Chapter 12
A genius receives attention even before stepping onto the stage.
Can an awl hidden in a pocket remain concealed? Even if unknown before taking the stage, they would soon draw attention.
Of course, there weren't absolutely no exceptions.
"Was it about 6 months ago...? A supernova appeared who maxed out their favorability from the start? Even pulled a Mythic God, right?"
"The industry was turned upside down. You have no idea how much they freaked out over failing to recruit them..."
"Sigh. No, how many cases like that could there even be? My heart shrinks every time I hear news about that guy. I'm afraid our department head will go apeshit again."
Since that day, scouts had been increasing by the day, but newbies starting with valuable traits were as rare as beans in a drought.
Let alone if it was a combat-related trait?
"They said if I don't bring in even one by the end of this month, I should prepare myself... This is basically telling me to go die."
"Tell me about it. Honestly, are newbies these days just regular newbies? They all know their own value properly. If their traits are that good, they'd join a large guild. Why would they come to a mid-sized guild like this unless they're crazy?"
"Ugh. Your fate is my fate, man. Instead of complaining, let's find at least one more."
Today again, they couldn't help but go out looking for talent while inevitably complaining, like eating mustard while crying.
"That guy's a lost cause."
"Hmm... How about that one? Seems like they might be a combat class."
"Look at the way they're swinging their sword in the air. I'll bet my 1-year experience that they don't have a single swordsmanship-related trait."
"They could be a Hero God, you know?"
"Hey, have you ever done this job for even one or two days? At this point, how can you tell talent just from picking a good class? You need traits to back it up to be worth investing in. Unless it's a Mythic God or a rare Hero God..."
"That one looks decent though? Their eyes look alive."
It had already been 1 year and 6 months since the game launched.
Those with experience had reached a level where they could assess potential just from a rough glance.
It was the know-how they had earned from talking to newbies without discriminating between fire and water.
Thanks to that, the reality for scouts among users was being treated similarly to religious proselytizers, but at least their discernment had improved.
Their criteria for judgment wasn't anything grand.
Just as cult recruiters could eerily identify people who seemed kind and approachable, they judged through newbies' expressions, tone of voice, and conversations.
Going further, there were even those who looked at the eyes, and surprisingly, this had a fairly high accuracy rate.
It was because newbies who obtained good traits gave off a different vibe from the start.
"They can't help but boast."
"Looking like they won the lottery from the start, how could it not show?"
"If it were me, I'd be screaming all over the neighborhood."
For that reason, scouts watched newbies' eyes and expressions, so the users they avoided the most tended to be similar.
"Hmm... Those eyes are completely dead."
"On the level of a goshiwon resident retaking the exam for the third time? I'm curious about what kind of trait they even got."
"That guy's mentality is shattered, so they're a lost cause for a combat class."
They all gave off a similar vibe.
It was then.
A scout observing newbies nudged his colleague and jerked his chin.
"Hey, look at that guy."
"Hmm? Oh my... That's a proper bomb right there."
What they were looking at was a man.
He looked fairly manly with a warm impression, but he was staring into empty space with somewhat vacant eyes. He was even moving his lips as if murmuring something repeatedly while looking at nothing.
The type of newbie scouts avoided the most were exactly those kinds of people.
Those kinds of people usually had the worst traits to the point of considering deletion, and more often than not, even their god gacha was the worst.
"Tsk tsk, looks like he stepped in some serious shit... What did he even get? Did he roll the Lazy Donkey God or something?"
"There are so many worst gods that I'm not really sure... Seems like a pretty bad trait came up."
"Was Foot Eater the officially known worst trait?"
Foot Eater.
Literally, an ability that increases movement speed when eating the feet of insects or animals.
Not by much, just really slightly.
One might wonder if such trash traits even exist, but the reason this trait became famous was because of how the user obtained it.
It was a trait obtained from actually sucking on feet out of anger because Charlie told them to suck feet.
Proudly, the protagonist of that bizarre story was Korean.
"As if something like that came up."
"There are so many traits... Maybe something even worse came up."
"Hmm... Whatever it is, it's a lost cause."
In reality, they had never seen someone showing that kind of reaction again in high-level content.
More than nine out of ten either quit the game or deleted their character and created a new one after 60 days.
A bomb with a 99% accuracy rate.
"You never know. They might just not level up and enjoy it moderately. God of Secrets has plenty of things to see and play with."
"True... I heard there are many people who play to date and have fun in God of Secrets. Paying all that expensive money..."
"Let's just focus on our own work."
Therefore, the scouts didn't give the man any more attention.
They didn't even have enough time to look at other newbies.
That was the reason.
"Excuse me. Ah, I'm not a strange person. I'm Bae Jin-cheol from the Peacemaker Guild. It's not that..."
"...Huh? Did you ask if I like sashimi? Trying to eat it raw... No, what did you just say!?"
"Excuse me, ah, I'm not a scout. Would you like to buy an item? I have a package I'm selling cheap to newbies right now."
Scouts, newbies, and even merchants.
The reason Dohyun alone could have his own complete time in the chaotic central square.
In front of such Dohyun's eyes, information was floating.
[Blood Oath Necklace]
[Grade: Hero]
[Description: A necklace of the oath bound with the blood of Arren Castle's knight commander 'Charlie.' Only his lord can possess the necklace.]
[Level Requirement: None]
[Equipment Requirement: Charlie's lord]
[Physical Defense: 61]
[Magic Resistance: 53]
- Strength + 4
- Agility + 2
- Vitality + 1
- Attack Speed + 5%
- Movement Speed + 5%
[Special Option: Increases defense and magic resistance upon gaining certain experience points.]
[Special Option: Unlocked upon reaching level 35.]
- Untradeable
'...Jackpot, is a hero-grade item from the start for real?'
The information of the necklace received from Charlie, which he couldn't see because of the class change.
Even the options were extraordinary.
'Ah... I really feel like I'm going to pass out from diabetes.'
At the continuous outpouring of sweet rewards, Dohyun was screaming internally, and people were subtly avoiding his vicinity.
They wouldn't know.
That the man they were avoiding not only had the combat class trait they so desperately wanted, but also had a whopping 5 additional traits.
Even that he had drawn the one and only god in God of Secrets history, and possessed a legendary title and a hero-grade necklace.
Kaiser—the moment he truly set foot in God of Secrets.
* * *
What do newbies who finished the tutorial do first?
Sightseeing the otherworld scenery that looks like reality?
Otherworld restaurant mukbang? Abrtatel's special red beer?
All of that is good, but if you're a user who manifested a combat class trait, seven out of ten would shout in unison.
"RPG is all about hunting!"
"Quickly, monsters! Find monsters!"
"Those arrogant goblin shits are all dead."
God of Secrets is, above all, best at hunting.
Fascinated by the high-level boss raid videos of the top 10 guilds and veterans, they were itching to grow quickly and become stronger.
Flashy magic.
Dazzling swordsmanship.
Sturdy shields.
Sacred effects...
They had none of these, but when going out to hunt, they were enviable mages and warriors.
But even they had something they followed.
"You have to accept quests first."
"Guide quests are essential."
"Let's go to Uncle Dante first."
"Goblin shits, wait a moment."
Quests.
Like most RPG games, God of Secrets also had high quest efficiency.
To the point where it was faster to do some running around in the village and accept a quest or two rather than hunting blindly.
Let alone considering quest rewards, it could be considered essential.
Therefore, God of Secrets users were desperate to find quests, and now, after 1 year and 6 months, most quest guides had been released.
[Essential Reading Quest Guide for Beginners]
The guide, also known as the newbie must-read, was one of them.
-Really well organized.
-Honestly, the person who made this should get an award.
-For real, there's no reason to skip it. They even give a rare-grade item, so you'd be an idiot not to do it.
A top-tier guide where just following the route written in it would not only let you reach level 12, commonly considered graduating from the beginner city, but also fill your adventure book and obtain a rare-grade item.
'Objectively, it's a well-written guide.'
Since it still held the top best index, Dohyun also planned to follow its route.
If there was an advantage to being a latecomer, this was it.
There was no fun in discovering things yourself, but you could comfortably follow the path paved by the pioneers.
Finding where Dante was wasn't difficult.
It was kindly written in the guide, but you didn't even need to look—just follow where the users were flocking.
'As expected, following where there are many people is the golden rule.'
This was an immutable law whether in reality or in games.
Upon arriving at a hut, users could be seen huddled together. Their appearance, frowning and buzzing about, didn't look very welcoming.
"That's Dante! Quick, accept... What's with that, is that all a line?"
"Ugh, I need to accept it quickly and go hunting, but what is this. Why is the line so long?"
"Agh, even in virtual reality, this VR chronic illness isn't fixed."
A considerable crowd.
Users who were itching to hunt as quickly as possible were already feeling dizzy, but their complaints were quickly silenced.
"Oh ho, quite a lot this time too! Then I'll ask without hesitation! Please slaughter those foolish goblins that keep multiplying without any sense!"
Ding-.
[Quest 'Goblin Cleanup' has occurred.]
[Goblin Cleanup]
-Grade: Normal
-Description: A quest commissioned by Arde's superior hunter Dante.
Arde's hunters are insufficient to organize the goblins that are noticeably increasing day by day.
A situation where it doesn't pay off for a superior hunter like him to step in directly. He's requesting the troublesome goblin cleanup to the disciples who appeared in Arde just in time.
-Goblins slain (0 / 40)
-Reward upon completion: 80 silver, a certain amount of experience.
-Risk upon failure: Dante's favorability may decrease.
-Time limit: 24 hours
[Do you wish to accept the quest?]
'...Hmm?'
Thanks to Dante's boldness of immediately giving out a group quest as soon as they arrived, they were able to receive the quest quickly.