“So, the way you do it is.......”
I explained, one by one, how I had obtained the Gold Medal of Honor.
The method of defeating the boss at level 1 and obtaining the medal.
“In the first battlefield, ignore the warning message and run forward.”
“Huh? But the Rider that appears there is an instant-death trap that kills you right away.......”
“Right. It’s been verified that the area is just blocked off, hasn’t it?”
It seemed everyone knew about the Goblin Riders appearing, because they all began murmuring.
I stopped their reactions with my hand and continued explaining.
“If you kill all of them, the [Medusius Serpent] and the [Gigantes Orc Warrior] appear.”
“Huh?”
“Kill them?”
“No.......”
“If you defeat the [Medusius Serpent] and the [Gigantes Orc Warrior] while saving all the fleeing soldiers, you’re given the Gold Medal of Honor. If you miss one, the reward drops to the Silver Medal of Honor. You have to catch both without missing either.”
“......Huh?”
“No? You killed those Goblin Riders?”
“Isn’t that place where you die no matter what?”
“Even on the original server, people said that was just a death trap.”
“No, not just the Serpent, but the Gigantes too?”
“How do you even.......”
“Wait, wait!”
While every player was shocked, one player stopped the crowd.
Then he asked me.
“If it’s as you described, then, um, leveling doesn’t unlock there....... So you’d have to play at level 1, wouldn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Then did you really kill all the Goblin Riders at level 1 and beat both bosses too?”
“That’s right.”
“““......”””
At that moment, all the players fell silent. As if they had heard something truly unbelievable.
The players watched one another, continuing to doubt the meaning of my words.
“Is this real......?”
“He doesn’t seem to be lying.......”
“But a hidden route I’ve really never heard of just suddenly.......”
“Isn’t the tutorial hidden pretty famous? But there was never anything like this.......”
“Right. Even guide YouTubers asserted that there was no method other than the farming route.......”
Even though it seemed a lot of verification had been done about this section for them to call it a guide, they were still like this.
“Ah! Yang Pinpin is over there. Should we ask Yang Pinpin too?”
“Yang Pinpin?”
The moment someone asked that, the players gathered on one side of the supply base swarmed over this way.
“Pin-yang-yang!”
“Yang Pinpin!”
“Pin-yang-yang!”
“Yang Pinpin!”
“Pin-yang-Pin-yang-Pin-yang!”
“Yang-Pin-Yang-Pin-Yang-Pin!”
“Yangpin-cha!”
“......”
I really wanted to mute them.
Among the players shouting all kinds of chants like that, one player with particularly conspicuous pink hair popped out.
“Hello! I’m Yang Pinpin, an Elysium specialist streamer! Yang-ha, everyone!”
“Yang-ha!”
“Ha-yang!”
“Hi, Yang Pinpin!”
When the pink-haired player introduced herself, a UI with [Yang Pinpin] written above her head popped up.
[Tutorial]
[Another Reincarnator has revealed their nickname!]
[When another Reincarnator personally reveals their nickname or gives you a Nickname Card, you can check their nickname, character information, and ID code.]
[Interact with the Reincarnator you have newly met!]
[Nickname Card Exchange Function unlocked!]
‘......’
I was grateful she had let me clear one tutorial for free, but I did not particularly want to get close to a player with pink hair who dragged followers around.
I closed the tutorial pop-up.
“I heard there’s a user here who got the Gold Medal of Honor. Is that true?”
“Ah! It’s Yang Pinpin!”
“This is perfect!”
“Yes! This person!”
“He’s right here!”
When YouTuber Yang Pinpin asked energetically, all the other players pointed at me.
“Hello! Wow, it really is gold, isn’t it? Everyone, look at this. It’s a real Gold Medal of Honor! This wasn’t on the original server, so how did something like this get into classic?”
Was it the distinctive way streamers spoke? The streamer who had suddenly approached explained the situation in a tone meant for viewers who were not present.
“Excuse me, if you don’t mind, may I ask how you got the Gold Medal of Honor? I really think that’s a classic server-exclusive hidden element that wasn’t on the original server!”
GRRK, GRRRRK.......
As Yang Pinpin leaned her head in and asked, my VR capsule began screaming because there were so many players around.
The movements of distant background NPCs began to look strangely choppy or transparent compared to the nearby players.
‘This is distracting.’
I needed to roughly finish this conversation and leave quickly.
“Well, that’s fine. I happened to have just explained it all to everyone here.”
“O-ohhhhhh!”
“He’s revealing a hidden element like this?”
“Wow, this must really be a hidden element no one knows right now.......”
The newly arrived streamer and players made the same fuss. Noisy. I had to explain quickly and leave.
I gave the same explanation one more time.
Then.
“Huh?”
Streamer Yang Pinpin asked back with a startled face.
“Um, could you be mistaken? Even on the original server, there was no known strategy like that.”
“You’ve never heard of it at all?”
“No, no. I’m a streamer specializing only in Elysium, so I’m certain. Even on the original server, no one cleared this hidden quest that way.”
“......”
What fresh nonsense was this?
Let’s say she could not clear it herself. Fine. Working as a specialist streamer even if she was bad at games? Sure, it was possible. There were even people who gained fame precisely because of their terrible controls.
But no one on the original server had cleared it?
That was clearly wrong.
I myself was the proof.
“Are you really an Elysium expert?”
“Yes! Yes, yes! I do raids and everything, and I’m a specialist streamer. I really do know most things!”
When I asked because I was deeply suspicious, Yang Pinpin answered confidently. It was the voice of someone who had never even considered that she might be wrong.
Still, she was a specialist streamer. Did she truly not know?
Or else.......
“Are you perhaps a Legendary Player?”
“Huh?”
“What?”
Then Yang Pinpin and her followers all tilted their heads in unison.
“Do you mean a Gold Player?”
“Gold?”
“If you raised your level a lot on the original server, you get lots of bonuses when you start the classic server.”
At least the bonus part seemed similar to my Legendary Player benefits.
“Are there any grades other than gold?”
“You can receive benefits in the order of Bronze, Silver, and Gold Player! Consumables, titles, and once the main scenario starts, they give you a few extra reward boxes. You can also bring over one paid costume set you used on the original server!”
Yang Pinpin moved as if dancing, showing off her costume.
It was a fluorescent cyberpunk-style costume that did not match the medieval atmosphere of the game. Had she dressed like that on purpose because she was a streamer? The fluorescent color hurt my eyes.
‘It does seem true that she played the original server to some extent.’
In any case, I understood that the distracting hair color and costume had also been brought over as benefits from the original server.
“Gold is the end? There’s no next stage?”
“Gold is the end of the original server linkage benefits! Even that is something only real experts can get, you know?”
“You’ve never heard of a Legend grade?”
“It wasn’t in the announcement notice either. Aren’t you confusing it with gold?”
“But if it’s Yang Pinpin, isn’t she a legend?”
“Yang Pinpin is an expert who’d place within the top 100 on the Korean server!”
“Legend Yang Pinpin. Pfft.......”
“Anyway, a hidden element that Legend Yang Pinpin can’t even get a feel for? No way that exists.”
Apparently, Yang Pinpin and her followers did not seem to know what Legendary Player meant.
In short, she was someone treated as fairly skilled, but she was not a “ranker-class” player similar to me.
Did this streamer not know information that only circulated among the true top 1% users?
‘More importantly, Legendary Players really seem rare.’
Among this many players, not one knew about the Legendary Player system.
Even a streamer player who dragged a fandom around with her!
‘Does that mean it’s that special?’
Exclusive hidden weapons and an exclusive hidden class. I could not even imagine how great the benefits given to only 200 legend-class players on the server were.
‘Wouldn’t giving this much preferential treatment to specific players cause operational problems?’
Or was there something they wanted Legendary Players to do even after accounting for that much controversy?
‘I need to raise my level more.’
In any case, to learn more of the truth, I had no choice but to progress further through Legendary Player content.
“Everyone.”
“Yes!”
“It seems you truly have no information about the section I played, so I’ll explain it in a bit more detail.”
““Ohhh......!””
To wrap things up and leave, I began my final explanation.
Then the players’ eyes shone at the new information, and they once again listened to me.
“First, you have to ignore the warning message and advance in the first gameplay section. I can say this for certain. It isn’t an instant-death trap or anything like that. It’s a hidden element.”
This time, I decided to explain each part carefully so there would be no room for anyone to misunderstand. In any case, people without the skill would not be able to copy it.
“When the Goblin Rider unit that you mistook for an instant-death mechanic appears, look carefully at the field. You can pick up a mechanical weapon. If you use that to take down even one Goblin Rider, the next event should occur.”
“Uh, so that really wasn’t a trap?”
“Yes.”
I drove the point home clearly.
“In the place where those death-mechanic mobs come out, really......?”
“An event weapon in a place like that?”
“Is that true?”
“Wow, then just how many years has that hidden element been concealed......?”
While the players exclaimed, I continued explaining.
“After that, you save the fleeing soldiers. This is important. You have to properly draw the aggro of the [Medusius Serpent] and the [Gigantes Orc Warrior] with the weapon you picked up in the field. Then you have to kill them at the right time to interfere with the [Medusius Serpent]’s breath.”
“Huh?”
“You don’t just take them down.......”
“Interfere?”
“Yes. If you don’t draw aggro properly, a lot of soldier NPCs will die to the [Medusius Serpent]’s breath. Then your contribution will drop, and the medal grade will lower.”
“But if you draw the aggro of a boss like that, you die, don’t you?”
“Right. Even the Riders kill you instantly if they graze you!”
“You can just block them, can’t you?”
“Huh?”
“Even without skills, the basic systems still apply. Parrying, handling mechanics, and things like that. Attacking the Gigantes’s head and entering the Mounted State for a while isn’t bad either.”
“......”
“......”
Strange. Why had they suddenly gone quiet? It was true.
“......Is there no other strategy?”
“Right. If we make even one mistake with that, the grade drops.......”
“You really have to kill both of them? While protecting NPCs?”
“Yes. In the past, when I missed one, the reward was downgraded to the Silver Medal of Honor.”
“......”
“......”
Silence continued once again. Everyone only had their mouths open and said nothing. Surely this was not because of lag, right?
“What do you think, Yang Pinpin?”
“Well....... This is really the first I’m hearing of it, and the conditions are so difficult that I’m not sure.”
The streamer gave an honest answer.
Considering she did not blindly accuse me of lying or being a hack-using bastard, she was still better than that guy from earlier.
“Will you verify it?”
“I’m not sure....... Unless there’s some kind of proof.......”
Proof.
“......Will this do?”
Besides the Gold Medal of Honor, I held out another item that could serve as proof toward the players.
The mechanic weapon that had killed the [Medusius Serpent] and the [Gigantes Orc Warrior].
The [Sword of the Lost Battlefield], eroded by the [Medusius Serpent]’s poison.
“Come to think of it, what weapon is that?”
“You used it during PVP earlier too.......”
“I thought it was just a weapon you picked up, but looking at it up close, the design is pretty nice.”
The players who had seen me swing it during PVP earlier tilted their heads.
“It’s the mechanic weapon used in the section I mentioned earlier, the [Sword of the Lost Battlefield].”
“Huh?”
“This is a weapon exclusive to the hidden zone?”
“Yes. The moment you obtain it, its attack power is corrected, allowing you to defeat the bosses I mentioned earlier. Though its performance drops after leaving the event section.”
Toward the curious players, I explained the weapon.
“This weapon is the proof of my hidden route.”
“The hidden route gives not only a medal but a hidden weapon too?”
“It really is a weapon I’ve never seen before.......”
“I-I have Appraisal! May I look at the item?!”
That was when it happened. An excited player ran over and asked.
Appraisal in this tutorial zone? Just how much farming was possible on the other route?
“Yes, go ahead.”
“Y-yes!”
Soon, one player used [Appraisal], then shouted in a shocked voice.
“I-it’s true! The item’s name is [Sword of the Lost Battlefield]!!!”
“W-woooow......!”
“Then that route is really real?!”
“C-crazy! Is this really a hidden element discovered after years?!”
Once the final verification was complete, every player finally accepted the truth.
That the hidden route I had described truly existed.
“Insane, wow! Can I post this to the community?”
“Go ahead.”
“Wow, wow, thank you so much!”
“I’m going to try it right now!”
“Me too!”
“I’ll definitely get the rare weapon too!”
“Thank you so much for the tip!!”
VWOOOM! VWOOOM! VWOOOOM!
Several players could not contain their desire to challenge it and immediately vanished from the spot with flashes of light.
“Huh? Huh?”
“Is everyone going to check if it’s true?”
“I’m going to create a new character and try it too! Thanks for the tip!”
VWOOOM!
As if they could not fall behind, the number of players decreased in an instant.
“Is Yang Pinpin not going to do the hidden route?”
“Even though the hidden expert told you about it?”
“Yang Pinpin, let’s go hidden! Hidden!”
“No, even if there’s a hidden element, there’s a max-level reward event. Spending too much time on an early hidden element is a bit.......”
“Then will you do it if there’s a reward right now?”
“Ah, someone put up a mission?”
“Ah, then I have no choice....... Gold Medal, thank you for the information! I’ll definitely try it!”
Like that, the tearful Yang Pinpin soon vanished with light, and the streamer and her followers drained out of the Eighth Supply Base like the tide.
GRRK.......
Only after the number of people had decreased by more than half did the insane load distorting the space around me finally disappear.
‘Now I can breathe a little.’
They really were a hectic group. If possible, I did not want to get involved with them again, nor did I want to see them again.
Still, it was not as if they had only caused trouble before leaving.
‘Max-level reward event.......’
The max-level reward event that the streamer named Yang Pinpin had whined about at the end.
If a streamer thought the reward was too good to miss, then there might be fairly generous rewards.
‘I’ll have to check it later.’
Besides the Legendary Player benefits, it was another event. There would be no harm in taking care of it while I was at it.
‘Should I continue the [Hidden Quest] first and check it afterward?’
That was when I was about to move through the Eighth Supply Base again.
“Excuse me.......”
The armor player who had first approached me to suggest party play carefully spoke again.
“I’m sorry. I feel like you went through trouble for no reason because of me....... I didn’t know my party member would say something like that either.”
“Well, it’s a game. Some people do get a bit harsh in the way they speak.”
Wasn’t bickering over something trivial and then settling it through PVP also part of the fun of games?
If it really bothered you, you could block a player with the block function and play in a state where you could neither see nor interfere with each other.
“Anyway, yes. You went through a lot. Have fun playing the game.”
The armor player bowed their head and was about to move away.
‘Hm?’
I realized that none of the party members who had been near the armor player remained. Not even aside from the bastard who had picked a fight.
“Wait a second.”
“Yes?”
“What happened to all your party members?”
“Ah.......”
The armor player scratched their helmet and answered.
“It seems they all left. There was an argument, and I guess some of them got interested in the hidden route too.”
“They all left? Not a single one stayed?”
“Yes.”
“......”
Did this mean I had smashed their party apart? This made me feel a little sorry.
“What quest were you looking for a party for?”
“Um, collecting [Medusius Serpent’s Poison].”
“[Medusius Serpent’s Poison]?”
“Yes. It’s a quest where everyone goes as a party to collect [Medusius Serpent’s Poison]. You have to use it to strengthen this base’s walls and make antidotes and things like that to proceed to the next step.......”
That was another hidden route I did not know.
However.
‘Surprisingly, there are overlapping parts.’
Surprisingly, the required quest items and movement route itself had parts that overlapped with mine.
“What are you planning to do now?”
“I’m just going to give up on the hidden route and go back to the normal tutorial section. People said that if you seriously want to become skilled on the classic server, you absolutely have to do this, so I watched a ton of guides before coming. But it’s just difficult, and while collecting potions, I’m only doing errands and farming....... It’s just too exhausting....... Rather than suffering like this and delaying my level-up, I’d rather focus only on leveling for now.”
The armor player spoke in a weary voice.
There were always users like that.
People who insisted that games absolutely had to be played for the best rewards and maximum efficiency, forcing themselves to play as if it were labor, and forcing others to do the same.
The armor player had ended up wasting time and struggling pointlessly after being tormented by people like that for no reason.
“I don’t know about the other quests, but I can help you collect [Medusius Serpent’s Poison].”
Because they looked a little pitiful, I offered that to the armor player.
“Oh, really? They said you absolutely can’t do this without a party of four or more.......”
“I can do it alone.”
“Wow.......”
“And maybe, if we match it to my quest, we might be able to solve your Medusius poison collection quest too.”
“H-huh? Is that really true?”
The armor player asked back in surprise.
“Do you want to come along?”
“If so, I’d be grateful. I’ve only been waiting here this whole time. If I get to do something, anything is fine.”
The armor player answered energetically.
“Uh, but you’re not going to go through extra trouble just to help me, are you?”
“It should be fine. The route overlaps with the quest I’m doing.”
“Ah, I see. That’s a relief. So, um, what quest are you going to do?”
“A weapon restoration quest.”
“Weapon restoration?”
It seemed they did not understand because the quest route was different. I changed the wording so the armor player could understand more easily.
“This hidden weapon can be enhanced through a quest.”
“Aha.”
To be precise, it was closer to restoring a weapon that had become useless.
“And while doing that, I’ll handle your quest along the way.”
“Can all of that really be done at once......?”
The armor player asked in a surprised voice.
“It should be possible.”
[Elysium Online] was famous for having a filthy number of hidden contents and derivative routes. Tricks worked quite often on quests in this game.
Based on my past experience, it was definitely possible.
Playing the game while carrying one newbie?
“Trust me and follow.”
There was nothing bad about that.