D.I.O

“My magic force… has returned.”

Though the man spoke quietly, Yongno could clearly hear a sense of joy within those few words. The man’s body was still in critical condition, but the aura he emanated was tremendous.

“Ivan Jester. I am an Ark Mage affiliated with the Magic Tower. I concentrate on the Wicalein area of study and specialize in the Heavenly Immortal spellcasting branch. I am a Level 11 master mage. You probably already know, but once I leave this area, I will have no recollection of ever having met you. You know that this area is entirely separate from the main server, right?”

Bam!

As soon as the man finished speaking, the log cabin exploded outward. Despite the immense size of the explosion, it was controlled, and not a single scrap of wood came near the man or Yongno.

“Uhm… so are you okay?”

“Yes.”

Ivan replied matter-of-factly as he raised his left hand. A ball of light formed in his palm, sitting there for only a brief moment before it flew around his body and instantly treated his physical injuries. It took an amazingly short amount of time for him to recover.

“Damn it! The prisoner escaped! How the hell did he get out?”

“Kill him! Kill him before he has time to finish his spell chant!”

As the dust cleared, Ivan’s form became visible. At that moment, a two-meter-tall Orc holding a spear shouted an order with a vigorous and powerful voice as it saw Ivan. This Orc was dramatically different from the low-level monsters that Yongno had confronted until now.

“Charge!”

“Kill him!”

All the Orcs in the surrounding area screamed as they lunged at Ivan. Regardless of their menacing cries and attacks, Ivan calmly looked around as he raised his right hand.

Boom!

“Wow!”

Yongno stared in awe as a fountain of light beams burst out and made their way to each Orc, piercing all the way through their bodies. Overwhelmed, the remaining Orcs did not attempt to approach Ivan any longer. There were some that tried to launch long-range attacks by shooting arrows or throwing spears, but Ivan’s defense spell blocked them without any difficulty.

/Clear!/

Yongno was a little crestfallen when he left the area and returned to the testing room.

“Ah, I should have tried fighting them before I saved him.”

“Then you’d be dead. Although, I won’t say that you’d have had no chance whatsoever. After all, there are always exceptions and miraculous events which occur all the time. However, every single one of those Orcs outranked you by several levels.”

As Mari stated this, she walked through the door labeled [Stealth] with Yongno following close behind. Like the Rescue area, Yongno found himself in a forested area. It was nighttime, and their surroundings were shrouded in deep darkness. Of course, if Yongno utilized Night Vision Eyes, he wouldn’t have any issues seeing.

“Be careful.”

“Why?”

“You’ve trained in the Golden Pill Immortal Technique, so if you use your night vision, they’ll have a golden glow. It doesn’t make much difference when your surroundings are bright, but in the dark, you’ll stick out like a sore thumb.”

Yongno nodded; Mari’s explanation made sense. A stealth attempt had to be conducted covertly. It would be foolish to try and assassinate someone while alerting others of his presence.

“Fine, then I’ll close my eyes.”

“So, as long as you close off some of your qi acupoints- huh?”

Just as Mari was about to explain how Yongno could restrict the flow of his qi to dull the golden glow, she saw him close his eyes while still using his scanning and night vision.

“Mari, lead the way.”

“…”

“Mari?”

“Ah… right.”

Yongno cautiously moved forward as Mari followed close behind. Although it seemed that they were both just traveling normally, Yongno’s steps made light noises while Mari moved entirely silently.

/Enhanced Eyesight skill has increased by two levels!/

“Huh? Why did the skill level increase?”

Yongno muttered to himself while Mari continued to observe him closely. Soon, Mari let out a sigh.

‘He’s a monster. A total monster. I thought I was done being surprised by his actions.’

/Clear!/

Yongno once again returned to the testing room. While Mari was momentarily lost in thought, Yongno had seen an Orc leaning against a tree, sleeping, so he made quick work of the Orc. Typically, Mari would have buffed the user to improve their stealth ability and give them the confidence necessary to rapidly assassinate the sleeping Orc. However, Yongno possessed developed hand skills, so it wasn’t difficult for him to dispatch the monster without any delay.

“Alright! Now, only the last remains- [Teamwork],” Yongno said.

“…”

“What is it this time?”

“Nothing. Let’s start.”

After Mari’s reply, the final test began.

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

“Warning! Warning! The monsters are back! Hurry, everyone!”

“Which direction?”

“To the South Gate!”

Yongno shrugged as he saw a chaotic scene of ringing bells and people shouting all around him.

“So much chaos just from the start.”

“The teamwork test matches you with a group of NPCs to fight a group of mobs or other invading NPCs. Usually, users with propensities for healing or buffing utilize their skills and abilities to complete the task. For those who specialize in other fields, they can smash through the test with brute force as well.”

They slowly walked as Yongno listened to Mari’s explanation. It wasn’t too difficult to find the location of the battle, as Yongno was able to fully operate his Telescopic and Aura Vision. Through Aura Vision, Yongno could perceive life force and temperature differences in his surroundings, while Telescopic Vision allowed him to lengthen his scanning radius and utilize his visions more effectively. Essentially, Yongno could make a complete turn and scan his environment like a radar.

“Roar!”

“Die!”

An intense fight was brewing immediately outside the village’s boundary. The enemy consisted of 50 Nol, which were monsters derived from the canine species. Facing off against the Nol were about 100 men maintaining a siege line with their wooden shields.

“Argh!”

Boom!

“Oh, no!”

Yongno sighed as he avoided being smashed by a large man who had been flung into the air. It seems that the man was one of the village’s resident soldiers.

“Hmm, this doesn’t look real.”

Yongno observed the large man, who had already bled out from an arrow stuck in his throat. Golden light seemed to be dripping from the wound.

“Still, is it normal not to have any reaction after witnessing such a gruesome scene? I’ve watched this type of stuff on TV and in other games, but still, I should have some reaction.”

‘Maybe it’s because I know I’m in a virtual reality game.’ Yongno continued to mumble under his breath. Seeing Yongno, a different soldier called out to him.

“Hey, you! What are you wearing? You don’t even have a weapon!”

“Huh? Me?”

Yongno was still wearing the pants and top that all beginner-level users started with. His clothes were more suited to the warmer coastal climates, so he stuck out like a sore thumb in this village. After spending more than a month in these clothes, Yongno had gotten used to them, and he only now realized how silly he must look.

“Ah, I forgot to get some new clothes.”

“Wow, you sure realized that quickly.”

Mari sarcastically commented from the side. Yongno paid no attention to her as he started stripping off the dead man’s top. Yongno felt that the clothing wasn’t of any use to the man now, so he was planning on wearing his clothes. Yet, at that moment, a bunch of text messages appeared.

/Warning! You have touched “someone’s” items without authorization! You have lost three points in ‘Good Deed!’/

/Warning! If you do not heed the above message and remedy your wrongdoing, you will permanently lose the three points in Good Deed!/

“What the hell?”

Surprised, Yongno instantly let go of the clothes. Then, he saw another message pop up.

/Good./

“…”

Noticing Yongno’s dumbfounded expression, Mari explained, “All users have a category called ‘Good Deed.’ It’s quantified using points. The more points an individual has, the more services and secondary benefits they can enjoy. On the other hand, the lower a person’s ‘Good Deed’ points are, the more negative consequences they may face.”

“Like killing an NPC?”

“Yes, of course, that would be a reduction in Good Deed points. However, if it’s done in self-defense, that’s another issue.”

“Wow, this game has everything. So, what am I supposed to do?”

“You need to gain authorization. However, authorization given under duress does not count.”

Yongno shook his head after hearing Mari’s explanation. Then, he looked up and spoke to the other soldier.

“Hey! Is it okay if I wear this dead man’s clothes?”

“What? Can’t you see I’m busy? Also, you’ve already stripped him! Whatever, wear it or not, I don’t care!”

“Thank you.”

Yongno respectfully bowed his head and picked up the clothes he had dropped. This time, no messages appeared.

“Okay, I get it now.”

“Your ability to understand and find a solution is commendable.”

Mari let out an admiring whistle as she saw Yongno swiftly understand the principle of Good Deed. After putting on the dead man’s clothes, Yongno picked up the long sword and red armor that the dead man had on; the red armor in question was a variation of basic leather armor. Although another message showed up, Yongno didn’t pay much attention, and he soon called out to the village’s resident soldier who had allowed him to wear the dead man’s clothing. Even if he didn’t gain authorization this time, Yongno knew he could just drop the long sword and red armor to avoid being penalized.

“Can I wear this stuff too?”

“Make sure our left flank is secured… Hey! Who the hell are you? That’s property of our guards, so don’t touch it!”

“Hmph! I guess he’s not that easy-going.”

As Yongno grumbled and put the items down, Mari spoke up.

“Well, the other tests aren’t much different from this initial beginner test. If you don’t get in their way, usually, the side you’re supposed to assist wins. At higher levels, the battles have forces ranging from 100 to 300, 1,000 to 2,000, or even 10,000 versus 100,000.”

‘Of course, you’ll always be placed on the side that has fewer numbers.’ While listening to Mari’s protracted explanation, Yongno stood atop a wooden fence.

“Grr!”

“Die!”

The fighting was fierce. About 100 village resident soldiers were facing off against 50 or so Nol. The Nol had superior senses and physical strength compared to the soldiers, and they also bore a tough leather hide and formidable fighting ability. Yet, the soldiers fought behind a stable wooden fence and held the line admirably using teamwork.

“What are the requirements to clear this test?”

“Your side must win. It shouldn’t take too long. Probably five minutes or so?”

“Then, I guess I don’t have to intervene. I can just jump in if it looks like they’re having trouble-”

Bam!

“Ugh?!”

Yongno swayed after being hit on his head. The strike was so unexpected that Yongno could not easily shake off the momentary searing pain. Luckily, the DIO pain control system kicked in to lessen the sensation, bringing the pain to a level more similar to a mere slap on the face.

“W-what was that?”

“An arrow.”

“Those things shoot arrows?”

Yongno ducked below the top of the wooden fence to get a better look at the projectile. Without paying attention to his surroundings, Yongno had been hit by an arrow directly on his head, so the shaft was fractured, and the spearhead was twisted out of shape. Since the arrow was so misshapen, Yongno figured that the quality wasn’t too great.

“Wait, that large guy from before died from a single arrow attack.”

“Ah, yes, you’re right. It’s impressive that you were shot but came out with only a bump on your head to show for it.”

Since he wasn’t even circulating his internal force at the time, it was somewhat surprising that he didn’t suffer any further injury. His skin and skull had been his only defenses.

“Hmm, I wonder if something like this works….”

Since his internal force was already full, Yongno put his external Golden Core into his inventory and brought out the spirit of his Wicalein’s Ring. He imagined the spirit standing in front of him like a shield. Once he did this, Yongno stood up and exposed himself again. Soon, an arrow flew toward him.

Ting! Bam!

“Hmm, I guess it doesn’t work.”

Yongno grabbed the arrow that made its way through the spirit shield with little resistance. With his experience in fighting the blade fish and the seventh level of the Golden Pill Immortal Technique, Yongno’s reflexes and eyesight were highly developed, so grabbing the flying arrow wasn’t too challenging. However, the village’s resident soldier beside him gasped aloud.

“Y-you… grabbed the arrow with your hands?”

“Well, it’s not that hard.”

Yongno shrugged. He’d seen his enemy preparing to shoot him, so he had calculated the flight time and predicted the path of the arrow beforehand. Yongno was able to estimate the rough location and time when the projectile would grow near him. His abilities were limited, though, as he couldn’t see the arrow’s entire path, nor did he know precisely where it was at every moment.

Bam!

Yongno deflected an arrow that was heading for the soldier next to him. A bump had formed when the arrow hit his head, but after using his hand to deflect the projectile, Yongno found that it didn’t cause much damage. Moreover, Yongno’s hand skills were already well developed, so even without circulating his internal force, his hands were as strong as steel.