Chapter 63
Shadow Empress Lehurin.
A power that Cha Hye-rin gained through an incarnation contract with a Transcendent.
Was this a result of her high level and class specialization?
She was able to use quite a few of Lehurin's powers in Chapter #2, and this is the one that stands out the most.
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[Shadow Doll (Lv.2)]
* Category: Skill
* Maximum summonable units: 2 / 2
* Mana Cost: 500
* Effect: Tears away one's shadow to create a shadow doll that has its own consciousness and bears an identical appearance to the user (Cooldown 120 min.)
* Description: Creates a shadow doll that has its own consciousness and which shares the same behaviors and vision as the player. The shadow doll shares 20% of the player's stats and can attack, defend, loot, etc. However, all stats are reduced by 10 for each Shadow Doll maintained. As the level increases, more shadow dolls can be created, and the efficiency of sharing stats with the main body increases.
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Shadow Doll.
The power to summon an identical copy of herself, in the literal sense of the word.
Of course, the penalty for being able to summon an exact duplicate of oneself was considerable, but she didn't really care.
* Life Harvester: The number of Field Boss monsters, humans, etc. you kill is recorded. Gain 1 stat point when the harvest quota is filled. 13 / 30 (total lives harvested to date 8,323 -> cumulative stat increase 277)
5-Star Unique Class, Silent Walker.
Thanks to the effects of her class specialization, Life Harvester, it is not that difficult to replenish her stats as long as she can keep hunting.
Furthermore, China's declaration of war has created the perfect opportunity for her.
Players from the China server will be coming in droves.
They are the ones that make her a fish out of water.
like an all-you-can-eat buffet.
But she still had her own worries.
Her adoptive mother, Lee Yeonbun, and the children she brought with her.
'This is a problem.......'
So far, she's been able to cover her bases with the relatively strong uncles, but it's impossible for her to stop every player on the China server who comes in waves, which leads to a crisis in the shelter.
A simmering killer instinct and a family with something to protect.
In an alley where she has to give up one or the other, she remembers Honeybee.
Yoo Sung-hyuk, a man obsessed with honeybees.
'If it's Sung-hyuk, it's possible.'
An established player who's already proven himself to be just as powerful as she is by demonstrating his VVVIP status at the auction house.
To kill two birds with one stone, Hye-rin turns to one of her most important 'family members'.
'I can only trust and rely on my family in this world.'
She has decided to join forces with Sung-hyuk.
"Who the hell are you?"
Sung-hyuk's eyes narrowed as he quickly recognized her 'shadow', and she, the 'body', smiled.
'After all, you're clearly not normal.'
A shadow doll that hasn't been exposed by anyone yet.
Rather than panicking, she's satisfied that she's been discovered, and she tells Sung-hyuk the details of her current situation.
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"So you're saying your real body is hunting Chinese players?"
"...Yes. Are you disappointed?"
This was actually Hye-rin's first admission of committing murder.
It's also the first time she's ever been 'nervous' in an unrestrained state of mind.
The notion of a person killing another person.
That was usually enough to arouse disgust, and in the normal course of events, a felony among felonies.
But...
"Why be disappointed by that? Maybe in the old world, but not now."
In a normal society, if one kills a person, one is simply a murderer, but it is not the case now that society is facing an apocalypse and war.
Now, killing people is actually a public service and can be used as fodder for leveling up.
Of course, if it meant slaughtering innocent people, Sung-hyuk wouldn't be happy about it, but Sung-hyuk focuses on the fact that Cha Hye-rin doesn't have the mark of being an "Evil Person".
In the eyes of the system, that means she's not just a senseless killer.
* Serene One: Regardless of the circumstances, you will never become an Evil One.
Well, technically, this was a loophole due to the effect of Immunity to Evil, one of the class specializations of the Silent Walker, but what can one do?
Without sharing the class specialization with each other, it was impossible for Sung-hyuk to know its effects in detail.
"Hehe. I thought you'd think so, ......because you also came out of the Sunflower Orphanage."
"Anyway, I don't intend to go around telling your secrets, but if you're in danger, run. If you die, your family and the Director won't be able to see you anymore."
"Yeah. Don't worry about that."
A slight discrepancy caused by mutual values and convictions.
It remains to be seen which side will tip the scales in favor of Sung-hyuk's interest.
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When did it all start?
A single post on a community board dedicated to the China server.
It was the only "warning" in a sea of posts, so most Chinese people were drawn to it.
【Chu Yong Shifu: Don't go to the area marked on the Korean server. Why? I don't know, so don't ask me!】 - Views.......
- This is Chul Yong Shifu, who led a clan-level shelter in China that invaded the Korean server. I don't care if you decide to declare war on the Korean server and go in, but don't go anywhere near the area I marked. If you ask me why, I don't know! Because...... my colleagues went there. After whispering that everything was fine and there was nothing to see, they were cut off like rats and birds! I don't know if it's monsters or players, but there are invisible monsters living there! I, I warned you!
[Comment status (327.......)]
- Footdog : Hahaha I see something nasty. Are you afraid of Korean bastards?
- -Don- : What's so scary about them? Just kill 'em, whether they're monsters or players.
- Mushroomer: LOL
- Heaven Sword: Me and my companions will be arriving at that marked place soon, I'll check it out.
- Water Wheel: Oh, I can always count on you!
- King King Jelly: You're reliable, Heaven Sword!
....
The content of the post speaks volumes about the dangers.
But in every single country.
It seems that telling people not to do something often makes them want to do it more.
One of the Chinese celebrities who happened to be in close proximity to the location, Zhang Tiankun, thought of leading his colleagues to use the situation to his advantage by pulling the aggro on himself.
"How about it, Wei Chen. Do you see anything around here?"
"No, nothing at all, not even a hint of monster activity, let alone players."
"Tsk, It seems like it was just a warning to draw aggro after all."
Feelings of bitterness and irritation flared up for a moment.
Then, Zhang Tiankun felt a strange sense of discrepancy.
"......Wait a moment. Isn't it rather strange that Wei Chen used his Investigation Skill and didn't get any reaction?"
As a 2-star Investigator, Wei Chen's Investigation skill has a very wide range.
And usually, even if players aren't found, monsters that continuously respawn are discovered because the investigation skill can detect the location of players or monsters inside.
Yet not a single ant was detected this time?
Something is definitely not right.
His instincts warned him, and he and his companions were about to leave.
For the first time, he shivered at the feeling of emptiness.
"W-Where have you guys disappeared to?"
The empty spot where his companions had laughed and talked together just a moment ago.
Now, he was the only one in this area, treading on the bare ground.
With a sinking feeling of dread, Zhang Tiankun was about to bolt without looking back, but by the time he thought about it, it was already too late.
"......!"
A swift slash that came from nowhere, covering his mouth and slitting his throat in the blink of an eye.
If there was a silver lining, it was that he didn't feel any pain at all.
"......."
In his dying moments, however, Heaven Sword was able to see.
The grim reaper that had brought him death.
She was smiling from ear to ear,
"For the first time, my actions have been appreciated, and by my own family!"
While muttering something incomprehensible to herself, with a beaming expression on her face.
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After establishing a solid working relationship with Cha Hye-rin.
Sung-hyuk's beekeeping farm has continued to grow with each passing day.
Whenever the cool down period is over, Sung-hyuk's consistently constructed beehives and the bees that collect and process the newly collected nectar into honey.
Although it was always the same routine, the amount of honey was gradually increasing, so Sung-hyuk was constantly collecting honey to make processed products, and there was often a place to dispose of the leftover honey,
“kkuwong! kkuwo-eong!”
“kkueoeong!”
*Nibble* *Lick*
*Clap* *Clap*
It is given to Yongbi and Danbi to eat as a special treat.
Though bears are omnivores, they're known for their fondness for honey.
In particular, the honey collected by the Bee Guardian, Sung-hyuk, is of the highest quality, so Yongbi and Danbi always act uncharacteristically affectionate at mealtime.
[The loyalty of Yongbi and Danbi becomes even stronger].
As a giant bear, the amount of food they eat in a single sitting is enormous, but Sung-hyuk doesn't seem to mind at all.
By now, both Yongbi and Danbi had leveled up to 26 and 27, respectively.
As Field Boss monsters, they were tank-like mounts that could knock most monsters out with a front paw slap, and were excellent for transportation.
"It's always good to have more combat roles."
The loss of bees was a natural part of expanding their territory.
But now those numbers are significantly and noticeably lower.
As noted earlier, Yongbi and Danbi's contributions have been significant, but the contributions of new combatants like Jang Ji-ho and Kim Kyung-bae cannot be ignored.
Their prowess has already been proven by their tenacity to survive in the outside world, and not just in the forest.
Moreover, they have more than just 'Skill'.
"Wow, with all the buffs besides Big Sis's soup buff, these monsters are so easy."
"Traps and other various items. And let's not forget the support of the bees."
Lee Yeonbun and Yeon Soo-hee doping steadily through food.
Tons of buffs and a plethora of items.
What more is there to say?
"The weapons and armor made by Old man Chul-kang's are no joke, their effects are seriously impressive."
"Of course. Look at the ratings. They're all 3-stars. How many players are fully armed with these items right now?"
High-grade minerals of varying purity obtained from the Golden Goblin Mine.
Those items were initially crafted through the process of An So-hyeon's "Fairy's Hand" and further refined into usable weapons by the hands of the master blacksmith, Kim Chul-gang.
Earning coins is something that can be covered by the byproducts of honey.
Sung-hyuk has generously invested in these equipment for his combatants, so they can hunt safely without fear for their lives.
"The minerals were also provided by our friend Sung-hyuk. Let's repay the favor, boys."
"Of course!"
"If we don't know this favor, we're not proper people."
"Conscience must prevail. Let's not become black-haired beasts."
Fast paced monster killing and the combat classes that quickly become stronger as a result of it, and an ever-expanding safe zone.
In a virtuous cycle, the farm's territory expands faster than Sung-hyuk could have ever foreseen.
[Successfully discovered a Dungeon, Steel-Tusked Boar's Den (★★★-)!]
[Successfully found a Natural Vegetation, Century White Ginseng (★★★+)!]
[Discovered a Natural Vegetation, Gnarled Deodeok¹ (★★-)!]
.......
The increased expansion of the territory also led to the discovery of dungeons, which are lairs of hidden monsters, and high-grade natural vegetation that had been previously unknown.
Originally, the existence of dungeons in the world was quite tricky for Shelters, as it could cost them their lives, but for those armed with armor and advanced doping, it's a chance to level up quickly.
"......It's always been like this. Have I always been lucky?"
A community board that he often peruse in his spare time.
According to its contents, dungeons were known to be quite hard to encounter.
According to the information summarized by Neatfreak, there are fewer than ten dungeons in the city of Seoul.
However, as if someone was feeding them to him from behind the scenes, dungeons are constantly found near Sung-hyuk's farm.
Not to mention, there's a 3-star+ natural vegetation.
Finding natural vegetation of this caliber is rare not only on the Korean server.
No, even within the Asian server, they're rare enough to count on one hand.
[Transcendent Being, Golden Goblin Lord Macherti senses that the time has come].
[Transcendent Being, Madness Seeker Bo's gaze twinkles].
And most importantly,
[The first floor of Macherti's Golden Goblin Mine reaches 100% exploration].
[The second floor, featuring more and more valuable minerals and gems, is now accessible].
[The number of Golden Goblins available for hire has increased by 2].
[Golden Goblins now require more upkeep costs and honey to maintain them!]
.......
The Macherti's Golden Goblin Mine, purchased at the first auction house.
Surprisingly, this was a growth type mine.
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TL/N:
1. Codonopsis lanceolata, also called Deodeok (더덕), todok, or lance asiabell, is a flowering plant native to East Asia It is a variety of bonnet bellflower.
