Chapter 5 - Rock Climbing (1/2)

1. Chun Woohyuk (82.3%) - Sage’s Pouch, Goddess’ Tears

2. Ma Gwangpil (3.6%) - Beginner Adventurer’s Backpack

3. Lee Jaesung (3.1%) - Hunter’s Flute

4. Park Gunwoo (2.6%) - Guide’s Headband

5. Hwang Donghwan (1.5%) - Fishing Accessories

“You guys must have struggled this time around. The difficulty keeps increasing, so if you don’t improve yourselves, you won’t live until the last day.

Eve cautioned as she handed out the rewards. The day’s survivors stared at her with eyes filled with resentment.

‘What kind of monster appears on the last day?’

‘Can I even make it till tomorrow.’

Today’s invading monsters were Red worms. Unlike their brown cousins which Woohyuk had encountered in the cave and would launch surprise attacks from underground, these Red worms assaulted them head on from the get go.

They were so large that they were simply in a different league when compared to the goblins the other day. This caused many to become very frightened, which resulted in casualties.

‘A lot had died back then.’

Early on almost everyone preferred to stay back at base camp rather than venturing out into the forest. By performing simple labor tasks their stats could rise, but since he needed to save stamina, Woohyuk didn’t even have the energy to waste on them.

‘Maybe they will act differently after today.’

He had deliberately held back, so as to increase the burden on others. It was all in order to help them acknowledge the reality of the situation they were in.

‘It would be best if as many of them as possible are able to survive.’

The last day was far from being easy. Of course they wouldn’t be much help, but at the very least it would be better than nothing.

‘Let’s take a look at the items I got.’

Woohyuk looked over his rewards after synchronizing with his Adventurer’s Watch.

A text box appeared in mid-air.

[Sage’s Pouch]

Type: Personal Item

Effect: Infinite storage, permanent preservation

[Goddess’ Tears]

Type: Personal Item

Effect: Creates freshwater

‘These are pretty good.’

Unlike on the first day, only the top rankers received items.

The Sage’s pouch could hold any equipment, as well as food. It could adjust its size according to the owner's needs, becoming small enough to fit in one’s hand, or large enough to pass as a small sized bag.

The Goddess’ Tears would give one access to drinking water so long as they had mana. I would help him save a lot of time searching for water.

‘Now I’ll be able to venture out further.’

Actually, he was now fully equipped to spend his nights outside of the base camp, but it was worth it to return to collect the daily rewards.

“Here are the supplies as promised”

“Cheers adventurers!”

Eve left through the black portal with a wink.

As the day’s survivors went to inspect the boxes, Ma Gwanpil moved to block them.

“Stop, do you really think you can go ahead and just take stuff?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Isn’t it obvious that those that fought hard, putting their lives on the line receive more?”

He was planning to redistribute the supplies based on their contributions. Since it didn’t sound unfair, many nodded in agreement.

“Okay, then we’ll start with Chun Woohyuk.”

Hearing Ma Gwanpil’s speech and seeing the acquiescence in others, Woohyuk went ahead with an annoyed expression.

He walked up to a wooden box and spoke.

“Move.”

“Ah, did you want to gather things yourself, sure go ahead.”

Ma Gwangpil immediately backed off.

Hardly sparing him a glance, Woohyuk went ahead and take only the items he would need, placing them in his leather bag.

‘If I don’t take much, he won’t be able to use me as a precedent to hoard more for himself. ’

Regardless, it would be easy for him to find food in the forest, so he had no reason these supplies that provided minimal nutrition.

“... Is that really enough?”

“Yeah”

“If you ever need more, don't hesitate. We will keep a portion aside for you.”

Woohyuk simply turned and walked away without answering, spending even a single second of his precious time on that guy would be far too wasteful.

‘I need to hurry up.’

He would have a busy schedule today, planning to do something that ordinary people could never even consider.

Woohyuk walked into the lush forest wielding the black machete.

* * *

[Primordial forest]

The place was named so due to the primitive creatures that inhabited it.

‘It’s a great place for beast tamers.’

Although it would depend largely on the species, but by grabbing them young or as eggs, it would be possible to raise them. Naturally, for higher leveled species, the tamer’s abilities would have to be extraordinarily high.

‘In that respect Ivanov was incredible.’

Dragonlord Ivanov. He had obtained a large egg in this forest, later succeeding in hatching his very own Red dragon.

‘This time around it’ll be mine.’

Woohyuk trembled at the thought of all the casualties he had suffered when going up against Ivanov in the past. Although ultimately he had come out on top, it had cost him the lives of many capable comrades.

‘It should be here.’

Woohyuk stopped before a steep cliff, glancing at the wooden sign planted into the ground.

No pain, no gain.

‘He must have liked that.’

Ivanov was a rock climbing enthusiast. Upon seeing the sign, he had decided to climb up.

‘I’ll give it a try as well.’

He was sure this was the place since he had checked Ivanov’s personal Adventure Log.

‘I should first reduce any unnecessary weight.’

Woohyuk went ahead and emptied the items from his leather bag into his Sage’s Pouch. He then placed the black machete in his belt slot, so he could climb barehanded.

‘Let’s do this.’

After throwing the empty leather bag into a nearby bush, he began to ascend the steep cliff wall. He moved his limbs slowly, but methodically, appearing almost like he was climbing a vertical ladder.

‘I have a lot of experience with this.’

This world required adventurers to be capable of surviving the most extreme situations. He once had to cross a log bridge, and even escape from an island surrounded by man-eating sharks.

Rock climbing was a cinch in comparison.

‘It’s important to always keep my body balanced.’

Woohyuk would only move one arm or leg at the time. The friction from sticking close to the wall would aid his ascension, and any significant protrusions or cracks would serve as grips to take much needed rests. Of course he didn’t forget to maintain his stamina by using different muscles.

As he reached a flat ledge, he performed a full chin up and hoisted himself up. Before him was a large crack, wide enough for him to fit in as he climbed with his arms and legs outstretched, pushing against the rock surface. Just like a true rock climbing expert.

If he were to fall from this height, he was sure to lose his life, but Woohyuk didn’t show any signs of fear.

‘Nature cannot conquer a man who seeks to sit on a Divine throne.’