Chapter 226 – The Tournament（26）
“Good idea.”
“Yes, it is.”
John Overton asked me to organize a gathering of h.e.l.l Difficulty challengers to hold various discussions about h.e.l.l Difficulty.
It is definitely a good proposal.
The gathering would bring great help to those suffering alone as h.e.l.l Difficulty challengers in the servers of other countries.
Just like me, both Lee Hyung Jin and John Overton enjoy talking to each other.
What they need is empathy.
It would be beneficial for the people trapped on the 1st floor of h.e.l.l Difficulty.
Most challengers of h.e.l.l Difficulty are stuck on the 1st floor just trying to survive.
They think they are completely different beings from me and Lee Hyung Jin.
They treat me and Lee Hyung Jin like mutated geniuses to justify their stagnant behavior.
I wonder if they would gain some motivation if they see people besides us challenging h.e.l.l Difficulty.
There must be challengers on the 1st floor in other servers, so communicating with them may improve their lives.
I should seek Kim Min Hyuk for advice.
The event is in everyone’s interest.
The suffering challengers from servers of various countries can improve their mental state by gathering together, but there are other purposes as well.
No one knows when conflicts between servers will erupt.
Although the tournament will come to an end soon, we still need a way to alleviate or eliminate these conflicts.
We don’t know when the next tournament is and, most of all, the situation may be the same outside the tutorial.
And at the center of that discord are the challengers of h.e.l.l Difficulty.
Even if the main force in every server are the Hard Difficulty rankers, h.e.l.l Difficulty challengers can’t be ruled out as combatants.
Even if they are in the minority, their potential cannot be ignored because they challenged the highest difficulty.
It is of great significance for these people to unite with each other since they will play a leading role in political conflicts.
I’m at the top of the h.e.l.l Difficulty challengers.
With me as a symbol, it’s not unreasonable to host a party just for h.e.l.l Difficulty challengers.
And it wouldn’t be hard to convince the other server’s h.e.l.l Difficulty challengers to gather together.
They’d all be eager to get some information.
So long as they want to avoid death and continue progressing, they’ll definitely want to learn from my experiences and know-how.
Just like John Overton right now.
I can easily subdue any disturbance that may happen at the party so it wouldn’t be a risky venture.
The proposal is completely beneficial in many ways.
Obviously I can’t do it alone, so I’ll put this matter on the agenda and ask others for their suggestions.
“Ha ha!”
Lee Joon Suk’s voice comes from afar.
And then there is the sound of something breaking.
“You really work hard.”
Lee Hyung Jin says.
Somehow he doesn’t seem as friendly as his words sound.
His tone is curt.
“I feel the same way.”
Said John Overton.
His words might have a double meaning for some reason.
While we were talking, Lee Joon Suk focused on the instance dungeon.
He wasn’t like this at first.
No, on second thought, he was like that at first.
As soon as the stage starts and enemy monsters appear, me and the other h.e.l.l Difficulty challengers quietly step back.
Unlike us, Lee Joon Suk charges swiftly forward the moment he sees the monsters because he will handle this battle alone.
Although it’s considered cowardly to leave the fight to your teammates, Lee Hyung Jin and John Overton receive this willingly.
I understand them.
No matter how feeble the enemies in the front look, there is no need to unnecessarily waste energy..
You never know when an unexpected threat will come.
This is how we survived and we’ll do the same in the future.
I step back to watch Lee Joon Suk and Lee Hyung Jin fight.
Lee Joon Suk fights alone, not only because of us poor h.e.l.l Difficulty challengers, but for another reason as well.
It’s the female challenger named Lee Jin that he brought along.
Looking at Lee Joon Suk who is exaggerating his skills against enemies that can be easily subdued, his intentions can be easily guessed..
“He’ll die an early death if he continues like this.”
Lee Hyung Jin mutters.
That’s no way to talk about a colleague who is pushing himself ahead.
I ask in a tone of surprise when I hear those harsh words.
“Do you hate him?”
“Absolutely.”
His quick response rivals that of a robot.
I ask John, who is nodding.
“You too?”
“Of course I do.”
I’m surprised that even John Overton hates him despite being from a foreign server.
I ask them what kind of history they have, but it was brushed off as nothing.
Then I ask why if there is no history.
“It’s not just him, all Hard Difficulty challengers are b.a.s.t.a.r.ds. “
“It’s more annoying since that behavior is typical for Hard Difficulty challengers.”
Both Lee Hyung Jin and John Overton spoke their minds.
The issue isn’t their personal feelings, but the overall public image of Hard Difficulty challengers.
I continue to inquire.
“I don’t like them. They are far too arrogant. The level of Hard Difficulty can only be taken with a grain of salt. “
“Yes, it’s clear that instance dungeons are not very dangerous, but they act like they’ve miraculously survived.”
That seems to be a common feature among Hard Difficulty challengers.
If even John Overton said that, the same could be true for other servers.
There are some people among the Hard Difficulty challengers who love to show off their superiority.
It’s a characteristic that everyone knows about, causing the Order of Vigilance to be concerned about this problem.
According to the Order of Vigilance, Hard Difficulty challengers are boasting about themselves too much in the community, causing other people discomfort.
It is said that the factions that make up the Order of Vigilance are mainly composed of Normal Difficulty rankers.
Although Park Jong-sik is in charge of managing the Hard Difficulty challengers, there’s a limit to sanctioning them because he is also a Hard Difficulty ranker.
Kim Min Hyuk asking me to keep an eye on Lee Joon Suk is an extension of this problem.
I’m well informed about this problem, but I thought that only Easy and Normal Difficulty challengers would be troubled by this matter, I never thought that this matter would also disturb h.e.l.l Difficulty challengers.
After listening to Lee Hyung Jin and John Overton, I learned that the higher difficulty challengers seem to be more displeased than the lower difficulty challengers.
“American servers will directly determine the whole server’s direction of development according to the wishes of Hard Difficulty challengers. I found out how serious the problem was after seeing their tourism.”
“I hoped they wouldn’t brag to the community as veterans who’ve overcome the adversities of h.e.l.l. It’s really embarra.s.sing to see that kind of thing…….”
“Although the translator didn’t translate the meaning, I’m able to interpret it. It’s disgusting to see how hard they work to comfort each other as if they’ve done something extraordinary. “
“They’re just eating each others a.s.sholes…….”
Note : They’re just sucking up to each other in a sense. The raws specifically say a.s.sholes/b.u.t.tholes so I’m leaving that. – G.o.dlyCash
Emm…
Let’s stop here.
Lee Hyung Jin and John Overton have been complaining about Hard Difficulty challengers for a while.
They began to swear as they talked, for no reason.
After listening, it turns out that their discomfort doesn’t stem from being challenged by those of a lower difficulty.
They feel dissatisfied because these people have something they don’t.
Colleagues who can challenge the floor together and spend time in the waiting room.
Their difficulty is relatively less dangerous.
So they have a higher hope of surviving into the future.
I understand them.
“Is that what h.e.l.l Difficulty challengers from other servers think as well?”
“Yes.”
“Of course.”
There’s another reason to bring h.e.l.l Difficulty challengers together.
It seems necessary to resolve their sense of relative deprivation.
The party can only be held in the irregular tournaments, but the companionship they’ll feel will reduce their solitary pressure.
“Hyung Jin, John, don’t compare yourselves to challengers of other difficulties. This is not a good habit. Especially at h.e.l.l Difficulty. Nothing changes just because you compare what you don’t have to others. What’s important is how you overcome each obstacle in your situations.”
I’ve rambled on for a while, but both Lee Hyung Jin and John Overton aren’t convinced.
I think I am a bit too old-fashioned when I finish my speech.
However, I am speaking the truth so I hope they heed my words.
It’s impossible to move to another difficulty regardless.
The number of h.e.l.l Difficulty challengers will not increase abruptly and the actual hazards will have no significant drop so it won’t be simple to tackle.
As we move forward in time, things will only worsen.
I know that these people are in a h.e.l.l-like situation, but only their actions can free them from their own h.e.l.l.
Unfortunately, this is the only way.
After my sermon, the originally lively atmosphere suddenly cools down.
The enthusiasm and sympathy they’ve experienced after such a long time probably caused their enraged behavior.
The thoughts that had been hidden deep inside their heart suddenly rises to the surface.
I would know.
* * *
After the battle, Lee Joon Suk comes over.
He’s completed almost the entire dungeon alone, but there is no dissatisfaction on his face.
On the contrary, he is grateful to have a chance to stand out.
“We have to divide the team into three groups here. We should split into three teams and then rendezvous at the last stage of this dungeon.”
There are three branched paths in front of Lee Joon Suk.
I ask if we could maintain a single group, but Lee Joon Suk informs me that there are 3 tokens we must collect at the end of each branched path in order to complete the dungeon..
The description is quite detailed.
This guy may have known about the dungeon beforehand.
“You and Lee Jin will be a team. “
“Yeah, got it.”
Seeing him answer so readily tells me that it was meant to be arranged this way.
“I’ll go with Hyung Jin to this branch. “
“Do I have to go alone?”
John Overton asks.
“No.”
I turn my head and glance at the frog who has been silent.
“Keeeek！”
The frog raises his forelimbs in a swoop as if he was waiting for my signal.
What a flexible frog.
“You’re with the frog. It’s just the right amount of partic.i.p.ants.”
John Overton starts to look like death after being told to team up with the frog.
It’s easy to work with the frog.
Obedient and discerning.
You can also mount it.
His torso is furry because his body is a dog’s instead of a frog’s..
“But I came here in order to witness your strength….”
“Keeek!”
“Look, the frog wants to be with you. Go with it. “
“…No, I…”
“Keeeek!
“OK, fine.”