Chapter 62 062

Churai Island was located near the southern end of Valaran and was known as a settlement with relatively good rewards. It was also the best tourist attraction in the kingdom. It was shaped like a crescent moon with its central region split in half, which divided the island into two sides, the northern island and the southern island.

'While the northern island is fully developed and serves as a tourist attraction, the southern island showcases the nature gifted by heaven…'

Seojin was reading the lore on Midgard's official site. There was a lot of information on the communities, but most of it was hard to understand before experiencing it for himself. Seojin preferred to experience things directly with the minimum of information in the first place.

'The Lord is a count and… I don't think his family name is Churai.'

Churai Island did not follow the names of its lords, perhaps because the royals had developed the area as a tourist destination. The quest route was relatively diverse too, and a decisive difference from Dunkehr was that all the hunting grounds were open fields.

'Meaning I'll run into trouble if I wander around hunting.'

In Dunkehr, Seojin had been able to show his ability freely as no one could watch him in the dungeons. However, he was clearly hard-pressed to do the same on Churai Island.

"We'll soon arrive at our destination! All passengers, please prepare to disembark!"

As a cheerful voice rang out on board, players flocked to the edge of the deck with wide eyes to stare at the mythical island everyone talked about on the community pages. Seojin was also one of those players.

'Wow, that's amazing.'

It was almost reminiscent of an amusement park. There stood a huge, arch-shaped signboard so big that it could be seen from a distance, and beyond that was a rainbow of nature's soothing colors. White sandy beaches, emerald sea, and forests that were just as rich as they should be.

'It's a truly a vacation spot.'

Seojin was speechless, thinking it could be okay for him to take a break in a place like this. Soon after getting off the boat, he found a yellow exclamation mark on the beach.

"Welcome to Churai Island! May I know the purpose of your visit, sir?"

A young man wearing a straw hat welcomed Seojin with a bright smile. Other than his hat, he was only wearing swimming trunks and his tanned skin matched the island perfectly.

"Purpose of my visit?"

"Yes, please tell me whether you're here as a tourist or an adventurer!"

"Tourist… oh, there must be a lot of adventurers who come for sightseeing, right?"

"Exactly! Churai Island is…"

The young man gave Seojin a lengthy introduction. He had thought that the "tourist attraction" shtick was just background info, but it seemed like even high-level adventurers came on vacation here, too.

'Well, it's no wonder. People tend to travel using VR nowadays. Even the most expensive console is cheaper than taking a plane and splurging on a holiday.'

Sometimes, the in-game scenery looked more beautiful than in real life, so perhaps it wasn't that weird. That wasn't the case for Seojin though.

"I'm here as an adventurer."

"Ah, you're here to enjoy an adventure! Go visit Kenzie and you'll get what you need! I hope you have a great adventure!"

Kenzie's Request #1

* Kenzie of the Papaya Village needs your help! However, it would be better to meet her once you're fully prepared!

* Basic Reward: Kenzie's help.

The quest popped up.

'Meet her after I'm fully prepared? That's weird. What is she going to ask me to do?'

Seojin said goodbye to the young man and entered the coastal village of the southern side, Papaya.

'Gotta meet her right away.'

Seojin was a man who was always prepared for anything, any time.

* * *

Churai Island lived up to its title as the Island of Peace. Everybody wore relaxed smiles on their faces, be they NPCs or players. Seojin's lips twitched as he stood in a village covered by exotic palm trees.

'Man, I'm envious.'

Due to the nature of this being a game, it was hard to find harmonious families. Most of the people here were truly here to get some "rest," and…

'Most of them are couples. Do you really have to date in the game? Like, is someone putting a gun to their head to do so?'

Seojin was grumpy, but it was not out of jealousy. Definitely not. There was absolutely no way that it was jealousy.

'It's a damn game! You should go hunt, do quests, and get excited about looting good gear! That's the way you should play, not display your affection in public! Yeah, I'm acting unsightly.'

Seojin managed to shake off his jealousy… then he paused, thinking that it was awfully quiet. He wasn't thinking about the village though.

"Flappy?"

The fairy had been running wild with excitement, but she was strangely quiet now.

"Oh, whut?"

"…?"

Surprisingly, Flappy was right by Seojin's side, not off exploring somewhere. She was simply standing on his head with her arms folded sternly.

"Why are you so quiet? You were flapping in excitement just before we arrived."

"Ahm thinkin'."

"About what?"

"Sum'n feels strange, but Ah don't remember whut it iz. Ahm shore thet Ahv experienced thus before…."

"You're experienced?"

"Stop botherin' may an do whut yawl gotta do."

"…"

Seojin thought about handing her a magic stone but soon gave up on that idea. Flappy had never been that serious before.

'Maybe she'll fetch me a big hint.'

So, he guessed it would be better to leave her alone for now. Seojin looked around for a while and soon found Kenzie.

"Welcome! Hello!"

"Kenzie? Right?"

Kenzie was a little kid.

"Right! I'm Kenzie!"

"I'm Seojin. I heard you need help."

"Yes! I need help!"

Kenzie, who had her hair braided in pigtails, looked like she was barely eight years old. Seojin didn't realize that he was wearing a fatherly smile as he spoke with the young girl.

"What can I do for you?"

"I want to eat coconuts! Coconuts are delicious!"

"Coconuts?"

"Yes! Eight will do! It would be best if you could be back within sixty minutes! I'm hungry!"

"…?"

Seojin thought his ears had deceived him, but he had heard right.

Quest Renewed

Kenzie's Request #1

* Kenzie wants to eat Churai's specialty coconut! Bring her eight of them!

* Time Limit: 60 minutes.

"That's an awfully specific deadline you're giving me."

"I'll be so sad if you don't deliver them to me within sixty minutes!"

"What happens if you're sad?"

"You'll lose my trust and I'll find another adventurer!"

Seojin stared at Kenzie in dismay. At least her face was innocent. What could Seojin say to those eyes that shone with pureness?

'Yeah, gotta bash the devs, not a kid.'

Anyway, it was a quest so Seojin had to clear.

That was what NPC quests usually consisted of, so Seojin had to make it happen either way. The young girl had even mentioned the word 'trust,' which meant there must be a systemic penalty if he failed to do so.

'Well, it's just a few coconuts, right? Sixty minutes is more than enough. No reason to be offended.'

Seojin realized that he was wrong as soon as he arrived at the beach.

* * *

Churai Coconut Crabs were three meters tall monsters that only lived on the island.

Their average level was 55, making them tough opponents for players who had just arrived. Getting caught by one of the pincers would mean certain death for most players.

"Holy freaking crabs! No! Jason!"

"Argh! Help me!"

"Let me go! Let me go!"

Screams of despair and resignation resounded from every inch of the beach. The beautiful scenery of the white, sandy beach meant nothing to the people going through hell there.

"I'm looking for a party member… One guy just left us…"

"Two spots available…"

"Anyone want to try Kenzie's quest? Healer needed!"

There were more active parties at Papaya Beach than at any other hunting ground.

'It's pure madness.'

Seojin was watching the entire scene, laughing wryly as he understood the reason behind the mess. Most monsters were forgiving in terms of attack, so players could take a few hits or back off if things got too difficult. The crab's pincer attack, however, was practically an insta-kill move. The players had never experienced a similar pattern before, so it was only natural that they were starting to lose their minds.

'There are only two types of people looking for a party.'

Seojin couldn't hunt alone because everyone would know Anti-Mainstream had arrived. They would instantly go wild if they found out, even in the communities.

'So, I do need to join a party…'

The parties looking for new members were divided roughly into a few groups.

The first was the urgent, passionate parties were made up of newly arrived players. Secondly, there was the parties that were a little intimidated, but still energetic—they had already lost a couple of party members. And lastly, there were the parties that had lost all hope. They must have failed several attempts and were now facing the end of the time limit.

Seojin crossed every one of them off his list.

'They'll only hinder me if I team up with them.'

If Seojin joined a group of people who were lacking, they would cling to him the moment they saw what he could do. He needed professionals that he could say goodbye to after finishing the quest.

'Gotta join a group like that if I have to. Those guys don't just want any tank. They want to evaluate the pros and cons and find the right guy for them.'

There was a bunch of people sitting on a rock, giving off a completely different vibe from others. They almost seemed like they were there to have a rest. However, there was no reason for people to come to this brutal hunting ground to do so.

'Two long-range DPS and one healer. Only three?'

Seojin took a guess based on the gear they were wearing and checked what they were staring at.

'They're only looking at tanks. I'm sure they're looking for someone who knows what they're doing… As for DPS… I guess they don't need one?'

Midgard allowed up to five people in one party. Taking on only two DPS players meant that they were confident. Seojin made up his mind and approached the boulder.

"Hello, do you need a tank?"

* * *

'What is this?'

Haydall stared at the man who had approached him suddenly. He asked whether they needed a tank even though he was wearing some rags.

It was true that they needed a tank, and they had been looking for one, but this man…

'That looks like a beginner's outfit. A starter outfit, to be precise.'

He only realized that a beat later as the stranger had approached so randomly. The fool was wearing a starter outfit.

'He's got no weapons, let alone a shield.'

"Well, we do need a tank, but…"

Haydall answered first but gave a direct hint that they needed someone much more impressive than him. Other two party members intervened too, but the stranger showed almost a shameless level of confidence.

"I'll be your tank. How many minutes do you have left?"

"…Are you really a tank?"

"I won't be tanking, but I can do it."

"What's your class?"

"Hunter."

"What kind of hunter can tank…?" Haydall scoffed, thinking the guy in front of him might be an attention seeker.

"I have a taming skill, I can tame monsters."

-What should I do?

-Let's accept him. There's nothing to lose

Haydall paused right before rejecting him as their group leader, Odie Park, sent him a chat.

"…Okay, I'll invite you. Let's do it."

Haydall reluctantly invited Seojin to their party.