Chapter 50

The next day.

Carpe, who logged in early in the morning, was greeted by Cheonma.

-Oh, you're here?

"Yes. Nothing happened in the middle of the night, right?"

-Yeah. It was quite peaceful for a change. I uploaded the video and watched it while chuckling.

"…Shouldn’t you have at least put some mosaic on it?"

-Oh, come on. I couldn't be the only one to see such a grotesque thing! Besides, those who want to see it will see it, no matter how disgusting it is. Look at the comments. The reactions are better than I thought.

"Really?"

After falling asleep immediately upon returning home last night, he hadn't had a chance to check.

-Especially the reactions to Tina.

"Huh? Tina?"

-Yeah. Take a look.

Following Cheonma's words, Carpe opened the internet window and checked the comments.

-Cheonma, I'm disappointed. I thought you were a solo player, but you're also a party player.

-Is the guy above a newbie? You can't enter the Sea Cave Dungeon without a party. Anyway, you have to go there for the reward, which is a skill pack.

-But, that blonde knight is really good at fighting. Look at how the Slither guy is drooling.

-Parrying is an art. Are all newbies like this now? Why are they so good?

-He must have practiced kendo or fencing for a long time in real life. It's definitely not the movement of an ordinary person.

-Damn. Cheonma, you should have focused on the knight's face. We can only see the back of his head.

-Even just the back view is impressive.

-By the way, Lam is cute.

As Cheonma said, the comments were exploding with interest in Tina.

Moreover, since Hanjo, who had retired long ago, didn't appear in the video, everyone mistakenly thought Tina was a player.

"Hmm. Tina is indeed quite pretty, right?"

-Do you think so? I bet the moment you reveal her face, the number of subscribers will triple within 24 hours.

"Well, then I shouldn't reveal it."

If only good people would come if he revealed it, but the world doesn't always work that way.

Where there are 'fans,' there are also 'haters.'

Even the top star in Korea, Cheonjeom, suffers from hate comments. He didn't want to attract unnecessary attention just to increase his subscribers.

"Tina won't see the hate comments, but I get angry."

-Of course, it's natural to get angry when your own people are insulted… But as I said before, don't get too attached to NPCs. I'm saying this for your own good.

"…I'll keep that in mind."

-Okay. Let's end this conversation here. Are we starting the raid now?

"Yes. We should. We're all ready."

Carpe wore the gauntlets with a satisfied expression.

The effect of the 12th-grade gauntlets was turned off, so they looked rough, but in reality, there was no better planet-destroying weapon.

-It's a bit disappointing that the gloves couldn't be enhanced further.

"That's due to the limitations."

In fact, Carpe had asked Fergus to enhance other items, but he had used all the materials on the gauntlets, making further enhancement impossible.

The problem was that Fergus's enhancement technique was special, and once an item had been enhanced by another enhancer, Fergus couldn't enhance it anymore.

'I plan to go to the capital to restore the honor of my fallen family. The necessary materials for enhancement can only be obtained near the capital.'

'I will continue to hone my skills and wait for my benefactor. Please visit me when you come to the capital.'

For these reasons, Carpe's next enhancement was postponed until his visit to the capital.

"Damn. I wish that had worked."

In fact, Carpe had a plan the moment he entered the enhancement area. Or rather, from the moment he heard the word 'enhancement'!

Would 'repetition' work on enhancement?

If it failed, he could try again and again!

The word 'repetition' seemed to fit perfectly with 'enhancement.'

So, he started the experiment.

After Fergus left, Carpe bought a cheap sword and began the enhancement process.

'This weapon has already been safely enhanced. If you proceed further, the enhancement level may decrease or the equipment may be destroyed. Do you still want to proceed?'

'Yes, please.'

'Alright. Don't blame me if it fails.'

Since the experiment was the goal, failure was actually better.

The enhancer's hammer struck the sword.

'Oops! My hand slipped!'

The failure notification appeared. At the same time, Carpe inwardly shouted 'repetition!'

Ding.

[You have used Repetition.]

[Skill use failed. The skill level required to repeat 'Enhancement' is insufficient.]

'Ah…'

Thus, the experiment ended with only partial success.

"Ugh. I wish I could just max out the skill points and master it."

-But there's no guarantee that even if you pour all your skill points, it will work.

"That's the problem."

Unlike most other skills, which can be mastered at level 10, the levels for 'Unlock' and 'Repetition' seemed to go on endlessly.

According to Cheonma, the master level of skills varies, with some being mastered at level 1 and others not even at level 30.

In the worst case, 'Repetition' could consume all his skill points without triggering the enhancement repetition.

"Still, the good thing is that the 'Repetition' level automatically increases when my level increases, thanks to the [First 0-star Skill] title effect."

"So, I'll have to wait until I visit the capital for the next enhancement."

-By the way, the capital is a high-level area. You need to be at least level 70 to enter.

"Then I'll have to survive with just one 12th-grade weapon until then."

-What do you mean 'survive'? These days, 'surviving' means slaughtering. Let's go for the massacre. Talking is a waste of time.

* * *

Thud!

After walking about 20 minutes east from the Luanas beach, a dense forest appeared.

-We're here. This is the Sea Forest.

"The trees here are smaller than I expected."

The Sea Forest was a space filled with trees about half the size of the ginkgo trees commonly seen in the city.

"Well, it's finally this guy's turn."

Carpe took out the FB Radar from his inventory.

When he pressed the button on top, a notification window immediately appeared.

[Searching for field bosses within a 1km radius.]

[Search complete – 1 entity. Field Boss 'Elder Treant']

[The Elder Treant is not currently active. Time until respawn: 1 hour 47 minutes.]

"This is really convenient."

-This is also a crazy cheat item. Good. There should be no problem with the raid broadcast.

Fortunately, the notification didn't just end there; it also marked the location with a skull icon on the mini-map. It was saying that if you arrived at the skull coordinates at the right time, you'd be all set.

-Almost two hours?

"During that time, I can kill regular mobs and complete the side quests."

Currently, Carpe had two Sea Forest-related quests.

[Harvest Sea Mushrooms (0/20)]

[Defeat Treants (0/30)]

One was a collection quest, and the other was a simple hunting quest. Neither seemed particularly difficult.

-Okay, let's get moving. Fist Demon!

"…Can't you call me something else?"

-Why? You call me Cheonma. Fist Demon! It sounds great. You named it well.

"Both Cheonma and Fist Demon are great titles. Honestly, I'm a bit envious."

"Quack quack!"

"Xiang, it seems, feels the same way."

"Ugh."

Carpe groaned.

Fergus was great, but why did he have to name the item 'Fist Demon'? Now, he was stuck being a proper cult member.

-Good. Thus, the Fist Demon, the guardian of our cult, has been born. The Grand Master is extremely pleased.

"When you first called me Cheonma, you were annoyed, but now you're enjoying it."

-If you can't avoid it, you might as well enjoy it. Alright, everyone, let's work hard for the revival of the new cult!

Cheonma, Fist Demon, Xiang, and Guanghui.

…What's the state of the party members' titles?

It feels like a righteous faction is mixed in with the cult, but nonetheless, a proper martial arts group has been born.

-Well, what's in a name? As long as the performance is good, that's all that matters.

"That's true, but… Hmm?"

Boom!

At that moment, a tree walked toward Carpe.

The massive body was at least 5 meters tall. The sea forest's guardian, Treant, had appeared.

"Is this a Treant? It looks pretty tough even at a glance."

-Treants are generally slow but have very high defense. They are weak to fire, but these guys have the sea's energy, so their fire resistance…

Thud!

Grrr-! Boom!

[You have defeated the Sea Treant.]

[Treant Defeat (1/30)]

"It's not tough at all."

-…It can't even resist and falls. Do as you please.

"The game is well-made."

Carpe began to slowly move toward the coordinates marked on the mini-map.

* * *

Thud!

[You have defeated the Sea Treant.]

[Level up! You have been granted bonus points.]

[Treant Defeat completed. Claim your reward from the Luanas security officer.]

"The level-up feels a bit slow. I've been hunting for an hour and a half, and I've only gained 2 levels."

-From level 20, the required experience increases significantly. Hehe. This is just the beginning. It will get tougher.

"That's true for most games, so I guess I should expect it. But it's frustrating that the experiment isn't working."

Carpe sighed briefly and looked at the gauntlets.

The 12th-grade effect was turned off, so they looked rough, but in reality, there was no better planet-destroying weapon.

"I wanted to understand the item options, but everything just explodes in one hit."

He wanted to test the second option of Fist Demon, 'Low probability of designated magic auto-casting on physical attack,' but since all the mobs exploded in one hit, there was no way to test it.

However, he did learn one thing.

[The magic currently designated to 'Fist Demon' is the 3-star skill 'Elemental Arrow.']

[You cannot designate the 4-star skill 'Wind Cutter.]

[Your player level is insufficient.]

It turned out that the designated magic was determined by the player's level and skill grade.

This gave him another reason to level up.

"Quack quack!"

"Oh, you found another one? Great. Xiang is the only one who can do this."

Xiang approached Carpe, holding a blue mushroom in his mouth.

[You have obtained a Sea Mushroom.]

[Harvest Sea Mushrooms (16/20)]

Xiang's skill, 'Collection Instinct.'

While Carpe was dealing with the Treants, Xiang had been scouring the forest, bringing back mushrooms.

At this rate, the collection quest would be completed in less than 20 minutes.

"But before that."

Carpe looked at the mini-map. His current position matched the skull icon exactly.

[3 minutes 47 seconds until Elder Treant respawn.]

He had encountered a few players since entering the Sea Forest, but fortunately, no one else was around now.

The conditions for a solo raid were met.

-But are you really going to do it alone? It would be easier to follow the standard strategy.

"Yes. I'll do it alone."

Originally, the plan was for Tina to tank, Carpe to deal damage, and Xiang to assist. But after obtaining 'Fist Demon' from Fergus, he changed the plan.

A solo battle by Carpe alone, without any support from the cult.

He decided to embark on a true solo raid.

For one reason only.

"A solo raid is a gamer's dream!"

-Sometimes you sound like you're having a midlife crisis. Sigh. Do as you please.

Since the crazy gamer had been on a rampage for a while, Cheonma had reached the point where he could just let it go.

Meanwhile, the respawn time was approaching.

[Elder Treant is respawning.]

Boom!

A large magic circle appeared on the ground with the notification.

From the magic circle, a giant Treant, at least three times the size of the others, emerged.

Grrr-!!

"Let's go!"

Carpe charged toward the field boss.

* * *

Boom!

Level 33 Ranger Stephan turned his head toward the direction of the large vibration.

It wasn't far from where he was.

"Wow. This time it's over there?"

In the Sea Forest, the only thing that could cause such a vibration was a field boss.

'Time to hunt.'

Stephan smiled sardonically and quickly ran toward the source of the vibration.

When he arrived, he burst out laughing.

'Ha. A solo raid? There are just too many people who don't know their place.'

The Elder Treant was the first field boss that players in Rase would encounter.

As a result, many inexperienced players would show up, only to be killed instantly.

'Even if I don't interfere, they'll die on their own.'

But it's more fun to do it myself.

Stephan hid behind a tree and drew his bow.

'This is the best moment, after all.'

The fun of hitting a raiding player from behind.

The player's expression of despair when the arrow pierces their back is the ultimate entertainment.

Stephan had been hunting newbies in the Sea Forest without leveling up, just for this fun.

He took an arrow, nocked it, and aimed at the player's back.

Suddenly, a notification window appeared in front of Stephan.

[You will receive a penalty if you attack the player first.]

[Death penalty is significantly increased. There is a 90% chance of item drop upon death.]

"Hmph."

He had seen this warning countless times, but it had never been enforced.

Despite his low morals, his skills were undeniable.

The moment the player charged at the Treant, their back was completely exposed.

'Now!'

It was the perfect timing.

Just as he thought this and released the arrow,

Clang!

A sword swung from the side, deflecting the arrow.

The arrow, unable to be properly shot, fell to the ground.

"What, what? When did… Gah!"

Stephan, who was shocked, tried to shout but couldn't.

A silver sword had pierced his chest.

"Wh… Who…"

"There is no name for a coward."

Without another word, Tina, the sword's owner, slashed him.

Thud.

His corpse disappeared, leaving only a bow on the ground.

Xiang, who had been waiting on a tree, came down and stored the bow in his inventory.

"Such a world, where chivalry is nonexistent and cruel people interfere with my lord's honorable battle, is truly despicable."

"Quack?"

"No, nothing. Let's move. I sense a faint aura of prestige over there."

"Quack quack!"

Thus, while Carpe was conducting his solo raid, the two cult members were also hunting in the forest.

A 10-star player who became strong through luck.