Chapter 20 ….
Ding—.
[Rewards have been granted.]
[As the contribution rank #1 reward, you have obtained the Mutant Goblin Warrior’s Red Leather Top, Mutant Goblin Warrior’s Red Shoulder Guard, and Mutant Goblin Warrior’s Red Greatsword.]
[You have obtained the title ‘Throne of Time Attack.’]
[Throne of Time Attack]
Grade: Hero
Description: A title granted to the one who achieves first place within the time limit.
Effects
Refresh: Each time you renew your ranking, all stats increase in proportion to your achievement.
Acceleration: Time attacks are always a matter of pursuit and being pursued. The owner of the throne must move faster.
All Speed +10%
[Current applied bonus from refresh: All stats +5]
‘Hero grade…!’
A title of Hero rank, no less.
On top of that, it was a growth-type title that could steadily improve, like First Slayer.
Considering that growth-type titles were valued higher than ordinary ones, this was incredible.
Of course, the difficulty of renewing the rank was quite high…
‘Good thing I got it early.’
For Dohyeon, who still had plenty of opportunities to attempt time limits, this was a significant advantage.
And even aside from refresh, the Acceleration effect was excellent.
‘All speed +10%…’
Thinking about how noticeable the 5% boost from the Blood Oath Necklace had been, this alone was more than enough.
Especially since all speed included casting speed.
Options that increased casting speed were rare, so its value deserved to be rated even higher.
He didn’t have magic yet, but there was a high chance he would use it later.
After all, he had the overpowered unique ability, Adventurer.
‘And it also applies to buff activation speed.’
All around, it was a satisfying option.
“Whoa, Hero rank!?”
“Wow… casting options are seriously rare.”
“Damn…”
The party members looked dazed as well, apparently having received the title.
Among them, Yubinggyung’s expression was the brightest.
For someone dreaming of becoming a mage, 10% casting speed was like rain in a drought.
Later on, when she would be cycling through more than a dozen spells, she could squeeze in one or two more damage skills than others in the same time. On top of that, she could deal damage more safely to bosses under crowd control.
“Can I really get something like this…?”
“A Hero-grade title in the beginner city… this is insane.”
Yubinggyung and Miganddakdae, who had moved beyond admiration into disbelief, turned their gazes toward Dohyeon.
As their eyes met naturally, they both bowed their heads.
“Thank you so much. If it weren’t for you, Kaiser-nim, we never would have gotten this reward.”
“I barely did anything… I almost feel like I don’t deserve this. Thank you, hyung. I won’t forget this kindness.”
Their sincerity was obvious.
Their steady eyes and trembling voices revealed just how deeply moved and grateful they were.
After all, they had obtained a title they never could have earned without Dohyeon.
ShieldBest was no different…
“…Ah.”
For some reason, his pupils were shaking.
When their eyes met, he flinched and began cautiously gauging Dohyeon’s reaction.
He looked exactly like a child who had done something wrong and couldn’t properly face their parents.
‘What’s with him? Did he do something to me?’
Come to think of it, it seemed like he had been about to ask something earlier…
Even so, if anyone had made a mistake, it would be Dohyeon for acting impulsively. He tilted his head in confusion, but fortunately the reason became clear quickly.
“Um… Kaiser-nim.”
“Yes?”
“Could you… take a look at the name registered on the rankings?”
Following ShieldBest’s words, Dohyeon opened the system window.
[Current Record Rankings]
1st: ShieldBest’s Party [29 min 58 sec]
2nd: ???’s Party [35 min 11 sec]
3rd: Melsal’s Party [39 min 12 sec]
4th: Ader’s Party [41 min 07 sec]
…10th: Slayer’s Party [46 min 35 sec]
The registered name read “ShieldBest’s Party.”
“I should have changed the party name beforehand… It got registered under my name. I truly don’t know how to compensate you…”
“Ah.”
ShieldBest bowed again and again, his waist bending nearly 90 degrees.
At this rate, he looked ready to kneel.
It might seem excessive—but Dohyeon understood his reaction.
‘Putting your name at rank #1 is a huge privilege.’
Even if it was just a beginner city dungeon, his name was now at the top of the rankings.
Higher even than Melsal.
This wasn’t just symbolic.
He would likely receive recruitment pushes from numerous major guilds and draw attention from countless players.
Whether that attention would be good or bad was unknown—but either way, his future in the game would change.
He might even get the chance to enter one of the top ten guilds.
“I’m sorry. I caused you harm unintentionally. Whether it’s monetary compensation or anything else you want, I’ll do my best to make it right.”
It was only natural that ShieldBest felt guilty for unintentionally snatching the spotlight.
Yubinggyung and Miganddakdae, who belatedly grasped the situation, also looked like sinners.
They fidgeted awkwardly, unsure what to do.
Dohyeon didn’t dislike their reaction.
‘They could’ve just kept quiet and moved on.’
Everyone knew ShieldBest was the party leader.
No one expected to take first place, and since time-limit rankings were automatically registered under the party leader’s name, there was clearly no malicious intent.
He could have played dumb and no one could blame him.
Going this far only showed ShieldBest’s character.
“It’s fine.”
“…Excuse me?”
Dohyeon wasn’t heartless enough to pressure someone like that.
Of course, it would be different if there had been intent to scam him.
Kaiser’s creed was to repay grudges a hundredfold.
But ShieldBest showed no such intent and had readily admitted and apologized first.
“Things like that happen. I didn’t expect to get first place either. And it’s not like anyone doesn’t know you were the party leader.”
“Ah…”
At Dohyeon’s casual response, ShieldBest stared blankly, mouth slightly open.
He clearly hadn’t expected such words.
‘Besides, having my name up there isn’t that important.’
Truthfully, Dohyeon genuinely didn’t care.
Spotlight?
That kind of attention was just tiring.
And as he continued playing, situations where he couldn’t avoid attention would inevitably arise.
‘What matters is the reward.’
More important than being in the spotlight was the contribution rank reward.
Even though ShieldBest’s name was listed as party leader, the first-place contribution rewards—distributed based on merit—had come to Dohyeon.
[Mutant Goblin Warrior’s Red Leather Top]
Grade: Rare
Description: A top made from the hide of a mutant goblin warrior…
Level Requirement: 12
Physical Defense: 70
Magic Resistance: 55
Agility +1
Perception +2
[Mutant Goblin Warrior’s Red Shoulder Guard]
Grade: Rare
Level Requirement: 12
Physical Defense: 46
Magic Resistance: 51
Strength +2
Vitality +2
[Mutant Goblin Warrior’s Red Greatsword]
Grade: Rare+
Level Requirement: 12
Class Restriction: Swordsman
Physical Attack: 108–131
Durability: 100/100
Special Option:
Each time you defeat an enemy, attack power increases by +1. Stacks up to 12 times and resets if no enemy is defeated within 10 minutes.
The so-called Warrior Set.
From Rare to Rare+, these were top-tier items obtainable at this stage.
With high attack and defense plus solid stat boosts, they were satisfying just to look at.
‘Especially the greatsword—that’s the real prize.’
Was it because it was Rare+?
Unlike typical Rare items, it even had a special option, which he quite liked.
It would be particularly useful for mob clearing, and the performance was solid.
But the option that pleased him most was something else.
<Warrior Set Option>
3 Set: When fighting Goblin-type enemies, inflicts Intimidation.
Extra damage against Goblin-types +7%, All stats +2
Set options.
Usually special bonuses attached to raid gear—items that truly shined when worn together.
And such items were typically difficult to obtain.
The Warrior Set was no exception.
‘Heh… right. This is graduation gear for the beginner city—this is how good it should be.’
This was commonly called endgame gear for this area.
True to its notorious difficulty, it was packed with premium options.
The bonus damage and all-stats +2 were excellent…
‘Status effects are rare.’
Even if it only worked on Goblin-types, it was valuable.
Status effects attached to equipment rather than skills were highly prized—especially Intimidation, which was a solid debuff.
‘At this level, the next city will be no problem.’
No—this was beyond “no problem.”
Compared to his party members, who had only gotten maybe one piece each, the first-place rewards were clearly on another level.
There was no way he could feel anything but pleased.
“People make mistakes sometimes. I’m fine, so let’s head out.”
“…Are you really okay with this?”
“Yes. So you two don’t need to feel so sorry.”
“Still…”
Having brushed it off lightly, Dohyeon turned sharply as if there was nothing more to discuss.
He was heading for the warp that appeared after clearing the dungeon.
‘I want to finish the quest and equip these already.’
Since he was still level 10, he couldn’t equip the rewards yet.
It was driving him crazy.
What was this—he finally got good gear but couldn’t even wear it?
He wanted to finish the quest as soon as possible.
From Dohyeon’s perspective, the prolonged apologies were honestly more annoying—so he had brushed them off casually…
‘Ahh…’
But ShieldBest clearly didn’t take it lightly.
Staring blankly at Dohyeon’s back, he even looked moved.
‘He’s on a different level.’
ShieldBest’s eyes began to sparkle.
