"It's a waste of money, but I can't help it."
Before leaving the village again, Lokan went into the general store and bought one item. It was an item called 'Safety Guard' that could set a safe zone in a non-combat state.
It was a marble the size of a pebble. When thrown on the ground while out of combat, it created a safe zone with a 2-meter radius, but it boasted a high price of 30 silver per piece.
However, it wasn't a problem at all for the current Lokan. Before the Blood Chasers had fought him, they had bought back all their equipment from the auction house, so he had a considerable amount of spare money.
"It's for emergencies."
Moreover, he only needed the Safety Guard after using Berserk. Without the Berserk's aftermath, he was confident he could crush them even if they came by the truckload.
"The quest progress might slow down a bit, but it won't be a problem."
Lokan filled his inventory with consumables and immediately activated the Rune Book.
* * *
The place where Lokan arrived was the field where the previous battle had taken place.
As soon as he appeared, he was slightly tense, wary of a surprise attack, but luckily—or unfortunately—no one attacked.
Apparently, wiping them out completely had been the issue. If he had known it would be like this, he would have deliberately pretended to struggle.
"Babies, are you scared already?"
Muttering a curse for his now-regretless opponents, Lokan took a step forward.
"Let's see how long they stay frozen."
Still, his post on the bulletin board was gaining traction, so a response was likely coming soon.
The atmosphere changed as he went deeper into the forest, his senses sharp. This was now an area where only powerful monsters of at least level 70 appeared. While their level was similar to the Forest Lizardmen, their combat power would be significantly different, making Lokan slightly nervous.
'It's still quiet around here.'
Although the map was vast, it was hard to gauge popularity easily since most players were in the 50s and 60s. There were distant sounds of battle, but it seemed their paths or hunting grounds didn't overlap. They were probably each hunting in their own optimal spots.
"Let's see… … . There it is."
But Lokan was different. Finding a good leveling spot was secondary; right now, he had a specific target to find.
A Forest Monster, specifically a Giant Treant.
It was easy for him to find these so-called 'walking dead trees'. Small buds sprouted where they had recently passed. These sprouts would wither if the Treant went out of range, but by following the fresh ones, tracking them was straightforward.
"Feels a bit like I'm damaging the ecosystem, but… … ."
Lokan, who found the traces as he walked carefully while looking at the ground, immediately ran in the direction the Treant seemed to have moved. He charged towards the wanderer, which had no fixed route.
"Leap Attack!"
*Klang!*
The Orc Battle Axe collided with the Treant's body, and hard bark and sap erupted in all directions like a fountain of blood. Its shell was reputed to have high defense, but against Lokan's power, it was like soft tofu.
"Let's finish it quickly!"
Next, Shoulder Charge!
When he slammed into it with his well-protected shoulder, a second explosion occurred on its body, which couldn't regenerate fast enough.
"Strike!"
Another blow for good measure!
Lokan's attacks seemed blindly aggressive, but they were focused on dealing concentrated damage quickly—the standard method for attacking Forest Monsters. If left alone, they would regenerate endlessly and annoy him with extending branches.
For that reason, he needed to break through its defense in a short time and rip out its core 'Essence'.
"Twitch!"
*Whoosh! Crunch!*
The attack was immediately effective. When the blue essence, located deep within its body, was removed, the giant Treant's body leaned and began to dry up rapidly. The fruits hanging from its branches also withered, but Lokan didn't care.
He could collect the berries while keeping it alive, similar to how he handled the Forest Lizardmen, but these berries also dropped after killing it. Rather than waste time on the difficult Treant, he decided to rely on drop items.
"Tch, I hate Forest Monsters like this."
However, the Fruit of the Forest Monster didn't drop from the first one. It was a quest item with a low drop rate.
"Well, if I keep at it, it'll drop eventually."
The good news was that since it was made of wood, it might be decent kindling. With the Battle Axe over his shoulder again, Lokan began moving to find the next trace.
He would continue until it dropped! He knew better than anyone that grinding was the foundation of the game. Instead of blaming his luck, he started running hard to find another one.
"What was next?"
It took more time than expected due to the low spawn rate of Forest Monsters and their constant wandering, but Lokan managed to collect all the quest items without major difficulty.
However, he didn't return to the village immediately. Rather than going back and forth, he wanted to gather all the items needed for the next step of the quest before returning.
Recalling the next location, Lokan finally remembered.
"Right! Qingming Lake."
Qingming Lake was a very clear and clean lake located in the center of the Feral Forest. Drinking its water granted a temporary buff that increased mental strength, making it a place where wizards would later come with empty bottles to fill.
The next targets were the monsters, herbs, and fish found in the Qingming Lake area.
Remembering the order, Lokan set his direction on the magic map and started moving.
* * *
"You bastards! I mean, we can't even get one guy!"
While walking for a while, he heard a voice filled with anger. It sounded more like a one-sided rebuke than a conversation.
Since it was quite close, Lokan peered through the foliage out of curiosity.
'Oh, that bastard… … .'
The owner of the voice was none other than the Master of the MP Guild. It was a typical 'pretty-boy' customization with long golden hair flowing to the shoulders, but it looked strangely familiar.
'Where have I seen it?'
He had seen the MP Guild Master several times in his previous life, but that didn't seem to be the reason.
"That post, how are we going to handle it?"
"If we don't respond, it won't just go away… … ."
"Haven't you seen it already? How many people have seen it, and they're still talking like that?"
He had wondered why they were being so quiet, but it seemed they were reacting internally to his post. However, the MP Guild Master was right. Once a PK group's momentum breaks, they are no longer feared.
'But he's a cunning guy.'
If it became known that they were avoiding Lokan, or even if that nuance was felt, ordinary users would forget their fear. Then, the situation could reverse. That was precisely why Lokan had dared to make the post—to force their hand. Whether voluntarily or not, he wanted them to engage again and deplete their resources once more.
That intention was hidden within Lokan's post.
"Firia-sama, no, Master, please calm down. We'll solve it somehow… … ."
"How are you going to solve it? By going to die again and donating more items? Damn it, I'm sure it's not a hack!"
"Well, we submitted a ticket. The response just said it's normal play… … ."
"You bastards! Is that normal play? Did they get paid off, or are you guys so incompetent you can't even catch a hacker? Damn it, how much money have I dumped into this… … ."
It seemed they had submitted a ticket to the GMs and received a response stating there was no issue. To Lokan's knowledge, there had never been a single successful hack in The Lord.
'The name Firia sounds so pretentious. What a spoiled brat.'
It wasn't even worth listening to, but Lokan watched further. Knowing their response would make it easier to deal with them.
"Fine! Do this! Throw some money at it and sway public opinion. Push the narrative that eradicating hackers is upholding justice."
'Ugh.'
The words coming from Firia's mouth after her tantrum were somewhat surprising even to Lokan. He hadn't thought someone would resort to such tactics this early, but it made things more interesting. Because he knew that manipulating public opinion was often the most frustrating part.
'Firia… … Yes, it was him back then.'
He could tell by those despicable eyes. He remembered why the girlish ID 'Firia' and that slender face were in his memory. It was the guy who claimed to be dating his ex-girlfriend, Im Soo-hee.
He had bragged a bit within The Lord, and it seemed he was really showing off. It might not matter much later, but the MP Guild was quite influential in the early game. They were heavily image-managed, acting as if they were doing volunteer work or charity, but they eventually fizzled out halfway.
'Wait, then was he the one who dropped the Cloak of Stealth?'
It occurred to him that maybe it was Im Soo-hee who had been carrying the cloak.
Given what he knew about Firia, it would have been difficult for her, as the guild master's girlfriend, to be carrying such a valuable item.
'Hah! I didn't know it would be this satisfying.'
Lokan felt a dark satisfaction, thinking that her pathetic situation must have become even more difficult. To him now, she was just a person from the past whose face he could barely remember—whether she had a mole on her right cheek or not. Any harsh treatment she might have received in his previous life had left no lasting mark or resentment.
'Looking back, that was the beginning.'
Now he remembered. Come to think of it, it was Im Soo-hee who had first gotten him into The Lord in his previous life. When he was feeling down, she had told him she was addicted to The Lord, suggesting they could at least meet in the game.
However, Im Soo-hee not only refused him categorically but also had her acquaintances—her 'oppas'—kill and harass Lokan multiple times. It was then that Lokan's feelings for her died completely.
'There was such a thing. Wait, maybe those bastards were from the MP Guild back then?'
For a moment, Lokan's expression turned vicious. That time had been truly painful in many ways. Even if he didn't remember Im Soo-hee, he could recall the pain of those days.
"And send some of our guys down to the Blood Chasers. Tell them we'll fully support them with gear and leveling up later, but they are not to think about returning until they've taken down that bastard!"
Firia even decided to transfer some elite members from the MP Guild to the Blood Chasers to catch Lokan. She knew their identities would be exposed and they couldn't return to the MP Guild, but she felt threatened that if she missed this timing, her entire plan would be ruined.
'This should be fun.'
Their levels were probably around 70, placing them at the top of The Lord currently. Unlike the Blood Chaser members, who were only level 50 or 60, these elites would have high proficiency in their secondary jobs and confidence in their skills. But Lokan wasn't worried at all.
He was certain that no matter what equipment or titles they had, they couldn't be his match. It wasn't arrogance; it was reality.
'I'm already curious what kind of expression they'll make when I beat them down.'
A faint smile appeared on Lokan's face as he watched them.