n

n

n“… That’s true.”

nHo Sung Lee sadly agreed. Meanwhile, coffee arrived on the table.

nWhile Min Sung sipped on his coffee, the boy, Alfie, loitered around the window.

nHe appeared to be looking their way.

n“He seems to be in an urgent situation.”

nHo Sung Lee took Alfie’s side.

n

n

n“How far is Pheus?”

n“It’s not that far. He’s currently at a private vacation house. I heard their guards are very strict.”

nMin Sung smirked while sipping his coffee.

n“And what’s that about the sacrifices?”

n“I’m not sure about the details. They’re keeping quiet about it.”

nMin Sung sighed and met eyes with Alfie outside the window.

nMin Sung finished his cup of coffee and put down his cup.

n“Let’s go,” said Min Sung while getting up from his chair.

n“Yes, Sir.”

nJust like any other day, Ho Sung Lee’s face was filled with nervousness unlike that of Min Sung.

n

n

n***

nHo Sung Lee borrowed two horses.

nIf it was far, they would have just traveled by foot.

nBut it wasn’t very far so since Min Sung was the lazy type, he looked into going by horse so that they could travel comfortably.

nClick, clack, click, clack!

nMin Sung’s horses raced quickly.

nBowl was inside Min Sung’s pocket, and Ssol was behind Ho Sung Lee with his arms wrapped around Ho Sung Lee’s waist.

nAfter about 15 minutes, they started to see something.

n“I think it’s over there,” said Ho Sung Lee.

nMin Sung stopped on top of a hill and looked down where Pheus was staying.

n

n

nSince the area was high up, he had a good view of where Pheus was residing.

nThere were a bunch of grey buildings, and they were positioned to look like fortresses around the ocean.

nThe sun was setting, and not long after would it be dark outside.

nMin Sung kicked the side of the horse to get moving again.

n***

nThe sunset didn’t last for long.

nThe sun set in no time, and once it was nighttime, Pheus began his preparations for his sacrifice.

nThere was a large alter and nearby was Pheus who was sitting in a fancy chair.

nThe way countless people danced and played instruments in order to offer the sacrifice reminded him much of a religious ceremony.

nOnce Ho Sung Lee focused on his supporter abilities, he specialized in hiding his visibility and conducting sneaky infiltration.

n

n

nAs a result, he had a very good grasp of what was happening inside Pheus’ fortress.

nNo matter how powerful anyone was, it was hard to detect someone who was hiding their whereabouts.

nBut since they were not to be underestimated, Ho Sung Lee prepared for the worst and moved in a careful manner.

nAfter infiltrating the fortress as if he was stepping on thin ice, Ho Sung Lee checked up on the people that were captured to become hostages.

nAnd then he moved again to try to get back out.

nA moment later, Ho Sung Lee slipped through a small crack as smoke, and once he turned back into his original form, he looked around.

nHe spotted Min Sung nearby.

nAnd as soon as he spotted Min Sung, Ho Sung Lee almost screamed.

nThere were 5 bodies on the ground around him.

n“… What happened?”

n

n

nHo Sung Lee asked in shock.

nThe place where Ho Sung Lee spotted Min Sung wasn’t near the front gates, but it was a place where the guards couldn’t spot him.

nIt was a blind spot for any CCTV angles.

nMin Sung said to go inside.

nBut Ho Sung Lee wanted to play his part as a supporter, so he proposed that he go inside to check on the situation inside, and Min Sung agreed.

n“How is it?”

nMin Sung gestured toward the inside with his chin.

n“Can I smoke a cigarette? I feel like this is my last chance for a long time or forever. It’s not that I don’t trust you. I don’t trust myself.”

nMin Sung lifted his hand to give him permission.

nHo Sung Lee put a cigarette in his mouth and smoked with anxiousness.

n“Huff, huu!”

nHe smoked at a faster pace than usual.

nMin Sung knitted his brows as he watched Ho Sung Lee.

nHo Sung Lee put out his cigarette with his foot and then swept his sweaty hair back.

n“There are many of them. Maybe around 200.”

nMin Sung turned his eyes toward the wall.

n“200?”

nMin Sung asked to confirm, and Ho Sung Lee nodded in response.

n“Are you going to go inside?”

n“We can’t go back after how far we’ve come.”

n“That’s true, but there are more of them than we thought… Never mind.”

nHo Sung Lee shook his head.

n“It wouldn’t be like you to not go inside, but there’s something I’m worried about. This is Beatrice. This isn’t earth nor is there a lot of information like there is of the devils, so if we go in without having the proper manpower, we could face some trouble.”

n“So what do you suggest we do?”

n“We’ll go in together, and I’ll use my support abilities to give you information on the numbers and location, and you can get rid of them one by one to decrease the number.”

n“Is that really necessary…?”

n“Sir, we don’t have much information. We might have had a smooth ride until now, but there’s no guarantee it’ll continue that way. This is Beatrice, and it’s where all the best hunters of the world are gathered. It doesn’t hurt to be careful.”

n“Then do that. Let’s begin. Go right now.”

nHo Sung Lee looked back toward the wall.

n“I can turn into smoke and cross the wall, but do you have a way?”

n“Of course. Go first.”

n“… Yes, Sir.”

nHo Sung Lee tilted his head and then turned into smoke in an instant.

nHis smoke then penetrated through the small crack in the wall.

nHe then heard the sound of knocking from the other side of the wall.

nMin Sung swung his fist.

nPow!

nThe wall came tumbling down.

nSince it was a thick wall with no magic cast onto it, he was able to easily knock down the wall with his fist.

nMin Sung took Ssol with him and crossed the wall through the hole.

nHo Sung Lee stared at Min Sung in shock.

n“If you were going to do that, why did you get me to go first? And the players will come rushing over because of that sound.”

n“It wasn’t that loud, and they’re already loud from offering sacrifice, so not many guards will react to a noise like that.”

nAt that moment, they sensed a movement.

n“They’re coming,” said Min Sung as Ho Sung Lee turned back into a cloud of smoke.

nMin Sung hid behind a tree without making a sound.

n‘The number of players under Pheus’ rule is 200…’

n‘That’s a lot.’

nWhile Min Sung had that thought, he saw the backside of 2 guards who came to check up on the hole in the wall.

nMin Sung took out his Gungnir without the thundering noise and approached them quietly.

nAs soon as they turned around after talking about the wall, Min Sung’s Gungnir attacked them from behind.

nThe Gungnir slashed through one of their faces, and after that, Min Sung’s left hand grabbed onto the other guard’s neck.

n“Ugh! Ugh!”

nThe player within Min Sung’s grasp was unable to use his strength.

nThe life drained out of him and turned into a mummy.

nMin Sung threw the body to the ground. He put his weapon away and turned around.

nThere stood Ho Sung Lee.

n“Shall I begin the search now?”

nHo Sung Lee asked.

n“Wait.”

nMin Sung wiped his sword of blood and opened his item shop.

nIf he was a ranker ruling over 200 players, that meant he had quite the reputation.

nMin Sung used his 12000 experience points to buy items.

nAfter buying all of the items, he only had 4000 points left, but he wasn’t sad about it.

nHe just wanted to finish off the responsibilities he was given.

nAt that moment…

nDing!

nAn alarm sound went off along with a quest.

nPheus is committing evil acts of offering sacrifice. Since he has an evil reputation, you’ll gain great honor if you defeat PHeus.

nYou must act quickly since the lives of Beatrice natives are on the line.

nIn the case that you defeat Pheus, you will receive a large reward as well.

nYou’re now qualified to receive ranker missions.

nSuccess Condition A: Defeat Pheus

nSuccess Condition B: Save the Beatrice Natives

nSuccess Condition C: You’ll receive a higher reputation and reward the more people you save.

nYou cannot refuse this quest.

nThat was all of the messages that Min Sung saw in front of his eyes.

nHe had to do it anyway, but the fact that the more people he saved, the higher his reputation and reward would be made him feel burdened.

nBut in order to get out of this disgusting world and enjoy a peaceful life, he had to complete all of the quests.

nMin Sung looked annoyed as he sent Ho Sung Lee a message via trill.

nHurry up. We don’t have much time.

nAfter hearing the message, Ho Sung Lee nodded. He bowed and then disappeared after turning into a cloud of smoke.

nWhile Ho Sung Lee moved first to become Min Sung’s eyes, Min Sung checked the time on his watch.

nHow long would it take to defeat Pheus, who is the leader of Haikman Port City?

nNo, how many minutes would it take?

nMin Sung decided on 10 minutes and started his time watch.

n