The means of moving from the West Continent to the East Continent was estimated to be very diverse. But to date, the only clear method was to use the Behen Archipelago.
This was a difficult task.
How many people had used the Behen Archipelago to cross over to the East Continent? Over the past three years, there had been only 30. This was 30 out of two billion users. Behen Archipelago was a one player instant dungeon. It was an area difficult to break through, making a person feel pride just from reaching the 10th island.
In other words, the players who made it to the East Continent were great. Of course, there were some exceptions. There were a few ‘lucky’ enough to meet Fog Island early on and managed to cross over to the East Continent.
***
‘I was the strongest on the West Continent.’
‘Who would’ve imagined that I couldn’t even leave the starter village?’
‘Shit, my bad luck. If I knew the East Continent was this type of place, I would’ve never come.’
‘I thought I was lucky to meet Fog Island earlier than others...’
A shabby tavern on Pangea’s North Street. There were some men who were lamenting. The four people sitting down at a table and drinking were all players. They were level 310 ‘beginners’ who arrived on the East Continent a month ago, but hadn’t yet escaped Pangea.
“That damn Kraugel.”
The ultimate goal they had when they quickly crossed to the East Continent. It wasn’t just levelling. By clearing new content first, they would monopolize all types of titles, skills, and hidden items. This was the goal they pursued on the East Continent. But it was too late by the time they arrived on the East Continent.
Pangea, the starter village in the East Continent, had already been swept away by Kraugel. Pangea entered a new episode in the aftermath and the difficulty rose exponentially.
“The moment that a player comes from the West Continent, Pangea will experience a crisis. That player will become a hero by repelling the monsters that invaded Pangea...”
Once again, the first person had the advantage. It was clear that as the first visitor to Pangea, Kraugel received a huge benefit. Due to that, they became the dogs chasing after the chicken.
‘How rotten... I’ve been in Pangea for a month and never once received a special quest. Kraugel alone obtained all the crucial quests.’
‘It would be best to leave Pangea and advance into a new territory, but...’
The monsters in the north had been growing steadily since being defeated by Kraugel. Now they were too strong.
‘With our skills, it will be hard to move north...’
‘Ah, that asshole Kraugel.’
They couldn’t achieve their original purpose in the present Pangea. Kraugel had cleared most of the hidden quests and the environment became too difficult. Anyway, moving to a new area was the best way. The problem was that it was impossible to move outside Pangea. They had to move north, but it wasn’t possible because the big and powerful hamsters were spread out in the north.
“There are quests to run errands in the neighborhood and also to catch monsters near here, so the levelling up is quite good.”
"Yes, we’re definitely growing. We’re much better than when we first came here. The renowned Seven Guilds and rankers of Overgeared are probably weaker than us.”
“The East Continent is great. But we’ll just die in front of the Queen Rat. We can’t catch the Queen Rat.”
But.
“If we take advantage of the new arrival on the East Continent, we’ll be able to break through the monster community while the Queen Rat is distracted.”
They hadn’t just been playing around during the past month. They completed all types of miscellaneous quests in order to discover the weakness of the Queen Rat. Then they achieved results. The Queen Rat was partial to the ‘golden walnut.’
“Did you obtained the promised number of golden walnuts?”
"Yes, I have 10.”
"It adds up to 40... This should be sufficient.”
"Damn, what type of walnut is so expensive? I went broke from buying this.”
"I also spent all my money playing this game.”
As the name suggested, the golden walnut shone gold. The taste and nutritional value was comparable to ordinary walnuts, but the effect was enormous. When it was eaten, it increased all stats by 10% for an hour and had an average chance of permanently increasing a stat by 5 points. It was the strongest buff potion, while also demonstrating half the efficiency of an elixir. It was a fantastic thing that any player would want to have.
But the price was ridiculously expensive. The quantity was too limited because it was difficult to obtain. It was also a snack enjoyed by the nobles and royalty of all kingdoms on the East Continent. The price? A huge 160,000 gold. It was 160,000 gold for one! When converted to won, this small walnut cost at least 2 million won for one.
No matter how great, the ‘elixir’ effect wasn’t guaranteed. Unless a person was rich or a gambling addiction, they would never buy the golden walnut.
“Hah... We have to give such an expensive item to a monster.”
"Stop it. We have to consider it a worthy investment.”
"Those who left Pangea clearly used this walnut.”
We will be able to achieve our desired goal if we can get beyond Pangea, obtaining a land of gold. It was worth investing the money if they could obtain one good item, title, or skill. If they got stronger and returned to the West Continent, they would soon become rich. The players were filled with anticipation.
Then someone came up to them.
"Eh? Are you users?”
It was a black-haired man with a sturdy body. He was around 181cm tall. The wide shoulders, flat chest, and muscles made it an ideal body. Of course, this man was also a player. However, his ID was covered. It was because the man had covered up more than half his face with a black mask.
‘This guy is the newbie who just came to the East Continent.’
’Our target came to find us, isn’t this big?’
The players were excited, but tried not to show it. They greeted the man with a polite attitude.
"I’m surprised. I didn’t expect to meet another player like us on the East Continent.”
"You came all the way to the East Continent, so you must have a considerably high level? It’s nice to meet you.”
"But what is with that mask?”
“Is it an item for decoration? It’s nice that it looks somewhat threatening. But isn’t it uncomfortable to cover your vision...?”
There were greetings and questions. The man scratched his head in an awkward manner.
“I was called a sexual molester by the guards and chased, so I have to wear the mask for a while. I’m sorry, but please pretend to be my companions for a while.”
“????”
Introducing himself as a molester at the beginning of the conversation? It wasn’t exactly sexual harassment but a ‘molester.’ Was there any thief who would admit that he was a thief? No. The fact that he wore the mask and was being chased by guards meant he really was a molester.
The players were embarrassed.
‘I’ve heard rumors that there are players who molest NPCs in the game, but I never expected to meet such a trash person.’
The man who was a trash molester wore a bizarre laughing mask that covered half his face. That man was currently very upset. It happened after he gave Yang Fei a massage at the entrance of Idan’s restaurant. He was chased by guards while heading to the smithy? He was framed as a molester who harassed women in public.
‘Shit... What is this?’
His legendary dexterity. It was incredibly useful depending on the use, but the risk was also great. Grid realized that he should seal the use of his hands in public. He avoided the guards by entering the tavern and came across four players.
’Lane, Mook, Evan, and Oshihoz.’
The four players were strange. Since they crossed to the East Continent, they must at least have their third advancement. But their IDs and faces were unfamiliar, so they must be unofficial rankers.
‘I met them by chance, but I should obtain some information from them.’
The Grid of the past would’ve tried to take advantage of them. But now Grid could have moderately good human relations like an ordinary person.
"Do you know any good hunting grounds? Sit at the bar and unburden your hearts."
‘Oh.’
The eyes of the four players sparkled. It was a very nice situation because the prey approached by himself.
‘It’s tough since we don’t know his identity.’
Maybe he was on guard and concealed his identity from the beginning. The players suppressed their curiosity in order to trap the man in the mask.
"Yes, we got a huge jackpot today.”
"Ever since coming to the East Continent, it feels like being in heaven every day. We made a huge amount of money and experience.”
"We know a lot of good hunting grounds. Well, since you’re a skilled player who made it to the East Continent, your ability to find hunting grounds should be excellent.”
Grid’s eyes shone from behind the mast.
‘Incredibly good hunting ground!’
Grid’s ultimate goal behind coming to the East Continent was to level up. Grid had no choice but to be interested in these words.
‘In fact, I have been on the East Continent for less than three days and don’t know that much...’
If the players knew this truth, they might not let him in. Grid made a bluff. He couldn’t expose his current situation. He needed to act with the dignity of the leader of Overgeared.
"Of course I know a few good hunting grounds. Do you want to share information with each other?”
‘What would he know?’
The players knew when the masked man arrived on the East Continent. This newbie was trying to trick them without knowing he was the one being deceived.
“Ah, should we? It would be good for both of us. Okay. Players in a strange land should help each other out.”
“That’s right, that’s right. The hunting grounds are very large and there won’t be any damage from adding one more person.”
The players smiled widely and spoke to Grid.
“We happened to finish our food and drinks while talking. We’ll be happy to lead you to a hunting ground."
Grid readily accepted. “That sounds good. Later, I will share information about hunting grounds with you.”
The players grinned wickedly at Grid. They left the tavern and headed northwards towards the community of big poisonous rats.
Grid was astonished.
‘Ah, what? This is the good hunting ground?’
Certainly, the community of big poisonous rats was ‘good.’ But not after the Queen Rat was killed. After the Queen Rat died, the respawned big poisonous rats were much weaker. Their average level fell by 30 and they didn’t give as much experience.
‘I wanted a place other than here.’
Grid clicked his tongue.
‘Heok? What the?’
‘Why are the hamsters so weak?’
‘It’s so exhilarating. I don’t know what changed with the hamsters, but it is likely that the Queen Rat is still strong. Has the illusion magic been used on the walnut?’
’Yes, there is no way for that guy to tell that this is a golden walnut. Even a top rated appraisal item will only display it as a simple walnut.’
It was good that a newbie who could become bait had appeared in front of them. The players believed their plan would be successful. Of course, it was a misunderstanding. A misunderstanding that was likely to be good for Grid.