Chapter 6 ‘The black magicians are the problem right now...’ I was currently level -1, and my strength and stamina stats were only one point each. Mengel’s Plate Armour added five strength, for a total of six strength. When all of these stats were added up together, I totalled a measly 34 health. I might be able to punch a few of them before going to the netherworld. ‘Can I get away? The failure of the quest was fixed anyway. I just wanted to preserve my life. No, I had to survive. If someone died two times in a day, they wouldn’t be able to access the game for 12 hours. Okay, this was the only way! “Log out!” [You can’t log out of the game here.] “Fuck! I should’ve expected this!” It was common knowledge that it was impossible to end the game while a timed quest was underway. There was a way to force it, but I didn’t want to use it since I would get a huge penalty. After failing to log out, I looked for a way to escape. However, this was the stronghold of the enemy. I was being surrounded by a rapidly increasing number of followers. No matter how many calculations I made, there was just no way to escape. There was no hope when I was a slow as a tortoise. "Break through to the basement at once!” As I was planning out my actions, Doran shouted at me before pulling out two daggers and throwing them without delay. The hand gestures were so fast that it happened in an instant. Pepeok! “Kuaack!” One of the daggers struck a person’s eye while the other pierced another’s heart. Doran narrowed the distance towards the pained believers and wielded his dagger. "Open up.” The believers couldn’t even scream as their necks were sliced and they vanished into a flash of grey light. I couldn’t resist admiring it. The lack of information meant I didn’t know the exact levels of the Yatan believers, but temple NPCs were generally at least level 150+. These believers were likely to be the same. Doran handled them so easily that I couldn’t even imagine his level. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺 ‘Is he perhaps a named NPC?’ My impression of Doran changed. Maybe I could clear this absurd quest if I depended on him. 3,000 gold! A huge 3,600,000 won was in front of me! The earl’s son-in-law! I imagined getting my hands on all stats +20 and a beautiful wife! I would become a lord with my own territory, where I could steal high taxes from the users and NPCs! ‘If I become a landlord, I will be able to get revenue every month.’ Exciting! I began to cheer Doran on. “Good! Doran, fighting! I have admired you for a long time!” “Eh? For a long time? When have you ever seen...” “Ah! Danger! Over there! You must take care of your body!” "B-Body...?” While Doran was surprised by my sudden change in attitude, he focused on dealing with the enemies in front of him. Grey lights appeared in succession. ‘Really strong!’ Doran skillfully threw numerous hidden weapons as if they were merely extensions of his limbs. The number one person on the assassin ranking, ‘Old Sword Demon’, that I saw on a broadcast two months ago, was like a young child next to Doran. ‘Isn’t he three times stronger than Ashur? I must befriend him and ask him to assassinate Ashur!’ The Yatan believers ignored me and attacked the threat, Doran. But their efforts couldn’t stop Doran’s advance. Doran focused solely on those who were chanting spells, attacking them to stop their magic. The black magicians couldn’t cast their magic, making them no threat. “Amazing! You are really amazing! Doran, you are my god!” I heard a magic spell being recited and cheered as a black magicians mouth was pierced by Doran’s dagger. The best! By relying on the strength of the NPC, I really could complete this quest! Truly a fantastic quest! It seemed pathetic that I had been trying so hard to refuse the quest a few minutes ago! I could barely chase Doran with my slow pace, thanks to Doran occasionally stopping. "Are you waiting for me? How kind. Hehe.” Doran was looking around with a terrible expression. "These guys have started to use their heads.” “Huh?” I looked around like Doran and saw that the black magicians were chanting spells at the same time. "Blessed souls underground.” "Use your grudges and fears to ensnare the enemy.” "Those who feel fear will have their legs restrained.” "Their minds will be crushed and they will lose their willpower.” "Become a doll with a lost soul!” The black magicians chanting the spell alone would be stopped by Doran before they finished. Therefore, the group shared the spell by chanting the sentences one by one. Those sentences would connect to form one spell and the magic would be cast. “Be prepared.” I grabbed Doran’s collar and said, "Be prepared? You should do something!” “It is too late.” “Dammit!" Kuoooooh!! A line of blood was drawn on Doran’s face, and black energy rose like a mist to cover Doran. “N-No! I am finished if you die!” I had boarded the same boat as Doran and Doran was the oarsman. I couldn’t escape the quest failing if I was alone on this boat. “Cough!” I cursed and shouted towards Doran, who was coughing up blood. “Fuck! If it was going to be like this, you shouldn’t have made me feel expectant in the first place!” At that moment. A green light flowed from the ring Doran was wearing and surrounded him. Then Doran’s complexion was gradually restored. ‘W-What?’ Doran attacked the surprised black magicians, who were chanting new spells. "This ring is special. It protects the wearer from curses and poisons; however, the protection isn’t perfect. The damage is cumulative, so I need to avoid as much magic as possible.” “Yes, indeed! The great Doran is even wearing a small ring like this!” The ring was clearly had an Epic or higher rating. Was there a way to obtain it? As I was thinking, Doran started to slaughter the enemies again. He allowed a few magic spells to be cast but eventually succeeded in creating a path. Doran started at the entrance of the staircase leading to the basement. "Come on!” "Yep!" Unlike my vigorous reply, I chased Doran down the stairs at a slow pace. The black magicians pursued us with spells, but they were no threat because Doran threw daggers as soon as he heard chanting. “Young Lady!” Doran and I arrived at the dark basement. Doran found a beautiful woman bound to the altar in the center of the basement and ran to her. But there was a crowd blocking him. There were a dozen black magicians. I laughed at them. “These ridiculous bastards! They need more people than that to be our opponents! Now, Doran! Get rid of them!” “Of course!” Doran nodded and wielded his daggers in front of him. Doran might be tired, but the number of opponents was too small. I was excited as I imagined the black magicians turning into grey light. The quest clear signal was right around the corner. "3,600,000 won and the earl’s daughter, here I come!” Tatatang! “...Eh?” There was an unexpected result. The hidden weapons that were thrown by Doran suddenly stopped and fell to the ground. Doran’s advance was also stopped. “Shield?” Defense magic couldn’t be used by black magicians. It was only possible for black magicians who completed their second class advancement. As I was baffled, a young woman walked out from among the black magicians. It was a woman who boasted the best beauty, a unique beauty that caused the beauty of the noble young lady to pale in comparison. Somehow, she looked familiar? I checked her name and was shocked. ‘Blood Witch!!’ The Blood Witch. ID: Yura. The Korean user who was ranked number one on the black magician ranking and ranked number five on the unified rankings. She was a famous person who frequently appeared on TV because of her beautiful appearance and outstanding abilities. Why was she here? Yura looked towards me and stretched out a hand. “I’m sorry, but I can’t allow you to take away the sacrifice.” Peeng! A red fire sword emerged from Yura’s hand. Its momentum was fierce. Unlike a black magician who didn’t have a lot of attack magic, she was well versed in it. I was intimidated as I saw the flames. ’Did I get this far, only to die?’ Why the hell was she here? As despair filled my body, a notification window popped up. [You have been hit by a blow!] [A legend doesn’t die easily. You can resist all attacks for 5 seconds with the minimum amount of health.] I had one health point remaining. I had temporarily forgotten about it, but the attribute of my title was activated and I temporarily had an immortal body. Yura’s face was perplexed as she saw that I survived, despite being hit by her magic. “That was clearly a critical hit... Based on the equipment, you are only around level 80. So how are you fine after being hit by that attack?” Yura asked while hiding herself behind the black magicians in preparation for Doran’s counterattack. She always had a calm smile on TV, so I was probably the only one who had seen Yura’s flustered expression. I ran forward and shouted to Doran, “Quickly! Let’s finish it in five seconds! I’ll use my body to block their attacks, so Doran must kill them! I believe in you, Doran! My god!” The spells of all the black magicians, including Yura, were concentrated on me. This meant that Doran could strike freely. The best development. ’Yes, hit me! No matter how you hit, I won’t die!’ Today would be the day where an ordinary user would stand up to a ranker. I narrowed the gap towards Yura as all types of curses and attack spells hit me, while Doran followed the path I made and dealt devastation to all the black magicians. Then Doran stepped on my back and jumped towards Yura. Yura blocked his attack despite being in a state of confusion. On the other hand, Doran’s momentum rose. ‘We can win!’ But was it because Doran stepped on my back? [You have died.] “......?” Eh? Eeeeh? I wanted to reject this situation, but reality was cruel. A new notification window popped up as my vision turned grey. [Quest failed!] [Your level has dropped by 2.] [You are now level -3.] [As you have died two times within 24 hours, you won’t be able to connect to the game for 12 hours.] Hah, it somehow turned out like this. I gazed towards Doran fighting... No, my last sight as I closed my eyes was that damned Blood Witch.