Chapter 36: The Price of a Symbiosis Talisman

‘This is insane...’

The next day.

As soon as the playtime reset, Revan logged into the game immediately.

The first thing he did was to return to Herum and meet with Elder Belkan.

Because there was something he absolutely had to confirm with Belkan.

Revan asked again.

“...So, Elder, you’re saying I’m the very first outsider to become part of Herum’s family?”

“Heh heh, that’s right.”

“Then, since me, have any other outsiders become family members as well?”

“So far, you’re both the first and the last. But why do you ask?”

“...Nothing. Thank you for answering.”

No matter how Revan phrased his question, the answers came back roughly the same.

With this, Revan could be certain about the conclusion he had inferred yesterday.

‘I have to catch those bastards.’

Grinding his teeth, Revan’s anger grew.

The ‘bastards’ he referred to were none other than the Busan couple who first uploaded the Armstorin video.

According to the information Revan had gathered yesterday, the people who summoned the perfect Armstorin were very likely them.

Having received Belkan’s confirmation, Revan logged out immediately.

He then connected his computer to the capsule and extracted the recorded conversation with Belkan as a file.

‘It’s not some petty item, it’s worth a hundred million gold. You really think I’ll just stand around like a sucker?’

This was about money—ten million, no, a hundred million gold.

So Revan had spent the entire day yesterday gathering and compiling information, even forgetting to eat chicken.

And now, after talking with Belkan, he was certain.

The Symbiosis Talisman was an item that no one except himself was allowed to obtain.

After creating the evidence file, Revan immediately initiated his second plan.

That plan was to send a message to the Busan couple.

Revan packed the note full of his anger.

He demanded to know through which channel they had learned the summoning method for Armstorin, warning that if they had stolen his information, he would take legal action, even attaching relevant precedents.

‘I’m sure about it. I don’t know how they stole my info, but I was the first to summon Armstorin. And no one else has summoned it via quests since then. So this has to be the work of that damn Busan couple.’

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got.

After sending the note, Revan reclined in his chair to cool down.

‘But watching the video, there’s no way those guys could’ve caught Armstorin. How the hell did they do it?’

No matter how much he investigated, that question remained unsolved.

So he gritted his teeth, ready for battle.

‘No matter what, if they get caught, I’m going to milk them dry.’

Revan’s fierce determination only grew stronger.

“Ugh, I guess that’s it.”

Meanwhile, the Plague Guild summoned and hunted Armstorin again today.

But ever since they acquired 49 Symbiosis Talismans, no matter how many Armstorin they killed, no items dropped.

A disappointment.

But they decided to be satisfied.

After all, the very first Symbiosis Talisman they’d put up as a test had successfully sold.

The squad leader spoke.

“We hunted for two more days, but nothing came up. Looks like the source is dry.”

“Yeah, seems that way.”

“So from today onward, the ‘Arm’ operation stops here.”

“Damn, such a shame. If more came out, Reallu would be swimming in honey.”

“Dude, greed... we still have 48 left, so let’s take it slow and manipulate the market for some sweet profits.”

“Ah, sounds good. So, the ones sold yesterday get settled today, right?”

“The guild master said he’d deposit by six, so just wait.”

“Hah, that’s freaking awesome. At this rate, I might even get diabetes.”

“Shut up, you’re exaggerating again.”

Though the Plague Guild didn’t hesitate to be rude, they strictly adhered to internal rules designed to maximize efficiency.

One of these rules was fair distribution of shared income.

The Symbiosis Talismans were a prime example of this.

“Still, every time I think about it, the Warlord server seems packed with hidden wealthy players.”

“Why’s that?”

“The Symbiosis Talisman sold as soon as it hit the auction house.”

“Took about two minutes, right?”

“Exactly! Who buys a ten-billion-gold item in two minutes?”

“Why act surprised? Didn’t you see the news last time? Even Saudi royalty play on Warlord. Everyone’s rich except us.”

“Suddenly, I’m feeling existential dread.”

“That feeling disappears once you get the deposit.”

“Heh, even if it’s 500 gold per person, after auction house fees, currency exchange fees, and taxes, we might barely get 400.”

“Is 400 cash per person too little? Be grateful we even get that. Our guild only has 20 members including me and the guild master. Others start at 30.”

“Yeah, yeah. That’s why I’m always thankful for the small but elite group.”

“Still 48 Symbiosis Talismans left. The guild master’s gonna sell them slowly, so think of it as a monthly bonus.”

“Yay!”

Finally, the Plague Guild members dispersed again.

Except for the guild master, the 19 members mostly made money through solo play unless collaborating.

Thunk.

[You have successfully hunted the Perfect Armstorin.]

As soon as the Perfect Armstorin fell, Revan immediately tried to loot the item.

But once again, nothing dropped.

This was already the 15th one.

After finishing the loot, Revan burst out in frustration.

“Again?!”

After sending the note to the Busan couple, the first thing Revan did upon logging in was to farm Armstorin.

Because the trading price for the Symbiosis Talisman was revealed to be a staggering one billion gold, he thought it was worth grinding hard.

But no matter how many Armstorin he killed, no Symbiosis Talismans or even low-value items dropped, leaving Revan furious.

‘Could it be a limited-drop item with a cap?’

That would make sense.

Some items only drop in limited quantities.

‘Damn it, is it really a limited item?’

He hoped not.

But watching not a single Symbiosis Talisman drop despite using all his Seokhwan Herbs, Revan had no choice but to give up.

‘Damn...’

If only he’d farmed earlier.

But it was too late to regret.

‘That Busan couple... when I meet them, I won’t let them off easily.’

As his frustration towards the Busan couple built, Revan finally gave up and decided to move on to Pasna.

“Hello?”

“Who’s there... ugh!”

Revan went to Kunmallo again to move to Pasna.

But Kunmallo was startled by Revan’s greeting and began sweating profusely.

Revan tilted his head and asked,

“What’s wrong?”

“N-nothing at all.”

“Oh, okay... By the way, how have you been?”

“Me? Same as always. Any news with you?”

“Nothing much. Oh, and thanks for the other day. It made my trip easier.”

“I see. That’s good to hear. So, are you here again because of the taxi?”

“Yes, kind of.”

“Ah, then I’ll just give you a ride again! Where to?”

“Really?”

“Of course! Just say the word!”

Kunmallo wanted to get out of this situation quickly, even if it meant giving a free taxi ride.

Thanks to that, Revan was grinning ear to ear.

“Well then, without refusing... the destination is Pasna.”

“Pasna?!”

“Yeah. Kind of far, right?”

“No, no... I’ll leave immediately.”

The distance from Herum to Pasna was considerable.

So when Kunmallo heard the destination, he immediately regretted offering a free ride.

But Revan didn’t care; thanks to Kunmallo’s impulsiveness, he once again got a free taxi.

Upon arriving in Pasna, Kunmallo hurriedly disappeared.

“Such a nice guy.”

Revan thought, imagining if all the world’s sorcerers were like Kunmallo.

‘Alright, now I have to clear the quests...’

Ah.

Revan sighed.

Because the Busan couple had momentarily made him forget about his current quest situation.

He narrowed his brow and opened the two quest windows before him.

[The Lich’s Wish]
-Grade: Epic, Special, Unique.
-Condition: Fulfill the request of Bookworm Mongoose.
-Reward: Rubik’s Epic Cube, Rubik’s Skill Cube Fragment, Rubik’s Treasure Cube Fragment.

[Gain Recognition from the King of Pasna]
-Grade: Special.
-Condition: Be fully recognized by the fallen kingdom’s king of Pasna, NPC Evergran Finriver.
-Reward: Rubik’s Growth Cube, Rubik’s Skill Cube, Empty 44 Cube Frame.

“Absolutely disgusting.”

A brief impression.

The quest content was always revolting.

If quests were like a yut game board, the two quests Revan had felt like landing on the backdoor—both were losing outcomes.

So he was conflicted.

He could boldly give up one, but giving up both would be a huge loss.

‘What should I do? Honestly, giving up both is a bit of a dead end.’

The reason efficient Revan hesitated was simple.

War Mages gained exclusive items and skills through quests, and if he gave up both, he would lose all paths to exclusive gear and skills.

No solution.

No, the answer was clear from the start.

So Revan sighed deeply and glared at the sky.

[Rubik’s greatly appreciates your actions.]

Damn muscle old man.

Revan wanted to glare at the sky with scorn, but the message popping up made him give up on that.

‘It’s good, but damn it. How did my fate end up like this?’

After escaping from the mental hospital doctor, now some muscular old man was going to give him a mental breakdown.

Revan sighed deeply and headed back toward the Royal Library.

[Entering the dungeon.]

Flash!

The scenery flickered and changed.

Revan was back inside the Mongoose Dungeon in no time.

Currently, Revan was level 37.

The lowest-level bookworm monster in the Mongoose Dungeon was level 47—exactly a 10-level gap.

That made it feel all the more trivial.

Because from achievements gained hunting mongoose, his strength had increased by 10 points, widening the power gap with the low-level bookworm.

Ready, Revan immediately left the safe zone.

As expected, a low-level bookworm appeared.

“Thunder Strike.”

Crack!

Electricity wrapped around the club.

Revan dodged the projectile flying straight at him and struck the bookworm’s head with all his might.

[Critical hit!]
[You have hunted a low-level bookworm.]
[Experience points acquired.]

“Item looting.”

One shot, one kill.

Not surprising anymore.

Using Item Looting, Revan collected the spoils.

As expected, nothing worthwhile appeared.

After collecting the loot, Revan’s gaze shifted to the puddle of bookworm slime.

But he quickly looked away and moved forward.

‘Since my plan’s already shot to hell, no distractions. Just keep leveling up in Pasna. That’s all there is.’

The original plan to hunt and leave Pasna because of two nearly identical overlapping quests had long since become a pipe dream.

Now, whether he liked it or not, all focus had to be on quests.

In other words, instead of saving time and chasing efficiency, he had to pursue maximum efficiency by advancing quests and killing as many monsters appearing between them as possible.

Having hunted the low-level bookworm, Revan moved on to the next spot, pulling out a Love It Bug from his inventory.

He sprayed it over himself.

Ssshhk—

[You have used Love It Bug.]
[For the next hour, insect-type monsters within a radius of approximately 300 meters will shower you with powerful affection.]

‘Because of the quests, I probably can’t even kill mongoose, so I’ll have to farm these bugs for experience. Come on, you little bastards.’

The furious Sesco raid began.