Chapter 581
Not long after, the cosplay was complete.
Kang Jinhyuk, wearing an oversized pirate hat, looked at his hook hand with satisfaction.
‘A hook is the true symbol of a pirate.’
Style over substance.
A pirate lives and dies for style.
And next to Jinhyuk stood Chun Yoosung, his face marked by a long sword scar.
His concept: a bloodthirsty killer who lost everything as a child and now lives only for revenge.
A lone swordsman who trusts no one and depends on nobody. An edgelord straight out of a middle schooler’s imagination.
That was the character Chun Yoosung had to portray.
“Damn it. Why the hell did I get stuck with this concept? It doesn’t suit me at all.”
Chun Yoosung grumbled.
Jinhyuk held back the urge to say it suited him perfectly.
Just getting him into the outfit was satisfying enough.
But seriously, this guy’s chest and abs are no joke.
No wonder women can’t even make eye contact with him.
Just then, the rest of the members showed up in their respective costumes.
“Jinhyuk. Even if we’re disguising as pirates, don’t you think this is a bit too revealing?”
“Ughhh… I’m starting to miss the psych ward.”
“The outfit prioritizes mobility over warmth. Yup.”
Teresa, Andrea, and Frey each chimed in with a line.
All exuded a sultry, decadent charm.
Their costumes were the epitome of female pirates.
And since the three were absolute stunners, the outfits looked even more dazzling on them.
Orun also dressed up as a beefy powerhouse to match his massive frame.
Lastly…
Our beloved queen had no clue how important this mission was and was too busy indulging her desires.
“I shall be the captain! I said I shall!”
Alice bounced up and down, trying to snatch Jinhyuk’s hat.
“Be good and I’ll give it to you later.”
“Really? You promise?”
“Yes, yes.”
Jinhyuk gently placated her like a child.
Right now, it was important to keep everyone in high spirits.
‘Even though I picked it, this turned out amazing.’
He did plan this setup, but it was better than expected.
He was confident that if he edited and uploaded this later, it would get tons of views.
‘At the very least, I should recoup the cost of the outfits and expenses here.’
Since he had invested quite a bit, he planned to get his money’s worth by putting the crew to work.
Soon, the group headed toward the village.
How long had they walked through the fog?
Finally, the village entrance came into view.
Now it was for real.
“There’s… no one guarding the entrance?”
Teresa, who had been prepared for inspection, tilted her head.
The entrance to the village was completely open for anyone to walk through.
“There’s no need for guards.”
Neither people nor laws mattered here.
The strong decided everything, and the weak simply accepted the outcome. That was the only rule in this place.
Step.
The moment Jinhyuk set foot inside the village—
Ting!
[You have entered the Village of the Hermits.]
[The inner fog is dispersing.]
[If you survive for one week, the first quest will be completed.]
[#1. Survival]
Difficulty: AA
Description: Every resident, animal, plant, and even inanimate object in this village will attempt to kill you. Surviving in such a place grants you the minimum qualification to become a hermit.
Reward: Notoriety +100.
A status window appeared in front of everyone.
‘Hooh.’
Jinhyuk stared at the window with intrigued eyes.
When he had come to this village in the past, there was no such quest.
He had simply put all his effort into surviving each day.
But this time… was it because he had brought companions?
Because Nyarlathotep had intervened?
Or perhaps another variable had triggered it.
Whatever it was, the important thing was that a new area that had never appeared before was now open.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
For the first time in a while, his heart beat with excitement.
The endless repetition he’d grown sick of.
The path so familiar it was dull now had a new thrill.
“The reward is notoriety… Does that mean we need a certain level of notoriety to clear this place?”
Chun Yoosung spoke after carefully reading the status window.
“Seems like it.”
“Hmm. That’s unusual.”
“What is?”
“It’s just rare to see you, who always pretends to know everything, make an uncertain guess.”
“I’m not a god. I can’t know everything. Looks like we’ll need to stay sharp this time.”
“Could’ve fooled me. You look way too excited for someone trying to be cautious.”
“’Ahem’! It’s just your imagination. There’s nothing fun about risking your life.”
Jinhyuk quickly adjusted his expression.
“Anyway, let’s first find a place to stay and gather inform—”
But before he could finish—
Whooom!
A faint gust of wind echoed from behind.
Chun Yoosung immediately drew his sword.
Kaaang!
Metal clashed against metal at a single point.
Clangclangclangclang…!
A chain-wrapped scythe swept across the ground.
An ambush.
And not just by one person.
Assassins, completely masking their presence, poured in from all directions.
“Get behind me!”
[Teresa summons ‘Aura Shield’!]
A massive shield devoid of divine energy materialized.
“I’ll handle the left side. Yup.”
Frey pulled out a pair of short spears.
“This isn’t enough to stop me.”
Andrea revealed her fox tails.
BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM!
BOOOOM!
The fierce ambush was completely blocked.
“What the hell? None of them died?”
“The newbies are pretty decent.”
“Tsk tsk. They’re still greenhorns.”
“Yeah. Their notoriety values are all single digits. Hmm? Wait, why does the guy in front have over 1,000 notoriety? Didn’t he just arrive?”
“Must be a bug. No one starts out with that much notoriety.”
“Right. You’d need to have piled up a mountain of resentment to get that high.”
One by one, figures hidden in the shadows emerged.
They were East Asians dressed in rags.
With throwing stars, sickles, and various hidden weapons—if they were Tower escapees using tools like these…
There was only one possible origin.
“You guys from Japanese mythology?”
“……!?”
“…….”
“How… how do you know that?”
The smirking faces of the men instantly lost their composure.
“I’ve heard of the shadow dwellers who lost in power struggles. The runaway ninjas, right?”
Clang!
Sparks flew right next to Jinhyuk’s face.
A thrown dagger was barely deflected by the spinning edge of a saw-blade sword.
“Oops. Was that supposed to be a secret?”
Jinhyuk playfully covered his mouth with one hand.
Which only poured oil on the fire.
“You bastard! What are you?”
“Don’t kill him. Take him alive!”
“I thought we’d toy with him a bit… Turns out he’s no ordinary hermit.”
Fzzzt!
Dark energy gathered on various hidden weapons.
They were about to unleash ninja techniques.
They were indeed capable in their own way.
But that’s all.
[Unique Ability ‘Grave of Swords’ is activating!]
BOOOOM!
A burst of sword energy nearly 2 meters high erupted.
“Guess you’ve been stuck in this closed-off place too long… but our pirate crew’s made quite a name for ourselves outside.”
They thought they could look down on him because he was a new arrival.
But that would be a fatal mistake.
Jinhyuk and the rest of the Veteran Corporation members released their unique abilities.
A massive surge of magical energy swept through the village entrance.
RUMBLEEEE!
An overwhelming difference in power.
These guys, just trying to extort newcomers at the gate, weren’t even close to a match.
‘Time to make an example.’
A proper show of dominance would make everything easier going forward.
Even so, the ninjas didn’t back down.
They instead tightened their encirclement even more aggressively.
[Ninjutsu ‘Double Shuriken’ is activating!]
[Illusion Technique ‘Shadow Concealment Technique’ is activating!]
Various ninjutsu, illusions, and hidden weapons rained down like a storm.
“Woof! Bark! Bark!”
Wolves and large hunting dogs rushed in while hawks and eagles swooped from above.
“Go, Yoosung.”
“This is ridiculous. Why should I listen to you?”
“Because I’m the captain and you’re the crew.”
Jinhyuk tapped his hat lightly.
[Hat of the Pirate King]
Acquisition Difficulty: AAA
Description: The player who wears this hat is designated the leader of a crew and gains the authority to punish members who disobey orders.
This was part of the ‘crew contract’ formed in exchange for returning the Yokgeom Ryuhwa.
Disobedience meant death.
He had paid a hefty price at the coin exchange for this event item, and the effect exceeded expectations.
Faced with such blatant intimidation, Chun Yoosung ground his teeth.
“So I just kill them all, right?”
He said something terrifying as if it were nothing.
Apparently the pirate cosplay had turned him into an actual pirate.
“No, we need to capture them alive.”
“Why?”
“Killing them doesn’t raise notoriety much.”
There were a few ways to raise notoriety.
Clearing quests. Defeating someone with high notoriety to absorb it. Or… becoming so vicious that even villains were appalled.
And the most effective method, of course…
Was the last one.
“Tch. Fine.”
Clicking his tongue, Chun Yoosung leapt into the enemy’s ranks in the blink of an eye.
—
A short while later.
All 30 hermits were captured as prisoners.
They were once notable Tower residents, but no match for members of Veteran Corporation who fought deities.
Now completely disarmed and tied up in only their underwear.
“…We lost. Our leader will pay our ransom, so treat us properly as prisoners.”
The most senior among them made a bold demand.
But it was a joke.
SMACK!
Jinhyuk whipped him mercilessly.
“Gaaah!”
The man screamed in pain.
“W-What are you doing?!”
“We said we’d pay you in coins!”
Others shouted in shock.
“I don’t need coins.”
“Then… we’re willing to pay with items or something else.”
“Kind offer, but I’m not interested. I already got what I wanted most.”
Jinhyuk smiled sweetly.
It was a soft, warm smile.
But the words that followed were the kind that no smile could soften.
“Your bodies.”
Chills.
An unknowable, creeping dread filled the air.
For the next hour, the captured prisoners experienced pure hell.
“Yeah, ice and fire combined attacks work best here.”
“Right. It deals more damage and throws the enemy off. Let’s try again.”
Jinhyuk scattered powdered ice made through [Glacial Sculpting].
“Yes! I’ll try it properly this time!”
Andrea shouted with enthusiasm and threw a foxfire flame.
CRACKLE!
BOOOOM!
Ice and fire collided in one spot, unleashing terrifying cold and heat.
“Aaaargh!”
“Uwaaaagh!”
The prisoners’ bodies froze and burned as they tried to flee.
Left alone, they would die in minutes from their injuries.
But—
“Don’t worry, everyone. I’ll make sure you all survive.”
Teresa diligently healed the broken prisoners left by Jinhyuk.
“Ugh… no… stop… please, just stop!”
“Just kill me instead!”
“Don’t save me. Please just let me die!”
To them, the saint looked like the angel of death.
On the other side, Alice and Frey were conducting culinary experiments.
“They say good cooking can win a lover’s heart, yup.”
“Oho. Is that so? If it’s a heartfelt meal, I won’t lose to anyone.”
Alice dumped every kind of seasoning and sauce into a pot.
Her favorites: kimchi fried rice and tomato spaghetti. She topped chicken with chocolate sauce and peanut butter.
“Oh, and undercooked meat might cause stomachaches, so we shouldn’t forget to disinfect it.”
SPLASH!
Dish soap poured into the pot like a waterfall.
“Mmgh! Mmmph!”
“Ugh… gah! ‘cough cough!’”
Those who saw the mysterious concoction on the spoon shook their heads violently.
Most had already passed out, foaming at the mouth or vomiting.
But Alice and Frey’s culinary passion showed no signs of stopping.