Chapter 66 066

The Southern Island drew players' interest as it was engulfed in flames, but not for long.

-Did you see the Southern side? Real inferno

-It's prohibited. I can't enter."

-There's no quest either… maybe they're setting something up for the main storyline.

That was because there were no related quests. If it had been an official event, the NPCs' attitudes would have changed accordingly… or at the very least, provided players a hint about how to handle the current circumstances. There was nothing, which meant the players had no motivation to stay focused on it.

-Just going near that thing melts you down, lol.

-My week of hard work! All down the drain, lmao

The flames that covered the Southern Island made everyone who tried to enter carelessly regret their choices. Nothing, from fire resistance to the Knight class's high defense stats, or magic, could stop the flames.

Seojin was the only one who had found a workaround.

'Good. No one else is farming coconuts yet.'

The area surrounding the burning crabs was still deserted. People could see the Southern Island from elsewhere, and the beach was pretty big too. Thanks to that, Seojin was hoarding the burning coconuts without any hindrances.

Acquired: Burning Coconut

"Phew."

Seojin only took a short break after exterminating every monster in sight, collecting a whopping total of eighty coconuts in his inventory. Each coconut could be turned into two glasses of Kenzie's special drink, and one glass provided two hours of immunity. Eighty coconuts meant three hundred and twenty hours of safety on the Southern Island, which was more than enough for himself. However, Seojin did not stop there and kept hunting.

'I bet those guys will come too. I'm one hundred percent sure.'

The trio he had seen earlier would have no choice but to come to him to find clues about the next quest. Seojin didn't think they would move on to another settlement and was planning on providing them with the coconuts he had collected.

'I don't have enough for four people.'

Of course, Seojin wasn't running a charity, and he already had a rough idea about what was going on on the Southern Island. Despite that, he had a simple and strong reason for his actions.

'Because the customer is king! I'm talking about a girl who threw a hundred gold away over her scratched ego.'

Whether they were around or not, it wouldn't affect Seojin's progress. However, if they were, Seojin could make additional money, satisfy his curiosity and watch the cute little drama of the trio.

"There's no reason to refuse such a chance."

His goal was at least one hundred coconuts, and Seojin took his time. Several hours later…

'They're here.'

Seojin barely managed to swallow his laughter as the trio stared at him with complicated expressions. One girl and two guys, it was them.

* * *

Angry would be an understatement to describe Odie's mood. They had run into that man again, sweeping the field like that was nothing. She even suspected that Seojin was deliberately waiting for them so he could show off his skills.

'Or maybe he just wants to making us a laughing stock again…'

Odie knew in her head that Seojin was acting out of goodwill, and her pride led her to give him the hundred gold, but her heart didn't listen to the voice of reason.

"Uh, Odie?"

"Why?"

"Do we really need to complete this quest? I heard that just enjoying a vacation will reward us with plenty of XP. I don't think it'd be so bad…"

"It would be. Do you think I paid for all this gear just so we could walk on the beach?"

"Why don't we sell it? Let's put down all the trouble and enjoy the vacation. Think about the beautiful ocean and… I'm sorry."

Odie shut Haydall up with a fierce look before turning to Roth.

"We need coconuts, right?"

"Probably. I think we can enter the Southern Island if we have the drink that Kenzie made."

"He must be acting like this because he knows that too, right?"

"I guess so. Perhaps only people who make it this far can get the information. Those who know what they're doing."

Odie nodded.

"Yeah, so, the quest must filter out those who are unworthy of making it to the southern side. Do we meet that standard?"

"With a tank, yes."

"But we don't have one."

"Should I start over?"

"Why bother? We already have one right in front of us."

Roth's eyes grew bigger and so did Haydall's. So, had she finally let go of her ego?

"We can hire him. Do you remember how excited he was over a hundred gold? I'm sure we'll be able to use him for the right price."

Of course, that wasn't the case. Roth and Haydall sent messages to each other in secret as Odie was being overconfident.

-Was he though?

-He didn't look too interested.

-I bet that hidden classes make lots of money, too. What if he gets offended and refuses?

-I think the worst-case scenario is…

Roth gulped.

-That guy asking for hundreds of millions as a joke, and her accepting it.

Haydall felt his blood run cold.

-You smart bastard. No wonder you got into a top college.

It was both plausible yet terrifying just to imagine it. Haydall had no idea how he could explain things to his boss.

"Odie, uh…"

"Tell him to join us if he wants money. I've already bought some coins."

"…How much?"

"Do I have to tell you how much I spend?"

"I'm just curious. Is it over a thousand gold?"

That alone was a huge amount to invest in the game, but Odie simply gave him a smug smile.

"Do you take me to be that petty?"

"Oh… no. There's no way that a thousand would be enough for you."

"If you disconnect me again…"

She grabbed Haydall's arm as he turned around.

"I'm going to Macau."

"…"

"I'll even stream too. In real-time, to show everyone exactly what I'm doing."

That was the last thing Haydall wanted to deal with. He knew all too well that Odie's temper was hot enough to commit to what she just said.

"…There's no hobby as healthy as spending money on games, right? I'll go and make an offer."

Haydall moved away as Odie looked at Roth, who was now standing there awkwardly.

"Roth."

"Yes, Big sis?"

"Don't disconnect me from now on, I'm warning you."

"Haydall wanted me to. I had no intentions of interrupting you."

"That's right. Let's not forget who gives you salary, alright?"

"All right, but what do we do if things go bad?"

"Such as?"

"Like… if you suddenly try to reveal your identity?"

Odie put her arms around Roth.

"Think about it. Do you think he'd believe me or be like, yeah, whatever, and just forget about it?"

"That's…."

To his surprise, Odie was right.

"…You're right."

"Right? If he truly believes so, I can just deny it in real life. You and Haydall can quieten things down, too."

"…That's true."

"Sure, if you think it's a really, really bad situation, I won't mind you turning my device off… but if I decide that it wasn't an emergency at all…" Odie smiled tenderly. "I'm going to get a new manager."

"I understand but don't say that. People might hear you."

"Sorry, I'll be careful."

It was better not to mention him being her manager. Even so… Odie smiled at her newly acquired freedom and soon looked at Haydall, who was talking with Seojin.

'I want to do what I want, at least in this game. Eat and say whatever I want… I want my freedom.'

That was what she thought when she first played the game, and it hadn't changed. She had persevered when faced with a couple of hurdles, but she didn't intend to suffer anymore After checking the amount of gold in her inventory, Odie stared ahead, ready to greet Seojin, who was approaching with Haydall.

* * *

-Whut's uh manager?

-Did they say something about a manager?

-Shay sayud she's gunna find another manager.

'She must be a celebrity then.'

Flappy's message hinted at the relationship between the three. The girl must have been a celebrity. He had no idea whether she was an actor or a singer, but it was clear that she was quite famous. Otherwise, there'd be no way she could throw ten million won away for the sake of her ego.

'Those two must be her managers or something similar.'

'I remember what she said earlier… Kim… Kim Hye something?'

Not a single name came to mind as Seojin had zero interest in celebrities. Ultimately, it didn't really matter since he could search it up later. The most important thing was what she was about to suggest to Seojin.

"She's not just here for the coconuts, is she?"

Haydall answered in a desperate voice.

"Perhaps not. Uh… I'm sorry, but I hope you can be generous. She's a nice girl deep down. Only her empathy is a little… a little lacking…"

"It's all right. So, you want me to play along, right?"

"If you do, I couldn't hope for anything more. Thank you, sir."

Haydall was being awfully polite as he knew what he'd go through if Seojin hurt Odie's feelings again.

'He looks decent, fortunately…'

However, Haydall knew that they couldn't just his character with one glance. The guy had even asked about Odie's identity earlier. Haydall practically begged him not to do so several times, but it was fundamental human nature that telling someone not to do something would make them want to do it even more.

'I'll have to disconnect her again. There's nothing I can do. Anything is better than having our boss rip my head off.'

And finally…

"Did you want to talk to me?"

"Let's make a contract, I'll pay you more than enough."

Seojin and Odie stood face to face.

"What kind of contract?"

"You're going to enter that island, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"You'll work with us until the quest is over."

"What about the pay?"

Seojin asked interestedly, wondering how much this bold girl would pay. Odie flipped up one index finger as if she were being very generous.

"One thousand gold. I'll pay ten percent in advance, and give you the rest at each milestone."

Haydall sounded like he was choking but nobody batted an eyelid at him.

"What about the quest reward?"

"Mine."

"I won't do it then. Do you even know what's on the Southern Island?"

"…I don't."

Odie's ego was scratched again, but what could she do when she really didn't know?

"Just follow me around then. I'll give you the coconuts for free and you can pay me when you feel like it. We good?"

Seojin was essentially proposing a trial period. She could see for herself for free but needed to pay if she wanted to collect any breadcrumbs along the way.

"…Yes, that's not too bad."

Odie replied, trying to remain cool. Of course, that didn't help. Seojin spoke energetically.

"All right, let's go."