Chapter 7: I Can Do Well On My Own (1)
"The Wyrm Lizard...?" Kai murmured with a surprised expression.
This is just like the situation I faced in the Trial of Helik, isn't it?
Of course, it would have been a coincidence. That place was an independent space created for the trial.
"In fact, we've requested support from the royal guards several times to subdue the Wyrm Lizard.... But with monsters across the continent suddenly becoming more ferocious, they're reluctant to assist such a remote village."
"But a single knight could easily deal with the Wyrm Lizard, right?"
"Even one knight is too valuable to send, apparently." Bunther murmured with a bitter smile. "We've been told to wait a month for support... but a month is enough time for the Wyrm Lizard to turn our village into ruins. That's why I'm asking you. Will you help us?"
"There's something I want to ask before that." Kai voiced his lingering curiosity, "If the Wyrm Lizard is really near the village, how has the village been safe until now? The Wyrm Lizard is a carnivorous monster. It's strange that it hasn't attacked the village yet."
"Fortunately, it's been preying on Gnolls until now. But the Gnoll population in the mountains it lives in is decreasing and soon the Wyrm Lizard will move to a place with more prey."
"That would be Frica Village," Kai nodded slowly.
"Exactly. So, I have a request for you, an adventurer. Please, save our village! Experienced hunters estimate that it'll take the beast about three weeks to reach here."
Ding!
[A Village in Crisis]
Difficulty: C+
The true ruler of the Red Gnoll Mountain isn't the Red Gnoll Chief. They’re just a puppet, offering sacrifices to the Wyrm Lizard to prolong their life. Defeat the true king of the mountain within three weeks and bring peace to Frica Village.
Quest requirements: Have the highest reputation ranking in the village.
Quest rewards: “Hero of Frica” title, free use of all village shops, increase in XP, 10 gold
Failure penalties: Decrease in reputation in Frica Village, decrease in fame. decrease in XP.
Kai blinked as he read the newly appeared quest window.
10 gold is... equivalent to 1 million won in cash!
Moreover, the real jackpot was the free use of all the village's paid facilities. Not just the blacksmith for repairing equipment durability but also the general store for potions, weapon shops, inns, and restaurants, they would all be free!
I must buy... no, accept this!
He had no idea how he, at level 46, was going to defeat a level 65 field boss, but it felt like the god of spending was whispering in his ear that it was his chance to splurge.
Kai sprang to his feet and grabbed Bunther's hand.
"Leave it to me!"
"R-really?"
"Of course. I will defeat it."
"Oh, thank you! Please, put an end to the evil Wyrm Lizard."
Ding!
[Quest accepted.]
***
Leaving behind Bunther, who looked at him with worried eyes, Kai immediately went outside to check his equipment.
Even with the increase from the Benevolence stat, taking on a level 65 monster alone is too much.
A Cleric wasn’t an offensive job. While he had decent survivability thanks to protective skills like Sacred Barrier, the lack of attack skills to kill enemies was a significant factor.
There are combat Clerics who focus on holy magic, but....
That was irrelevant for Kai, who had chosen the typical support Cleric skills. Of course, he could learn new skills now, but there was a problem with that—not only would his proficiency be low, but it would also cost a lot of money.
"First off, there's a 3-week time limit."
The time was sufficient.
I'll level up as much as I can during this period and then take down the Wyrm Lizard.
Heading straight to the square, Kai looked for a suitable party.
"Finally found one!" At that moment, a group of people approached Kai. "You guys are...."
They were the party members who had been killed by Zirukan. Especially the tank in the lead had a face twisted like a crumpled piece of paper.
He looks incredibly ugly with such a scowl.
It was his first time seeing the tank's face since he always wore a helmet.
If I had to find a look-alike... maybe a bulldog?
Observing his face, Kai tilted his head and said, "You all resurrected."
"Resurrected? Yes, we did. You punk!"
The tank, about to swing his fist, was barely held back by the Wizard and Archer.
"Why is he acting like that?" Kai asked the others.
"Well...."
"Why am I acting like this? Why am I acting like this?! Don't you see why I'm angry after looking at this!" The tank pointed to his face, yelling.
Kai tilted his head. "Your looks aren't my fault."
"Of course, it's not your fault... wait, what? This bastard!"
The tank was about to explode again when the Archer persuaded him, and the Wizard sighed and explained, "He dropped a rare helmet when he died. It's an item worth about 13 gold, so he insists on getting it back."
"Ah, equipment drop...," Kai nodded, understanding the situation.
13 gold was equivalent to more than 1.3 million won in cash. Anyone would go mad if they dropped equipment worth that much.
"Of course, we have our reasons too. My shoes and the Archer's gloves were also dropped. Our items are also high-value rare items worth more than 10 gold each."
Hearing this, Kai examined their equipment.
Come to think of it... all their gear is high quality.
Players could drop one of their equipped items upon death if they were unlucky and it seemed all three had been unlucky enough to drop their rare items!
However, Kai's questions were not yet fully answered. "Why are you bringing this up to me? Go to where you died."
The Wizard slightly lifted the hat he was wearing and said, "We've already been there, but there's an invisible wall blocking us from entering."
"Oh, now that you mention it...."
"That's why we came looking for you." The Wizard said softly, "When a player dies, they resurrect at the last saved inn or temple in the village. And you also had your resurrection point set at Wanderer’s Inn, right?"
"That's right."
"But you didn't die. Don't even think of denying it. We've already checked at the temple on our way here."
"Yes, I didn't die."
At Kai's response, the Wizard smiled brightly and extended a hand, saying, "That's fortunate. If you didn't die, you must have picked up the equipment we dropped, right? Since it's basic manners to take care of a party member's equipment. Oh! Of course, we won't ask for repair costs. Just give us back our equipment please."
"Sorry, but I didn't pick up those items. In fact, I didn’t even see them. I wasn't in the state to do so."
"See! I told you he would play innocent!" The tank growled from behind, and this time neither the Wizard nor the Archer stopped him. The tank swiftly stepped forward and pushed Kai's shoulder. "Do you expect us to believe that?"
"Do you want me to show a screenshot of my inventory?"
"Bullshit! That can easily be edited!"
"I don't engage in such petty acts," Kai sighed and responded, causing the tank to growl again.
"Anyway, it's a fact that we lost our equipment."
"So what are you suggesting?" Kai, starting to feel tired of the situation, asked.
The tank smirked, revealing his teeth. "We'll get our equipment back our way. Either you go there and pick them up, or buy new ones and hand them over."
"What kind of absurdity is that...!"
"Even after party hunting together, you don't know who we are?" The tank tapped the emblem on his chest and said, "You've just made an enemy of us. You're now marked by the Crimson Sunset, Frica's top guild. You better be prepared."
He then shouted out loud for all players in the square to hear, "Listen up! If you want to die together with this guy, feel free to form a party with him! You all know my brother is the master of the Crimson Sunset, right?"
Damn it, I’m really screwed.
Kai furrowed his eyebrows. He had heard of the Crimson Sunset guild.
"Look forward to it."
The tank left a nasty smile and walked away with his group.
"The Crimson Sunset guild...."
Kai stood his ground. He hadn't picked up their equipment, nor had he even seen it.
But people only listen to those in power.
And that was true in the game world as well.
Ding!
[Your party request has been rejected.]
[Your party request has been rejected.]
Other players avoided forming a party with Kai, fearing they might get caught in the crossfire. In this situation, there was only one thing Kai could do.
Kai sighed and said, “A Cleric going solo...."
Unfortunately, that was the only solution.
***
With their Holy Power and Stamina stats, there was no one better than a Cleric in supporting allies. However, there was one major disadvantage to being a Cleric—they were helpless when alone.
Leaving the village, Kai sat down beside a tree on the roadside and started calculating.
The strongest monster I can handle alone is probably the Gray Gnoll.
After hunting Red Gnolls, which gave a lot of XP points, switching to Gray Gnolls made him crave a cigarette he had never even smoked before!
"The Crimson Sunset guild. This is how they abuse their power, huh."
In fact, guilds like them were quite common in MID Online. The unfortunate part was that ordinary players like Kai had no means to counter such guilds.
If you're upset, level up. That’s how it is.
Kai sighed again, turning his thoughts back to the realistic problem.
Gray Gnolls at level 38 don't give much XP.
But what else could he do without any other options?
"Well, at least I have some new skills that might help."
Kai desperately hoped his new skills would be useful in hunting.
They're skills from a Mythic rank class, so they should be useful, right?
Feeling thirsty from all the anxiety, Kai drank water and entered the Gray Gnoll area. It was an unpopular hunting ground, so no other players were in sight.
"Let's see...."
Reading the descriptions of his skills, he found Holy Explosion to be an attack skill.
Alright, I'll go with this one.
Just then, a Gray Gnoll lazily passed by in front of him. Gnolls were monsters resembling bipedal dogs.
Casting time is 2 seconds.
1 second, 2 seconds. Having completed the casting, Kai formed his fingers into a gun shape and aimed at the Gnoll.
"Holy Explosion!"