“Shazam must really like this Player quite a lot. As a person, I wouldn’t discourage someone from liking another, but don’t misunderstand. I only gave him a chance, as promised. Whether or not he manages to take the items from the report depends entirely on the Player’s ability.”
“But didn’t you give him the chance to take not one, but two items? If Dahav, the Player, takes all the two sacred relics that were passed down from the previous generation in the report, what will you do then?”
Alexandra calmly put down the report she had been reading and spoke quietly.
“That is exactly what I want. Father wished the same. Isn’t it the way of the world that the rightful heir claims the heirlooms (the relics)? If he can take both relics, then it is fate — it means he is the latent dragon who will soon spread his wings and soar.”
Shazam’s eyes crinkled as he smiled, unable to hide his amusement as he slightly bowed his head.
In truth, Shazam had been walking a razor’s edge during the earlier conversation.
The dialogue he had just received was not one of blind loyalty but carried a somewhat subtle tone.
But Alexandra did not get angry.
On the contrary, she was so genuine and pure in expressing her feelings that Shazam liked it.
He had observed Alexandra for quite some time and understood her well.
“So, you gave that Player the opportunity, hoping he would take both sacred relics. Of course, Alexandra’s nature makes her seem indifferent when she speaks, but she only hides her smile.”
“I see. I understand Your Lordship’s will well.”
Alexandra stepped back and looked at Shazam, then sighed softly as if signaling the end of the matter.
“If that’s settled, now go and focus on your work.”
After bowing, Shazam turned to leave but suddenly stopped and said,
“Still, just in case, should I have the Player check the items in the report after he leaves?”
There was a brief silence, but Shazam already anticipated what expression would appear and what the answer would be.
And his trembling voice confirmed that his guess was correct.
“Th-That’s something I’m curious about too. Send someone to check it.”
“Understood. I will arrange that.”
Shazam smiled brightly as he nodded at Alexandra and swiftly exited the room.
***
Unpredictable Variables.
Without preparation, anxiety naturally increases.
What about sudden unforeseen variables that arise from being unprepared?
It is only natural to be greatly flustered and at a loss for how to respond.
But that means if you prepare properly, there is no need for anxiety.
“There are so many….”
Dahav stuck his tongue out while standing on the Shinaga castle wall, looking out at the users outside the village.
He wasn’t just surprised that the number of users had increased.
The population of ASA users was rising sharply and was expected to keep climbing, so he wasn’t shocked that the number of Players had increased significantly compared to a week ago.
What truly startled him was that what Seokdu and Yeo-il had said was exactly right.
‘There are those users blatantly staring only at the castle gate, pretending to hunt monsters while actually watching the gate continuously — even a Party that’s doing that.’
Some Players were moving completely separately, but several Players surrounded the gate like a perimeter net as if they were united in purpose.
If he hadn’t known, he would have just passed by without a second thought, but thanks to the information from Seokdu and Yeo-il, he could sense their awkward movements.
‘Roughly about a dozen, huh… more than I expected.’
He hadn’t left Shinaga much, so he was surprised by the number.
Of course, he couldn’t be sure all of them were bad-mannered Players, Wolfies.
But when planning, you must consider the worst-case scenario.
That made the answer clear.
‘A frontal confrontation was absolutely impossible.’
Judging by their gear, there were even a few level 30 users among them.
The Wolfies weren’t as skilled as pro Players, but the level difference and numerical disadvantage combined made them formidable.
He had no intention of asking Seokdu for help, nor was he thinking about retreating.
As mentioned before, relying on Seokdu might actually be a hindrance.
And retreating should only be the very last resort.
‘They’re especially vicious to the weak.’
Baek Jun-su had grown up in an orphanage and had experienced such Wolfies filled with jealousy and malice firsthand.
‘They’re foolish beasts who become endlessly weak before the strong and unbearably cruel in front of the weak.’
That’s why he could not back down.
If they retreated here, that would be exactly what the Wolfies wanted.
They had to look to the future, not just the immediate moment — they could not let those Wolfies hold them back.
When he was a child growing up in the orphanage, he was too scared to stand up to those types because of social judgment and lived in hiding.
That’s when his suffering began.
But looking back after becoming an adult, those people were just pitiable humans.
“I absolutely don’t want to lose. Of course, I don’t expect to.”
It was not blind confidence.
After hearing stories at the Gym, he had planned extensively.
And this situation was already factored in.
With Dead by Explosion and Serravantes’ Necklace reinforcing his armor, he was even better prepared than when he first made the plan.
“If Plan B succeeds, it’s a guaranteed win; even if it’s a bit off, I’ll still likely win.”
Of course, Dahav prepared a second plan for the worst-case scenario.
“A Party without a Tanker and Healer is no Party at all.”
If Plan B succeeded, the Wolfies would be little more than easy meals that could be taken down without even drawing their swords much.
Reorganizing the plan, Dahav smiled with anticipation and finished preparing to leave the castle gate.
***
In most games, when asked when the worst feeling hits, the answer usually is:
-When you die to a monster or another user, when your enhancing item breaks, or when the lowest-contributing Party member gets the so-called loot.
But among those, the most frustrating is when you get “stolen” from.
Especially when a higher-level user than you disrupts your hunting spot.
“Hey, did Shinaga get a new patch with fresh item drops? Just by looking at the gear, the place is flooded with late-20-level guys who should have graduated Shinaga, but they’re out here hunting level 10 players? What the hell?”
“Level 20 is nothing. I even saw level 30s here. In a Party, no less.”
“Level 30s? No way.”
“Yeah, they were wearing quest reward rings for level 30.”
There were not just a few, but dozens.
They tried to kill monsters one by one to avoid suspicion, but since there were so many, the respawn rate of Titan Arum was dropping drastically — the resource was drying up.
On top of that, these rebellious players caused chaos, but instead of apologizing, they would reverse-blame others if mana was interrupted.
Simply put, normal users had every reason to be furious.
“That user who handles zombies… yeah, Dahav! Sure, Dahav’s way of hunting Amorphopallus is unique and has gained him popularity, but judging by hunting speed and level-up effects, those are mostly level 10 users, or at best early 20s. Yet now there’s a level 30 Party coming just to kill a single monster?”
“Pfft. You don’t know much. If it were just hunting style, you’d only need to learn the pattern. But that guy was once invited to the Shinaga Overlord’s castle — something even level 100s find difficult to do. Seriously, I couldn’t believe it when I heard. On YouTube, the channels profiting from this chaos are already filming videos boasting that Dahav is competing with top-ranked players.”
“Invited to the Overlord’s castle? Well, that sounds impressive. But it’s still ridiculous for level 30s to come and hunt level 20s. Don’t they have any pride?”
“Pride? If they had any, they wouldn’t be Wolfies, would they?”
Despite the negative talk, the Wolfie packs remained unmoved.
Criticism was nothing new to them.
Rather, the criticism only increased their desire to crush Dahav.
Especially since super Players had been ruined, Bogus’s party, who had fallen behind after failing tests, saw ‘Dahav hunting’ as their last hope and chance.
“Everyone knows Dahav is currently the number one target for recruitment.”
Because of negotiations over his contract fee, everyone was hesitant to make a move.
In other words, adjusting “Dahav’s price” was no easy task.
If the fee was set too high, management risked increasing.
If set too low, Dahav would be dissatisfied, and the guild’s reputation would suffer.
Such indecisiveness was actually an opportunity for Bogus’s Party.
They planned to take Dahav down, and then their chance would come.
Bogus’s Party was a group of talented level 30 players.
They had even been offered a 200 million contract fee from a top-20 guild.
Yet they were unsatisfied and arrogant, going as far as to take the recruitment test for the top-10 guild Valhalla.
Valhalla was known for its strict power standards, so the result was, as previously mentioned, quite humiliating.
Of course, Bogus’s Party had good basic skills and could enter Valhalla with just a bit more effort.
But they thought it easier to oppress others than to train themselves.
Humans naturally want the easier path.
“Let’s just close our eyes and, for once, throw away pride and status, and join the Wolfies to take down Dahav. You get the idea, right?”
The Party members nodded in agreement without complaint.
Since Dahav was the number one recruit target for a relatively large guild, Bogus’s Party wasn’t the only group in this situation.
A player with tired, drooping eyes cautiously approached and called out an ID.
‘Emma.’
Emma was the leader of a Party that started roughly at the same time, took a similar growth route, and had comparable skills.
In other words, a rival.
They could have ignored or harshly treated each other at the hunting grounds, but now that they were on the same side, she planned to use them as an army.
“Have you all confirmed your assigned areas?”
Emma asked with a slight smile.
“Yes, not a single ant will escape.”
“Good. That’s how we’ll avoid being caught off guard.”
“Don’t worry. We’ve picked only the best.”
Just as Emma said, glancing around, there were familiar faces from the guild recruitment test.
Thanks to that, confidence was assured.
‘So the divine Dahav is finally losing.’
No matter how capable, without a guild and openly declaring his identity, he was clearly just an inexperienced rookie.
He hadn’t even mastered the basic ‘observations’ of ASA.
‘If that’s the case, the Wolfies are a no-brainer.’
They wouldn’t have any plans or strategies; they’d just fight unprepared.
Nor would they fight a fair fight.
Against a well-balanced Party like now, it was obvious they’d be easily overwhelmed.
‘You can’t tank alone. If that happens, Dealers can freely dish out damage.’
If Dealers could deal damage freely, victory was essentially guaranteed.
Just as Bogus, who thought he had planned everything perfectly, was smiling faintly, the castle gate opened.
Screeeech.
A man walked out through the opened gate, and a user shouted.
“Dahav! Dahav has come out!”
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