“Could it be that you’ve already cleared the 50th round?”
Dahav, who had nothing to gain by dragging things out, spoke plainly without wasting time.
“Yes. That’s why I’ve come to take the second trial.”
At first, Monk Tik seemed suspicious, but after seeing something in the air, he finally gave a nod of acknowledgment.
“Alexandra said you’re being taken care of a bit too much. Now I can understand the reason a little. Indeed, you are formidable.”
“That’s an exaggeration. There’s no comparison to the Marquis’s backing.”
“No, just report honestly. The Marquis is someone who rarely gives her heart easily. More importantly, about the test—you’re not planning to skip any stages, right? You have the ability for that, don’t you? Of course, there will be additional rewards accordingly.”
[Within 3 days, you have cleared the first trial of Monk Tik, proving your proficiency level.]
[By satisfying hidden conditions, Monk Tik’s ‘Extra Page’ has been unlocked.]
[Upon acceptance, the quest’s difficulty will increase, and accordingly, the rewards will rise significantly.]
Dahav’s eyes went wide.
Extra Page.
Nobody knew exactly who or how it was hidden, but it was a secret quest that opened only after fulfilling specific conditions.
‘Since the system allows free branching in the mid-difficulty dungeon, it’s hard to gauge, but having the Extra Page pop up is definitely a stroke of luck.’
Just reading the message alone promised a ‘significant increase in rewards.’
Especially since it was rare for the system window to explicitly state ‘significant increase,’ it was regarded as a kind of guarantee.
Besides, once you hear the offer, refusing without listening would be foolish and cowardly.
“What proposal would you like to make?”
“Originally, this assignment is to clear up to the 6th stage… but how about challenging the 7th stage directly?”
Ding—!
- (EX) Quest: Proof of Qualification – Confirmation
- Rank: C+ Grade
- Quest Details: Alexandra orders you to test your loyalty by completing the request through Monk Tik. According to his proposal, clear Wave 7 of the Ayumur Temple dungeon 30 times to prove you meet expectations.
- Rewards upon clearing: 200,000 experience, +50 favor with Monk Tik, unique-grade item selection from the temple’s treasury, achievement ‘Path of the Unyielding’, and the linked quest ‘(EX) Proof of Qualification – Alliance.’
The reward was enough to unsettle one’s composure, but Dahav silently tapped the board in front of him.
‘If possible, I’d like to skip stages, but… if I fail, I’ll have to drink a vial of self-poison.’
Ayumur Temple Stage 7.
There was a reason players usually only went as far as stage 5.
Stages 1 through 5 only spawned pawns with different numbers.
From stage 6 onward, knights with excellent mobility and destructive power appeared, increasing the difficulty sharply.
At stage 7, ranged attackers like archer-looking foes also joined the waves.
Dahav stopped tapping the board in his mind.
‘Even if it’s tough, with my current power, clearing up to stage 7 won’t be difficult.’
The real issue was the upcoming linked quest.
If he started with excessive greed, it might be impossible to clear.
‘Judging by the pattern, the final linked quest will likely require clearing stage 9.’
Clearing stage 9 was unpredictable at this point.
In fact, failure was more likely in his current condition.
As mentioned, difficulty increased significantly with each stage beyond 5.
Still, giving up was out of the question.
The items rewarded, the brilliant achievements, and the subsequent linked quest rewards all seemed too good to just walk away from.
‘There are many ways to make the impossible possible now.’
Several ideas immediately sprang to mind.
‘I leveled up, learned new skills, and upgraded my equipment…’
As he thought through preparations, something suddenly dawned on him.
‘Speaking of which, there’s Santa Claus in Ayumur Temple who gives out unique or better Equipment!’
Ayumur Temple’s hidden boss.
According to information released recently—just two months from now in November—an anonymous party had exposed it.
There were no special titles to mark pro players, nor was the party particularly outstanding.
‘That’s why it became public knowledge.’
The party earned the nickname Santa Claus and was called so in place of their real names.
At first, Santa Claus tried to sell the information.
It was natural for many to want the rare information about efficient hunting grounds for levels 30 to 40.
If it had been an ordinary time, they would have sold it at a high price easily, but unfortunately, it was during the Siren’s reign—the time when elves had completed their ascension and were focusing on the corporeal world.
Even beginners to intermediate players were hunting for good Equipment, catching Siren’s attention.
If they belonged to a proper guild, protection might have been possible, but Santa Claus’s party was still without a guild and lacked any exceptional skill, so the desire for high-ranking guild affiliation backfired.
They were caught by Siren’s raiders and forced to stay until they revealed their information.
Usually, they might have risked more to protect the information, but the party leader Mikhail of Santa Claus was no ordinary righteous man.
He was someone with unbreakable determination.
Instead of handing over the information to Siren, he broadcast the details about Ayumur Temple’s hidden boss on I-tube.
-Within Ayumur Temple, there is a hidden boss that can be encountered once per account. It guarantees mid-level or above unique Equipment at level 35. However, the following conditions must be met. First, prepare by purchasing 5 narrow incense sticks at a nearby general store…
At that moment, when incense was soaring in popularity and many new users were entering, it became even harder to obtain unique or better Equipment, causing explosive reactions.
Thanks to this, users in the level 30-40 range flocked to Ayumur Temple, which became so overcrowded that even entering was difficult.
However, most only took a few steps inside.
The hidden boss was not an easy monster to meet.
Clearing stage 7 thirty times or more was no simple task.
While incense sticks were easy to acquire, clearing stage 7 was a different story.
It required a party of three or more players at least semi-pro level equipped with unique-grade Equipment.
Many gave up due to the huge difficulty gap between stages 5 and 7.
Ironically, it wasn’t just about skill, but also about the party’s composition.
In other words, to obtain unique Equipment, you had to already be wearing unique Equipment.
‘Unique-grade Equipment… definitely tempting, but not essential, so I was going to skip it…’
Moreover, the quest just received required clearing stage 7 thirty times to unlock the Extra Page, so since he had to go anyway, there was no point in hesitation.
‘If I reach level 40 and can equip two new unique-grade pieces along with new skills…’
The calculation was simple.
“The linked quest requiring wave 9 clearing might not be impossible either.”
Dahav finally agreed to Monk Tik’s proposal.
“I accept your offer.”
No sooner had he accepted than Monk Tik seemed to have been waiting for this moment.
“I thought you would say that. Then, good luck.”
After bowing respectfully to wish him luck, the monk finished the greeting and immediately turned toward Ayumur Temple.
Ding ding ding—
[12:50 p.m. Alarm ringing.]
Because of previously being late for PT due to dungeon runs, he had set an alarm to avoid inconveniencing Seokdu again.
‘Phew, good thing I set the alarm.’
Even now, I was almost late because of ASA, the alarm was all the more appreciated.
‘I shouldn’t just stand here…’
Since it would take some time to get to the gym, he hurriedly logged out.
***
Swoosh—!
The capsule door opened, and Yeo-hyeon got up.
He immediately headed to the gym to meet Seokdu.
But it turned out unnecessary.
Whooshing—
Seokdu was running toward Yeo-hyeon, making a fuss.
“You little brat, I thought you’d still be in the capsule room.”
“Uh, hyung, it’s only 50 minutes. Am I late again?”
“Man, I came to congratulate you. Is exercise a problem right now?”
Seokdu’s odd comment made Yeo-hyeon nod.
“Congratulate?”
“About I-tube. Dahav’s channel—isn’t that your channel?”
Seokdu’s eyes sparkled as if he knew what Yeo-hyeon wanted to say.
“Yes, that’s right. Could it really have already hit 100,000 views? No, since it’s new, even 50,000 would be good.”
Instead of replying, Seokdu smiled slyly and grabbed Yeo-hyeon’s smartphone resting on the shelf.
“Why don’t you check for yourself?”
Yeo-hyeon grabbed the smartphone immediately.
His heart fluttered as if he were about to see exam results.
“Please! I hope it’s over 100,000.”
He skillfully opened the I-tube app and entered his own channel.
Finally, he saw the view count and couldn’t help but let out a dumbfounded gasp.
“Wow.”
The view count was a staggering 1,000,000.
“Hey, hey, where’s paper? We need to get your autograph in advance. I’ll get paper and a pen—wait here!”
Before Yeo-hyeon could react, Seokdu was already buzzing with excitement, while Yeo-hyeon was lost in the joy of the one million views.
“Crazy, one million…”
He pinched his cheek to see if it was a dream, and the sharp pain confirmed it wasn’t.
‘If I convert this view count to money…’
It would be roughly around one million Won.
But the money wasn’t the point; the 1,000,000 views was a milestone.
It was a smooth view count that marked the start of a Super Player or Pro Player.
He was confident he could satisfy people with his talent, but seeing it with his own eyes gave a completely different feeling.
This was just the beginning.
‘The video is only about the Elwin Research Institute, a mere level 20 raid.’
Since ASA was a RPG game, as time went on, players would become more spectacular, and naturally, the video quality would improve.
In short, if it was one million now, it could rise to ten million by next month, and optimistically, even a hundred million.
That meant one hundred times more was expected, and if it became more famous, hundreds of times was possible.
This far exceeded the level required to pursue this as a profession.
‘Honestly, it just blows my mind.’
Even though he was ecstatic, it wasn’t over yet.
Ping dong—!
A message from Zen.
He hastily checked it.
Reading quickly, Dahav reread the message twice, thrice, as if in disbelief.
‘Wait… you want an exclusive contract with a 9:1 revenue split?!’
Dahav had just received a bold message that Zen wanted a 90% cut for Dahav, leaving only 10% for himself.
Since there was only one video now, the amount might not seem significant yet, but considering the increasing views, ads, and sponsorships, it would surely be a large sum.
Moreover, Zen was known as the editing genius called Silver Spirit. It was extremely fortunate for Yeo-hyeon to have such a brother.
Faced with such a generous reaction and Zen’s bold contract proposal, Yeo-hyeon’s mind sharpened even more.
‘Since I’ve earned this much, I need to spend accordingly.’
He was about to start the main content of ASA — a full-on money spree.
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