Emperor of Solo Play Chapter 174:
Chapter 174 – Red Desert (1)
[This place is north of the Highwood Forest where the Wood Devils appear . It is called the Red Desert . Until now, no one has able to approach this unknown region . ]
A User appeared within the footage . After he gave a brief explanation, the User turned to look at the Red Desert spread behind him . Then he pointed towards what he was seeing .
[It feels like I’m on mars . However, this place has a characteristic that is more interesting than its appearance . Please look over here . ]
The view was tilted downwards towards the floor . One could see the feet of the man standing atop the red sands . The man stomped with his foot as if he was knocking on the floor .
When one watched the footage, one would expected the desert or the sand box to let out a soft sound when the foot came down .
Tahng tahng!
However, the red sand beneath the User’s foot made a sound akin to what a steel would make .
The man didn’t end his actions there . He quickly unsheathed his sword from his waist, and he stabbed his sword towards the ground . The sword descended fast, and after letting out a violent sound, only the tip of the sword penetrated between the grains of sand .
[As you can see, this place is a desert . However, when you operate in this region, you should treat this place as a world made out of concrete . This holds true for the rest of the Red Desert you can see right now . These sands look like they are flowing like river water, but in truth, it could be treated as a very light layer of sand moving atop a material akin to concrete . This is a game . It is an awesome setting for one to experience in a virtual reality . ]
The User finally appeared in full inside the footage, and the man started to move . The screen started to move with the man . The man walked towards something large, and he stopped in front of it .
There was a snake in front of the man . It was an enormous snake, and the snake looked bizarre in several ways . Snakes usually had scales that looked slick with oil, but this snake’s skin looked very hard . It looked like a bug’s carapace, and the glossy sheen made it look like an exoskeleton . However, the most surprising part was the fact that the snake’s body was half buried in the sand .
The User opened his mouth again .
[However, if you decide to hunt here, the awesome setting I described earlier is actually a very horrific setting . Wait until this guy comes out or please run away . If you are pulled below the ground, prepare yourself for a vacation . The Tankers have to on alert . ]
In a flash, the mood within the footage changed . The screen started to shake as if it was really being filmed by a handheld camera .
[Shit! It appeared again!]
[Prepare for battle! Prepare for battle!]
[Don’t get dragged in! The Tankers have to be especially vigilant!]
Within the shaking footage, desperate voices could be heard . After a while, the footage stabilized, and the User spoke directly to the viewers watching the video .
[I’ll end it here . This is Big Smiles guild’s Sinclair . ]
The video ended .
Hyrkan, who had been caught up by the video, was finally able to freely move his gaze . Hyrkan moved his gaze as he lifted his head to look in front of him . Hyrkan saw the same monster from the video right in front of his eyes . The Sand Snake’s corpse had been dismantled, and it was in the process of slowly melting away .
Ddul-goo-ruhk, ddul-goo-ruhk······ .
There were two Skeleton Knights on Skeleton Steeds around the Sand Snake . They looked forbidding as they moved slowly . It looked as if they were on guard . Both of the Skeleton Knights were showing a bold front, yet Hyrkan didn’t feel good looking at them . His foul mood was inevitable .
‘The Skeleton Knight was taken down in a single…’
When he arrived at the Red Desert, it was as if the Sand Snake had been waiting for Hyrkan . He immediately came across the most famous monster inside the Red Desert .
Hyrkan decided to answer the Sand Snake’s welcome . He gave it Skeleton Fragments as gifts for coming into its house .
The battle itself wasn’t too bad . The Sand Snake’s exoskeleton was hard as it looked . On the other hand, the monster didn’t have any Special Abilities . The Skeleton Warriors were trained well enough to fight in a melee with the Sand Snake . Then there were the Skeleton Knights strengthened using the Legendary Rank Ancient Power . With the help of the Skeleton Knights on their Skeleton Steeds, the Sand Snake wasn’t a difficult opponent .
Moreover, the [Corrosive Ghost] Skill effect worked very well on this monster . Hyrkan had a Transcendent Rank Ancient Power leftover inside his storage, so he had used it on the [Skeleton Science] Skill . The [Corrosive Ghost] Skill had become much stronger, and it quickly weakened the exoskeleton of the Sand Snake . Thanks to the recently purchased [Cursed Doll] Skill, it was easy to inflict the Curse .
The early portion of the battle was so easy that it made Hyrkan surprised .
‘Of course, there is nothing easy inside this game . ’
In a flash, the Sand Snake suddenly grabbed onto the Skeleton Knight . After biting the Skeleton Knight, who was wailing away at the Sand Snake, the ground sunk inwards . The Skeleton Knight was killed .
Instantaneous Death .
Results that usually never happened to his Skeleton underlings occurred .
Afterwards, he entered into another battle with a Sand Snake . In the process, two Skeleton Warriors suffered the same fate as the Skeleton Knight .
‘I get what they were trying to do . Still, the Skeleton Knight atop the Skeleton Steed is immense . How does it make any sense that it could be dragged underground like that?’
After assessing the battle again, Hyrkan clicked his tongue in dismay .
This wasn’t an insignificant loss that could be glossed over .
Hyrkan couldn’t summon the Skeleton Knights indefinitely . The Skeleton Knight suffering an instantaneous death was a very big loss for him .
‘I think the Golems might be the only ones that can tank the Sand Snake . ’
Of course, he had to change his tactics from the norm . He couldn’t use the Skeleton Knights as hybrid Tankers and Strikers . For tanking, he would have to send out a big Golem .
‘My magical consumption would be too large . ’
In the end, that was the problem .
Hyrkan didn’t use the Golems as his main troops not, because they were weak . The Golems were strong . However, the cost of summoning was too large to use them against normal monsters . Basically, if one took out a Golem in a fight where one Skeleton Knight would suffice, one was killing a chicken with a butcher’s knife meant for a cow .
Moreover, everything Hyrkan did here was costing money . It wasn’t as if there was an infinite number of consumables he could use . If his consumption was too fast, it would restrict the number of hours he could operate here .
Hyrkan looked up at the sky .
‘I can’t fly around… . ’
The best option would be to fly on the Bone Wyvern without getting into any battles as he looked for his destination . However, Warlord didn’t permit such an easy method .
The Riding Skill could be used only if one had a destination in mind . The destination had to be a colonized region like the Heard Fortress ruin town .
Of course, it was ok to mount it . However, it was impossible to control it . In the case of the Bone Wyvern, it just stood on the ground during non-combat situations . It only moved when the battle started . Moreover, it was suicide to ride a Bone Wyvern into a battle .
This was why he had to walk around this place .
‘Shit . ’
Of course, he would have to continue to walk . He would have to leave behind his footprints on this hell-like Red Desert .
Hyrkan, who had been looking up at the sky, lowered his head .
‘Yes . Let’s see who wins . ’
2 .
[Your level has increased . ]
[The Skill Proficiency for the Iron Golem Skill has risen to Rank D . ]
[The Skill Proficiency for the Bone Dragon Skill has risen to Rank D . ]
The Level Up Announcement was heard, but the Announcement didn’t register in Hyrkan’s ears .
‘Battle Completed!’
Hyrkan ignored the Red Scorpion he had just caught . He turned his head, then he started to run .
He just ran .
“Fucking hell!”
As Hyrkan ran, harsh cuss words flowed out his mouth . A forest was seen far into the distance .
‘I’ve finally found it!’
It was a forest filled with trees that rivaled ones seen in the Highwood Forest . This forest was beyond being silent . It felt dreary . It welcomed the visitors with an atmosphere that was quite different from the Red Desert .
‘If I hadn’t found this today, it would have driven me nuts . ’
He had spent 10 days within the Red Desert, and he spent to extra days in locating this place . This was his first success on this trip .
The hardship endured by Hyrkan for the past 12 days was beyond imagination . The environment tested the Users in a different way . It didn’t allow for breaks, and one had to be always vigilant . The time spent inside the Red Desert felt longer . A 10 minute span spent inside the Red Desert felt twice as long as any other region .
Moreover, he had found his target destination only when the Consumable Items stored in his body was almost all gone .
If he hadn’t found the location today, he had no choice, but to head back . Of course, Hyrkan’s eyes were about to flip over at his current situation .
‘All right . I don’t care what comes out . Even if it is a Zombie, I’ll kiss it!’
Hyrkan approached the forest with a happy heart, and Hyrkan was able to have his long awaited encounter .
“Do not approach this place dead human . I’ll forgive your trespass only once . If you return to this place again, even your corpse won’t survive the encounter . ”
It was an Elf with red colored skin .
[You’ve gained the title ‘The First to Encounter the Red Elf Tribe’ . ]
[Quest ‘Elf’s Artifact’ has started . ]
‘Fucking hell!’
Hyrkan’s headlong charge, which even Anugas wasn’t able to stop, came to a full stop at this moment .
3 .
Poohk!
A sword was lodged within the Voodoo Lizardman’s neck like an axe embedded in wood . The Voodoo Lizardman’s body shook .
However, the only ally of the Voodoo Lizardman couldn’t give any help .
“We’ve cleared the Zombies!”
“You just have to kill that one now . ”
There were two other Users . A man and a woman cleared the Zombies . Surprisingly, all 10 Zombies had been summoned . The last Zombie was killed, and none of the Zombies were able to repair itself .
The User kept his sword lodged inside the Voodoo Lizardman, but when he heard their words, he retrieved his sword . He stopped prolonging the fight .
Poo-hwaht!
Blood sprayed out from the Voodoo Lizardman’s neck .
Goo-roo! Goo-roo!
The sound of its dying breaths could be heard .
Puhk!
As the User retrieved his sword, he kicked the ankle of the Voodoo Lizardman with his foot . It fell in an instant . Before the fallen Voodoo Lizardman could let out a cry through its opened mouth, the tip of the sword fell .
Poohk!
This strike allowed the ragged Voodoo Lizardman to meet its death .
When the short death cry ended, the three Users all heard the same Announcement .
[You’ve killed the 100th Voodoo Lizardman . ]
[You’ve fulfilled the requirement for the Quest ‘Barley Tribe’s Request’ . ]
The two Users raised both their hands into the air when they heard the Announcement .
“We’ve finally caught 100 of them!”
“I really thought this Quest was ridiculous, but we’ve finally finished it! Ooh-ha-ha!”
The two Users looked very happy . Whistling, who had killed the Voodoo Lizardman, let out a happy smile . His face was harsh, so even his smile looked very scary . He looked at the two with the smile on his face . It wouldn’t have been rude to flinch backwards, since his smile was terrifying . However, the two had seen his smile before, so they were unsurprised .
“Shall we go immediately?”
“We should go immediately!”
The two Users were like dogs running over to Whistling to beg for a walk .
Whistling spoke to the two .
“Let’s rest a little bit . ”
“Then we’ll butcher our kills . ”
“You dismantle the Zombies . I’ll dismantle the Lizardman . ”
“Hey . Why do I have to be stuck with such an unpleasant task?”
“Did you forget I’m a Crusader? The Undead monsters melt at my touch . ”
“That reason is valid only during our hunts . It has no effect during the dismantling . ”
“Eh-ee . Let me live out my character . If I was in a fantasy novel, the zombies would melt at my touch, and the loot would disappear . ”
“You’re nuts . ”
The two ignored Whistling, who was in front of them . They bickered with each other then they turned their heads away as they dismantled the corpses .
Whistling had a light smile on his face as he watched them .
‘They are an interesting duo . ’
Whistling thought about the day when he met those two for the first time .
‘I never expected to find people like me inside the Hydra guild . ’
The memory started when the Fighters guild were purchased by the Hydra guild . At that time, the mood within the Fighters guild was celebratory . Most of the Fighters guild members would be immediately inducted into one of the 30 great guilds, so very few Users had complaints .
Whistling was one of the few, who was troubled by the move . He started to think about whether he should leave the Hydra guild or not .
He didn’t have any negative feelings towards the Hydra guild . However, their policy was the problem . Whistling had been given a very long leash inside the Fighters guild, but he didn’t think the Hydra guild would give him the same type of freedom .
Moreover, he didn’t think the Hydra guild would leave an asset like him alone .
However, the Hydra guild gave a proposal to Whistling before he could speak to them .
The Hydra guild had Quest Task Forces within its rank . If Whistling wanted to, he could pursue the Quests of his choice . Moreover, they would give him full cooperation at a guild level, which will allow him to quickly progress in his Quests .
Whistling thought over it, and he gave his answer .
He decided to try it out!
If he didn’t like it, he could always leave the guild at a later time!
This was when he met the two Users in front of him . One was a Monk, who had gone through 2nd Advancement, to become a Crusader . His name was Yojori . Then there was Joba . After going through her 2nd Advancement, she had chosen the Class of Magic Swordsman . It was a Class that was as rare as the Lich .
These two Users were in the same category as Whistling .
The were skilled weirdoes . They weren’t playing this game to achieve endless Spec ups . They were here to enjoy the game .
Moreover…
“Anyways, if we finish this Elf tribe’s Quest, will we finally be able to meet the Red Elves?”
“Of course . That’s what the hint said . ”
“I can’t wait for it . What will the Red Elves look like? I’m pretty sure they’ll have red skin, so their presence would feel different from others . ”
“They’ll be pretty . ”
“You only care about beauty?”
“How about you? I bet you only care about how handsome they are . ”
“Hmmph . Handsomeness by itself isn’t that important . One to be handsome in a solemn manner like the Chieftain of Drah . ”
“Your tastes seems really perverted . ”
“How about you? Last time, I saw your gaze linger on the young Elves . ”
“N…No way! Bitch! Are you trying to get me locked up!”
“Isn’t your reaction a bit weird?”
“I said no! How about you? When you went to the Frozen Lands, you took several hundred pictures of Bagle!”
“All women would understand my action . Our basic tastes run the same . ”
They really liked Elves .
Whistling laughed when he heard their conversation .
Unlike him, these two had always had the pleasure of playing with each other . Whistling had fun playing this game, but at times, he did feel lonely . Their presence was a big boost to his game play .
‘It makes me think of that guy . ’
At that moment, he received a message .
‘Huh?’
It wasn’t strange for him to receive a message, but Whistling became surprised when he saw who had sent it .
He immediately read the message, and he put on a serious expression .
‘How interesting . So this is how······ . ’
Whistling spoke towards the still bickering Yojori and Joba .
“Let me ask you guys a question . . ”
The two immediately stopped their war of words .
“You can ask me two questions . ”
“Then you can ask me three . ”
“Does anyone here have a bad relationship with the Hahoe Mask?”
“What?”
For the first time, the two noisy Users shut their mouths .