HPDBC Chapter 56
Chapter 56
It has already been 13 months since Demon's Saga opened.
In that time, the levels of the users had increased significantly. I could feel it myself.
The number of people entering this forest had certainly increased.
Of course, most of them died, but at the very least, they entered with the belief that it was worth a challenge.
This was proof that levels had risen that much.
Well, considering that they kept coming back to life, I expected their skills would improve rapidly.
But who would have thought...
‘That she would hit level 100 already.’
It wasn’t that I was dismissing her outright.
After all, Yoo Chae-rin seemed to have quite a bit of talent, in my opinion.
Her boldness during fights and her judgment made her impressive at times.
It was just surprising that someone close to me had already reached level 100.
After all, when she caught the mutated rabbit last time, her level had already been over 80.
It had been more than four months since then, so reaching level 100 was certainly possible.
In fact, seeing it this way, it even seemed a little slow.
‘But what does level 100 even mean?’
Curious about that, I asked her.
“Hmm, around the upper tier of B-rank adventurers.”
I received this answer. B-rank adventurers.
Though it was a step below A-rank, it was not a rank to be underestimated.
These were among the top tier among those who made fighting their profession.
Now, otherworlders had reached a position of strength by this world’s standards.
Of course, they wouldn’t stand a chance against S-rank adventurers or commanders...
Still, it was impressive, to say the least.
As I was pondering such things, another question suddenly came to mind.
“By the way, who is currently ranked first among the otherworlders?”
“Oh, the number one ranking? Let’s see... I think it’s around 118 right now. They’ve been A-rank for quite some time.”
“...Hmm.”
I let out a contemplative hum.
That was certainly high.
To reach A-rank within a year since otherworlders started appearing was remarkably fast.
But somehow, it felt like there was a bit of a brake being applied.
Just four months ago, I had heard that the number one ranked individual was level 103.
Yet now, over four months later, they had only managed to increase by 15 levels.
Had they been slacking off in the game? That didn’t seem likely.
If they reached the number one rank, they must have poured money and time into it, yet they had only gained that little.
Had she picked up on my doubts? Before I could even ask, she answered.
“Apparently, growth becomes noticeably slower after around level 95. I took a long time to get past that point myself.”
That made sense.
In games, it was common knowledge that as levels increased, leveling up became more difficult.
But it wasn’t like they could endlessly farm monsters like in some other games.@@@@
Since it required user movement rather than just clicking,
if an individual’s skills didn’t keep up, they wouldn’t be able to match the physicality of the rampaging monsters.
That would lead to falling behind.
Thus, a wall naturally formed.
It was inevitable. From here on out, one would need either talent or effort to break through.
Especially since there still wasn’t a single otherworlder who used 'sword energy.'
It seemed that just having skill points didn’t mean you could learn skills at will.
“Yeah, to be honest, I’ve been feeling a bit of a wall lately.”
Of course, her level was still rising.
But to be honest, it wasn’t a level she had legitimately earned.
She had been hunting weaker monsters rather than monsters of similar levels.
Just how big was the difference between 80-90 level monsters and 100 level monsters...?
Even though she had talent, it was becoming increasingly difficult to face monsters of the same level.
In a game like Demon's Saga, which relied heavily on skill, this was a huge problem.
It meant she could hit a limit at any time.
This had already been proven by the earlier top-ranked players.
Those who charged ahead quickly by farming monsters had eventually fallen behind over time.
Chae-rin perhaps thought her future might not be that different from theirs.
That’s why she had requested a spar with Yor.
At least among those she knew, there were no fighters of his caliber.
Though her main weapon was a spear, she could also use a dagger, which helped.
She figured he would certainly provide her with concrete strategies.
Of course, she decided that she would pay for this later. About three pizza breads’ worth.
“Then, let’s begin...?”
After giving the viewers a brief explanation of the content, Chae-rin gripped her dagger in reverse.
From a distance, she could see Yor nodding calmly.
She charged toward him without hesitation.
...
And to get straight to the conclusion,
She was utterly defeated.
She didn’t even manage to land a single effective hit.
The only time she attacked was when he graciously let her, and she was retired with that single attack.
The gap in skill was overwhelming.
Was this even fair...? No, was this even a human?
Well, it felt a bit ambiguous to call a being with ‘demon’s blood’ a human.
“Haa, haa, how was it...? Did you see anything I could improve...?”
Chae-rin asked while catching her breath.
The response she received was shocking.
“...Well.”
“?”
“I don’t know. How would I know after just one look?”
After all, he had never properly trained in combat.
Had he learned from a knight or received knowledge from a nearby adventurer?
He had just been swinging randomly, and that’s how it had turned out.
...But even so, though he hadn’t formally trained,
He knew at least the fastest way to improve one’s skills.
That was through real combat.
If she kept clashing, she would eventually learn. That’s how he had survived.
“Stop resting and try again. No, this time, should I attack?”
“...Y-yes?”
Chae-rin asked back with a bewildered expression.
And thus, her hell began.