by Japtem
With increased Strength, Leo swung his shield and hammer as he charged at a Troll.
A Troll is a humongous, 4 meter tall monster, but his opponent was a Warrior! A fighter who specializes in hunting big monsters.
As all sorts of skills were applied, the Troll staggered as it lost its balance with each strike of the hammer. When the final blow was struck on its brow, the Troll collapsed weakly. At the same time, Hargen faced a Stalker while swinging his two-handed axe.
Leo and Hargen boasted their incredible strength as Warriors.
Equipped with a shield and plate armor, Leo took decent blows without a care, and the Stalker getting hit by Hargen wielding his two-handed axe was getting thrown around like a baseball. They didn't land critical blows because they were Strength-focused characters, but they easily took out a level 73 troll and three level 66 Stalkers with only normal hits.
Regardless, Ark made an apathetic expression.
'They fight in a really boring manner.'
The two Warriors were weirdly strong for their level. Based on fighting techniques alone, they were incomparably lousy. They didn't even consider avoiding the attacks coming at them. That was characteristic of fighters wearing high defense plate armor. They ignored incoming attacks and just blindly swung their weapons. They didn't pay any attention to distributing their power, managing the distance, or accuracy. They also kept using their skills until all their Mana ran out.
After clearing a group of monsters, Hargen hefted the axe onto his shoulder and boasted, "Hahaha, what did I tell you? With just Leo and me, even Grey Ridge is no problem. From now on we'll handle it, so Sid-nim and Ark-nim, just watch from the back."
Of course he was doing just that.
'I can't understand deliberately rushing up to fight.'
The group made a party in the village and hit the road. Thanks to this, the EXP was automatically shared even if he didn't fight. Granted, you could get more EXP by contributing more to the fight, but it wasn't worth the loss of equipment durability.
In addition, Ark had no experience in party hunting. Since Leo and Hargen fought in a completely different manner, there would be too many problems if Ark tried to squeeze in.
'Well, since it's only a hunting ground of this level, I'll just sit back.'
Ark distanced himself and spent his time striking the backs of fleeing monsters.
"Good work. Here's some food!"
Once the fight ended, Sid immediately brought out food. Sid showed an extremely submissive attitude to the reliable Mercenaries. Well, since they were outside the village, Sid's life was in the hands of the Mercenaries, so that was a given.
Carrying as many as 6 bags at once, it was profession that could get a hold of a lot of money from the beginning. There was once a time when Ark was envious of Merchants.
But, after looking at Sid, those thoughts disappeared. They do earn money, but without the help of other players, they wouldn't even be able to trade properly.
They had to waste their money to pay escort fees and bow to the tastes of others. It wasn't a profession that suited the single-minded Ark.
'Even though he said there's a comfortable path, why does he want to employ Mercenaries to travel by this road?'
With sudden doubt, Ark asked while chewing on the free food, "Why are you in such a hurry?"
"I spent my fortune on silk from the Southern region. However, the prices of silk can change in just a few days. If Merchants who bought silk at the same time were to sell them in Giran, then I can incur a loss instead. Since I invested my whole fortune on it, it could bankrupt me. So in order to get there even one day sooner, I haven't slept properly in days."
"If the market price is good, how much would you earn?"
"I still won't earn a lot. Silk doesn't have a large margin. Price gain is around 2%? With the travel fee and escort fee on top of that, there's nothing left."
Perched on top of a rock, Sid answered while swinging his legs.
"But, since I've invested my fortune on this, as long as I get a profit, my EXP will greatly increase. The greater the risk, the greater the experience. And since silk's market value changes frequently, there aren't many Merchants who trade it in bulk, so it's a good opportunity to raise my market share. Truthfully, that is my objective, rather than money or experience."
"Market share?"
The lives of combat professions relied on EXP and items, but Merchants relied on profit and market shares. Market share was a kind of reward provided to players who consistently traded one type of good. A Merchant with a set amount of market share could get all sorts of bonuses. They can also be exempted from taxes, get quests from craftsmen NPC's, and get profit from related trade goods. If they held the maximum share, they could even earn a monopolized trading privilege with a Lord.
The additional effects of that were enormous. You acquired info about which items would soon be in demand, and, once you gained a monopolized relationship, raising your level or making money was a cinch. Therefore, the Merchants' fight to raise market share first was vicious.
Some Merchants even went as far as to suffer a loss to lower market value if they saw another Merchant coming in with trade goods from afar.
Even if it wasn't from player interference, prices plummeted and skyrocketed if New World's economy and political situation changed. Because of this, Merchants always have to be keen and able to read the flow of the whole continent.
Information soon becomes money. To Merchants, this is common sense.
Sid held vast information as an effect of that.
"One day, I will get a monopoly on the economy of the Schudenberg Kingdom."
Sid stamped his foot as he boldly revealed his ambition.
Although seeing a small, cute Hobbit talking boldly was not very convincing...
In any case, Sid was risking everything on this journey.
He poured in his whole fortune in order to raise market share, and even bought silk with a loan from the Merchant Guild. If the market value plummeted before he arrived, it was instant bankruptcy for him, and he'd be reduced to sewing leather and getting peanuts in a corner of the city.
'Being a Merchant isn't an easy profession either.'
Ark felt it was actually much harder to be Merchant than a fighter.
Then, while Ark and Sid were talking, Leo and Hargen were whispering amongst themselves from a distance. They'd been doing that more often after entering Grey Ridge.
'I have a really bad feeling about this...'
Out of nowhere, he suddenly got an uncomfortable feeling.
Ark's ominous sense hit the mark.
2 hours after leaving village, the party had reached the entrance region of Grey Ridge. After sweeping another monster mob and resting, a message suddenly popped up.
- You have been kicked out from the party.
Leo, who was commanding the fight in the front, had the position of party leader. In other words, Leo kicked Ark out of the party, and it wasn't just Ark. Sid, who also got the expulsion message, tilted his head.
"Excuse me, Leo-nim. I've been disbanded from the party?"
Leo suddenly changed his expression as he said, "We aren't going any further."
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Sid blinked as if he did not understand the situation.
Leo grinned and swung his hammer around.
"Since there's no more business to see with you, I'm telling ya to hand over all the silk and fuck off. Ark, if you leave all your pearls and scram like a good boy, I won't kill you in light of our time so far. You understand without further explanation, yes?"
"Per-perhaps from the beginning...?"
"Of course. Do you think I, Hargen, followed you this far just to earn peanuts?"
"Y-you can't. These goods are what I've bought with my entire fortune. If I lose this I will go bankrupt. I would rather die!"
"If you say that much, then there's no choice. Damn it, even though this is expensive."
Leo took ou
t and ripped a red scroll. "Target Sid, designated mark: silk."
Then, a stream of light came pouring out and hit Sid.
'Is it an attack scroll?'
Ark flinched reflexively, but Sid didn't receive any damage. It doesn't seem to be an attack scroll. However Sid's face immediately turned pale, and he sank down while trembling. Tears poured from his round eyes.
"Please let me go. If I sell the silk in Giran I will give you 50%."
"Why would I do something that difficult when there is an easier way to earn money?"
Ark couldn't comprehend the current situation at all.
When a character became Chaotic, they received a huge penalty. They can't buy or sell anything from the store, let alone enter villages larger than a certain size. They also received criminal status.
If they became Chaotic once, they could remove the status by staying in jail for a few days and paying a fine. Of course, the jail time and the fine were based on their Chaotic value and their level. For those above level 60, the jail time as well as the fine would be no small amount.
No matter how much they wanted the silk, it wasn't worth turning into a Chaotic player. So although Ark had been suspicious of the two's attitudes, he hadn't imagined the worst case scenario.
That wasn't all he couldn't understand. Since he was a Merchant, there would be some japtem inside his bags besides the silk. Even if Sid was murdered, the chance of the silk dropping was rare. However, Leo and Sid both seem to think the silk was guaranteed to drop.
'Just what exactly is going on here?'
"I'm sorry, but it's unavoidable since we also need to survive!"
As Leo abruptly rushed forward swinging his two-handed axe, Ark still hadn't come up with a plan. If they were monsters, he was confident he could take down two or three even if they were level 70.
However, his opponent were players, two of them were too much to face even for Ark.
'Should I run away?' Ark was thinking that, but then---
"Dammit, then I will have to prepare for some losses!"
Sid quickly took out a scroll and, when he ripped it, disappeared with light. It was the effect of the incredibly rare and expensive [Warp] scroll.
"That bastard, he was hiding a warp scroll."
Leo ground his teeth after slamming the hammer on the ground.
"Hng, did you think I'll let such easy prey get away? [Trace]!"
Without delay, Leo quickly used another scroll and his eyes glowed red. With glowing red eyes, Leo looked around and found Sid scrambling away about 200 meters away. It was an odd fight using all sorts of scrolls.
Leo shouted while chasing Sid, "Hargen, you take care of robbing him! You can face him alone, yeah?"
"Of course." Hargen laughed as he looked at Ark. "You don't intend to obediently hand over the pearls anyways, right?"
Hargen did the same thing as Leo--- he took out a scroll and marked the pearls. As with before, Ark couldn't figure out the scroll's identity, but it seems it didn't deal any damage. Afterwards, Hargen immediately swung his two-handed axe as he charged.
It was an absurd situation.
'What's with this guy? What does he believe in, to think he can stand up against me?'
Hargen was 3 levels lower than Ark. He definitely knew that fact. So why is he trying to take Ark down alone?
'Does he think he can take me down because I'm a Thief?'
If so, it was actually welcoming. Ark had been worried because there were two level 60+ players. If there was one opponent, even if the opponent was a higher level, he was confident he could defeat him.
Ark quickly did an evasive movement as he swung his sword.
A heavy sound rang out, but Hargen immediately used the skill again as if he didn't receive much impact. Ark fended off the blow with this sword, but he still took an incredible amount of damage.
'Wha-what? Is this really damage of a level 62 player?'
It was completely different from what he'd seen while they were fighting monsters. Ark used Eyes of the Cat, and his face hardened.
'Huh? What is going on?'
With Eyes of the Cat, he saw Hargen's level was actually 71.
In addition, he was a Chaotic player!
He was certain Sid checked their levels and status before leaving the village. Level 62 with Neutral status. But in just 4 hours, the info had changed to something completely different. After using his head for a moment, Ark finally understood the situation.
'I fell for it. Was Sid also a part of this?'
Sid had checked the info. And since Sid, whom he had met by chance, had said the info was like that, Ark had just believed him. That situation had been so natural that even the doubtful Ark had blindly believed it.
So In the end, Sid and Leo had just been acting!
'They were aiming for me from the beginning. Damn bastards!'
Rage surged within him.
'I definitely shouldn't trust the likes of players!'
"Alright, let's go at it then. I will make you regret believing in your level and coming at me alone. Dark Blade!"
Lancel's sword grazed a spot on Hargen's side that was glowing red.
- You have dealt a critical hit!
Hargen flinched and took a step back. Even with his plated armor, he lost 10% of his Health in one blow.
"This bastard, he has good luck. Though it'll be useless!"
Hargen still made an expression of overwhelming confidence.
It seemed he believed the critical hit was nothing but a fluke. Hargen's level was 71, Ark's was 65. With a whopping 6 level difference, he believed there was no way he could lose. But it didn't take long for him to realize how terrible a misunderstanding that was.
The accuracy and attack speed he had polished underwater!
Ark's sword and kicks rained down like a flash.
Ba-ba-ba-bam!
Kicks were different from sword strikes. Swords only gave damage, but kicks gave knockback, or a stun effect at a set rate. In addition, the enemy was a heavily armored Warrior; whenever the shower of kicks imparted a special status effect, he couldn't balance his weight and was pushed back as he staggered.
"Wha-what? What is wrong with my body?"
Hargen shouted his frustration at the special effects of the kicks.
The heavily armored Hargen couldn't follow Ark's movements. He also couldn't defend himself properly. Trained from underwater battle, Ark's sword precisely pierced into the gaps of the armor.
A heavily armored fighter was no different from a crab. The joints in armor have very low defense. In addition, the Dark Blade Ark occasionally released totally ignored defense.
In an instant, Hargen only had 10% of his Health left.
"H-how the hell did this happen?"
In front of the suffering Hargen's eyes, Ark lifted his leg. It paused in the air for a split second before falling like a thunder bolt down on Hargen's head.
HAMMER KICK!
Stunned, Hargen fell to one knee. His body flashed red.
Double Critical Chance!
- With Double Critical Chance, you have landed 2x a critical hit.
Ark seized the opportunity and killed Hargen.
"There's no way this can be..."
As if he couldn't believe it, Hargen stammered as he was forced to log out.
- You have defeated a level 71 Chaotic player. Fame +40.
The helmet Hargen had been wearing tumbled down.
"Dedric, turn into a Bat and find Sid and Leo!"
Ark summoned Dedric and ground his teeth.
If they'd been playing Ark, they would definitely be waiting nearby for the fight to end. The bastards had conspired and tricked Ark. He was of a mind to chase them even to the depths of hell for revenge. If he didn't kill them, his rage would not subside.
'They can never be forgiven!'
"They're not too far from here!"
"Lead the way."
Ark equipped the Guardian Armor of the Merpeople he'd been s
aving and had Dedric take the lead.
The Guardian Armor couldn't be repaired by repair boxes. The only way to repair it was with Magic Restoration, but he'd tried not to use it since that was only Intermediate. But the current situation was different.
After entering the forest, he saw a strange scene unfolding.
He'd been certain the two would be giggling together, but the situation was no different from before. Sid was running as if his feet were on fire. Leo was chasing after him spitting curses. As if he'd already taken a few hits, Sid had only about 30% of his Health left.
'What is going on? Aren't they on the same side?'
At that moment, Leo's hammer hit Sid's back.
It wasn't an attack a Merchant could defend against with their incomparably lousy defense.
Sid collapsed as he instantly fell into a critical condition.
"Dammit, you nasty bastard!"
"Huhuhu, isn't this also one of the enjoyments of the game?" Leo raised his hammer while sporting a vile smile.
At that moment, Leo's face was covered by Dedric.
"Wh-what is this? A Bat?"
Ba-bang!
At the same time, a strong attack landed on Leo's back.
He'd been watching the situation from a distance, but Ark shortened the gap in a moment and let fly a Backstab attack. He couldn't understand what was going on, but for now he decided they weren't allies.
Leo turned his head and his facial expression turned twisted.
"H-how did you...?"
"Ask your friend after you revive."
Ark didn't give him a moment and immediately poured forth a chain of Sword-Hand attacks.
'The bastard's level is 73, but if he's around Hargen's skill, he isn't a tough opponent.'
Leo was stronger than Hargen.
First, his level was higher, and his equipment was better. Additionally, because of his shield, it wasn't easy to aim at the gaps in his armor.
But Leo was still not a match for Ark.
"Uhh, what is this? A Bat?"
Dedric, trying to earn back some trust from Ark, desperately held on. He repeatedly scratched Leo's face while matching the timing of the hammer swings and backing off.
As expected, after receiving Ark's rigorous training, Dedric's battle sense was outstanding. In the current situation, he was determining what attack would be most helpful to Ark. As Dedric continued with the attacks, Leo's accuracy with his hammer dramatically fell. Such sloppy attacks were met with crazy strong counter-attacks. As Leo swung his hammer, a counter attack swept past through the gap in the shield.