Chapter 28

● Orc VS Goblin: A Duel to the Death

– Why Fantasia is a true god-tier game.

(Video)

A post uploaded to Fantasia quickly racked up recommendations and climbed to the top.

》What is this?

》Is this the power of virtual reality technology?

》Wow, Monsters fight each other too.

》Where is this?

Infinite freedom.

All kinds of situations unfolded in this truly realistic world, even in places without users.

It was a perfect video proving that fact.

A vast, barren land.

The user filming in front of the castle was quite far away, but the image had been captured clearly.

》This is Hanimo Castle, the next area after crossing over from Moina Forest. I found it while exploring and heard it borders the Land of Death where the undead are. I was just about to get some Quests and head out to the Land of Death when I saw this, so I started filming. I was definitely told the undead don’t appear in front of the castle, but….

The fight between the orc and goblin caught in the uploader’s view wasn’t particularly flashy.

No one expected a grand, spectacular clash from a fight between two Monsters in the first place.

And yet people watched with keen interest.

》Isn’t that a Boing Hammer?

》Are Boing Hammers trendy these days?

》An orc carrying a Boing Hammer is pretty novel.

》That goblin’s sword looks pretty good too.

It was because they were charging at each other as if trying to kill one another, while wielding weapons that didn’t suit orcs and goblins at all.

It was a short video.

The fight lasted just over two minutes.

But the exchanges packed into that brief time were more than impressive.

》Was a goblin always that agile a Monster?

》The goblins in Fantasia are pretty strong.

》Is that a goblin from Moina Forest?

》It looks closer to the undead side.

》That orc is insanely sturdy too. It just takes hits while forcing its own attacks through.

One side was all brute force.

The other was seasoned.

Anyone could see the goblin’s movements were overwhelming the orc.

》Huh?

》He caught it.

》Crazy. An orc using a strategy like that?

》It’s over if you get caught.

The orc snatched the goblin and swung the Boing Hammer at the goblin’s butt.

Boing!

》lololol

》It’s getting spanked.

》I know I shouldn’t say this, but is the goblin kind of cute?

The goblin struggled to break free.

But the Boing Hammer swung again.

Boing-boing-boing-boing-boing-boing!

And amid the rapid barrage of Boing Hammer sounds, the goblin went limp.

》Huh?

》Isn’t that that thing?

》The Boing Hammer Butcher!

》That’s Han Youngwoong’s Skill.

There were a lot of quick-witted people, especially in games.

Because in a place like this, information was money.

》Han Youngwoong, who got the First Raid Clear, is in the Land of Death!

》There must be another Main Quest there.

》He’s disguised as an orc and beating up goblins!

》This wasn’t the time to be leveling in Moina Forest.

There was no basis, no information.

For one reason alone, everyone dropped what they were doing and rushed to Hanimo.

Han Youngwoong, who had achieved the First Raid Clear of the Act 1 Main Quest, was there.

》Can’t be late!

An orc and a goblin.

Thanks to one funny duel video someone happened to film, people began flocking to Hanimo.

===

Sword God puffed out her cheeks and glared at him.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to kill you, but because of how the Skill works….”

“Tell me.”

“Pardon?”

“How I can win.”

More than anger at dying and disconnecting, her competitive spirit was blazing.

Regret and frustration.

A strange kind of cuteness mixed into it all.

Had anyone ever shown him this much interest before?

Even if the direction of that interest wasn’t what he had imagined, the emotions in Sword God’s gaze, tone, and actions carried an irresistible charm.

“That’s a secret. If I tell you my weakness, I’ll lose next time.”

“……”

Sword God folded her arms and glared at him for a long while before finally nodding.

“Why are you accepting that? You should argue more.”

“I’ll train and win.”

Cooling her frustration, she stepped out of the temple, the place of Resurrection.

Though their relationship had been awkward, they had gone to the Garden of Life together, and perhaps because they had dueled with their lives on the line, it did feel like the distance between them had closed a little.

“Where are you going?”

So he asked.

Because they had gotten a little closer, it felt odd to part ways just like that.

A greeting. The kind of question one asked out of simple concern.

“To train….”

Sword God answered in her usual way, bowed her head, and headed toward the Land of Death.

Her expression was more determined than ever, and it looked like countless undead were about to die.

“Huh?”

He was about to silently offer condolences to the undead when a thought struck him.

“Wait. Contribution.”

Raid contribution for the undead invasion could be raised by hunting large numbers of Monsters.

There were undead that gave more contribution, but in the end, there was no steadier method than hunting a lot to build a base amount.

More time.

More hunting.

In that sense, Sword God was the worst kind of competitor.

“No.”

He had deliberately postponed the Saintess’s request to spread the news to other users so he could monopolize all the good opportunities for himself.

And of all people, Sword God, who slaughtered Monsters like a machine, was now here filling up her contribution.

Since the top contribution reward was only given to one person, it didn’t matter whether there were 100 people or 1,000. If there was even a single dangerous competitor, controlling the information meant nothing.

“I need to learn the crafting method for Mist of Life first, then start hunting.”

He needed to secure an efficient, stable hunting method before Sword God got ahead of him.

As he steeled himself and started toward Cale’s Potion Shop, the atmosphere inside the castle felt a little strange.

“Huh?”

The number of people had increased.

No, it was more than just an increase.

“Looking for a Party to hunt undead!”

“Anyone want to go hunt undead? We’re looking for one Tanker!”

Though not to the extent of Moina Village, a large number of users were bustling about inside the castle overnight.

These weren’t just a few curious users who had wandered over while exploring. It was as if someone had deliberately called users to Hanimo Castle.

He hurriedly checked Fantasia Life.

And then he saw it.

“Ah.”

The culprit was immediately obvious in the popular posts.

The fight between the orc and the goblin.

The Boing Hammer that appeared in it, and the deductions made by other users.

“It was me.”

Even from a distance, the Boing Hammer had stood out the most in the video.

His steps quickened.

He had already thought he needed to hurry because of one incredibly dangerous competitor, but now it wasn’t just one.

Tens. Hundreds were pouring in.

“Cale! I brought it!”

There was no time to rest.

[Quest Complete!]

“Ooh! To think you really found it. I apologize for doubting you. I shall tell you about the Mist of Life that can be made with the Flower of Life.”

While Cale rejoiced, he made a proposal.

“I think I may be able to find more. Do you happen to need any more?”

“Pardon? Have you found more Flowers of Life?”

“Not yet, but I think I can find more with this.”

“…Then may I ask you to do so?”

When Cale swallowed nervously and cautiously offered even a repeatable Quest, he smiled in triumph.

There were still plenty of Flowers of Life from the Garden of Life left in his inventory.

Now he could keep using the Undead Orc Leather One-Piece Suit, which would remain useful until he ran out of those flowers, without returning it.

“Then I’ll come back again soon after finding more.”

“Thank you!”

Besides, he didn’t even need to bring back more Flowers of Life. He just had to pretend he was searching diligently.

Wearing a triumphant smile, he left the castle so he wouldn’t get caught by the new competitors.

===

The Land of Death was a region that marked the true beginning of Fantasia for users who had finished the tutorial in Moina Village, obtained a Class, and moved on.

[A summary of the hunting grounds in the Land of Death.]

[Strategy for hunting undead scouts and Scout Dogs.]

[How to accept the Hanimo Main Quest and the rewards you can get.]

[A final efficiency breakdown of the rewards available through accumulating raid contribution.]

===

An endless flood of information and strategy posts poured out.

Users who had properly raised their Levels flocked to Hanimo Castle, and through repeated reckless attempts with Levels that were still slightly lacking, experience piled up. Little by little, the veil covering the Land of Death was lifted.

For one thing, the range of choices available for users’ growth widened.

A total of 15 Stat Points can be purchased by accumulating contribution.

[High-grade Class-exclusive weapons and accessory gachas are up for sale!]

[Final efficiency rankings for contribution exchange items.]

===

No matter how much Fantasia was another reality, it was still a game with a fantasy setting.

Users did not come to enjoy a realistic reality. They came to enjoy a ‘self’ different from reality inside that realistic fantasy.

So they had to grow stronger.

They wanted to try new powers.

They wanted to spam Skills.

In that sense, the Land of Death was full of elements that turned the users’ desires into effort.

They accepted the Main Quest and ran to the hunting grounds.

Though not to the same extent as in Moina Forest, many users in the front lines began another endless battle against undead scouts and Scout Dogs, and the effort to reduce the enemy’s numbers before the undead invasion, nominally in order to protect Hanimo Castle, proceeded smoothly.

But it wasn’t easy.

》You don’t get much contribution from the trash mobs in the front yard. If you go deeper, there are elite Monsters, and killing one of those is better than taking down hundreds of scouts.

》Trash mobs only give 1 to 5 contribution, but if you go a bit deeper and catch stronger Monsters, it’s easy to get contribution in the tens or even hundreds. Even if you die, you should go in and kill something stronger.

》The contribution gap here seems like it gets huge depending on the spec gap.

》There’s a Sub Quest to kill an elite boss, and just clearing the Quest gives 5,000 contribution. If you catch one of those, it’s a jackpot.

If everyone could earn a lot of contribution easily, there would be no real competition.

You had to hunt stronger Monsters in more dangerous places.

It was a system designed to provoke the desire to grow, and to reward grown users with even bigger returns.

And in the middle of all that, a message arrived for the users in the Land of Death.

[Regional Quest]

[Undead Elite Boss Moon Wolf]

[● Grade: Rare]

[● An undead elite boss Moon Wolf and its pack have appeared at a point 500M northeast of Hanimo Castle. Hunt the undead elite boss that is roaming nearby within 24 hours and weaken the power of the undead army.]

[● Reward: 1 Gold, 4,000 Raid Contribution, Buff ‘Elite Hunter (Rare)’]

》4,000 raid contribution?

》Wow, jackpot!

》But can we even go 500M in?

》Even if we get there, that’s another problem. An elite boss should be stronger than an elite Monster. Wouldn’t its Level be close to 30?

》At this stage, even if a Quest pops up, it’s just pie in the sky.

The users licked their lips.

If they had known nothing, they might at least have gone to try their luck, but once they passed Level 10 and the Penalty for death became connection restriction, it was a different story.

Four hours was a long time.

There was already mandatory rest from 10 PM to 6 AM, so they couldn’t afford to be logged out for four hours during their actual playtime.

Even so, the reward was mouthwatering.

The Gold was one thing, but so was the raid contribution.

Stats.

Equipment changes.

“Anyone want to try the elite boss!”

“Anyone want to gather a 16-person Party and smash our heads against it just once?”

Realistically, it wasn’t a favorable time.

Most users had only just arrived in Hanimo and weren’t at the proper Level yet.

But there were also plenty who thought that because this was a game, the challenge might still be possible.

They formed a Party.

Among them was EasyLife.

“I’m killing the elite boss and changing my weapon.”

》lololololol

》Just give him a weapon already ;;

》Isn’t it meaningless unless it’s at least Heroic grade?

A sparrow in the hand was better than a pigeon on the roof.

EasyLife, with a Rare-grade greatsword from the Exchange strapped to his back, recruited a fairly strong 16-person Party and headed toward the Quest area, ignoring the teasing of his viewers.

The undead blocking their way were helplessly swept aside by EasyLife’s Party.

》Whoa

》Their Levels are lacking, but their items are good, so they’re just bulldozing through.

》At this rate, won’t he be number one in contribution in no time?

Fantasia wasn’t equally difficult for every user.

Rather, for users willing to spend money and effort, Fantasia was an easier game than it was for everyone else.

The white arrow drew closer.

“Now then, for the First Raid of the elite boss….”

EasyLife drew his somewhat unsatisfying greatsword and prepared himself.

And the scene that appeared before him and his party members was this.

[The Undead Elite Boss Moon Wolf has been hunted.]

[The undead army has been weakened.]

In the place where the Moon Wolves should have been, only their mangled corpses remained scattered on the ground.

And amid that death-filled land, faint traces of a shimmering Golden Light lingered.

At the edge of his vision, for some reason, he thought he saw the waddling back of an orc.