The largest gathering of players Jinyoung had ever seen was his first year as a cadet. There was a sudden break in the neighboring town and monsters came pouring out of a dungeon. The Society put a call out and hundreds of warriors answered. It only took a day to clear the dungeon completely and make sure that the townspeople were safe.
That was then. This was different.
Hundreds of clans showed up to Seorak for the outbreak quest. There were a few villages located scattered throughout the region, but the large resorts had been prepared ahead of time for the massive influx of adventurers.
An older man Jinyoung had never met noticed Hana and walked toward them with a wide smile on his face. “As I live and breathe, the Phoenix clan. It’s good to see you again, Hana.”
“It’s good to see you, too, Guild Master.”
“Please, no need to be so formal.” He paused and looked over Jinyoung and Willow. “I’d heard you had revived the old house. New crew, though?”
“My brother Jinyoung and a fresh new scholar, Willow.”
The man’s eyes widened when Hana mentioned the familial relationship. “Brother? You mean the onion knight?”
Jinyoung did his best not to scowl. He was getting tired of the moniker. The origin of the name was still unknown to him and it was starting to get on his nerves.
“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” he gripped Jinyoung’s hand in a firm handshake. “Is this your first outbreak?”
It was, but he stayed silent. Outbreaks weren’t uncommon, even twenty years ago. They occurred when a dungeon was left on its own for too long and the monster population grew to critical levels. The increase in monsters would lead to more miasma which would lead to more monsters and so on. Eventually, the population of monsters would grow unstable and they’d leave the confines of the dungeons to hunt.
In most cases, the Society would send parties to clear the dungeon and shut them down completely. But Seorak was a special case. The location of the actual dungeon itself was somewhere deep in the forests of Seorak mountain. So deep that no one had found it.
“But the damned hordes of monsters, including the mid-boss, find their way out every year.”
“Every season?” Willow asked. Outbreaks were a part of life, but they were dangerous. Monsters roaming the free lands outside a dungeon posed a serious danger.
Jinyoung narrowed his eyes and scanned the crowds of armored adventurers. “You’d think with all these warriors and mages, they’d have cleared the thing by now.”
“You’d think that. But look closer.”
Willow and Jinyoung did as they were told and looked at the crowd. It wasn’t just players in the crowd, there were merchants, healers, and stalls set up offering varying services.
“They’ve turned the damned thing into a carnival,” the Guild Master spat. “They all come for the glory and experience, then leave before finishing the job. Then next season, it starts all over again.”
It was a disturbing thought. Jinyoung had heard of outbreaks decimating entire families in the past. And to see it allowed for sport was disturbing.
“Willow, the Player Society should’ve set up camp near the forest’s edge. Put in a request for a fourth. Jinyoung and I will buy provisions for tomorrow.”
The former cadet nodded and slowly moved through the crowd.
“I have my duties, Hana, but before I go here.” The Guild Master held out a hand for a second and a quest appeared.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
QUEST: OUTBREAK at Seorak
OBJECTIVE: Kill 20,000 monsters in the Seorak QUEST Area within one week
REWARD: 2,000,000 GOLD (each party will receive a portion of the reward)
FAILURE: The Seorak region will no longer be safe for humans
Unlike regular quests, Outbreak quests were undertaken by multiple parties at once. There was no limit to the player count and a bounty was placed on each monster killed in the quest area. This meant that each monster the party hunted would give them 100 Gold which wasn’t much. There were plenty of other quests that could pay more, but the alternative was leaving the Seorak region to be overrun by monsters. And they couldn’t let that happen.
“Thank you, sir. Good hunting.”
***
Jinyoung had worried when they set out with basic gear, weapons only really. But in the crowded grounds of what used to be a hotel parking lot, he understood. The merchants here carried gear specifically for this quest.
“We used to store gear in the basement of the offices,” Hana explained, “but Johann donated most of it after the clan disbanded.”
She might as well have spoken to a rock because Jinyoung was barely paying attention. His eyes were glued to the tables of weapons, armor, and gear for sale. He’d gotten an inkling when Hana had presented him with gear that would’ve cost as much as a small car. Now, he could see that powered weapons and equipment with defensive attributes were easily available.
He held up an amulet that purported to allow the bearer to cast [teleport], regardless of class.
Amulet of Instant Teleportation
Allows the user to cast [TELEPORT]
Charges Remaining: 4 / 50
Hana looked up from a small steel shield she was inspecting. “Careful with those, they’re worth 20,000 GOLD.”
Jinyoung slowly put the amulet back down on the table.
“I guess it makes sense. Even if there are only a few charges left.”
“What?”
He pointed down at the enchanted jewelry, “There are a max of 50 charges, but only 4 are left.”
Casting gear was rare enough, but rarer still was the ability to see how many charges were left. It was one thing if the provenance was known and tracked, but it was another for anything from the gray market.
She picked up another wooden shield she had been inspecting earlier. There was a small note taped to it. It read, Fire Resistance, Increased Durability, Reduces Skill Cooldown.
“What about this one?” she asked.
Arcane Reinforced Small Shield
Attributes: Fire Resistance (low), Ethereal
“There’s no Skill Cooldown, but it does have Fire Resistance. Low. And it’s something called ‘Ethereal’?”
Hana smiled. “It means that the attribute disappears if you repair the shield.”
She dropped the shield back on the table where it landed with a thud.
“Wait. Hana, what do you see when you pick up the shield?”
She placed her hand on the shield and looked at the system window. “It says fire resistance and there are three other attributes that I can’t read.”
Her eyes struggled to read the faded text until she just gave up. “Usually, that means that the attributes have faded with time or damage. But the ‘ethereal’ aspect means even repairing it wouldn’t bring them back.”
Jinyoung [scanned+] the marketplace and saw a multitude of items advertising attributes and stat increases that were, in reality, nonexistent.
“This might take a while.”
***
It took a few hours, but Jinyoung and Hana had purchased enough gear to make their time in the forests and mountains of Seorak easier. The armor they purchased allowed for easier maneuverability while the weapons had increased durability, meaning they’d last longer in the field. Jinyoung had his eye on a ring that could cast [firebolt], but even he had to admit 15,000 gold for a level 1 skill made no sense.
Willow was happy to hear that Hana and Jinyoung did well with the outfitters. If only because she had less than good news for the party.
“The Society rejected our request for a fourth.”
A stunned silence was the only answer she got. It was rare for the Society to refuse or reject a request for additional party members. Especially in this case because there were so many freelancers available in the area.
“But, that’s not the worst of it.”
Hana struggled to imagine what could possibly be worse. And she even voiced the thought.
“Clan Pegasus is joining the quest today.”