Chapter 19. Altar (4)

Hansoo checked his wrist before going into the Altar.

‘Flying Cat’s Marble’

Something that healed a small amount of health when consumed.

It was something that he had collected diligently while hunting for a few days and didn’t really heal injuries but it was still helpful.

Since every artifact’s effect differed on how and when you used it.

Hansoo put the marbles in a leather band that he tied on to his wrist.

If you pressed onto the pouch on the band made of goblin leather, than one marble would pop out.

Since there was no time to take it out from around his waist during a critical situation so he needed to make something like this.

Hansoo, who had even sharpened the tip of the needle, looked at the bottom of the Altar.

Grrrrrrrr!

Boom. Boom.

The Carnivorous Beast was smashing the insides of the Altar as if it was about to go crazy from hunger.

‘Hmm. Goblin poison won’t even work’

Poison would work since its Physical and Magic resistances were low but if you take into account of its regeneration speed than it was practically useless.

It would be much better to just smear on some Land Mermaid’s Paralysis poison and then just stab it into where the nerves were gathered.

Hansoo looked down whilst putting a cloud snack up to this mouth after he squeezed the shampoo bottle and smeared a large amount of the paralysis poison on the needle.

And then he proceeded to inhale all the smoke that came out of it into his body.

‘It’s really been a while. Though it’s really strong’

As the smoke swirled into his body, he felt the number of runes that determined the laws on his body skyrocket.

84. 85. 86…

And when it went over 100, a change occurred in Hansoo’s body that hadn’t appeared before.

Crack Crack

Hansoo nodded as he felt the change.

‘Good. I’ve gone to the next stage’

Hansoo checked his current condition.

[Kang Hansoo] Strength(Colorless): 0.01% (Maniac’s Cloud Snack: +20%)

Stamina(Colorless): 0.01% (Maniac’s Cloud Snack: +20%)

Agility: 50.5 (Maniac’s Cloud Snack: +20%)

Perception: 50.6 (Maniac’s Cloud Snack: +20%)

Mana 26.4 (Maniac’s Cloud Snack: +20%)

Magic resistance 15.6 (Maniac’s Cloud Snack: +20%)

‘It’s been done’

A new energy, that was different from what had existed before, swirled throughout his body.

They show it in numbers in order to make it easy for people to understand in the beginning in the Tutorial but the runes were actually shown in a progressive way.

Like experience.

It said it was colorless but an aura that emitted a faint light twirled around Hansoo’s body.

When a color becomes integrated like that then it truly becomes the Otherworld’s rune from that point on.

In one sense, what they had to do was similar.

Just like how one got strong when the number of runes went up, when the percentage rose they would naturally get strong.

The fact that you needed to collect runes to become strong was the same.

If there was a difference then it was that when you hit 100%, then your rune will change into the rune of next stage.

From colorless to red, from red to orange, from orange to yellow and so on.

It rose stage by stage.

And every time your rune increased by a stage, you gained a large benefit.

There was only a very small difference between normal rune 99.9 and colorless rune 0.01% but there is a large gap in between.

Since the aura of activating the rune had grown by a stage.

‘Good’

You needed at least this much in order to get through his defenses.

Since at a glance you could see that it was also using an aura of an colorless rune.

The strength of the monster could be felt much closer when he saw it from above.

‘As I would expect, Kwang Goonju. He wasn’t quite sane but he was still extraordinary’

Even if he had used his trait and skills, even if he had become half a corpse, the fact that he killed that thing was unbelievable.

That thing was something you will only see around the colorless area, which will become the background for the 2nd tutorial stage, and only around the mid-late stage of it.

In conclusion, it was not something that would come out in the 1st tutorial stage.

And it was even more burdensome to him since he couldn’t use his trait and skills.

‘Tsk. I would’ve crushed it to bits if I just learned something around a Troll’s Essence’

But he also had a lot of expectations.

Even he didn’t know what would come out of the hidden piece after he clears it.

Since the only person he knew who cleared this was only Kwang Goonju.

Eres, Gangtae and Keldian all failed.

So he didn’t know what would come out but one thing was certain.

That this damnable world kept pushing people around but the reward itself was quite clear.

The harder and more impossible something seems the better the reward will be.

And this was a hidden piece that only one person had succeeded in before.

There was no way something scrubby would come out.

‘It would be a jackpot if a Numbering Artifact or Skill would come out’

Double Numbering, no, even a triple Numbering would be a jackpot.

‘Let’s go’

Hansoo, who had finished his preparations, inserted a Flying Cat’s Marble into his cheeks and jumped down ruthlessly with a cloud snack in his mouth.

The stamina depletion would start now anyways, if you take into account for the marble’s regeneration speed then it would be helpful to go in biting onto it.

Kuaaaaaahhh!

And soon the giant beast’s roar that was filled with rage blew out from the inside of the altar.

………………………………

Kuahhhh!

Sangjin gulped as he heard the roaring cries from afar.

Because it felt like his legs would shake just from the noise.

It wasn’t a problem with strength but rather a problem of breed.

A cry from a predator created to eat humans was shaking their souls.

‘So he’s fighting one on one against that thing…’

The feeling of wanting to become like Hansoo and jealously, and the wanting of being accepted by Hansoo mixed around and filled his head.

And that acted as inertia and helped Sangjin’s shaking legs to move.

‘Yeah. If I suceed this then Hansoo wouldn’t be able to ignore me anymore’

Then Sangjin looked behind him.

And behind there were 10 people whom he was speaking to before gathered there.

Suyeol, who was standing in the front, made a slightly fed up expression for a moment but then laughed as he looked at Sangjin

“It’s good that you chose not to bring your friends right? Your friends could’ve been in danger”

Sangjin shook his head.

“You’re right. I haven’t thought of your words. That Hansoo could be danger right now.

And then Sangjin remembered that happened before.

Suyeol and Sangjin shared a lot of words.

And there was a question that Suyeol asked.

— We’re going to act together in the future which means someone strong like Hansoo is definitely needed. But there is something i’m worried about… isn’t this work extremely dangerous to Hansoo?

And when he thought of it after hearing that question, there was some logic into it.

There was a similar case before.

Hansoo pushed them back when he went to really dangerous places.

And the fact that he wanted to go alone this time meant that it was really dangerous.

And he had even asked for extra runes.

Hansoo wasn’t a type to lie just in order to scam some runes.

Which meant it was an enemy that he needed at least that amount of runes to go up against.

‘Yeah. Even if it’s Hansoo, it doesn’t make sense that he will have the upper hand against that monster’

Sangjin nodded as he answered.

— Yeah. The enemy this time around would be hard even for Hansoo.

Suyeol laughed at those words as he spoke,

— Yeah? Then shouldn’t we help?

— Huh?

— Think logically. How could we be at a disadvantage when we have the numbers? No matter how weak we are we can at least be a meat shield or distractors.

Sangjin nodded at those words.

Like Hansoo said before, it was better the more numbers you had.

The only time numbers would be disadvantageous is when things aren’t clear and they are wandering around, the people here were the strongest of the 60.

They would be of great help even if they acted like meat shields.

Suyeol looked at Sangjin, who was making a confused expression, as he spoke.

— As I see it, that friend is trying to hard to monopolize everything or something.

— …monopolize?

And then Sangjin made a slightly dejected face as he nodded.

There is definitely a possibility that that was the case.

It was like that in the train station and even on the first night Hansoo hadn’t shared anything he had earned himself.

He was pretending to hand out trivial things such as runes, that could be gathered easily, while monopolizing all the good stuff himself.

— There is a possibility he’s doing that.

— Right? And that’s what I was wondering, we should look for an opportunity and help.

— Huh?

— From our perspective if that Hansoo guy dies it would be a great loss. If that friend got greedy and then dies just like that it would be too regrettable.

— Hmm.. but wouldn’t it be too dangerous?

As Sangjin remembered the clip he saw earlier and made an astringent face, Suyeol beat his chest.

— Look. The guy named Hansoo went in alone. What does that mean? It means he went in though it’s dangerous because it’s doable yeah?

— Ah…

— We just need to give a little bit of help. Look how strong we are currently. We might not be of a lot of help but wouldn’t you be.

Sangjin nodded at those words.

— Then I’ll go call my friends.

But then Suyeol shook his head.

— No no. We need to hurry. Your friend is already down there. And when we’re giving help even a second is precious. Do you really want to bring your friends and come later?

Sangjin shook his heads at those words.

If Hansoo were to fall in danger before then he would lose an important chance.

‘Yeah, If I help this time… then Hansoo wouldn’t be able to ignore me>

“What are you thinking about? Let’s follow him up.”

“Ah.. yes…”

Sangjin nodded his head and then headed towards the top of the Altar and Suyeol grinned at that Sangjin.