Chapter 11: Fortune, Favor, and Fangs

“Here. This is the Head of Albino you requested.”

Alkas, who received the Head, couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

“It usually takes over a week just to find Albino, but you caught it in a single day, and even tracked it down yourself—amazing!”

At Alkas’s hearty laughter, Dahav joined in.

“I was just lucky, that’s all.”

“Lucky? My friend, excessive modesty is just arrogance in disguise. I knew you weren’t ordinary, but you’re truly incredible! In all my years as an Instructor, I can count talents like you on one hand. I stake my name on it!”

The moment Alkas raised his thumb in approval, a message appeared, signaling the completion of the Quest.

[Alkas’s Favorability has increased by 35.]

[Due to your astonishingly fast and unbelievable performance, Alkas’s Favorability has increased by an additional 35.]

[Alkas completely trusts you.]

[Eren Port’s Reputation has increased by 10.]

[You have achieved the Eren Port’s Benefactor achievement!]

[You have gained 15,000 experience points.]

[Congratulations! Your level has risen to 12.]

• Additional Achievements Unlocked: Eren Port’s Benefactor, Achievement: Slayer of Albino Alone, Achievement: Sharpshooter

As I stared at the achievements I’d just earned, my heart pounded in my chest like a drum.

“This is insane.”

In ASA, apart from Special Stats, base Stats automatically increased by 5 or 10 points per level up.

In other words, including the base job change Stat bonuses, the Stat Window that now combined all these achievements—plus the ones from yesterday like Marksmanship and Goblin Exterminator—was showing truly monstrous numbers.

Even now, my growth was impressive enough, but this wasn’t the end.

“If I add this earring on top of it…”

[Ring of the Frozen Earth Tyrant (8+ Enhancement)]

• Grade: Unique
• Category: Lower Grade
• Wearable Level: Level 10 or above
• The earring of Eren Port’s Albino.

This earring, cherished by Albino, the ruler of the East and leader of the Goblins, is an accessory that, when paired with the Ring of the Frozen Earth Tyrant, grants a Set Effect.

• Stat Option: Strength +5 / Agility +5
• Special Option: When worn with the Ring of the Frozen Earth Tyrant, Spirit Stat +10 / Special Stat Leadership +10

With a fluttering heart, I equipped the Ring of the Frozen Earth Tyrant earring, which I’d been storing in my inventory, and licked my lips in anticipation.

“Status Window”

[Dahav]

• Level: 12
• Race: Human
• Class: Monster Pioneer
• Status Window: Strength 16(+20) / Agility 15(+25) / Endurance 18(+10) / Spirit 37(+10)
• HP: 180(+100)
• MP: 370(+100)
• Special Stat: Dexterity 16 / Leadership 22 / Luck 0(+15)

Just looking at the Stat Window in front of me made me want to shout for joy.

“Kuh! This is electrifying! ASA This is the best!”

It was a bit disappointing that there were no achievements or equipment that increased Special Stats, but considering I was only level 12, my potential for growth was limitless.

It was just that there weren’t any achievements to boost Special Stats yet—my base Stats were already about 10 levels higher than they should be.

“I think I understand now why pro players and rankers are obsessed with achievements.”

My actual level was only 12, but with the achievements stacked up, my abilities were on par with someone in their twenties.

“This feels way too good!”

Just looking at it felt as satisfying as collecting figures.

At the same time, my desire to improve was stirred.

“If I keep growing like this…”

If I kept this up, I’d be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with those I’d only dreamed about and seen in videos.

Just imagining it made my cheeks ache from grinning.

Of course, I couldn’t just get lost in daydreams.

“I’m behind, so I’ll have to move quickly.”

I bowed to Alkas in front of me and bid him farewell.

“Thank you. With Albino’s Head, I’ll be safe for a while, so I’ll go look for others who need help.”

As I finished my greeting and turned to leave, a message popped up.

[As a reward for reaching 100 Favorability with Alkas, the Hidden Quest ‘Alkas’s Recommendation Letter’ has been unlocked!]

“With your ability, I doubt you’ll waste any time looking for work. Isn’t that right? As it happens, my Academy classmate Shazam is looking for talent to solve a problem in the city. Would you like an introduction?”

[Alkas’s Recommendation Letter]

• Rank: F Grade
• Quest Details: After slaying Albino and bringing the Head to Alkas, who now trusts you completely, he wishes to recommend you to his acquaintance Shazam, who’s been troubled lately.
• Reward upon completion: 1,000 experience points, access to the chain Quest ‘Millin Task’ from Shazam

The reward was modest for a Hidden Quest, but that was a trivial issue.

The name value of 1400, and more importantly, the follow-up chain Quests were the real core.

‘The real rewards are probably in the chain Quests that follow after this…’

Suddenly, a scene flashed through my mind.

With a friendly smile, Dahav firmly grasped Alkas’s right hand and said,

“How could I refuse a recommendation from you? I’ll go help right away.”

***

Just as there are tiers among universities in Seoul, not everyone with talent plays on the same field.

Even within the ‘framework’ of talent, there was a strict classification.

Most people, once they fit into that ‘framework,’ become aware of their current position and strive to improve, aiming to break out of that framework.

Of course, there were also those who settled for reality and lived content with what they had.

There was nothing wrong with that.

But as the saying goes, when five people gather, one is always trouble; there are always outliers.

Some people gain pleasure and satisfy their selfish desires by trampling on those weaker than themselves.

In reality, these were people who couldn’t do such things, but ASA was a game that some abused.

In fact, in ASA, you could completely hide your identity—face and nickname—by simply equipping a ‘Mask’ that could be bought at any general store for around 1 gold.

As long as you had the skill, the value of the drop items you earned from victories far exceeded the cost of the Mask, so the system not only permitted but practically encouraged violent acts.

“You think you’ll get away with this? Do you know who I am? I bet you’ve heard of the Super Rookie raised by Divine, the 62nd-ranked guild! That’s me! Even if I’m wearing a Mask, all I have to do is report you to the guild!”

The man’s threatening shout was cut off by PK criminals.

“You’re going to say that your Skill or body type will give you away in the end, and after that you’ll be endlessly hunted down until you have to delete your character, right?”

“If you know that much, this’ll be quick. Let’s make a deal. Since you seem reasonable, I’ll let you live. How about it?”

Perhaps thinking things were going his way, a sly smile spread across the man’s lips.

But the pain radiating from his abdomen taught him otherwise.

“Don’t bluff. You know what my Chaos point is? It’s a whopping 48.”

At those words, the man’s eyes shook violently.

A Chaos point of 48 meant he had already killed at least a hundred players. Beyond 40, the counter rose painfully slowly—meaning he was a true mass murderer.

He was a maniac, a murderer in all but name, and had probably heard threats like this countless times.

In other words, such threats had no effect.

PK criminal grinned wickedly.

“Are you finally starting to get the picture?”

Even in the moment of being forced to kneel, the man refused to surrender his pride, baring his teeth.

“Think carefully. Our Divine guild never forgets a grudge! If you kill me now, you’ll definitely regret it soon!”

At the man’s threats, the PK criminal snorted.

“Ha, my ears are getting calluses from hearing that. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard ‘You’ll regret this.’ But what’s this? I’m still enjoying the game just fine.”

The PK criminal shoved his face close to the man and said,

“You idiot. You think the guild will issue an Assassination Order over you? Use your head. 62nd-ranked guild? You think you’re the only rookie being trained in a top guild like that? If you were really such a valuable asset, would they have left you here alone like this? In the end, you’re just a dime a dozen, and if you’re lucky, you’ll just get expelled for losing to a PK criminal, let alone getting revenge.”

“Shut up, you son of a bitch! If I wasn’t poisoned, I wouldn’t need a guild to take care of someone like you!”

“Yeah, yeah, do whatever you want. But you know what? People who lose to me rarely come back. That’s right. All the items and money the guild provided disappear, so the incompetent ones never make a comeback. You’ll be the same.”

The man’s face turned red as fire, and he spat curses.

“You bastard! I’ll kill you for sure!”

“Oh my, such harsh language from the great guild rookie. Next time I see you, I’ll have to smash your mouth in first.”

As the PK criminal finished his last words, the man’s body, still cursing, was reduced to dust by the final dagger strike.

This was the typical rampage of those called PK criminal, or ‘trash.’

And this scene was unfolding right before Dahav’s eyes, hidden in the bushes.

‘It’s exactly like what I saw in those stories and videos.’

Incidents like this were so frequent in the history of ASA, which might as well be called the history of PK, that there were countless stories and related videos from the earliest days of launch.

So there was nothing particularly surprising.

“Still, it’s lucky my Over-the-Senses—Luck effect triggered and let me spot them first.”

Summoner classes weren’t considered strong in 1:1 PK, and those guys prided themselves on being ‘pros’ in this field.

They had high Stats and good equipment, but with factors like class compatibility and level differences, it was hard to declare a definite victory.

“More than anything, there’s nothing good about getting involved with those types.”

Most PK criminal weren’t right in the head, and if you beat them, they’d either chase you down for revenge or even hire Assassins.

There was no benefit to getting involved.

If you had the choice, like now, the best thing was to avoid them.

“I’ll just take a detour, even if it’s a bit longer.”

I turned my back and started to leave.

But then—

“Wow! The Ring of the Frozen Earth Tyrant? Today’s haul is amazing!”

Because PK criminal mentioned the ‘ring,’ I couldn’t help but stop in my tracks.

“The Ring of the Frozen Earth Tyrant…?”

I’d scoured brokers to buy one, but it was so popular among Summoner-type classes that there were never any available.

Since the Set Effect added Leadership, it was a must-have for Summoner-types, making it extremely valuable.

“If I could just equip that, I could keep the Troll Ghoul that eats up 10 Leadership power and modify my Ghouls however I wanted…”

There were plenty of usable corpses in my inventory, and with my increased Dexterity and Skill level, I could create even better Ghouls, but the Leadership cap was holding me back.

Desire welled up, and my mind started to change.

“At that level, it’s worth putting in a bit of effort to get it.”

If it had been a decent player’s item, I wouldn’t have been tempted, but that guy was a notorious bad-mannered player known as ‘trash.’

With no pangs of conscience, I quickly started formulating a plan in my head.

Dahav paused for a moment, then twisted his lips into a smile as he continued to lay out his plan in his mind.