The man who was watching a post in AJ community of the plains tilted his head and replayed the video he had just seen.
“The last skill was insane, but wasn’t that just skill-spam…? Even someone like Dahav, who spams skills, would be knocked out instantly at that level if hit by something like that.”
Overall, the player’s skills were quite impressive, but the skill itself seemed to be something obtained through sheer luck.
And since it was luck, it was unlikely to last long.
“I don’t understand why he’s so desperate to get a contract.”
An arrogant remark that could be taken as self-righteous.
But considering the ability possessed by the man sitting in the chair, it wasn’t just empty arrogance.
The man’s name was Zen, also known as The God Who Revives Even Dead Videos.
The highest view count of the videos he created reached 5.5 billion.
Every year, he dominated the I-tube Creator Festival, a user with such outstanding skill that it was like gathering ten million moviegoers every day.
Thanks to his brilliant career, even Guild Master Yeon Riji of the fifth-ranked guild personally entrusted him to produce videos for their channel.
So, Zen’s arrogance could be interpreted positively as a certain craftsman’s spirit and personal pride.
Because of that pride, he never accepted mediocre videos and could only dream of long-term exclusive contracts.
“Ah, whatever. This isn’t the time for that. I have to get started first.”
Since he promised to deliver the video by 5 o’clock, time was tight.
He quickly moved the mouse and clicked on the internet tab that was already open, entering the email inbox.
To check the materials, he pressed refresh, and a new email arrived.
-Hello. I am a user named Dahav.
“Woah, what? Is this a joke or is he serious?”
He couldn’t tell, but the fact that he managed to find the email and contact him was no small feat, so with a mix of anticipation and fear, he opened it.
The content was extremely polite but also contained a certain boldness.
In conclusion, he wanted to sign an exclusive contract with me.
If it were an ordinary player, or even a mid-ranked 1000th level player, he would have just laughed it off and deleted it as spam.
But since the video he had just seen wasn’t bad, and the email exuded confidence in his own ability, Zen subconsciously clicked on the attached video.
Soon, the video player opened and the clip started playing.
***
When the video ended, Zen closed his tightly sealed lips.
“Already over?!”
It wasn’t an expression of disappointment.
It was a word of regret.
He felt so much regret that despite having a video to produce by 5, he rewound and watched it again.
The length of the video was just over 10 minutes, somewhat short for a “raid.”
But the excellent physicality and showmanship combined with captivating content made the perceived time feel like less than half that.
It was as if his soul was halfway out, only able to watch.
After watching it about ten times, he finally spoke.
“You’re crazy.”
The physical skills alone were enough to make him stick his tongue out in disbelief.
But if it had ended there, he wouldn’t have replayed the video or kept watching.
“You actually defeated a boss monster using a skill like this?”
His previous arrogance was completely overturned.
“The fact that you obtained that skill wasn’t just luck…”
Of course, knowing how the skill was acquired was a realm of luck, but as the saying goes, opportunity comes to those prepared.
Without Dahav’s physicality and adaptability, it would have been impossible.
“This contract has to be mine.”
Zen’s high pride was a burden that came from the absence of players worthy of emulating in the video.
If a player of equal or higher caliber appeared, there would be no need to waste time negotiating.
“Not building up, but bringing down.”
Zen himself had accumulated enough wealth from videos.
He worked here simply because producing videos made him happy.
In that situation, Dahav’s video was like a holy water that quenched his hungry soul.
If only he could get the contract, he was willing to work without pay.
“This is no time to hesitate.”
Hurriedly, he pressed reply and started typing on the keyboard.
***
When players encounter a sudden rise in map difficulty or monsters with tricky attack patterns during a game, they usually resort to one of two methods.
Either move to another hunting ground or keep leveling up in the previous hunting ground even if the experience gain is lower.
No player willingly hunts in inefficient areas.
This is why there are few players in Sky Ridge.
It was a city not far from Shinaga, a level 10 hunting ground, and among level 20 hunting grounds, it was the most convenient to move around.
But most players avoided hunting Harpies.
While there were complex reasons, the biggest problem was the limited number of nets.
However, none of that was an issue for Dahav.
“Having the Heavenly Cloak with me makes me feel so secure.”
The quest received from Mendelssohn in Sky Ridge was, as expected, “Slaughter of the Harpy.”
Normally, you’d have to form a party or spend a lot of time on this quest, but thanks to the Heavenly Cloak’s options, that wasn’t necessary.
It felt as reassuring as having excellent party members.
‘But still, there’s no way I’m taking breaks.’
Since the monsters here were higher level than in Shinaga, the difficulty had definitely increased.
The main difference was between the Walking Monster and the Flying Monster.
While the Walking Monster could close the distance and attack anytime, the Flying Monster required a preparation period to shoot arrows or magic or had to be pulled down with a net.
But on the other hand, they had relatively low defense and stamina.
‘Still, the advantage of flying is huge. Since they’re dragged around involuntarily in battle, it’s hard to attack properly.’
It might seem trivial, but the psychological pressure of having or lacking the initiative was like night and day.
‘Moreover, Harpies live in packs.’
They didn’t roam alone but in groups of three to five, which only increased the pressure.
These combined conditions explained why Sky Ridge rarely saw many players.
‘Well, I don’t have to worry about hunting efficiency.’
Not as completely desolate as Eren Port, which had almost entirely lost its population, but the number of monsters here was quite high.
Only two minutes after entering the habitat, Dahav spotted five Harpies in front of him, spreading their wings wide and flying toward him.
Dahav grinned and extended his hand.
“Come out.”
While the Ghouls revealed themselves on the ground, the Harpies, soaring in the sky, had already arrived overhead and were observing Dahav’s group.
The Harpies, who scouted for prey throughout the Sky Ridge, looked eagerly at the fresh catch that had come near their nest.
Soon, the Harpies began to dive bomb each other, trying to get more meat fragments.
In response, Dahav didn’t rush forward and instead hid behind the backs of the summoned Ghouls.
‘With a solid defense, I can take them out one by one.’
He had practiced counters like this in his battle against Boss Monster Albino, so he was confident it would work well against Harpies too.
Even when he was the prey, Dahav quietly and heavily prepared like a lurking beast.
Beep!
With a high-pitched sound that pierced the ears, the Harpies extended their talons and charged.
The distance quickly closed, and as soon as they were almost within reach, Dahav’s eyes snapped wide open.
“Block it!”
Four Ghouls scattered and charged simultaneously at the marked Harpies.
The Harpies without Ghouls following them were Dahav’s targets.
Click—!
It was an honest attack throwing the net head-on, but the fast dive made it impossible for the Harpies to dodge, and they were caught by the net.
The net thrown by Dahav covered the Harpy’s body like a clam shell.
The trapped Harpy struggled to tear the net apart.
But as a fierce beast, Dahav’s hold was unbreakable, and the movements of the trapped Harpy were nothing but a show.
Just as the Harpy was using its two wings and talons to frantically try to rip the net apart—
Dahav’s Golden Dagger pierced the Harpy’s critical spots.
[Critical Weak Point Attack!]
[Due to a critical hit, damage dealt increases by 300%.]
No matter how many times he saw the message, it was always a pleasant sight, but there wasn’t even time to savor it.
“Unfortunately, time isn’t on my side.”
Though the Ghouls were strong wind barriers protecting against the Harpies, the nature of a level 45 regular monster meant one-on-one battles were somewhat disadvantageous.
In the end, they had to rely on the Ghouls’ regeneration.
But since the regeneration source consumed one of the three “Perfect Ones” they possessed, prolonging the fight would inevitably lead to defeat.
“Even if I push full force from the start, I have to finish as quickly as possible.”
Considering the current situation, if everything went smoothly, the battle could be over in about 15 minutes.
Though the Ghouls weren’t in danger of being completely annihilated, any wrong move could lead to death, so Dahav shook his head and adjusted his limits.
- “I’ll use Hanibarame’s Blessing to make sure it’s over within 10 minutes.”
To determine victory quickly, he raised his concentration to the max and prepared for the next attack.
[Due to the effect of Yedo: Split Ruin Style Resonance of Raging Net, critical damage increases by 400%.]
[The Harpy receiving the high damage at once has fallen into a Groggy state!]
Whoa.
Unexpected wording.
Dahav’s eyes widened in surprise.
But he had no time to waste, and his mind raced quickly.
“That’s right, the Groggy System!”
The Groggy System is a function where if a target receives a certain amount of damage in a single hit, it becomes unable to stand and staggers for a period of time.
It’s a system found in some games and is exactly the same here.
Even regular monsters with hard difficulty are almost impossible to put into the groggy state unless you’re hunting low-level monsters that are meant to inflict experience penalties.
But the high skill and the Harpy’s low defense and stamina—
“The final effect of Resonance of Raging Net made this possible.”
Though it was unexpected and could be a bit confusing, Dahav was not the kind of player to miss such a golden opportunity.