Chapter 195 |
After finishing preparations, Sanghyuk headed to the Ernark mountains. While there were many entry points due to its massive size, Sanghyuk chose one he vaguely remembered. As Ernark was like a massive dungeon, Sanghyuk could not mark his spot after going up. Therefore, he could not use recall to go back and forth. He would need at least ten days and maybe more if necessary.
However, he was determined not to come down until he reached the top and started to climb. At the same time, many forces were gathering towards Sun Land.
Specifically, some high-level guilds were near beating the Red Whale, which was an achievement due to the monster’s unique trait. Its strength weakened as more users passed through its mouth, and while there was a limit to that, the Red Whale’s power was reduced by half when Sanghyuk fought it.
This difference made it easier for other users to defeat the Red Whale, and now more and more users were coming in. The Sun Land was bustling, and while their happiness here would be short, it was their job to survive. The important thing was that there was a new challenge, which motivated the users.
**
Sanghyuk was in the middle of the Ernark mountains, hanging onto a ravine. The mountains were even more difficult than Sanghyuk had imagined, as there were no simple paths. The mountains were basically a series of icy cliffs, and Sanghyuk had to continue to climb them.
Moreover, snakes over nine meters long lived in caves here. Since they could camouflage themselves with ease, no one knew when they would spring out. Fortunately, as Sanghyuk could hide better than anyone else, it was barely possible for him to estimate their locations and cut off their heads. However, the snakes were at level 130, and as they were lethally poisonous, a small mistake could end everything. That was why he had to concentrate.
‘How far have I come? Am I still far away?’
Sanghyuk looked up above. Today was the tenth day, but he was nowhere near the pinnacle.
Sanghyuk muttered to himself as he started going up again. Even though Sanghyuk was at this level, indifferent to cold and heat, the mountains were freezing enough for him to receive frostbite without warning. That would decrease his HP and vitality, and it was difficult to heal. Sanghyuk, therefore, had to move continuously to prevent this.
Sanghyuk was moving without any safety devices. He did not have to worry about falling to death, as he could float in an emergency. However, using his powers to fly such a length would drain him, which was the reason he was climbing up.
What made this so difficult was that he could not find a place to rest for a minute. While Sanghyuk had taken regular breaks after playing for four hours, he had not been able to do so after beginning to climb Ernark. He was barely managing to sleep six hours a day. Climbing mountains for twelve hours straight while never lowering one’s guard made him weary.
‘It’s been eleven hours already? Do I need to dig a hole again?’
Sanghyuk had chosen a simple way to rest, removing a snake and widening its cave. This was not easy. Digging the hole was difficult, and after logging out and coming back, Sanghyuk had to fight back a respawned snake wrapped around him. As the situation was too dangerous, Sanghyuk tried not to do this and instead found a place to rest. Logging back to feel his head almost being eaten by a snake was not a good experience. However, each time he had no choice but to dig a hole.
While Sanghyuk would have just gone up until he found a niche to rest, he had prioritized sleep and therefore had no choice but to face a snake each time.
‘Let’s go up for one more hour.’
Sanghyuk braced himself and went up and thought he needed at least another week.
**
As aforementioned, many users were now trying to find a place for themselves in Sun Land during this time. However, they realized that things were much more difficult than expected, especially Myung Empire members were suffering the most.
While their dreams had been large, as they ruled over the Lower Lands, life here was harsh.
“Idiots! How can you not solve this one problem!”
Emperor Si was not a man who angered easily, but he was livid. His eight main generals lowered their heads. Out of twelve, four had remained to take care of their forces in Lower Lands.
“Our mistake had been that we thought that such a small village could be overtaken by force.”
Jegal Ho spoke up.
“We already knew that NPCs here were much more powerful than expected. Who rushed things?”
“Since our troops had gathered, we thought it better to raise our voices…”
“So, who suggested this in the first place?”
Emperor Si knew that Jegal Ho had not planned this, as he was even more careful and a perfectionist.
“That is…”
“Jojo, it’s you, isn’t it?”
He knew that only one could make such a mistake here.
“I did not mean…”
While Jojo wanted to make an excuse, Emperor Si cut him off.
“No need. I warned you to lay low, as you’re not in that spot due to your skills.”
“I apologize.”
Jojo’s user was close to Emperor Si’s user in real life as a subordinate. Thanks to that, he was one of the higher-ups in Myung Empire.
“You will be degraded, and I will decide your additional punishment. If you have any questions, give me a call.”
“Nothing, sir.”
Jojo knew how scary Emperor Si could be and remained silent as his leader continued to speak.
“We will not try to raise their goodwill towards us in a natural manner but go about in another way.”
“Do you mean…”
Jegal Ho knew that they could not fight the NPCs here with force and that Emperor Si’s method would be something he was good at.
“Of course, bribes. Don’t think about the cost, but find NPCs that will take bribes and get to work.”
NPCs in EL took bribes, and Emperor Si was going to exploit this weakness to the fullest.