Chapter 303: Hunting Preparations

'Nice.' Kang Oh clenched his fist.

Darkness Strike had finally leveled up. Completing the spontaneous quest before his fight with Galmoss was a huge boon.

He couldn't wait to see how the skill had changed, as well as how much stronger it had become. Kang Oh's hand tingled with excitement. Then, he rushed at a Cereb, an evil spirit wrapped in black bandages.

"...Mysterious Gate!" Soren swung her staff.

Acceleration Gate!

A purple ring appeared in front of Kang Oh.

'Nice timing.'

Kang Oh forcefully kicked off the floor. Once he passed through the ring, his body felt as soft as a feather, and his speed increased significantly.

Swish!

Demon Sword Ubist bisected the Cereb. It was so fast that the Cereb hadn't even reacted to it.

Then, Karin shot a sand fist at it. The sand fist punched right through it, leaving a hole in its body, and Kang Oh followed up with a downward strike.

Darkness Strike!

His blade unleashed a jet-black wave. It seemed like Darkness Strike's activation rate had increased.

Anyhow, 'Darkness Strike' transformed into a jet-black, beast-shaped wave. However, Darkness Strike looked different from before. Kang Oh had assumed that the jet-black beast was a wolf or something similar, but it was actually Ubist all along.

The wave assumed Ubist's form, mimicking its sleek, elegant body, and its sharp teeth.

Boom!

Obviously, its power was far greater than before.

'It's really strong!'

[You have defeated Velin's Evil Spirit, Cereb, using Darkness Strike.]

[Stats have been stolen.]

[Magic +1]

Then...

Two Cronas came out of the ceiling and attacked him. They gathered lumpy, black energy in their hands.

It was a surprise attack.

He was fully capable of dodging their attacks. However, Kang Oh chose to attack the left Crona instead.

Then what about the right Crona?

"Give them pain!" Eder said with his silvery voice.

Soul Burn!

The purple flame flew through the air, completely ignoring Kang Oh, and devoured the Crona. He'd fought alongside Eder for how long? Kang Oh knew he'd support him.

Plus, Darion came over and swung his gladius, which shone with holy light, at the burning Crona's neck.

Spinning Thrust!

His gladius spun like a drill and pierced the evil spirit's body. At the same time, Kang Oh sliced through his target with a single swing of his blade.

Guah.

The evil spirits of Velin's Palace didn't speak. However, the Cronas' twisted expressions made it seem like they were groaning.

After that, Soren and Karin unleashed their spells, exploding the black-dressed evil spirits.

"Huahp." Kang Oh leapt into the air and swung his sword in a wide arc. His blade sliced through the two Cronas in his way.

Swish.

He decapitated them, and red shards of light flew through the air like a gun salute. That marked the end of the battle.

Kang Oh took a look around.

On one side, there were a bunch of players watching him. There were more than ten of them, and their expressions varied. Some looked at him with awe, jealousy, envy, etc.

'Stupid fame.'

They must've followed him after recognizing who he was.

'Should I ask them to pay to watch?' he suddenly thought.

However, it was clear what would happen if he interacted with them. They'd act nice to him and ask to join his party; it'd become a pain in the ass.

Ultimately, doing what he'd been doing, or ignoring them, was his best option.

Kang Oh turned his gaze away and said, "Let's keep going. Act like they're not watching."

It didn't matter if people were watching. They had to keep going!

* * *

The more they hunted, the better their teamwork got. They also got used to the ghost-type monsters here that'd freely pass through the ceiling, walls, and ground, and try to surprise them. As a result, they gradually got faster at killing them.

"Hoo, they're like a bulldozer," a player watching Kang Oh's party said.

"A bulldozer?"

"They're killing the monsters as soon as they show up."

"That's true."

"Look at their hunting speed. Do you think they'll let me join their party if I ask?"

"Read the atmosphere. Kang Oh and his party aren't even giving us the time of day. And why would he let you in?"

"Tch."

Velin's Palace was so large and complex that there were countless routes that you could go through. It was said that the route that led to the throne room was the most dangerous and would take the longest to get to.

Kang Oh's party had chosen the route to the throne room. Normally, it'd take about half a day to get to the throne room. However, Kang Oh's party made it there in two hours.

"They're crazy."

"They really are amazing."

The spectators were shocked. They also hunted in Velin's Palace, so they knew how difficult the dungeon was.

Kang Oh didn't care what they were doing, and just stared at his party members.

"Next!"

"Please, let's rest a little," Darion said.

He looked exhausted. It was only natural. They'd been hunting for two hours straight without any rest. Anyone would be tired under those circumstances.

Eder, Soren, and Karin were in similar shape. They looked at Kang Oh earnestly.

Kang Oh shook his head. "We can't."

"Why!?"

"If we rest, then they'll make our lives hell." Kang Oh pointed at the spectators.

"Why are they even following us?" Darion gritted his teeth.

"Still, we should rest," Eder said.

Soren and Karin longingly stared at him again.

"We can't! In exchange, we'll only hunt for another hour."

"One more hour?" Darion furrowed his brow.

"Yeah. Just one more hour. Then we can leave and rest at our leisure."

"Sounds good."

"Alright!" Soren and Karin agreed. 'Sure, it's only one more hour! We can do it!'

"Just one more hour," Darion said.

"Yeah, one hour."

Kang Oh's party was on the move again.

They say a light burns brightest right before it's about to fade. Kang Oh and his teammates gritted their teeth and gave it everything they got for an hour.

Eventually, one hour finally passed.

"This is it for today. Good job everyone," Kang Oh said.

"I burned brightly," Darion muttered. Eder, Soren, and Karin didn't even have the energy to speak.

"Then I'll be going first."

'Before those annoyances come over here!'

Kang Oh left like the wind, and his teammates and the spectators began to leave one or two at a time.

* * *

The world's biggest video sharing site, Youtube.

Although countless videos were uploaded every day, there was one video in particular that drew the public's eye.

The Arth Streamer, Rande. His skills were alright and he had a silver tongue, so a lot of people knew about him and his channel. He uploaded a new video today.

It was called 'Numbers Kang Oh Appears in Velin's Palace! A Bulldozer's Coming Through. Everyone Get Out of the Way!'.

Several people were drawn in by the title and clicked on the video. This could be attributed to Kang Oh's fame as one of the Numbers, and the fact that he'd had very little exposure for how famous he was for quite some time.

After all, Kang Oh had been busy exploring Despia, so he hadn't been seen on programs, or even on the continent itself.

However, this video was recent footage of him! Anyone who loved Arth would click on the video and watch it at least once.

Anyhow, Kang Oh was as fast and strong as always. He was also accompanied by teammates as well. However, it wasn't nearly as impactful as Kang Oh's fight with the Wyvern King, Draka.

People's reaction varied.

Some people thought it wasn't anything special, while others were in awe of his performance. One person went as far as to say that his skills weren't anything special, that his skills had diminished, and criticized him, while another person attacked the heckler for spewing lies and supported Kang Oh.

Anyhow, this showed how interested people still were in Kang Oh, despite him being absent for so long! That was the irrefutable truth.

Once he saw the rising view count, Rande yelled in joy.

There were others who did the same. It was Jin Cheol and his production crew! They secretly spread rumors that Kang Oh would be on their program, First Hunter .

"Make a trailer as soon as Mr. Kang Oh sends us the video," Jin Cheol said to his subordinates.

"Understood."

"It'd be even better if Mr. Kang Oh actually manages to kill it," the writer who'd worked alongside Jin Cheol for years said.

"Yes, it would be."

The monster that used a cheat key, Roaming Galmoss! What if Kang Oh were to beat it? He'd make history again. Obviously, the viewership would follow!

"Ooh, I trust you!"

"Mr. Kang Oh! Ooh, Mr. Kang Oh!"

"I trust you!"

The youngest writer and the rest of the staff clasped their hands and prayed. It was like the gathering of a cult.

* * *

Kang Oh prepared thoroughly for his hunt.

By hunting with his teammates in Velin's Palace, his party had learned to fight well together. If he needed something, then he'd contact Man Bok right away, and he'd get it for him. He'd occasionally visit the auction house too. He needed to find a suitable item to use against Galmoss. However, there weren't any items that stuck out.

Kang Oh asked Eder and Darion to gather information from Altein's Central Library.

He'd asked if Soren and Karin were willing to peruse Arthstory and its affiliated community sites and gather information that way. They said they'd gladly do it for him.

Kang Oh also visited Tino and Jayce. However, they didn't know anything in particular.

He even visited the Taksen Castle Depths where Galmoss resides. It was to meet the Ghost Knight, Angel Grancia; he was the one who'd told him about the Loxia family's demon sword, or Demon Sword Blood.

He hoped that he'd have some vital information on Galmoss. However, he couldn't find him anywhere; perhaps he'd already been killed by another player.

'I hope the others are having more luck than I am.'

Kang Oh headed for Eder's house. His teammates and Man Bok were already there waiting for him.

"We'll hunt Galmoss in two days at 1 o'clock after lunch."

He'd already told his team this, so none of them looked surprised.

"I'll get you your supplies tomorrow," Man Bok said.

"Thank you." Kang Oh bowed his head.

"It's not a problem." Man Bok smiled. For some reason, it felt like he'd heard 'Besides, we're close.' added after.

"Does anyone have any new info on Galmoss?" Kang Oh looked them all over. However, no one raised their heads or spoke. "Did you all memorize the materials I gave you?"

"Yes."

"What do you have to be most careful of?" Kang Oh asked Darion.

"You have to dodge the Reaper of Souls no matter what. You can't try to block it either, since it's unblockable."

Kang Oh began testing them on the material. Everyone knew their stuff.

With a satisfied look on his face, Kang Oh said, "Something unexpected will happen. When it does, trust in your teammates and adapt."

"Yes!" everyone yelled simultaneously.

"We can do this!"

"Yeah!"

Kang Oh clenched his fist. His teammates' eyes were filled with determination. Their hunt was right ahead of them.