BXBX NOVEL Chapter 6 – Greenskin Wildlands (6)
[Variety of titles can be earned from different things.]
The Operator continued with her explanation.
[Each title has some form of effect,]
[And the hunter can only have one title active at any given time.]
[Active titles give 100% of the listed effect, but inactive titles only give 50% of the effect.]
Sungjin closed his eyes, hugging his Katana tightly.
[Titles appear above the hunter’s head, and the other hunters may view them.]
[I bid you achieve greatness and earn great rewards.]
[Initiating distribution.]
Once again, it began with the Asian man.
[Coward – Max HP dropped by half.]
[Red outline illuminates you to monsters, making you easier to be found by monsters.]
‘What?!’
The Asian man, who would have complained otherwise, continued to sit where he lay, unable to move or say anything. The Operator skipped next to the White man.
[Novice Sentinel – Spear damage increased by 5%]
The man’s expression didn’t change, as if he wasn’t sure if it was a good or bad thing yet. Baltren was up next.
[Criminal Arsonist – increased fire based damage by 20%]
“Police Officer with the title of Criminal Arsonist...”
Baltren whispered to himself unhappily. Finally Sungjin.
[Master Hunter – All Stats increased by 30%]
Sungjin, whose eyes were closed until now, raises his eyebrows.
‘30%?!’
It was an unimaginably large bonus. He had earned many titles from Raids in the past, but never a title with such advantageous bonus as this.
Titles were given based on how the raid was conducted. It was based on merit and contribution.
Knowing exactly how the title ‘Master Hunter’ was granted is unclear, but it probably had to do with clearing the raid at 100% with overwhelming contribution percentage at close to 90%.
The Operator concluded handing out raid rewards and addressed the hunters.
[Your group has completed the raid faster than other groups.]
[You will be sent back to the Hunter’s Hall in 2 minutes and 37 seconds. Please hold]
Sungjin called out to the Operator.
“Operator, equip the Master Hunter title.”
[Title Equipped.]
He immediately checked his status.
“Show me the status window.”
Title: Master Hunter
HP: 130 MP: 220
Strength: 15 12(+3)
Dexterity: 43 33(+10)
Endurance: 13 10(+3)
Magic Power:18 14(+4)
Mind Power:22 17(+5) (See note)
Unallocated Stat Points: 505
Including Dex that he’s been raising, all other stats have risen by 30%.
‘With this...finishing all objectives might be possible...’
Confidence surged within Sungjin. He decided to check what items he had received.
He took out a creepy necklace which was decorated with a large eye and rows of teeth.
“Operator, what is this?”
The Operator summoned the detailed specs of the item in a hologram window.
Yanhurat – Mad God’s Voice
Heroic Necklace
Active Skill
Zealot(III)
For 30 seconds, increase damage by 300% and attack speed by 300%
Once active duration ends, reduce current hp to 1/3.
Cooldown 10 minutes
Necklace worn by the Mad Orc Ruark.
If you put it next to your ears, you can make out a faint voice.
‘Forced Zealot mode...?”
It was an item which had well-defined cost/benefit. Sungjin examined the necklace carefully. This item usually incorporated some features of the human face into its design.
Infernal staring eyes and a mouth shaped formation of teeth were key points of its appearance. This horrifying item looked like it could have belonged in Incan or Mayan temples.
While he was looking over the necklace,
‘Hey...’
Sungjin felt as if someone was whispering into his ears. So he brought the necklace up to his ears. Suddenly the phrase became crystal clear.
‘Kill them’
He took off the necklace off his eyes. It was an item that felt tainted.
‘But... I might need it someday.’
Sungjin placed the necklace into his pocket. Next Item he examined was a familiar shackle connected to chains. It was the weapon wielded by the boss.
Free Ark – Free man’s Shackles
Heroic Wrist Armor – Defense 28%
Active Skill
Remove Crowd Control (III)
Removes unwanted Crowd Control effects.
Cooldown: 5 Minutes
Shackles bound to the Mad Orc Ruark.
Fairly small, it must have been extremely painful for the previous owner to have worn it.
‘Wait, it’s not a weapon? Armor Piece?’
He had spent a few minutes mindlessly dodging it, and it turns out it wasn’t even an actual weapon. He held up the shackles and instructed the Operator.
“Equip”
The Shackles stuck to his hands for few moments before picking an arm and locking onto his wrist. The chains wrapped around the entire length of his arm and protected him.
‘So this is how it works’
It was good. It was on the heavy side, but it seemed sturdy. Sungjin felt he could probably use it as a substitute shield if he ever needed it. And the Active effect looked useful as well.
Finally, Sungjin held the Club with a skull attached to it. He was familiar with it because this club was widely used by others in the previous life. It was common since it was the main boss’s item drop.
Lots of hunters could be seen using this weapon soon after the 1st chapter.
Skull Romabel – Skull Crusher
Heroic Blunt Weapon – Strength A Dexterity D
Passive skill
Illusions of terror(II)
Weaken attack of nearby enemies by 10%
Chief Kamul’s Club. He broke many skulls with this club. It is said that he had collected skulls that did not break from bashing it and had added them on to his club.
As expected, a great item. Special skill was nice, but even more valuable was the A rank stat booster which was extremely rare in the early game. The problem was that Sungjin had never used blunt weapons before.
‘It’s a great item... but I should sell it.’
Sungjin asked the Operator while holding the Club.
“Operator, how much can this be sold at the Black Market?”
[50 Black Coins]
Sungjin frowned. It was extremely inefficient to sell directly to the Operator.
‘Well, I guess I can’t help it since I don’t need it.’
Sungjin opened his mouth to sell it to the Operator when he noticed the club which the Police Officer was holding.
He was the only one who sincerely tried to help Sungjin through the Raid. He called him over.
“Come here, old man.”
Baltren was surprised when Sungjin addressed him again and stared at him. Sungjin seemed like a normal teenager at the beginning. But a few moments ago,
‘In raids, there is no rule forbidding a hunter from hunting another hunter. Understood?’
When Sungjin said this, he had an expression like as if he was a serial killer. Even the police are intimidated by serial killers. Baltren trembled slightly as he responded.
“Yes, what... What is it?”
“How many Black Coins do you have right now?”
Baltren answered immediately.
“76.”
Sungjin showed Baltren the club and said
“Buy this. 76 Coins.”
Baltren was shocked. He didn’t know that item trading was even possible. Sungjin saw his hesitation and added more explanation.
“If you intend to continue using blunt weapons, you should buy it. Selling a Heroic weapon for 76 coins is basically the same as giving it away for free.”
Sungjin spoke the truth. Buying a Heroic weapon from the black market typically requires several hundred black coins.
Sungjin would be able to get just a bit more Black Coins, and he would be able to obtain a Heroic weapon at a dirt cheap price; a win-win situation.
Baltren briefly looked over the weapon and then nodded in agreement. No matter what he said, Sungjin was not wrong about anything yet.
“So how does trading work?”
“Simple. Put the cubes together and declare ‘trade’.”
Baltren nodded. Once the cubes were brought together, they snapped as if they were held by magnets. Sungjin spoke out first.
“Trade,”
Sungjin’s cube emitted a blue light. Baltren saw and followed suit.
Once he did, the cubes gave out an announcement.
[Trade initiated.]
[Please declare what Item you will be trading.]
Sungjin started.
“Skull Romabel Heroic Blunt Weapon.”
Baltren replied,
“76 Black Coins.”
“I accept the Trade.”
“I accept the Trade.”
[Trade complete!]
At the same time as the announcement, the club disappeared from Sungjin’s hands and appeared in Baltren’s. Baltren inspected the weapon in his hands.
It was a strange weapon, decorated with skulls.
“It lowers attack power of your enemies, so... It should be useful in keeping you alive.”
Baltren asked Sungjin carefully.
“How do you know all this?”
“...Even if I tell you, you won’t be able to believe me.”
Baltren decided not to pry. He felt that if he insisted, the teenager would not be willing to give him a satisfactory response. The Operator finally gave them the status update.
[You will return to the Hunter’s Hall in 1 Minute.]
1 Minute. Sungjin Closed his eyes and held his katana close. Baltren sneaked a few glances at Sungjin.
Right now, he looked like an ordinary Teenager. He even looked somewhat innocent. And to a certain extent, it even made sense why he got upset earlier and made that angry face.
He slowly came to the understanding that these raids were to be carried out by betting one’s life. Having a coward and an inciter like the Asian man represented a risk to one’s life.
Baltren rested the Club on the ground and thought deeply, at the words Sungjin spoke to the Asian man.
‘You. If it weren’t for me, all of you would have died here. Either by monsters or by running out of time. Understood?’
This declaration, in truth, also applied to Baltren as well. He couldn’t imagine that he could stand up to the secret boss and his wild flailing chains, the giant club-wielding Orc Chieftain, or even a small group of Trolls.
If it weren’t for the teenager, he would have died. Baltren understood it perfectly. So he approached the teenager once more. He couldn’t rest well without even knowing the name of his benefactor.
“Please tell me your name. Who are you?”
Sungjin stared at the police officer. Until now, he had had many comrades. And every single one of them died.
Even if he gives this man his name, the only result it could give was regret, disappointment, and sadness. There was no point to letting people know your name. Sungjin shook his head.
“... We will never meet each other again.”
But Baltren persisted.
“You can’t know that. Please, I wish to know.”
Sungjin paused for a moment and gave only the initials of his last name.
“K. That is my name.”
“Kei... I’ve said before, but my name is...”
Sungjin interrupted him.
“I remember. Baltren. Gerald Baltren. Become strong. And then survive. And who knows, maybe we might cross paths again...”
With that said, the Operator began a countdown.
[You will return to the Hunter’s Hall in 10 seconds.]
[9, 8, 7, 6...]
With only a few seconds left, Baltren expressed his gratitude to Sungjin.
“... Thank you for everything. I was able to survive thanks to you.”
[5, 4, 3]
And Baltren wanted to say a final goodbye before the time was over. Then he noticed the title floating above Sungjin’s head. He combined the title and the name together and bid him goodbye.
“We will meet again, Master Hunter K.”
[2, 1]
And with that, the hunters disappeared from the Greenskin Wildlands.
(Translator’s note)
Mind power affects mana pool, magic power affects magic damage
Editor’s Note: The legend begins people! Master hunter K!!!! Hype!!