Park Jin-ho’s current goal was simple: reach level 10 as quickly as possible and advance to his next job.
That singular purpose had brought him deep into the forest.
Here, among the dense trees, Hobgoblins appeared. They were a good source of experience, and sometimes they even dropped useful items.
Both hobgoblins and their larger cousins, hopgoblins, were a definite step up from the common goblins, but they still posed little challenge to Park Jin-ho.
I wasn't thrown into this bloody game to waste hours chit-chatting, he thought. The forest was a prime hunting ground, and he would gain nothing by wasting time on the district representative election.
Only those who took the initiative would even discover the sub-quest's existence. He knew the quest window would only appear to those who entered the forest. Only then would the others realize that endless discussion wasn't the answer to surviving this round.
Of course, the position of district representative sounded appealing, but it was a title only one in five thousand could obtain. It was better to give up on it from the start. Besides, the position was a poisoned chalice; best not to even consider it. Park Jin-ho was convinced that the key to this round was to hunt and grow stronger as fast as possible.
Suddenly, a hopgoblin emerged from behind a tree, a crude hunting knife clutched in its hand. It was slightly larger than a hobgoblin and cut a somewhat intimidating figure, but in Park Jin-ho’s eyes, it was nothing more than a toy.
At the sharp snap of Park Jin-ho's fingers, the hopgoblin rushed towards him, clearly insulted by the gesture. But Park Jin-ho didn’t just stand there waiting.
He moved in a blur, closing the distance between them in an instant. Before the startled hopgoblin could react, Park Jin-ho’s stiletto plunged deep into its throat.
[You have defeated the hopgoblin!]
[Experience point buff x3 is currently in effect.]
[Experience point +9%.]
[Current kill count: 1/100.]
[The Haksal-ui Rune increases all stats by 1%.]
With the triple experience buff and the effect of the Haksal-ui Rune, Park Jin-ho's power was already climbing. He had no time to admire the system messages, however.
One hobgoblin meant more were nearby.
Park Jin-ho scanned the area and, as expected, spotted another.
Hobgoblins never roam alone.
A grin touched his lips as he sprinted toward his next target.
[You have defeated the hobgoblin!]
[Experience point buff x3 is currently in effect.]
[Experience point +7.2%.]
[Current kill count: 50/100.]
[The Haksal-ui Rune increases all stats by 50%.]
[Your level has increased!]
As Park Jin-ho’s level rose, the experience he gained from each kill began to diminish. It was a natural progression; the higher his level, the more experience it took to advance. The Haksal-ui Rune diligently tracked his mounting kill count.
[There are 3 hours and 30 minutes left until the vote.]
In just thirty minutes of hunting, Park Jin-ho had climbed from level 5 to 9. He was now at the point where a mere 10,000 more experience points would allow him to change his job. As he scanned his surroundings for more prey, he cautiously allocated his newly earned stat points.
Agility is still the way to go.
In the early stages, agility was the only stat that truly mattered. Survival depended on dodging enemy attacks and waiting for the perfect moment to counter. Anyone who wasn't a fool understood the importance of agility.
While it might seem efficient to invest in strength runes like Lee Jun-ho did, stubbornly focusing on physical power was a rookie mistake. Immense strength was useless if you were too slow to avoid a blade. Sooner or later, everyone faced a situation where only agility could save them.
It's not just agility; all stats are important.
A player’s abilities were divided into four categories: strength, intelligence, agility, and luck. Strength governed physical damage, health, and defense. Intelligence controlled magical damage, mental power, and thinking speed. Agility improved attack speed, movement speed, and dodge rate. And luck influenced critical hit rate, item drop rate, and bonus gold.
No stat was unnecessary.
The key was to distribute points evenly across all four. This was especially true for Sasin, who were a hybrid job. While most classes focused on either physical or magical damage, Sasin used both. For them, increasing intelligence was just as critical to their damage output as increasing strength.
The ideal build is to raise all stats evenly.
After dozens of trials, Park Jin-ho had reached this conclusion without a shadow of a doubt. If he could also obtain the [Gyunhyeong-ui Rune], which granted bonus effects for an even stat distribution, his build would be truly terrifying. Like the Doksim-ui Rune, the Gyunhyeong-ui Rune was a must-have.
For now, clearing the sub-quest was his top priority, especially since there were additional rewards for being the first to complete it. Since he had a head start and an experience buff, it wouldn't be difficult.
As Park Jin-ho prepared to resume hunting, a faint rustling sound reached his ears.
He froze. The rustling stopped.
Is someone following me?
It could be someone from the open field, or perhaps someone who had been drawn by the trail of monster corpses he’d left behind.
I was so focused on hunting that I got careless. Did I pick up a tail?
His expression soured. There hadn’t been any stalkers in his previous regressions. For a regressionist, this was the most terrifying possibility—an unexpected variable, one that could ripple outwards and change the future he knew.
“Whoever you are, come out and state your purpose.” Park Jin-ho’s voice was low, his bloodstained dagger pointed toward the source of the sound. “Otherwise…”
Perhaps the threatening tone was effective.
From behind a tree, the stalker revealed himself.