TRGBM 86

Episode 86

086: Go Ahead and Post It

‘So it’s manageable for now… shall I go take a look then?’

golden hand decided to venture into the dangerous zone instead. He had no intention of heeding the system’s warning message and fleeing Airtos. He hadn’t completed Astrid’s quest yet. Moreover, the penalty for quest failure was nothing less than the collapse of Airtos. That, at least, he had to prevent.

‘If I mess this up, the very foundation for mages on the Korean server could dry up.’

Airtos was the central hub for the wizard class on the Korean server of 《Lepyon》. If such a place collapsed, it would be tantamount to stunting the growth of wizards active on the Korean server. Thinking of the wizards who would play crucial roles in the Age of Ruin, that was something he had to stop.

“Worker, Tia. Let’s go.”

Tia flew up into the sky first, leading the way. Iron Walker silently followed behind golden hand. Unlike usual, it was quiet and steadfast. Both Iron Walker and Tia seemed somewhat tense, facing the battle ahead.

Meanwhile, at the Panteria Guild in New York, Guild Master Cain’s face was flushed crimson.

“How dare…! That damn bastard!”

Cain shattered the high-end crystal glass he was holding. He glared at Kang Moo-jin on the press conference screen as if he wanted to tear him apart.

“Guild Master, please calm down.”

Megan seemed to be trying to soothe Cain’s rage. But Cain’s anger wasn’t easily quelled.

“Calm down? You tell me to calm down after hearing that nonsense from Kang Moo-jin! ‘If only they could succeed’? Cheering? How dare he cheer for whom…! That’s blatant mockery! He’s looking down on Panteria, on me, Cain!”

Just as Cain’s fury peaked, the conference room door opened carefully and a Panteria employee entered, holding a report.

“The item ordered from player Golden Hand has arrived via the system.”

Megan’s gaze shifted to the report. Inside were detailed findings on the ‘Giant Chain of Silence’ purchased from Geumson through Mirae Group.

“Good, it’s finally here.”

A smile touched Cain’s lips. But Megan hurriedly stepped forward.

“Guild Master, we must first perfectly verify the item’s performance and derive the optimal strategy through simulation. A hasty decision could…”

“Shut up!”

Cain roared. No rational judgment was visible in his eyes. Only burning anger and competitive spirit toward Kang Moo-jin remained.

“Verification? Simulation? Where do we have time for that! Didn’t you hear the nonsense Kang Moo-jin was spouting? Mobilize the entire guild! We start the Lich King raid now!”

At Cain’s command, Megan’s brow furrowed, but she didn’t argue further. She knew well that no logic would reach Cain in this state.

“I… understand. We’ll just have to trust Mr. Geumson.”

All Megan could do now was pray. Pray that Golden Hand’s ‘Giant Chain of Silence’ would be effective. Pray that the Lich King subjugation would succeed.

[Desert Scorpion Lv. 85 defeated.]
[Desert Cobra Lv. 88 defeated.]
[Level has increased! Lv. 61]
[‘Perception of Vigilance’ skill has reached Lv. 2.]
[‘Low-Grade Regeneration’ skill has reached Lv. 10[MAX].]
[‘Desert Cobra’s Venom Fang’ obtained.]
.
.
.

[Bloodstained Hell Boar Lv. 90]
[‘Crimson Boar Hide’ obtained.]
[Level has increased! Lv. 62]
[Bone-Winged Carrion Vulture Lv. 85]
[‘Bone Wing Feather’ obtained.]
.
.
.

[Level has increased! Lv. 65]
[‘Crafter’s Resonance’ skill has reached Lv. 4.]
[‘Intuition of Resolve’ skill has reached Lv. 8.]
[‘Strength of the Giant’ skill has reached Lv. 3.]

Gulp—
Gulp— Gulp—

“Phew, there’s a damn lot of them.”

Geumson emptied an entire water bottle while checking his system messages. His level had already reached 65. He had been hunting the red dots while traversing the desert terrain.

But it wasn’t enough. No matter how many he slew, monsters kept flooding in like a tide. They simply wouldn’t decrease.

“Where are they all coming from? It’s not like a Gate opened like in Seoul…”

golden hand grumbled in the middle of the desert. Only Tia and Iron Walker on this scorching sand responded to his voice.

“Wor-ker?”
—Tii-it?

In a frustrating situation where he couldn’t find the reason for the monster influx, Geumson looked at the two of them. Looking at Iron Walker and Tia, a smile naturally formed despite the hardship. golden hand lightly patted Iron Walker’s back.

Thump thump—

Over the past few days, the coordination between Golden Hand, Iron Walker, and Tia had become incredibly seamless, incomparable to before. Even without explicit commands, Iron Walker instinctively protected its master and eliminated threats. Tia used her keen senses to locate hidden enemies in advance and warn him, and Golden Hand synthesized all that information to find the optimal attack routes. Thanks to that, battles had become smoother, allowing them to explore the desert safely.

‘Leveling up is good, but… at this rate, I can’t stop the monster wave!’

More monsters were appearing than he could defeat. The ring of red dots surrounding Airtos was becoming increasingly distinct. Golden Hand grew more anxious.

Then, new dots began to appear on Golden Hand system map. Gray dots. Numerous gray dots interspersed among the red ones. And red dots chasing them.

‘Players trying to reach Airtos, I suppose? Should I help them a bit?’

Players being chased by monsters due to the sudden surge. He had already helped such players a few times. So he thought this was the same, but it seemed slightly different.

“Are they… really being chased?”

A group of players crossed a desert sand dune. Their faces looked too composed for people being pursued. Soon after, faint voices began to reach Geumson’s ears.

“This way! Faster!”
“Damn, the scent seems to be weakening? Spray more!”
“Be careful when you spray it! If a single drop gets on you, you’re done for!”

They were players’ voices. Geumson instinctively crouched, hiding behind a sand dune to observe them. They moved in perfect unison, spraying something on the ground.

‘Those lunatics!’

golden hand instantly recognized what they were spraying. Beast Attraction Scent. He knew it well from the Age of Ruin, where some madmen occasionally used it to target shelters.

In other words, they weren’t being chased by monsters. They were luring the monsters. Their destination was clear.

‘Airtos…!’

golden hands eyes turned cold. These were the very culprits behind all this anomaly. He quietly listened to their conversation.

“Boss, isn’t this enough? Ogres have already appeared.”
“It’s still far off. The client wasn’t satisfied yet, I hear. The Master’s order is still valid.”
“Tch. Whatever, fine. We just do the work we’re paid for. But I’m not sure if this is right.”

Their conversation, and the small spider-shaped brooches attached to their waists. The moment he saw them, he knew their affiliation.

‘Arachne Guild?’

Instantly, Geumson felt as if he had been struck on the head. Because it seemed this entire situation might have happened because of him.

‘Don’t tell me… this happened because Astrid didn’t kill Moiran?’

In the past, Astrid would have killed Moiran. And surely, the Arachne Guild would have abandoned their scheme somehow. But this time was different.

gold-handed met Astrid instead of Moiran. Because of that, Moiran didn’t die, and the scheme continued. This was the result.

‘Damn. This doesn’t add up. I’ll have to collect a debt from Moiran later.’

golden hand checked his equipment. Then, without a moment’s hesitation, he strode purposefully toward them. They seemed to notice his appearance as well.

“Huh? What’s a golem doing in the desert…”
“A golem? If it’s a golem… isn’t that that guy? What’s his name again? The one who made that thing?”
“Ah! Golden hands? It’s Golden hands! Damn, he’s a celebrity. This is a bit troublesome…”

They looked awkward upon seeing golden hand. They knew too. They knew the harm their actions would cause to the wizards on the Korean server. They were doing it knowingly.

That’s why they looked awkward seeing golden hand. Unlike ordinary players, it’s difficult to silence an influential, famous player. However.

“Mr. golden hand, nice to meet you. I’m from the Arachne Guild…”

A man approached with a slick smile, seeming to introduce himself casually. He probably thought Geumson wouldn’t know about the ‘Beast Attraction Scent,’ as it wasn’t widely known in 《Lepione》 yet.

But golden hand spoke quietly to Iron Walker.

“Worker, block their escape route.”
“Wor-ker! Worker! wizard? Eat? Block!”

Thud thud thud thud thud—

Iron Walker swiftly blocked their escape route. The man with the slick smile—his face seemed to stiffen.

“Hey, why are you doing this? Are you planning to PK us? Kill us to loot our items? We’ll post this on Repinet! We’ll publicize it…”