Ark

ACT 5 Alan Stabbed to Death

“Hrmm, it’s a little frustrating?”

Hyun-woo scratched his head. The time had come again for him to submit his report. As always, Hyun-woo only sat down in front of the computer once the deadline was near.  It was the last day of the winter holidays and he had to hurriedly finish his homework. But since he could finish the report in 1~2 hours, time wasn’t the issue. His problem was that he couldn’t think of where to begin.

‘How much should I edit?’

Talking about the siege wasn’t an issue. But the process he used to sell the estate was one. Under the current system, selling or transferring the castle was illegal. It could become a big issue in reality. In fact, buying or selling the castle was no different than fraud. And he also used ‘Dual Registration’ at the trading post. Not to mention he set up a secret tunnel as a way to get into the castle later. Ultimately selling the estate using that method was illegal. While Hyun-woo firmly believed that there was justification for it, he had no idea what Global Exos would think.

‘I’ll just leave that part out.’

It was better to avoid any possible problems. So he summed up the eventful week with one sentence, ‘the castle was taken away.’ Although it was somewhat flat, the truth was that he had lost the castle.

“Okay, the report is now finished……….”

Hyun-woo sent the email before stretching. Hunting in the secret dungeon and selling the castle…….it really was a busy week where he hardly had any time to breathe. So he slept and woke up feeling refreshed after finishing everything he had to do. After submitting his report, he exercised in the morning and realised that one month had passed.  However, there was still the most important thing that he had to do after one month.

“Time to organize my household accounts!”

Hyun-woo smiled happily. Normally he would sigh because of the tight finances but this month was different! Hyun-woo divided his household ledgers into two. His real household finances and New World’s finances. It was impossible to separate them since they were so closely related. When one rose, just like a seesaw the other had no choice but to fall. The reason was that if he didn’t sell an item then it wasn’t possible to obtain a substantial income.  But this was the first time that formula had broken.

‘20,000,000 won!’

That was the bidding price for the ‘Sacred Steel Shield’ after several days. He actually hadn’t expected that much.  In the past, his unique mace ‘Fire Slayer’ had sold for 7,000,000 won and the price for unique armour couldn’t even compare to weapons.  And shields normally sold for the lowest among the armour. He thought it would be good if he received 15,000,000. And after 10 days the bidding price was 14,000,000 won. But then someone had suddenly bid 20,000,000 won and requested to purchase it immediately.

“Huk, D……..deal!”

Hyun-woo who had accessed the auction site quickly agreed. The buyer immediately asked him to cancel the remaining auction period. But he requested that the money be paid in advance. He had no intention of being tricked by other people. After taking off the handling fee, 18,600,000 won was deposited into his account. While he couldn’t possibly understand the person who would spend 20,000,000 won for one item, thanks to that Hyun-woo would be warm this winter.

“This will last me two to three months!”

Whether it was good or bad luck, it always seemed to come pouring in at once. Hyun-woo put his household account book in order and opened Ark’s account book.  The number there was also as beautiful as his household finances. The first item was the 5000 gold that he received once Sid was released. Since he couldn’t entrust Sid with large amounts of money anymore, Ark distributed it according to how much they invested. Ark’s share was 58% so he got 2,900 gold. Then there was the 4000 gold he received from the sale of the estate! Unfortunately, Hyun-woo couldn’t keep all of the estate sale money.  He didn’t occupy the castle by himself. He had to concede the majority of it to the NPCs since they made up 80% of his forces.  The rehabilitation members had also invested a lot of money into the siege.

‘Cross and the Sylphid Knights also did a lot of damage. I have to prepare the proper compensation for the NPCs. While the Meow, raccoons and thieves didn’t openly demand anything, I have to give them a certain amount…….other users might not know but NPCs could be lethal.’

Hyun-woo was a man who would bet his life for 10 won. However he wasn’t stupid. At a young age, he had experienced all sorts of things. There was no part time job that he had not experienced.  If there was one thing that he learnt during that process…….it was that two types of money existed. In other words, if he eat and worked alone then he would be able to obtain 100% of the money.

‘But the foundation of my siege was the NPCs I met in New World.’

He keenly realized what a reliable presence they were through the siege. If he ignored their efforts and didn’t give them anything then a problem would definitely occur. An NPC was like a human. If they did a favour then of course they would want something in return.

‘For the sake of the future, I shouldn’t be stingy.’

Thus Hyun-woo decided to boldly invest 3000 gold that he got from selling the castle. First, he gave JusticeMan and the rehabilitation members 1000 gold while he distribute 2000 gold between Cross, the soldiers, the thieves, the Meow and the raccoons.

“You don’t have to do this…….”

“We came running to defend you because of justice.”

“Of course I know that.  It really is a pure friendship. But my heart won’t accept it. Every time I think of the colleagues who died on the battlefield, my heart starts hurting. Please take it and look after the families of the deceased.

Ark said with a warm tone.

“If you say it like that then I can’t possibly refuse. I won’t say anything else.”

Cross sighed and accepted the money. He felt as if his bones and flesh was being slowly shaved away but being too greedy would cause trouble.

‘I’ve still managed to earn 3,900 gold this time!’

With the 40 gold he received from the Three Little Pigs, it was another 160 gold. In total, he earned 4,060 gold! He felt an excited current flow through his body.  If the NPCs were compensated then they would have a reason to look after him.

‘The compensation this month has cleared all of my worries in one shot. How good would it be if I could do this every month? This world is not that kind to poor people……’

Hyun-woo packed up his ledger and looked at the unit. Although he wanted to connect to New World, he checked the clock and turned on the TV. It was time to watch the aired scoop on the game. Information was power. And unlike the false rumours on the information sites, the information on the TV broadcast tended to have more credibility. Since it was broadcast once a week, the freshness of the information was low but it was quite useful as it dealt with a wide range of information. After an advertisement finished, the game exclusive news began.

“Hello everybody in the audience.”

The now familiar female reporter laughed as she greeted them. Then she deliberately put on a tragic expression and said.

“This time I have very shocking news to tell you. For those who are not aware, I would like to show you a video obtained by our reporters in Selebrid, the capital of Schudenberg Kingdom.”

Soon the screen was replaced by an image of Selebrid square. A crowd had gathered and chattered excitedly in the square where a spokesman was speaking loudly.

“After we obtained information from Silvana, the truth that the church of Asyeosu had committed many misdeeds was revealed.  They used the privileges of the church to further their own interests as well as covering up several acts of blasphemy, until it reached a point where it could not be tolerated anymore.”

The spokesman said after a deep sigh.

“After His Majesty investigated the church, he has decided to deal with those involved harshly. Therefore if you are offering them any help, you will be charged with the crime of harbouring them.”

‘In the end the truth was covered up.’

He felt more relaxed after hearing the conversation on the TV. Anyway, the King was taking care to hide all mentions of Ankh, god of death. After the recent troubling events, if the god Ankh was mentioned then the people might fall into a chaos similar to the Dark Century. He also had to worry about the role of the Asyeosu church. Because quite a large number of NPCs worshipped that religion. The situation wasn’t bad for Hyun-woo. When all the truths come out, it would be natural for Hyun-woo to be mentioned. The interest of other users in this matter would be good.

“Is the incident truly that shocking?”

The reporter on screen said back in the studio. Then the male host nodded his head.

“Yes, if you look carefully at New World then the role of the Cathedral is not light. The Holy place of the 12 religions has some of the biggest influences on the continent. That’s why it is called the Cathedral. But now one of the churches is closed due to corruption. For the followers of Asyeosu it is like the sky collapsed.”

“So it will send a large shock wave through New World?”

“Of course.” When the believers of the church of Asyeosu, all the authorities said was that it was a crime and they won’t be explaining the details. There are a lot of people who don’t understand so they’re talking about it.”

“What about the users who have a job related to the Asyeosu church or have a sub-profession related to them?

“Right. It is not just NPCs affected but users as well. But it will not be a big change. If they select a different religion then their profession will remain intact.”

“What will happen to it in the future?”

“According to the information posted, most of the leaders of the Asyeosu religion have escaped. Searching for the remnants will not be easy. But most of the attention is on the fact that although the King’s decision was very sudden, all the other religions were quiet. They didn’t protest when the King used his authority to invade the Cathedral.”

The male host said with a straight face.

“I think there were other reasons besides the one they told us. And in the future it will clearly be connected to some big event.”

The female reporter asked in a curious voice.

“So you think this will lead to an event in the game?”

“We’ll see. Global Exos hasn’t given a formal reply yet.”

“They have quite a lot of secrets.”

“Well, I understand. The point is to stimulate the curiosity of the users.”

The male host gave a wry smile and changed the topic.

“But in this case, something else was revealed?”

“Yes……….It is really disappointing.”

The female reporter sighed as she mumbled.

“If the event regarding the Asyeosu church made NPCs feel betrayed, this news will make many users feel betrayed. It is regarding the Holy Knight Sir Alan.”

“I hear there was a problem with the siege?”

“Yes, they discovered something after investigating the results in the Shrine of War. During that time, Sir Alan had been abusing the rules of the siege by creating a ghost guild, accepting their challenge and then not fighting in the siege.”

“So that was the reason why he didn’t want to release any video about the siege……..”

“He was afraid that his plan would be revealed.”

Then the female reporter complained with a gloomy face.

“Frankly I’m a little upset. Along with many other female users, I was a fan of Sir Alan. Since Sir Alan always insisted that people should play fairly and honestly, it is a big disappointment.”

“Reporter Lee Hye-won is not the only one who thinks like that. Sir Alan was respected by many users. So their disappointment will be bigger. Our homepage has been bombarded with thousands of messages slandering Sir Alan.  On the other hand, quite of few of them were protecting him. Although it wasn’t a proper method, the method itself does not break the rules. Rather, some of them thought it was wonderful that Sir Alan found a blind spot in the system and utilized it. How will this affect the dynamics of Nagaran in this future?”

“The Shrine of War has overhauled the old rules that applied to Nagaran, and they announced that they will delete the Lord’s right to specify the challenger. A more intense siege will occur if the Lord can’t avoid the challenge of a powerful guild.”

‘Ha, everything in this news scoop is related to me.’

Asyeosu’s downfall and Alan with the ghost guild. Hyun-Woo uncovered all of it. Because it was handled seriously by the TV, thousands of people posted comments on it. On one hand the events were thrilling but they were also frightening.

‘I’m glad that my name wasn’t brought up.’

He inwardly sighed with relief. The male host continued.

“Anyway, Sir Alan is in a pretty difficult situation.”

“Yes, although the users are offended, I was told that creating a ghost guild isn’t actually a criminal offence in New World.  However, Sir Alan also has a relationship with the Asyeosu church. While the church was being investigated, it was revealed that Alan had been secretly helping the higher ranked NPCs. This is an obvious transgression. Sir Alan knew about the hidden corruption of the church and hid it. So Sir Alan has also been branded as a follower of Asyeosu.”

“Then Sir Alan has become a wanted criminal?”

“Yes, there is a bounty on him. Because Sir Alan has become a criminal, the Dawn Blade guild has been disbanded and its members scattered. Since the reputation of the guild leader is the most important, there is no meaning when he is severely criticized by every NPC.”

“I guess Sir Alan’s thoughts will probably be complicated.”

“You’re right. His face has also been publicized on TV. When I went to find him for an interview, he wouldn’t meet with me. As everybody knows, in New World you can only create one character. We’ll have to see if he can recover and overcome this situation in the future.”

“The higher they fly, the worst the impact will be when falling. Since Sir Alan had been so famous, it will be difficult for him to overcome this adversity. But a game is a game and isn’t breaking through any difficulty a charm of the game? Although he is in a difficult situation, one day he might recover enough to have users call him using the title ‘Sir’ again…….”

“………….It won’t happen.”

Hyun-woo muttered as he turned off the TV. The man was talking about the standard method.  The game was a game, but a situation that occurred in reality would be different in the game. There was nothing in the game that would cause a user to abandon it.  They’ve prepared lots of methods to recover. If you murder someone then you can hide until you chaotic alignment decreases. No, because he was a wanted fugitive his crimes would only disappear once he was imprisoned. Although it wouldn’t be easy to gather his forces again, Alan was clever and had a lot of funds so he might somehow recover.

………….But Alan’s opponent was Hyun-woo.

‘Alan, didn’t you hear me say it? You’ve picked the wrong opponent.’

Although his agreement with the rehabilitation members was already over, Hyun-woo had no intention of withdrawing like this. Of course, the first reason was because of his grudge. Although it was only because of Lariette and Roco, his grudge about the 3000 gold was truly fearful. And the second reason was because of Alan. Ark had a grudge against Alan but Alan also had a grudge against him. If Alan managed to regain his forces then his knife would be aimed straight towards Hyun-woo. If he was like Hyun-woo then he would be even more troublesome than before. Hyun-woo wasn’t going to wait politely until that happened.

‘The end? No, it is only the beginning.’

I’ll have to kick him until he is trash in the dirt. In other words, I have to kick him as much as possible.  Alan’s recovery will slow down if he kept on stepping on him and Hyun-woo would be safe for a while.

”But since the situation isn’t good, Alan might not connect for a while.’

Hae Gyeol-sa, Bul-kkun and Tazza had already been searching for Alan for a week. It wasn’t an easy thing to find a user if you didn’t know the resurrection point, and it might take even longer if Alan didn’t connect at all.

‘But Alan is a candidate. He will have to connect soon.’

Then the phone rang.

“It’s me, Alan was found.”

The voice heard on the other end was Bul-kkun.

“You found Alan?”

“Yes, dammit! We thought Alan would hide in the vicinity of Nagaran since he was a fugitive…….but he had gone all the way to Selebrid.”

“Selebrid?”

Ark repeated in a strange voice. Ark had also thought Alan would hide near Nagaran. Since Alan was a fugitive, he was a target for the guards. If so, it would be easier to escape if he was in Nagaran. Instead of an ordinary village, he had gone all the way to Selebrid which was teeming with guards and bounty hunters? Was he intending to die? Ark couldn’t understand his behaviour.

‘Anyway, it is an opportunity for me!’

“Hae Gyeol-sa is chasing after him. Since we can’t defeat him, we’ll try to hold him until you reach Selebrid.”

“Yes!”

Hyun-woo hung up and entered the unit.

‘That’s fantastic!’

When he arrived in Selebrid, he immediately saw Alan’s bounty posters. In Schudenberg Kingdom, the bounty posters were updated every few days on the board. The members of the Asyeosu church were NPCs. Usually NPCs were only wanted in the area the crime was committed, however the Asyeosu church was wanted throughout the whole continent. Alan also occupied a spot on the board. His bounty was 300 gold! That was an unprecedented price compared to other NPCs. The amount of the bounty determined the punishment time.  It was usually 10 gold for 24 hours.  If Alan was imprisoned, he wouldn’t be able to see sunlight for a month. One month………..if he was imprisoned for that long then he would obviously fall behind. Since Alan was a candidate, he had no choice but to run away until the bounty somehow went away.

“Sheesh, this bastard, he was so smug when he appeared on TV…….”

“Obviously he would win if he used such a lousy method.”

“At one time I thought he was so great.”

“I’m disappointed. Turns out he only has a good face!”

People were gathering around the bulletin board and hurling abusive language at his poster. In fact, there was no reason for them to curse at Alan. After investigating at the Shrine of War, it was revealed that Alan used a ghost guild to win the siege. Since it was just a game, they had no reason to care about the Asyeosu church. Even so, the reason they started excessively cursing Alan…….since he appeared so great on TV, the shock of his fall was huge. Since Alan had been so big, the blow was even larger. Of course, he didn’t feel compassion for Alan.

‘I’m not some hero who puts on a mask of justice.’

Ark was laughing at the poster when his name was called.

“Ark!”

Bul-kkun had contacted him.

“What about Alan?”

“He is hiding in the mountains not far from here. Hae Gyeol-sa and Tazza are watching him.”

“Then I’ll go now.”

“However, will it be okay since Hyung-nim and the others haven’t arrived yet?”

“Don’t worry. Alan is not a very difficult opponent anymore.”

Ark smiled and left Selebrid with Bul-kkun. Bul-kkun used ‘Feather of Whispering’ to contact Hae Gyeol-sa who was chasing after Alan. And 10 minutes later, he was able to find Alan hiding in a dark forest. Alan’s equipment had become tattered and he was eating mouldy bread. Since he couldn’t enter a village, he couldn’t repair his equipment or buy food so he was forced to rely on wheat bread that thieves dropped to fill his satiety. It had been 1 week since Alan and the one thousand coalition members returned devastated after the failed siege.

‘His appearance makes you want to throw a coin at him.’

Ark sincerely felt sympathy. He thought that there might be old guild members that had stuck around in the vicinity. If it was Alan when the game first began, more people might have defended him. But when Alan suddenly changed, Lariette wasn’t the only one who became worried. The guild members were treated coldly and like accessories. The majority of the people in the guild were candidates. Since Alan was famous, their probability of success would increase. But now Alan had lost all his reputation. There was no reason to risk themselves for no reward. Alan’s power relied on the pros and cons that he could give them.

‘Poor guy…….sitting with that appearance……..I kind of don’t want to step on him.’

But Ark was a ruthless human.

“Hyung-nims, surround this guy and don’t let him escape.”

“What? You’re really going to face him alone?”

“I’ve already done it once.”

“………..Understood.”

Hae Gyeol-sa, Tazza and Bul-kkun scattered around the place. Once they were in position, Ark leisurely walked out.  Alan immediately jumped like a frightened rabbit and stood up. The piece of wheat bread he was eating fell to his foot. Alan really felt like crying.

“You…….how are you here………!”

Alan said after he saw Ark’s face.

“Didn’t I tell you? I have no intention of ending it like that.”

“You bastard, well met!”

Alan swung his sword without any notice. Ark stepped backwards and blocked the sword. Since it was a sudden attack, he failed to completely disperse the impact. But a small smile still spread on Ark’s face.

‘As expected!’

“You don’t understand the situation.”

Ark immediately fixed his posture and stabbed with his sword. Alan flinched and barely lifted his shield in time. Although he blocked the attack, there was a ringing sound as Alan was pushed back a few steps. Even though he blocked with the shield, he still received a lot of damage.

“W-what is this……..?”

Alan murmured with a puzzled face. Ark looked at him and laughed.

“Have you finally realised a little bit of the situation Sir Alan?”

The conclusion from the short bout was simple. Surprisingly, Ark was stronger than Alan! Ark had already expected that. Alan’s profession was Holy Knight, and the Holy Knight gained its maximum strength when he was leading a lot of troops. The more soldiers there were the more his stats would increase! In addition, he received a bonus to the power and range of his skills depending on his fame. Even if Ark was high levelled, it wasn’t easy for him to win against Alan in a group battle. But the situation changed. Since Alan was now completely forsaken, there was nobody to boost his stats. Ark also grew while Alan was hiding. After discovering the secret dungeon in Silvana, he reached level 180. If he counted the dark attribute bonus then he was level 252! On the other hand, Alan had only gained 4 levels to reach 160. Not only his level, but Ark’s stats were also higher than his. Even if Ark’s sword didn’t directly hit him, it would still be quite painful.

“Let’s see how evenly matched we are!”

……..Frankly, it wasn’t that even.

Pepepepeng!

Ark began to attack Alan in earnest. He swung his sword while turning his body. With most warriors, there was a gap in the timing of attacks where the opponent could attack. But Ark had already overcome that weakness a long time ago. He used the opportunity to kick Alan as well. Since his abilities were so much higher, the heavy kick was like poison to Alan’s body. The difference in stats clearly showed.

“Huk, I’m in an abnormal state?”

Alan staggered because he was in a ‘slowed’ state. Ark’s sword continuously flashed as he moved his hands. Every attack accurately stabbed a gap between the armour! Alan’s health was steadily drained by the constant critical hits.

“Eat this, Holy Light!”

Alan hurriedly used his Holy magic.  Thanks to the ball of light, Ark’s dark attribute bonus was released.

“Heavenly Light, Miracle Force, Defense Aura!”

Alan followed with three skills that would increase his attack and defense. However, the skills of a Holy Knight were also based on fame. Because he was chaotic, his fame was at the bottom and the effects of the skills were cut in half. But Ark’s dark attribute bonus was still released and Alan’s stats rose a little bit so they were at similar levels.

“Heung, you still think that I’ll lose?”

Alan wielded his sword like a storm and cornered Ark. However, Ark’s skills were still stronger. He had a lot of experience dealing with strong bosses without any buffs.

Teteng, kakakak!

While Alan’s attack only hit once, Ark’s hit three or four times. However, Ark’s health still decreased faster. While his dark attribute added damage, the Holy Knight had was covered in armour and rare items. Alan realised that Ark’s sword had more speed than power.

“You foolish noob, you’ll regret appearing in front of me by yourself!”

“You still seem to be misunderstanding something.”

“What?”

“I’m sorry but this isn’t all of my strength. Summon demon, Deimos!”

There was a faint light and Deimos was summoned in front of Ark in time to block Alan’s sword. Meanwhile he stepped back a bit.

“Ha, you think an undead can stop me?”

Alan thought it was ridiculous and brandished his sword at Deimos. A Holy Knight had a powerful advantage against the undead.  But just as Alan’s sword was about to hit Deimos, Ark’s eyes glittered and he said.

“Slide!”

Ark used the special option ‘Slide’ from the Wind Spirits’ Boots that he took from Duke. Then he did a series of kicks while sliding backwards. Ark withdrew a few metres away from Alan. That was the reason why he wanted the Wind Spirits’ Boots. His kicks had three times the power of his punches. But he still used boxing over taekwondo in fights…….the reason was because his kicks had a fatal weakness. Boxing allowed him to move his body while punching. But when he was kicking, once he started the movements he had no way to stop. He couldn’t move freely and take the steps required to move forwards or backwards. This could become a huge weakness in a fight. The power was strong but there was a lot of room for a counterattack.

It was one of the reasons why kicks weren’t seen a lot in mixed martial arts competitions. If you have the same level of proficiency then it would be more beneficial to use boxing then kicking.  In reality it was an insurmountable wall! This wall also existed in the game. Although Ark had a lot of kicks in the beginning, as the monsters levels rose he started using it less. But what if it was possible to move while doing the kicking motion? Ark thought of that idea while watching Duke use ‘Slide.’ And the combination showed an effect that was beyond his imagination. He could freely control the distance while kicking!

Once Alan was caught by Deimos, he was helpless to stop Ark from beating him with the kicks.  He would kick and then slide away like he was moving on ice. The situation completely changed because of one item. That’s the excitement of a game!

While trying to attack Deimos, the slide kick of Ark caused Alan a lot of headaches. If he tried to go after Ark then Deimos would act as a shield.  Alan was caught by the pincer formation and couldn’t do anything as his health kept on decreasing. His recovery skills had also lost their effectiveness. But since Alan had a rare upper class profession, he lasted for quite a while. Of course he could use Blade Storm to settle it, but Ark was determined to finish Alan using kicks.

‘I’ll slowly crush you.’

His grudge wasn’t something that could be released quickly.

“Ugh……!”

Alan stepped back and took out a recovery potion. He had run out of mana because of his recovery skills.

“Not a chance. Summon Demon, Dedric!”

“Aha, it is my turn! Dark Dash!”

Dedric was aware of Ark’s intention as soon as he was summoned fiercely rushed towards Alan. Dedric bumped into Alan’s wrist causing him to drop the potion. And his situation worsened since he was surrounded by Ark and his two pets.

“This is the end!”

“Damn, it can’t be. Flash!”

At the moment a blinding light emerged from Alan’s body.

He was careless! ‘Flash’ was a beginner magic and could be easily avoided. However, Ark was careless and ended up losing his eyesight.

“Woaaah, my eyes!”

Dedric grabbed his eyes and wandered towards the trees.

“Mind’s Eye!”

Ark used the effect of the ring and lifted his sword after the paralysis wore off. He thought that Alan would counterattack with a strong skill. Instead Alan just pushed Deimos aside and tried to flee. When Ark saw it he just laughed.

“It’s too late Alan.”

“Where are you going?”

At that time, Bul-kkun suddenly appeared in front of Alan and punched him. Alan who was hit by the sudden blow fell down. Then the faces of Hae Gyeol-sa and Tazza appeared on either side of him. Alan instinctively sensed his death.

“Our resentment for you killing our cutie is pretty deep!”

“……….Divine god, replace equipment!”

After Hae Gyeol-sa, Bul-kkun and Tazza ran up to him, Alan shouted something.  At that moment, Alan was wrapped in light and his equipment was replaced. A sense of confusion appeared on Ark’s face before he realized.

“Huk! Ah, no! Kill him, kill Alan!”

Ark shouted as he ran up using ‘Sprint.’

Bul-kkun, Hae Gyeol-sa and Tazza attacked simultaneously. Alan’s health immediately disappeared. But Alan just smiled before he died.

“Killing me…..you’ll only get honour……..think…….don’t wish for anymore………”

“Son of a bitch!”

Profanities burst from Ark’s mouth. When a chaotic player died, the penalty for death was doubled. He would lose 60% experience and -2 stats! But the horrific penalty was the chance of losing an equipped item. Alan’s equipment was all rare items, so no matter what dropped it would be a jackpot. Because it wasn’t possible to change armour during a fight, the probability was 100%. But Alan had used a strange skill at the very end to change all his equipment to japtem.

Once he saw the trivial stats in the information window, his anger erupted.

“That damn Alan bastard……..Ya, I’m going to tear him apart!”

Ark’s summons attacked Alan’s body at his command.

Even though he took it out on the body, his anger had not abated at all. Ark bit his lip until it became bloody and lifted his head.

“Do you know Alan’s last updated resurrection point?”

“Yes, it is the quartermaster near Selebrid’s north gate.”

“……….Really?”

Ark’s face lit up at Hae Gyeol-sa’s answer. A chaotic user lost one item every time they died. Once the equipment he was wearing all dropped, items from his bag would start dropping. So there was still a chance to obtain his equipment.

“I have no intention of leaving it like this.”

“Of course!”

“Then I’ll hunt properly and go to the quartermaster’s tomorrow. Alan will probably connect at that time.”

Ark’s forecast was correct. Alan thought that Ark didn’t know the resurrection point and he didn’t want to seem scared of Ark by not connecting, so be resurrected in Selebrid after exactly 24 hours.

“Hey, it’s good to see you.”

“Ark……..!”

Alan stared at Ark aggressively. But in New World there was no skill that could kill the opponent with anger. This time the battle was much easier. JusticeMan and the rehabilitation members had already arrived. After 13 people surrounded him, Alan had no chance.  Halfway through the battle Alan just gave up and didn’t bother counterattacking. Alan once again dropped japtem when he died. However, Ark didn’t care. Thanks to Alan’s proud nature, he revived a few times before being killed. How many times would Ark have to kill him before he dropped a useful item?

‘Eh? He’s not here?’

However, after Alan died twice more he didn’t connect even after 24 hours passed.

‘Is he trying to make me relax my strength?’

Alan was a candidate so he would have to connect.  Perhaps he was waiting for Ark to get tired. But Ark was relentless and won’t give up.  Ark assigned 3~4 rehabilitation members to guard the quartermaster’s in shifts.  So after 12 hours…….when Ark was getting tired Alan suddenly resurrected.

‘Ha, I knew it. You don’t I couldn’t endure until you resurrected?’

Ark and the rehabilitation members stood up and surrounded Alan.

“Divine god, replace equipment!”

It was at that time. Alan used the skill to change to his original equipment. And immediately rushed forward and slammed his shield into Jjak-tung. Jjak-tung had low defense and immediately collapsed while Alan jumped over him and ran.

“He’s trying to run away? Eh……….?”

Ark was confused but quickly chased after him. Alan fled towards Selebrid.  He was a chaotic user wanted by the whole country yet he fled towards a place filled with guards. Did he intend to kill himself? But Ark finally realized Alan’s intention.

‘Yes, that bastard. He judged that it would be difficult to run away from me so he’s intending to go jail?’

As he already knew, most people killed or captured by hunters or guards were automatically thrown in jail. Ark didn’t register to capture Alan because of that. Although the prize money was good if he registered as a bounty hunter, he would only be able to kill Alan once. Alan was clearly trying to use that against him. If he died because of Ark he would lose all his equipment, so Alan would rather die because of a guard and then go jail.

“Do you think I would let you do that? Snake, sword! Blade…….eh?”

After Snake spat out the sword, he was about to use the skill but suddenly flinched and stopped.

“Eh, he, he is……?”

“Alan!”

The guards rushed forward as Alan ran through the north gate. If he used Blade Storm then the guards would be caught as well. If that happened then Ark would be registered as a criminal. Ark put the sword away and ran using ‘Sprint.’ He had to get to Alan before the guards!

“Jeez, what are you doing? You’re interfering!”

“I’m really sorry. I’m a broke hunter and I’m trying to catch Alan…….”

Ark deliberately blocked the guards and narrowed the distance.  Alan was already surrounded by many guards. But there was something wrong with Alan’s behaviour. Although he was surrounded, he used recovery magic to prevent himself from dying while he ran away. His behaviour after resurrecting was strange.  If he intended to die then he should’ve exchanged the equipment.

‘Does he have some other purpose?’

Ark saw the direction that Alan was running in and suddenly became shocked.

‘T-that…….don’t tell me that Alan?’

Alan was running up to a mailbox. Clearly an item couldn’t be exchanged through a general mailbox.  But there was one way to exchange items even with the general mailbox. The auction site! Yes, it was the auction site’s item delivery method. The auction method in New World was unique in that Ark could put an item up for auction or purchase something even in places like a dungeon. If the unit was connected to the computer and the computer to the access site then they could put items on the auction site at any time.  And once the payment was complete, the item would automatically be sent to the buyer’s mailbox.

‘Alan definitely purchased an item to escape this situation. Then the item is……?’

Thanks to his health that was like a cockroach’s and recovery magic, Alan finally arrived at the mailbox. Then he hurriedly took out a bundle of scrolls and tore one. Then Alan disappeared from among the guards.

‘It was indeed the [Warp] scroll!’

Alan had escaped the crisis in a way that Ark had never imagined.

“Sheesh, I almost caught him…….”

The guards muttered and scattered.  But what was Ark doing?

‘The travel distance of [Warp] is 500 metres. But he had a bunch of scrolls that he is going to use. So there is no way to chase him.’

Alan had a weapon that was necessary for chaotic users. The scroll that allowed him to randomly teleport! Although the [Warp] scroll moved him, even Alan would not be able to predict where he would end up. It was difficult to chase someone using those scrolls.

‘Should I give up?’

OF course, Hae Gyeol-sa might be able to find him. However, there was no guarantee of how long it would take.  Ark knew that the time taken to track him would probably be more than a week.

“Damn, if I registered as a bounty hunter then I would’ve at least earned 300 gold…….”

Ark muttered in an annoyed voice.

Ssak ssak? Ssak ssak ssak!

Snake suddenly jumped down and slithered towards the place where Alan disappeared. After it licked the ground, its body stiffened and headed motioned towards a direction. After Snake pointed like an arrow towards a direction, a message window appeared.

“Eh? Stalking?”

Ark glanced at Snake with wide eyes. Since there was no reason to check Snake’s information window, he hadn’t known about the new skill.

“Don’t tell me……you learned it yourself?”

Ssak! Ssak ssak ssak!

Snake’s eyes brightened like lanterns as it nodded.

“That’s it! Aigoo, my cute baby!”

Ark skipped forward and embraced Snake as he jumped around.  Then he kissed the very happy Snake. Ark immediately gathered the rehabilitation members together and explained the situation. After he registered as a bounty hunter, they started to move in the direction that Snake pointed out.

‘Alan, this is the last time. I’ll send you to prison with my own hands………’