Chapter 63

[No Name]

[World of Arseria – Priest Nightmare 10/10/10]

[Broadcast Time – 0:36:08]

[Number of Viewers – 1931]

After shoving a knife into the neck of the observatory guardian, the quest windows that had been giving me a headache all disappeared.

I entered the settings and turned off all the distracting options.

[▶Quest Notification – OFF]

[▶NPC Subtitles – OFF]

[▶Navigation Helper – OFF]

[▶Mini Map – OFF]

[▶Hit Effects – OFF]

[▶Critical Effects – OFF]

[▶Kill Count Notification – OFF]

The chat window was no exception.

During the battle, I almost lost my concentration several times because of bizarre emoticons like [●▅▇█▇▆▅▄▇], and the chat was plastered with completely grotesque ASCII art.

[▶Chat Window – OFF]

My vision cleared.

The only thing that still reminded me that this world was a game was the HP and MP bars in the lower right corner.

Aside from the NPCs’ socially inept interactions, one could easily believe this place was reality.

[‘Pellstachio Almond’ donated 10,000 won!]

– It’s all your fault! It’s all your fault! It’s all your fault!

[‘Ppurpbbengs’ donated 22,000 won!]

– It’s too cold here… At this rate, we’ll all freeze to death…!

I couldn’t turn off the donations.

While I had reasons to earn money, the game was designed so that I physically couldn’t turn off the donation window.

At least, I should be thankful that I could turn off the TTS voice.

“Where to next?”

“Material Warehouse—”

“Guide me.”

To me, Adella meant more than just a guide.

I realized this during the recent battle at the observatory.

Adella’s combat sense was zero.

Of course, she was far better than an average person, but at least at Nightmare difficulty, she was completely useless.

I had to assume the worst and think of her as a burden to survive.

“Forest Guardian, we were lucky at the observatory. We should be thankful that the guardian wasn’t awake at that time.”

Despite having done nothing, Adella whined and complained.

“But the Material Warehouse has a lot of explosives like mana stones, so it’s under 24-hour surveillance.”

“I don’t want to hear it. Just stay quiet.”

“It’s a tag team. I’ll sneak in from the roof and take out the warehouse keeper first. In the meantime, you stall at the front door.”

“Speak sensibly.”

Adella was a woman obsessed with credit.

Lacking skill, she tried to take on the biggest responsibilities, thinking she could shine somehow.

She was stupid yet annoying and was the worst type of person; in a war, she would definitely be a prime target for execution.

It was no surprise that members like Sisiella from the Abyss hated her.

Even though she was an NPC and couldn’t interact, she didn’t listen at all.

I felt sick, wondering if I was talking to a person or an annoying cat.

“Fine, wait here! I’ll quickly climb the wall and—”

Her claws scratched the wall with an unpleasant sound.

The hope of seeing a cat-hybrid excel crumbled in an instant.

Crash!

“Uwaaaah!”

“Intruder! Capture them!”

Indeed, elite guards jumped out once again.

Priests couldn’t wield close-range weapons like swords or spears, and bows or throwing weapons were no exceptions.

The severe penalties were just too significant to ignore.

So what was I supposed to fight with?

There were staves, scriptures, relics, and incense burners.

All of them were items that could use powerful curses or healing effect reduction skills in exchange for mana.

So now I understood why I was forced to include Adella in my party even for solo play.

With the priest class lacking offensive means, clearing was impossible.

It was clear that the original creator intended for Adella to act as the main tank and dealer.

To enhance my body with an aura, I’d have to consume something called “Qi” rather than mana in this game, but that also meant I’d receive a 50% effectiveness reduction penalty since I wasn’t a tank class.

The sole advantage of a healer was that my health quickly recovered, resulting in a perfect clear judgment, which was an obstacle to all clears.

But could I trust Adella?

No.

Entrusting my life to someone else was no different than committing suicide.

I pulled out the relic I obtained at the observatory.

[Moonlight Gem]

[It is said that if you stare at a core saturated with moonlight for 1,000 days, even the worst villain will be reformed.]

[Spell Power +40, MP +200]

Having rubbed shoulders with dozens of sweaty men at the observatory, I learned that “weapons” in this virtual reality were not the same as expected.

It was bizarre.

Normally, when strong metals hit weaker ones, the weaker side wears down and eventually breaks.

However, weapons and arrowheads here would never wear away unless I broke them intentionally.

Was it a limitation of coding? Or was it some consideration from Wearsoft so I wouldn’t get frustrated regarding items?

If I had to factor in weapon durability, it would be called a failure of a game rather than a masterpiece.

But that wasn’t what mattered right now.

So what kind of judgment would I get if I hit with the relic?

[1st Circle Upper Casting: Arc Welding]

An arc heat of 6000℃, matching the temperature of the sun’s surface, is generated by applying alternating voltage between the welding intermediary and the base material.

The sharpened blades I cut were embedded in the relic like spikes.

My mana was depleting rapidly.

Though my aesthetic sense was lacking, making it look a bit crude and unsightly, a splendid dodgeball was completed.

Even if I smashed it against armor, it was like hitting with a bowling ball, and just grazing a joint could result in a deep wound.

What made the relic especially powerful was that it defied physical laws, moving freely in the air.

Squeezing out the last bits of mana, I maximized the mass.

Then I threw it with force like a scene from Pokémon animation.

Did they come from the Mario series?

What was certain was that they shouldn’t try to block it. They needed to dodge.

* * *

“Gaaah!”

The guard’s arm was shredded by the spinning relic.

In an instant, the soldiers previously in a secure position scrambled to find their escape.

– What on earth did I create!!

– Telling me to fight with the relic, but they’re really fighting with it, lol.

– Relic (physical)

– Look at how accurately it targets the head.

– So brutal!

The spiked relic flew around, striking the guards’ helmets.

– What is Adella doing though?

– Is she just standing there without fighting?

– Leader!!! That annoying Adella is causing trouble again!

– Yeah, I closed the chat. If you want to let me know, donate~

– Are you telling me she’s getting in without being detected by anyone?

Perhaps to avoid being stabbed by the relic, the guards dashed away in panic while Adella sneakily entered through the front door of the Material Warehouse.

And just when I thought things couldn’t get worse, Adella brought out all the forces inside the Material Warehouse.

– Is it an infiltration assassination action game now?

– Whatever she does, they come pouring out, lol.

– A master of hornet’s nests, lol.

– So this is why they call her “Adella, the Shadow”;; she’s a dev spy.

– I know what the Material Warehouse is for. It’s the quest where Professor Princeton from the Academy asks to bring the Flame Blossom.

– Spoiler alert, no!

– It doesn’t matter since there are only players who will never try the game here, just roll creators with over 1,000 hours of playtime.

– Suddenly, there are a lot of people here; is the coordinate posted on the midnight forum?

– Flame Blossom? What’s that?

– It’s a forbidden awakening material for the Phoenix Giselle in the first year of the Academy.

– Was it asked on behalf of a disciple?

– No, she’s using it to make her own elixir.

– ????? Is she insane?

– The professors at the Academy are all a little off.

The remnants of the observatory and the Material Warehouse were familiar places for gamers playing World of Arseria.

In the observatory, there was an event where one sneaks in to grant the Ice Knight Luna Pavilis’s wish and thwart the guardian’s plot.

The Material Warehouse, although the client’s intent was malicious, was the quest location where one could awaken the forbidden Giselle Phoenix after clearing it.

A sub-quest to free the forbidden monsters and slaves trapped in the Material Warehouse should not be forgotten if considering experience and levels.

Countless episodes were experienced while building friendships with Academy Friends at Normal difficulty.

At Nightmare difficulty, these experiences were compressed into a massive event called the “Academy Invasion,” forcing players to defeat it in a short amount of time.

At least the guardian of the observatory was characterized as a non-combat honorary professor who stepped back from the Central Academy due to health issues.

This meant the difficulty level was significantly lower than other bosses.

It was Wearsoft’s inaugural and only consideration to plunge players into endless despair that was yet to come.

Once Nightmare is tagged on the exploratory healing RPG, “World of Arseria,” the game transforms into a soulless game devoid of dreams and hope.

“What kind of ruckus is this! You little rats!”

– Ah, he has appeared.

– GG, just getting this far is impressive.

– I’ve seen the observatory cleared as a priest at 10/10/10 in a VTuber, but it seems like this is the first time for a priest.

– Even in Nightmare, the warehouse keeper’s size remains the same?

– Wasn’t he weak?

[The Authoritative Young Man of the Study / Warehouse Keeper – Bally Benawon (0/1)]

An extra-class existence that most people cannot even remember the name of at Normal difficulty.

So I ask.

What’s so scary about this middle-aged man who looks like a subway pervert from a dirty comic?

While he has decent health, his low attack power means that as long as users take potions, he can be defeated without taking significant damage.

If it’s a tank, they can just take a few hits, and if it’s a dealer, they can just go all-in without problems.

Even if a healer dies from a blind attack, Ice Knight Luna and forbidden Giselle will clear it.

However, dedicated players of this game expressed trauma over this mid-boss.

The boss discussed in the most guide articles under Nightmare difficulty.

Bally Benawon.

A derogatory name infused with the resentment of millions of users: “The Outdated Bally.”

“I shall imprison all of you in the warehouse!”

[Bally Benawon consumes the forbidden elixir “Moonlight Elixir.”]

[Bally Benawon uses the skill “Moonlit Body.”]

[Warning! Under the moonlight, Bally Benawon resets the cooldowns of all skills and recovers 100% of health over 10 seconds!]

A special gimmick only found at Nightmare difficulty.

The being that instills despair for the first time in gamers who have resolved never to die roars.