Chapter 68

“Ha Leeha-nim…”

“Ah, sorry. Was it too much for a lady?”

Mame Hana did not put on a grimace.

Leeha didn’t know what her job was in real life, but at least in Middle Earth, she was a sister (healer).

Mercy, tolerance and love. The master of white magic, a nun of Apollo. The act of extorting information by torturing monsters could not have seemed nice.

“By the way, why are you asking about the kobold Chieftain all of a sudden? I know it’s in the iron mine, but I have never heard of it being caught. Anyway, it would be too much for the three of us…”

“Ah, yeah?”

Leeha was a little surprised.

After all, the Chieftain is a monster, doesn’t it respawn when it dies? By the way, no one had ever caught it before? It was a little bit incomprehensible.

“I was just curious, so I asked.”

At Matsushige’s question, Leeha answered vaguely.

There was no need to talk about his quest, and there was no need to reveal the fact that he had to hunt it.

‘Anyway, the Chieftain is inside. Because Matsushige and Mame Hana also said they had heard of it.’

But it definitely bothered Leeha to hear that it had never been caught.

‘They said that there was a raid, but they were not able to catch it? I didn’t think that it would be too strong. After all, even if only one person over level 100 comes, there would be no way they couldn’t catch it. But they couldn’t catch it? Were they unable to enter, is it something like that?’

Leeha realized the first important point.

First, to snipe. Second, a person who never leaves. Third, it comes at an important time. Fourth, the crisis of the tribe.

These four may be all the keywords that can clear his quest.

After thinking for a while, Leeha asked Matsushige.

“Have you ever been inside the village?”

“Hmm, inside? Yes, we went in once…”

It was Mame Hana who nodded her head at Leeha’s question. If they’ve been inside, the conversation would be easier.

“Do you want to go in again today?

I think we’ve hunted all but one watchtower at the entrance.”

“Hmm… What do you think, Ma-chan?”

Mame Hana inflated her cheeks and looked at Matsushige. It was the tanker who decided whether they should change their hunting ground or not.

“Hmm…”

“We have to go to level up. There are only three of us, so the experience would be pretty good. Matsushige-nim is also strong.”

Leeha encouraged Matsushige with great enthusiasm.

“There are a lot of kobolds in the village. I mean a lot. No matter how careful we are, it will be dangerous.”

Matsushige was pessimistic.

If there was another party nearby, forming a raid team would be the go to approach, but there were no users around now.

“Wouldn’t it be better to wait for other users? We’ll wait while catching monsters around here, and then we’ll form a party with them when they come.”

“That’s a good idea.”

Leeha accepted Matsushige’s proposal.

He had to level up to 29 anyway. Leveling here was quite fast. Leeha considered leveling-up one of the most important tasks in Middle Earth.

Above all, because he was only level 26, the experience he got at a level 40 hunting ground was huge.

‘It’s been about four hours since I entered Sheymoore Mountain. I caught a few monsters while coming, and I caught a few near the top… And it’s already 78%. When I arrived at Sheymoore Village, it was only at 7%, so my experience increased by 71% in 4 hours.’

The last time Leeha raised his experience so quickly was when he was around level 5-6.

“Then, I’ll bring another one.”

Leeha took his musket and went to the village.

Leeha got to level 27 instantly. As Matsushige and Mame Hana, who thought that Leeha was level 41, celebrated, a group of users approached Leeha’s party.

“If we could party with other people, I would like to see the Chieftain as well. I think it would be better to hunt if we have more party members. Ha Leeha-nim is so strong that I think we would be able to catch it.”

“Haha. I know, right?. I want to see it too.”

At Matsushige’s words, Leeha smiled and nodded.

Even if Chieftain Hijuit-Ka appeared, it was impossible to hunt it with party play. Because it was one of the quest failure conditions.

In other words, Matsushige and Mame Hana were only important until they met the Chieftain, however, when the Chieftain appeared, their party would disband.

‘What are they saying? To be honest, I like it…  a little. But, I don’t like lying to them, either.’

When Leeha was thinking and worrying alone…

“Oh, Ma-chan!”

“Yes, Hana-chan?”

“There are people! People came! They must have come to hunt!”

Mame Hana was the first to spot them.

Matsushige and Leeha were also happy with her particularly happy expression.

“A-are they here?”

“Where? There are a lot?”

“Yes! There’s a lot! You can also see a familiar pattern!”

Mame Hana smiled innocently. Familiar pattern? What pattern?

“Hana-chan, are you familiar with that pattern? Where?”

“Yes, I don’t know what kind of guild it is. I’m just familiar with the guild mark. Ma-chan, look.”

“Ah……”

“Heol…”

At the same time, Matsushige and Leeha let out an admiration and sigh at the same time. We met here? Right, it may be a familiar pattern to the Japanese. Of course, Leeha was also familiar.

However, it was more or less an ill feeling. It was the person in front of  him.

He too saw Leeha and shouted.

“Hey, you bastard!!!! Did you think you could run away!!!?”

A symbol of the Rising Sun, symbolically a drawing of a red sun on a yellow background. The person walking in front of them was Petal Kim.

‘How did that bastard know this place?’

Even if he knew. Did they come to look for Leeha? Did they have so much time?

‘Haa… I’m getting tired of this shit.’

Leeha sighed.

Petal Kim was so tenacious that it made him think that he would have rather thrown every piece of equipment he got.

“Didn’t I say that I would follow you and get my revenge? Hyung-nim, it is him!”

“Oh, shit. It’s real. Agonia Oso’s coat, cap and boots, right?”

“Yes! That’s right, hyung-nim. If you can make that bastard drop all of his items by killing him repeatedly, the items will belong to you.”

Petal Kim, who got to persuade his guildmates by bending and bowing, rubbed his hands. The total number of users, including Petal Kim, was ten.

‘Is that person here to catch me?’

Leeha looked at Petal Kim and the people behind him.

‘Come to think of it, Petal Kim must have reached level 30. He was in his late 20s at that time.

Of course, he must have reached level 30. Then it would be natural to know about the kobold hunting ground. If he saw Leeha heading west, Petal Kim might have had some suspicions.

Not to mention Leeha, who used a musket and wore a fine leather coat. He could quickly find him just by asking a few questions to users.

‘The guys in the back… they should be around the same level as Matsushige. No, maybe a little higher?’

If one looked at it, they would roughly be between level 40 and 50.

Even if only one or two of them came, the situation would be dangerous. Thinking that there were nine such guys, Leeha was slightly nervous.

“Hey you! Cancel your party with that dealer and send him over here!”

A member of the Rising Sun Guild stepped forward.

“W-w-why? What did this person do?”

Matsushige stood up proudly, but his voice wavered.

“That bastard is an infamous looter. Maybe when you die, that bastard will loot your item? He’s a bastard with bad manners, so you should just cancel your party and leave. So that you don’t get implicated.”

Said the Rising Sun guild member with a sword.

They were convinced that Mame Hana and Matsushige were lower level than them, so they threatened them.

“H-ha Leeha-nim?”

“You don’t believe it, do you?”

“Of course Ha Leeha-nim isn’t like that, but…. This situation is a bit… We want to help you, but I don’t think that we can.”

Matsushige said.

Mame Hana also frowned and walked behind Matsushige.

They did not throw him away, but it was close to asking him to get out of the situation on his own. In fact, it was only natural, because they did not have any reason to fight 10 people for Leeha, who they had nothing to do with.

‘Indeed…. It is a game, but isn’t it similar to reality? Now, what should I do?’

Should Leeha just give up like this?

Matsushige and Mame Hana took a couple of steps back, away from Leeha. It clearly meant that they did not want to get involved. And on the other side, the ten members of Rising Sun guild were waiting.

Leeha looked towards the Rising Sun guild members.

“Heh, we heard from Petal Kim. You selfish bastard. You’re going to die anyway, and we don’t want to raise our chaotic index, so you decide. If you take off everything you’re wearing and give all the money you have… we will let you live.”

Said the man with a two-handed sword with a fairly long blade. Was it a bastard sword? Leeha judged that he was a fighter.

“However… If you refuse, as Petal Kim said, we will keep killing you until you drop everything you are wearing. We will keep going… Until you drop to level 5.”

Hearing the absurd threats from the Rising Sun Guild, Leeha opened his friends window. Was there anyone he could ask for help?

‘Ugh, well. It’s been a while in Middle Earth, but only 48 hours must have passed in reality.”

It was still not the time when Kijeong would connect. The only person in Byeolcho guild whose location appeared in the friend’s window was Hyein, who survived the Tiwi Canyon Battle.

However, Leeha did not want to ask Hyein.

“Answer me, you looting bastard!!!”

Petal Kim shouted from behind the Rising Sun guild member. Leeha thought that he was a pretty cool looking tanker, but now that he looked at it, it doesn’t look like that.

Leeha had to choose.

Take off all of Agonia Oso’s items and go down Sheymoore Mountain with Matsushige and Mame Hana.

Resist Rising Sun guild and be killed repeatedly and drop items.

There wasn’t much to think about.

“Thank you for being with me so far.”

Leeha left the party. And he turned to the Rising Sun guild.

“Go to hell, you bastards.”

“Huh, what does this low-level bastard think he’s doing? Do you think you could beat us with a few good items?”

“What’s with all that talk? You gathered people because you don’t have the skills to fight one-on-one.”

“W-what?”

“Did you come here to look tough in front of me? No, to be honest, they don’t even look strong. Those bastards look like they are level 50…”

“T-t-this bastard!”

The Rising Sun fighter’s face turned red.

Leeha’s words hurt their pride. In fact, it was true that the ten people, including Petal Kim, may be a threat, but they did not look that much to Leeha.

It was inevitable, Leeha had already met the Sacred Knights, members of Byeolcho guild and Ram Hwajeong.

‘Well, I am not in a position to look down on them.’

Leeha raised his musket. He couldn’t believe he would be fighting people all of a sudden.

‘It is not a duel of mutual agreement. It’s PvP. The first one to attack will be at a disadvantage.’

There was no need for Leeha to shoot first. As the Rising Sun guild member said, if they attack people, their chaotic index would rise, and their Continental Reputation will be decreased or in severe cases, they might turn into wanted criminals.

“Hyung-nim, are you ready?”

“Is everything prepared? Hey! Start!”

The fighter from the Rising Sun shouted, and a man stepped forward.

Without saying anything, a formation appeared and Leeha judged that these people were quite proficient in PK.

In fact, one of the most infamous guilds in the community boards below level 100 was the Rising Sun guild.

“Matsushige-nim, Mame Hana-nim, if I survive, let’s form a party together next time. Run away now.”

“W-what about Ha Leeha-nim? Are you going to fight them?”

“There’s nothing I can do about it.”

“No, no, no! No way! Just say you’re wrong!”

Mame Hana grabbed Leeha’s arms with tears in her eyes. Even if they don’t fight together, even with this much interest, Leeha knew that these two were good people.

Leeha gently removed Mame Hana’s hand.

“Matsushige-nim, see you next time.”

“Yes. Let’s go, Hana-chan. Quickly! It’s dangerous if we get caught up in it!”

“Ha Leeha-nim! Ha Leeha-nim!”

Only after Leeha saw that Matsushige held Mame Hana’s hand and went down Sheymoore Mountain, could he focus on the Rising Sun Guild.

“Hahaha, you’re fighting us alone? Okay, fine. I will make you quit Middle Earth.”

Appearing next to the man with a two-handed sword was a man in black robe.

The first thing Leeha saw was the weapon in his hand.

‘Wand?’

Black particles were absorbed into his body. It meant that his casting had begun.

Only then did Leeha recognize the man’s weapon.

“…Bone?”

“Taste the fear of the warlock! Nightmare”

Kuuooong-!

In an instant, a skeleton horse jumped out of the bone wand he was holding. It had a semi-transparent body, a rattling and ugly appearance.

It was kind of like a nightmare.

[User  ‘Kuschner’ attacked you. A hostile relationship is formed.]

[Chaotic index will not increase when attacking a hostile user.]

(To be continued…)