***
Rip!
Dragon wings erupted, tearing through his back. This was the 'Heavenly Dragon Human' set effect of the 'Michaela' set. It activated when the sword, armor, and helmet were all gathered. He had purchased those items, which were as difficult to obtain as plucking a star from the sky in the early stages, through the Secret Auction House.
'It was a relief that I already had Michaela’s Sword, which is the hardest to find.'
The armor and helmet were relatively easy to obtain compared to the sword. Perhaps that was why the armor and helmet were listed in the Secret Auction House with a 'Buy It Now' price of 200,000 gold each, even though the sword was absent.
'There were many trap items with Twin Talismans equipped, though.'
Twin Talismans. They possessed an option that allowed two talismans to share each other's location. If one purchased them without knowing anything, it was the equivalent of revealing their location to the seller. Some items even had the name of the Twin Talisman hidden as a 'Secret Scroll.' These were mainly found on products used between levels 1 and 5, and their low prices made them perfect for luring beginners.
'No matter how much I think about it, I can't shake the feeling that they are looking for me.'
He couldn't dismiss the thought that those 'phishing' items were targeting him. The rankers in the Hall would have known he cleared Main Quest 2, and they would have realized he needed a lot of equipment to complete Quest 3 with excellent results. There was a movement to place exactly the necessary equipment at very low prices to identify his location through phishing and then kill him. It might have been an overinterpretation, but there was no harm in being careful.
Of course, the fruits of the Secret Auction House were too sweet to give up.
'…To think I would obtain this.'
He looked down at the ground and smiled faintly. He was lucky. To obtain this at this timing. In an instant, the related details rose before his eyes.
【 Hermes' Shoes (Narrative) (1) 】
★ Shoes modeled after the feet of Hermes, the 'God of Wind.' It is said they flowed out from the Golden Temple. When worn, one can run as fast as the wind, but one cannot enter the 'Temple of the Wind' while wearing them.
★ Equipment Requirement: All stats 40 (50-10) or higher.
★ Talisman (Tear of the Fairy Queen): Reduces equipment requirements (all stats) by 20%.
★ Agility +3
★ 'Swiftness' available for use.
An ultra-rare item of Narrative grade with a socket. It was a versatile piece of equipment with a talisman slot, stat options, and even a skill. However, due to the equipment requirements, it was originally an item that a beginner could not use.
All stats 50. Even with decent talent and a good class, one would have to be around Level 8 to satisfy this condition. Usually, the main stats increased the most, while unrelated stats only increased slightly. However, every time he leveled up, all of his stats increased by 12. Not only that, he had significantly lowered the equipment requirements with the Tear of the Fairy Queen.
'The performance is a bit lacking to be worn at Level 8, but for the current me, there is no better equipment than this.'
Above all, 'Hermes' Shoes' were a perfect match for the 'Heavenly Dragon Human' set option of the Michaela set.
- "I’ll melt you all."
The Chid Mamba exhaled a thick toxic mist. It was an acidic poison that corroded and melted everything it touched.
Flap!
Whoosh!
However, the acidic poison could not spread due to the strong wind. This was because the combination of the Heavenly Dragon Human wings and Swiftness began to create small whirlwinds.
Roar!
The whirlwinds blew away not only the toxic mist but also the Chidworms in an instant. Facing the intense wind, the Chid Mamba frowned.
- "Wind magic? Then try blocking this as well!"
The Chid Mamba revealed its hidden tail. Extreme poison was coated on the tip of the tail, much like that of a scorpion. It was fired at such an incredible speed that it was impossible to see and dodge with the naked eye.
But...
'Right side.'
If he knew which way it would fire before it was shot, it was entirely possible to dodge. Before the tail's needle was fired, the Chid Mamba twisted both its hands. There were exactly 26 twisting patterns, and the direction of the fire changed subtly accordingly.
'Roll.'
He rolled, flew, and ran, dodging every poison needle of the Chid Mamba.
- "You rat-like bastard!"
The Chid Mamba grew furious. However, the Chid Mamba, whose toxic mist and poison needles did not work, was merely powerless. The situation was now at a point where he just needed to run forward and strike the Chid Mamba’s neck.
'Stop.'
He poured all his strength into his thighs and brought his entire body to a sudden halt. In that instant.
Shred!
Numerous thorns erupted right before his eyes. They were poison needles hidden under the ground.
- "Y-you even dodged that?"
Astonishment filled the Chid Mamba’s eyes.
'Charging.'
After using all its patterns, the Chid Mamba fell into a state of 'Confusion' for a short time. A very short time. If he didn't settle the matter in one go, the Chid Mamba would grow stronger as time passed.
Rip!
Holding the greatsword, he expanded all the muscles in his body. While charging, he slowly approached the confused Chid Mamba.
'Swiftness.'
In an instant, the speed of his greatsword strike became even faster.
Slash!
He cut off the Chid Mamba’s neck as cleanly as flowing water. As soon as the despairing eyes of the Chid Mamba hit the ground—
《 You have eliminated the Elite Monster, ‘Chid Mamba’! 》
《 Contribution: 100% 》
《 Absorbing ‘Fragment of Broken Golden Rule’ (10 mins). 》
《 Remaining time for ‘Fragment of Broken Golden Rule’ is 47 hours, 56 minutes, 39 seconds. 》
《 The darkness recedes for a moment. 》
《 Progress until Pangenia’s Collapse: 9.1% 》
《 You have obtained ‘Lucky Dice.’ 》
✺✺✺
"Aaaaah!"
Hearing Kim Seoyeon’s scream, Kim Hana was finally able to regain her senses. Blood was splattered on the floor. Jung Jinwoo’s severed arms. And...
'That man from back then.'
The man who had saved her from the Giant Mantis was right there. He was wearing a helmet and armor she had never seen before. Reddish-brown wings even sprouted from his back. He looked a bit different than before, but it was definitely him.
"A-ah..."
Kim Seoyeon sat on the spot, her body trembling violently. It was a vague fear. She couldn't move at all.
Slap!
"Get it together!"
Kim Hana shouted while slapping Kim Seoyeon’s cheek. Staying here any longer was dangerous. Those who could live had to live. Kim Hana, who stood up while carrying Kim Seoyeon’s shoulder, looked around.
'Come to think of it, where is Hyunmyeong?'
Park Hyunmyeong. He was nowhere to be seen.
'Did he seriously run away...?'
In an instant, a deep furrow formed between Kim Hana’s eyebrows. She hadn't even noticed any sign of him running away. He was certainly next to her when the insects appeared, but he had vanished without a trace after that female-type monster appeared. It was better than staying dazed and being killed by a monster, but still, to think he would run away alone.
Kim Hana groaned as she led Kim Seoyeon. For now, the priority was to get as far away from here as possible.
"The back door is also swarming with monsters! Come up to the second floor!"
As Kim Hana tried to head for the back door, a staff member on the second floor shouted. The outside of the building had already been occupied by giant insects.
"Please help me!"
When Kim Hana shouted, several people on the second floor came down.
Roar!
Clatter! Clatter!
A whirlwind swept through. The man had blown away the toxic mist emitted by the monster in an instant. Kim Hana, who barely managed to endure by holding onto the railing, turned her gaze.
'Ah...!'
The monster was firing poison needles. At a speed so fast it couldn't even be seen. If the man didn't defeat the monster, the monsters would slaughter the remaining people in an instant. There was no way out. It was a situation where one could do nothing but fold their hands and pray.
"Please, please...!"
"That person is also a Dimension Warrior, right? Right?"
"B-but the other Dimension Warrior attacked us! It's too early to be relieved!"
The people swallowed hard and watched the situation on the first floor with tension. That man was their last bastion. However, the other Dimension Warrior, Jung Jinwoo, had suddenly gone mad and attacked people. They couldn't just be at ease with this man, either.
"It's okay. That person is on our side."
Kim Hana reassured the people. This was because it wouldn't be good if the chaos grew in the current situation. Every time a poison needle was fired, the people’s shoulders flinched. It was out of worry that something might happen to the man if he was hit.
Slash!
However, the man dodged the poison needles so easily that their worries were rendered meaningless, and he cut off the monster's neck in a single blow. The moment the monster's head fell to the ground, another change occurred.
"D-did he win?"
"The monsters are melting!"
"W-we lived!"
The people shouted cheers. When the queen monster died, all the other insect monsters melted and disappeared.
"……."
The man turned his gaze and looked at the people hanging from the second-floor railing. Then...
Flap!
As soon as he threw on a cloak, the man's figure vanished without a trace.
"Where did he go?"
"He suddenly disappeared?"
It felt as if they had seen a ghost. How could a person disappear as if they had evaporated? That thought was brief.
"Are you okay?"
Hearing a familiar voice from the side, Kim Hana turned her head and asked with a frown.
"……Hyunmyeong? Where were you?"
"I was in the bathroom."
He was in the bathroom?
'Is that blood...?'
Kim Hana had a keen eye. Between Park Hyunmyeong’s ankle and the top of his foot, she discovered a small drop of blood pressed against the skin where his sock had rolled down slightly. Of course, it wasn't strange to have blood on him in this situation. Especially since it wasn't a wound but a splatter from someone else.
However, the only person who was bleeding and severely injured was Jung Jinwoo. And Park Hyunmyeong had already hidden himself before Jung Jinwoo became like that. If he had been in the bathroom, he wouldn't have had contact with other people. Just whose blood was that?
'Could it be?'
Furthermore, the timing of the 'man' appearing and Park Hyunmyeong disappearing, and the timing of Park Hyunmyeong appearing and the 'man' disappearing, coincided strangely.
'No way...'
She shook her head. It was an impossible thing. Kim Hana looked back and forth between the place where the 'man' had disappeared and Park Hyunmyeong.
"Is there something on my face?"
"No, it's not that..."
...Right. It must be a mistake. There was no way Park Hyunmyeong could be a Dimension Warrior. But what if, by one in a million, or one in ten million, Park Hyunmyeong was a Dimension Warrior? What if he was the man in the photo she regarded as a lucky charm? Kim Hana’s eyes grew complex as she looked at Park Hyunmyeong.
✺✺✺
The next day.
The world was once again thrown into great chaos. Attacks from another dimension had already been repeated twice. Although the Dimension Warriors had stepped up and blocked them this time as well, the intensity of the attacks was gradually increasing. Some Dimension Warriors warned that these attacks would continue in the future and expressed their opinions that cooperation with the government was necessary.
However, not every Dimension Warrior—every Player—was like that.
"Is this person Randolph?"
Inside a dark, secret room. About ten people were chasing Randolph. To be precise, they were people looking for 'Phantom.' They were currently examining and investigating all the videos uploaded to social media and YouTube.
There were exactly 178 videos of 'Players' uploaded in Korea. It was a scale that had increased by more than 1.5 times from the previous 100 or so. Those who had been hiding had begun to reveal themselves. Randolph could have been among them. And now, a steakhouse in Cheongdam was being shown on the computer screen.
"Hermes' Shoes. The equipment requirements for that must be quite tough?"
"If he just achieved Main Quest 2, he wouldn't be able to wear Hermes' Shoes."
It was true. The equipment requirements for Hermes' Shoes were at a level that a beginner couldn't dare to wear. If he had just achieved Main Quest 2, his level would be at Level 4 or 5 at most. It was still far too early for Randolph to wear those shoes.
"But aren't those wings 'Heavenly Dragon Human'?"
"Even if he got the helmet and armor from the auction house, how did he get Michaela’s Sword?"
"He looks like the same character who had 'Hydragon' last time."
However, even if it wasn't Randolph, there were questions. Michaela’s Sword, which dropped with an abysmal probability. It was an ultra-ultra-rare item that had been released in only about ten units at most. What about the Soul of the Hydragon? It was the only soul that was spread as a fact that only one person on the server possessed. No one knew who the owner was, but rumors were rampant that the owner was an administrator.
"Then is that person an 'Administrator'?"
"Look at the way he hunts the 'Chid Mamba.' He's dodging all the patterns by a hair's breadth."
"……You're right. Is there anyone who can dodge with such razor-sharp patterns? Anyone who can do the same?"
"……."
All ten people gathered here could kill a Chid Mamba, but there was no one who could grasp all the patterns and complete the raid by a hair's breadth like that. Indeed, the Chid Mamba’s patterns were famous for being difficult. It was incomparable to a Hydragon or a Giant Mantis. Therefore, there was no one who understood all the patterns and completed the raid. They would rather level up more and complete the raid later.
However, the man in the video was doing exactly everything.
"Wow."
Looking at it again, it was insane. It was truly a hair's breadth. Inducing the patterns, dodging them, inducing the Confusion state, and then finishing with a single sword strike after charging. All these actions flowed like water. There was absolutely no unnecessary movement to trim or add.
'It's a true work of art.'
It was at the level of art. To the point where one's mouth wouldn't close just by watching. If one had watched without knowing anything, they would have mistaken it for reading the future.
Clap, clap, clap!
The man in front of the computer spoke while clapping.
"It remains unchanged that he is the number one priority for recruitment."
"Number zero is 'Mint Chocolate Taste.'"
"Hmm. Regardless of the ranking, it's certain that both are talents needed for our 'Alliance.'"
"Anyway, the other guys are also moving. We must make a statement as quickly as possible before the first Rift begins."
They were the Player 'Hero' Alliance. The difference from other Player alliances was that they truly intended to prepare for the Rift. In a situation where they didn't know what would pop out, the most desperate thing was the presence of 'Phantom.' If it were him, he would be able to handle any situation.
However, other Player alliances were also starting to move under the surface. If they lost Phantom and Mint Chocolate Taste to other alliances, it would be a painful loss for an alliance that claimed to be 'Heroes.' Thus, they had to find them. The remaining comfort was that both were likely to be Korean.
The man wearing a black mask in the center spoke with a heavy voice.
"First, let's try searching around that area."
✺✺✺
Cough!
Hudson spat out the coffee he was drinking. Immediately after, he looked at me with a desperate gaze, hoping he had misheard, and said:
"……S-So... you used... the Tear of the Fairy Queen?"