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[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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Chapter 160
Watching the users who had been hiding near the boss run away, Seonghyun looked around.
He felt like he had explored the labyrinth for a fair bit, but he still hadn't seen a merchant from the Labyrinth Troupe.
Of course, Seonghyun could just blow his whistle, but he was curious about what kind of items a merchant who appeared naturally in the labyrinth would sell.
So he had been searching, but there was no sign of one.
He could just look it up online, but he had figured he might as well discover one while hunting and exploring the labyrinth.
Since one wasn't appearing at all, he had no choice.
'If one doesn't show up, I'll just start by searching online.'
He could still do a quick search during his breaks while playing Eternal World, after all.
Seonghyun was about to sit down to rest, but he suddenly thought it would be better to hunt while searching.
He opened the Gate of the Netherworld.
The Death Legion immediately poured out.
Seonghyun summoned a number that he could sustain with his natural mana regeneration, and the count exceeded a whopping 200.
Most of his familiars came out as well, but Drakhanos and Leonik were not among them.
With a "could it be?" expression, Seonghyun looked at Balthar.
Balthar spoke with a very satisfied look on his face.
-Khahaha! That is correct, my Lord. Leonik is currently receiving the master's training, so he could not come out.
"Aha."
Seonghyun would have to receive that explanation soon too.
Since they were his familiars, he figured the opportunity would come soon enough.
He nodded and gave his orders to the familiars and the Death Legion.
“Do not, under any circumstances, touch monsters that other people are hunting, and you are not to attack other people either. You must only attack the monsters.”
At Seonghyun's words, the Death Legion and the familiars answered thunderously.
-Everything for the Lord!!!
"Everything for the Lord!!!"
They shouted so loudly that the labyrinth momentarily shook, and then they scattered to all corners of the labyrinth.
The magnificent advance of the legion.
Seonghyun, however, just let it be.
It was a sight he was now all too familiar with; there was nothing new about it.
As the Death Legion and his familiars went out to hunt for him, countless messages about his experience increasing began to pop up.
He paid them no mind.
Seonghyun opened an internet window and searched.
A surprising amount of information came up about the Labyrinth Troupe.
[Title: The Mascot of the Fifth Region! The Labyrinth Troupe!]
[Author: HelmetCameOff]
『There ain't no noobs who don't know about the Labyrinth Troupe, right?
You haven't seen them? Poor you lol.
Make sure you take a thousand screenshots when you find them, they're really cute.』
[DaggerHandFeel: lol they are cute.]
[NamelessArcher: The stuff they sell isn't great, but they're cute.]
└[InfiniteEnchanter: nn, they sometimes sell high-rank stuff, but the price for a Unique is like 100 monsters.]
└[PartyGhostMember: for real, good stuff pops up sometimes, but 100 monsters for a unique takes like ten days if you're hunting in a party.]
“Hmm.”
Seonghyun nodded as he read the post. So they do appear, but it seemed their goods weren't as good as he thought.
That's what the comments suggested.
Seeing that they occasionally sold good things, it seemed that was also up to probability.
However…
‘Ten days for 100 monsters?’
Seonghyun knew that if you hunted in a party, the number of monster kills would inevitably be divided.
Still, ten days for 100 monsters?
Looking at the post, Seonghyun hummed and then glanced at his other field of vision.
[You have defeated a monster.]
[You have gained experience!]
[You have defeated a monster.]
[You have gained experience!]
[You have defeated a monster.]
[You have gained experience!]
…….
…….
(The rest is omitted)
The messages were still continuously scrolling up even now.
Watching the tireless notifications, Seonghyun tilted his head. He really didn't get it.
‘Let's just assume I'm fast.’
He now knew that Overlord was no ordinary class.
With a thought that would have earned him a mouthful of curses from other users had they heard it, Seonghyun got up from his seat again.
He had a rough idea about the Labyrinth Troupe now.
‘I should start hunting too.’
Even though leaving it to his legion and familiars was like auto-hunting, he himself was now jumping into the fray.
If other people saw him, wouldn't they also think he had a touch of madness?
5.
The capsule opened and Seonghyun emerged.
He had really gone at it today.
He had killed a considerable number of monsters and bosses.
‘I should be able to afford a Legendary now, right?’
Thinking that, Seonghyun lightly stretched his body.
He had been in the capsule for a long time, so it was natural to feel stiff.
After a light stretch, Seonghyun washed up and was about to head to the living room for dinner when he checked his phone first, just in case there were any messages.
“Hm?”
Sure enough, there were several texts from Lee Geondong.
Texts whining about how he couldn't talk to a woman.
Seonghyun chuckled and shook his head.
‘Such a crybaby.’
It wasn't a blind date; it was just a business meeting to sign a contract.
Why was he making such a fuss?
Seonghyun typed out a message with that exact thought.
[Yoo Seonghyun: What's the problem when all you have to do is sign the contract? Just get it over with.]
As soon as Seonghyun sent the text, a reply from Lee Geondong flew back almost immediately.
[Lee Geondong: No ;-; ;-; but what should I say??? I really don't know??? Plus, she scheduled the meeting for tomorrow morning ;-; ;-;.]
[Yoo Seonghyun: Just talk business and leave, why are you so nervous? It doesn't make sense that you can text her but not talk to her. Think of her as your boss.]
[Lee Geondong: I've never had a job before, though?]
Reading Lee Geondong's reply, Seonghyun paused for a moment in thought.
‘Hmm.’
Come to think of it, neither had he.
Anyway.
[Yoo Seonghyun: Then just think of her as your supply sergeant.]
[Lee Geondong: But my supply sergeant was a man?]
Come to think of it, that was true.
Whatever. Seonghyun, feeling a little annoyed, sent another message.
[Yoo Seonghyun: Agh, I don't know, just figure it out yourself.]
Even after that, Lee Geondong’s whining continued, but Seonghyun ignored it and went to shower and eat dinner.
If he entertained that guy, there would be no end to it.
It was easier to just ignore him.
And so, Seonghyun ignored Lee Geondong.
The next day arrived.
The fateful meeting between Lee Geondong and Ahn Yoojin began.
“Here is the contract. Just because you're Seonghyun's friend, I haven't added any special conditions. As you'll see when you read it, the terms are better than what you'd find anywhere else.”
“……!”
Lee Geondong said nothing, simply nodding with his mouth agape.
Ahn Yoojin continued to explain as she watched his reaction, but Lee Geondong just kept nodding.
Then.
“That’s everything. Do you have any questions or any conditions you’d like to add?”
“……”
Shake, shake.
Lee Geondong didn't speak, just shaking his head, and Ahn Yoojin nodded in understanding.
After the contract was fully signed, Ahn Yoojin stood up from her seat and said,
“Well then, I look forward to working with you.”
“!!!”
At Ahn Yoojin’s words, Lee Geondong bowed deeply.
And with that, Ahn Yoojin left with the contract.
‘Since I’m out, I should take a break before heading back.’
He was Seonghyun’s friend, so that was one reason for the in-person meeting and contract signing.
But Ahn Yoojin’s other, hidden motive was this: an excuse to take a break by claiming she had an external meeting.
And so, Ahn Yoojin left with a satisfied expression.
Watching her go, Lee Geondong muttered to himself.
“Huuuh, I-I can do it if I try!!!”
…he said, despite not having uttered a single word while Ahn Yoojin was actually there.
6.
Around the time their meeting was starting, Seonghyun was back in the labyrinth, sweeping through monsters just as he had been doing.
Because of this, news that Seonghyun was in Pentagrid spread far and wide, and suspicious individuals began to gather there.
Individuals who bore no guild emblem.
At this level, it was common to either join or create a guild, even a mediocre one, as not being in a guild was a significant disadvantage.
Of course, there were some who weren't in a guild, but they were quite rare and hard to find.
This was especially true for skilled players, as joining a guild was just that beneficial.
For individuals who all appeared to be skilled players… to not be in a guild?
It was possible.
However, when more than ten, and then more than twenty such individuals gathered, it became a rather strange affair.
One of the assembled individuals stood before the others and asked,
“Is everyone here?”
Every one of them wore equipment that concealed their faces.
It was clear they were about to commit some extraordinary act.
The man who had stepped forward looked at them and said,
“The Demon King’s location?”
“We’re trying to pinpoint it.”
“He has spread his undead army over a wide area, so it’s difficult to determine his exact location.”
Hearing the reply, the man nodded and said,
“Our objective is none other than the Demon King, and the Demon King alone.”
At his words, everyone nodded.
The elite of the elite.
And they were not from a single guild.
Some were hired by guilds that held a grudge against Seonghyun, while others had personally withdrawn from their guilds.
They were what could be called an assassination squad, composed entirely of players who had completed their third class advancement and were of Unique rank or higher.
In particular, since many of them had belonged to major guilds, their skills could be guaranteed.
“The Echo Willow elites were defeated, but we will be thoroughly prepared.”
“We can’t be worse than them, who were thrown together for an emergency event.”
“To dare go against a guild.”
They were in a situation where they had even prepared to return to their guilds after dealing with Seonghyun by any means necessary.
They laid out a plan to achieve their objective, whatever it took.
They were individuals who had been convened after hearing the information that Seonghyun was currently running rampant in the labyrinth.
Now, with his legion and familiars separated from him, was their chance.
They each laid out their plans and discussed them.
“Even without the Demon King’s familiars and legion, the Demon King himself is strong.”
“He seemed to be a master of swordsmanship.”
“We must restrain him from a distance and take him down as quickly as possible.”
“Since his legion is spread over a wide area, it would be good to create a decoy team to pretend to protest that.”
“If we divide into a stealth team and a decoy team and attack all at once, even the Demon King will be helpless.”
Twenty skilled players. If they all charged at him, it could be difficult even for someone like Seonghyun.
If Seonghyun had his familiars and legion, he could easily predict a victory, but they knew that as well.
That was why they were aiming for a moment when Seonghyun was alone.
Their plan was perfect.
The only variable was…
“Couldn’t the Over Palace branch manager be a variable?”
At someone’s question, the man who had been organizing the situation shook his head.
Over Palace was an object of fear even to users, but no matter how powerful Over Palace was, they couldn't break the rules.
“He is an NPC. Excessive intervention is impossible. I have already confirmed this.”
“Hmm, if you say so, it must be true.”
Discussing it amongst themselves, they had no choice but to agree. Then again, it was an NPC organization. Would it make sense for them to intervene in a situation between users? It was surely impossible.
“Above all, would a branch manager of a single Over Palace region be that free? He certainly won't pay any attention to the likes of us. And even if he has a close relationship with the Demon King, he probably won't be constantly monitoring him or have his subordinates posted nearby.”
Just as they finished laying out their entire plan, Seonghyun, who was sweeping through the labyrinth, scratched the back of his head as if it were tingling.
“Hmm.”
A presence was following him around.
Feeling it, Seonghyun scratched his cheek.
‘They’re following me too closely.’
He wanted to say something, but he just let it be.
After all, it was the Over Palace branch manager; he couldn't just tell him off.
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[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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