Vol 3 Chapter 3 (1/2)

Jackson Crusade

”Kekeke, attack! Sweep thele human behind!”

Once again, a group of ate

”It's the enemy Everyone prepare for battle!”

At Cross' order, soldiers who had been taking breaks rose urgently Then they clashed with countlessnoises!

As the young Lord had said, it was definitely not easy to defend the back gate

A legion consisting of dozens of ular intervals Though they weren't at the level of the Sylphid Knights, the Guard de players at level 80 or so In addition, their equipment was considerable, so their attack and defense were also quite good Alone, they could easily take down one or two Shadows, but there was a problem

In tery, the Guard was a long ways off frohts

First of all, the Guard's coood as that of the player raids Unlike the player raids, which were evenly uard force only had Warriors and Archers Therefore, when the eney, charging in while swinging their swords was the whole of it

It was no wonder that there was a considerable loss of Health with each round of battle

The second probleh they had lost that much Health, there wasn't a Cleric so there was no way to recover properly Thanks to that, they had to apply first aid or eat food to recover Health after the fighting was over There were ion before they were done recovering A battle with lacking skills took a long tiain before their Health was 100 recovered They were caught in a vicious cycle Still, they were able to endure thanks to the powerful equipuard NPCs

”This is a fight where everyone is holding on with their enormous defense and Health”

But Ark wasn't supported with as much defense and Health as the Guard If he facedhimself into battle like they did, he would soon meet his end

”Finishi+ng off the weaktheood”

Ark faced the three or four Shadows that had lost most of their Health and had been pushed to the rear However, even that required much caution NPCs also leveled up when they accumulated EXP, and if their contribution went up, they advanced to a higher position in society Of course they were greedy for EXP and contribution Fortunately, they didn't openly state their coh, but they stared at him uncomfortably when he snatched monsters with rock bottom Health

”My place with theuards falls”

Ark felt the crisis of the situation and decided to abandon his blazing greed

After several battles, he began to see a rough compromise

When he picked off uards showed no obvious reactions

”Hey Ark, don't push yourself too hard”

Rather, they occasionally even encouraged him

”Alright, so they overlook this much! Now there's no need to worry”

Once he was certain of the lian to move briskly Ark's sword cleaved the darkness like a flash

The Shadows that had already lost half their Health were put doith three or four critical hits from Ark Ark kicked wildly in all directions and let loose Dark Blade to exterminate the monsters

There was no need to worry toountil he fell into critical condition, he backed off when it grew dangerous and ate food The trusty guards were holding up the front, so he could leave it to the he wouldn't have been able to do if he had been fighting with players

While fighting like that, a new eappeared

The skill 'Indomitable Will' has reached 100 points in skill proficiency and has increased to Intermediate

Indo innue evenThe concentration ability that shi+nes during a crisis has becoer

In a crisis, Critical Hit Chance will increase by 40 and Regeneration ability will increase by 10

Indomitable Will was the first skill Ark had learned

Indomitable Will was a skill that only activated in critical condition The skill had stopped growing because Ark grown to a point where he rarely reached critical condition Even so, he couldn't purposefully fall into critical condition to raise the skill since there was no knohat kinds of situations would arise while hunting alone However, it was a different situation when the guards were backing him up like now

'Indomitable Will finally reached Intermediate Now is the chance to raise skills Indomitable Body doesn't have much left either, so I should use this opportunity to fall into critical conditionto approach the jaws of death, wouldn't it be good to raise intimacy as well?'

”Dedric, Skull There's no need for you guys to participate in the battle Patrol the area and assist any guards at risk!”

”Understood, Master”

Ark had Dedric and Skull meticulously check the battle situation Then he was able to quickly run in front of guards in critical condition ere in danger

Just then, he gliuards lizards, evolved versions of Shadows called Avengers

”Kekeke, die Human!”

”Stop, ACK!”

Ark's Health plu a critical hit by a lance

”Oh, Ark!”

”Please go, I'll take it from here!”

”Th-thank you”

”Your opponent is me!”

”Kekeke, you took a hit for another, so is this the insignificant humans' code of chivalry?”

The Avenger lunged in as it jabbered in a derisive voice

”Dedric, now Cover that guy's eyes!”

Dedric flew in quickly and unfurled both his wings to cover the Avenger's face Then Ark grabbed and hurled Skull at the Avenger's face, er and sway At thatlizard's body and loosed a lethal move

”Dark Blade!”

The Avenger took a considerable blow fro attack and rolled off the lizard's back Ark showered the Avenger with kicks and sword attacks as it staggered to its feet!

Of course, since he had to raise his skill points for the Indoet hit a few times Then, as soon as Indomitable Will and Body were activated, he ier's life

- You have defeated Avenger and saved your teammate from a crisis Contribution +20 (+10)

'Added contribution points!'

He was granted bonus contribution points since he took down an eneuardsman

That wasn't all When he fought while saving guardsuardsmen looked at Ark From simple familiarity to respect

”Thank you, I survived thanks to you”

”You are indeed Ark I'll be happy to die for your sake!”

As the knights grew to respect him more, Ark's restrictions became less strict They didn't complain even when he snatched monsters with about 40 Health

'Is there still roouards?' Ark's eyes were shi+ning

Only then did he catch onto the rough sense of what he had to do

When it beca food without sparing his ingredients Health recovery was ranted additional effects!

”Ah, after eating this food, ue seems to have somehoay”

”Somehow, it makes me feel like I can run 100 meters in 10 seconds”

”And the taste is delicious as well”

After only eating dried rations for several days, the guards spoke up with energetic faces Moreover, their stats increased and their recovery rate quickened, so it was easier for the monsters as well

Next, Ark turned his eye on repair

The guards had toolboxes, but they had to ha tiic Restoration was instantaneous!

”Bring me all the broken equipment!”

Ark drank the Mana restoring Herb Tea during breaks and quickly repaired the guards' equipment The attack and defense of the soldiers' equipments were exceptional, but they were all Couards rejoiced when Ark repaired their equipment without penalties to the durability

”Thank you, to think that repair would be done so quickly Now fighting will be much easier”

”Consider this as thanks It's easier thanks to you, so please take it”

When he completed a set nuave it to hih they were just common tool boxes, each one orth 10 Gold!

Was that all? His skills went up, and since he was contributing to the battle with food and repairs, he received additional contribution points At the saed up, so when he dealt the last blow on monsters in critical condition or even snatched up iteripe about it

Once he got the ball rolling, it was s in battles where he recklessly fell into critical condition, Indomitable Body soon became Intermediate Both lndomitable Will and Body had only had 7 skill points left to fulfill, so it hadn't taken much time

Indoreat warrior, countless wounds and agonies have er Your increased defense will shi+ne in a difficult situation

In a crisis, defense and Critical Hit Evasion will increase by 40, Regeneration ability will increase by 10

As a set effect of Indomitable Will and Body, you have learned ”Adrenaline”

Adrenaline: A true Warrior will not feel fear in a critical situation Rather, their intense exciteet fear and fatigue Nohen you face a crisis, adrenaline will be released and you will be able to bring out the most of your body's ability

In a crisis, +50 Immunity to Fear, Reaction Rate +20

'I finally raised both of the Indomitables in the set to Intermediate!'

When he set a goal and aggressively pursued it, the skill groas also fast

The effect of Adrenaline was incredible Once he fell into critical condition, all his senses sharpened,him feel as if the enemy was Slowed Naturally, it was much easier to avoid the ene him make six attacks in the time it had taken to make five With the Indo power skyrocketed After about three or fours hours of fighting, he was even able to uards

”Everyone, be strong! Only we can defend Jackson Castle!”

”OOOHHH!”

The Nursing skill he occasionally used also had a great iht monsters even more powerfully

In order toefficiency, Ark occasionally stepped out of battle to receive side quests froe of the volunteer troops, commissioned him small quests

”It will be a great help in protecting the castle if you defeat about fifty Shadows”

”Avengers are platoon leaders that lead the Shadows if you defeat them, we'll be able to shake their chain of command”

”You've seen a Hipton before, right? They're gianthammers or iron bows They say three or four Hiptons are advancing to attack the castle walls Please stop them”

The side quests had simple narratives, like the above When he completed a quest, his EXP, contribution, and a value called performance assessment went up At first, he didn't knohat the perfor about ten quests, he grasped the gist of it He received harder quests with higher performance assessment value

However, players didn't take quests despite knowing that they were available Firstly, the rewarded EXP and contribution points were scanty, and in the raid, it was too eye-catching to go all the way to the front gate to receive a quest alone

On the other hand, with the NPC guards, taking quests was quite favorable for Ark Soer to help Ark complete a quest Thanks to that, Ark was able complete quests much more easily and accumulate additional EXP and contribution

'The penalty for raising contribution points alone is gone No, it's actually a hundred ti, I can fully place my trust on the NPCs'

Just 5 hours after Ark joined the guards, he leveled up 2 times

Character Name

Ark

Race

Human

Alignment

Good +100

Fame

750

Level

71

Profession

Dark Walker

title

Cat Knight, Soul Caretaker

Health

1,415

Mana

1,125 (+100)

Spiritual Power

100

Strength

178

Agility

218 (+17)

Stamina

268

Wisdom

27

Intelligence

216

Luck

43

Flexibility

17

Art of Communication

23

Affection

23

Special Stat: Knowledge of Ancient Relics

63

Equipment Effects

Black Bear Mouse Leather Arility 2, Frost Resistance +20

Cat Paws: Attack Speed +10, Agility +15, Critical Hit Rate +10

Crystal Golem’s Head: Mana +100

Norad Boots: Movement Speed ??+10, Evasion +5

All abilities will increase by 30 in the dark

You have the ability to hide in the darkness (15 et into combat)

Resistance Fear, Darkness, Blind, and Seduction spells is increased by 50

You can bring out the true abilities from all types of tools

However, his tiuards reached a totally unexpected deadlock After 6 hours, the guard coued face, ”Today, we'll head back in around now”

”Huh? What do you mean?

”Since they've charged in for awhile, the uards are all tired If we don't get proper rest, on't be able to endure tomorrow's battle”

It was a probleue The concept of time was different for NPCs For a player, a full day was 8 hours in real tihts and wage battle So when there was a lull infor monsters to hunt

However, 6 hours to a player was 18 hours to an NPC In addition, unlike users, NPCs felt fatigue and the pain of being injured realistically Even if they recovered their Health with food or potions, their fatigue did not also disappear

”With the situation as it is, on't be able to get sufficient rest, but since we've passed one round of the enemy's attacks noe'll be able to rest until dawn Since you have also pushed yourself quite hard, you should at least get a bit of shut eye”

” I understand”

Those words were like pouring cold water over his rising spirits

However, even Ark couldn't iuards

'So that ht alone for 2 hours'

But the ions They were difficult opponents for Ark to deal with alone Even so, he couldn't ask to squeeze in with the attack raid for just two hours

'What to do? If I play around for 2 hours for every 6 hours, I'll be doing nothing for 6 hours every day The others will be staying up all night to hunt, so the gap will just grow larger'

Having headed in with the guards for replanning, Ark blew out a sigh 'And to think that Snake's inability to eat items would be this critical'

Since he was fighting at Jackson Castle, he had thought he'd be able to keep selling his loot But there was a variable that he hadn't even iined It was that all the NPC shops had closed shop when Jackson Castle was attacked Necessities could be bought through the quartermaster inside the castle, but the sale of loot was impossible

The event quest had just begun However, Ark's bag was already 80 full

Since there was no knohat kind of iterab items except for ones that stacked

'To think that I've fallen into situation where I can't grab everything in front of my eyes'

They were japtem worth a dozen coppers and a few silvers at best, but collecting se eventually leads to quite a suround, he was likely to go crazy and tear his hair out

That wasn't the only problem

Hiss, hiss

Having enteredout an iteular intervals Since all the ite on the item, there were times when he left items that he'd obtained or picked the peeled aith each item he had to leave behind

'I can't blame Snake since it ate the Fruit of Basium by my mistake'

Seeing Snake throw up yet another iteh Now that he knew that Snake was throwing up iteer unsummon it If Snake vomitted all the precious items in the Netherworld, there'd be no way to retrieve them

At the very least, Snake was able to regain its strength a little when Ark occasionally used Nursing, which fortunately decreased the vo Of course, Ark had mulled over many ways to end Snake's process ofin particular that came to mind

Thinking he ht know, Ark asked the Alcheredients However, Raymond shook his head

”Even I have heard of the Fruit of Basium However, the Fruit of Basiuic medicine or is used as a catalyst I've never heard of a living creature that has eaten it directly, so it's hard to say I'm sorry I'm not of much help”

”It's alright”

He are that this was not so that could be solved so easily With a sour face, Ark shook his head and turned around

Then, Raymond asked cautiously, ”Ark, can I talk to you for a moment?”

”What's the matter?”

”Actually having heard that you were here, there's a felloho says he absolutely must see you”

E around the doorway It was a familiar face As Ark looked towards him, Raymond explained, ”This is my rascal you saved, my son Which reminds me, I haven't even introduced him to you This is Tom”

”?!” ??? ??? ??? ?????

”Ah!” Only then did Ark remember the boy

This was Ray on his sickbed His face back then had been haggard, but now he looked completely healthy Of course he did, since nearly half a year had passed for an NPC

Tom's eyes sparkled as he looked at Ark and said, ”You're Ark, right? Father has told me so much about you That I would have died if not for you, and that I et you Ark, you are my life's savior”

A fresh sh he kneas an NPC progra to see that the boy had become healthy thanks to his actions

Actually, Ark hadn't been able to understand when there were occassional news reports oftheir entire lives to others For what reason would one give away thethe tears in Tos Granted, he only felt that way since this was a game; in real life, there was no way

”I'reat person Rather, your father is more admirable”

Tom rubbed the tip of his nose and answered with a proud face, ”Hehehe, I know that But you are as great a person as my father”

Then Dedric whispered from Ark's shoulder, ”He still doesn't know Master's real character, poor guy It's better if he doesn't find out”

While Ark was giving Dedric a dirty look, Toht?”

”I want to help them, if possible”

”Then, do you think you could also help my friend and his dad?”

”This fella, what are you saying? Ark here has only just returned fro monsters to protect Jackson Castle Don't you think we should let him rest?”

”But” Tom lowered his head with a sullen expression

”Raymond, what's this?”

”No, actually After Jackson Castle was covered by the Dark Fog,froees froathered here, they aren't able to receive satisfactory treatment We've asked for help from a few of the volunteer troops, but they say they don't have the time to spare No, since they have come to protect Jackson Castle, we can't complain”

Since the Clerics were the core power of the attack raid, of course it would've been hard to lend their time

Ark contemplated for a moment, nodded his head and said, ”Please lead on I probably won't be much help, but I cannot let it pass”

”But didn't you just return from battle?”

Ark replied without hesitation ”I am trained, so it's fine even if I don't sleep for a few days or so”

In any case, it was hard to go hunting alone for 3 hours Therefore, he had determined that it would be better to increase his intimacy with the residents instead

”I told you so! I said Ark would help, didn't I?”

”Haah, it has becouy said so unnecessary”

Rayetic look

As he'd heard, the shelter was filled with people ere obviously ill The fa parents or children with anguished eyes

He was used to such a scene by now, but his heart still felt bitter He knew that this was just a virtual reality But it was like watching a sad story and tearing up even though it was just a fictional reater in New World, where everything felt more real than it did in a movie

”Papa, papa Please wake up, waaah!”

”Cough, cough, Mom My head hurts”

”My child, be strong You'll get better”

”Ohh, how could such a good child God, please let this child live”

A child trying to wake her parent up by shaking hi

He had a lu his past self

Howthe hand of his mother, who could not wake from her sickbed? How ht that perhaps he would lose his mother?

If he closed his eyes even now, Ark could recite froain in the dark hospital roo he could to clutch at straws He wished and wished that God would appear and tell him to sacrifice his own life instead