Chapter 19. Black Route (8)

It's suspicious enough that he suddenly appeared.

Become a teammate?

Yeonwoo looked up and down at Kan with an expression that seemed to say, "What kind of guy is this?" and Doil poked Kan's side with his elbow.

"Ouch! Why? All of a sudden?"

"Stop that. Don't you know how embarrassing that is?"

"What?"

Kan looked completely clueless.

While Doil sighed deeply,

Yeonwoo decided that it wasn't worth engaging further, adjusted his backpack, and walked past Kan and Doil.

"Hey, hey! Where are you going? I haven't finished talking yet!"

Kan hurriedly grabbed Yeonwoo.

Yeonwoo stopped for a moment and turned around.

"What? Is there something else you want to say?"

"You haven't answered yet. I asked you to be a teammate!"

Yeonwoo let out a light snort.

He felt like he shouldn't have to continue talking to this pathetic guy, but he coldly replied.

"Impossible."

"Why?"

"I don't know what you guys do, and I don't feel any charm that would make me want to form a party or team with you."

Kan's face turned to one of surprise.

"You don't know me?"

"I don't."

"Huh? Why?"

His tone suggested that it was obvious he should be known.

"Should I?"

"How? Really? You don't know me? How can you not know me? The biggest star in the tutorial?!"

Kan acted as if he was dealing with something unbelievable.

As Yeonwoo's face gradually turned to one of annoyance,

Doil, who had been watching the situation, stepped forward, thinking that things would go nowhere if left as they were. He spoke in a polite tone.

"This guy, when he's nice, is very kind, but when he's not, he's very full of himself and a bit lacking, which can make conversations tiring. But he's not a bad person, so I hope you can understand."

At that moment, Kan looked as if something was wrong, but he shut his mouth when Doil narrowed his eyes.

His younger brother seemed much smarter than him.

Yeonwoo nodded at Doil, thinking that the conversation might finally become easier.

"Just get to the point."

"First, let me introduce ourselves. I'm Doil, and the lacking guy over there is Kan."

"Doil? Kan?"

Yeonwoo suddenly felt that these names were familiar.

"11th and 3rd in the tutorial rankings?"

Doil smiled sheepishly.

"It's a bit embarrassing to hear it put that way."

Under the mask, Yeonwoo's expression turned to one of slight surprise.

3rd place Kan and 11th place Doil.

They were top-tier players.

But why were they here in the back instead of far ahead?

He wondered if they were a group of scammers.

"Um. It might seem suspicious that we, who should be in areas E or F, are here."

"No. I believe you are Doil and Kan."

"Really?"

Yeonwoo nodded silently.

He had thought earlier that it was strange for such strong players to be deceiving him.

But most importantly, Yeonwoo could tell that they were not lying.

Dragon Eye.

He checked the two of them with the skill, which he had recently learned. When using Dragon Eye to examine a living being, those with positive thoughts had faint lines, while those with negative thoughts or hostility had thick lines and a large number of them.

Based on this, Yeonwoo could roughly infer the other person's thoughts or emotions. It was also very helpful when hunting monsters.

And.

The lines around Kan and Doil were light in color.

Meaning they were telling the truth.

Yeonwoo crossed his arms and asked.

"So. Why are such players, who should be busy accumulating merit points by passing through the areas, coming back to the later regions to scout me?"

Doil scratched his cheek with his index finger.

He wanted to keep it a secret, but realized that he wouldn't be able to persuade Yeonwoo without giving a reason, so he decided to reveal some information.

If they tried to do something unnecessary, he would have to physically stop them.

"Before that, may I ask one thing?"

"What?"

"Do you belong to any team or clan?"

"No."

At that moment, Doil's expression brightened, and Kan let out a small exclamation of surprise.

Doil said,

"Then that's good. Actually, there's an artifact in area E that we need to obtain. But to get it, we need to form a party of at least 3 to 4 people."

"Can't you just find someone to join there?"

"Most players in area E are already affiliated with a team or have a group they travel with by that point."

Yeonwoo could roughly guess what was going on.

These two were top-tier players in the tutorial.

Naturally, to obtain a hidden piece, they had to move carefully to avoid drawing attention.

However, most skilled players were already affiliated with a group, and hiring someone would only spread rumors, so they moved to area B, where solo players were more likely to be found, to look for teammates.

'Was the move to area B done with a ticket?'

It didn't seem to be a reset ticket like the one Yeonwoo had used. It was probably a pass ticket that allowed free movement, but it must have been a one-time use due to the high cost.

'Area A is hard to gauge in terms of skill. So, they were waiting in the waiting room of area B and found me.'

It seemed that passing through area A solo and dismantling the Kaen group had caught their attention.

Yeonwoo hadn't expected to draw so much attention, so he let out a slight laugh.

"So, in area E, the 3rd and 11th place players, even if they team up, can't easily obtain an artifact, and they need someone to help. Is that how I should understand it?"

"Yes. I can't give more details, though."

Yeonwoo nodded but thought to himself.

'They need the Crown of Hargan.'

There were various hidden pieces in area E. Fortunately, what they were after was different from what Yeonwoo was looking for.

Under the tangled roots of the three trees in area E, there was a lair of a lizard king named Hargan. He was aggressive and made raids quite difficult.

His younger brother and Team Artya had also found this hidden piece by chance.

Hargan was the leader of the lizardman tribe that frequently appeared in area E, and he was very difficult to deal with.

Especially, the numerous lizardman warriors guarding him made efficient hunting difficult.

But the reward he gave was not very significant compared to the difficulty and time required.

His younger brother had left a diary entry saying he was quite frustrated.

Therefore, Yeonwoo was considering avoiding Hargan's lair.

Time was short, and there was no need to get stuck in a less significant area.

It would be more beneficial to open other hidden pieces and gain higher merit points and rewards.

Most importantly,

The reward from Hargan, the Crown of Hargan, was an artifact that Yeonwoo didn't need.

'The Crown of Hargan has options that increase authority and leadership. I don't really need it.'

Yeonwoo's combat style was that of a one-man army.

No matter how many enemies there were, he aimed to overwhelm them alone.

Commanding many soldiers?

Or having many teammates?

It might seem convenient, but it didn't suit Yeonwoo's style.

Even when running around in Africa, he only kept a few trusted subordinates by his side and never directly commanded large-scale operations.

Moreover,

His younger brother had been betrayed by trusted teammates.

The tower was a world of strict survival of the fittest. If your back was exposed, you never knew when you might be devoured.

In such a fierce jungle, it was easy to expose weaknesses, so there was no need to have teammates or subordinates.

If he had to, just a few.

Enough to not be a burden and easy to get rid of if necessary.

Therefore, Yeonwoo had no interest in the Crown of Hargan, which would only be useful for a monarch class.

"We can ensure that you won't be disappointed with the reward. If you have any specific requests, we can pay separately. What do you think? It's not a bad deal for you, either."

Kan and Doil would want to move to area E as soon as possible, so they would help Yeonwoo in any way they could.

They could quickly climb the rankings through a fast strategy and discover hidden pieces as a bonus.

Most importantly, the friendship with the two super rookies after the tutorial ended would be a significant advantage.

They might even form a large faction together.

'Of course, this would only be tempting if I were an ordinary latecomer.'

Yeonwoo didn't particularly need their help and didn't feel the need to form a team.

It would only hinder his progress.

He needed to keep finding other hidden pieces, and having obstacles would be counterproductive.

So, Yeonwoo was planning to decline.

But,

A thought suddenly crossed his mind.

'Would it be okay to help for a short while?'

He intended to skip areas C and D. There was something to gain in area E, but if he helped these two first?

Hunting Hargan would not be easy. But with the 3rd and 11th place players in the tutorial, a quick strategy seemed possible.

Even if it wasn't particularly appealing, a hidden piece was still a hidden piece.

The merit points it provided were not insignificant.

If he could gain that much merit in a short time, it wouldn't be a loss.

"Alright. But I have one condition."

Doil smiled, as if he had thought it through.

"What is it?"

"The artifact you absolutely need. I want to take all the other rewards."

"Hmm."

A difficult answer.

The Crown of Hargan was the most important, but other rewards might come from Hargan's lair.

So, Doil couldn't immediately answer and glanced at Kan.

Kan nodded silently.

Their priority was a quick strategy, and they had no other specific interests.

Doil finally nodded and gave a positive response to Yeonwoo.

"Alright. But you have to show your skills."

"Anyway, if your skills aren't up to par, you would kick me out or find someone else, right?"

Doil burst out laughing, hit the mark.

"Hehe. We're not that cruel."

At that moment, Kan, who had been standing behind, suddenly stepped forward.

He must have been frustrated by not being able to say a word, so he smiled and extended his hand.

"Haha! Anyway, meeting like this is a kind of fate. Let's exchange names, bro."

Yeonwoo knew exactly what kind of person Kan was.

He was very full of himself, talkative, and tiring to deal with.

But since they would be traveling together for a while, he gritted his teeth and shook Kan's hand.

He hesitated for a moment when he realized he hadn't revealed his name yet.

This was a battlefield.

There was no need to reveal his real name.

So, he used another name, a call sign.

"Kain."

Yeonwoo's eyes had already hardened.

"My name is Kain."