abcnovels
Chapter 28
Chapter 28
[Translator - Jjescus ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
Chapter: 28
"You're going with this?"
Miel looked at the request form placed on the counter in disbelief.
Even with the wide range of difficulty, it wasn't a request that a rookie adventurer should touch.
"Why? Can't I?"
"Of course not. I'd feel bad if a rookie adventurer died. Just start with this kind of request for now."
She rummaged through the documents and pulled out a request form.
It was the easiest and simplest request: gathering herbs.
Hanbit shook the Firefly Flower in his hand and asked, "You didn't forget about this, did you?"
"Be careful! The petals are about to fall off!" Miel, who desperately wanted to have it, shouted in urgency and tried to grab it.
Hanbit removed his hand and asked again, "Do you think a rookie adventurer can get this flower?"
"Of course it's difficult to get it yourself. Didn't you buy it somewhere?"
"If I had that kind of money, I would have hired a mercenary to bring it to me, even for a short time."
"...."
Miel pouted at his irrefutable logic.
Knowing the ecology of the Firefly Flower, she couldn't think of anything to refute him.
But it was absurd that he wasn't a rookie with such shabby equipment.
"Ahh."
Miel, taking a deep breath, looked between the flower, the documents, and Hanbit.
Even with lingering doubts, the adventurer in front of her was different from ordinary newcomers.
In other words, there was no reason not to give him the dungeon request.
It wasn't just because she wanted the Firefly Flower.
"I'll give you the request. But make sure you know your level. If something feels strange, run away immediately."
"Okay. Here, take it."
Hanbit received the request form and handed over the Firefly Flower.
Miel, receiving it, very carefully moved it to an empty vase.
"I didn't know I'd ever have this... Thank you!"
-Wow, Miel is saying that.
-She told me not to come see her;
-Really freaking annoying.
The viewers were confused as she made a genuinely happy expression.
"I'll come back when the request is over."
"Yes! Be careful!"
After a brief farewell, Hanbit immediately left the guild.
Yeonwoo, who followed him, asked suspiciously, "Hyung, you do know the story, right?"
"I know. It's about revealing the crimes of the mayor of Edlen."
"More than that, you have to gain the trust of the guild master first. If you waste time in the dungeon, the situation will worsen."
From the moment the main quest begins, time flows fast.
Even though there is plenty of time, if you miss the timing, the story completely collapses.
Since there is no chance to retry, following the guidebook has now become the completely established method.
"That's why I'm doing this."
There were two reasons for choosing the dungeon request.
One was to gain the trust of the guild master, who would become his helper, by proving his skills.
The other was to proceed with the story in a completely different direction from the guidebook.
It was a branching point that would allow him to jump right into the heart of the story while considering both.
'There are still many.'
Numerous players were watching Hanbit as he came out of the guild.
There seemed to be no one who would approach him like the Ranger.
"What episode is the advanced team on now?"
"Why are you suddenly asking about the advanced team?"
"Just curious."
"Hmm... according to the information released, it's Episode 8. The top advanced teams may have progressed further, though."
"Really?"
Each episode of RP mostly covers a city or a small country.
To have reached the 8th episode in just two years is quite impressive.
That is, from the perspective of those experiencing it for the first time.
"At that rate, I'll be able to catch up quickly."
"...To the advanced teams?"
-Declaration to catch up to the advanced teams rofl
-Black Dragon really does it.
-Just you wait.
-But is it physically possible?
-I don't know. Let's get on board for now.
[Julio has donated 1,000 won.]
[Hmm... is that all it takes?]
-This guy is still here;
-Guess prison is comfortable lol
-Die.
If an ordinary player declared that they would catch up to the pioneers, it would end in ridicule.
However, Hanbit's actions so far were enough to raise expectations.
-"Where is Episode 8?"
-"It's an island called Feria, west of the Central Continent. The advanced teams are competing with each other, so there's not much information known."
"Ah, that's where it is."
He nodded at the all too familiar name.
He roughly understood where the progress was blocked, but there was no need to worry about it now.
For now, the goal was to clear Episode 1 as quickly as possible.
"Hyung, I'll look for the easiest dungeon for now. I think what I organized last time is probably... huh?"
Yeonwoo, who was speaking, suddenly made a flustered expression.
"What's wrong?"
"Just a moment. It's a call from my father, so I'll go take it and be back."
Leaving those words, he immediately disappeared from sight.
It seemed to be an important conversation for Yeonwoo to leave during the stream.
-This time it's dad?
-Arc is understandable.
-Let's go to the dungeon for now.
-Abandon Roper?
-That's right for Roper.
Regardless of Yeonwoo's situation, the viewers started urging him.
If he walked slowly, there would be no problem following him, right?
"Okay. I'll move for now."
Hanbit walked out of the city.
The players following from afar were not a problem at all.
Ding-!
[?? has donated 1,000 won.]
[But which dungeon are you going to?]
As he stepped into the forest, a donation message popped up.
Before Hanbit could even answer, the chat window became noisy.
-Isn't the spider one the most manageable?
-Yeah, it's just tutorial level.
-Still tough for a newbie.
-Did you forget his stat level?
-Spider dungeon, go go
The viewers' opinions gradually converged on the spider dungeon.
Then the donation alarm popped up again.
[Lucifer has donated 10,000 won.]
[Challenge Dungeon TOP 10 mission go?]
"Challenge Dungeon?"
He became curious about the name he was hearing for the first time.
Moreover, if it was a mission, he was already anticipating the prize money.
-Challenge?
-Top 10 lmao
-Living up to his nickname.
-How is his nickname Lucifer GOAT
-I'll take the mission, but I won't give you the prize money.
-This is going to be fun.
-If you're a streamer, you have to go. lol
Judging by the viewers’ heated reactions, it seemed to be a quite famous dungeon.
"What's a Challenge Dungeon?"
-A dungeon where you compete for clear time.
-If it's Edlen, only those under level 30 can enter.
-Is the 10th place cut-off 20 minutes?
-Is it possible?
-Will it be possible? You devilish bastards.
Hanbit nodded as he listened to the explanation that followed.
It was a simple structure where he just had to clear it quickly.
There was no reason to refuse.
"Where is it?"
-Straight in the 12 o'clock direction.
-You have to go almost to the cliff.
-Open the map.
As soon as he asked the question, the answer came right back.
'12 o'clock?'
After checking the chat, Hanbit quickly opened the map.
Thanks to the viewers' explanation, it was quick to find the exact location.
'So this is how it is.'
Hanbit laughed in vain.
The dungeon he was planning to stop by for the story.
It completely overlapped with the location of the Challenge Dungeon.
In that case, there was no reason to refuse the mission.
"Alright. I just need to be in the top 10, right?"
-lol can you do it?
-There are a lot of speedrun perverts.
-I'm telling you, he can do it.
-Ban all the guys who say he can do it.
-Let's just wait and see;
The reaction was more scathing than when he obtained the skill.
Still, thanks to what he had shown, there were many people who supported him.
Ding-!
[Lucifer has donated 10,000 won.]
[What will you do if you fail?]
"If I fail?"
A pledge that always follows a challenge mission.
Hanbit, looking through the chat window, said as something came to mind, "Ah, should I write one more strategy guide like the one I posted yesterday? I'll try to be more detailed."
-NNNNNN
-Professor, please no.
-I can't understand what you're saying now.
-Is it a thesis?;
-We'll try our best.
The viewers showed a strong rejection when he mentioned the strategy guide.
Hanbit thought the first strategy guide was insufficient, but if they didn't like it, there was nothing he could do.
After a moment of consideration, Hanbit threw out another suggestion, "Hmm, then should I choose one person and watch them directly for a day? Is there a lottery function?"
-Huh?
-?
-Really?
-There's a function to draw lots for donors.
-You're going to do this?
The reaction completely flipped at his casual remark.
No, it was more than just flipping, it was burning uncontrollably.
"If there is a function, it would be possible. Then shall we go with this?"
Ding-!
[Lucifer has registered a 1,000,000 won challenge mission.]
[Success if you are in the TOP 10 of the Challenge Dungeon.]
[Sword God has donated 1,000,000 won to the challenge mission.]
[Please exclude me from the lottery.]
[Avantgarde has donated 2,000,000 won to the challenge mission.]
[Please let me be chosen.]
-This crazy guy is back again lol
-You're not going to be chosen, like a dog.
Donations were pouring in, perhaps because of the failure pledge.
It wasn't limited to players.
[Hanasaki Productions has donated 5,000,000 won.]
[Golden Shark has donated 5,000,000 won.]
[Yeonhwa Gaming has donated 7,000,000 won.]
All kinds of companies were showing their names through general donations.
The amount had also increased significantly compared to before.
As Yeonwoo said, did his value increase because he obtained the hidden skill?
'How much is this?'
Hanbit, blankly looking at the accumulating messages, came to his senses.
It was time to move.
"Then I'll go to the dungeon."
Hanbit left the entrance and entered the forest path.
The path to the dungeon, which was his destination, was not rough, so there was no difficulty in reaching it.
'Why are there so many?'
The entrance to the dungeon, made of stone walls, was crowded with players.
Seeing them all turn their eyes towards Hanbit, it seemed they were watching the stream.
"Hyung!"
At that moment, an urgent voice came from behind.
Turning his head, he saw Yeonwoo running from afar.
"You found your way here well?"
"Finding my way here isn't the problem...!"
He quickly approached, continuing his words.
And lowering his voice, he whispered, "Why did you come here? You even accepted such an absurd mission!"
"Why? It's just a dungeon where you have to clear it quickly."
"That's what I'm saying! How much time do you have to spend to be in the rankings! You need a lot of consumable items too!"
Yeonwoo grabbed Hanbit's shoulders and shook him, pouring out his frustration.
As it was a dungeon that had existed since the early days, the basic strategy had been thoroughly studied from start to finish.
Therefore, in order to clear it faster than other competitors, countless challenges and efforts were needed.
Actions and judgments to reduce the time even by one second were created through trial and error and experience.
All kinds of consumable items on the market were also essential, so there was a lot of preparation involved.
"Besides, what's with the failure pledge? Even big companies can't get one-on-one feedback with you!"
"I'll just watch them to the extent of what's in the strategy guide. And if the mission succeeds, I won't have to do it, right?"
"That's what I'm saying, it's hard! Now is the time to only show that you’re doing well!"
-It's freaking loud lol
-ASMR is awesome.
-You can't back down now that you've promised, right?
-Let's get Black Dragon to 500th place.
-500th my ass lol I'm seeing 1,000th place.
The viewers started teasing him as his voice got louder.
It was a natural reaction since the prevailing opinion was that the mission was impossible from the beginning.
Hanbit turned towards Yeonwoo, who was about to argue with the viewers.
"Why are you so worried? We haven't even tried it yet."
"The top rankers all ran the dungeon at the highest level, 30. Most of them have poured weeks, months into speedrunning!"
Listening to him, Yeonwoo's worries became understandable.
The record holders were 14 levels higher than Hanbit, who was level 16.
Moreover, they invested a tremendous amount of time and effort to reduce the clear time.
Overcoming that complex gap was usually impossible.
That is, for ordinary people.
"What's the reward? If it's a clear time competition, is it differential payment?"
"Differential payment is for the first clear reward, which is the boss loot and stat points. The main reason people aim for first place is because of the challenge reward."
"Challenge reward?"
"You pay an entrance fee to enter the Challenge Dungeon, and the first place winner takes all of that entrance fee every week. It's a place you have to clear before you exceed level 30, so the amount is significant."
"Really?"
A strange system where the first place winner takes all the entrance fees.
He didn't know how much it would be, but even in the game, the more money you have, the wider your options become.
He had one more reason to achieve the best results.
He didn't expect to gain so much profit from a dungeon he had to go to anyway.
"So, how about negotiating with the viewers? Instead of ranking, how about setting a clear time? Yeonwoo lowered his voice and asked again.
No matter how much he thought about it, the record competition with the top-ranking players felt like a wall too high to overcome.
However, Hanbit, with a clear goal in mind, walked towards the dungeon entrance and said, "Wait and see. I'll show you how to get first place."
[Translator - Jjescus ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]