Ark

ACT 7 Gateway Breakthrough!

[TL Notes: I had difficulty with the name of Shambala’s technique since they’re only one character in Korean which could have a lot of meanings. Thus I just used the Korean pronunciation for it.]

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Jjak-tung’s body was covered with a yellow slime.

‘Slime’s Time!’ Yes, Ark wasn’t the only one with Slime’s Time anymore.

Of course, the skill was created with the Vision scroll so the effects weren’t 100% but the rehabilitation members had also eaten the Slime’s Immortality Pills. It invalidated physical attacks by 100% so it was perfect against the Nakujuks who couldn’t use magic.

“But…….”

Ark looked at Jjak-tung with confusion. Jjak-tung’s intent was perfectly clear. And it was the best way for now. If Jjak-tung died then he would just lose some stats and then revive again. He could take that penalty for the larger purpose. But it was the process leading up to death Ark was worried about, not the actual death.

‘I hadn’t thought the incomplete Slime’s Immortality Pill would give such a penalty.’

The Slime’s Immortality Pill that the rehabilitation members ate wasn’t the ‘genuine’ product. Normally it would take 118 hours to create the Slime’s Immortality Pill. Creating 6 would require 708 hours! Instead of the version made using Survival Cooking, the rehabilitation members were forced to eat the B grade products created using the Vision scroll. And only 70% of the original pill was applied.  The problem wasn’t the diminished stats. The penalty applied to the B grade Slime’s Immortality Pills was unimaginable……and it was attached to the skills learnt.

(B grade product penalty: If you ingest an incomplete immortality pill and become covered with slime, your whole body will become sensitive and the pain felt when attacked will be amplified by 50 times)

(B grade product penalty: When ingesting an incomplete product, the slimes called will not be recognized your allies.  Instead they will attack all users.

It was a truly ridiculous penalty. When attacked in New World, the most pain they would feel was a mild shock. But this was x50 amplification.

“I can’t use the ‘Slime’s Time’ skill.”

Shambala had complained when he ate the B grade product and saw the results. There was no point in using the skill when the pain was a few times worse than in reality. There would be a large cost if Jjak-tung and the others blocked the gateway for 10 minutes. They would have to withstand worse pain than in reality.

“For Jjak-tung hyung and the other hyungs to use Slime’s Time…..”

‘Hyung-nims…..!’

Ark swallowed his rising emotions and shouted.

“I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure the mission is successful!”

It was a really desperate dash.

‘Kekeke, I can’t miss such a fun scene.’

The relationship between Dedric and the rehabilitation members wasn’t that good. Before he was a summon, Dedric had been bullied in the past. Thus he was fixated on his status after growing a little bit.

‘I’m an aristocrat of the Netherworld.’ That was the motto he kept repeating to himself and he had an obsession with being the number 2.

Anyway, in the past Ark had officially declared Dedric was the number 2 so his obsession became even worse. So naturally he treated Razak, Radun, Lariette and Buksil as his subordinates.

“I’m a nobleman of the Netherworld and the number 2. I am the leader in Master’s absence!”

He acted like the leader whenever Ark wasn’t there. It was a trivial thing but Ark recognized Dedric’s arrogance. Anyway, while Ark was in the Netherworld his pets had to remain summoned. He could easily pack Radun and Razak away. However, Ark often left Lariette alone. In addition, he didn’t trust Buksil. So Dedric was the cleverest among the people Ark had left.  That was the reason why Dedric’s number 2 position was solidified. And not long ago, a critical incident took place for Dedric. Ark had been sworn in as the Commander of the Dark Brothers=Baran clan alliance.

‘Wait, I’m the person immediately following Master? So I’m the actual number 2 among these thousands of allied forces? F-finally……I’ve come a long way! I’ve been rewarded for all my troubles!

The power crazy bat made a huge mistake. He revealed his true colours as soon as Ark wasn’t there.

“Huhuhu, Master isn’t here so I’m the Commander of this army! I’ll tell you in advance but I’m not as kind as Master!”

Dedric flew around Haman Fortress and stared interfering. At this point some people wanted to tackle him…… But their clan elders were completely caught by Ark so none of the Baran dared to defy Dedric. And Lariette and Buksil saw his behaviour as normal. But Dedric was hot headed and crossed the limits.

“Hey you guys, what are you doing?” (TL note: talking informally which is considered really rude in Korea.)

Dedric talked like this towards the rehabilitation members. The rehabilitation members made a dissatisfied expression and glared at him.

“What? What did you say just now?”

‘Ugh, these guys……Why do their eyes look so murderous?’

Dedric thought for a moment that he had made a mistake. But then he shook his head.

‘Ah, no. I can’t be scared. During the siege in Nagaran, Master was always the captain. These guys are Master’s minions. And I’m just under Master, the number 2! These guys are also below me! If they’re disobeying me then it means they’re rebelling.’

“What’s this? Where are you staring? Are you acting defiant? You really want to die?”

Dedric had finally pressed the switch for a nuclear bomb. And Dedric was literally flattened into a rice cake by the rehabilitation brothers. He was smashed in just a few minutes but Dedric still didn’t get it.

“Ugh. You bastards…..wait until I tell Master….you’ll die…..”

“Ha? Is that so? Hey guys, this bat wants to be hit even more.”

“Ouch, ouch! S-stop…..stop hitting…..no, no. I forgive you…..”

“Forgive us? Hah, his head has gone crazy from the pain.”

“Ouch, ouch! Huk huk huk, it hurts. Stop beating me. Please forgive me.”

In the end, Dedric was able to escape from the group assault with his entire body bruised.

‘Huhuhu, it serves you right!’

Dedric had suffered from the horrible experience a week ago so he felt pleasure as he saw Jjak-tung being beat up by the Nakujuk. However, Dedric’s laughter gradually disappeared from his face.

“Ugh, this is…..it’s not a joke?”

“Heok, being mangled by the sword…..it really feels like it.”

“Hell…..I never thought it would be this bad……”

Jjak-tung, Yapsab and Tazza groaned. The pain amplified by 50 times was unimaginable. It really felt like they were being stabbed or a mace was smashing their skulls! Their health didn’t decrease by 1% but mentally they were in a critical condition.

“Heok!”

Eventually Yapsab was unable to hold out against the pain and kneeled down.

“No, steady yourself! Ugh, if we don’t survive…..Ark and the Netherworld will be screwed!”

“I know!”

Yapsab clenched his teeth and slowed raised his trembling knees. Then he dragged his body over and grabbed the Nakujuk’s ankles.

“This fucking bastard!”

The group of Nakujuk hacked at Yapsab’s body.

Although Yapsab screamed every time, he never let go.

“Kuaaak. Rehabilitation……the rehabilitation group…..show your spirit!”

“We….for justice…..can’t give up….no!”

“Ooh oh oh oh! Let’s show them our willpower!”

Jjak-tung staggered before roaring and making an impassioned speech. Then he stomached the surging pain and muttered.

“Ku, don’t scream….. For my allies…..don’t fall……”

“It’s tough to endure…..I’d rather sing…..”

“Oh, that’s good…. Hum, ku…..okay…… Bodies of my comrades….heok, exceed….exceed….forward….forward….!”

Jjak-tung stared at the Nakujuk with bloodshot eyes and started singing a military song. His voice became even louder as he felt more pain. Even the battle obsessed Nakujuk’s flinched and retreated a little bit.

“T-that guy…..I never realised he was like that….!”

Dedric stuttered as he watched the scene. Dedric could no longer deride or laugh at the rehabilitation group. It was like an 80s war film that even managed to tug at a bat’s heartstrings.

“Damn! Those guys…..why do they look so cool?”

‘Ya, what’s going on? Why isn’t surveillance mode working properly?’

At that time, Dedric heard Ark’s voice in his ears.

“Idiot! Now’s not the time for that. Don’t you know how brave Jjak-tung is by blocking the enemies? Huk, I…..I really can’t see in front of me because of my tears…..”

‘Noisy, if we die here then don’t you think Jjak-tung hyung’s sacrifice will be for nothing? If you don’t come right now then I’ll kill you!’

“Sheesh, Master really doesn’t shed blood or tears!”

Dedric rubbed his eyes and wiped away his tears. Then he looked at Jjak-tung still singing a military song and saluted.

“You guys are true soldiers!”

It was a really nice atmosphere thanks to the music when Dedric’s eardrums trembled from Ark’s shout.

‘Ya, do you really want to die? Why aren’t you flying right now?’

“Understood. I understand! Damn, a unit of archers is approaching from 3 o’clock!”

Dedric looked at Jjak-tung for a moment before flying upwards. Anyway, Ark’s group was once again able to receive Dedric’s assistance with the enemies.

——————————————————————————————————

‘That’s the final gateway!’

Ark used Dark Dance to avoid the Nakujuk and headed towards the gateway. He had no reason to fight against the Nakujuk. If they fought then Ark’s group wouldn’t be able to reach the next checkpoint within 10 minutes and the Nakujuk would swarm and surround them. The area between the 2nd and 3rd gateways was packed with buildings and houses. Thus Ark’s group had to break through the windows of building in order to get to the other side. Bul-kkun and Ddeok-dae could rush and penetrate through the enemies while Shambala had footwork comparable to Dark Dance. However, Lariette’s evasive skills were no match for the Nakujuk.

‘It’s not possible.’

Ark clicked his tongue and then carried Lariette.

“I’m sorry. But it’s the only way for now…..”

“Ah, no I’m fine.”

“Lariette-nim please use Meditation and concentrate on recovering your mana.”

“Yes…..”

Lariette replied in a weak voice as her face became redder.

“Damn, one step too late!”

Bul-kkun and Ddeok-dae complained as they stared at Ark with envious eyes. Honestly, there was nothing to be envious about. It was a game but he could still feel their weight when carrying someone. So naturally it became more difficult to use Dark Dance and the percentage of completion fell. But if they lost their healer than the special attack corps would 100% be wiped out. Even though it was a burden, it wasn’t possible to drop Lariette.

“That’s it, let’s break through the last gateway!”

Shambala arrived first at the gateway and shouted while defeating the Nakujuk there. Ageiron was a circular city built around the world tree. If they passed through the final gateway then they would appear in front of the world tree. There were no visible Nakujuk between the gateway and the world tree. The world tree was a sacred place so the Baran hadn’t built any buildings around it.

“The world tree will be there once we go inside!”

There was a gap in the roots of the world tree where only a few people could pass. Yuzuria would no doubt be hidden inside it. Ark ran carrying his ally and jumped into the gap. When Jjak-tung blocked the gateway, the size was large enough that 3 people were required to block it. But the entrance of the world tree was small enough that Bul-kkun and Ddeok-dae would be enough to block it from the Nakujuk.

“These guys went into the world tree!”

“Seize them, kill the bastards!”

Bul-kkun and Ddeok-dae turned around and stared at the Nakujuk rushing towards the gateway.

“Now it’s our turn.”

“Huhuhu, if it’s for justice then we’re not afraid of death.”

“Go Ark. Slime’s Time, NO1!”

Thus Bul-kkun and Ddeok-dae threw their bodies to block the advancing enemy. Thanks to their sacrifice Ark, Shambala and Lariette were able to enter the world tree.

“…..Let’s hurry up.”

Ark immediately started running through the interior of the world tree. Although he didn’t show it, Ark was inwardly grateful towards the rehabilitation members. This was a game so they wouldn’t really die. It wasn’t anything irreversible. But it wasn’t an easy task to willingly go to an unpleasant death. In addition, they had to suffer from brutal pain for 10 minutes.

“You don’t deserve those hyungs.”

“I think so too.”

Ark answered with a laugh. So they ran without looking back. They had to revive the world tree within the next 10 minutes or the rehabilitation members’ sacrifices would be for nothing. They quickly reached the centre of the world tree.

“This is the world tree…..!”

Lariette looked around with wide eyes. The centre of the dead world tree was rotted with hollow ceilings. The light of the full moon seeped through the hole and illuminated the vines, moss and mysterious glowing chestnut like fruits. In the centre a conspicuous bud was located with moonlight concentrated on it.

“Lariette-nim, it’s fine now.”

“Huh?”

Lariette looked confused at Ark’s words. Then she blushed and quickly got off Ark. Lariette had been held in Ark’s arms until then. Anyway, thanks to alleviating the baggage (?) Ark felt much lighter as he walked towards the bud. A similar bud had been inside Yggdrasil. And it also had a nucleus.

“Perhaps Yuzuria has a nucleus as well? Eh?”

Ark’s face showed perplexity as he lifted the bud. As expected, a recessed pit was carved inside the bud. But the important nucleus wasn’t there.

‘What happened? Did the Nakujuk move it somewhere else?’

If that’s the case then the problem was serious. Then the walls started shaking and a wooden sound was heard. Ark moved back and saw that one of the walls was moving. There were successive sounds like the wall was being broken with an axe. The same situation repeated many times before there was suddenly a huge presence. It was a giant covered in wood, similar to the Plant Golem he saw in the Underground World! The black eyes embedded in the wood started at the group.

“…..How did humans get here? Are you ‘his’ colleague?”

“Who are you? Are you Yuzuria?”

“Yuzuria?”

The wooden giant shouted and raised his fist.

“These guys have come to steal away Yuzuria! How dare foreigners do something like this!”

Kwa kwa kwa kwang!

He struck his fist and the whole room shook. A red warning message floated in front of Ark.

‘Damn, I knew it. I knew it would be like this!’

Ark swore as he checked the information window.Ark had expected it thanks to his luck. First he had been stabbed in the eye by a child and now he was being blocked by a boss monster. It was also a level 600 Nakujuk chieftain! He didn’t know how a wooden monster became a chieftain but the situation was quite troublesome.

‘There’s approximately 8 minutes left.  Can we defeat the boss monster in that time?’

He honestly didn’t think it was possible. If it was Ark alone.

‘…….I’m not alone!’

Ark was with Shambala, who had conquered the Evil Silrion arena with him as Blue Sword. And they also had Lariette to recover and assist. The users gathered were those with 3 hero professions. Although it was impossible to escape from thousands of Nakujuk, 3 against 1 for a boss monster were good enough odds to try it. No, wasn’t it 5 against 1 if he included Dedric and Razak? Huhuhu, there was a possibility that they could defeat it.

‘The problem is that the time limit is 8 minutes……’

“Master danger!”

Then Dedric’s voice shook his eardrums. Wigurima had approached him while Ark was busy thinking. He was surprisingly nimble for a giant who was 10 metres tall. Ark instantly used Dark Dance and managed to avoid Wigurima’s punch. It smacked into the floor and the whole space shook.

‘The attacks are strong but its movements are pretty slow. No matter how powerful it is, we can still beat it. It won’t be that difficult to hunt it.’

That’s what Ark was thinking.

Syusuk, syu syu syu su suk!

Why did vines suddenly enter the ground when Wigurima’s fist hit? At the same time, a sharp tree trunk emerged from where Ark’s foot was. An attack he never would’ve imagined! Ark rotated his body agilely and managed to avoid the attack.  But that was just the beginning. The trunk changed its angle and shot forward like a snake. In addition, every time he moved the branches would stretch out like a net around Ark. Then it managed to pierce his side.

<You have been poisoned by the corrosive venom. You will lose 20 health every 5 seconds. If it isn’t treated within 3 minutes then the wound will corrode and you will receive 1000 corrosion damage>

‘Huk, this, this is……?”

Ark couldn’t understand what was happening. And he didn’t have time to think about it.

“Huhuhu, I’ll rip you to shreds and make you into compost!”

Making into compost instead of eating him……after being covered in bark, the monster really had become like a tree. Naturally Ark didn’t want to be made into compost so he avoided the branches. However, avoiding it aggravated the situation even further. Every time Wigurima punched the floor, sharper tree trunks would emerge.

“Damn, what the?”

Shambala swung his sword and cut one of the tree trunks. But it might’ve been better to avoid the attacks. When the tree trunk was cut, it looked like it used stem cell division to divide into ten more trunks. Then Shambala also received critical hits from the dozens of tree trunks.

“Ugh, I’m being hit by the trees…..!”

Lariette was also the same. The tree trunks would just change its direction by 90 degrees and moved around her shield.

“Ack!”

They never missed! Whenever Wigurima attacked, the tree trunks would not disappear until it hit its target. It constantly divided and would only disappear after delivering a critical blow.

“Damn, what is this….?”

“But there has to be a weakness.”

Ark murmured in a low voice and observed Wigurima’s attack pattern. Ark had dealt with numerous bosses so far. Bosses in New World usually had one ingenious technique. If users just jumped in blindly while trusting in their levels and skills, often they would encounter that technique and die. The high or low levels were of secondary importance. It was critical to identify the attack patterns and weaknesses of the boss. That was the key to defeating bosses in New World.

‘All boss monsters have a weakness!’

Ark, Shambala and Lariette carefully observed the boss monster. At first glance it looked perfect but there was a loophole in Wigurima’s technique. Ark avoided the incoming attack by a tree trunk and explained.

“Shambala, there is a chance whenever they attack!”

“What?”

“Look, the tree trunks can divide into tens or hundreds but they only attack one target. Even though I avoided the attack just then, it didn’t bother to attack you when you were right next to me. It looks like the entire attack can only focus on one person. And once his arm is rooted to the bottom, he can’t move.”

“……Then the flashy attacks are just a trick?”

Shambala looked at the tree trunks again and nodded. That’s right. There were dozens of them but they only had one goal. Even if Wigurima used both arms, he could only attack 2 people at most. Once he started the attack, he was vulnerable until the target was hit. He couldn’t move whenever his fist was against the floor.

“Heh, he has such a surprising weakness.”

“Now have you come up with a plan?”

Syu syu syu syu syuk!

Ark once again avoided the flying tree trunks and shouted.

“Lariette-nim, please step back as much as possible! You should only use recovery and healing magic from that place. Razak, stay in front of Lariette and defend her.”

Clack clack clack, clack clack clack clack!

Razak nodded and went over to Lariette.

“Dedric, you take one of the tree trunks. If you dodge as much as possible and Lariette uses recovery magic then you should be able to hold on.”

“Eek, why? Why do I have to?”

“I don’t have time for your jokes. Just do it!”

Ark shouted while Dedric turned his head with a discontented expression. Although Razak had high health and defense, his agility was low. On the other hand, Dedric was agile and could take advantage of 100% of the space by flying. Dedric would probably last three or four times longer than Razak. Of course, his defense meant he would lose 50%~60% of his health, but with Taunt Lariette didn’t have to worry about being attacked and could focus on healing him. If she was all the way back there then recovery wouldn’t be a problem.

“Hey, this wooden bastard, bring it on!”

“Ugh, this bat…..!”

“I’ll go first. I want to test out some footwork.”

Shambala ran forward like lightning. As expected, Wigurima drove his fist into the ground and shot up the tree trunks as a barrier. The barrier was formed from dozens of tree trunks that all struck Shambala at the same time. But Shambala just moved among the tree trunks like a guided missile!

“Sun, Gae, Yeol, Seom!” *

Shambala spoke the short characters. And each character formed a symbol that his body moved along in order to avoid the trunks. Shambala’s characteristic footwork was ‘Blink.’ But his footwork wasn’t perfect. Blink was originally classified as one of the ‘Yeol’ footwork. Shambala’s currently had learned the remaining types of footwork. Needless to say, Ark wasn’t the only one who had been growing in New World. While Ark had been playing the game, other users had also been playing and learning new skills. Shambala was the same. He had received a quest from Isabel to rally the various sects of the Dark Brothers. In fact, this quest was a process where he could learn new Saint Assassin skills. The Dark Brothers had scattered around and after hundreds of years, they had developed different techniques. One clan was footwork, another fighting with short swords, the path of assassination…..thus Shambala learned the skills after visiting each clan and forcing them to surrender. There was a strange fate between Ark and Shambala. That strange fate also existed with other users. Why? Because this was New World, a game originally created for users.

“Uhh, this bastard…!”

Wigurima cursed as Shambala avoided all the attacks. The tree trunks increased by hundreds every time an attack failed. Meanwhile, Dedric was also flying in the sky and desperately avoiding the tree trunks. No matter how much the tree trunks increased, they did not attack Ark or Lariette at all. Ark approached from behind and took out a sword before making it explode.

“There’s no time, Blade Storm!”

Kwa kwa kwa kwa!

The intense swirling fragments gathered around Wigurima. It caused tremendous damage to Wigurima’s health…..

“What, what the? Damage……!”

Blade Storm had blasted the bark off him and Wigurima’s health went straight down. But after a brief moment, his health started recovering at an enormous pace.

“The bark!”

Ark exclaimed at the quickly growing bark. New bark was growing in the place where the bark had been torn out by the swirling debris.

“Ugh!”

In the meantime, Shambala had stumbled and received a critical hit. Lariette instantly used healing and recovery magic to restore his health and undo the poisoning. But Wigurima’s recovery was different from Shambala’s. There was no mana gauge on Wigurima. Didn’t that mean he could use the skill indefinitely since he wouldn’t run out of mana?

“Impertinent fellow!”

Wigurima struck the floor again with a huge fist. His goal was to attack Ark. While Ark evaded using Dark Dance, this time Shambala attacked from behind using Torpedo sword. But the result was the same.

“Damn, what the hell is this?”

“Kukuku, you fools, do you know now? This body is invincible. Now you have no choice but to become compost! Come on, die! Die and feed me!”

Wigurima frantically extended the tree trunks like crazy. An attack which wouldn’t stop until it hit the target! A boss whose health wouldn’t decrease! In addition, Ark also had a time limit. There was 5 minutes before Bul-kkun’s skill would run out. After 5 minutes, hundreds of Nakujuk would swarm here.

‘Unbelievable. Is there another way?’

While Shambala was being attacked, Ark sighed and looked around the room. Blade Storm was Ark’s strongest attack skill. He had no choice but to look for another way after Blade Storm didn’t do any damage. Just then Ark’s wandering eyes noticed the huge hanging fruits. So far, he hadn’t really paid attention to it……but why would those things be hanging there? Was it really just a part of the background? Ark used his powers of observation and examined the nuts. The nuts had huge burrs on its surface like a chestnut.  And it made a robust ringing sound when he attacked it with his sword.

‘Wait……is there a way to take advantage of this?’

Ark’s clever brain started to think.

‘Okay, trying won’t do any harm. Let’s give it a shot!’

“Shambala, please hold on a bit more!”

“This bastard, do you think it’s that easy? Huk! Yeol, Sun!”

Shambala cursed and quickly avoided the tree trunks. As expected from someone who learnt Kung Fu, his movements and reaction rate was a lot faster than normal users. Anyway, Ark chose a suitable fruit that lined up with Wigurima and used Riposte. The nut with a tremendous weight shook for a little bit and swung. At this point Wigurima had noticed Ark’s intention. However, his arms were stuck to the ground so he couldn’t move even when his eyeballs rolled around wildly.  Ark used Riposte continuously while matching the timing with the swing of the nut. Finally, the nut accelerated enough that it slammed into Wigurima’s side.

Kwa kwa kwa kwang!

Wigurima roared as it hit his stomach and stumbled a few steps before suddenly flopping down onto the ground.

“Ugh, these cheeky bastards……gag, cough!”

Wigurima had suffered enormous damage but the wooden bark was once again regenerating.

‘Sheesh, he didn’t receive damage even with this?’

Ark was staring with astonishment at the scene when he noticed something. When Wigurima coughed……it was only for a little bit, but he saw something in his throat. It was a sphere the size of a watermelon. Ark had seen a similar sphere before.

‘That’s it, it must be Yuzuria’s nucleus!’

Ark now understood Wigurima’s special ability. Wigurima had swallowed the nucleus of the world tree Yuzuria. The world tree originally had power to adjust nature. Thus those skills become available to Wigurima after he swallowed Yuzuria’s nucleus. Perhaps that was why his body was covered in bark. Thanks to the shock, he had almost vomited it out.

‘Aha, that’s why he mentioned stealing Yuzuria when he first appeared.’

If that’s the case?

‘There is a way to steal Yuzuria’s nucleus!’

“Shambala, Lariette-nim, the fruit! Attack him using the fruits!”

Fighting bosses were enjoyable once a method was found. If they defeated it then huge amounts of experience and items were sure to come pouring out. Ark used Riposte on the fruits near Wigurima. Shambala used a skill which pushed the fruits and even Lariette and Razak used Shield Stroke to shake the fruits. Wigurima used the tree trunks as a barrier but he couldn’t stop the attacks. Wigurima was hit with all three fruits and shook. After getting hit by dozens of fruit, Wigurima sat down and vomited.

“Cough, ku…..oh no….!”

At the same time a sphere half emerged from his mouth. Ark threw his body, grabbed Razak and shouted.

“Now, Razak transform!”

Clack clack? Clack clack clack clack!

Razak instantly turned into the Saw blade. Then the whip flew across the room and grabbed the sphere.

“I’m sorry but its finder’s keepers!”

The sphere flew into Ark’s hands and an information window appeared.

This is the heart of Yuzuria, the world tree who maintained the balance of Seutandal.

Although all the life had drained from the previous body, Yuzuria placed the last remnants in this heart. If equipped with the necessary conditions, Yuzuria’s heart can be used to revive the world tree.

As expected, the sphere was Yuzuria’s heart.

“Huk, my…..my Yuzuria…..Yuzuria……Kuaaaaak!”

Wigurima threw back his head and screamed as he lost the sphere. At the same time, his body was covered in a blue smoke and all the bark fell off. The monster that appeared……looked like a relative of the Nakujuk commander Kaljapeu who he defeated in the valley village. His level also dropped from 600 to 350.

“Oh, so that’s your real body?”

“T-this guy…..give it to me, that’s mine!”

“Don’t speak nonsense! Lariette-nim, the 3 set offensive buffs!”

“Yes, the great warrior’s soul……Hero’s Spirit, Warrior’s Concentration, Storm Breathing!”

“There’s no time. Don’t worry about defense and just focus your attacks!”

The boss battle had started 8 minute ago. Now there were 2 minutes left. Although his level had dropped, he was still a middle-ranking boss. The 3 people concentrated their attacks without worrying about defense. Thanks to the rotation of Lariette’s recovery magic, all of their health was at 100%. Ark, Shambala and Lariette ignored their defense and used their deadly kills to attack Wigurima. Wigurima didn’t even dare to counter attack. He just screamed and hid behind his shield like a turtle.

“Aaaaak, h-help. Guards, guards!”

‘What, guards?” Don’t tell me there’s another Nakujuk here?’

Ark flinched and looked around. However there was no reaction.

‘What the? Was he just lying?’

Ark snorted and used Dark Blade tirelessly. Suddenly a violent light appeared and an information window popped up.

Cooperation: When your profession-specific skill aligns by 70% with your allies, there is an opportunity to learn a cooperative attack.

The current cooperative rating of Ark-nim, Lariette-nim and Shambala-nim is 83%. In addition, the profession-specific skills have met the criteria and a new group cooperation has been registered. However, the chances of activating the play are 5% and if any of the 3 people fail to connect the skills in the time limit then it will be cancelled.

* Currently available group cooperation

-Wrath of the Gods

Dark Blade (Attribute: Darkness) = Torpedo Sword (Attribute: Lightning) = Grand Cross (Attribute: Holy)

<Cooperation success: A chance to trigger +500% additional damage to each skill>

‘Eh? W-what it this?’

Ark read the information window with a surprised expression. While everyone was reading the information window, the light around them started flickering.

‘I don’t know what this is but there’s no time left…..this is a chance!’

“Dark blade!”

Ark activated his skill. At that moment it disappeared and a huge black sword appeared on top of Wigurima’s head. Shambala checked the information window and also quickly used Torpedo Sword. Then Shambala’s dagger also disappeared and a spark was added to the black blade. The skill attributes was being piled on. The cooperation had been progression when Ark belatedly flinched and looked at Lariette.

‘Ah, for Lariette-nim to handle an unexpected situation like this……’

“Grand Cross!”

But Ark’s worry was needless. Lariette immediately used Grand Cross like she was familiar with cooperative plays. Then the sparks floating around the huge black blade formed a cross and descended on Wigurima’s head.

Kwarararak, kwa kwa kwa kwang!

An intense sound rang out through the area. Each skill dealt an extra x500% damage! Wigurima’s 30% health vanished instantly. They had defeated Wigurima with 1 minute left.

All three of them went up 2 levels.

“Yes, it was a success. Group cooperation!”

Lariette jumped up and down excitedly. Ark stared at Lariette stupidly and asked.

“……Lariette-nim, have you tried group cooperation before?”

“Huh? Of course. Most of my hunts had been in groups.”

When users over level 100 hunted together, occasionally there was a chance to do a group cooperation play. Lariette had always hunted in a party so she was familiar with it. On the other hand, Ark had also hunted alone so he never knew such techniques existed. He had also only grouped up with NPCs and the rehabilitation members so the group cooperation couldn’t be activated.

‘I’ll have to ask Lariette-nim about cooperation later.’

“But this is the first time that a group cooperation dealt so much damage. Normally 5 or more people who trigger the cooperation and they would only deal 200~300% damage at most…… And the special effects weren’t that flashy either.”

Lariette marvelled at the power of ‘Wrath of the Gods.’ It was natural since this group cooperation involved all hero professions. The cooperation between general professions and professions who fought against the Dark Lord in the past couldn’t be compared.

‘For the moment…..’

Ark looked around and picked up the item that Wigurima dropped.

Armour: Steel Shield

Defense: 160(+30)

Durability: 55/100

Weight: 70

User restriction: Level 200 or higher with Warrior profession

The steel shield of the Nakujuk chieftain Wigurima. Wigurima was once the top commander of the Nakujuk and he was recommended to absorb Yuzuria’s Heart by the other chiefs. However, its loss caused Wigurima to die with hate and despair.  Wigurima’s despair and hatred was so strong that it influenced the equipment and created a special option.

<Option: Strength +10, Stamina +10, Defense+ 30>

<Special option: You can use ‘Desire for Survival.’ In a crisis, you can use ‘Desire for Survival’ to change your hatred into defense. Defense will increase by 50% for 20 minutes. Not available for those without the ‘Hatred’ stat. Reusable time: 1 hour>

‘What the, what is this?’

Ark frowned as he read the information window. It was easy once they discovered the method but they had still defeated a level 600 boss. But the compensation was only a magic shield? Just like before, the special option wasn’t available unless the person had the Hatred stat. Who would want something like that?

‘Dammit, in this situation even 1 penny is valuable…..yet all the boss dropped was an item worth 2 million won at most? In addition, only 2 levels was gained? Was this a joke? But he did change to a middle-class boss after the sphere was vomited out…..’

That’s right. Wigurima had clearly been a level 600 boss. But he fell to level 350 after vomiting out the sphere. Because of that, the experience and compensation also lowered.

‘Sheesh, if I didn’t have the time limit then I would’ve searched for another way to defeat the boss…….;

Ark sighed and picked up the shield. He had already covered ownership of items with Lariette. And Shambala wasn’t a person who would make trouble over one item. Therefore Ark monopolized the item without any problems. Although he was dissatisfied with the loot, the whole thing was over.

‘Now I just have to revive the world tree to complete Magaro’s quest and the Lore quest!’

Ark tried to calm his pounding heart as he approached the bud in the centre. Then he flinched and stopped walking.

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