Succeeding.
As the strength left my body, a wide smile spread across my face.
I didn’t die outside. The moment the duration of immortality ended, I was able to enter the village.
Beyond my fading vision, I caught sight of Hwarang and Iyap flailing and rushing towards me.
“Hey! Hey!”
“Guild Leader… you’ve finally returned…”
No pain, no gain.
The city created by the outlaws of the Ruthless Wilderness is a place thoroughly isolated from the outside.
I died, but I didn’t really die. Once inside this village, raiders are protected regardless of their condition.
The raider penalty I possess was also ineffective in this village.
As I touched the message that appeared before me, my body faded, leaving behind a hazy afterimage.
Iyap seemed to sense my end, removing his hat and giving me a brief moment of silence.
“I won’t forget the Guild Leader’s last moments…”
“You crazy girl…”
I frowned at Hwarang’s words. Calling my sister a crazy girl? Was that something sane to say?
If Mom had been nearby, there would have been a large palm print on Hwarang’s back.
Swoosh—
As my blurred vision cleared again, I found myself opening my eyes not far from the village entrance, in front of an inn.
Iyap and Hwarang were still staring blankly at the spot where I had died.
The awkward silence between the two men was somewhat uncomfortable.
I approached them quickly.
“What are you two doing?”
“… What?”
“Guild Leader? You died…?”
“If you die inside this village, you don’t receive the penalty effect.”
I said that while pointing toward the outside of the village.
“This place is basically a disconnected channel.”
Indeed. The users that lined up to surround the village were nowhere to be seen here.
This village was a sort of instant dungeon.
[You have successfully plundered Gold Rush!]
[You successfully exchanged 55,000 gold.]
[You need to negotiate with Sibyric about the gold distribution.]
[Negotiations will proceed favorably according to the contribution to the Gold Rush plunder.]
[Gold Rush plunder contribution 65%]
[Expected distribution amount 35,750]
Nodding as I confirmed the message before me.
I had obtained a massive amount of gold. Now, it was truly a situation where just the last moments remained.
Hwarang and Iyap seemed to have confirmed the message as well, looking somewhat sullen as they stared into the air.
Do they think the amount to be distributed is less than expected?
I silently gazed at Hwarang. If it weren’t for Hwarang’s efforts, we wouldn’t have been able to secure this much money.
“What should we do? Negotiate?”
“Will we get more if we negotiate?”
“Well… I’m not sure about that either.”
I glanced at the large tavern nearby while responding to Iyap.
Sibyric must be waiting for us inside.
If I could understand how much gold we should distribute, then negotiation wouldn’t be necessary.
I just needed to collect the gold that Sibyric gives us and exit.
However, if I thought the gold to be distributed was insufficient, we could negotiate with Sibyric.
No one knew where that negotiation might lead.
“Let’s head in for now.”
Everyone nodded at Iyap’s words.
We took steps into the tavern’s entrance.
Just as we crossed the tavern’s threshold, NPCs began to appear one by one in the previously empty tavern, starting to gulp down food and drink.
Sibyric too had taken a seat, drinking away.
Next to him was a large bag of money.
That was it. That was the gold we were meant to divide.
“Isn’t it a bit late?”
As I approached Sibyric, he waved at us with a pleasantly bright smile.
A signal for us to sit.
We sat down for the moment. Thinking about it, was it a good idea to try negotiating?
Honestly, I wouldn’t have minded leaving just like this. But it felt regretful. Thinking of the share of the deceased Snow Mage, exactly 40,000 gold seemed appropriate for four people.
“Here you go, this is your share.”
[35,750 Gold]
[Would you like to proceed with the negotiation?]
The bag of money contained the precise amount the system mentioned.
I silently stared at Sibyric.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Are you unsatisfied with the distribution?”
“What if I am?”
“Pfft… well then…”
Sibyric pondered briefly over my words, then threw a glance at Hwarang, who was sitting quietly.
It was a short moment, but it seemed like he had developed a rather favorable impression of Hwarang.
“Fine. I’ll give you a bit more.”
[36,750 Gold]
[Would you like to proceed with the negotiation?]
We could claw back a whole thousand gold.
Would this be enough? I glanced at Iyap and Hwarang.
Iyap nodded as if it didn’t matter, but Hwarang didn’t seem satisfied.
As Hwarang shook his head to express his refusal, Sibyric’s face twisted in displeasure.
“Hey, kid. Don’t put me in a bad mood anymore. Just take the money and get lost while I’m in a good mood.”
[Sibyric refuses the negotiation.]
[Would you like to proceed with the negotiation?]
If I irritated Sibyric any further, I might end up having to fight him.
If that happened, Sibyric would transform from an ordinary Named NPC into a boss-class monster.
If we had a tank and a healer, it might have been worth a shot, but right now, that wasn’t a great choice.
It was unavoidable. I nodded and stood up from my seat.
But Hwarang moved even faster.
Swish—
The swiftly drawn revolver spun as it pointed at Sibyric’s head.
“Hey, hey! Are you crazy? If we lose here, we’ll lose everything!”
With this party composition, we couldn’t fight the powerful opponent that was Sibyric.
If we began combat without having a deal and ended up dying, we would lose all gold we could’ve possibly gained.
It truly was the Ruthless Wilderness.
“Quest.”
“What?”
“I’m in the middle of a quest.”
I gaped as I registered Hwarang’s words.
Could it be that I was unknowingly participating in a hidden quest?
I clenched the bag of money with a sour expression.
“I guess I shouldn’t have said anything…”
[Negotiation will be dismissed.]
[You won’t be able to gain gold until the duel’s outcome is determined.]
“This crazy bastard!”
I gasped and reached out toward Hwarang.
But Hwarang skillfully dodged my hand and stepped back.
To give up the gold that all party members could earn for his own quest?
I drew my sword and aimed it at Hwarang. This was absolutely unacceptable.
I was the party leader. It was my decision to give up the gold.
“This crazy bastard… what kind of gold are you making me give up…”
“Shh. You need a lot of gold. I’ll share my share with you.”
“But—”
“Trust me.”
Hwarang said that while showing a remarkably refreshing smile.
I felt particularly irritated.
Sibyric drained his glass and stood up from his seat.
The tall old man looked down at me with ruthless eyes as he passed by.
Following him was Hwarang.
I watched them anxiously from behind. What on earth were they thinking?
This party combination wouldn’t allow us to defeat Sibyric.
“Let’s just watch for now.”
I nodded at Iyap’s words and followed behind Hwarang.
Iyap and Sibyric stood still facing each other outside the tavern.
[The dual between the Twilight Eye Sibyric and Hwarang begins.]
“What’s going on…”
I gawked as I confirmed the message that appeared before me.
This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.
Just like a duel among users, a large flag fell from the sky.
The moment that flag appeared, the two were no longer interrupted by external influences.
I didn’t know how Sibyric and Hwarang set up the duel, but a large countdown clock began over their heads.
“It’s like a scene from a movie.”
“Damn…”
I sighed at Iyap’s words and slumped down onto a nearby wooden crate.
Iyap too leaned against the wooden pillar of the tavern, watching the duel between Sibyric and Hwarang.
As the countdown reached its end, the two men moved simultaneously.
The revolvers quickly drawn from their holsters spat fire at each other.
Rat-tat-tat!
Both sides released bullets that traced mighty arcs through the air.
I watched in awe as their bullets collided in mid-air and fell to the ground.
In that instant, Sibyric’s arm whipped like a whip.
Bang—!
The elongated bullet arched toward Hwarang.
Entering a state of extreme focus as I watched, a white headache washed over me as my thoughts accelerated.
Just as I was reading the bullet’s movement, I noticed Hwarang’s gaze fixed precisely on the bullet flying towards him.
The revolver that had been aimed at Sibyric shifted slightly to the right, firing into the empty air.
Bang—!
The slow sound stretched long. The bullet that exited with white smoke perfectly intercepted Sibyric’s hook shot.
Ping!
Neither approached the other. They simply traded fire from a distance.
As bullets intertwined and fell to the ground, Iyap gasped in admiration.
“Wow…”
As time flowed, Hwarang’s movements became even more refined.
Just as I had learned swordsmanship from the VRS pros in the arena, Hwarang was adapting Sibyric’s movements as his own.
Bang—!
Pick—!
Of course, he couldn’t block every attack.
After firing the hook shot, the straight-line attack that covered the front allowed Sibyric to allow one bullet to pierce his body.
He couldn’t block all attacks. But Hwarang too was steadily sinking bullets into Sibyric’s body.
Bang—!
Bang—!
The bullets aimed at each other pierced through their bodies. Blood poured from where they hurriedly turned, spilling onto the ground, but the gazes of the two remained vividly alive.
In that moment, Hwarang moved to the side, firing bullets.
Rat-tat-tat!
Sibyric reacted to that attack. The lights erupting from both hands covered the sky, blocking all of Hwarang’s bullets.
In that moment, Hwarang, rolling on the ground, fired his last bullet.
Bang—!
The swiftly shot bullet knocked aside bullets scattering in the air. That bullet changed direction once, twice, and thrice.
Thwack—!
Like a mirroring of Sibyric’s hook shot in his own way, Hwarang’s bullet pierced Sibyric’s head, tracing a bizarre trajectory.
“Huh…”
The speed at which Sibyric moved came to a halt.
His black cowboy hat fell to the ground.
The stark white hair began to bleed, slowly scattering in the wind.
Thud—
The moment Sibyric’s body collapsed, a message popped up for all party members to see.
[Hwarang has won the duel!]
[You have obtained 55,000 Gold!]
An unexpected situation unfolded. Hwarang turned to me with a grin, much like before.
This time I didn’t shy away. He was the one who brought back 55,000 gold. Today, he was not so bad.
“Is the quest complete?”
“Not yet.”
Hwarang answered my question as he approached Sibyric’s corpse.
He then took both revolvers from the corpse of Sibyric into his hands.
“Nice.”
Hwarang beamed at the revolvers in his hands.
Then he linked the item in the party chat.
[Twilight and Dawn]
Agility +700 World
Agility +20%
Physical Attack Power +4000
Pistol
Bound Item
Level Limit 85
Attack Speed Increased by 20%
Projectile Speed Increased by 20%
Max Damage Increased by 45%
Additional 20% Damage when attacking Humans
Increased Max Shot Limit by 1
Cooldown of [Roll Back] decreased by 1 second
Cooldown of [Step Back] decreased by 1 second
Cooldown after using the [Shooting] skill decreased by 0.2 seconds
[Hook Shot] skill available
[Hook Shot]
Swings the arm widely to fire a bending bullet.
A new world item has appeared in Deron.
![[TS] Obsessed Gamer: The Ultimate Return](https://i3.wp.com/novelhitam.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/TS-Obsessed-Gamer-The-Ultimate-Return2.png?resize=85,105 "[TS] Obsessed Gamer: The Ultimate Return")
