The Limits of Patience (1)
Just like how a rock had turned into a teacup.
Now, the teacup's shape began to change.
It transformed into something like a stone shield.
I had altered the shape of the teacup into a wall.
Naturally, arrows couldn't pierce a wall of rock.
Thud thud—
Even if they fired dozens or hundreds of arrows, they wouldn't reach me.
I checked how much mana I had used.
'Isn't this absurdly efficient?'
Maybe it was because it was now classified as magic rather than a skill.
It definitely didn't match what that alchemist said on NetTube.
"Ta-da! It changed shape, right? Changing just the shape consumes relatively little mana. But that only applies to small objects like teacups. The bigger it gets…"
Mana consumption supposedly increased exponentially…
'That's definitely what they said.'
Yet here I was, having built a wall nearly three meters tall, and my mana was still fine.
Even if a [Natural Enemy] bonus was active, this was incredibly efficient.
It had to be one of two things:
Either magic was just that much more efficient than skills,
'Or the alchemist was overselling on NetTube.'
You know, it's the kind of thing you often see in games.
Players acting like their characters are weak just to dodge nerfs or blame imbalance.
Only when someone actually tries playing a demon hunter do they go, "Wait, this is actually OP…"
In any case, no matter which it was—
My job at this moment didn't change.
I left the defense to the wall and got ready to counterattack.
I equipped a bow and arrows.
Nocked an arrow to the string.
'Crude arrows.'
The kind low-level archers used for practice.
Naturally, their attack power was quite weak.
'But what if I change the form?'
I had plenty of mana.
I quickly altered the arrowhead's shape.
Let's see... something that looks painful.
Like a drill or a hook…
[Modified Arrow]
Grade: Normal
Restrictions: None
Effect: High chance to inflict Bleeding on hit
Description: A transformed arrowhead greatly increases lethality.
...What is this?
Way better than expected.
Not only was the damage higher, it had a high chance of inflicting a status effect.
Yeah, burning the midnight oil with those scribbled notes was worth it.
Hard work really doesn't betray you.
Creak—
Setting that joy aside—
I calmly drew the bowstring.
Right. I had only changed the tip of the arrow.
To someone like Granfell, it was probably too trivial to even mention.
Fwwsshh—
Honestly, even an Olympic archer might be jealous of my calm right now.
Maybe that's why—
My arrow hit a bandit hiding in the bushes.
[Natural Enemy]
[Modified Arrow]
And even a modest [Archery Mastery] skill.
These three things combined—
Thud—
A clean hit.
[The Blood-Stained Bandit has been inflicted with Bleeding.]
He started bleeding.
While I ducked away from the next wave of arrows raining down—
[Level Up]…
The bandit succumbed to the bleeding.
And my level jumped up by four.
I opened my status window to check the stats.
[Level: 80]
[Stats]
Strength: 25
Agility: 30
Mana: 18
Luck: 2
[Unallocated Points: 13]
In Arcana, experience requirements for leveling up spiked drastically with each level.
Even the #1 ranked player barely cracked level 400.
And Arcana had been live for over ten years.
'This is insane speed.'
Considering that system, my current growth rate was absurd.
But now wasn't the time to celebrate.
Before blaming Granfell's personality—
'This is just the beginning.'
If I popped champagne now, I'd have nothing left to celebrate when the class quest was done.
Without any hesitation, I invested my stat points.
'Strength and agility will naturally grow with class quests.'
So for now, I put everything into Mana, which would help me in battle.
[Mana: 31]
With the sudden mana boost, it was obvious what I'd do next:
Target the blood-stained bandits again.
I transformed another arrow.
'Should I add a "fire" effect this time?'
It would consume much more mana than simple shape-shifting.
But since I had just boosted mana, it was worth testing the effect.
'If it's inefficient, I'll just stop using it.'
…Besides, it's not like I'm in a position to be picky right now.
No matter how calm my heartbeat seemed, this was a life-threatening situation.
I was completely surrounded by monsters over level 200!
Sure, there were other players nearby.
But I didn't expect any of them to care whether I lived or died.
To protect my own life—
To keep from sinking under the weight of this pride—
I had to try everything.
Fwoosh—
Flames lit up the arrowhead.
A homemade 'Fire Arrow.'
I watched the burning arrow fly and thought:
…Well, at least it flies way faster than the original.
Meanwhile…
"She's completely out of her mind!"
That's what Leoni had shouted earlier.
But now her voice trailed off.
"...Whaaa, huh?!"
Wait—what even is that?!
The teacup had turned into a massive stone wall!
Even so, Leoni was a ranked player.
She had deep knowledge and experience with Arcana.
She could guess what kind of skill it was.
It didn't rise from the ground—it came from the teacup.
So it had to be some kind of alchemy-type skill.
But there was something else she couldn't wrap her head around:
'Why would an alchemist be in a rift? Alone, even?'
Alchemy wasn't a combat class.
It was like a blacksmith or a jeweler—
A crafting class, not meant for battle.
And to make it worse...
How tall is that wall, exactly?
"Holy—Captain, what even is that?!"
It had to be at least three meters high.
Arrows hit the wall and shattered without power.
Leoni flinched.
"…Definitely not normal."
Alchemy was notorious for being mana-inefficient.
If that wall was made purely through alchemy...
Then just how much mana did he have?
But the surprises weren't over.
Suddenly, the man drew a bow.
Leoni observed the situation through the eyes of a ranked player.
'Still… looks like he's out of mana.'
He summoned a stone wall about my size.
It was only natural, logically speaking.
He must be planning to buy time with his bow until his mana recovers.
But I wondered if it was even worth it.
An alchemist being good at archery too? That's just ridiculous...
Thwack—!
"...Th-That makes no sense?! Captain?!"
Just one shot.
A bandit staggered, then collapsed with a thud.
By that point, the attention of everyone shifted from the surrounding bandits to the mysterious man.
One of the guild members, unable to suppress their curiosity, activated Hawkeye and began to stammer.
"...Wait, what now?"
"What is it this time?"
"That looks like Fire Arrow, right? What the hell is he? That's scary."
An alchemist.
As if being an archer wasn't enough—
Now a mage too?
Arcane knowledge flowed through Leoni's mind.
'I seriously don't get it.'
No matter how much she tried to recall, she had never seen or heard of a class like his.
Of course, technically a player could use alchemy, archery, and attack magic all at once.
But look at that.
The trajectory of that Fire Arrow—
Even its speed was incomparable to ordinary mages.
The mages from the Berserker Guild whispered among themselves.
"Can you shoot like that?"
"...No. Could you?"
"Also, wasn't he not even holding a staff?"
He didn't hesitate for a second with any of his actions.
It wasn't just confidence—it was almost elegant.
Click—
His outfit played a part too.
Only now did Leoni start to understand the man's suit.
'So he's not just crazy… It's a show of confidence?'
Wearing a suit and dress shoes was enough.
He didn't even need to worry about getting monster blood on him.
...Was that it?
"Of course it wasn't going to be easy from the start."
What she thought was just a warm-up turned out to be the entrance of a hidden master.
Leoni's instincts as a berserker stirred.
She raised her twin blades.
Clang—!
"We're not just going to stand here and watch!"
"Let's go!"
"Buffs, please!"
Tatadat—!
Alright, it's a competition.
Leoni and her guild members charged at the bandits.
The man, Hoyul, looked at the fallen bandit and thought:
'If I knew I was going to help, I should've at least shared a teabag or something.'
Outside the Rift.
Countless filming drones hovered overhead.
TV stations from around the world.
NetTubers.
Even guilds.
Though their affiliations varied,
They were all watching the Rift for the same reason.
"Now then, which guild will claim the title of the first to clear this new Rift?"
A familiar scene whenever there was an update.
Naturally so.
There were numerous interests at stake for both guilds and players.
Their performance could influence stock prices, and even international order.
"In particular, this Ascura Fortress raid carries great significance. After the demon race update, Count Ascura is the highest-level monster, right?"
"Yes, that's correct. A demon-type monster at level 430. It's considered nearly impossible to defeat at the moment... Let's hope our players give it their all."
"Fortunately, we're already hearing reports of victories. Let's check out the footage."
The footage played.
Indeed, things seemed to be going smoothly at the start.
At the outskirts of the territory,
Since the recommended level was in the mid-200s, it posed no major issue for famous guilds or high-level players.
Though occasionally, footage surfaced showing just how brutal the demon race could be.
"Oh dear, a player was hit with a status ailment."
"Ah, it's fine. They've got a solid healer in the back, right? That kind of ailment can be cured cleanly. Just watch."
"As expected of the world's top-ranked guild: Shining."
PD Hyun Yongseok sniffled as he watched the monitor.
The Russian wind really was brutal.
He shrank further into his padded coat.
"Sniff. Still, these demons are definitely tricky. Even Shining fumbled early on."
"Ah, director, they recovered right away~ That doesn't count."
"Well, you're not wrong... But has this ever happened before?"
Today's Arcana—
A program directed by Hyun Yongseok, averaging an 11% viewer rating.
Despite not being on a major network, it surpassed 10% viewership.
No other program in Korea provided such in-depth coverage of Rifts and players as Today's Arcana.
Its ratings reflected the public's deep interest in Rifts and players.
'...Yeah, I don't think this has ever happened before.'
Hyun Yongseok had been directing Today's Arcana since episode one.
But nothing like this had ever occurred.
What kind of guild was Shining?
With four of the top 10 players, they were arguably the strongest guild in the world.
And they'd taken damage in a level 250 Rift?
"The sheer numbers alone are no joke."
Monsters surrounded the Shining guild members.
One moment of carelessness, and they'd be overwhelmed.
Hyun Yongseok came to a conclusion.
"The demon race... They have something beyond just level."
Which made the current developments all the more exciting.
Whirr—
Hyun gestured to the staff.
It was a signal to raise the tension even more.
"Indeed. Just as the difficulty is immense, the first guild to clear this Rift will get immense attention. It's practically a guaranteed spotlight."
The caster had just finished speaking when—
A shout came from the assistant PD monitoring the drone feed.
"Hey?! Sir, we've got it! First clear!"
"Where's the Rift? Get the press team moving!"
"Let's see. If it's nearby... It's not Gaon."
"Damn, shame. Nothing we can do."
A Korean's natural reaction.
He'd been secretly hoping Gaon would get the first clear.
But apparently not.
The assistant scratched his head.
"Damn trees in Mother Russia. Why are they so thick?"
"You zoomed in all the way?"
"Yes. But it's blocked by the trees. Can't see a thing. Where even is this?"
At that moment, the field team near the drone location radioed in.
Sir, are you sure this is the first clear?
"Of course. You think I'd joke at a time like this? Where is it?"
...It's Leoni. The Berserker Guild.
"...Wha-What? Berserker?"
Wait a minute, who's that guy in front of Leoni? He looks Korean? Hold on, sir! Other crews are starting to gather. I'll try for an interview!
...A Korean?
Was there a Korean in the EU-based Berserker Guild?
Just as Hyun Yongseok tried to recall—
The radio buzzed again.
He asked urgently:
"What'd they say? He's Korean? What's his connection? It's definitely Berserker Guild?"
...Yes, sir. Pretty sure he's Korean.
"And?"
An exasperated voice came through.
He just suddenly said, 'Step aside.' So we couldn't properly interview him...!
Whoosh—
"...So you missed the interview?"
No, wait! Sir, that's not it! He just said, 'Step aside,' and, 'My patience has limits.' It was like this overwhelming aura that couldn't be denied...!
"Oh, so he has an aura when he speaks, and I don't?"
...
"Chase him down and get that interview. Got it?"
The icy radio.
And the equally freezing Siberian high pressure.
Hyun Yongseok wrapped his coat tighter.
Russia really was cold.