Chapter 7: First Privilege, Hidden Treasure

“As you requested, I have destroyed the Goblin village. And this is the evidence.”

Alkas, who received the molar, was unable to hide his shock and asked,

“Y-you mean you’ve already burned down the village?”

“That’s right.”

However, since Alkas had already witnessed Dahav’s abilities once before, he quickly accepted it and grinned.

“First, let’s get your reward. As expected, you’re different. Yes! Instructor Alkas of Eren port guarantees it!”

[Alkas’s favorability has increased by 10.]

[Alkas’s favorability has increased by an additional 10 due to your unbelievably astonishing speed of completion.]

[Alkas is beginning to trust you.]

[Eren Port’s reputation has increased by 5.]

[You have achieved the ‘Goblin Exterminator’ achievement!]

[You have gained 5,000 experience points.]

[Congratulations! Your level has increased to 10.]

[The levels of the skills ‘Rebirth’ and ‘Morgue dimension’ have increased.]

Not only had he reached the long-awaited Level 10, but his class skills had also leveled up.

But what was even more thrilling was the achievement.

[Achieved Achievements: Marksmanship, Goblin Exterminator]

Achievements were given as rewards for clearing quests, showing outstanding results or actions in specific situations, or discovering something new.

These not only permanently increased a Player’s stats and special abilities, but sometimes came with unique options as well.

This was the critical reason why ASA was called the stage for the truly talented.

To build up achievements with extraordinary talent and further solidify one’s own domain was something ordinary people simply could not do.

Even Players who were considered talented would, on average, only achieve one achievement before Level 10.

‘But to have achieved two achievements by Level 10… Am I really a freaking genius?’

Just looking at the achievement window was enough to make his excitement surge, a wild wind welling up from deep within his chest.

The lives of those who showcased their talents in ASA were nothing short of extraordinary.

‘Let’s see, the Heaven Guild master is a billionaire just from walking taxes, and Raven, who led his team to victory in the National War, even received a Medal from the country. Becoming a global star was just a bonus.’

It wasn’t their lifestyle or wealth that he envied.

But just the fact that he now possessed talent equal to, or even surpassing, those he once admired, was more than enough to fill him with excitement and a tingling thrill.

‘Now that it’s come to this, should I give ASA a real shot?’

Just as he was about to seriously ponder his future, Alkas cleared his throat.

“Ahem… If you’re not busy, could I ask you to take on one more request?”

Dahav decided to think it over later and quickly answered, thinking he might as well enjoy ASA for now.

“As much as you need.”

“Thank you. The Goblins around here breed rapidly and have strong survival instincts, so even if we cull their numbers, it doesn’t take long before they recover and cause trouble again. That’s why, I’d like you to catch the Goblin leader, hang its head on the city gate, and instill fear so they won’t rampage again. Could you take care of that for me?”

Ding—!

• Eren port’s Peace
• Rank: Grade 6
• Quest Details: Although you destroyed the village and killed the village leader, the Goblins of Eren port recover quickly and soon rampage through the village again. Knowing this, Alkas intends to hang the head of Eren port’s Goblin leader, ‘Albino’, on the city gate to instill fear in the Goblins and maintain order.
• Rewards upon completion: 15,000 experience points, +35 favorability with Alkas, +10 Eren port reputation, Achievement ‘Eren port’s Benefactor’

Dahav answered immediately.

“Yes, leave it to me.”

“Your courage is truly appreciated!”

At Alkas’s words of thanks, Dahav turned around and strode off.

“Time to really enjoy some shopping.”

***

ASA, and the streaming site where its play videos were uploaded, I-tube.

Riding the sensational popularity of ASA, I-tube boasted 9 billion members worldwide, and what users went wild for the most were, of course, boss monster raids and siege battles.

The super plays of Rankers.

The sheer excitement and thrill of those battles were more than enough to capture people’s attention, but the biggest appeal was the admiration for Rankers and the vicarious satisfaction they provided.

So-called ‘the fights of the exceptional ones’—the difficulty of siege battles went without saying, and in a world like ASA, where even ordinary monsters refused to be hunted easily, boss monster raids were content only a skilled few could enjoy.

Thus, not only did people enjoy watching their idols, but there were also those who studied the videos, aimed to stand on the same stage as them, or simply sought vicarious satisfaction, making it the most popular genre.

Especially with boss monster raid videos, unlike siege battles which could only be filmed during certain seasons or wars, these could be a main source of income for Guilds and companies.

And, of course, anything that made money meant there was a lot of competition.

‘Besides, Albino isn’t even a dungeon boss monster, but a field boss monster.’

Boss monsters were divided into two types: field and dungeon.

For regular instance dungeons, since they were created for individuals or groups, there was no limit to the number of boss monsters you could encounter as long as you entered.

But field boss monsters had restrictions on how many could respawn.

Though there were plenty of boss monsters in the vast fields, compared to the number of Players in ASA, it was nowhere near enough.

To hunt a particular boss, parties would split up and spend anywhere from a week to over a month searching—a long-term endeavor.

It got to the point where specialized search agencies emerged just to find boss monsters.

In that sense, the difficulty of this quest, ‘Eren port’s Peace’, was on a whole other level compared to the previous two.

“At least the good news is that Albino is an unpopular field boss monster.”

But that didn’t mean it was easy to find field boss Albino.

It was just unpopular, but still a field boss.

He expected it would take some time for Albino to spawn, but he knew a way to find it much more easily than others.

“But if I have ‘that’, the story changes.”

While he wore a conspiratorial grin, Madra spread out various items on the guest table.

“Please check the items.”

Thanks to reaching Level 10, many of the item restrictions had been lifted, so he could enjoy a big shopping spree.

Indeed, the items Madra placed on the table—all the way from shoes, armor, helmets, to weapons—were nothing but blue in color.

“Sylphid’s Mana Circulation Ring, Akdo Bane, and Hightroll Torso among the corpses, as well as Potions of Stimulation and other potions, correct?”

“Yes, I purchased them all. How much was the total?”

“All together, 73 gold.”

7.3 million won in Korean currency.

It was a hefty sum, but he handed over the gold without hesitation.

“Thank you as always! I look forward to your business next time.”

Madra, having received the money, bowed at a 90-degree angle as if he expected Dahav to leave the Brokerage immediately, as always.

But Dahav did not leave and remained standing.

‘I spent 27 gold before, and now 73 gold, so exactly 100 gold.’

As Dahav stayed put, Madra asked if there was anything uncomfortable.

“Customer…”

“That’s a relief.”

“Excuse me? What do you mean…”

The low price of corpses nearly tripped him up, but thanks to buying the Bowyang Martial Arts Bow and the items for this preparation, he was able to make it exactly 100 gold.

“Now it’s time to reap the fruit of all my hard work.”

It wasn’t just for fast leveling that he started in Eren port, known as the land of early death, and deliberately chose the difficult chain quests.

“If I’d only wanted to level up quickly, I wouldn’t have come to Madra’s Brokerage.”

Madra’s Brokerage was on the westernmost outskirts of Eren port.

The Goblin settlements were to the east.

Despite the inconvenience, there was a reason he came all the way to Madra’s Brokerage.

Dahav looked at Madra, who tilted his head in confusion, and grinned before speaking.

“The Brokerage has nothing decent. I want better equipment. Do you have anything more high-end?”

He looked at Madra openly and expectantly.

That was the keyword.

It was the command phrase to open the Hidden Shop, the fruit of all his hard work.

‘Why isn’t there any reaction?’

But Madra just stared blankly at him, to a rather awkward degree.

He quickly wracked his brain to figure out what went wrong.

“Wasn’t this the phrase to open Madra’s Hidden Shop? Did I calculate the gold wrong? My reputation is already up from the quest. Or… did I miss something?”

His head throbbed, but he couldn’t find the problem.

“Why…?”

Just as he was about to feel discouraged by Madra’s continued silence—

Step, step—

Madra noisily walked across the floor in leather shoes, went to the counter, and brought out a rolled-up sheepskin scroll from underneath.

“This item is usually only sold to Eren port citizens, but since you want something better, I can’t help it. As someone who has helped Eren port, Dahav-nim, I’ll make an exception and show you.”

Madra’s Hidden Shop.

It was information that had been leaked around mid-2039.

The guild war, which was expected to end quickly, dragged on much longer than expected, and guild secrets were leaked everywhere.

Guilds at war, in a frenzy of psychological and information warfare, dug up secrets to topple enemy guilds and maintain their own ranks, and spread that information to users indiscriminately.

And the information about Madra’s Hidden Shop was released by the 9th-ranked Miss (Myth) Guild in order to destroy the 8th-ranked Siren (Seiren) Guild.

There exists a Hidden Shop in Madra’s Brokerage in Eren port, which can be opened only by those who have purchased over 100 gold and have a certain level of reputation.

Inside, there is a skill that elevated the weak Siren Guild into a high-ranking top 10 guild.

Everyone thought the entry requirements were suspiciously low for something that had created the Siren Guild, which had once reached 8th in the unified rankings, and assumed it was a lie.

But, to everyone’s surprise, it was true.

That information shook up the stagnant world of ASA.

So much so that even the Shiz (Siege) Guild and Shiranui Guild, who never trusted any information from the Miss Guild, were pushed out of the top 10.

Before he knew it, Madra, standing right in front of him, unrolled the scroll in one motion.

Shaa—

Ding—!

[You have met the requirements, so Madra’s Hidden Shop has opened.]

Just seeing the shop opening message pop up in the window filled him not only with a sense of accomplishment, but also with happiness as he imagined all he would gain from this skill.

“Alright!”

He cheered inwardly and was about to check the Hidden Shop when Madra went back into the storage.

Then he came out holding a red scroll and spread it on the table with a solemn expression.

“And this is my gift to you.”

“This is…”

Unexpected luck had arrived.

[As a First Open Privilege, Madra’s Secret Treasure Shop has opened.]

‘The Treasure Shop!’

The legendary Treasure Shop, which could only be accessed by the very first person to open it, was now open to Dahav.

“Maybe the true essence that brought Siren up to 8th place is in here.”

He clutched his wildly pounding heart and managed to speak.

“Umm… the items are all so good, I can’t choose easily. Would it be alright if I looked around a bit?”

“Please, take your time and look as much as you like.”

As Dahav checked the list, his eyes widened like lanterns.

“There it is!”

Just as he expected, the items that had been released after the great guild war—items that weren’t just common, but were said to have made the true ‘Siren’—were right there.

“This is it…”

Just as he was about to buy it, a message window popped up, indicating an external message.

A small screen appeared, showing Cheon Yeo-wol’s face, and her voice came through.

-You weren’t in your room, so I was looking for you. If you’re not busy, let’s go out for dinner.

Just then, his stomach growled.

-Hungry? Let’s go.

“Alright, I’ll be right out.”

After finishing his reply, Dahav bought the item he had been eyeing in the Treasure Shop and then logged out.