**Chapter 33: Karras of the Crow’s Seat (1)**
[You have acquired the achievement ‘Sentinel Hunter’.]
[Rewards are given for achieving a significant feat.]
[Deal 30 percent additional damage to Sentinels.]
[You will receive a reward for killing the Sentinel ‘Cheolwoong.’]
Silver light scattered through the air—fragments of Cheolwoong’s head that had been shattered by the File Bunker.
‘I’ve only killed three and already obtained the title of Hunter.’
I sighed in relief inwardly.
Honestly, it was a close call.
If the weapon had been completed even slightly later, more than half the people here would be dead.
‘I was actually quite tense.’
Though I had casually chatted on the outside, Sentinels were indeed no easy opponents.
I’d prefer not to have such an ordeal again, but that seemed unlikely.
And going forward, many things will have to change.
The emergence of an unknown future indicated that we were heading toward a different ending.
“Is it really… dead?”
While I was lost in thought, looking at the notification hovering in the air, Changwoo approached me.
He had been right beside me, watching the fight with Cheolwoong, so he was quite beat up.
If Cheolwoong had moved around more violently, frankly, Changwoo’s surviving was proof of his impressive skills.
“Yes. Since its head is smashed, not even a starfish could survive that.”
“It really is dead. This monster.”
The giant corpse of Cheolwoong glistened as it crumbled and shone.
Even witnessing such a sight, he looked as though he could hardly believe it.
“I would have never imagined you could kill it so easily.”
“It wasn’t easy, it’s all thanks to this equipment here.”
I raised my hand.
It was the File Bunker that had pierced Cheolwoong’s head.
“Where did you get this thing?”
“I made it. It’s a secret who made it, though.”
Thanks to Minah’s ability, it also went undetected by the Observers.
Only five people knew that Siwoo was the maker: Myself, Minah, Siwoo, and their two gods—the Harlequin and Hephaestus.
I had already told the Harlequin to keep quiet.
As for Hephaestus… I had no control over him, so I just had to leave it be.
‘It’s hectic, to say the least.’
It was perhaps because of this that the Observers hovering around were particularly irksome.
Their numbers seemed to have doubled since before, easily in the dozens now.
“Is it dead?”
“Is it really dead?”
People began gathering around.
“To think I’d see the day this monster died.”
The monsters that had been blocking the entrance fled as soon as Cheolwoong died.
Usually, players would seize this chance to kill the monsters, but none did.
They merely came to confirm the death of Cheolwoong.
“Thank… thank you. I don’t even know what to say.”
Changwoo’s voice was thick with emotion.
Countless people quietly observed the scattering glimmers, as if signaling the end of a nightmare.
“But wasn’t that thing just a mid-boss?”
Everyone except one.
People’s eyes swiftly turned toward the source of the voice.
At the end of their gaze stood Minah, drenched in sweat from running over, still in her school uniform.
“Ah, I’m, I’m sorry… uh, I apologize…”
The original speaker awkwardly averted her gaze and bowed her head as most looked on disapprovingly.
“Well, we can talk about the specifics later.”
Her interjection made it easier for me to bring up what I needed to say.
I gave a small smile and gestured to the people.
“I have something to discuss.”
It was somewhat of a detour, but now it was time to deal with him.
***
The community of gods.
The Seoul chatroom of Korea was currently in chaos.
Greek Leader: Guys, what’s the deal with that one?
Anonymous97: Wow, long time no see. Didn’t you move to another channel?
Greek Leader: No, I’m asking what’s up with him.
A single player had killed a Sentinel. This news spread like wildfire throughout the community, drawing gods from other servers into the chatroom.
The buzzing chat was overflowing with various messages.
Friday Fire: You saw it, didn’t you? He just killed a Sentinel.
Greek Leader: What the hell. Is that an avatar?
Friday Fire: Don’t know. Doesn’t seem like one. We can’t see player info, so yeah.
Anonymous97: Hey, Harlequin.
Harlequin: Yeah?
Anonymous97: Your avatar’s been seen with him, you know anything?
The Harlequin chuckled at Anonymous97’s comment.
The Harlequin, whether male or female, found the situation quite amusing.
Harlequin: Dunno. Even if I did, I wouldn’t tell~!
Anonymous97: Figured you’d say that.
One-eyed Mia: But does it make sense? How could he take down a Sentinel? Are his stats even high enough? Shouldn’t he be unable to exceed E-rank yet?
Greek Leader: And wasn’t that Sentinel a surprise one? Isn’t it strange that it showed up out of nowhere?
HonestLife: After seeing what he did to my avatar, I knew he wasn’t ordinary but turns out he’s downright insane.
The chatroom buzzed with activity.
The Harlequin could feel the heat from the gods beyond the screen.
They were all acting cool, but they were really scrambling to find out whether this Se-han was an avatar.
‘That kid is interesting.’
It had been entertaining from the very beginning when he interacted with their avatar, but it grew even more captivating afterwards.
With help from equipment, indeed, but to kill a Sentinel!
On top of that, considering what Se-han had done so far, it was perfectly to the Harlequin’s taste.
Despite being in a disadvantageous position, he did not show weakness and schemed to ultimately prevail.
Truthfully, the Harlequin wanted him as an avatar but it was an awkward time to raise a sub-character, and Se-han didn’t seem inclined anyway.
HammerKing1: Ahem.
Friday Fire: What’s with that knockoff username?
HammerKing1: Hammer King was already taken by someone else.
Friday Fire: How many hammer users are around here? Are you Thor by any chance?
HammerKing1: No, I’m not.
Friday Fire: With the way you cling to hammers, seems right to me.
HammerKing1: I told you, no. And mentioning divine names is against the rules.
HammerKing**: Who the hell is calling me a loser?
Friday Fire: Who jumps out of nowhere like that? And your ID sounds even more pathetic.
HammerKing1: This incident clearly has everyone riled up. Also, the weapon used was made by my avatar. Its power is just crazy~!
One-eyed Mia: Really? Tell us the details!
HammerKing1: Wasn’t I about to explain it anyway? Don’t rush me.
The gods focused their attention as HammerKing1 began to unravel the story.
Their curiosity about Se-han’s actions was piqued, especially concerning the weapon, since Minah blocked the Observers, and the Harlequin was the only witness.
The first time with the Minotaur, no one saw it, and when he killed the Basilisk, it was more surprising because it involved dropping it to its death, not like this time.
‘This incident was practically a head-on battle.’
The Harlequin found the situation quite amusing.
And surely, it was going to get more entertaining because there was still the ‘Crow’ left to deal with.
And if they were right in thinking, Se-han must have received a different quest from others.
‘If you consider his past actions, the system wouldn’t stay idle.’
He had killed Sentinels three times over and achieved platinum grades in his previous two quests.
It was impossible for the system to just let it slide.
To adjust the difficulty, the system would surely continue to give Se-han trials.
‘If that stupid Crow messes up…’
The Harlequin held back the rest of the thought.
Even for them, they honestly thought it would be a tough challenge, and were curious to see what Se-han would do next.
The best course of action now would be to finish their quest quickly and leave the amusement park.
There was no need to remain and antagonize the Constellation Karras.
‘But it doesn’t seem like that’s what he’ll do.’
The Harlequin smiled faintly at the image of Se-han on the screen.
This player would undoubtedly continue to entertain.
***
Cheolwoong was dead.
To the people of Safari, it felt like a dream.
No one had dared to confront the iron giant, yet here it was, slain.
“Thank you, thank you so much.”
Therefore, wherever I went, people bowed their heads, thanking me incessantly.
At first, I just took it, but as it continued, it became quite burdensome.
When had I ever received so much gratitude in my life?
I was more accustomed to resentment, honestly.
“It’s like I’ve become a celebrity.”
Minah laughed, seemingly finding the situation amusing.
“Wow, but hyung, you’re amazing. I was really shocked this time, how did you take it down so easily?”
Having once fought a Sentinel, Minah found it particularly astonishing.
I explained with an ‘it’s nothing big’ expression.
“Whether it’s Cheolwoong or the Basilisk, their basic stats are the same; only their distribution differs. It’s not just players whom quests limit in stats.”
While Cheolwoong had more strength, Basilisk was far quicker in agility. That’s why, when I faced Basilisk, I could barely dodge even with my full effort, while Cheolwoong was easily avoidable by comparison.
Either way, getting hit just once by either would result in death, so the faster one was harder to contend with.
“Cheolwoong had better resilience, but I overcame that with equipment. That’s why I could defeat it so simply.”
I had to dismantle my well-used drill, but that was replaceable. The surplus of points would take care of that.
“Didn’t you get anything this time? The Basilisk just added to your overall rewards, right?”
“There was something separate this time.”
“Really? What is it?”
Normally, you wouldn’t get any separate rewards until the third main quest, even if you defeated Sentinels.
But getting a reward this time might be due to the Sentinel not being originally present.
“This.”
“…What’s this? A rock?”
Minah seemed confused.
“Don’t tell me this is the reward? Eh, that’s disappointing.”
“‘Just a rock’? Do you even know what this is?”
“Then, how great can a rock really be?”
Her disappointment seemed genuine as Minah grumbled. It wasn’t as if she’d fought the Sentinel, yet why be so discontent?
“It’s a grimoire.”
“A grimoire?”
“You could call it a rock imbued with the starfish’s essence.”
I checked the item’s information.
This item didn’t exist even in the DLC.
==
Starfish Grimoire
Use this to learn the unique skill ‘Starfish (A)’.
==
For such a unique item, the description was pretty simple.
I hadn’t expected such a reward either.
Grimoires were exceptionally rare.
And naturally, this unique skill came from the starfish’s abilities.
Meaning, consuming metal and then transforming it into part of its body.
Needless to say, it was a superior skill.
With an A-rank skill, there was no need for further explanation.
“Wow.”
Minah’s eyes widened as she heard the explanation.
“So, if you eat orichalcum with this, can part of your body become orichalcum?”
“That’s right, with the skill activated.”
Just using it would make it a part of your skills permanently.
“Wow.”
Now Minah had a sly grin on her face, coveting the grimoire but not daring to ask for it explicitly.
“I’ll never get such a thing in my lifetime. You have to kill Sentinels to get this, right?”
“Not necessarily, it was just luck.”
Surely, there was no better reward available right now.
The Starfish Grimoire was an item even I had never laid eyes on in a previous life.
But…
“Here, you take it.”
“Huh?”
I tossed the grimoire to Minah, who caught it reflexively and looked at me, baffled.
“Why are you giving it to me?”
“It seems more useful to you than me.”
“To me?”
“You have the ability to transform, right? If you shape your hand into something like a claw and then turn it to metal, you could use it as a weapon, couldn’t you?”
“That would work?”
“Why are you surprised? It’s something you have to try yourself.”
Minah frowned softly, looking at the grimoire in her hand.
“Using this will make it disappear, right? Are you really okay with giving this to me? It looks incredibly rare.”
“It’s not incredibly rare, but quite unique.”
Minah hesitated unusually.
She probably felt she couldn’t accept it so easily, given that she wasn’t the one who defeated the Sentinel and the item looked so precious.
It’s cute how she can be timid about such things.
“Consider it a reward for your help so far.”
And also a bribe since I’d likely need her help a lot in the future.
“…Well, if you say so.”
“Since it’s more efficient for you, just accept it.”
Minah grimaced slightly upon hearing this.
“All right, but promise me you won’t use this against me later? I’m taking it because you’re offering it. I’m not heartless, you know!”
“I won’t, kid.”
The bank-robber-in-the-making is suddenly talking about conscience.
In any case, the grimoire would be helpful for Minah who had combat sense but lacked a suitable offensive weapon.
When Minah used the grimoire, it emitted a soft light and was absorbed into her.
She should now be able to use the starfish’s skill.
‘If only Minah weren’t the avatar of a god, I’d have shared the skill with her.’
That was a bit regretful.
But then again, if that were the case, she wouldn’t have had the transformation skill to begin with.
The starfish’s skill was good, but compared to the god-given ‘transformation,’ it fell short.
Moreover, that transformation skill would further improve later on.
Considering this, Minah was indeed a stock worth investing in.
**Chapter 33: Karras of the Crow’s Seat (1)**
[You have acquired the achievement ‘Sentinel Hunter’.]
[Rewards are given for achieving a significant feat.]
[Deal 30 percent additional damage to Sentinels.]
[You will receive a reward for killing the Sentinel ‘Cheolwoong.’]
Silver light scattered through the air—fragments of Cheolwoong’s head that had been shattered by the File Bunker.
‘I’ve only killed three and already obtained the title of Hunter.’
I sighed in relief inwardly.
Honestly, it was a close call.
If the weapon had been completed even slightly later, more than half the people here would be dead.
‘I was actually quite tense.’
Though I had casually chatted on the outside, Sentinels were indeed no easy opponents.
I’d prefer not to have such an ordeal again, but that seemed unlikely.
And going forward, many things will have to change.
The emergence of an unknown future indicated that we were heading toward a different ending.
“Is it really… dead?”
While I was lost in thought, looking at the notification hovering in the air, Changwoo approached me.
He had been right beside me, watching the fight with Cheolwoong, so he was quite beat up.
If Cheolwoong had moved around more violently, frankly, Changwoo’s surviving was proof of his impressive skills.
“Yes. Since its head is smashed, not even a starfish could survive that.”
“It really is dead. This monster.”
The giant corpse of Cheolwoong glistened as it crumbled and shone.
Even witnessing such a sight, he looked as though he could hardly believe it.
“I would have never imagined you could kill it so easily.”
“It wasn’t easy, it’s all thanks to this equipment here.”
I raised my hand.
It was the File Bunker that had pierced Cheolwoong’s head.
“Where did you get this thing?”
“I made it. It’s a secret who made it, though.”
Thanks to Minah’s ability, it also went undetected by the Observers.
Only five people knew that Siwoo was the maker: Myself, Minah, Siwoo, and their two gods—the Harlequin and Hephaestus.
I had already told the Harlequin to keep quiet.
As for Hephaestus… I had no control over him, so I just had to leave it be.
‘It’s hectic, to say the least.’
It was perhaps because of this that the Observers hovering around were particularly irksome.
Their numbers seemed to have doubled since before, easily in the dozens now.
“Is it dead?”
“Is it really dead?”
People began gathering around.
“To think I’d see the day this monster died.”
The monsters that had been blocking the entrance fled as soon as Cheolwoong died.
Usually, players would seize this chance to kill the monsters, but none did.
They merely came to confirm the death of Cheolwoong.
“Thank… thank you. I don’t even know what to say.”
Changwoo’s voice was thick with emotion.
Countless people quietly observed the scattering glimmers, as if signaling the end of a nightmare.
“But wasn’t that thing just a mid-boss?”
Everyone except one.
People’s eyes swiftly turned toward the source of the voice.
At the end of their gaze stood Minah, drenched in sweat from running over, still in her school uniform.
“Ah, I’m, I’m sorry… uh, I apologize…”
The original speaker awkwardly averted her gaze and bowed her head as most looked on disapprovingly.
“Well, we can talk about the specifics later.”
Her interjection made it easier for me to bring up what I needed to say.
I gave a small smile and gestured to the people.
“I have something to discuss.”
It was somewhat of a detour, but now it was time to deal with him.
***
The community of gods.
The Seoul chatroom of Korea was currently in chaos.
Greek Leader: Guys, what’s the deal with that one?
Anonymous97: Wow, long time no see. Didn’t you move to another channel?
Greek Leader: No, I’m asking what’s up with him.
A single player had killed a Sentinel. This news spread like wildfire throughout the community, drawing gods from other servers into the chatroom.
The buzzing chat was overflowing with various messages.
Friday Fire: You saw it, didn’t you? He just killed a Sentinel.
Greek Leader: What the hell. Is that an avatar?
Friday Fire: Don’t know. Doesn’t seem like one. We can’t see player info, so yeah.
Anonymous97: Hey, Harlequin.
Harlequin: Yeah?
Anonymous97: Your avatar’s been seen with him, you know anything?
The Harlequin chuckled at Anonymous97’s comment.
The Harlequin, whether male or female, found the situation quite amusing.
Harlequin: Dunno. Even if I did, I wouldn’t tell~!
Anonymous97: Figured you’d say that.
One-eyed Mia: But does it make sense? How could he take down a Sentinel? Are his stats even high enough? Shouldn’t he be unable to exceed E-rank yet?
Greek Leader: And wasn’t that Sentinel a surprise one? Isn’t it strange that it showed up out of nowhere?
HonestLife: After seeing what he did to my avatar, I knew he wasn’t ordinary but turns out he’s downright insane.
The chatroom buzzed with activity.
The Harlequin could feel the heat from the gods beyond the screen.
They were all acting cool, but they were really scrambling to find out whether this Se-han was an avatar.
‘That kid is interesting.’
It had been entertaining from the very beginning when he interacted with their avatar, but it grew even more captivating afterwards.
With help from equipment, indeed, but to kill a Sentinel!
On top of that, considering what Se-han had done so far, it was perfectly to the Harlequin’s taste.
Despite being in a disadvantageous position, he did not show weakness and schemed to ultimately prevail.
Truthfully, the Harlequin wanted him as an avatar but it was an awkward time to raise a sub-character, and Se-han didn’t seem inclined anyway.
HammerKing1: Ahem.
Friday Fire: What’s with that knockoff username?
HammerKing1: Hammer King was already taken by someone else.
Friday Fire: How many hammer users are around here? Are you Thor by any chance?
HammerKing1: No, I’m not.
Friday Fire: With the way you cling to hammers, seems right to me.
HammerKing1: I told you, no. And mentioning divine names is against the rules.
HammerKing**: Who the hell is calling me a loser?
Friday Fire: Who jumps out of nowhere like that? And your ID sounds even more pathetic.
HammerKing1: This incident clearly has everyone riled up. Also, the weapon used was made by my avatar. Its power is just crazy~!
One-eyed Mia: Really? Tell us the details!
HammerKing1: Wasn’t I about to explain it anyway? Don’t rush me.
The gods focused their attention as HammerKing1 began to unravel the story.
Their curiosity about Se-han’s actions was piqued, especially concerning the weapon, since Minah blocked the Observers, and the Harlequin was the only witness.
The first time with the Minotaur, no one saw it, and when he killed the Basilisk, it was more surprising because it involved dropping it to its death, not like this time.
‘This incident was practically a head-on battle.’
The Harlequin found the situation quite amusing.
And surely, it was going to get more entertaining because there was still the ‘Crow’ left to deal with.
And if they were right in thinking, Se-han must have received a different quest from others.
‘If you consider his past actions, the system wouldn’t stay idle.’
He had killed Sentinels three times over and achieved platinum grades in his previous two quests.
It was impossible for the system to just let it slide.
To adjust the difficulty, the system would surely continue to give Se-han trials.
‘If that stupid Crow messes up…’
The Harlequin held back the rest of the thought.
Even for them, they honestly thought it would be a tough challenge, and were curious to see what Se-han would do next.
The best course of action now would be to finish their quest quickly and leave the amusement park.
There was no need to remain and antagonize the Constellation Karras.
‘But it doesn’t seem like that’s what he’ll do.’
The Harlequin smiled faintly at the image of Se-han on the screen.
This player would undoubtedly continue to entertain.
***
Cheolwoong was dead.
To the people of Safari, it felt like a dream.
No one had dared to confront the iron giant, yet here it was, slain.
“Thank you, thank you so much.”
Therefore, wherever I went, people bowed their heads, thanking me incessantly.
At first, I just took it, but as it continued, it became quite burdensome.
When had I ever received so much gratitude in my life?
I was more accustomed to resentment, honestly.
“It’s like I’ve become a celebrity.”
Minah laughed, seemingly finding the situation amusing.
“Wow, but hyung, you’re amazing. I was really shocked this time, how did you take it down so easily?”
Having once fought a Sentinel, Minah found it particularly astonishing.
I explained with an ‘it’s nothing big’ expression.
“Whether it’s Cheolwoong or the Basilisk, their basic stats are the same; only their distribution differs. It’s not just players whom quests limit in stats.”
While Cheolwoong had more strength, Basilisk was far quicker in agility. That’s why, when I faced Basilisk, I could barely dodge even with my full effort, while Cheolwoong was easily avoidable by comparison.
Either way, getting hit just once by either would result in death, so the faster one was harder to contend with.
“Cheolwoong had better resilience, but I overcame that with equipment. That’s why I could defeat it so simply.”
I had to dismantle my well-used drill, but that was replaceable. The surplus of points would take care of that.
“Didn’t you get anything this time? The Basilisk just added to your overall rewards, right?”
“There was something separate this time.”
“Really? What is it?”
Normally, you wouldn’t get any separate rewards until the third main quest, even if you defeated Sentinels.
But getting a reward this time might be due to the Sentinel not being originally present.
“This.”
“…What’s this? A rock?”
Minah seemed confused.
“Don’t tell me this is the reward? Eh, that’s disappointing.”
“‘Just a rock’? Do you even know what this is?”
“Then, how great can a rock really be?”
Her disappointment seemed genuine as Minah grumbled. It wasn’t as if she’d fought the Sentinel, yet why be so discontent?
“It’s a grimoire.”
“A grimoire?”
“You could call it a rock imbued with the starfish’s essence.”
I checked the item’s information.
This item didn’t exist even in the DLC.
==
Starfish Grimoire
Use this to learn the unique skill ‘Starfish (A)’.
==
For such a unique item, the description was pretty simple.
I hadn’t expected such a reward either.
Grimoires were exceptionally rare.
And naturally, this unique skill came from the starfish’s abilities.
Meaning, consuming metal and then transforming it into part of its body.
Needless to say, it was a superior skill.
With an A-rank skill, there was no need for further explanation.
“Wow.”
Minah’s eyes widened as she heard the explanation.
“So, if you eat orichalcum with this, can part of your body become orichalcum?”
“That’s right, with the skill activated.”
Just using it would make it a part of your skills permanently.
“Wow.”
Now Minah had a sly grin on her face, coveting the grimoire but not daring to ask for it explicitly.
“I’ll never get such a thing in my lifetime. You have to kill Sentinels to get this, right?”
“Not necessarily, it was just luck.”
Surely, there was no better reward available right now.
The Starfish Grimoire was an item even I had never laid eyes on in a previous life.
But…
“Here, you take it.”
“Huh?”
I tossed the grimoire to Minah, who caught it reflexively and looked at me, baffled.
“Why are you giving it to me?”
“It seems more useful to you than me.”
“To me?”
“You have the ability to transform, right? If you shape your hand into something like a claw and then turn it to metal, you could use it as a weapon, couldn’t you?”
“That would work?”
“Why are you surprised? It’s something you have to try yourself.”
Minah frowned softly, looking at the grimoire in her hand.
“Using this will make it disappear, right? Are you really okay with giving this to me? It looks incredibly rare.”
“It’s not incredibly rare, but quite unique.”
Minah hesitated unusually.
She probably felt she couldn’t accept it so easily, given that she wasn’t the one who defeated the Sentinel and the item looked so precious.
It’s cute how she can be timid about such things.
“Consider it a reward for your help so far.”
And also a bribe since I’d likely need her help a lot in the future.
“…Well, if you say so.”
“Since it’s more efficient for you, just accept it.”
Minah grimaced slightly upon hearing this.
“All right, but promise me you won’t use this against me later? I’m taking it because you’re offering it. I’m not heartless, you know!”
“I won’t, kid.”
The bank-robber-in-the-making is suddenly talking about conscience.
In any case, the grimoire would be helpful for Minah who had combat sense but lacked a suitable offensive weapon.
When Minah used the grimoire, it emitted a soft light and was absorbed into her.
She should now be able to use the starfish’s skill.
‘If only Minah weren’t the avatar of a god, I’d have shared the skill with her.’
That was a bit regretful.
But then again, if that were the case, she wouldn’t have had the transformation skill to begin with.
The starfish’s skill was good, but compared to the god-given ‘transformation,’ it fell short.
Moreover, that transformation skill would further improve later on.
Considering this, Minah was indeed a stock worth investing in.
