The Healing Solaris Cleric

Chapter 43: King of Looters (2)

The black armor covering their entire body was known to be made of obsidian, which was a Rare-grade material. At a glance, the items equipped by the player were at least of Rare-grade or above. Moreover, the sword emitting a dark hue appeared to be of a Unique-grade or higher.

Han Jung-Woo swallowed hard, "The first-ranked player with an undisclosed job, Yoo Ha-Rin."

She was indeed at the top among over 500 million players, and she was the ranker who had ascended to the position allowed to only one among the many rankers.

Shiing.

Yoo Ha-Rin drew her sword from behind her back.

Han Jung-Woo, watching her silently, muttered with a dumbfounded expression, "W-wait. Is she... about to go one-on-one with Veghas?"

The reason he thought this was because the members of the Cheonhwa guild had surrounded Yoo Ha-Rin and Veghas, creating a space that resembled an arena.

-Hah, how ridiculous.

Veghas puffed air out of its nose as it looked around and then became serious.

-Insolent fools, pay for your sins with your lives.

Then it charged at Yoo Ha-Rin in an instant.

A scream escaped from Han Jung-Woo's mouth, "Th-that’s crazy. Its speed is insane!"

Veghas was showing a speed that was literally of a different world.

However, the reason Han Jung-Woo screamed was not just because of its movement and speed.

Clang!

After deflecting a sword with one hand, Yoo Ha-Rin had charged toward it!

Han Jung-Woo had screamed at their speed, which he could not even mimic, let alone perceive if it were in front of him.

Even using Holy Explosion... that’s absolutely impossible!

It was an overwhelming skill that made sweat run down his back! His confidence that had risen from defeating the six members of the Crimson Fist guild alone dropped to the ground in an instant.

Unfortunately, the video ended there. The mark of the Cheonhwa guild appeared, and a window popped up saying to pay if he wanted to watch it to the end.

"..."

Han Jung-Woo's hand started shaking. The price of the raid video was a whopping 12,000 won! It was similar to the price of a blockbuster movie's Blu-ray DVD. Yet, the view count had already easily surpassed 700,000.

He ground his teeth and thought, Those Cheonhwa bastards are really raking in the money!

Crying bitter tears, Han Jung-Woo eventually clicked the payment button.

Then, he began to analyze the video with a serious expression.

One of the top guilds in the country, huh, let’s see.

Their actions of controlling the hunting fields could be frowned upon, but their skills indeed were world-class. This was because of the Cheonhwa guild's first attack team, composed of members of at least level 150 and above.

Hit when you can, and retreat when necessary.

It was the basic 'hit and run' tactic, but no one could do it as well as the Cheonhwa guild. They repeatedly moved and retreated as if they were one body, almost artistically.

And the reason that is possible is...

Kai looked at one woman.

-Wizard battalion. In four seconds, bind the enemy's left troops together with Ice Wall. DPS’, concentrate all attacks to the left precisely after five seconds.

A woman stood on a hill overlooking the plains, pointing her finger! It was Seol Eun-Yeong, the guild master of Cheonhwa, as well as one of the top-ranked Knight-class players.

She’s known to be cold-hearted, but she is pretty.

Even Han Jung-Woo, who usually had no interest in her, nodded at her beauty! Her lush black hair that fell to her waist shimmered and reflected the sunlight. Her overall impression appeared cold and indifferent due to her large but sharp eyes, however she was a skilled player who could instantly sever an enemy's neck fooled by her beauty.

"..."

Seol Eun-Yeong's beautiful brows furrowed as she looked down at the battlefield.

-You DPS’ have a terribly low hit rate. Aren't you ashamed to be paid with that skill?

"..."

The guild members, who had been shouting battle cries, suddenly became silent. They feared Seol Eun-Yeong, who was at their backs, more than the enemies in front of them. After all, the enemies weren't the ones who could expel them from the guild!

-DPS’, submit your damage reports after the raid.

The DPS’ wore gloomy expressions, while the healers and other support players breathed a sigh of relief.

Han Jung-Woo scrolled through the chat while watching the video.

~

-Dayum. Our queen's charisma is impressive today too.

-That cold gaze! It sends shivers down my spine! Be mine!

-This chat is a bit weird...

?It's known there are quite a few perverts among the Seol fans. Well, say what you will but the queen sure does command well.

?She’s not called the commander of the battlefield for nothing.

-Other guild masters need to learn from her.

-But the patterns of Veghas were all figured out by other guilds. The advance guilds must be envious.

-Not sure about other things, but I think Cheonhwa is the best at guild-level raids in Korea.

?That’s obvious with a capable commander and the best guild members in Korea.

~

"Hmm...."

Even from Han Jung-Woo's perspective, her command was impressive.

Listening to her... she's directing tactics almost by the second.

Even Veghas, who troubled other guilds, couldn't shake the Cheonhwa guild under her command. She faced and broke down Veghas's strategies one by one, head-on. Her command style was confident and bold, seemingly unaware of the concept of running away; it reflected her personality.

Definitely remarkable.

That was the master of a top-level guild. Moreover, she herself was one of the world-ranking players. She truly was the queen of the battlefield, a conductor orchestrating her soldiers!

"..."

The video continued. In the end, the Cheonhwa guild defeated all of Veghas's tactics head-on, and Veghas later lost the fight to Yoo Ha-Rin. It was an overwhelming power disparity worthy of being called a war among stars!

After watching the entire video, Han Jung-Woo turned off his computer and lay down on his bed.

The skills of the Cheonhwa guild members were great, and so was Seol Eun-Yeong's command. However, the moment after he finished watching the video, what remained in his mind was only Yoo Ha-Rin's movements.

"What kind of woman is she?"

If Seol Eun-Yeong shook his heart with her outstanding command, then Yoo Ha-Rin had completely captivated his soul with her overwhelming physicality and sense of combat.

Plus, Yoo Ha-Rin has only started playing the game for three months.

Yoo Ha-Rin had started the game a whole month later than him! Yet, she easily outpaced all the rankers to claim first place. Her overwhelming skill, speed of hunting, and quest progression rate were said to be so high that even the top rankers would concede to her.

Rumors say she's Korean, could it be true?

Because her player ID seemed like a Korean name, there was a lot of speculation that she was a Korean player. However, nothing about her was revealed. Nationality, appearance, age, height, etc.... Only the fact that she preferred solo play circulated.

That's why people want to know more about her.

It was similar to the pure desire to be the first to leave footprints in untouched snow.

Han Jung-Woo stared blankly at the ceiling before closing his eyes.

"...The world is really vast."

Up until watching the video, Han Jung-Woo had been in high spirits. His class was good, and his recent growth had been impressive, even to the point he was impressed himself.

But compared to them... I'm nothing but weak.

Even excluding monsters like Yoo Ha-Rin and Seol Eun-Yeong, the movements shown by just an ordinary member of the Cheonhwa guild were too much for Han Jung-Woo.

Suddenly, his sister's question came back to mind.

So, do you have talent?

"..."

Talent. Han Jung-Woo quietly closed his eyes.

Honestly, it's a bit scary.

What if he didn't have talent? What if, despite having the job of a Solaris Cleric, he couldn't even become a ranker? That fear sometimes made his chest tight. However, more than doubting his own talent, he believed in himself. And the reason for this coexistence of contradicting feelings was his trust in the path he had walked.

...Effort always receives its reward, in one way or another.

Of course, reality could be a bit different. However, in the game, this was an absolute law. The more he put in effort, the more his XP increased, and as the XP accumulated, his level rose. As he raised his stats, his character grew, the more he hunted, the more money he collected, and the better his equipment became.

"If it doesn't work, try twice as hard, if that doesn't work, four times harder...until it does."

Effort was something Han Jung-Woo, who had yet to realize his own talent, was most confident in.

***

A man dressed as a Wizard and a female Knight in black armor walked down a corridor decorated with luxurious ornaments. Though it wasn’t much in comparison to the corridors of noble mansions or royal palaces, considering this building belonged to players, it hinted at the remarkable power they had in the game.

"The master is waiting inside," the Wizard said with a slight bow to the Knight.

Then, without saying a word, the Knight knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Creak.

The interior of the room was as sophisticated and clean as the office of a major corporation.

The Black Knight glanced around the room and then looked at the nameplate on the table.

(Cheonhwa Guild Master, Seol Eun-Yeong.)

"It must have been a long way coming here," the guild master of the Cheonhwa Group said with a confident voice to the Knight who had entered the room.

Facing a woman who could captivate any man with her looks, the Black Knight simply nodded calmly.

"All the goods from hunting Veghas are in the box, so please check them."

As Seol Eun-Yeong pointed to a box on the table, the Black Knight checked it and nodded again.

"Do you need some gold? We could buy it at a good price if you sell it to our guild."

Despite the tempting offer, the Black Knight shook her head.

Seeing this, Seol Eun-Yeong switched topics. "Have you thought about the offer I made last time? I'd like to hear your answer soon."

"..."

For the first time since entering the room, the Black Knight looked directly into Seol Eun-Yeong's eyes.

"I'm talking about the recruitment offer. I can promise you the position of leader of the Cheonhwa guild’s attack party."

The leader of the Cheonhwa guild’s attack party!

The Cheonhwa guild was a corporate guild created by Cheonhwa Group, a chaebol family in South Korea, with a determined effort. Each guild member received a salary similar to the company's employees, and the managers received unimaginable sums as their salary.

And being the leader of the guild’s attack party was one of the highest and most important roles. The salary would easily at least exceed one billion won.

"Just in case you're wondering, Cheonhwa is willing to accommodate any condition you desire. The best cars and penthouses, or even buildings, land, money; just name it," Seol Eun-Yeong spoke confidently.

After all, she believed that money could buy everything.

However, Yoo Ha-Rin, the monster player who single-handedly defeated Veghas, shook her head once again.

"Sigh... Alright. But I'm always willing to offer the position of the attack party leader, so I hope for a positive answer next time."

Yoo Ha-Rin nodded.

"Then, let's maintain a good relationship as we have been doing."

Again, Yoo Ha-Rin nodded and then left the room.

A short while later, the man who had guided Yoo Ha-Rin opened the door and asked, "How did the negotiation go?"

"..."

Seol Eun-Yeong didn’t reply and just glanced at the man.

The Wizard, Boyd, read the answer from her expression and shrugged. "Well, we didn't have much hope from the start anyway. It's Yoo Ha-Rin after all."

"It's a pity. If we had successfully recruited her, the Cheonhwa guild could have literally become the best guild in the world."

Of course Yoo Ha-Rin’s skills were outstanding, but Seol Eun-Yeong regretted not securing the symbolic status of being ranked first place. Moreover, she was disappointed at not being able to gain the support of the numerous followers who adored Yoo Ha-Rin.

"Oh, Miss. Didn't the chairman always say to take everything slowly and to look at the big picture? To see the forest rather than the trees, and the world rather than the forest?"

"Miss?"

As Seol Eun-Yeong glared at Boyd with a sharp look, he quickly bowed his head.

"Oops, I’m sorry..."

"Get out."

Seol Eun-Yeong glared at Boyd as he hurried out of the room, and then turned her head.

She had always considered herself the center of the world, a belief that had never been shattered in her life.

Yoo Ha-Rin. Someday, you too will come under my command.

Seol Eun-Yeong asserted so. After all, everything she had ever wanted had been made hers by any means necessary.