. Then the characters started shining and a message window appeared.

I have hidden the treasures found throughout my lifetime in the secret dungeon underneath the ruins. The person who has courage can visit it in order to get their hands on the treasure. But know this. I’ve used all my knowledge and experience to create this dungeon hiding my treasure. That’s right. This dungeon is a challenge that I’m sending out to adventurers of the next generation. In order to obtain the treasure strength, stamina, wisdom and knowledge is required.

I’ll say this in advance, but it might not be possible to obtain the treasure in your lifetime. If you make even one mistake on any of the puzzles...... The dungeon will remove all intruders and remained blocked until the next full moon. When it is opened, the location and answer to all the puzzles will be changed.

Now challenger, if you have confidence then you are welcome to try it!

“This annoying old man......”

“I’ve just smelled something bad.”

Bread and Redian complained when they saw the message. But no matter how much they complained, Asyubell had already passed away a long time ago. Thus the two of them started searching the dungeon hidden underneath the ruins. Although there were no monsters near the ruins, there were an extraordinary number of high levelled monsters in the dungeon. However, the monsters weren’t what annoyed them. The problem was they had to solve a puzzle every time they passed through a checkpoint. It was different from the typical puzzles seen in a dungeon.

“Oh my god, this gateway has a 5,000 piece jigsaw puzzle?”

“Huk, what’s with the dots on the walls? We have to move them to form constellations?

“Hik, this time we have to use an arithmetic equation to solve it?”

Although Redian had confidence in her intelligence, she felt like screaming with distress every time she saw a puzzle. But they’ve come this far so it wasn’t possible to turn back. While Bread hunted all the monsters infesting the place, Redian searched through books and the internet for solutions to the problems. Luckily, she managed to find the necessary knowledge to solve the puzzles at each checkpoint. If it was just Bread then he wouldn’t even know how the puzzle should be solved.

“Phew, it is really absurd. The puzzles are so difficult yet if I make a mistake then we’ll have to start again from the beginning....... In addition, we would have to wait one month until the next full moon. Because the cycle of the moon is one month, just like in reality. If I fail then the dungeon will be locked....... If we came all the way here just to fail then I really will go crazy.”

Redian’s body trembled as she thought about it.

“So use all your power until the end.”

“Sheesh! It’s fine for you. All you have to do is swing your sword ignorantly. Ah, here it is. The inscription for the last checkpoint. Now, let’s see. I hope it’s a slightly easy puzzle this time....... Hik, w-what it this?”

“What is it?”

“T-this puzzle is a kabbalah.”

Redian muttered with a sick expression. Of course the ignorant Bread couldn’t understand what it was.

“Kabbalah? Is it similar to caramel?”

“You idiot, kabbalah is the cipher of the ancient alchemists. The characters are complicated...... No. Why am I expecting anything from you? Damn, what kind of dungeon did that guy create? To actually decipher a Kabballah cipher in the game......”

Redian was about to have a fit of anger when she suddenly remembered something.

“It is fortunate. I know an older sister attending graduate school who is interested in the Kabbalah. Maybe I can actually solve it quickly this time. Wait a minute. I’ll go and check it.”

Redian wrote the inscription down and firmly instructed Bread.

“Please be quiet in the meantime. Don’t touch anything even if you are bored. If you touch something and get us kicked out then I won’t stay silent.”

“Understood. Do you think that I’m an idiot?”

“This situation is too serious for you to act like a fool.”

Redian declared sharply and cut off the connection. 2 hours passed before she connected again.

“Wow, I’m really tired.”

“Why? You haven’t figured it out?”

“No, I’ve solved it. When the person I know studying Kabbalah ciphers at the university saw this, she was speechless with admiration. It was the first time she saw something so complex. She asked me where I found something like this.”

“Anyway, you’ve managed to solve it?”

“Yes, now we will pass the last checkpoint.”

“Quickly, quickly open the door!”

Bread hopped impatiently around like a puppy after Redian’s confident reply. It was reasonable. They were finally getting the treasure two months after the quest was received. Redian made a determined expression and tensed up.

“Now, let’s start......”

Redian looked at her notes and raised her hand to the puzzle inscription.

Ku ku ku ku ku!

Abruptly, the dungeon started vibrating and the stone statues’ eye turned red.

“What, what? What’s going on?”

Bread burst out with confusion before a red message window appeared.

<Everybody in the dungeon will be expelled and access blocked until the next full moon>

“Huk, f-fail? Redian! What happened?”

“No, I don’t know. I didn’t even touch the inscription yet!”

Redian shouted with distress. The light in the statues’ eyes flashed and shot towards the two of them. They instantly felt like they fell into the darkness. After a while, Bread looked around with despair in his eyes as the area around them slowly brightened.

“Outside...... We’re outside. We really were banished.”

“Two months..... Our two months of effort......”

Redian murmured weakly as she looked around with a blank expression. The two people felt like they were completely soulless.

“Calm down. Now everybody drink something and gather over here. A staff will check it out.”

‘Eh? Somebody’s voice?’

Bread flinched at the voice and turned around. Dozens of people had gathered in the ruins where the dungeon was located and were making a fuss. Bread became even more confused as a blue NPC approached.

“Eh? Why didn’t we see you arrive? Are you tourists?”

“Tourists?”

Bread asked and the NPC smiled and explained.

“You must’ve wanted to visit here directly. Ever seen Seutandal rose, a lot of foreigners have appeared. That’s why we use the skyrays to let the tourists explore Seutandal safely. Would you like to try it out?”

For a while Bread couldn’t understand what the NPC was talking about. This was Seutandal, the place previously called the Netherworld. It was a perilous dungeon where one wrong touch would be disastrous so they would’ve set up countermeasures if it was on the continent. They would’ve hired mercenaries to prevent the entry of other people. But when the two people had entered the dungeon, Seutandal was still the Netherworld. Normal people wouldn’t find it even when walking around for a couple of days. Therefore Bread and Redian thought that countermeasures were unnecessary and just entered the dungeon without any worries. However, in the meantime Seutandal had risen and many tourists had flocked to the ruins.

“What did you say a while ago......?”

“Ah, that? In fact, one of the tourists found a place that was similar to a dungeon. So they touched something........ All of a sudden this red light appeared and he was pushed out? Hahaha, don’t worry though. Fortunately, that person doesn’t appear to have any injuries....... Oh, please don’t misunderstand. Although there was an accident this time, I can guarantee that this place is safe for tourists.”

“Oooh!”

A moan emerged from Bread’s mouth at the NPC’s explanation. The stupid Bread hadn’t understood the situation until now. It was them. After two months, they had finally arrived at the last checkpoint. All that effort to solve the puzzles and obtain the treasure was undone by this stupid NPC and the tourists.

“Aaaagh, kill everybody!”

Bread shrieked and took out his bayonet. Although Bread had a stone head, he took pride in having the best combat power in Bristania!

“Hik, what are you doing? Aaaagh!”

“What’s with that guy?”

“He killed the guide!”

“Huk, we were seen. Is he really going to kill us?” “Damn, is he crazy? Seutandal still has PK.”

“But there’s more than 10 of us. At most there’s only one crazy guy.......”

Bread reached the tourists and immediately swung his weapon. Among the tourists that came to Seutandal, some were around level 150 while others were level 250. It wouldn’t be easy for the chaotic player to defeat them. That’s what the tourists thought. However......

“Huk, what, what the! What’s with this enormous damage?”

“T-this bastard...... What on earth is his level? My sword can’t even strike properly.”

“His defense seems extremely high. Magic. Burn him with magic!”

“U-understood.”

Then several magicians started chanting spells.

“Hohoho, take this! Damn, do you think I’m afraid of you? Do you know what you’ve done? How dare you say such things after what you’ve done? You want to use fire magic? Let’s see whose fire magic is stronger! High speed incantation! The flaming hell...... The rest is omitted, Volcano!”

After Bread went crazy, Redian also started chanting spells at an incredible pace. At the same time the ground split open and lava gushed out, swallowing the tourists. It was enormous damage! There were 7 circles of magical flames.

“Huk, m-monster! A witch and a monster!”

The tourists’ health was depleted in an instant and they ran away in every direction. However, Bread and Redian didn’t stop attacking and wiped them all out in a matter of minutes.

“Huk huk huk, damn! My anger hasn’t been released.”

Bread panted as he pulled his weapon out of a dead body. Redian also nodded and replied.

“Of course not. How dare they touch the nose of the sleeping witch?”

“Eh? Your nose hair was touched?”

“Shut up, you stone head! Is this the time to make jokes? Shall I wash your eyes with lava?”

“No, there’s no need for the lava.”

“Damn.....”

Redian chewed her lips with a poisonous expression.

“Let’s think of the future. We have to destroy the tourist company who lead those fellows here. No, we won’t let them relax for even a minute. That’s right, wouldn’t there be a guy who made the Netherworld rise? Yes, he’s the ringleader of everything. We have to find him and smash him.”

“Eh? Wouldn’t the tourist business be unrelated to the guy who caused the Netherworld to rise?”

Bread scratched his head while Redian shot him a sharp look.

“What the? Don’t you ever look at anything beyond the obvious?”

“No, I don’t.”

“So don’t be a fool and just follow me. Anyway, we were banished and became chaotic because of him. Anyway, now that we’re chaotic...... We’ll chase him until the end of hell for our revenge! Hohoho, I’ll teach him clearly who the white witch of Bristania is.”

‘Ah, nobody can stop her when Redian is in this state.’

Bread looked frustrated as he scratched his head.

‘Well, I suppose it doesn’t really matter. I have to relieve my stress somewhere. And it’ll be good if I relieve it with someone strong. I don’t know who it is but the person who raised the Netherworld should be fairly strong. Huhuhu, okay should I go along with Redian’s plan for the moment?’

———————————————————————————————————–

Swaaaah, kkiruk, kkiruk.

The cries of the seagulls and crashing of the waves could be heard in a small city. It was the harbour town Reuben located on the east coast of Schudenberg. This place used to be a small unknown harbour but that had changed in recent times. The latest topics were focused on Seutandal in the East Sea. And Reuben was the closet harbour to Seutandal. Thus numerous users and NPCs headed towards Seutandal naturally flocked towards Reuben and it started booming.

“The ferry heading towards Seutandal will soon depart. All travellers who have bought tickets for Seutandal please wait by the dock. This ferry is the final one for today.”

The NPC manager of the liner shouted in a ringing voice. The ferry could carry 200 people at once and if a traveller was late then they would have to wait 4 hours for the one departing in the morning. The users started gathering after hearing the NPC’s voice. Meanwhile, the tall and skinny physique of a merchant could be seen.

“Damn, that’s dirty.”

The merchant complained as he glared at several users standing near the front. The merchant was Isyuram, who was the captain of the number 1 SWAT team in reality. And the users Isyuram was staring at were the members of his current party. There were several reasons why Isyuram had joined a party with them. Let’s go back in time to when Isyuram arrived in Giran.

Isyuram spent some time exploring around Giran. He wanted to find Sid who had stabbed him in the back and then ran away. However, Sid had left Giran as soon as his scam was finished so Isyuram had no choice but to give up.

“Damn, you’ll see soon. I’ll smash you the next time I see you!”

But Isyuram still didn’t know what kind of place New World was. Isyuram had inherited the character from his predecessor and had been stuck in a mountain village until now. So Giran was the first city he had been to. It was a merchant’s city. No, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that it was the merchants’ battlefield! It was a city full of merchants who wouldn’t hesitate to run scams. The newly started Isyuram was just like food to them.

“Have you ever seen such good items?”

The merchant who approached him was one of those con artists. Of course, Isyuram might be ignorant but he wasn’t stupid. He was also a policeman so he knew various swindling methods. However, this was not reality. Although some swindling techniques were based off reality, others could only be used in New World. There were many scams using various skills or the game system! Isyuram didn’t understand skills or the system so he was completely helpless. Just like that he lost money, bought something, lost money, sold something, lost money, drink alcohol, lost money.......

Thanks to that, Isyuram managed to lose most of his predecessor’s money in just a fortnight. Isyuram sensed the looming crisis.

“If this goes on then I won’t even be able to buy porridge.”

Of course, there was a reason why Isyuram was hanging around Giran. Isyuram’s purpose for playing the game was to find information about suspects on the police agency’s list. However, Isyuram realized that he wouldn’t be able to find anything just wandering around Giran aimlessly. Reality was reality while the game system was necessary in the game.

“As expected, the basis of the game is martial arts.”

If he started from level 1 then he would’ve naturally learned the various skills and system information. But Isyuram started at level 150 with insufficient fundamental knowledge and money which he didn’t know how to use. So Isyuram came to the conclusion that he had to learn the fundamentals of New World in order to survive. Since then Isyuram hunted in the daytime while in the evening he would go around to taverns or guilds to learn information about skills and the game system. It was grabbing every opportunity to improve himself. After a month, Isyuram was fortunately able to learn the basics.

“Huhuhu, what the, it doesn’t seem that good. It’s definitely not special.”

While hanging around the taverns, he had started his adaptation training. In fact, Isyuram kept going to taverns to drink alcohol under the pretext of investigation. But so far, Isyuram couldn’t understand the other users’ words.

“Oh, the healer selection (if they can’t control it then we’ll kick them). Everyone goes together (a power run) and use the (maximum health increase skill) when there is a mob. It things get too heated behind enemy lines then we’ll use (forced expulsion) and run away. There’s no need to die.”

Isyuram initially thought it was Chinese or Japanese. But he made a lot of effort to learn the game terminology that players used and eventually he started to understand. And Isyuram became a little more confident. However, he didn’t understand that it was still dangerous even when he knew the system.

“Hey, you, I often see you at this tavern...... Are you a merchant? I’m starting a business which will get a lot of money. Unfortunately, I lack a bit of capital. How about it? Would you be interested in investing? I promise that you’ll get 30% of the profit after 3 days.”

A merchant said after approaching him in the tavern. Of course, Isyuram wasn’t as easily manipulated like he was in the past.

“I don’t think so.”

“Uh huh, please just listen to me. You’re a merchant so don’t you also need to live? Or is it that you don’t believe me? That’s probably it. But look at this. This is a contract officially signed by the merchant’s guild. When the deal is finished then all the proceeds will be paid from the merchant’s guild. And even if I make a mistake and become bankrupt, all the money you invested is secured by the merchant’s guild. Do you believe me now?”

The merchant persistently showed the contract and Isyuram couldn’t spot anything suspicious.

‘Hrmm, if the deal is written in the contract then there should be no problems. If I receive 30% of the profit then I can make money after a few days. Any profit is valuable to me.’

In the end, Isyuram signed the contract and handed over 200 gold. After a few days, he heard a sound that was like a lightning bold striking him. Isyuram had invested a capital of 200 gold. He should’ve received 260 back. However, the money he received from the merchant’s guild was only 26 gold. Isyuram went to the merchant and questioned him directly.

“What is going on?

“What’s going on? What do you mean?”

The merchant replied carefully.

“I’ve provided the money like the contract said. If you don’t believe it then check again.”

“The contract? What nonsense.........”

Isyuram’s face hardened and he took out the contract. The contract was clearly the same one as before. However, one zero was missing from the amount that Isyuram invested. Isyuram had actually invested 200 gold but the contract stated that he invested 20. Now Isyuram realized that he had been cheated again. When making the contract, the merchant had shown it many times. But he had failed to confirm the real income when making the contract. The contract the merchant convinced Isyuram with was different from the one he was given. It was a common scam, also known as switching contracts. Isyuram became blank as he saw the contract and the merchant smirked.

“Think of it as a good experience. Would a merchant ever give away money?”

“You bastard.... Am I someone you can pour water on?”

Isyuram finally exploded. He might’ve laughed it off if he just started the game. 200 gold..... However, the previous 200 gold and this one was completely different. When he first inherited it from his predecessor, he didn’t know the value of gold. Thus he had casually drunk liquor worth a lot of gold. But after realizing the importance of gold, he had barely scraped together 200 gold.

“That was the money I earned in one month, while staying all up night and getting nosebleeds......”

Isyuram grabbed the merchant’s throat and glared. Although he was a merchant in the game, he was still the person who made even gangsters tremble! He experienced more than ordinary people and the merchant paled from the glare. But after a moment, the merchant just laughed and said.

“Hey, hey, calm down. This is a city. Are you really going to use violence in a place like this?”

“Yes, I really am going to use violence!”

Isyuram already couldn’t see anything else. Isyuram instantly started beating the merchant up. When a fight occurred in the tavern, the guards immediately gathered. Then the merchant who was in a critical condition screamed and asked for help.

“Ugh, he, he..... He’s crazy. Save me!”

“Hey, what are you doing? You’ll be arrested if you don’t stop it!”

“Shut up, arrest me after I kill this guy!”

Isyuram stepped on the shoulder of a guard at a tremendous speed. Then he rotated as he fell and stepped on the merchant’s face.

“Cough!”

The guards could only watch with a dim expression as Isyuram kicked the merchant using flashy moves. After a while, the guards stopped being surprised and shoved his spear forward.

“You, you’re arrested for murder!”

“......Dammit!”

Isyuram cursed and flopped down on the ground. Isyuram was still a merchant in New World. Although he was undergoing superman like training, it was still difficult for him to reach the level of warriors. It was be impossible for him to defeat the guards in Giran. In addition, he didn’t want to fight the guards since they were similar to the police. Isyuram folded his arms and shouted.

“My revenge has finished. Go ahead!”

Thus Isyuram was arrested and imprisoned for 15 days. Isyuram now felt completely desperate after being scammed so many times. But the turning point for Isyuram unexpectedly occurred inside the jail.

“A newcomer? How long do you have to stay in prison?”

“.......15 days.”

“That’s pretty bad. It’s been 10 days since I arrived but I have another 20 days.”

“What did you do?”

“Well, let’s see. PK. There was a fellow acting conceitedly so I killed him. Anyway, I became chaotic and just spent the next two months killing even more and raising my chaotic value. Huhuhu, well I made some profit during that time so I haven’t lost any money. I spent most of the time in here sleeping. I was alone for 10 days so it was quite boring.”

The user with a huge figure said with a smile.

“I was captured after being sought after for ages. But I have a few high levelled friends. I gave most of my stuff to them so I didn’t receive any damage. Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Garam.”

Isyuram’s eyes suddenly flashed. The first thing Isyuram did before entering the game was confirming the ID of the suspects. Fortunately he had a good memory and he memorized the IDs of 100 users. Garam was on the list.

‘To meet a suspect in a place like this.....!’

Wasn’t it similar to picking up money?

‘But it’s not really because of luck. Isn’t it a habit? Someone chased by police in reality was definitely attempt murder in the game and be eventually sent to jail if caught. Anyway, this is an opportunity!’

Isyuram thoughts raced quickly. It wouldn’t have been easy to approach if they had met somewhere else. But this place was a prison cell. He was stuck here for the next 15 days. Thus Isyuram started to raise his intimacy with Garam. They quickly became friends thanks to the small space. He learnt a lot about Garam by the time his prison sentence finished. However he didn’t get the information he wanted.

As expected, an escaped criminal was unwilling to give any personal information.

‘Asking persistently will be suspicious. I have to wait for when we become closer and a situation arises where we naturally exchange phone numbers. Or......’

In order to arrest Garam in reality, he had to at least know his telephone number. The best way was to figure out his location from the number and make him confess directly. Of course, there were other ways but the Special Crimes Countermeasures chief felt like they were too risky.

‘I can’t be hasty. Garam currently belongs to the same organization as the other suspects. If I bring in Garam then those guys will become even more suspicious.’

After Isyuram finished his jail sentence, he continued to visit Garam while bringing food. During one of his visits, Garam suddenly asked Isyuram.

“But why are you so shabby? Aren’t you also covered in blood? What’s going on?”

“No, I’ve just been hunting a little bit.”

“Hunting? Why is a merchant hunting?”

Garam mumbled around the food in his mouth as he raised his head.

“Wait, you.....you said you entered the jail because of a swindle but you’re still buying these foods for me..... Then don’t tell me you....... Bounty hunting.....!”

“Please don’t pay attention to it. I find it enjoyable.”

Isyuram scratched his head with an awkward expression. That’s right. Isyuram had engaged in hunting monsters and delivering them for money. As a merchant, Isyuram would need a certain amount of skills to catch the monsters. And he deliberately came to the jail covered in blood and dirt. It was one of his strategies to make Garam notice him. As expected, Garam was completely impressed.

“Ohhh, so there are also people like this.......”

“Please don’t sound like that. We’re cellmates.”

“Thank you, I will definitely pay you back. If I lose my sense of loyalty then I’ll be nothing but a corpse.”

“Things like that..... Are a little bittersweet.”

“Huh? What?”

“In fact, I’m not very sociable. Apart from you, I don’t know anyone in New World. That’s why I’ve been visiting you but you’ll be released in a few days. Later, I’ll be a lonely person again. Besides, my luck is so bad that I’ll probably be scammed again or PKed.”

Isyuram sighed while looking pitiful. Then Garam banged his chest and said.

“Don’t worry about it. Right? I’m a corpse if I lose my loyalty. I’ll shoulder responsibility for you from now on. Didn’t I tell you before? I know quite a lot of colleagues. Many of these guys are currently in Seutandal which is a new area so there will be a lot of profit. I’m going to join them after leaving jail. You can come with us.”

“I can come? Even though I’m a merchant?”

“It’s okay. We also need a large number of bags so those guys won’t say no. And who would say no to my friend? What do you think?”

“I’m very thankful!”

So Isyuram’s 20 days of effort paid off. If they were Garam’s colleagues then they would definitely be wanted criminals.

‘Hopefully things will unravel smoothly.’

After several days, Garam finally left jail. After eating the tofu Isyuram prepared, he followed Garam to look for the suspects. The place where he arrived at was Reuben’s port. Garam met up with two of his colleagues here. Takosu and Rokon. They were also wanted criminals on the suspects list.

“It’s been a while, Garam. We’ve finished the preparations so were just waiting for you.”

“But who is this with you?”

“A friend of my heart. I’ve decided let him accompany me in the from now on.”

“.......Can we trust him?”

“What the? Are you doubting a friend of my heart?”

Garam completely believed in Isyuram so he became angry at those words. Takosu and Rokon wore doubtful expressions but eventually nodded.

“Okay, if you say so........ Let’s depart. Jepeteu hyung is waiting. The other guys have joined so only you are left.”

Thus, Isyuram managed to join the criminals heading towards Seutandal.

‘Huhuhu, my work is finally progressing. Isyuram’s game is now starting!’

Isyuram smirked and headed towards the boat.

“Hahaha, out of the way, out of the way! I’m first!”

Garam headed like a bull towards the boat. There was only one plank connecting the ferry and pier so there was no space to move with 200 people gathered. Everything became a mess after Garam ran for the pier. Although people cursed at him, Garam just stared at them and threatened them.

“What the? Do you have a complaint about me going on the boat first? If you’re dissatisfied then come out!”

‘That guy, he really can’t give up his habit.’

Isyuram shook his head. It was going to be really tiring travelling with Garam and his colleagues. He was a guy who lived selfishly and would easily pick fights if dissatisfied. Garam’s character was just as brutal as he was in reality and he was happiest when users were bleeding.

“Heh, none of them dare....... Huh? What the, that is?”

Garam glared as he noticed something. While Garam was being careless, somebody had started boarding the ship.

“That bastard...... Hey, you. Didn’t you hear me? I said I was first!

Garam snorted and grabbed the person’s shoulder. The guy lost his balance and fell into the ocean.

“Hahaha, good. What an impertinent brat!”

Garam chuckled as he started to head up the ship.

“.....Do you want to die?”

Garam flinched and turned his head as he heard the voice. The man who had fallen into the ocean and pulled himself out and was heading towards Garam.

‘Damn! That Garam, he should learn some moderation. It has become troublesome. I should stop it before it becomes bigger.’

Isyuram finally looked at the man with annoyance. But then his eyes became bigger than a pot lid.

‘What, what the? T-that guy..... Don’t tell me...... Hik, that’s right. Hyun-woo!’

The one heading towards Garam was Hyun-woo, also known as Ark.