Grandfel Claudi Arpheus Romeo
Class: Demon Hunter
Level: 67
Stats
Strength: 23
Agility: 28
Magic Power: 18
Luck: 2
Available Points: 0
Fortunately, Grandfel's sharp mind recalled the exact numbers from moments ago.
Thanks to that, the change in stats was clear at a single glance.
Stats
Strength: 25 (+2)
Agility: 30 (+2)
Magic Power: 18
Luck: 2
Available Points: 0
Both Strength and Agility had risen by a whole two points each.
Is it really okay to receive this much?
This was massive, enough to make me doubt my eyes.
A 4-point stat increase.
It was no different from gaining four whole levels.
However, it wasn't something to calculate and brush off so simply.
My actual level is still the same, after all.
I was now four full steps—no, even further ahead of players at the same level.
Just look at the price tag on stat-boosting items. Even a lousy one-point boost goes for millions of won, and it only skyrockets from there. A reward like this is probably worth more than my entire annual salary back when I was an office worker.
But that wasn't the end of it.
Looking at the quest window, I flinched.
─Train your weakened body. (Repeat)
The quest that had boosted my stats was repeatable.
Of course, there was no guarantee the quest rewards would stay exactly the same.
If I could increase my stats by even a single point through training…
This was a quest I had to grind whenever I could.
I finally understood why people said starting a class quest alone would make headlines and catapult someone straight into the top ranks.
I looked at the quest window.
─Slay a demon. (Success)
─Train your weakened body. (Repeat)
Since even the first quest reward is at this level… what kind of reward is waiting at the end of the quest chain?
How could anyone not get excited?
Stop right there.
Even so, I didn't let my hopes get too high.
This wasn't Grandfel's influence, but entirely my own will.
The higher the expectations, the greater the disappointment.
Right, I can't get ahead of myself… But still, can't I at least enjoy this moment? Do you have any idea how much I suffered for this?!
The aftereffects of the harsh training from the past week still lingered in my body.
However, I didn't show a single trace of emotion.
My shirt and slacks were soaked through with sweat.
My legs felt ready to collapse at any second.
Yet I stood up from my spot without the slightest hesitation.
My current appearance perfectly captured the dark history of me—Hoyeol Lee, now going by Grandfel.
Just what the hell is pride anyway? Why can't I ever be honest about a single thing?
I thought about it for a moment, then stopped, realizing that thinking itself was the problem.
Well, that's puberty for you.
* * *
My stats had increased, but there was no miracle bonus effect like physical fatigue magically vanishing.
Which meant that once I got home, I had no choice but to prepare a meal with hands that were trembling uncontrollably.
The menu was impeccably balanced: chicken breast, fresh vegetables, and a slice of high-quality rye bread.
The problem was using the knife.
Thud—
I stared down at the awkwardly hacked-up vegetables.
Then, without a hint of shame, I spoke aloud.
"On occasion, there is merit in preparing one's ingredients differently."
Holding up a piece of carrot that was cut particularly crooked, I continued.
"It bears a striking resemblance to a star in the night sky."
Sure it does, buddy.
Though it felt like I was getting shamelessly bolder by the day, this too was something I had to adapt to.
Like I said before, complaining about it would just be spitting on my own face.
Still, let's have at least one excuse ready.
In the past, this was a meal I could finish in five minutes.
I would just slice the rye bread in half, stuff the chicken salad inside, and scarf down a quick sandwich.
Instead, I held a fork and knife, dining with supreme elegance—even as my trembling arms sent the chicken salad spilling across the table.
"…Poison."
My pride did not allow even the smallest mistake.
"It appears pesticide residue was left on this portion."
I had no choice but to contemplate my options.
If anyone hears me, I'll look like a lunatic. Maybe I can pretend I got a head injury so they pity me instead… Man, is my life a stand-up comedy act or what?!
After finishing the meal, which thankfully no one was around to watch, I reached straight for the stack of papers resting on the table.
Written on them were concepts of magic that I had jotted down while watching NetTube videos.
Even though I was the one who wrote them, they baffled me every time I looked at them.
What's even more ridiculous is that I actually understand this.
──────
Magic is not creating something from nothing.
It is to 『Examine』, 『Interfere』, and 『Manifest』.
Most magic begins by examining and interfering with mana.
Magic Power directly governs the scope of this examination and interference…
──────
It sounded plausible in its own way.
So much so that I found myself wondering if 『Magic』 was more than just a system 'skill'—if it actually existed as a true concept in its own right.
Well, I don't know if I understand it correctly, though.
Just by watching the video, I had managed to grasp the process up to 『Examine』 and 『Interfere』.
However, I hadn't been able to 『Manifest』 magic yet.
Even though I had invested stats into Magic Power, it wasn't enough to replicate the spell in the NetTube video.
That mage was close to Lv. 300, after all.
Naturally, their Magic Power was likely around a similar figure.
Of course, I had no way of knowing whether it was simply a lack of Magic Power or just another defense mechanism to protect my pride.
After all, expecting my stats to rival a high-level mage's right out of the gate was delusional.
In the end, it meant I had to start with simpler spells and analyze them until I could 『Examine』 and 『Interfere』 with ease.
Studying, of all things…
It had taken me three whole days just to break down a single spell from the video.
Just thinking about analyzing another one was already making my head throb.
Yet, completely detached from my internal misery, my body moved without a moment's hesitation.
Replaying the NetTube video, I immediately began scribbling notes on a blank sheet of paper.
"Once I am accustomed to it, the time it demands shall shorten in kind."
I desperately prayed that this confidence wasn't just a bluff, and that I could actually back up my big mouth for once.
* * *
8:00 PM.
The international organization, Anti Arcana United.
The lights in the AAU Korea Branch office were still on.
"Damn Thursday…"
Overtime continued like a ritual every Thursday.
Hyeonjun Seong was slumped face-down across his desk.
He missed the days when Arcana was still just a game.
"Where did you go, my work-life balance?!"
Chronicles of Arcana was the world's best virtual reality game.
When he landed a job at Cosmo, the studio behind it, he felt as though he held the world in his hands.
What kind of company was Cosmo?
Starting with CEO Raymond Sean, everyone was a staunch believer in work-life balance.
Yet the salary was at the highest level in the industry, making it a dream workplace for all developers.
Then the CEO vanished, and everything changed.
Arcana was no longer just a game—it became reality.
It was only a matter of time before Cosmo went out of business.
From top executives down to the janitors, every employee except the missing CEO frequented courtrooms around the world like a second home.
The ultimate result of those endless trials?
Insufficient evidence.
And that led right to the present.
"…Seriously, Raymond, if I catch you, you're dead."
Hyeonjun was forced to take a job at the AAU Korea Branch.
Sure, he was grateful.
Amid a severe job crisis, the government had handed him a position at a public enterprise—and one where he could actually use his experience to contribute to world peace, no less.
However, gratitude and resentment were entirely separate emotions.
Hyeonjun asked his co-worker sitting next to him.
"Senior, there won't be a new update this week, right?"
"I really hope so."
"It's already eight and there's no notice. That means we're good, right?"
A new update.
That was another way to phrase Arcana's reality erosion—the physical world being slowly overwritten by the game itself.
No phrase captured the horror better.
Of course, his colleagues were in the exact same boat.
"How should I know? The guy is completely unpredictable."
Only Raymond held the answers.
Everyone else could only guess.
After all, there was no way Raymond was dead.
The proof was Arcana's official website, which was still up and running smoothly.
Thanks to the site, the world could track players' levels and rankings.
They could also see which player cleared which rift, and use that information to distribute rewards accordingly.
As long as that website existed, society could keep spinning.
Just what is he thinking?
Hyeonjun scratched his head.
"Seriously, that guy Raymond… is he even human? What is he doing this for? Talk about a sick sense of humor. Overtime every Thursday? He doesn't even run a company anymore, yet he's still forcing us to work every week!"
The complaining didn't last long, though.
Groans and curses suddenly erupted across the office.
"Aw, crap. An update just dropped!"
"Are you kidding me? I took tomorrow off!"
"I can't take this anymore. I'm submitting my resignation and hunting that bastard down myself!"
Since it had been nearly a month without an update, everyone had expected it to happen eventually.
Hyeonjun slowly stood up and logged onto the official Arcana website.
Just as his colleagues said, a new update notice had been posted.
The author, of course, was almost certainly Raymond.
"What the fuck?"
"Is this for real?"
"Has that bastard completely lost his mind?!"
Those reading through the update details couldn't hide their shock.
This update made no sense whatsoever.
A new demon threat draws near.
New rift, 'The Count's Fortress,' has been added.
New named monster, 'Count Oscura' Lv. 430.
New rift, 'The Count's Territory,' has been added.
New monsters have been added.
'Count Oscura's Henchmen' Lv. 390.
'Count Oscura's Knight' Lv. 350.
'Count Oscura's Soldier' Lv. 300.
New rift, 'Territory Outskirts,' has been added.
New monsters have been added.
'Bloody Beasts' Lv. 220–Lv. 250.
'Bloody Bandit' Lv. 230.
"He brought out Count Oscura already?"
It was a Lv. 430 named monster.
The current Rank 1 player, Skal, was only level 401.
There was a gap of a whole thirty levels.
Furthermore, Count Oscura was a demonkind monster.
A growth-type with monstrous status effects.
And if you factored in what demonkind was like once unleashed on the real world…
"…Senior, this update wasn't made for us to clear it, was it?"
A Lv. 430 boss was far beyond anything humanity could handle.
"Right. He's basically telling us to twiddle our thumbs and watch."
Back when it was just a game, patch notes like this weren't a big deal.
Sure, players would hurl abuse at the devs and curse the terrible balance, but in the end, they would die dozens or hundreds of times until they figured out a strategy.
But Arcana was no longer a virtual reality game.
Death was permanent.
Failing to clear a rift meant unleashing a horrific demon directly into the world.
Reality itself was a living nightmare.
Ring, ring—
Telephones were ringing off the hook across the office, but no one moved to pick them up.
Everyone was too paralyzed by the gravity of the situation.
"Would it still be impossible even if the top rankers teamed up?"
"We won't know until we try, but it won't be easy. As you know, demonkind isn't an opponent you can bring down just by throwing numbers at them."
"What if we get help from the NPCs at the Magic Tower…?"
"As if those guys would care. According to the lore, the mages of the Magic Tower only act when their own tower is threatened. Earth could burn to the ground for all they care—as long as the Tower is fine, they won't lift a finger."
Hyeonjun spoke.
"Then setting the Count aside for now, what about the other mobs?"
"We'd need to deploy whole guild alliances just to stand a chance against those."
"So it's not completely hopeless! Players can farm the regular mobs in the Outskirts or Territory rift to level up, then challenge the fortress where the Count is!"
"I wonder, will there be enough time? It seems more likely the rift will collapse first."
"…"
Hyeonjun was at a loss for words.
Is there really no way? If so… what's going to happen to us?
Ring, ring—
"First, let's answer the phones."
At his senior's words, Hyeonjun answered with a dazed expression.
An excited reporter's voice came through the receiver, but he couldn't focus.
"…I'm sorry. We have nothing to say at this moment."
* * *
Early morning.
I sat at the table, filling page after page.
"?"
Then my vision flickered.
"!"
Class Quest: Prelude to a Counterattack
O Last Demon Hunter.
Inform the demons that the time for a counterattack has come.
─Slay a demon. (Success)
─Train your weakened body. (Repeat)
─Hunt the Vampire. (In Progress) ▼
Vampire.
I set down my pen.
"An inferior species dares disturb my precious time."
I muttered in a low voice.
"I shall see them held to account, and their punishment shall be severe."
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