# 59 Hidden Bomb (1)
“Genesis is likely to try to contact us soon.”
The ranking announcement was as expected.
1st place, Uprising. We were tied for 2nd place with Genesis.
Most players are probably having heated discussions about who Dearsides are.
“Will Genesis make the first move?”
“Yes, Genesis probably thought they were the only ones who knew the criteria for distributing dungeon points…constellations.”
But since we openly targeted only the high-scoring dungeons, they had no choice but to notice.
‘Of course, I have no plans to meet them yet.’
That didn’t mean I planned to ignore them.
On the contrary, Genesis was an opponent we had to meet.
Because they would be the ones to touch the ‘bomb’ in this quest.
“By the way, Sehan-ssi.”
“Yes?”
“Are you sure I am the right person for this?”
Changwoo looked at me with a serious face.
Though he was blind, his gaze felt intense.
“Yes, you are.”
“But there might be someone better than me…”
“There aren’t many better than Changwoo-ssi, and if they are, they’re likely an avatar already.”
Changwoo seemed quite burdened by the thought.
It was understandable since I had chosen him as my second party member.
He had heard all the benefits that came with being a party member, so his reaction wasn’t unusual.
The advantages of becoming a party member were indeed tremendous.
‘Jisoo has grown enough, it’s probably okay to take on one more member.’
Moreover, the points I distributed to my party members were enough for both Jisoo and Changwoo to share.
With Changwoo’s excellent swordsmanship and Insight skill, he was sure to unlock his potential.
The skill I shared with Changwoo through our Insight connection was ‘Time of the Decisive Battle.’
It was a skill well-suited to Changwoo, who could make precise attacks using his delicate swordsmanship and Insight.
“Let’s get moving. If we idle around this week too, Minah will nag.”
“Yes.”
Changwoo chuckled, probably recalling Minah’s nagging.
Minah was undoubtedly the main contributor to this main quest.
Even now, she was earning massive points on her own, imprinting high-scoring dungeons.
Other guilds increased their dungeon boundaries to stop Minah’s moves, but it was useless.
How could they possibly catch Minah, who could transform into various bugs or animals?
‘Luckily, Jisoo seems to be staying put.’
Jisoo had been occupying dungeons near the location I had given her, acting cautiously.
She couldn’t capture many dungeons alone, but as she was strong individually, she was capable of imprinting smaller dungeons by herself.
Luke was roaming around areas where the Uprising guild was active to keep them in check.
There was no need to capture dungeons explicitly.
It was enough to just raise their alertness towards Dearsides.
Giving them the feeling that ‘some mysterious someone is monitoring our guild’ was sufficient.
As a former soldier, Luke was perfect for such tasks.
“But it’s surprising, Sehan-ssi. I thought you’d go straight for the 10-point dungeons, not the 5-point ones.”
“High-scoring dungeons are being heavily guarded by Genesis right now.”
Conversely, moderately high-scoring dungeons between 5~6 points had become relatively less guarded.
It was natural since the number of players who could be mobilized was limited.
“And just because the score is low doesn’t mean it’s bad.”
High-scoring dungeons were deep, and each monster was strong.
Hence, a considerable amount of time was needed to conquer them.
Unless one could skip monsters like Minah, various difficulties arose in dungeon conquests.
In contrast, lower-scoring dungeons were shorter, and the monsters that appeared weren’t particularly strong.
Most swarmed in hordes.
“The points gained from each monster aren’t that different.”
That’s because the number of points depended on the monster’s rank.
Except for boss monsters, monsters created in this period were mostly of the same rank, meaning the points gained would be similar.
The difference between high-scoring and lower-scoring dungeons was whether the materials or equipment obtained were rare or not.
Certainly, the rewards from higher-scoring dungeons were remarkable, but the quantity of monsters wasn’t large, so the points gained were fewer.
But fundamentally, what made a player powerful were points.
The more points one has, the stronger the player becomes.
Equipment was secondary.
“Changwoo-ssi.”
“Yes?”
“You can sheathe your sword. Just follow along in this dungeon.”
“What do you mean?”
I stretched and brushed the dust off my coat.
This was a new coat made by Siwoo, an A-grade item created by synthesizing the hide of Kun Gi and the coat of Amya. There were no items of a higher grade than this.
“I plan on earning you a lot of experience.”
“Experience?”
Changwoo, unfamiliar with gaming terms, looked puzzled.
This quest was quite memorable for me.
After all, in my previous life, it was the quest that provided the opportunity to catch up with the other players.
“Let’s go.”
It was time to clean out Seoul’s dungeons, which were like pots of honey.
***
Dungeon Race, Week 2.
Many players watched the screen at Gwanghwamun Square.
They looked at the screen in disbelief.
‘Genesis in 2nd place, Uprising in 3rd?’
Pianhwa was still in 5th place. And Grumdal in 4th.
So, who was in 1st place?
“What on earth are Dearsides doing?”
A man muttered blankly.
The surrounding players deeply empathized with his words.
They were curious about how such a score could be achieved.
==
1st place Dearsides 143 points
2nd place Genesis 112 points
3rd place Uprising 101 points
…
==
Dearsides had a lead over 2nd place Genesis by more than 30 points.
Meanwhile, the previously top-ranked Uprising was relatively behind.
They were now 10 points behind Genesis.
“Wasn’t the difference with Uprising over 20 points in the first week?”
Uprising had been unrivaled during the first week.
But in just one week, the situation had been reversed; and by an overwhelming margin.
Naturally, it wasn’t just the players who were turned upside down.
The three major guilds were scrambling for information about who Dearsides were.
The problem was that, despite their efforts, no substantial information was coming out.
“Damn it, it must be those guys who keep raiding the dungeons we’re targeting, right?”
Pianhwa’s guild leader, Lee Ayoung, who always maintained an elegant demeanor, was unusually sharp.
She knocked on the desk with her palm, clearly showing her displeasure.
“It must be them. We know very little else, but that much is certain about Dearsides.”
“Ugh, so irritating. If only they showed up. Seriously.”
“If they would show, we wouldn’t have this problem.”
There were several suspected locations that Dearsides had conquered.
Dungeons with scores varying between 3~7 points that were rapidly overtaken. The issue was that with no witnesses due to neglected surveillance, no one could confirm who had done it.
‘It’s as if they knew we were watching.’
What Park Sung-hyuk didn’t know was that the movements of the three major guilds were being monitored by scattered crows throughout Seoul.
“Our situation is the same. There seems to be a suspicious figure lingering around us. The problem is that the figure is no ordinary person, so we couldn’t verify it properly.”
“It must be Dearsides. They might be collecting information about other guilds, so please be as careful as possible.”
“I’ll do that. But I have something I want to ask you guys.”
“…What is it?”
Tae Sung of Uprising banged the table with his fist, glaring intensely at Park Sung-hyuk.
“Let’s set aside Dearsides. Honestly, what about you guys? How did you climb up the rankings so fast?”
He seemed as bothered by the reversal against Genesis as he was by losing his position to Dearsides.
Park Sung-hyuk shrugged casually and answered.
“We were lucky. The dungeons we targeted just happened to have high scores.”
“Do you expect us to believe that?”
“More than that, we need to stop Dearsides’ solo run. Otherwise, the prestige of the three major guilds will hit rock bottom.”
“That’s great, you bastard…”
Park Sung-hyuk was not wrong.
Indeed, players were currently doubting the strength of the three major guilds who had their top spot taken by Dearsides. With numerous disputes prevalent in the northern areas controlled by Uprising, it was natural for them to be concerned.
“We have two weeks left in the quest period. We have to correct this situation immediately.”
“So what do you propose we do?”
“First, we stop dungeon conquests and prioritize identifying who Dearsides is. We’ll have our guild members stand by, irrespective of the score.”
“Weren’t there dungeons that got raided despite being guarded?”
“That’s true. But we never paid attention to dungeons with lower scores. But if you look at the scores that have risen this time, it seems they targeted quite a few dungeons with scores between 4~8 points.”
“Hmm.”
Indeed, there were no other options at the moment.
Not only for this quest but also for future scenarios, it was necessary to understand the existence of Dearsides.
If not now, while dungeons are actively being targeted, there might not be another chance to identify Dearsides.
“Fine. Uprising will halt dungeon conquests for now.”
“We’ll do the same. Instead of dungeon conquests, I want to see the faces of those damned ones.”
“I promise as well.”
Their gazes met in void, bracing for a compromise.
***
On top of a building in Gangseo District.
I surveyed the surroundings through the eyes of the crows.
‘The guard has intensified.’
Many players were standing around dungeons and gates where dungeons were likely to emerge.
It seemed to be a measure taken to deter Dearsides guild members.
“Instead of dungeon conquests, they’re intent on finding us.”
If they had deployed this number of players around the dungeon gates, it was practically the same as giving up on dungeon conquest.
There wouldn’t be enough players to continue conquests.
‘Well then, out of courtesy, I should probably meet them.’
It was now entering the 3rd week.
The rankings were already quite different from my previous life.
Genesis, which should’ve been in 1st place, was now in 2nd. Pianhwa, which should’ve been 2nd, was now in 5th.
And where there should’ve been more scenes, the guild called Grumdal had taken that spot.
‘So far, everything has gone to plan…’
As expected, holding the number one spot made the guilds feel threatened.
I had already informed Minah that it was okay not to continue dungeon conquests.
For now, it was time for us to stop as well.
If dungeons that were conquered appeared at this point, it would spark mutual distrust amongst the three major guilds.
I did not want an aimless conflict between the three major guilds.
‘Is this my first time going to the base of Genesis?’
I lightly leaped down from the building.
My target was the large building in front of me.
It was the base of Genesis.
There were plenty of players guarding the surroundings, but none of that mattered to me.
‘As I thought, it’s not a guild house.’
Even if set as a safe zone, players sneaking in couldn’t be stopped unless various protective measures were installed using points.
In the case of the Dearsides guild house, I had invested over 5,000 points, making it impossible for even me to sneak in.
“But where is the guild leader’s room?”
Although it wasn’t a guild house, the building was huge.
Since Genesis had occupied an entire building, it seemed impossible to find what I was looking for by just wandering around.
I decided to change tactics.
If I didn’t know, I had to ask someone who did.
‘Just send one person.’
I melted into the darkness and waited for someone to pass by in the corridor.
Before long, a young woman approached.
‘She’ll do.’
Using Shadow Dash, I moved behind the woman.
“Excuse me…”
Shick! Bang!
The sword was thrust at me before I could finish speaking.
It was a blade strike as sharp as Changwoo’s.
Certainly not the skill of an ordinary player.
“Who are you!”
After attacking, the woman smoothly created distance; it was a face I knew all too well.
Though she might not know me.
“Reveal your identity!”
‘Figures it would be Hong Ga-eun.’
Whether it was good or bad luck.
Hong Ga-eun, the vice-guild leader of Genesis, was well-known for her exceptional skill and relentless personality.
“I am…”
“No need to ask the identity of an intruder. Die!”
Would you please just listen for a second?
Sighing inwardly at Hong Ga-eun’s direct approach, I had anticipated this from the moment I encountered her.
# 59 Hidden Bomb (1)
“Genesis is likely to try to contact us soon.”
The ranking announcement was as expected.
1st place, Uprising. We were tied for 2nd place with Genesis.
Most players are probably having heated discussions about who Dearsides are.
“Will Genesis make the first move?”
“Yes, Genesis probably thought they were the only ones who knew the criteria for distributing dungeon points…constellations.”
But since we openly targeted only the high-scoring dungeons, they had no choice but to notice.
‘Of course, I have no plans to meet them yet.’
That didn’t mean I planned to ignore them.
On the contrary, Genesis was an opponent we had to meet.
Because they would be the ones to touch the ‘bomb’ in this quest.
“By the way, Sehan-ssi.”
“Yes?”
“Are you sure I am the right person for this?”
Changwoo looked at me with a serious face.
Though he was blind, his gaze felt intense.
“Yes, you are.”
“But there might be someone better than me…”
“There aren’t many better than Changwoo-ssi, and if they are, they’re likely an avatar already.”
Changwoo seemed quite burdened by the thought.
It was understandable since I had chosen him as my second party member.
He had heard all the benefits that came with being a party member, so his reaction wasn’t unusual.
The advantages of becoming a party member were indeed tremendous.
‘Jisoo has grown enough, it’s probably okay to take on one more member.’
Moreover, the points I distributed to my party members were enough for both Jisoo and Changwoo to share.
With Changwoo’s excellent swordsmanship and Insight skill, he was sure to unlock his potential.
The skill I shared with Changwoo through our Insight connection was ‘Time of the Decisive Battle.’
It was a skill well-suited to Changwoo, who could make precise attacks using his delicate swordsmanship and Insight.
“Let’s get moving. If we idle around this week too, Minah will nag.”
“Yes.”
Changwoo chuckled, probably recalling Minah’s nagging.
Minah was undoubtedly the main contributor to this main quest.
Even now, she was earning massive points on her own, imprinting high-scoring dungeons.
Other guilds increased their dungeon boundaries to stop Minah’s moves, but it was useless.
How could they possibly catch Minah, who could transform into various bugs or animals?
‘Luckily, Jisoo seems to be staying put.’
Jisoo had been occupying dungeons near the location I had given her, acting cautiously.
She couldn’t capture many dungeons alone, but as she was strong individually, she was capable of imprinting smaller dungeons by herself.
Luke was roaming around areas where the Uprising guild was active to keep them in check.
There was no need to capture dungeons explicitly.
It was enough to just raise their alertness towards Dearsides.
Giving them the feeling that ‘some mysterious someone is monitoring our guild’ was sufficient.
As a former soldier, Luke was perfect for such tasks.
“But it’s surprising, Sehan-ssi. I thought you’d go straight for the 10-point dungeons, not the 5-point ones.”
“High-scoring dungeons are being heavily guarded by Genesis right now.”
Conversely, moderately high-scoring dungeons between 5~6 points had become relatively less guarded.
It was natural since the number of players who could be mobilized was limited.
“And just because the score is low doesn’t mean it’s bad.”
High-scoring dungeons were deep, and each monster was strong.
Hence, a considerable amount of time was needed to conquer them.
Unless one could skip monsters like Minah, various difficulties arose in dungeon conquests.
In contrast, lower-scoring dungeons were shorter, and the monsters that appeared weren’t particularly strong.
Most swarmed in hordes.
“The points gained from each monster aren’t that different.”
That’s because the number of points depended on the monster’s rank.
Except for boss monsters, monsters created in this period were mostly of the same rank, meaning the points gained would be similar.
The difference between high-scoring and lower-scoring dungeons was whether the materials or equipment obtained were rare or not.
Certainly, the rewards from higher-scoring dungeons were remarkable, but the quantity of monsters wasn’t large, so the points gained were fewer.
But fundamentally, what made a player powerful were points.
The more points one has, the stronger the player becomes.
Equipment was secondary.
“Changwoo-ssi.”
“Yes?”
“You can sheathe your sword. Just follow along in this dungeon.”
“What do you mean?”
I stretched and brushed the dust off my coat.
This was a new coat made by Siwoo, an A-grade item created by synthesizing the hide of Kun Gi and the coat of Amya. There were no items of a higher grade than this.
“I plan on earning you a lot of experience.”
“Experience?”
Changwoo, unfamiliar with gaming terms, looked puzzled.
This quest was quite memorable for me.
After all, in my previous life, it was the quest that provided the opportunity to catch up with the other players.
“Let’s go.”
It was time to clean out Seoul’s dungeons, which were like pots of honey.
***
Dungeon Race, Week 2.
Many players watched the screen at Gwanghwamun Square.
They looked at the screen in disbelief.
‘Genesis in 2nd place, Uprising in 3rd?’
Pianhwa was still in 5th place. And Grumdal in 4th.
So, who was in 1st place?
“What on earth are Dearsides doing?”
A man muttered blankly.
The surrounding players deeply empathized with his words.
They were curious about how such a score could be achieved.
==
1st place Dearsides 143 points
2nd place Genesis 112 points
3rd place Uprising 101 points
…
==
Dearsides had a lead over 2nd place Genesis by more than 30 points.
Meanwhile, the previously top-ranked Uprising was relatively behind.
They were now 10 points behind Genesis.
“Wasn’t the difference with Uprising over 20 points in the first week?”
Uprising had been unrivaled during the first week.
But in just one week, the situation had been reversed; and by an overwhelming margin.
Naturally, it wasn’t just the players who were turned upside down.
The three major guilds were scrambling for information about who Dearsides were.
The problem was that, despite their efforts, no substantial information was coming out.
“Damn it, it must be those guys who keep raiding the dungeons we’re targeting, right?”
Pianhwa’s guild leader, Lee Ayoung, who always maintained an elegant demeanor, was unusually sharp.
She knocked on the desk with her palm, clearly showing her displeasure.
“It must be them. We know very little else, but that much is certain about Dearsides.”
“Ugh, so irritating. If only they showed up. Seriously.”
“If they would show, we wouldn’t have this problem.”
There were several suspected locations that Dearsides had conquered.
Dungeons with scores varying between 3~7 points that were rapidly overtaken. The issue was that with no witnesses due to neglected surveillance, no one could confirm who had done it.
‘It’s as if they knew we were watching.’
What Park Sung-hyuk didn’t know was that the movements of the three major guilds were being monitored by scattered crows throughout Seoul.
“Our situation is the same. There seems to be a suspicious figure lingering around us. The problem is that the figure is no ordinary person, so we couldn’t verify it properly.”
“It must be Dearsides. They might be collecting information about other guilds, so please be as careful as possible.”
“I’ll do that. But I have something I want to ask you guys.”
“…What is it?”
Tae Sung of Uprising banged the table with his fist, glaring intensely at Park Sung-hyuk.
“Let’s set aside Dearsides. Honestly, what about you guys? How did you climb up the rankings so fast?”
He seemed as bothered by the reversal against Genesis as he was by losing his position to Dearsides.
Park Sung-hyuk shrugged casually and answered.
“We were lucky. The dungeons we targeted just happened to have high scores.”
“Do you expect us to believe that?”
“More than that, we need to stop Dearsides’ solo run. Otherwise, the prestige of the three major guilds will hit rock bottom.”
“That’s great, you bastard…”
Park Sung-hyuk was not wrong.
Indeed, players were currently doubting the strength of the three major guilds who had their top spot taken by Dearsides. With numerous disputes prevalent in the northern areas controlled by Uprising, it was natural for them to be concerned.
“We have two weeks left in the quest period. We have to correct this situation immediately.”
“So what do you propose we do?”
“First, we stop dungeon conquests and prioritize identifying who Dearsides is. We’ll have our guild members stand by, irrespective of the score.”
“Weren’t there dungeons that got raided despite being guarded?”
“That’s true. But we never paid attention to dungeons with lower scores. But if you look at the scores that have risen this time, it seems they targeted quite a few dungeons with scores between 4~8 points.”
“Hmm.”
Indeed, there were no other options at the moment.
Not only for this quest but also for future scenarios, it was necessary to understand the existence of Dearsides.
If not now, while dungeons are actively being targeted, there might not be another chance to identify Dearsides.
“Fine. Uprising will halt dungeon conquests for now.”
“We’ll do the same. Instead of dungeon conquests, I want to see the faces of those damned ones.”
“I promise as well.”
Their gazes met in void, bracing for a compromise.
***
On top of a building in Gangseo District.
I surveyed the surroundings through the eyes of the crows.
‘The guard has intensified.’
Many players were standing around dungeons and gates where dungeons were likely to emerge.
It seemed to be a measure taken to deter Dearsides guild members.
“Instead of dungeon conquests, they’re intent on finding us.”
If they had deployed this number of players around the dungeon gates, it was practically the same as giving up on dungeon conquest.
There wouldn’t be enough players to continue conquests.
‘Well then, out of courtesy, I should probably meet them.’
It was now entering the 3rd week.
The rankings were already quite different from my previous life.
Genesis, which should’ve been in 1st place, was now in 2nd. Pianhwa, which should’ve been 2nd, was now in 5th.
And where there should’ve been more scenes, the guild called Grumdal had taken that spot.
‘So far, everything has gone to plan…’
As expected, holding the number one spot made the guilds feel threatened.
I had already informed Minah that it was okay not to continue dungeon conquests.
For now, it was time for us to stop as well.
If dungeons that were conquered appeared at this point, it would spark mutual distrust amongst the three major guilds.
I did not want an aimless conflict between the three major guilds.
‘Is this my first time going to the base of Genesis?’
I lightly leaped down from the building.
My target was the large building in front of me.
It was the base of Genesis.
There were plenty of players guarding the surroundings, but none of that mattered to me.
‘As I thought, it’s not a guild house.’
Even if set as a safe zone, players sneaking in couldn’t be stopped unless various protective measures were installed using points.
In the case of the Dearsides guild house, I had invested over 5,000 points, making it impossible for even me to sneak in.
“But where is the guild leader’s room?”
Although it wasn’t a guild house, the building was huge.
Since Genesis had occupied an entire building, it seemed impossible to find what I was looking for by just wandering around.
I decided to change tactics.
If I didn’t know, I had to ask someone who did.
‘Just send one person.’
I melted into the darkness and waited for someone to pass by in the corridor.
Before long, a young woman approached.
‘She’ll do.’
Using Shadow Dash, I moved behind the woman.
“Excuse me…”
Shick! Bang!
The sword was thrust at me before I could finish speaking.
It was a blade strike as sharp as Changwoo’s.
Certainly not the skill of an ordinary player.
“Who are you!”
After attacking, the woman smoothly created distance; it was a face I knew all too well.
Though she might not know me.
“Reveal your identity!”
‘Figures it would be Hong Ga-eun.’
Whether it was good or bad luck.
Hong Ga-eun, the vice-guild leader of Genesis, was well-known for her exceptional skill and relentless personality.
“I am…”
“No need to ask the identity of an intruder. Die!”
Would you please just listen for a second?
Sighing inwardly at Hong Ga-eun’s direct approach, I had anticipated this from the moment I encountered her.
