Chapter 8 : The Slightest Hope

Weed questioned once again.

"Aren't you Tori? Earlier you did say you like girls?"

The vampire from the coffin was desperately trying to convince Weed otherwise.

"All vampires like girls, that's the stereotype of my country, hmph! You also have no evidence that I'm Tori." (vampire usofunny, digging ur own grave.)

"But I do think that you're Tori. I'm Weed. Don't you know me?"

"I don't. Really."

Weed knew that vampires often lie, so he didn't believe these words one bit. He'd rather believe in the words of the merchant trying to 1up him rather than them(vampires.)

"But I'm sure this voice belongs to Tori. So you've been asleep in Todeum since you came here?"

"......"

Weed senses surpassed those of the diviners.

But from the casket, no further answers escaped. He simply remained silence, not bothering with a reply.

Weed said insinuatingly.

"Humm. And here Prina wanted to see you."

"Really? Prina with the body that I missed?"

"Yep! She wanted to give you flowers she brought up. Something like red roses."

"Keuheuheu. I knew you were really in love with me, Prina. Not a single girl can reject this handsome body of mine."

Weed asked.

"Then, it's really Tori who's in there, huh?"

"Hut!"

"You decide: get beaten when you come out, further beaten when you come out, even more so beaten when you come out, or I'll beat you until you come out, or I'll let you come out. You know I'm an engraver, right? If you come late, I'll engrave the casket 'Tori the Fool'."

The pride of the prideful vampire has been stripped through intimidation!

Weed used his profession as a Sculptor to intimidate without hesitation.

At first glance, the Sculptor class was one where one can barely live on and had to fight to survive on a daily basis, but the upside was that he could dabble into many areas.

In fact, this helped in the inseparable relationship between Weed and Tori.

Whenever he beats Tori, Familiarity dropped.

If so, then the normal case was that Tori would never follow Weed.

However, after having severely beaten, the taming process would automatically begin. Domesticated animal like horses, or such monsters with slightly higher intelligence could be tame.

Complete surrender to the owner, faithfully following any commands given.

Of course there are conditions. Charisma and Leadership needs to be high, and having a class such as the Tamer will be helpful.

In Weed's case, the profession was hardly suitable, but his Leadership and Charisma was on the very high side. But to be at the tolerable level of a guild master, Weed's Leadership and Charisma weren't enough.

On top of those, while Weed hunted, part of his hunting EXP also went into Tori's growth.

In other words, Weed's contribution to Tori was very high, which forced him to comply.

Although the master and pet relationship was over, Weed and Tori was still inseparable.

"Kkeueung!"(squeak sound)

The lid of the coffin gently opened. And the vampire in it was making a sickly sound.

The change in lighting showed the pale appearance of Tori.

* * *

Weed took Tori and returned to where the party was staying.

The party, in the meantime, had unearthed a few good hunting grounds in the surrounding areas.

Swamp in the east filled with Crocodiles!

Scorpions in the sands located southeast!

In the Northwest plains had Barbarian tribes!

Although there were a lot of other hunting grounds, the levels of those exceeded 300, so it was too early for the party to hunt there.

"Weed nim, please make crocodile leather bags."

"I want to eat seasoned and grilled scorpions, can you do it?"

Hwaryeong and Surka begged as if they were baby birds awaiting the mother's return.

Zephyr too didn't play around. He had loads of fishes stacked in wait.

Of course, even without Weed around, they all still wanted to eat. But because everybody cooking skills were too low, nobody wanted to cook and take the blame for everyone's intestinal problems.

Zephyr, as a Fisherman, could cook the fishes by default; but he had never cooked before.

Because of this, Weed began boiling to make hot chowder.

"Along the river, there are many hunting grounds. Calling it the monster's paradise is not an exaggeration."

There were also plenty of monsters in Todeum.

There wasn't any place that doesn't have monsters!

Weed had been under duress of the Unicorns and Pegasus when he was running away.

But Weed's eyes lit up like those of the monsters.

"Can we win the fight at our levels?"

"I can't tell yet. I found an intermediate hunting ground filled with Water Elementals."

The hunting ground he spoke of was filled with level 320!

While being hopeful that the quantity of mobs there were sufficient, with the party superior damage output along with teamwork, that hunting ground seemed like a blessing.

Weed's level was at 339 as well, so the experience points he could obtain weren't bad.

"But isn't this that vampire Tori?"

The eyes of the party left Weed and went toward Tori.

"Yes. By chance, we meet again."

"......"

The glances from the party changed into that of pity.

In every case and form, Tori looked as if he had been socked in both eyes. That sight and the drastic screams of the moment resonated vividly in everyone's ears.

He had suffered so much. All he wanted was liberation...

And here of all places, to have meet Weed once again, the door of suffering swung wide open.

'We are also tired like you. You'll get use to it.'

'Poor guy.'

'He must rather die.'

'You're also attracted to misfortune.'

They sympathized with the mighty lord of a vampire clan.

Weed now, having escaped the Unicorn and Pegasus, lowered his guard.

"Tori, tell me. What happened to Todeum."

"That..."

Tori let out all he knew about the situation.

The Vampires were in a state of mass hysteria under the invasion of the Unicorn and Pegasus. However, some reorganized and organized a counterattack. A brave lord and his familiars fought against the invaders; in one or two bouts, the clan turned into ashes.

Because of the nature of the prideful and independent Vampires, no one lineage wanted to cooperate with another.

Most of the time they would never comply to the will of another race!

And since they didn't want to risk the sacrifice, they'd rather went into their coffins to hide. They planned to sleep for several hundreds of years until their invaders disappear entirely.

Weed asked.

"That's the plan?"

"Yes, is that not a plan? Simple non-violence and patience tactic..."

"......"

Tori's plan was also to sleep. Having just arrived into Todeum, he had not drifted into his slumber. And just as he was about to, Weed found him.

"But we Vampires did not give up fighting. If you are here, we can fight together."

"How can we do that?"

"Wake up the sleeping Vampires! If you kill the enemies in each castle, then the Vampires would voluntarily leave their coffins on their own."

Ttiring!

Obtain more concrete information on the quest.

Cooperation with the Todeum's Vampires.

Save the Vampires and join forces to prepare for a counterattack against the Unicorn and Pegasus.

Until Todeum's night and day returns, on the full moon of every month, the bats will lend You assistance with their wings to give You flight.

A major battle will be known when the drums are sounded.

The request of an unknown vampire.

To be victorious in a frontal assault against the Unicorns and Pegasus, under normal circumstances, was something that could not be done.

However, thanks to the relentless investigation into Todeum without giving up, he has obtained a second piece of information on how to deal against the Unicorn and Pegasus.

It was still far from certain victory, but it had shed some light of hope in the current situation.

Weed began to conduct the battle plan.

"First, Master and every Sahyeongs have to go grind to raise your levels, the duration is 10 days in reality."

At the end of Weed's sentence, Geomchi willingly agreed.

"Got it."

"Tori will be very helpful if you take him along with you. Irene nim too."

"Me?"

"If Irene nim goes too, then Master and Sahyeongs could utilize the hunting ground more."

Irene nodded her head.

"I see. I'll take care of all the treatments. I will make sure no one will die. But Weed nim's not coming too?"

"I have things to prepare for the battle ahead. Oh, Master, what is your level?"

"236."

"What about Sahyeongs?"

"229. 227. 224. Geomchi5 is a bit higher at 235."

Weed also had all the other practitioners reported their levels.

Among the practitioners, there were those that practiced their skills during the travel on the valleys and mountains, and those who enjoyed fighting against monsters and doing quests. While the minimum was approximately 230 and the maximum at 290; the level differences was too significant.

"For the people with low levels, you'll need to hit at least level 270. And to those who have more, rather than raising your level, it's best to raise your skill proficiency, please. This hunt itself is against really high level enemies; but for those with low skills proficiency, it'll be tougher later on to raise them."

In the case of Geomchi and the instructors, their attacking related skills were very high. Until recently, they've overly invested in Strength and Agility that they didn't care about defense.

The damage output for them could be on par with those in the 300s, or even higher.

Having weak defense can seem like having a disadvantage; but looking objectively, it's not an exaggeration to say they have the highest efficiency when it comes to hunting, if they don't die.

"Alright."

"No problem."

Geomchi and the instructors said without a question while grinning.

If you compare swinging the sword alone, this was heaven. It was more interesting to fight against monsters in comparison.

But why would anyone risk the likelihood of death in a fight against monsters of similar level? Mobs in those hunting grounds could potentially deal powerful attacks, anybody would find that unwelcoming.

At the same while, the uneasiness due to the lack of defense was something that could not be easily overlooked.

But for those who enjoy hardships, these details weren't at all alarming.

Everything weren't for some simple level or wish for the end; it was to prepare for the quest!

"Two weeks to hit 270."

It was Pale and Zephyr who offered their condolences to the other party.

Usually, it was unlikely for humans; to having to raise their levels at that rate was something to snort at.

They didn't have complete faith in this at all. In the first place, this plan was beyond unreasonable!

But...they were Weed and the Geomchis.

"They can do it."

"I think they can, those muscle heads."

They watched with a bit of envy and jealousy in their eyes.

For the Geomchis, the preposterous plan might be a successful one; because for them, all they know was fighting.

It was something that the party could depend on nobody else but them.

Normally, the plan was still a bit excessive even for the Geomchis; but throughout Todeum, they would be the first to discover the new dungeons. With the 2x given, it was something doable.

Weed now face his party.

"Pale nim and the rest, please go and collect dozens of food ingredients."

"'Yes!"

Pale replied without a problem.

This bit right here was also true. Since the Geomchis had to grind, they'd have to collect food for everybody.

It was something that could not be helped. During their time in the world of Vampires, all that was left of the wagon of foods was just the wagon itself; so in order to keep living, they have been collecting food.

"This maybe troublesome, but please collect food ingredients that are at least Intermediate grade. If possible, Advanced grade materials might be better."

"Collect Intermediate or Advanced materials?"

Pale questioned.

It was because until now, Weed didn't care for the level of the ingredients.

If one was to hunt 10 deer and noted down the ingredients, there'll be several different grades. And collecting Advanced grade food materials was something easier said than done.

"I want to utilize my cooking skills to maximize the effectiveness of high quality foods. Since this could potentially elevate our lack of power just a bit more, this is a very important mission."

Weed's words were pretty clear.

To have found Tori was a glitter of hope, but he was still worried.

"We know the number of Vampires we can rescue is limited, plus comparatively to the Unicorns and Pegasus, our power is much weaker."

Surka asked innocently.

"So what can we do?"

Weed replied with a clear cut answer.

"For us being here, most definitely, the more we fight, the more people we will lose."

As the battle continues, the number of colleagues will be reduced.

To them, whether it's the Unicorns or the Pegasus, the differences in level and size isn't something they can handle. For all the Geomchis, Romuna or Irene, if they are attacked, then the possibility of them dying isn't that far off.

Losing their focus even for a split second and are attacked a second time, it would be an instant death!

The Unicorns and Pegasus are very strong.

The sorts Pale and the party have never hunted before.

Weed added a slight tension with his last few words.

"There'll be many deaths. Even if we ended up lucky and the quest is successful, the majority of us here will die. I want to ensure, even if it's a slight number, that more people will survive throughout the quest by means of preparations."

"......"

The words didn't bring up their determination in the least. Even if party somehow succeeds, knowing that they could potentially die anytime only left the lingering feeling of despair in the depths.

"So every one of you need to take responsibility and cook your own meal, today's meal is..."

Weed paused slightly.

It's always best to draw it out rather than spoon fed them.

Excitement and anticipation!

Gauging their hunger appropriately was the main ingredient to bring out the foods' taste.

"Flower Bibimbap!"

"Woooeahh!"

Weed began to cook.

Making an edible meal from flower petals and mushrooms and herbs mixed together with rice. Finally, mixing in honey and red pepper paste to create a gourmet among delicacies!

There weren't that many different dishes prepared, nevertheless, he made enough dishes to have an adequate sangdari. (it's kinda like everybody's individual salad. A sangdari is the many separate dishes prepared individually, while the bibambap is a mixing by oneself from all these dishes. Not 100% sure. An educated guess.)

Have created Flower Bibimbap.

Simple made cooking.

Have minor effects, but a bowl does not dissipate hunger.

With every bowl, Weed also decorated the meal using the flower petals.

From one to another, each had its own custom design, such as a sword or a shield.

Through this means, it further increases the value of food skills!

The aesthetic image of the food was just as important as the taste.

Weed had fully comprehended how to maximize cheap cuisine.

Of course, there was a story behind the Flower Bibimbap.

A while back, he didn't even have money for bread. Whatever edible things he procured around him had turned into food. And then, he went as far as mixing flower petals into the rice to make a meal. And through experimentations using his imagination, this dish was born.

And now, with the sea of petals in the area, he could bring this dish to the light in several folds.

"Kkeoeok!"

"Delicious."

Geomchi and the instructors, as well as all the practitioners downed seven bowls each before going on the grind.

Pale and the party also left to complete their assignment. Weed too, had his own preparation to do.

* * *

KMC Media planning committee.

Director Kang and the production staffs were watching the video received.

It was through Shin Hye-Min's character, Maylon, point of view.

"This is Todeum. They've finally arrived."

Director Kang scored a proud laugh.

Throughout the course of the party's journey and witness their brutality, he felt sick to his stomach.

By all appearances, they weren't suitable contents to be broadcasted!

The director murmured a prayer.

"From now on, they better receive a good quest."

"Definitely, boss!"

The station was too, a company.

So his workers were quick to flatter the boss through any means.

On the screen, a grade A difficulty quest popped up at the entrance of Todeum.

"Ah!"

"So difficult!"

From here to there, groaning came about!

"But this is Jeonshin Weed."

"He defeated the Legion of Immortality, so he could do this too."

Director Kang eyes were fixed onto the screen, but he was filled with anxiety.

Then, it seemed as if Weed was going to infiltrate Todeum alone.

The director jumped.

"Switch to Weed's POV!"

"Yes sir! Doing it right now."

The technical staffs immediately changed the screen to Weed's point of view.

Beforehand, Maylon went through all the necessary arrangements to have her and Weed's capsules to relay videos in real time.

"Is that is?"

"Yes, it is. It's Weed."

"Amm! I think Weed will be fine infiltrating Todeum."

If Weed was to die, the disappointment would be huge.

Director Kang and his staffs went silent and watched the screen. The sense silence now was like that of the serenity after death.

At different points in time, the door would move without a sound. One by one, people came and look for seat vacancies. When all seats were taken: some stood leaning on the wall, others shared seats, and some squatted on the floor.

People flocked when they heard talks of Weed doing another unknown quest. All of them became hardcore fans after they've seen the war waged against the Legion of Immortality.

Whether it was the receptionists, the facilitators, artists, or even security personnel; all abandoned their work and snuck in.

They whispered in low voices.

"I heard they finally arrived to Todeum?"

"Weed's going into Todeum alone!"

The excitement and thrill!

All of them were assimilated by Weed.

The created city of Vampires consisted of castles.

He was to stealthily spy on the monsters that seized the city alone.

And after that!

Weed was crawling like a cockroach.

"What the?"

"I think he was to scout...but..."

"I think he want to scout by crawling."

"......"

Speechless!

All their mouths were opened, but they could not able to force any word out in this situation.

Nevertheless, there were those that did not abandon hope.

'It's not like a cool hero will explicitly appear whenever you asks for one. The heroes achieved miraculous results because they went through such tedious work as this.'

'It's like the swan standing elegantly in the lake. It only appears so on the surface, but their feet must constantly work in order to remain still. Weed nim is probably like that.'

They looked at it positively. The expectation they placed on Weed did not go away.

Weed entered each and every castle in Todeum and persistently looked for clues. There were more than plenty of times where he encountered the Unicorns and Pegasus, where he had to hid or crawled away to escape the scene.

But as time passed, one day, two days, and more, he repeated this same process.

Since Royal Road and reality had a time difference, they would have never see the ending of this if they didn't fast forward four times as fast.

And now, all were in despair.

Defeat was the only option seeing how the Unicorns and Pegasus dominated Todeum!

Director Kang and his staffs were forced to stay up the whole night.

"Director, what about a rerun?"

A member spoke up and forced the director to ponder about the proposal seriously.

"Really? How can I do that when we haven't land any advertisement yet?"

To cancel said feature program, then have a rerun wasn't an uncommon thing. But doing so would have a great repercussion on the director in charge.

"You know, sir, actually..."

"Hm?"

"What if we give them an exclusive sight of the world of Vampires, and say that there was a mistake regarding the aforementioned news?"

"......"

The circumstance was beyond redeemable!

"No. I will never do that!"

Director Kang was facing an unexpected suffering. But that was just it.

"The director's words were that no matter what, Weed's the top priority when it comes to broadcasting! It's pretty clear that the last thing we will do is going against his words. So does anyone know what to do since we're not canceling?"

Director Kang also recalled the words he said.

"Kkeueung! Then was there an alternative program?"

"No sir."

"Really? Why is that we don't have another program planned? Isn't B team or C team supposed to do so in these situations?"

"Because of this program, they didn't convene it. The sound teams, video teams, and the writers all focused on this. This adventure called for everybody to make this the best ever."

"Then there is no alternative?"

"What if we do reruns sir?"

If they did that, KMC Media viewership would drop dramatically. This was simply not an option.

"If I do that, the embarrassment we'll face will be too much. What should I do."

Time kept moving.

Director Kang suddenly turned his attention to the screen.

'Why's he swaying like that...'

Weed retuned to his colleagues and began making preparation for the quest.

"Huh? He didn't give up?"

"I know right. I would give up."

"Wait a minute. There's also the vampire lord Tori who joined up."

"What?"

The station's officials became busy once again.

Director Kang also found a lingering hope among the darkness.

"What are the odds now?"

"Still very slim!"

"What about those muscular colleagues with them?"

"Their levels are too low, so I doubt the can do much. And also, there are too many monsters. The quest itself was already difficult, piled on the level differences made this unimaginably complicated."

"Keuheum!"

Director Khang's forehead lay flat as if he was defeated.

Now it was the time to somehow come up with a decision. Whether it was to cancel and fold their hands, or continued with the risk was the decision to make.

"Weed did not give up so we shouldn't either. Ima risk it and continue broadcasting."

Director Kang and the staffs were in haste.

They bet on the possibility and resumed their work.

* * *

Weed had embarked on preparation alone.

Juseomjuseom. (sound of placing stuff)

Backpack filled with various materials.

Weed pulled out all the mats and set them down.

Items of various occupations, and piled together depending on the type of goods. Fangs of wolves, or bone fragments, or virtually useless loots were the majority.

However, Weed wasn't the type to pass on these loots.

"Lets recheck to see if these are useful now."

If someone picks up threads and a needle, then they'll use them to sew.

If he obtained a torn shirt or a piece of leather, then after the meticulous repair made, he'll sell them. Sell them at a higher price than when he obtained them.

That's what he does regarding Charcoal!

Usually, he makes Charcoals to sell them. And use them on a torch in the dark or use them to seal Light Magic. So there was no reason why anyone would write off Charcoal. And as for the chef, this was also an important tool.

"Charcoal-grilled meat is delicious beyond comparison."

It was a handy tool to save for cooking. If it was sold to the store, the price was a copper a piece, while things like bone fragments didn't even come with price. But if you mix the bones into soup and cook using the Charcoals, it'd be beneficial to your health.

Weed was rummaging through his backpack and through his loots to find the items.

He was looking for the tree trunks and monster's tendons.

"I hid the items deep inside the backpack a little too wel...got it."

Elastic Strong Tree Trunk:

Durability 39/40.

Attack 3~7.

Part of a rubber tree.

Lightweight and excellent elasticity.

Is not suitable to use as a writing stick but can be use as a whip to some degree.

Not only can this be sold to stores for a price as firewood, this can materialize into other purposes for those with the skills to do so.

Material: Rank 4.

Option: -30 Faith, when use as a weapon.

Damage wasn't on par with beginner weapons!

It wasn't useful as a weapon, so it was classified as a type of loot.

Cattle's Tendon:

Durability 50/50.

Docile cattle's tendon.

Tough and elastic, suitable for making bows.

Material: Rank 3.

Weed, through fundamental knowledge, tried to create a bow.

Ttiring!

Creation of Beginner's Bow logged.

Blacksmith skill proficiency have increased slightly.

"Identify!"

Beginner's Bow: Durability 70/70.

Damage 9~13.

Range 4.

Bow made from basic ingredients.

Short and tight, can be use throughout many hunts.

Comparing the level to the materials, this was made with great flexibility so the chance of it breaking is low.

Restriction:

Level 3.

Available for all professions.

Option:

Upgrade impossible.

Normally, bows would be graded as specialized weapons in blacksmithing. It required advanced Dexterity and Intermediate level Blacksmith to begin making them; while also, there were no instructions that can be view on how to create them.

With all of Weed's wastage materials, he could create more than 100 bows.

Rotten Wood Bow have been made.

Unknown Used Bow have been made.

Poor Goblin's Bow have been made.

The levels of the finished bows were slowly improving. Reason being he was gaining experiences with each finished product. Though, it was still far from satisfactory.

Weed simply continued making bows while filling his stomach with bread.

Hunting Bow have been made.

Specialized Deer Hunting Bow have been made.

Tree Shortbow have been made.

Beginner Archer's Bow have been made.

At this point, the bow's level has improved. If he could somehow manage to bring them to a store, he could sell them for fairly low prices!

The quality of materials was decreasing, but good products were still coming out.

"From now on, it's the real thing."

Up until now, Weed has not a single ounce of regret when he was making the bows.

The bows production was at a very high speed. But from then on, he was going to create them with more devotion.

So, he made another 200 bows.

Beautiful Wooden Bow have been made.

Hawk Hunter's Bow have been made.

Penetrating Bow have been made.

You have gained a level.

Ttiring!

Able to use animal's bones or horns to craft Khakgung(horn bows). Varied in size: accuracy, shooting speed, and damage can improve.

Through making a large quantity of bows, he obtained a new stage of bow making.

Generally, wooden bows were widely used throughout the beginner stage. But with the superior tension of animal bones and horns, these had a clear advantage.

"I could make bows out of animal's bones?"

For most, having suffered through making several bows only to discover there was a better grade of bow out there, their relative willpower would drop.

But Weed was different.

"Let's start over now!"

Repeated labor!

Working with tree trunks was abandoned. Since the transition was easy because he had collected many bones.

Through the materials collected from hunting monsters, and through cooking where he had to separate the meat from the bones. However, it was dependant on the mastery of the skill; whether the amount was large or not, based on this.

In Weed's case, with his Intermediate cooking skill, the bones collected after separating from the meat was huge!

"Bones! I don't think normal bones would do tho."

Depending on the size of the bone, the size of the bow could be large, and with the given bone's resiliency, it was to excel. Although better ones were made from monsters or animals' horns; but since they were classified as medicinal item, the prices rocketed in stores.

Because of that, every horns he had he sold to the stores without reserve.

"Instead of those, I'll use ogre sized monster's bones to make them."

Weed fished out large bones and began making bows.

Handling large monster's bones required tremendous force.

Struggled against materials!

"The mobility of short bows isn't that great. While it does have fairly fast reloads, the power of it is weak."

He trimmed the unforgiving large monster's bone to create the limb(don't know the terminology, so I yeah.) Any vulnerable part on the limb, he reinforced it with iron; then he carefully fastened the bowstring.

With that, the bow was finished to some extent; he then meticulously adjusted the balance of the bow. And through engraving, he carved a wind sylph onto the limb.

It was indeed the best that he could do.

Ttiring!

Creation of The Chasing Wind Bow logged.

Blacksmith skill proficiency rose by 0.2%.

"Identify!"

The Chasing Wind Bow:

Durability 85/85.

Damage 49~62.

Range 7.

Bow was created using the thigh bone of an ogre.

The bow has an unimaginable strength.

But because this was crafted from strong materials, not a lot of people can handle this.

Accuracy drops sharply.

Restriction:

Level 200.

Strength 530.

Archer only.

Option:

Minus 35% chance of hitting.

Minus 80 Agility.

Plus 45% chance of penetrating target.

Can destroy light armors or shields.

With Power exceeding 700, arrows can fly 3 times as fast.

Arrows can ride the wind and fly a bit further.?

The damage output wasn't all based on the processing!

This was not comparable to Weed's High Elf Yeurika's Bow; but considering that it was made from common materials, its was amazing.

However, Accuracy and Agility had been sacrificed.

Compare to moderate armors, this was much heavier; the large bow was born.

"Good. We need to bows with powers to this extent!"

Weed was felt a surge of prideful feelings, and he embarked on the production of another bow.

He continued through the same process trying to make similar bows.

The goal was 413 bows.

One for each of the still living Geomchis.

"I don't have much time, hafta hurry."

Earlier he was making bows through trial and error, but now he moved more diligently.

He made about 17 bows, when Pale and the party returned. They were standing with bunch of ingredients.

"Weed nim, we got plenty of meat and fruits this time around."

"Thanks for the hard work."

Seechwi and Zephyr were in charge of the wagon of food materials.

At this time, Maylon came to Weed to see what he was doing.

"What are you making? Siege weapons?"

She asked as she watches Weed refining the large monster bone.

"Nope. I'm making a line of bows for Master and the Sahyeongs."

"Bows? At this size?"

Maylon face shown she was shocked.

It was something hard to believe. The bows Weed created were around the staggering 140 centimeters in height.

"Yeah. Pretty awesome, huh?"

"Yeah but, it'd be substantially difficult to handle with such large bows. Do you mind if I check one?"

"Sure. By any chance you encounter something worth noting to create them, please tell me."

"Yes, I will do that. Let me see."

Maylon was very surprised when she checked on it. Its weight was very heavy. It was heavier than the armor she was wearing, which seems to counterintuitive.

Leaving the burden of the wagon, Pale, Seechwi, and Zephyr walked up.

"What are you doing?"

"Ah Pale nim. I'm looking up on the bows Weed nim made."

"Oh my...bows, huh?"

Awe filled Pale's eyes.

He saw there was only a 30 centimeters difference between Maylon and the object she was holding, that he didn't even notice the moaning and groaning she was making with the bow in her hands.

"The hell with these weapons...isn't it heavy?"

"It is. A lot."

Weed was like a craftsman, silently listening to the criticism, while dutifully continued making bows form the monster's bones. Around him were the various bows he created, piled up like mountains. When the bones ran out, he returned to making wooden bows, sizable ones.

'To have made this many in this duration...'

'Making bows for several days without a single break.'

Pale and Maylon didn't know what to say, because they could not afford to use such bows.

It required such overwhelmingly Strength, and its weight heavily restricted movements.

"Uhh..."

Pale was about to point out the problems he saw with the bows.

Then from far away, Geomchi5 and 10 practitioners appeared.

"Weed, we return for food. We also gained some minerals and leathers from the hunt. Master wanted to give these to you."

"Yes."

Weed gave them the bread he baked in advance in bulk. But instead of returning immediately after receiving them, Geomchi5 snooped around.

Pale and Zephyr seeing so and nodded their heads.

'I see.'

'So it was too tough even for you.'

To hit level 270 like Weed said was something beyond difficult. And because Geomchi5 had high self-esteem, he didn't want to confess he couldn't do it and decided to loiter about; or so they thought.

'That's no good. I have to help him out a bit.'

Zephyr saw an opportunity and walked over.

"Geomchi5 hyeong nim."

"Hm?"

"Isn't hunting tough? I know raising levels never get any easier. When I was like you, it was realllllyyy hard."

Geomchi5 yawned and replied.

"There are a lot of strong monsters. So far, there were cases of monsters appearing that I couldn't handle. They came out when we were picking up loots from other monsters, I also hear those issuing commands."

According to Zephyr's past experiences, those would be a Boss monster or Named monsters; that meant the area they were grinding in was a very dangerous hunting ground.

"That's very risky."

"Hm? Nah. Everybody kicked their asses."

"Eh?"

"Don't the unique ones give more experience points? They dropped a lot of items; so whenever they appear, we come together and beat them where they stand. It's a pleasure to see all 10 guys haven't died yet."

"Shh, it wasn't easy, I presume?"

"Even if I don't use weapons, they still die all the same."

"......"

"The knives rarely taste the thrill of combat. If some accident occurs then I'd have to repair them; so most of the time I'd just grab some random thing and kill the monsters."

If a Boss monster came along, they would drop the things on hand and rushed toward it. They didn't need the overly complex skills since brandishing their swords was like anyone else using their pen to write.

"Oh Weed, I forgot to ask this. My level is nearing 270, but a few of us are beyond that level. Is it alright?"

"Yes, Saheyong."

"Oh thank God."

And Geomchi5 was watching Weed making bows.

"Weed, what is this?"

"They're bows. I was going to give them to Sahyeongs."

The Geomchis picked the Martial Arts profession, so they could buy and use arms of other professions without restriction.

"Really? Can I try some?"

Geomchi5 quietly picked up a bow.

The bow Maylon barely manage to hold was casually picked up!

"No way!"

"How high is your Strength..."

Maylon was an Archer through and through, so she did not raise the Strength stats over the requirement. Nevertheless, there was no way to make sense of Geomchi5's incredible Strength.

"Strength? It's a little more than 1000."

Maylon wore an amazed face.

"How on earth can your Strength be at 1000?"

Even with the given stats back in BaTC obtained, having more than 1000 points in Strength stat was a preposterous thing.

Geomchi5 answered as if it was simple.

"Whenever my level rises, I put my stats into Strength. If you're a man then strength is the way to go! Oh, and I put a little into Agility. If the Agility is low, then I can't strive to hit monsters properly without receiving reciprocated damages; and that would increase the chance of me receiving a critical blow."

It was something out of Maylon's prediction.

"So you're saying until now most the stats were put into Strength?"

"Yes. Where else am I gonna put them?"

"......"

Whether it was ignorance or courageous, the Geomchis growth revolved around Strength; aside from the little points put into Agility.

The side effect of this is always the lack of mana that spells the inability to use skills, and with the low defense means a single attack from the monsters can increase the chance of death!

Death meant the loss of a level and drop in various skills' proficiency, so would the stats placed in Strength.

"Geomchi9's stronger than me by 2 stats!"

No one knew when it turned into a competition!

But it became a contest to see who can get the higher Strength stats amongst themselves.

With encountering monsters, they increased Agility accordingly to give them a lee way to dodge. Attack and defense were coordinated according to their will.

Even with the lack of dexterity, they moved precisely without much worry; so it was a battle revolving the increment of Strength!

Battle of masters!

This was a method that anyone who knew better would never attempt.

'Monsters!'

'The laborious monster and actual monsters.'

The persistency of Weed was something they couldn't dare to venture.

The Geomchis were similar in their eyes. Their strong desire to be strong and their struggles to do so forced everyone to admire them.

Maylon and Pale's eyes met.

"Maybe..."

"Could we actually be able to resolve this quest?"

Weed had come up with a plan, but everybody was dubious. They swallowed in their doubts and participated, knowing it was unlikely to succeed.

Since it couldn't be helped that it'd be a let down after working their ways to Todeum, so they followed the plan without a complaint.

And now, a little hope was seen.

It was hard for Zephyr to endure the curiosity: how on earth were they able to level up so quickly.

Zephyr sent a whisper to Irene.

-Irene nim. I want to be informed of something. In what ways are the Geomchi nims hunting and where?

A moment in time passed before Irene replied.

-Now, we are hunting on the plains.

-Are there a lot of monsters there?

-Monsters? At first when we arrived, it was a paradise of monsters. There were many villages, many buildings, and many wandering monsters.

Irene was a quiet character. So now she seemed to be embarrassed with each accumulated word, but she still had more to say.

-Near the beginning when we arrived at the plains, there were thousands of various monsters! So I thought we should give up and return to hunt the Crocodiles. But before I said anything, Geomchi3 recklessly rushed toward the monsters in the plain and struck them.

-So you're still on the plain you told me about a while ago?

-Yes. Instead of withdrawing Geomchi3 nim proposed a mission.

-What kind of mission?

-He's out to lure monsters. He was to go to where monsters are and kite them back here. And then...

-Gulp! And after that?

Zephyr couldn't see and only imagined the situation.

To openly provoke the monsters in his eyes was not a smart behavior.

-There were hundreds of monsters chasing him!

-Ugh! Why so many?

-But I really admire the Geomchi nims. We managed to come out victorious, barely. And then from there, we kept moving toward the populated plains, fighting. Also, yesterday we found a monster's lair and like a punitive force, we...

Irene complaints continued indefinitely.

"Yatz! Yatz!"

"These guys are mine."

"Here we go! Here we go! Slaughter them all!"

Shouts traveled on the rampant battlefield.

Irene at this moment was treating the injured Geomchis who were waiting in line, the number of patients was nearing 35 people.

They were in need of Irine's divine magic without letting her take a break.

"By the power of the Spirit, please relieve this one from suffering, Hand of Treatment! Geomchi395 nim, please be careful."

"Yep, thank you."

"I'm Geomchi44."

"Gyaa!"

Irene involuntarily screamed.

Geomchi44 whole body was bleeding.

He was almost at death's door!

It was surprising that he didn't drop dead right about now.

Even more so that he let out a laugh.

"Why so shy. I thought that if we were hurt we're supposed to come here for treatment, right...well, if you're busy, I'll come again."

"This is not the time to be saying that! Come quickly so I can help you."

"Something like this isn't much. I still have 200HP remaining. It's not a problem, you know."

Whenever and wherever, the weak side of a man can never be shown.

Even before death, Geomchi44 maintained his image.

"Increase stamina of this worn body. Recovery! By the power of the Spirit, please relieve this one from suffering, Hand of Treatment!"

Irene casted urgently.

First, it was to increase stamina, then onto recovering vitality. This was the way to effectively maximize the output of divine magic.

But before she could fully treat him, her mana was depleted.

"Please wait. I'll continue healing after my mana's replenished."

"No need, just lightly wrap this because it seems like they're fighting again."

"Excuse me?"

"This last bit of healing, you can wrap me up with bandages and I'll be good."

"......"

Geomchi44's body was still bleeding when he returned to the battlefield.

Even after that, there was still a line of the wounded!

And in the same way, some of them who weren't in critical condition got wrapped up while those who were got healed.

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