Chapter 114 – Frozen Forest of Violence (5)
Translator: Seven
Editor: Ana_Banana
The trust that the public had in the Messiah Guild was not something that could easily be explained.
It was not enough to call it blind or fanatical, and it was extremely similar to how the believers of Gods reacted to crusades.
Of course, the Messiah Guild was committed to receiving such faith. But they weren’t the only ones dedicated.
Across the globe, there were numerous people who were willing to give their lives in the fight to save the world.
Nevertheless, the reason why all the faith and trust of the world was focused on the Messiah Guild was simple.
They produced results.
“It’s a player! A player has come out of the gate!”
“It’s clear! The dungeon was cleared!”
And at this moment a player who proved was to have the same amount of faith and trust as the Messiah Guild had appeared.
“Isaac Ivanov did it!”
Isaac Ivanov crossed the dungeon gate and reappeared in the real world.
…
[Isaac Ivanov has done it!]
[The man who made the impossible possible!]
[Isaac Ivanov hunts the Ogre!]
When Isaac Ivanov left the dungeon gate, the world became flooded with news carrying his name.
[Has a new savior appeared?]
[Can Isaac Ivanov save the world?]
Some began to compare Isaac Ivanov to the world’s only savior.
Of course, not everyone put Isaac Ivanov on the same level as Lee Se-jun.
-Compared to the Savior? What’s that bullshit?
-Crazy bastards!
-They’re just fishing for clicks. Don’t think too much about it.
Even those who wrote the articles in the first place didn’t truly think so.
-Still, isn’t Isaac Ivanov’s recent move able to compare the Savior?
? Say something that makes sense! He is a God!
? But isn’t it true that he is unrivaled in 2 Floor dungeons? Where could you find such a player?
? It’s only the 2 Floors. The Savior is about to start attacking 7 Floors!
? It’s a 2 Floor that was failed 23 times before!
However what was apparent was that the names Isaac Ivanov and Lee Se-jun began to be mentioned together more often, even if they were not compared.
‘I feel like I’m getting closer to him now.’
It was proof that the distance between Lee Se-jun and Kim Woo-jin was closer.
However this didn’t make Kim Woo-jin happy.
There was no reason for him to like it.
‘The closer we get, the more checks we get from the Messiah Guild.’
The Messiah Guild would be much more cautious of Isaac Ivanov from now on.
Then, if Isaac Ivanov began to interfere with their affair, the Messiah Guild would make a move without hesitation.
Right now it was difficult for Kim Woo-jin to handle a heavy offensive from the Messiah Guild.
No, it was more than just difficult.
‘I can see a path now thanks to Van Gogh’s Bracelet.’
In the midst of his lament, Kim Woo-jin’s mind shifted to the bracelet that was lying in his inventory.
‘It’s the item that people risked their lives to recover.
Van Gogh’s bracelet. It was an item that loosened some of the player’s accessory constraints.
Players could wear up to 5 accessory items.
One necklace, two rings and two bracelets.
It was possible to wear more, but anymore than the specified number and the player would not receive the effects for the subsequent items.
If you put more than two rings on your hand, only two rings would work.
However some of those restrictions were removed by Van Gogh’s Bracelet.
If you wore Van Gogh’s ring on your right hand, you could then wear five rings on your right hand.
‘The problem is I can’t remove it.’
The downside was that a ring worn together with Van Gogh’s bracelet couldn’t be removed unless he died.
It was a bigger drawback than one would think.
First of all, players basically wore all kinds of rings.
In particular, as the floors increased, they had no choice but to prepare as much in advance as they would not know what environment they would have to face.
In the case of Lee Se-jun, there were as many as 19 legendary rings in his inventory and Kim Woo-jin had also filled part of his inventory with rings although not as much as he had in the past(future?).
Above all, a ring was the fastest piece of equipment that a player could replace.
‘I can’t wear it yet.’
However the most troublesome part was that he would be limited to the 5 rings that he picked until he died.
‘For now there’s only the Plus Ring.’
It was true that he could wear up to five rings, but there was no reason for him to wear it if the effect wasn’t on the same level as the Plus Ring.
This was the reason why Kim Woo-jin didn’t wear the bracelet yet.
After all, it was not too late to equip it after he managed to find a few more rings on the same level as the Plus Ring.
‘The first 3 Floor Dungeon I enter is decided.’
Additionally, Kim Woo-jin had information on dungeons that had legendary items that hadn’t been discovered in this world yet.
That was the reason.
‘It’s not enough yet.’
The reason why Kim Woo-jin still felt he was lacking.
Tuk! Tuk!
And now Kim Woo-jin was using the leather of the Ogre he’d hunted, to make armor.
It was then.
WooWoong!
The phone in his pocket began vibrating.
-How are you?
It was Oh Se-chan’s voice.
-You’re really popular nowadays, really popular. Ah, how about we have a chat? Tell me if you have any special needs.
“Nothing immediately.”
Kim Woo-jin didn’t ask for anything in particular.
The things he wanted were not things he could ask for, but things he had to get on his own.
“I have a question.”
-A question? What is it?
“I wonder why ramen or choco pie is always mentioned whenever there is an interview.”
-Ah…
Oh Se-chan paused for a second before saying.
-Uh, that.
“That?”
-It’s for public opinion. Right, that’s it. It’s to help build a connection. And the Messiah Guild is based in Korea anyway isn’t it? So isn’t this a good way to connect with the Koreans? Huh? Aren’t I right? In fact even foreigners like choco pie. You like it too don’t you?
Oh Se-chan’s words changed.
-Ah, but that’s not the point.
He quickly changed the topic.
-There’s good news and bad news. I was calling to hear your opinion in advance.
“Let’s hear the good news.”
-The Skeleton Knight Skill will be on sale.
Skeleton Knight.
The words made Kim Woo-jin the times when he’d fought again the King of Undead.
The memory was that of three Liches and five Death Knights protecting the King of Undead as well as an army of hundreds of Skeleton Soldiers standing in front of him.
Skeleton Knights were intermingled in that group of Skeleton Soldiers.
At first glance, they were indistinguishable from normal Skeleton Soldiers.
This was especially the case when the Skeleton Soldier skilled reached the EX rank. Then even an Ogre’s skeleton could be made into a Skeleton Soldier and there would be no way to distinguish the two.
But there was one difference. Skeleton Knights rode on the backs of skeleton beasts.
That was the only obvious difference.
‘It was a pain in the ass.’
It was also the difference that made the Skeleton Knights very troublesome.
No long explanation was necessary.
It was simple to just reimagine the case with Lee Jin-ah and the wolf skeleton.
No, from the start, Kim Woo-jin came up with such a tactic after observing Skeleton Knights.
At this time, it was a skill that would prove extremely helpful to Kim Woo-jin.
This was the good news.
“The bad news is that it is not easy to get.”
So Kim Woo-jin could immediately tell what the bad news was.
-Right answer.
“What’s the problem? Is it money?”
-Most of the world’s problems are because of money, which is why I’m so frugal, but this time it’s different. So it’s more troublesome.
“What are the terms?”
-Support and protection from the Government.
Normally conditions like these would make people ponder for a bit, but Kim Woo-jin was able to understand the situation immediately.
“So it’s a wanted criminal?”
-Right.
Among the players, there were a lot of wanted people. More that half of the players who went to Kaesong, North Korea were criminals.
In all honesty, a lot of money was actually dangerous for that type of person.
It was a different story for a bum to have three to four 50,000 won bills in his pocket and for him to have a 100 million won bond slip in his pocket.
Moreover if something so valuable was found it could easily be used for other things instead of money.
-He’s from Ukraine, but he murdered a high ranked official in the government. Of course, he’s saying he killed the man cause he humiliated his wife, he is also known for committing all sorts of other crimes, but he’s applied for asylum because killing the man was a legitimate decision. In the world today, which government would grant asylum to a player like that? He’s been wandering ‘round for a while but he managed to get something good this time.
“So his condition is asylum?”
From what Oh Se-chan had just explained, one of the conditions could be for guaranteed stability.
It was not a ridiculous request.
Most well-known players had a close relationship with their governments.
It was possible for those who want the skill to do so through those in power.
-Two wives, two daughters. Four in total.
“That’s a lot of conditions for a unique skill and not a legendary.”
After all, it wasn’t a legendary skill so it was basically overkill to ask for so many things.
-There’s no compromise. He’s desperate. I tried to get him into Russia but he refused. Well, looking at Russia he might not believe he’ll get protection.
It was truly worth Oh Se-chan saying it was bad news.
In the end, Kim Woo-jin spoke again.
“Can we make the trade at any time?”
-The contact point is still being maintained.
“Then I’ll do it.”
-You?
Oh Se-chan couldn’t hide the surprise in his voice.
-You have contacts in the Korean Government?
In response to that, Kim Woo-jin responded briefly.
“No.”
-Then how?
“I don’t have, but I know someone who does.”
-If you say that then…Park Yong-wan?
“You know it well.”
Kim Woo-jin smiled as he said this.
‘Park Yong-wan, I’ll make you fight the world.’
…
In the wake of Isaac Ivanov, it was Park Yong-wan who finally managed to change the focus of the world.
[Park Yong-wan succeeds in his second challenge of a 6 Floor Dungeon!]
He had completed his second challenge of a 6 Floor dungeon and returned to the real world. It was certainly a historical moment.
[This is now the era of Park Yong-wan!]
[The Phoenix Guild, 29th in the World Rankings!]
It was a glorious moment.
However Park Yong-wan’s expression when he had just come back after completing his historical achievement, was worse than ever.
“So the Frontier Guild tried to eat us?”
Kim Woo-jin, who was standing in front of him, answered simply.
“Yes.”
Kim Woo-jin had approached Park Yong-wan when he came back and explained the situation to him.
“After barely surviving, I hid and waited for you to come back.”
He told him that a powerful group of Pathfinders had been sent by the Frontier Guild.
Park Yong-wan had no choice but to harden his face.
Of course, he already knew what the Frontier Guild was like.
“Fucking bastards.”
Nevertheless he had never expected them to pull such tricks on him.
In fact, Park Yong-wan could be considered a bigshot.
Nevertheless it was through Naomi Spell’s suggestion that the Frontier Guild did this.
It was because the Messiah Guild wanted to quickly remove Park Yong-wan that they were forced to make her do it.
But Naomi Spell and the Messiah Guild’s plan had failed.
Park Yong-wan was able to escape from their trap.
“How are we going to deal with this?”
The problem that there was no way for Park Yong-wan to vent his anger right now.
Park Yong-wan knew that currently, no matter how strong he seemed, he could never go against the Frontier Guild.
“…If you have any thoughts, tell me.”
Therefore Park Yong-wan asked Kim Woo-jin for his opinion.
Kim Woo-jin thought for a bit before replying to Park Yong-wan’s question.
“Personally, I think defense would be better than attack right now. There are too many enemies.”
“Defense?”
“Yes, I think it’s best to focus on defense so that the other guilds, especially the Frontier Guild, will not rush to touch us.”
“Defense…that’s unexpected. But how?”
Kim Woo-jin answered him easily.
“By using the Messiah Guild’s method.”
“The Messiah Guild?”
“They’re supported by the public. Isn’t that why you can’t touch the Messiah Guild? They have the support of the public all over the world?”
Park Yong-wan nodded at that.
However his expression crumpled again.
Kim Woo-jin’s words were not wrong but.
“How?”
But it wasn’t something he could say he wanted to do.
“Don’t tell me I have to clear a 7 Floor Dungeon.”
Unless Park Yong-wan attacked a 7 Floor Dungeon then it would be impossible for him to be treated like a savior like the Messiah Guild.
Kim Woo-jin made a suggestion to him.
“You don’t need to take the risks yourself. Think of the Hansung Group.”
“The Hansung Group…”
“They invested in the Messiah Guild and enjoy the same reputation, the Phoenix Guild can do something similar.”
“Something similar?”
As soon as he asked the question, Park Yong-wan realised what the answer was as if he had found it on his own.
“Isaac Ivanov, you mean invest in him right?”
Kim Woo-jin nodded instead of answering .
At that time, a smile stretched across Park Yong-wan’s face.