Bang! Bang! Bang!
The Ghouls that had been clinging to the Harpy Queen suddenly exploded all at once.
Like a volcano erupting, a deafening roar echoed as the power of the ‘Dead by Explosion’ skill unleashed a whirlwind as fierce as a silver-winged gale.
The Harpy Queen had surely endured many long battles before, so this was a calculated last resort.
Kiiik—!
The Harpy Queen’s wail resounded, but there was no reason to panic.
‘It’s certain. Her strength has faltered.’
It was merely the body convulsing in pain.
The dust that had been swirling cleared away, and the majestic figure of the Harpy Queen, who had spread her silver wings as expected, was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, she lay pitifully sprawled on the ground, barely breathing.
“Damn tough. Look, her eyes are still alive.”
Yet, those eyes, slightly narrowed as if cutting into the sun, still shone with a fighting spirit.
Both sides were exhausted, and if Dahav approached now, it seemed like the Harpy Queen would muster whatever last strength she had and strike back.
But the opponent was no pushover.
Undead are beings close to immortal if they have their master’s mana.
Ttak—!
Grabbing a mana potion—a bottle filled with a blue glowing liquid—Dahav gulped it down noisily.
Mana quickly surged, and the army shattered by Dead by Explosion rose again.
“Capture her.”
The Ghouls, without hesitation, pressed down on the Harpy Queen’s wings at Dahav’s command.
Kiiik—!
The Harpy Queen made a final desperate struggle but was completely sealed off by the Dark Knight’s restraining move.
“Stop. Let’s end this.”
The Dark Knight nodded as if understanding, but he did not kill the Harpy Queen.
Instead, he grabbed her by the head, lifting her to make it easier to be beheaded.
Then, under his single-horned helmet, he looked at Dahav with stern eyes.
When their eyes met, the knight bowed at a 90-degree angle, maintaining his posture.
He didn’t speak, but his intention was clear to Dahav.
“So I’m the one who has to strike the final blow, huh.”
Now, there was truly no danger left.
There was no reason to refuse the loyal knight’s duty of dedicating glory to his lord.
Without hesitation, Dahav drew his Half-Dragon Dagger and swung it diagonally.
Swoosh—!
[You have slain the Great Monster Harpy Queen of Sky Ridge!]
[You have gained 300,000 experience points.]
[Congratulations! You have reached Level 31.]
[Achievement unlocked: The One Who Defeated Harpy Queen Alone.]
[Quest item ‘Harpy Queen’s Silvery Wing’ 1 EA acquired.]
[Transcendence of the Five Senses – Luck Overflow has been maximized!]
[You have obtained the best possible item from the Harpy Queen’s loot.]
[Skill Rune: Servant Contractor acquired!]
Seeing the message window, Dahav couldn’t help but clench his fists, a smile spreading across his lips.
‘Good!’
***
You’ve probably seen news articles about political corruption, bribery, and controversies surrounding qualifications.
But such things aren’t limited to reality.
Even in games, these scandals frequently centered on high-level users, and ASA was no exception.
And at the heart of ASA, when you mention a ‘big shot,’ there’s one group that immediately comes to mind.
The Ten Great Guilds.
A conglomerate of the top ASA elites, they wielded power and wealth akin to a real-world conglomerate.
So they were far from clean.
In fact, calling them dirty human beings wouldn’t be an exaggeration.
Though they claimed it was to survive, they routinely engaged in immoral behavior and unsportsmanlike conduct.
Among them, Cheonsang was no different.
‘Dahav… he’s a very dangerous individual.’
He had also received video footage of Dahav, and while rumors already told of an extraordinary rookie, seeing him in person confirmed he was no ordinary player.
He possessed monstrous skill comparable to Karua standing beside him.
If Dahav were an unaffiliated Lurking Dragon, it would be a golden opportunity to welcome him with open arms.
‘But there’s no way that’s true.’
Discovering the Harpy Queen before Green Army could be written off as mere luck.
However, knowing the Harpy Queen’s final phase in advance, and having prepared countermeasures accordingly, was impossible without having memorized the boss’s patterns from the start.
When coincidences start piling up,
Perfectly knowing a boss’s undisclosed patterns meant there was definitely a hidden hand behind it all.
They probably hired a scouting team like Green Army to find her in the first place.
‘In other words, he’s a hidden member who joined a guild just to conceal his identity.’
It wasn’t clear which guild, but if Dahav continued to grow under such circumstances, he would surely become a threat capable of challenging the stronghold of Cheonsang.
‘We have to take him down here and now.’
Though talented, there was a limit to overcoming such an overwhelming level difference.
That was why this countermeasure was designed to suppress him easily.
Just as Claine placed his hand on his back and was about to step forward, Karua abruptly blocked the way.
“Wait a moment. I understand your intent, but you have to hold back.”
Claine responded firmly.
“Sorry, but I’m beyond reasoning here. This is no trivial matter worthy of Karua’s interference.”
Karua narrowed his eyes and spoke in a sullen voice.
“Interference? Claine, you need to see this properly.”
Claine frowned, and Karua continued.
“My courier is supposedly Cheonsang’s courier, right? But if Dahav is killed here, rumors will spread that Cheonsang was suppressing him. That’s basically an admission of defeat. And in the worst case, it could spark an Alliance Against the Heavenly’s trap.”
Claine was speechless, overwhelmed by the validity of Karua’s argument.
‘Something definitely feels off…’
A guild wealthy enough to hire scouts, possessing the intelligence to perfectly analyze the Harpy Queen’s patterns, wouldn’t be an ordinary guild.
Simply put, Dahav was likely receiving tremendous support just like Karua.
No matter how great the quest reward, nothing beats guild support, so there’s no reason to seek out a difficult hunting ground like Sky Ridge alone.
‘Unless it’s a world-impacting main quest or something.’
But of course, that was absurd.
The chance of discovering such a quest at level 30 was practically zero.
As Karua’s words settled their minds, the previously tense situation suddenly relaxed as if scripted.
“They say a sharp stone gets hit first. Even if Cheonsang doesn’t get involved directly, if a rookie is that threatening, other guilds will surely try to suppress him. There’s no need for Cheonsang to take the lead in criticizing him.”
In a brief moment, Karua’s wisdom in discerning the reasonable choice amazed them, while his emotional bias brought a flush of embarrassment.
“I admit I was reckless.”
“No, I fully understand your feelings. I was shocked watching that player too. Thank you for listening.”
Karua’s admiration for Dahav only grew stronger.
‘This Dahav guy, he absolutely can’t fall now.’
While ASA was a notoriously difficult game even for regular players, it was easy for super rookies like Karua to grasp.
Even those called ‘rankers’ were just slowly climbing stats; once matched on ability, victory was straightforward.
With no particularly difficult goals, the sense of purpose naturally faded, and boredom set in.
‘I was just playing for money.’
Yet, while watching Dahav, Karua felt an indescribable surge of determination in his heart.
Like intelligence, that would be something that would delight Dahav as he grew.
‘I hope he stays as passionate as he is now.’
Karua smiled softly and took a step forward, followed closely by Claine.
***
In social life, it’s important to ‘know your lines.’
Grabbing good connections often brings great benefits.
This was true even on A-Tube channels.
If you were connected to famous guilds, companies, or super players, you could minimize the unknown period and comfortably gather materials later.
So channel owners tirelessly sought to befriend famous guilds, companies, or super players, making this a kind of unwritten custom.
However, a channel appeared that broke this pattern.
-Dahav
Its dry and plain name bore only his own name, but the response was explosive.
Naturally.
His revolutionary hunting method for Amorfopallus, the visually entertaining gameplay, and even the way he toyed with opponents like prey created a lot of buzz.
Dahav was now popular enough that it was hard to see him as just a rookie who had just reached ASA.
Of course, not all the initial reactions were favorable.
-Honestly, it seems he just got lucky catching Amorphopallus. Without a guild or even a company, a solo debut like this? Please.
-Bogus’s attack counter? If that’s skill, is he a god or a human? It’s probably just luck, and the later fights were honestly skill-breaking.
Many such mocking comments appeared.
[Video of Shinaga’s Secret Dungeon, the Black Mage’s Laboratory boss Hagwid Elwin solo raid]
But when a video surfaced that changed even the haters’ stance, opinions shifted dramatically.
-Even the difficulty of Phase 1 shows this dungeon isn’t easy, and the level cap is probably only in the 20s. He solo cleared this?
-Real. The degree of controlling undead is insane. Not normal skill.
-Not just the undead minion controller; watching his close combat control, the guy’s crazy.
Everyone now knew.
Dahav didn’t just win because of luck or good skill runes.
But Dahav’s showmanship didn’t end there.
[Removing armor.]
People amazed by his flashy playstyle went wild seeing his shocking condition during the raid.
-Doing a boss raid without armor?
-That’s like the legendary old souls of Ardom.
-But it’s so reckless. Won’t he fail?
Watching Dahav’s agile play without armor, everyone gripped their fists in excitement.
Then, the climax came: Elwin’s ‘Dead by Explosion’ detonated.
-Looks like he failed, just a decoy.
-Pfft, I thought his physical or neurological skills were different from other channels, but it was just bait. Same as all the others.
Though dust obscured the view, since it was a skill that caused Bogus to be knocked out, everyone knew its power and expected the outcome.
But the result was completely unexpected.
A golden dagger exploded through the dust, and Elwin fell like dust scattered by the wind.
-He took that hit without armor and survived? Is he even human?
-Crazy bastards. Someone say sorry for calling this boss kill skill bullshit.
An ending no one anticipated shocked all the viewers.
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