“A-A-rank…?”
Even as she heard it with her own ears, Hong Yeon-hwa couldn’t quite believe it.
It was the first time in her life she had ever pulled such a high-rank item.
And to think, it hadn’t even come from an A-rank random box, but from a C-rank one. That only made it feel even more unreal.
Ah! Is this a dream too?
Maybe if she stayed like this, someone would wake her up?
Would Kim Ho say again, “Hong Yeon-hwa, it’s morning. Time to get up.”
But instead of waking her, the party members were examining the item that had appeared as the rainbow light faded.
Feeling slightly awkward, Hong Yeon-hwa joined them.
Where the random box had been, there now stood a finely carved wooden statue.
An orc veteran charging forward with an axe, as if shouting for others to follow him.
[Orc Hero Statue (A)]
▷ Grants a proficiency bonus to combat skills of A-rank or below.
The effect was just a single line, but it was powerful enough to be worthy of an A-rank.
Go Hyeon-woo turned to Kim Ho and asked,
“A proficiency bonus… sounds similar to that Rank Boost item.”
“Right. The difference is this one isn’t consumable.”
While Rank Boost would disappear after a certain time, the statue was permanent. Unless it was destroyed.
They could probably even use both at the same time.
As for limitations, they were practically irrelevant for them.
All of them were combat-type classes, and most of their skills were A-rank or below anyway.
“Now I’m curious how far the effect reaches. Is it just for Miss Hong, or does it apply more broadly?”
“Since statues like this are usually set up in a fixed place, I’d guess anyone within its range can benefit. We’ll have to run some tests later to be sure.”
“Fascinating.”
In short, this would significantly accelerate everyone’s growth.
A flood of praise rained down on Hong Yeon-hwa.
“Truly incredible luck. Congratulations, Miss Hong.”
“At this point, those 100- and 200-point pulls don’t even matter.”
“Converted into Glutton Points, this would be worth around 2,500.”
“And that’s just in terms of rank. This one is especially hard to get, even among A-ranks.”
Kim Ho was the type to respond lukewarmly to most high-grade items.
Only items related to space-time would draw even a bit of interest from him.
So if even Kim Ho was saying something like that, it really must be that good.
Then, Seo Ye-in stared straight at her and said,
“Jackpot.”
As if to say, “Told you. I had a good feeling about it.”
Hong Yeon-hwa felt a lump in her throat and replied hesitantly,
“Th-Thank you…”
Thank you for trusting me till the end.
Of course, there might have been other reasons behind it.
Maybe it wasn’t trust in her but in Seo Ye-in’s intuition.
Or maybe they just thought it was okay to waste a few boxes.
Even if that were the case, Hong Yeon-hwa still remembered the trust and encouragement she received from the party before opening the box.
She would never forget this.
***
Back to normal, huh.
I looked at Hong Yeon-hwa and thought.
Just this morning, she’d looked like a puppy with its tail drooping, but ever since pulling that statue, her tail-propeller had been spinning furiously.
Thanks to that, the overall mood of the party had become much warmer and more cheerful.
If there was one thing that hadn’t changed, it was that she still wouldn’t go near the random boxes.
It seemed like she was worried that after barely redeeming herself, she might blow it all again.
We didn’t want to stress her out either, so we freed her from the burden of indirect pulls.
Most of the random boxes we got afterward were simply fed into the Glutton Box without using any hidden methods.
And after roaming around diligently until the sky turned red with the evening glow—
[Glutton Box]
▷ Glutton Points: 5,300 → 7,800
We had managed to complete about three-quarters of the quest’s point goal.
We probably could’ve squeezed in one or two more if we pushed ourselves, but decided it was better to preserve our condition.
The difficulty would go up on day three, after all.
I looked around at the party members and gave the order.
“Let’s set up camp here.”
We pitched our tents, cast alarm magic, and lit a campfire.
Then we all gathered around and started grilling barbecue.
Worried that the firelight or smell might attract something?
If they show up great. That’s 500 extra points.
Actually, we were kind of counting on that.
By the time we had filled our stomachs with barbecue—
I looked around at everyone and opened my mouth to speak.
“Since we’re all gathered, I want to talk about something I meant to bring up yesterday.”
“Yesterday, I asked Kim-hyung about it. Miss Seo has been using the word ‘reservation’ quite often lately, so I was wondering if something had happened.”
Hong Yeon-hwa also perked up, clearly curious.
I glanced around at the party and gave a small nod.
“Yeah, something did happen. I figured it’d be better to explain everything at once, so I didn’t bring it up yesterday.”
Yesterday, after all, Hong Yeon-hwa had skipped dinner and shut herself in the tent.
“I got a new skill. It’s called [Bond]. To put it simply, it lets party members share registered traits through a slot system.”
“Just hearing that, it sounds quite powerful. But I assume it can’t be used on just anyone.”
“Right now, the slots are full. The one slot I had, Dang-noonim took it.”
“Ah, that explains things.”
Realizing why the term “reservation” had been coming up, Go Hyeon-woo gave a wry smile.
Seo Ye-in, on the other hand, voiced her displeasure in a very pointed tone.
“Reservation.”
Since there was more to explain, I didn’t respond to her just yet.
Instead, I continued in a more serious tone.
“No need to worry about the slots. I plan to gradually expand them.”
“So we should understand it as: eventually, everyone will be included?”
“Pretty much. But this next part is important. Once you form a [Bond], it can’t be undone. No matter what you do.”
“……!”
“And more importantly, your connection to the Monarch takes absolute priority. Over your sect, your magic tower, your master, even your family.”
The [Bond] skill itself doesn’t force much control.
But once you start using the synergy traits and follow-up skills tied to it, you’ll inevitably move as one, whether you like it or not.
In Dang Gyu-yeong’s case, she was essentially independent, so there was nothing holding her back. She accepted the Bond purely by her own will.
But what about the others?
I turned to Go Hyeon-woo.
“You’ve still got a lot left to do. Starting with the sacred relic.”
“……Indeed.”
His current goal is to inherit the sect’s sacred relic. The Blood Wind Sword (Or whatever its name is).
I assume that even after that, there are still longstanding aspirations of the sect he’ll have to fulfill in his own way.
If he’s bound by [Bond], his actual combat power may increase, but when it comes to sect-related matters, it would be no different from wearing shackles.
I then turned to Hong Yeon-hwa.
“You said your dream is to become the Ruby Tower Master.”
“M-Mhmm……”
Hong Yeon-hwa nodded timidly.
If one wants to become the head of an organization, they absolutely cannot be tied down by anything.
The elders over there aren’t fools either. Just being bound by a skill would be disqualifying.
“So think it over carefully before deciding. Ask yourselves if following me is worth giving everything else up. There’s no need to rush, since expanding the slots will take quite a bit of time anyway.”
“I’ll give it serious thought.”
“Good, got it.”
Go Hyeon-woo and Hong Yeon-hwa nodded at the same time.
On the other hand, Seo Ye-in spoke the moment I finished.
“I’m in.”
“I told you to think about it.”
“Already did.”
“What about Hye-seong Group? At this rate, the entire city’s practically yours.”
“Don’t need it.”
Seo Ye-in shook her head.
Looks like she was never really interested in that in the first place.
That said, it doesn’t mean the issue of affiliation is completely resolved.
It might just be that she doesn’t fully understand how the world works.
And even if it is resolved, there are still other things to consider.
“You should talk it over with your parents. If possible, with Uncle Dragon and the Chairman, too.”
“I’m independent.”
“No, you’re not. The moment we get back, you’re having a sit-down with them.”
“…Sad.”
A parental meeting was now scheduled.
After finishing dinner, we tidied up and got ready for bed.
Seo Ye-in and Hong Yeon-hwa, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, placed their sleeping bags on either side of mine.
I let out a small, exasperated breath.
“You two really just claimed your spots, huh?”
“Reserved seating.”
While Seo Ye-in responded confidently, Hong Yeon-hwa, still shy, quietly averted her gaze.
Seeing that, Go Hyeon-woo gave a small smile.
“I hear Kim-hyung has a mysterious effect that helps others sleep soundly.”
“I don’t know what it is either, but apparently so.”
“If the chance arises, I’d like to try it myself.”
Go Hyeon-woo said in a playful tone.
I responded with a straight face.
“Why would a martial artist need sleep? Can’t you just do energy circulation instead?”
“Hmm.”
“You need to get stronger quickly so you can inherit the sect’s sacred relic, don’t you?”
“…You’re not wrong.”
That night, Go Hyeon-woo spent his time outside the tent practicing energy circulation.
By his own choice, of course.
***
The next day.
We began moving as soon as the morning sun rose.
Walking beside me, Hong Yeon-hwa asked,
“We’re at 7,800 points now… right?”
“Yeah. We just need five more.”
“What’s the drop rate like today?”
“Second day, plus 50%, so 150%. With buffs, it’s 225%.”
Two are guaranteed drops.
There’s a decent chance of getting a third one too.
“So to get five more…”
“If we’re lucky, two monsters. If not, we’ll need to take down at least three.”
Go Hyeon-woo joined the conversation.
“Do you think we’ll be able to finish it today, Kim-hyung?”
“Probably. We’ve already taken out a fair number.”
“I see. Still, I’m a little concerned. Their numbers must have dwindled quite a bit, but the land is vast…”
He was starting to worry that if they kept just missing the orc warriors, time would pass without any real results.
There was even the possibility that they might not encounter a single one before the champion was decided.
Of course, this concern turned out to be unfounded.
It wasn’t like a typical battle royale with a shrinking zone or anything, but there was, in its own way, a similar mechanism in place.
“They have something like a native religion too. Simply put, it’s the idea that the god of war guides warriors to each other.”
“Interesting. Sounds somewhat credible.”
“To some extent. Look, one’s coming.”
I answered, nodding toward the front.
Sure enough, just as it felt like something was approaching, an orc warrior appeared, pushing through the underbrush.
“Chwik.”
On the second day, they’d usually come in twos or threes, but now this one was completely alone.
Its armor and clothing were little more than rags, and the body exposed beneath was covered in half-healed wounds.
Its attitude too was very different from the ones we’d encountered on days one and two.
Gripping its axe, it suddenly growled,
“Chwik, draw your weapon.”
It didn’t care whether its opponent was human or not or whether it was outnumbered.
When Go Hyeon-woo drew his sword and stepped forward,
“Allow me the honor.”
“I fight—!”
The orc immediately kicked off the ground and charged.
A mana-charged axe and a sword infused with a gentle breeze clashed.
Baaang!
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