LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 86
Chapter 86
[Exploration of the Salt-Rock Forest completed.]
[Go to High Priest ‘Gildetti’ to complete the quest.]
‘As expected, confirming the field boss was necessary to finish it.’
The purpose of this quest was to investigate whether the monsters or their traces were infected by the Abyss.
It wouldn’t make sense not to check the most critical part, the field boss.
If it was infected, the boss would be the most dangerous.
– Master, should I help too?
“It’s fine… No, actually. You should give it a try this time.”
– Really? Got it!
Do-hyeon, who initially planned to refuse as usual, changed his mind.
He was curious whether those undead minions would prove useful against a field boss.
‘And it’ll make for a better video, too.’
In truth, most people treated Jihad as little more than a porter.
This seemed like the perfect opportunity to give him a flashy debut.
– Keheheh… They’re all dead.
Jihad’s excitement surged, as if he felt he finally had a role to play.
– Liza? Liza!?
“Do whatever you want, Elisa.”
– Liza!
Elisa looked as though she was asking, ‘What about me? What about me??’
When Do-hyeon gave her a slight nod, she struck a powerful pose on his left shoulder.
A goblin on the right, a spider on the left…
Compared to Purple, who once carried Azure Dragon and White Tiger, it was a humble combination.
Still, it wasn’t a bad feeling.
Do-hyeon chuckled as he prepared to transform Thousand Transformations.
“Huh? Oh, come on. Someone’s already here?”
“Damn it… I thought we’d found it quickly.”
Voices of men chattering reached him from behind.
When he glanced back, he saw four male players who appeared to be in a party.
A warrior, an archer, a mage, and a tank—standard party composition.
It seemed they had rushed here to try the field boss upon hearing it had respawned.
“I know, right? There’s barely anyone in the field right now, so this was supposed to be our chance…”
“Huh? But there are only two people?”
“Wow, really? Are they doing a two-man run?”
“No way, that’s gutsy. Looks like it’ll be our turn soon. Let’s line up.”
Perhaps thinking they couldn’t be overheard, they made snide comments while queuing up.
It was a stark contrast to the tense, competitive atmosphere during the Raven boss battle.
‘This is more like it.’
Unlike the Raven boss—Elisa—whose spiderweb concept encouraged players to fight over her spawn, most field bosses in God of Savior operated on a “first-come, first-served” rule.
Those who arrived late would queue up, waiting for their turn if the first attempt failed.
This was the unspoken etiquette of field boss battles.
‘Though there are exceptions. It feels weird when people actually follow the rules.’
Maybe he’d encountered too many troublemakers lately.
What should have been normal behavior left him feeling uneasy and out of place.
If anything, it made him more suspicious.
Perhaps that’s why.
As he glanced over his shoulder, his eyes briefly met those of one of the party members, who looked utterly shocked.
“Gasp!”
“What’s wrong with you all of a sudden?”
Startled by his abrupt reaction, his party members asked in concern.
Instead of answering, he pointed with a trembling finger.
Of course, the finger was aimed at Do-hyeon.
“What’s with that guy… Huh?”
Following his gaze, the others looked at Do-hyeon.
Their expressions quickly shifted to confusion and then shock, as if recognizing him.
“Wait, isn’t that Kaiser?”
“Whoa, no way. This is my first time seeing him in person.”
One of the men frowned, puzzled by their reactions.
“Kaiser? Who’s that?”
“Are you serious? You don’t know Kaiser? He’s the reason Brion’s in an uproar right now. There are articles everywhere—he’s the new number one on the Raven rankings. You didn’t see that?”
“Ah… I’m not really into that stuff. He must be impressive, though.”
“Tch. Look at this noob.”
While Kaiser had become a hot topic, to those who didn’t frequent the forums or community pages, he was just another passing name.
Why bother paying attention to something that would fade with time?
That was the reasoning behind their indifference—or so they told themselves.
In truth, since Kaiser’s rise to prominence had only begun yesterday, it wasn’t surprising that not everyone knew about him yet.
Regardless, the two players who recognized him were thrilled to witness Kaiser attempting a field boss with their own eyes.
“Wait, then this isn’t a two-man raid—it’s a solo raid? His companion isn’t even a combat class.”
“Did you see the videos? They were insane, and now we’re seeing it live? This is crazy.”
“Tch, you’re acting like you’ve seen Justin Bieber or something.”
“Shut up if you don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yes, sir.”
One man dismissed it, feigning indifference, while the others were visibly brimming with excitement.
As a result, Do-hyeon felt the weight of their stares on his back.
‘Hmm.’
Their gazes were intense.
If they were women, he might have been flattered, but being ogled by a group of dark-eyed men with admiration made him uncomfortable.
– It seems not all of your opponents are enemies, Master.
“That’s true. It feels strange to me too.”
While such reactions had been common in the past, it had been a long time since he’d felt this kind of attention.
He’d assumed his life was now a survival thriller filled only with people trying to kill him.
But apparently, not everyone was hostile.
Every story needed its occasional healing arc, after all.
‘Let’s just ignore them.’
Do-hyeon decided not to pay further attention since the party didn’t seem inclined to pick a fight.
There were instances in DemRock where players pretended to be uninterested before attacking, but these guys didn’t give off that vibe.
And if they were pretending… well, a performance of that quality deserved appreciation.
Screeeech-!
[Field Boss ‘Death Orc Warrior’ has recognized you as an enemy.]
[Death Orc Warrior]
– Title: Elite Field Boss
– Type: Orc
– Traits: Warrior, Aura of Death, Combat Instinct
– Description: A warrior from the once-great orc tribe.
Having narrowly escaped death in the Salt-Rock Forest, he was cursed after prolonged exposure to the aura of death, making it impossible to leave this place.
Perhaps due to this curse, his physical strength was destructively amplified.
“Quite a loud one.”
The orc before him appeared far more dangerous than the players in the back.
Taking a hit from them wouldn’t cause much trouble, but the field boss’s attack was a different story.
[Phase 1 begins.]
As the notification popped up, Do-hyeon spoke quietly.
“Jihad, get ready. Just summon four for now, so we don’t drain too much mana.”
– Yes, Master.
With a gush of black mana, undead creatures burst through the ground.
[Guardian ‘Jihad Black’ summons undead.]
[Summoned: Red Goblin Undead × 2, Blue Goblin Undead × 1, Orc Undead × 1.]
The grotesque creatures strode forward and positioned themselves by Do-hyeon’s sides.
Was it instinctual?
The undead seemed to understand Do-hyeon was the strongest and naturally moved into supportive positions.
Do-hyeon was slightly surprised.
‘Do undead usually act on their own like this?’
It was unexpected to see such behavior from undead, who typically obeyed commands without free will.
Their appearance and functionality were unique in many ways.
Curious as he was, now wasn’t the time to dwell on it.
Shaking off his thoughts, Do-hyeon gripped Thousand Transformations.
[Thousand Transformations morphs into ‘Black Raven Spear.’]
Tap!
Holding the dark spear, Do-hyeon leaped forward.
The undead summoned by Jihad followed close behind.
The battle had begun.
* * *
Screeeech-!
“Whoa, it’s starting.”
“Where’s the popcorn?!”
The Death Orc Warrior’s ear-piercing scream made the onlookers buzz with excitement.
Among them was a heavy-set tank.
Watching him, the archer, ArcherCoin, shook his head.
‘What’s the big deal about Kaiser…?’
ArcherCoin couldn’t understand his friends’ reactions.
They acted like they’d just seen Justin Bieber in person.
Not just his friends—everyone on the forums seemed obsessed with Kaiser lately.
He knew about Kaiser claiming the top spot in the Raven rankings.
Though he hadn’t seen the live announcement, it was hard to miss such hot news.
‘Impressive, sure… but isn’t this a bit overblown?’
He wasn’t trying to dismiss Kaiser’s achievements.
But turning him into some kind of deity was going too far.
‘They say he soloed a raid, took on 17 rankers in a 1-vs-17 battle and won, and even mocked the 12th-ranked player using basic skills.’
Each feat sounded utterly absurd.
No, calling them achievements felt ridiculous.
It was like the drunken boasts of middle-aged men reminiscing about their “glory days.”
‘What is he, a god or something? Even an AI couldn’t pull that off.’
Such outlandish claims naturally bred skepticism.
To ArcherCoin, Kaiser’s fans looked like people brainwashed by a dubious cult.
There were rumors about a video uploaded to NewTube last night, but he was skeptical about that too.
‘Videos can be edited to show anything.’
With God of Savior trending, NewTube was flooded with gameplay videos.
To stand out, creators resorted to elaborate editing and flashy effects.
Given Kaiser’s former rank in DemRock, he likely had some skill.
With enough editing, he could easily produce one impressive video.
He hadn’t watched it yet, but it seemed predictable.
“Here’s the popcorn.”
“Huh? Where’d you get it?”
“There’s a pub down the alley selling fried peanut snacks. I kept some in my inventory.”
“Yo, nice thinking!”
Meanwhile, ArcherCoin could only sigh at his friends’ excitement as they tore into their “popcorn.”
There were basic principles to follow when queuing for a field boss.
You needed to stay prepared in case aggro shifted or an opportunity arose.
Standing ready for battle wasn’t just etiquette—it was common sense.
“It’s not like our turn will come. Let’s just enjoy this.”
“Come on, loosen up and join us.”
“…Fine. Do whatever you want.”
His friends’ reckless behavior made him sigh again.
At least there was one sensible member in their group.
“I hope it’s our turn soon,” said the warrior, Warrior12456.
Unlike his friends, he wasn’t caught up in the Kaiser hype and simply awaited their chance.
Snorting, ArcherCoin muttered, “Yeah, don’t pick up bad habits from them.”
“Hmm. Is Kaiser really that amazing?”
“Well… he’s trending right now, but I think it’s all nonsense.”
“Pfft~ That’s just your jealousy talking. Don’t regret it later—come grab some popcorn.”
“Dude, this actually tastes amazing. It’s legit popcorn-flavored!”
The mage, ProfessorHoguWatt, and the tank, DaMakAjum, mocked him while munching on their snacks.
“Shut up…!”
“Hey, it’s starting. Focus.”
Before ArcherCoin could retort, ProfessorHoguWatt and DaMakAjum turned their attention to the scene.
As they said, the battle was about to begin.
‘Fine… This might be my chance to see if the hype is real.’
Sure, his friends only knew Kaiser through rumors and videos.
Seeing the difference between hearsay and reality might burst their bubble.
Even ArcherCoin was curious deep down.
‘Let’s see if he even comes close to living up to the hype.’
How could Kaiser fight to earn such outrageous praise?
What confidence let him attempt a solo raid?
Determined not to miss a moment, he focused intently.
As if answering his resolve, Kaiser finally moved.
Grooaan… Grrroan…
“…Huh?”
And that was when ArcherCoin let out a dumbfounded noise.