Emperor of Solo Play Chapter 178:

Chapter 178 – Hero Slaughterer (1)

 

1 .

“Will you guys really be ok here?”

They were at the entrance of the Highwood Forest .  For the past 5 days, they had a pleasant hunt in the Red Desert and the Highwood Forest .  They had been walking in the same direction for a long time .  Now Hyrkan and Whistling’s party was facing each other .   When they came to a stop, there was only one reason why they would face each other .

It was time for them to part .

Hyrkan directed his question towards the three, and they immediately gave their answer .

“We aren’t children .  If it is just the three of us, it’ll be hard to overcome these monsters, but it won’t be a problem if we run away .  We can go by ourselves from this point .  Also, this has been a lot of fun . ”

“You should go take care of your own business .  We have to part ways here anyways .  If you want to cross the Urugual mountain range, you’ll have to head west .  We have to head east .  Also, this has been a lot of fun . ”

Yojori and Joba didn’t speak one after another .  They spoke at the same time .  Their words overlapped, and they even spoke the last sentence at the same time .  Their two voices weirdly complemented each other .

It was similar to how they overlapped their words .  They glared at each other at the same time .  It seemed even their thought patterns were similar .

Each thought the other was intruding on their words, and it made them annoyed .

During all of this, Whistling and Hyrkan spoke to each other .

“Thank you . ”

“No, I’m more thankful .  If it wasn’t for you, I would have been floundering to find a clue . ”

“The Sand Snake Ice Cream tasted pretty good . ”

“Yeah .  It had a butter vanilla ice cream taste .  This game is overflowing with such delicious food, but I have no idea why all the expensive recovery Items were made to taste so bad . ”

“You expend a lot to play this game . ”

“It is driving me nuts .  It is too expensive .  I have to grow these expensive Skeletons .  I might have to fight more to lower the cost of labor . ”

Whistling shrugged his shoulders .

Hyrkan spoke to Whistling .

“I’ll see you next time .  Ah .  If someone bothers you, you can contact me .  I’ll completely destroy them .  In truth, that is my specialty .  I mow down bastards, who act arrogant, because they have a little bit of power .

Whistling let out snort at Hyrkan’s unexpected words .

When Whistling let out a smirk of disbelief, Hyrkan kept speaking .

“I’m not kidding .  I… .  In the past…  Yes, in my last game, I was nicknamed the Hero Slaughterer .  I took down arrogant Rankers like a demon . ”

“It is a great nickname . ”

“It was a great nickname . ”

After those words ended, the conversation came to a brief pause .

What else was there to talk about?

It will leave much to be desired if they just parted ways right now .  They tried to come up with a topic they could talk about .

Still, they would have to part in the end .

“I’ll see you…… . ”

It was unknown as to when they’ll meet again, but there was no need to forcefully prolong a conversation .

“Let’s have a beer sometime . ”

“You want to meet in real life?  Wouldn’t that be a little bit too hard?”

At Hyrkan’s question, Whistling spoke calmly .

“It wouldn’t be too hard for me to go to Korea .  It isn’t as if I’m barred from going there .  If you are in North Korea, it might be hard . ”

Hyrkan slightly reacted to the word Korea .

“How did you know I’m Korean?  Ah .  I guess my Hahoe Mask gave it away . ”

Even as Hyrkan spoke the words, he laughed .  Even the youtube page managed by Hyrkan was littered with images of the Hahoe Mask, and he always wore one .  It was an overwhelming evidence that indicated Hyrkan was Korean .

“Even if you didn’t have the Hahoe Mask, it isn’t too hard to figure out that you are a Korean . ”

However, the surest evidence that labeled Hyrkan as a Korean was elsewhere .

“Whenever a game comes out, nine out of the ten Users, who rush to the end of the game, are Koreans . ”

Hyrkan’s game style was the prototypical game style of a Korean .

“Isn’t that to be expected?  You start a game to reach the end . ”

Whistling closed both his eyes, and he nodded his head .  Whistling finally confirmed what the Hahoe Mask was pursuing  in this game .

Moreover, Hyrkan also came to an understanding too .

“I’ll see you soon . ”

“If someone messes with you, just contact me . ”

They parted ways .

This was when the others moved in .

 

2 .

Over 10 Users stepped forward .  At a glance, one could tell they were equipped with sturdy-looking armors and helmets .  They even had their swords unsheathed, and they looked as if they were prepared to cut down any enemies that got in their way .

The members of the Big Smiles appeared to surround them .  This should have surprised Whistling, but he snorted instead .

“Hoong . ”

He snorted as he sized up his opponents .

‘Are they from the Big Smile guild?’

It wasn’t just Whistling .  This should have been a surprising situation, yet Yojori and Joba wasn’t acting surprised at all .

“It has been awhile, since we’ve fought like this . ”

“Give me a buff . ”

“Give me one first . ”

“Don’t be so shameful . ”

“Shameful?  Maybe I shouldn’t give you a buff if you act that way . ”

Yojori and Joba looked very relaxed as they got ready for battle .  Yojori put a buff on herself, and Joba immediately activated the [Body Revolution] Skill .  It was a skill that flipped the the Intelligence Stat with the Strength Stat .

While the two bickered with each other, Whistling held a conversation as his opponent spoke first .

“You are Whistling of the Hydra Guild?”

Whistling smirked at the question .

“You don’t recognize my face?  I never expected someone to check my identity twice .  I guess my face is more common than I realized . ”

“We are from the Big Smiles guild . ”

Their opponents didn’t hide their guild affiliation .  Even if they wanted to hide it, they couldn’t .  This was the entrance to the Highwood Forest, and the nearby region was the territory of the Big Smiles guild .   If a large group of Users were able to move through this region, it pretty much labeled them as members of the Big Smiles guild .  The only other User that could pass through this region with impunity was the Hahoe Mask .

“Also, the Highwood Forest is under our control .  This has been confirmed by the 30 great guilds .  Your guild hadn’t asked for permission to hunt here .  You’ve participated in an illegal hunt inside the Highwood Forest, so what is your excuse?”

They revealed their intention .

“Hoong . ”

Whistling once again snorted .

‘How laughable . ’

Their words were disingenuous .  They just wanted Whistling to say something they could use as a pretext to an attack .  If he made an excuse, he would be admitting he had done something wrong .  They wanted to exact a pound of flesh from Whistling .

In such a situation, Whistling wasn’t going to make any excuses .  He didn’t plan on debasing himself like that .  He decided to cleanly settle the account .  If they wanted to exact a price, he’ll pay .

“First, I am part of the Hydra guild .  I’ll apologize for hunting in a hunting ground recognized officially to be under the control of the Big Smiles guild .  Next, what if I give back an equal compensation?  What if we do it through our guild?”

Even as he spoke, Whistling was already aware of what they wanted .  

If they really wanted a monetary compensation or an official apology, they would merely have to send the footage of Whistling’s party hunting inside the Highwood Forest to the Hydra guild .  Then the guilds would negotiate to bring this issue to a conclusion .  This was the normal procedure .  It was clean, and the trouble ended right there .

There was no reason for the 10 Users of high level showing signs of wanting to fight him .  Moreover, they had waited for Whistling to come out .  They wasted time by waiting for him .  This basically meant they didn’t want monetary compensation or an apology from the guild .

They wanted the opposite .

“Are the Hydra guild looking down on the Big Smiles guild?  Huh?  Or is this an attempt at a revenge?  Are you trying to avenge your 2nd Head, who was killed by Killer?”

It seemed they didn’t want to bring the guilds into this .  They wanted to resolve this as a personal issue .

In Warlord, a personal problem like this was very simple to resolve .

“We don’t look down on the Big Smiles guild .  However, you brought a dozen Users, who are higher in level than us, to catch the three of us .  I think that is funny . ”

“Ooh-ha-ha”

Joba let out a big laugh .  It was a true laugh .  It was a laugh full of ridicule, and it was very effective .

“Are you trying to pick a fight with us?”

“Did you really think we would beg for our lives?  Is that what you want to hear?”

“It seems words will be useless . ”

“Run!”

It happened in a flash .

While they were having a conversation, Whistling let out a short command, and he launched himself towards the User, who he was having conversation with .

Kwahg!

Whistling used Body Slam to make the other User fall .

Pah-aht!

In a flash, Yojori and Joba stepped on Whistling’s body to launch themselves forward .  They used the gap opened by Whistling to quickly run away .

“We’ll go there first!”

“We’ll complete the Quest!”

Their footsteps were as rapid as their spoken words .  They were experienced in running for an extended amount of time for the sake of completing a Quest .  It wouldn’t be a misnomer to say their running away speed was on the level of the Hahoe Mask .

Still, their trackers weren’t average Users .  The rest of the group reacted immediately to such a sudden change in the situation .  They immediately prepared to run after Yojori and Joba .  Three Users had already ran forward to track them .

While this was going on, Whistling stood back up, and he turned to look at the Users, who had stayed behind .  

The already scary face of Whistling crumpled, and he looked more menacing .  Just his appearance made one clench one’s teeth .

While looking like this this, Whistling barked out like an angry fighting dog .  

“Come at me!”

 

3 .

[Hyrkan]

– Level : 240

-Class : Lich

-Title : 245

– Stats : Strength(3219)/Stamina(2009)/Intelligence(2101)/Magic Power(2373)

– In possession of the Ancient Power of ‘Frost’ .

 

Hyrkan checked his Stats on the Bone Wyvern as he flew towards the Heard Fortress ruin .

‘I gained a lot from this hunt . ’

His battles always caused him to suffer losses, but he had gained a lot on this venture .  First, he had reached level 240 .  He was able to acquire the level 230 Skills called [Ice Golem] and [Skeleton Exhibition] .   The highlight of this venture was the [Skeleton Exhibition] .

The [Skeleton Exhibition] was a similar to the Death Knight’s [Commander] Skill .

The [Skeleton Exhibition] was akin to the default ability of the Death Knight in being able to summon 12 Skeleton underlings .  The Skill allowed all Skeleton Fragments stored in the Skeleton Exhibition to be summoned all at once .  This was why it was called an Exhibition .  He had to store the Skeleton Fragments as exhibits .  Of course, there was a quota on how many Skeleton Fragments one could put in .

The Skeletons summoned through this method was separate from him normal Skeleton summons .  When he reached Rank A in the [Skeleton Exhibition] Skill, he would be able to handle nearly 100 Skeletons at the same time .

The level 230 Skill called [Ice Golem] was something he could learn at a later date .  In truth, he didn’t need the Skill right now .  In Hyrkan’s case, the Earth Golem had similar powers to the Ice Golem if he activated the power of Frost .  Still, there was no downside in having the skill .

He also earned 4 scrolls containing the Ancient Power .  He had three Transcendent Rank scrolls, and the high price he paid for them was as expensive as the Item’s name implied .  However, Hyrkan didn’t think it was expensive .  Moreover, his greatest gain was the Legendary Rank scroll .  

He was in a happy spot again .

He had found the clue, and he now knew what methods were used to hide the ruins within the Red Desert .  Moreover, he also found the identity of the Elven Artifact .  If things turn out well, he’ll receive help from Whistling, and he’ll be able to progress in his Quest more easily .  At the very least, he won’t be digging a bottomless hole .

On top of everything, he had gained a friend named Whistling .

‘A friend…… . ’

Hyrkan let out a bitter laugh .

He never thought he would get close to someone within this game ever again .  He had avoided developing any deep relationships .  He never wanted to suffer that bitter sense of betrayal ever again .  He never wanted to buck under the misery he had felt before .  He had tried his best to avoid such a relationship, yet his current situation made Hyrkan smile .

‘…… . . I wonder what Dongsoo hyung is doing right now?  Is he playing this game?’

If he continued playing Warlord, he knew this was something he would inevitably have to confront .  Hyrkan’s life had changed a lot, because of Warlord .  He would continue this way of life, and he wouldn’t be free of his past until he reached the end of Warlord .

He had no intentions of becoming free from Warlord right now .

‘Yes .  Since things have progress this far, I have to see this to the end . ’

Hyrkan arrived at the Heard Fortress ruin town on his Bone Wyvern, and the news about Whistling greeted him .

 

4 .

Ahn-jaehyun was looking through the the articles .  He focused on searching for the words Hydra and Big Smiles .  However, there weren’t many articles of substance compared to the effort he was putting into this search .

Ahn-jaehyun stopped searching for the articles for a moment .  He took off his glasses with one hand, and he massaged his eyes with the other .

‘Did the 30 great guilds have some kind of grudge against me in the past life… Nevermind .  I guess they were always my mortal enemy . ’

Whistling had been killed by the Big Smiles guild .

When he heard the news, Ahn-jaehyun immediately exited the game .  Then he brooded over his anger .  He was having a hard time coping with his anger, but he didn’t throw anything towards the wall .

‘Before I returned to the past, it was the Stormhunters .  Will it be the Big Smiles now?’

In some ways, this might have been inevitable .

‘Yes, it is time for me to bring this to a head . ’

The Big Smiles had put out a statement saying Whistling had hunted in the Highwood Forest without permission, and his death had been a fair punishment .

They weren’t wrong .  Most would accept the the substance behind the Big Smiles guild’s announcement .

‘They could have tried to kill us when I was with them .  They killed him after I left… . ’

The problem was the fact that they didn’t attack them when the Hahoe Mask and Whistling was together .  They targeted Whistling after the Hahoe Mask left .

It was a clear provocation .  Since they couldn’t take on the Hahoe Mask right now, they decided to punish those close to the Hahoe Mask .  This was the substance behind the provocation .

‘They were not aiming for me .  They were aiming for my friend… . ’

This was an obvious provocation, and he was sure it would be exploited again in the future .

‘These **** are coming at me in interesting ways . ’

There were only two choices he could choose .

He could respond to the provocation or he could just endure this .

If he looked at it in a logical manner, it would be harmful for the Hahoe Mask to respond to this provocation .  The Hahoe Mask couldn’t erased Big Smiles guild from Warlord .   Even if they got into a straight fight, it would be a battle of attrition .  Moreover, even if the Hahoe Mask attacked the Big Smiles guild and won, he wouldn’t be able to steal their Live Channel .

‘I can just trivialize this by saying Whistling only suffered a death… . ’

Whistling didn’t consider his death to be a loss .  He had lost a single Item, and he could take a break for 48 hours .  That was the extent of his damage, so Whistling didn’t ask anything of the Hahoe Mask .  He hadn’t even notified Hyrkan of his plight .  He decided to keep it as a personal matter .  

He didn’t want to unnecessarily put his friend in an awkward situation .

‘Still, the mighty Hahoe Mask can’t hide behind his mask .  A friend had suffered . ”

In other words, his friend was killed, and if he thought only about calculating profits, he was being unfaithful to his friend .

‘Moreover, if I show weakness here, it’ll be the end . ’

Above everything else, it was time .

He had to step on the 30 great guilds at some point in time .  If he wanted to reach his goal, he had to use the 30 great guilds as his stepping stone .  He had to climb upwards by stepping on them .  Moreover, he had numerous methods he could use to conduct this war .

When he suffered under the Stormhunters guild, he had come up with a lot of methods for his revenge .  The tactics, strategies and tricks he came up with was etched clearly inside his head .

At the time, it was impossible to pull off these methods .  However, he now had the Level, Items and money he could use unsparingly .

‘The title of the video…… . I think I’ll call it Giant Killer . ’

Ahn-jaehyun’s face was reflected on the Tablet PC, and one could see a smile on his lips .