After easily finishing a match, I returned to my room.
“The rewards are more generous than I thought.”
Even thinking about it again made a smile creep across my face.
▶Strength: 8
▶Stamina: 6
▶Agility: 5
▶Mana: 7
▶Luck: 5
[Attribute Points: 1]
Not only had I received an Attribute Point upon leveling up, but my Strength and Mana had also increased by one each.
Every game in the Channel assessed a Player’s performance and awarded fitting rewards.
Normally, I would have had to take first place in several more matches, work myself half to death, or put on an incredible display before it begrudgingly tossed me a single attribute.
“And yet I got two attributes just from taking first in one match.”
It seemed my current situation had been taken into account.
I was only level five, with Ranked Matches not even unlocked yet, and my attributes were paltry even compared to outstanding Players at the same level.
Yet I had slaughtered 286 goblins, taking first place by an overwhelming margin.
On top of that, there had even been a trainee from a first-division team decked out in top-tier equipment in the same match.
“So it makes sense that it gave me this much after considering everything.”
This was more than enough.
No, it was even better than that.
“I’ll save the Attribute Point for now.”
An ‘Attribute Point (Ability Point)’ was exactly what it sounded like: a point that could raise any attribute of my choice by one.
They were primarily earned through level-ups, though there were a few other ways to acquire them.
“It’s several times more efficient to use them later, when training can no longer raise an attribute no matter what I do.”
That was a tip from a Player who had made it all the way to Challenger.
Incidentally, when my Mana Circuit had been broken, I could not raise Mana even with Attribute Points.
They only raised existing attributes, after all.
“It’ll still be a while before Suhyeok gets back....”
Until then, I should play more Normal Matches.
I wanted to evolve my Constitution soon, and beyond that, unlock Ranked Matches as quickly as possible.
I needed to stack up as much experience as I could.
“As for my weapon....”
I glanced at the wooden club in my hand.
I had spent 300 Credits on it. It would be too wasteful to throw it away after just one match.
Now that I had tried it, it was sturdier than expected and did not feel bad to swing, either.
“I’ll just keep using it.”
At the very least, I would keep using the thing until it broke and get my money’s worth out of it.
With a quiet chuckle, I immediately started the next match.
[Normal - Solo Match]
[Genre: Survival (Survival)]
[Map: Kingdom Capital ‘Helreim’]
[Objective: Defeat more Players than anyone else!]
[Time Until Start: 5 Minutes]
My vision flashed again, and I was transported to another space.
Whereas the previous match had taken place in a forest full of goblins, this place was a city reminiscent of medieval Europe.
Gray brick streets and low buildings. A massive castle stood imposingly at the center, while colorful flags fluttered in the wind.
The atmosphere was utterly different from before.
Naturally, that was only to be expected.
“The last one was Hunting (Hunting), and this is Survival (Survival).”
Solo Matches were divided into categories as well.
Hunting ranked Players by who could hunt the most monsters.
And Survival was, just as the name implied.
‘Who can defeat the most opponents.’
That was why maps with city streets or complex terrain, where more dramatic situations were likely to arise, appeared more often than open plains.
[Players are entering....]
[Time Until Start: 4 Minutes]
Players were being summoned one by one.
Unlike Hunting, there were no translucent walls here. During the waiting period, Players were free to roam around the map.
Given the nature of the game, it was only natural that there would be a difference.
Naturally, Players could not attack one another during the waiting period.
“Ah... Survival, of all things....”
“At last, I get to try out the new equipment I bought.”
The other Players waited some distance away for the game to begin.
Among them were those eyeing prey they intended to ambush the moment it started.
Regardless.
“Helreim... Helreim... Hm....”
I gently massaged my temples, trying to recall a vague memory drifting through my mind.
There had definitely been something on this map....
“...Ah!”
The moment I remembered, I began moving at once.
“…….”
Deliberately ignoring the strange sensation I felt from behind me, I relied on faded memories to find a certain place.
The third building down the north-south road from the central castle.
[---- . -- .--- .]
An incomprehensible sign and an especially shabby exterior.
It did not even look useful as cover, but...
‘Its true value lies elsewhere.’
I opened the door as if to prove it and stepped inside.
Just as expected, the interior looked as though it had not seen a human hand in years.
A large bulletin board hung on the right wall, with a counter in the center.
I approached that counter.
[-100C]
I changed 100 Credits into coins and placed them on top.
Then I spoke a single line.
“I’ve come to find work.”
Something strange happened.
The Credits vanished into thin air.
[You have found a ‘Hidden Quest (Hidden Quest)’ concealed within the map.]
[Quest: Outlaw Hunt]
▶Outlaws have invaded the royal capital, ‘Helreim.’ As a mercenary, you have been requested to deal with them.
▶Objective: Kill Count 30 or higher
▶Rewards: <Title: Peacemaker (Peacemaker)>, <10,000C>, <Attribute Points +3>
“Hah...!”
Just as I thought.
Nobody had claimed the Hidden Quest here yet.
There were several quests hidden throughout maps like this.
Among them, those that could only be accepted once and by a single person, while offering tremendous rewards, were called Hidden Quests.
The ‘Outlaw Hunt’ I had just received was one of them.
“Of course, the greater the rewards, the less easy the objective is.”
A Kill Count of 30.
Ordinarily, first place in Survival got around ten kills, making this three times as high.
But I was not worried in the slightest.
Right now, all I could feel was...
‘Anticipation over how sweet these rewards will be.’
I wiped the saliva gathering at the corner of my mouth and stood before the building’s door.
“Hm... About two? No, considering the ones behind them, maybe three.”
Based on the sense I had felt earlier, I made a rough plan.
[All Players Have Entered.]
[The Game Begins!]
The moment the game announced its start, I stepped outside.
Just as expected.
“Yaaah!”
“Haaah!”
Two Players charged at me.
As if they had been waiting for me to emerge, they launched their ambush with eyes full of anticipation.
‘I must really look like a mess.’
Judging from my appearance, they seemed to have thought I was a free kill and tailed me the entire time.
At this level, even one kill was precious.
How badly did they want a kill to go that far?
‘Though I’m not exactly in a position to say that.’
They were not the only ones acting in the hopes of snagging a free kill.
WHOOSH!
With a smooth movement, I slipped out of range of the two sword strikes.
The blades sliced uselessly through empty air.
“Huh... huh?”
“...!”
They must have assumed their ambush would land. The way they froze the instant it missed was quite a sight.
Without changing my evasive stance, I planted both feet firmly on the ground.
Hummm!
I moved the Mana gathered at my solar plexus.
From my chest to my shoulder, elbow, and wrist—then through every joint in my fingers.
Maintaining its fluid flow, I amplified it.
“Haa—!”
I swung the club.
CRACK!
A sound no human head should make rang out.
I struck the head of the bastard who had ambushed me head-on.
I felt bone and its contents shatter through my fingertips.
‘One kill.’
With that thought in mind.
THUMP!
I kicked off the ground, snatched the sword held by the Player I had just killed, and drove it into the remaining one’s throat in an instant.
SQUELCH!
As flesh split apart, the opponent’s balance collapsed.
“U-Uwaaaah!”
Even with their throat being torn open, they cried out in surprise rather than pain.
They must have set their Sensory Synchronization Rate exceptionally low.
“Next time, make sure you look at your target before you ambush them.”
After offering a piece of advice that would surely serve them well, I twisted the sword and cut off their breath.
‘Two kills.’
The moment I finished counting in my head, the two corpses and their equipment dissolved into particles of light.
[You have defeated a Player!]
[Kill Count (Kill Count): 2]
Two free kills right from the start.
It was a shame that, unlike in Battle Royale (Battle Royal), I could not use the defeated opponents’ equipment.
‘Still, it’s not entirely bad.’
People would keep underestimating me.
I waited, and, as expected, several arrows soon flew toward me.
“I was wondering when you’d show up.”
The shots had come from the rooftop of the building up and to my right.
Considering how well the sniper had positioned themself, they did not seem like a complete novice.
I ducked beneath the arrows, poured Mana into the soles of my feet, and launched myself high into the air.
“—!”
Just as expected, there was a woman on top of the building.
She should have been shocked by a Warrior suddenly flying through the sky, but she quickly came to her senses and nocked an arrow.
She seemed to think that, at this range, she could pick me off before I reached the ground.
“What a shame.”
[Gravity Field (D) Activated!]
“I’m a little faster.”
A purple field unfolded, and my falling speed doubled.
Before she could even draw her bow, I crashed into the building first.
RUMBLE!
The building collapsed.
“Kyaaaah!”
“There you are.”
Her location had been difficult to determine, but thankfully, she had screamed.
I cancelled the skill and grabbed a suitable piece of rubble from the debris.
Mana flowed into my right arm.
The Mana that raced from my shoulder circled my wrist, drawing out my strength.
Then I hurled the shard of rubble with all my might—toward the direction her scream had come from!
CRUNCH!
I could not see through the cloud of dust, but it had definitely struck something.
[Kill Count (Kill Count): 3]
After all, my Kill Count had just increased to three.
“Whew.”
I exhaled with satisfaction and swept my bangs back.
Three free kills in less than three minutes.
It was an incredible record, but I could not be satisfied yet.
My goal was 30 kills.
That said, there was no need to go out of my way to search for other Players.
They would come to me of their own accord.
“I’ve made this much of a spectacle. How could hyenas like them possibly stay away?”
I had destroyed an entire building.
Every nearby Player who heard that sound would come running.
RUMBLE...!
Just as expected, several sets of footsteps began to draw near.
I lightly swung my club and stepped outside.
It was mealtime again.
Meanwhile.
“Uwaaaah!”
The woman Shin Jaeha had just struck with a thrown stone sprang upright in her room as though she had been convulsing.
Then, blinking dazedly, she asked.
“What... did I die to?”
-What was that? I didn’t see it.
-Some guy in a hoodie suddenly flew into the sky with a club, and then...
-I think I heard something.
-It was already unusual when he turned the tables on those two ambushers, lol.
-Ah, he had that seasoned-player look. I told you you’d get f*cked if you messed with him, lol.
“Hey! You were the ones who told me to follow him and take the free kill!”
-We told you to pick up a free kill, not to die.
-Seriously, why are you blaming us? So mean T_T
-It’s not as if we thought he was some worthless trash who couldn’t even pick up a free kill, lol.
-But that wasn’t a free kill just now.
Channel Streamers were people who made their living broadcasting Channel matches.
“Ugh... I should watch the kill cam....”
The female Archer streamer replayed the final moments of the match.
Her opponent had suddenly fallen at high speed and destroyed the building... then she had suddenly died.
“……?”
When she examined the footage frame by frame, she saw it.
A small stone had torn through the dust at tremendous speed and buried itself in her head.
-????
-This is f*cking insane, lol.
-That game sense is absurd.
-So turning the tables on that ambush wasn’t a fluke?
-He destroyed a building, then threw a stone and killed her while she was thrown off? How is that kind of game sense happening in an Under Rank Normal Match?
-I’m an Iron player. I’m retiring.
-He’s pretty good, lol.
-How much Strength do you need to one-shot a Player by throwing a stone?
-Player (dies after getting hit by a stone)
The chat reacted as though the footage were impossible.
The streamer herself was even more dumbfounded.
It was strange enough that an Archer had been killed by a Warrior with a ranged attack, but...
‘He produced that much power just by throwing a stone...?’
Players were superhumans who received boosts from their attributes.
To kill someone in one blow by throwing a stone... it required at least Bronze-level Strength. If not, even more Mana.
And Mana Control Proficiency capable of maximizing the stone’s force without shattering it.
“F*cking... monster....”
In the end, she could only let out a stunned, despairing murmur.