The Player Hides His Past
Chapter 12: The Limit of Patience (2)

◈ Episode 12. The Limit of Patience (2)

The press swarms around.

“That was a close call, congratulations on your first clear!”

“No one expected you to get your first clear, how does it feel?”

“Was there anything different about this crack than usual?”

Berserker’s Guild Master.

Leonie answered briefly.

“No comment.”

The reporters were dumbfounded by her answer.

“……Yes, what do you mean by that?”

Because the answer didn’t just kick them in the teeth, it hit them with a baseball bat and sent them over the fence!

The level of interest in this new crack is staggering.

The Berserker Guild’s stock price has risen at Leonie’s word.

Her country’s standing in the eyes of the world has been shaken.

“You don’t speak English? I have nothing to say.”

No comment.

Moreover, the look on his face was grave.

Her brow was furrowed, like an angry Pomeranian.

When Leonie walked out, the press had to back away.

I felt like I had to get another interview.

“Sis, I know how you feel…….”

“It really sucks.”

“Boss, you could have at least said something nice…….”

“Ugh, asshole!!!”

Leonie screamed at the words of her guildmates!

She didn’t like the situation now.

After all, she hadn’t won the title of first clear of the new rift with Berserker’s abilities alone.

Even when she thought about it, she couldn’t really understand it.

Leonie turned to the guildmate she was following.

“He didn’t have any trinkets or anything, did he?”

“Nope. If he had earrings or a ring with his suit, it would have stood out.”

“Crazy, but how can he be okay?”

Why did Berserker get the first clear?

It was all because of a man.

A mysterious man, whose class is unknown, took out all of the Demons’ aggro!

Who are the demons?

They’re a bunch of bastards who are constantly trying to get out of shape.

“I can’t believe you’ve been able to do that with no equipment.”

Visions, Hearing, Hallucinations, etc……..

Without buffs and mental enhancements for priests, they’d quickly go insane.

But he had none of that, and he was still able to aggro hundreds of demons.

“……Shit, anyway, sorry everyone. I was such an arsehole.”

Leonie apologised to the guild.

If only he hadn’t pulled the aggro.

The guild would have suffered fewer casualties by now.

Because of his charge order.

“Sister, our berserker. Crazy bitches.”

“To the death, on the battlefield. That’s our motto, isn’t it?”

“Captain, don’t grab your arsehole. It’s not appropriate.”

Yeah, that one cheered me up.

Leonie, who had been beating herself up, snapped back to reality.

“……, where’d that go?”

“He came out, talked to the press, and then he just left.”

“……What? He just left?”

This was really surprising.

Leonie had expected a man to be arrogant in front of the press.

Wasn’t he the one who wore a suit and shoes in the middle of a battle?

With a concept like that, he thought he’d be able to handle the attention.

‘Besides, he’s been active and…….’

Comment.

It was the man who kept Leonie quiet about her first clear.

In fact, if it weren’t for him, they’d still be struggling in the crack.

She conscientiously gave the spotlight to him.

“So, …… just left?”

The questioning grew louder.

One of the guild members raised a finger.

“Uh, hey. I was talking to them and they left.”

There were reporters there, their shoulders slumped.

“Ha ha. I really am dead to you.”

The camera director sighed heavily.

TAP.

Suddenly, someone tapped him on the shoulder.

“?”

He turned his head, then recoiled.

What is it, a goddess……. No, it’s Leonie!

I thought you said you weren’t doing an interview?

‘I don’t know what happened, but……. ‘Okay, Leonie, you’re going to get an interview. An exclusive interview. It’s not going to break you, it’s going to be a compliment.’

But it was the camera crew that got the interview.

In English, Leonie asked.

“Nationality.”

“What? Me, me?”

I nodded.

“I’m Jongmin Yoon, from the VBC news agency, South Korea.”

……or should I say Jongmin Yoon?

Jongmin Yoon replied in stuttering English.

It’s times like this that I envy the players.

Players could communicate freely with each other, and with the addition of Arcana’s characters, it was only natural that they would also have Arcana’s ability to translate.

“How can we do the interview in English?

Jongmin Yoon was thinking.

Leonie turned and walked away.

Jongmin Yoon was desperate.

If I lose her, I’m going to die.

With all his might, he rolled his tongue and spoke to Leonie.

“Please say something, please, please, please!”

The desperation reached him.

Leonie turned her head and replied.

“Apparently, Gaon isn’t the only one in Korea.”

“It’s ……, what do you mean?”

Leonie shrugged.

The hunt for Count Ascura had just begun.

“I don’t want to look bad for that suit.

There’s a reason he doesn’t do interviews.

If I said the wrong thing, I’d be in trouble.

…… Isn’t that a little nuanced?

‘No. I’m not saying I want to be friends with you.

What a monster.

He couldn’t handle it if he turned it into an enemy.

So Leonie held her tongue.

“No comment.”

*No comment.

Gaon’s base camp.

Morakmorak─

The heat from the cup noodles.

[Gaon wasn’t the only one in Korea].

Tae-min, Chul-min.

The Nam brothers were watching Leonie’s interview.

“What’s up, kid, are you making fun of someone?”

Tae-min was on the edge of his seat.

It was a close call.

With Nam Chul-min on board and his analysis, Gaon quickly closed the rift.

Unlike Shining, none of the guild members fell into a bad state.

So I thought we could really compete for the first clear.

But then.

“What are you talking about, Puckle? What the hell?”

The Berserker Guild, out of nowhere.

I wanted to hear the secret.

So I watched the interview…….

“He wasn’t the only one in Korea…….”

“That’s all he said. He didn’t look happy.”

“He must have something.”

The older brother, Nam Chul-min, who is relatively perceptive, said.

“He must have met a Korean player in the rift.”

“……What? Who are they? Are they the Shinhwa guys?”

World number five, Gaon.

Shinhwa, ranked 41st in the world.

The gap between the number one and number two guilds in Korea was obvious.

Really, if this was about Shinhwa, it would make his head spin.

Nam Chul-min shook his head.

“No, Shinhwa is still in the middle of the rift, because they came in late. They had to drag a mercenary player with them.”

“Really? That’s a good thing it’s not ……! Who are you talking about?”

“Oh, yeah. I don’t know.”

It’s a nuance that definitely makes me think I’ve met a Korean player through the cracks…….

A no-comment on a really important story.

But that’s just Leonie, the berserker, talking.

Nam Chul-min picked up a chopstick from his cup noodles.

“With all this attention, can you stay still?”

“Sure. His mouth is just itching to be tickled.”

“What we need to do is simple. When the player reveals himself. We make him a good offer and bring him in. I think it’s worth it.”

The Berserker Guild was the first to clear the new rift.

The guild master recognised a Korean player.

Nam Tae-min adds.

“And it’s enough to get Gaon talking?”

Individuals or guilds.

It was certainly best to have them as allies.

The brothers agreed and moved their chopsticks.

Fururuk-.

“Wow. It was freezing, by the way. Brother.”

“What about me, sitting outside, freezing to death?”

“No, it’s the first time I’ve ever wanted to go home because I was cold during a capture! In fact, I still want to go to Korea through the portal.”

*sigh

……I couldn’t stand the cold.

“Get out of the way.”

As I told the press.

“This is the limit of my patience.”

I really couldn’t take it anymore.

From Russia to Seoul, to the Wizard’s Tower.

I stepped out of the portal and headed home.

“It’s not like land in Seoul is expensive for nothing.

The whole journey took just over 20 minutes.

The Mage Tower saved my life, really.

It’s not like I could warm up at the base camp like the other players. If I’d been out in that cold any longer, my toes would have been frostbitten.

Shoot.

A warm shower thawed my frozen body.

Part of me wanted to go straight to bed.

But I listened to my body.

I opened the fridge, chopped up the ingredients, and made myself a meal.

No matter how tired I was, I couldn’t afford to lose muscle.

Anyway, after I ate, I was able to regain my senses.

……It was dangerous.

On the outskirts of the estate.

I realised my inadequacies at the crack.

It was good to hunt monsters with efficient 『Magic』.

But even if it was efficient, there was a limit to the amount of magic it could produce.

‘My magic regeneration was ridiculously low.

No wonder.

The Demon Hunter, a class that doesn’t excel at anything.

Not to mention they don’t have any skills related to mana regeneration.

I didn’t have the gear for it either.

Eventually, I ran out of magic in the middle of the battle.

‘If it wasn’t for the other players, I would have been in trouble.

If I knew who they were, I would have thanked them.

It’s unlikely that a player returning after 12 years would recognise another player.

But it’s another reminder that the world is still a livable place.

And the levels, too,

[Name: Grandfell Claudius Arpheus Romeo]

[Class: Demon Hunter]

[Level: 86]

[Stats]

Strength: 25 / Dexterity: 30 / Magic: 31 / Luck: 2

[Points held: 6]

“Though I can’t wear it right away.

You’ve also acquired a new piece of loot.

[A crudely forged sabre]

[Rank: Magic]

[Limit : Lv.180]

[Effect: None]

[Description: A fine weapon in its own right, but its sloppy forging has dulled its edge].

But my lack of ability has not changed.

But neither does my lack of remorse.

“For Grampel, humility was not an emotion. For him, underestimation required proof, and overestimation was something he had to make real.”

Yes, to defend that high price.

The poor guy who had to buy it and suffer.

Because that was me.

I checked the quest window.

[Class Quest: Prelude to a Counterattack].

Last of the Demon Hunters.

Let the demons know that the time has come to strike back.

Defeat the demons. (Success)

─Train your weakened body. (Repeat) ▼

─Hunt a vampire. (Ongoing) ▲

Announce that the hunt has begun. (Successful)

Make them feel the fear of being hunted. (Ongoing)

Make them feel the fear of being hunted.

The objective was still in progress.

Count Ascura.

You mean I didn’t do enough to strike fear into his heart.

My realisation of my inadequacies was enough to convince him.

So…….

My eyes drifted to the recurring quest.

─Train your weakened body. (Repeat)

Run 20 kilometres (ongoing)

1,000 push-ups (ongoing)

500 pull-ups (ongoing)

300 burpee tests (ongoing)

Gotta roll.

And now that Count Ascura’s assault on the Rift had begun.

I had no time to spare.

So I needed to work in parallel.

A simultaneous use of body and brain.

And a suitable subject to study,

which I witnessed with my own two eyes today.

Players wielding weapons amongst bandits.

The one that stood out the most.

A player with a sword in each hand.

I shifted, recalling her movements.

“Her talent was not limited to one thing.”

“However, no matter how urgent it is, I must clean up after myself.”

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……First, I’ll finish the dishes, then I’ll start.

.

.

.

The next day.

I could only be grateful for my tired nature.

The anchor’s urgent voice over the loudspeaker.

-Breaking news just in. The collapse map of the new cracks created in Russia has been released……!

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