Ark (Published Novel)-Vol 4 Chapter 4: Meeting the Girl

"Chiiik, I-I'm angry...!"

The brawny, muscular Orc collapsed as it trembled. At the same time, the chain mail the Orc had been wearing dropped. It was a pretty awesome-looking armor, but it wasn't an item he could use— it was the proof that he got after defeating the Orc Thief Gang.

"Phew, the thief gang this time took quite a lot of time."

Ark opened his stats window as he collected the proof.

Character Name

Ark

Race

Human

Alignment

Good +150

Fame

1,335

Level

85

Profession

Dark Walker

Title

Cat Knight, Caretaker of All, Jackson's Hero

Health

1,695

Mana

1,295 (+100)

Spiritual Power

100

Strength

212 (+5)

Agility

252 (+17)

Stamina

322

Wisdom

31

Intelligence

250

Luck

42

Flexibility

21

Art of Communication

23

Affection

40 (+10)

Special Stat: Knowledge of Ancient Relics

53

Equipment Effects

Black Bear Mouse Leather Armor: Agility 2, Frost Resistance +20

Cat Paws: Attack Speed +10%, Agility +15, Critical Hit Rate +10%

Crystal Golem's Head: Mana +100

Norad Boots: Movement Speed +10%, Evasion +5%

Adelaine's Necklace: Defense +40, Affection +10

Resurrecting Spirit: Strength +5, Mana Recovery +5%

* All abilities will increase by 30% in the dark.

* You have the ability to hide in the darkness (15 minutes duration. Cancelled when you get into combat).

* Resistance Fear, Darkness, Blind, and Seduction spells is increased by 50%.

* You can bring out the true abilities from all types of tools.

"The level up speed is more or less okay..."

It had already been 2 weeks since he started bounty hunting. Since he spent five days training the Familiars when he first started, he had only invested 9 days into hunting. He had level up from 78 to 85, a total of 7 levels.

He had raised his level 10 times in just three days thanks to the event quest, but that was a special circumstance. It was impossible to level up even once a day with normal hunting, and for a level 80 character, it was hard to level up once in 2 days. It was because the monsters that showed up were much stronger, so it would take longer to fight and recover. One also had to return to the village after a certain amount of hunting. There was equipment repair, food procurement, and clearing the bag filled with japtem to take care of. And depending on one's profession, an Archer needed to restock their arrows, and a Magician had to get the reagents used in magic.

Town - Hunting Ground - Town - Hunting Ground. This was the basic formula in all games. As a result, the time lost moving and reorganizing in the village was considerable. The higher the level you were and the the hunting ground was from town, the more of an obstacle it became to leveling up.

However, this formula didn't apply to Ark. That was because after becoming a scrub, Sid was dragged in as his exclusive merchant.

Sid acted faithfully, as per the contract. He kept all the items Ark had scraped up, like a warehouse, then he took them to Giran when his bags were completely full to exchange them for items necessary for hunting or Gold. In exchange, Sid got 10% of the sale sum, but since it wasn't money that came out of Ark's pocket, it wasn't a loss for him.

The terms were close to slavery, but Sid had no choice.

Anyway thanks to that Ark was able to hunt for 9 days and during that time he fought an average of 2 bandit groups a day.

In 9 days he wiped out 18 bandit groups. Then, it got to the point where word about Ark spread around the bandits, and they avoided him.

'Tsk, if the Orc bandits didn't run away, too, it would've been done an hour ago...'

Once the bandits run it gets really hard to find them again.

But in it's own way there were benefits.

The bandits would run away and then lay an ambush for Ark, who had to fight them back using all of his skills. Due to this, many of his skills rose very quickly in proficiency.

Passive Skill

Sword-Hand Combat (Intermediate: 252/300) Sword mastery and hand to hand combat have been refined to increase overall attack power.

Survival Cooking (Advanced: 332/500) Unknown dishes can be created from ingredients obtained in nature.

Indomitable Will (Intermediate: 134/300) Attack power, recovery capabilities and critical rate increase near death.

Indomitable Body (Intermediate: 127/300) Defense, critical evasion, and recovery capability increase near death.

Foraging (Intermediate: 255/300) Ingredients can be gathered from nature.

Ingredient Identification (Intermediate: 264/300) Ingredient effects can be identified.

Horse Riding (Beginner: 3/100) The higher the level, the more skillfully horses can be handled.

Adrenaline (Beginner: 27/100) Reaction rate increases and fear state is released near death.

Counter Attack (Beginner: 88/100) Counterattack enemy attack with a critical strike.

Parry (Beginner 58/100) Block half of the weapon damage from enemy attack.

Active Skills

Nursing (Intermediate:234/300 Gives patients hope energy and courage. Mana cost:10

Spirit of the Cat (Advanced: 374/500) Mice and small monsters tremble in fear and receive a decrease in their attack, movement speed, and defence. Mana Cost: 120

Eyes of the Cat (intermediate: (203/300) Use sharp eyes to identify enemies. Mana cost:50

Magic Restoration (Intermediate: 239/300) restore an item to it's original form. Mana Cost:10

Profession Skills

Dark Blade (Intermediate: 120/300) Assimilate attack with darkness and strike the enemy. Mana Cost: 100

Blade Storm (Beginner: 10/100) Sword shards create a vortex and tear apart the enemy. Mana Cost: 400

Summon Demon (Intermediate: 125/300) Summon up to three kinds of demon familiars. Spirit Power Cost: 100

Now, all of the skills he learned in the beginning had reached intermediate level.

The job skills, Dark Blade and Summon Demon, had even greater effects when they reached Intermediate Level.

Dark Blade critical hit damage went up from 150% to 180%, Summon Demon was reduced from 1 mana every second to 1 mana per 2 seconds. Additionally, there was the Resurrecting Magic Ring which increased mana regen.

Because of this, he could use his skills as he pleased even when he had his familiars out. And his Sword-Hand Combat which he used the most, but had the slowest growth rate, reached advanced level.

Ark wasn't the only one to improve. Learning new strategies gave him a new excuse to feed the summons food. Therefore the summons now reached level 40.

'Not bad!'

After Ark had verified the information he wore a satisfied smile.

Actually, he had still not gotten the clue or information for the quest, which was the reason he was hunting robbers. However, it wasn't that big of a deal. As long as he kept hunting robbers he would eventually acquire the clue.

Ark peacefully thought about it. Even if he worried about it, the clue would not come any faster. The most important thing right now is to level up and raise his skills. And he was having fun hunting bounties one by one.

"Well, first let's reorganize and continue hunting, shall we?"

"Oh, are you done now?"

When he walked out of the forest, Sid welcomed him.

After Ark passed him the items he got from the thief group and sat in front of the campfire, a message appeared.

- You have arrived at a campground.

50% faster health and mana regeneration. 50% decrease in the possibility of a monster attack.

This was a skill from Sid's job, a skill from being a trader called the 'campsite' effect.

Once the thief group was spotted, there was nothing for Sid to do. Therefore, Sid would find a safe place and make a camp while waiting for Ark. But Sid wasn't just playing around.

"You didn't find the information you needed this time either?"

Sid asked without stopping his work.

Sid was salvaging items one by one with his merchant skill called 'Item Decomposition' while waiting for Ark.

He tanned the hide and then cut the leather. As for the equipment items, he cut the connecting parts and sorted them according to their type of material.

Although this takes a lot of time, when battle breaks out, Sid had nothing to do. Also, he would get more money this way than if he just sold them as is.

'Yeah, still... this is taking longer than I thought it would"

"Don't worry about it."

"Actually Sid how much debt have you paid so far?"

"I've paid 50 gold."

"You've paid a lot so far."

"Yes, my Japtem Selling Skill increased, so I'm now making a 15% profit. And when I have time, I made clothes, so my tailoring skill also rose. Maybe because of that, whenever I go to Giran the clothes I make sell."

...Well, at least he hadn't created a incur a bigger debt.

The hobbit merchant, Sid, was travelling the continent to trade not long ago. But now, he was sewing until his hands blistered, and dismantling items just to earn a few more coppers and silvers. It was a scene you couldn't watch without tears.

However, Sid was quite a positive-minded user.

"It was hard to even pay the interest, but I am now also able to repay the debt, I can see the hope. It's all thanks to Ark-nim."

Sid, who was sitting on a tree trunk, was swinging and stamping on it with a satisfied expression.

'Well, it's all good if you are satisfied...'

"But where are we heading to next?"

"There's a group of Kobold Rogues nearby. We should go there first."

"I hope there's a lot of material to make useful dyes."

"There will be, since it's a higher leveled forest compared to here."

"Wow! That means we can create better clothes." After saying this, Sid went back to sewing and started humming to himself.

"Now that our Health has been filled, let's start moving."

"Okay, right after I dismantle this last item."

Dedric glanced at Sid with eyes filled with pity. Even before, the two weren't on good terms. Dedric, who says detestable things to anybody except Ark, would call Sid a beggar midget. So whenever they had time, they were arguing each other. But even so, Dedric couldn't help but pity Sid in this state.

"Really, I can't see past my tears."

It was then, while Dedric was shaking his head left and right., heavy footsteps suddenly approached and the nearby bushes shook.

"Dedric!" Ark shouted as he stood and jumped up.

Dedric quickly flew up into the air and looked around.

"It's from 3 o'clock. Master, two Trolls!"

Ark, who checked the direction, went through the forest with Skull. The two Trolls showed up about 10 meters away. However, they weren't approaching the campsite.

"Grrrrr, human... it's humans... Let's eat them!"

The person the Trolls were chasing while showing their teeth was a bobbed haired girl. A shoe was missing on one of her foot, and her clothes were torn here and there, as though she had been wandering the forest. The girl was full of wound, ran between the trees quickly.

'She seems like a NPC, but... why in this forest?'

Boom!

Then, the club swung by the Troll hit a tree.

The girl, who was trying to hide behind a tree, fell due to the surprise. She was shaking like a leaf while holding her ankle she seemed to have sprained because of the surprise. As though her figure looked appetizing, the Troll raised its club while licking its lip.

"...!"

The girl covered her pale and terrified face with her two hands.

And at the moment, the club had been dropped...!

Booo-boooom!

With violent sounds, the Troll was pushed back a few steps

The girl lifted her head with a surprised expression.

A young man with a large back and black hair flowing in the wind was standing in front of her.

It was none other than the 'Warrior of Justice,' Ark!

Ark turned his head slightly and revealed a gentle smile.

"There's no need to worry anymore. Stay back. I'll be done with it right away, and I will be right back."

Ah-ah, what a splendid phrase it was!

If it was a user, he wouldn't have spared a glance, but Ark was always kind to NPCs. Of course that kind behavior was deliberate for the rewards that may come along afterwards.

"Come here, you Trolls harassing such a frail girl!"

Ark rushed toward the Trolls while saying such a cliched speech.

"Don't bother me... Grrr!"

The Troll was angry at Ark for raining on his parade, and swung his club. However, Dedric came down like a thunderbolt on the Troll's mug, and the Troll staggered and stepped back. Then, came the continuous critical strikes from Ark. Skull bit the staggering Troll's ankle, and it fell like an old tree.

Taking not even a moment to catch his breath, the double critical chance triggered.

"Take this, Dark Blade!"

"Kwaaaaack!" The Troll shrieked and disappeared.

After taking care of one, the rest was no problem.

Under the combine assault of Dedric, Skull, and Ark from the 3 directions, they fell in panic and started to run away in rush. But after getting hit on the head with Skull thrown by Ark, it fell down.

Ark went over to the girl after grabbing the loot dropped from the Troll.

"Are you okay?"

The girl nodded with eyes filled with uneasiness.

Then, Ark vacantly stared the girl.

Since he rescued her there should be some reward, like a quest, so he waited for her to speak. But she just stared blankly at Ark.

'What? There's nothing?'

At that moment, the girl stood shakily, then fell down wrinkling her forehead.

Ark sighed after staring the girl a while.

Apparently, there was nothing to gain from the beggar like girl. However, Ark didn't have such cold heart to leave an injured girl alone.

"Anyway, for now let's go to my camp, it's just close by."

When Ark offered his shoulder, the girl blushed while relying on him.

"Ark! Huh? Who is that girl...?"

"She was being chased by a Troll."

"Is that so?"

Sid, who was gazing at the girl while examining her, the girl suddenly flinched and stared back with an idiotic expression on her face. Although she was dirty, the girl was considerably pretty.

She looked like she was around 15 years old, yet Sid, who was a Hobbit, had to look up to her while bending his neck back completely because of how tall she was.

Ark had asked the girl to sit down and used the Nursing skill on her ankle. Nursing was not healing. Thus, it wasn't fully healed but the swelling had greatly decreased.

When the girl nodded as an expression of thanks, Sid uselessly made a surprised expression. Then after searching in his bag, he took out a pair of leather shoes off.

"Looks like you don't have shoes. This isn't much, but please put them. Hehehe, Ark-nim, I'll be taking this off from my pay so please don't worry."

"I don't care that much but..."

"Oh, by the way, are you hungry?"

When the girl touched her belly, the witty Sid quickly handed her something to eat. Ark started to open his mouth after taking a moment to look at Sid strangely.

"Why were you wandering around at such place like this? Shouldn't there be a village nearby?"

At that moment, the girl who stopped nibbling at her food and suddenly burst into tears.

Sid became perplexed, then shouted. "Ark-nim, she's surprised because you asked her as if you were interrogating her!"

"Ah? What have I..."

"Apologize to her right now!"

Ark was confused by Sid's behavior which changed dramatically after the appearance of the girl. The girl wiped away her tears, and wrote something on the ground with a tree branch.

- Help me!

* * *

"So... some bandits kidnapped your father and you barely escaped?"

The girl nodded her head in response to Ark's question.

The girl's name was Sarah. If Sarah didn't say anything to Ark when he rescued her, it was because she was mute. And once she found her a little of her composure back in the campsite, she explained her situation by writing on the ground with a tree branch.

Her father's job was Cartographer, and he was making maps of various regions while travelling the continent. And when he heard there was an undiscovered ruin nearby Giran, he went there to investigate. However, a rogue group had already settled on that territory.

As a Cartographer, he had a lot of techniques to avoid monsters thanks to his job's characteristic of often travelling to dangerous regions. However, he couldn't get away from the rogues' tracking. Eventually, her father got caught by the rogues after he hid her, and the girl was heading to Giran in order to find help.

"Wahhhh, so that's what happened. And then there were the Trolls..." Sid nodded his head with tears in his eyes.

- I'm begging you, please help me. It's been four days since he got caught.

"Of course we must help! Right, Ark-nim?" Sid suddenly turned his head and looked at Ark.

Ark asked after looking at Sarah for a moment. "Where is the location?"

Then, Sarah scribbled on the ground again.

'The Brown Rock Zone... It's on the borderline of Giran region.'

Ark immediately opened the information window and checked the information on registered wanted criminals.

'As I thought, there's no information about the rogue group in the Brown Rock Zone'

Ark took all the wanted lists that were in Giran's billboard. But he still had no clue regarding his quest although he had already clear 70% of the area. And the left ones were not said to be found near the Brown Rock Zone. Then, there's only one answer : there was a rogue group other than the ones registered as wanted.

'Right, how did I not think of this earlier? What I'm looking for is a rogue group related to a quest. I didn't even think if they would be wanted or not.'

Ark finally understood his thinking process was wrong. The wanted rogue group will disappear if a user cleaned it up. There will be another rogue group created, but the new rogue group will be different from the annihilated rogue group. Maybe the rogue group Ark have been cleaning up were probably new rogue groups.

But the Heartsoul Bead had been stolen over a year ago.

'In the New World, I can't get clues from NPC without causal relationship. It means the rogue group who stole the Heartsoul Bead existed for over a year. Yet, they weren't registered as wanted is because they didn't have had any activity from them.'

It was a simple story when he thought about it.

There's no way a rogue group that could be cleaned up by a headhunter at any time would hold a clue regarding a quest. It means Ark was cleaning up unrelated rogue groups almost for two days.

'Maybe this is an opportunity. A hidden rogue group... there's a high possibility. And more, no matter the form, it's clearly a quest since it's an NPC's request. If it's a wandering traveler, I can hardly expect a big reward, but there's no reason to refuse.'

It was when Ark was diligently running his brain.

Since Ark did not respond for a while, Sid said with an angry voice. "Ark-nim, there's no way you'll ignore it, right?"

"Kekeke, of course he'll feign ignorance. Master doesn't do any job that doesn't bring money!"

"Wha-what?"

"So, why would someone whomthis Dedriccalls Master have to help that dirty looking girl?"

"Shut up, you heartless Bat!"

"A Bat? This one is calledSirDedric, the noble of the Netherworld!"

"Noble, my ass. You're nothing but a bat..."

"You bastard, do you want to die once?"

"Huh, you think I'm scared of you?"

Dedric and Sid started to glare and growl at each other.

"Dedric, enough! Sid, you as well."

Ark shouted and then revealed a gentle smile towards Sarah. "Don't worry. I can't pretend to ignore it after listening to the circumstances."

"Eeh? M-master! Look, look! Why are you trying to help this girl who looks penniless..."

"Shut up!"

Sid quickly covered Dedric's mouth and looked Ark with an impressed expression. "Woooo, Ark-nim. I'm actually very touched. So Ark-nim does have feelings after all."

After thinking about, it was a strange phrase.

"So what have you been thinking of me so far?"

"...A heartless Scrooge" Sid mumbled in small voice while turning his head slightly.

Even if he was smiling and thanking him at the same time with a naive looking face, he was actually thinking of him that way inside? As he thought, there was no one he can trust in the world.

However, Sid quickly smiled and shook his head. "But now, not anymore"

"Thank you so much, it's touching me to tears"

"Come on, it's just a joke. Would I really think like that?"

As Sid was flattering him and smiling like a silly goose, Sarah burst into laughter. Sid's face reddened and coughed since he found her laugh quite cute.

"Ahem. If it had been decided, let's go quickly. We don't know how long Sarah's father will last. Sarah, if it's Ark, he can definitely rescue your father safe and sound."

- Really? Will you really help me?

Sarah look straight at Ark with big eyes as to confirm his decision.

"Yeah, if he's still alive, I'll definitely rescue him"

- Thank you. Thank you very much.

Sarah bowed with eyes brimming with tears.

Ding! At the same time, a sound rang and a quest window popped up.

Rescue Sarah's father!

You have saved a girl from a Troll in the dark woods. The girl has opened her heart to your warm attention and revealed her problem. Her father, who's been travelling with her together, got kidnapped by bandits.

You, who is full of sense of justice, can't ignore her pain and have promised to rescue her father. But be careful. There's not much time. It has been 4 days since he was captured.

The bandits won't be hospitable, it might be too late if you don't hurry. (The quest will be considered as a failure if you can't resolve it within 12 hours after receiving it.)

Difficulty: E +

"Huh? A quest!" Sid's eyes went round and he started muttering to himself.

'Shouldn't he already know she would be giving a quest?' Ark looked at him with a dumbfounded eyes.

Even Sid who was quite knowledgeable about the game didn't seem to know much about how quests turns up. Well, since one would usually receive quest for merchants in a Merchant Guild or in a trade point, he probably hadn't experience this kind of quest yet.

'Anyway, the difficulty was "E +". Since it was a party quest, it won't be easy. But I have done a few E + quests before. Since then I leveled up and skilled up a lot, it should be okay.'

"Sid, let's go"

"Yes!" Sid replied in high spirits and helped Sarah up.

The other party was an NPC. Ark could not understand why Sid was looking at her with expectations. In any case, Sid's eyes were glowing as he looked at Sarah.

* * *

"Heave ho!"

Boooom!

The golem which weighed hundreds of kilograms flew up, and then got stuck in the ground.

Like its heavy weight, the fall damage was tremendous. The golem lost 350 HP in one go, its body became all red and was on the brink of death. However the attack did not end there. The body slam came into as soon as the golem was tried to get up.

The golem got slammed against the ground once more. Its Health emptied and was destroyed.

"Hahaha come on, this is too easy."

The person who laughed broadly above the broken golem was the former hard boiled Inspector, JusticeMan.

JusticeMan, who was depressed after he had failed the event quest, found a new hunt ground thanks to Ark.

The day after Ark asked the young Lord of Jackson to look after JusticeMan, JusticeMan went to see the young Lord.

"I've heard of your brave act from Sir Cross and Ark quite well."

"I've only done what I've need to do." JusticeMan replied politely.

A much younger looking NPC, but age didn't bother much to JusticeMan who was familiar with the hierarchical society. Since he was a Lord of a territory he deserved a certain amount of respect. And Ark also advised him to be well seen by the young Lord.

"I know how much you all put into helping Jackson. But the rules being what it is shames me that I cannot reward you with something fancy. So... although I can't reward you for saving Jackson, I can give you some amenities."

"Amenities...?"

"From now onwards, use the Blacksmith and canteen that belongs to me for equipment repairs and food supply. I have already informed them, so it'll be 50% cheaper than if you use the village's shop"

"Really?" JusticeMan asked him again with a bright expression.

JusticeMan who did not have any financial sense was struggling with the food and repair fees. But to be able to get them at 50% off!

But JusticeMan sighed with a troubled expression. JusticeMan already reached level 45, so it became harder to level up in Jackson Castle where there were only level 40 hunting grounds. To get such a bonus when he was thinking of moving elsewhere...

The young Lord nodded, smiled, and questioned, "I really don't get foreigners. Why do you all risk your lives in search of stronger monsters? Well, if that is your way of life, then there is nothing to be done. Even so, if it's just that kind of reason, there is no need for you to leave Jackson."

"Yes?"

"Truthfully, there are a few dangerous areas around Jackson restricted to Soldiers. The ruins Ark went to with my father in the past is also one of those areas. Of course, they are off limits to the general public, but if you'd like, I will give you special permission to enter it."

In New World, not only Jackson but Giran and other regions, too, had restricted areas. They were regions to not open to the general public, either following a scenario or for various other reasons. And to enter one, one had to fulfil certain conditions. In Jackson for example, it seems the key to unlock that restriction was the event quest.

Therefore, the region permitted to JusticeMan by the young Lord was placed in the Shadow Forest, a region called Rotting Bog where monsters from levels 30 to 60 appeared.

"First, gain experience there. There'll be time when you'll need it..." The young Lord told him while making a subtle smile as though he was anxious.

In any case, thanks to that, JusticeMan could monopolize a hunting ground nobody went to.

Probably since it was a restricted area, the Rotting Bog was overflowing with monsters. But, was that all? The monster drops were also substantial. There was an equipment item dropped for every 3 monsters, and about twice a day a magic item would drop. And in addition, repair fees only cost half so gold quickly piled up in his bag.

JusticeMan looked the equipment items with a pleased glance.

Studded Knuckles

Weapon Type

Knuckles

Attack Damage

12~15

Durability

14/40

Weight

10

Usage Restriction

Level 45 or Higher

Knuckles once used by a famous Martial Art Fighter. On top of the tough leather, the iron studs was added to protect the hand while increasing the Fighter's attack.

Options: Hand to hand skills +20% Attack.

Comfortable Trunks

Armor Type

Underwear

Defense

20

Durability

28/60

Weight

5

Usage Restriction

Level 50

Armor from the south where they like comfortable clothing. Boldly cut along the hem for ease of movement. However, to one not accustomed to trunks, one could appear very distasteful.

Options: Reaction Speed +10% , Dignity -20.

These were all items he got from the monsters in the bog. JusticeMan thoughtlessly put on various equipment such as the trunks, paired with a sleeveless t-shirt, and he ended up looking shabby, but that didn't bother him. In any case, he didn't look very different in real life as he did now.

"HuHuHu, To think I would be able to monopolize such a hunting ground. Do the people in the neighboring village even know about this place? I'm greatly benefitting from Ark!"

"Damn, what are you doing? If you have time to pose please come help us!"

Suddenly, from the side an angry voice called out.

Turning his head he saw a few users being chased by 2 golems.

They were the ones JusticeMan had dragged in to play the game; 1401 to 1410... users who used their parole numbers as their in game name.

At first, he came with around 30 players, but they all scattered leaving only Roco and the paroles' group.

And working to death from level 45, JusticeMan already went up to level 55. However, their average level was only 35. They came when they were at level 20, so they leveled up at least 15 levels, but it was still impossible to fight against a level 60 golem.

"Cheer up, everybody. The earth is your friend, she will always protect you."

As the rehabilitation group started to get beaten, Roco took out her harp and played 'Song of Protection,' raising their defence stat. But, then, gravels jumped from the ground and coiled around the paroles' group.

"Oh, it's our cute Roco!"

"We can only rely on you."

"That Mr. Boxer-shorts has muscles inside his brains, and knows only to fight!"

The parole group crowded around Roco and cheered for her.

"Your words, I'll remember it, number 1403!"

"Damn, that old man has also good ears."

As soon as JusticeMan joined in, the situation reversed instantly.

The golem flew up in the air like a dead leaf after getting a monkey flip.

JusticeMan was only level 55, but he was no different than a level 68.

It was the effect of the stat "Justice."

The Justice stat was a rare class stat that would raise all of one's stat points as much as the stat level whenever he would join a battle of another person as a helper.

Currently, JusticeMan's Justice stat was at 13 and its effect was comparable to leveling up 13 levels. And even more, the user himself was a Martial Artist who had numerous real battle experiences. A level 60 monster wasn't even worth fighting.

JusticeMan shouted at number 1406 after quickly getting the golem near its death.

"Hold on for just a little bit! I'll be there in a sec to steal."

Number 1406 ran towards the golem and quickly moved his hands.

- You have stolen an 'Iron Ore' from the golem.

The parole group with people who had learned special techniques in real life, learned skills matching their specialities. Among them, the ex-pickpocket, 1406's skill 'Pickpocketing' was a skill that was able to steal an item from a near dead monster.

"Okay, now you can kill it."

While number 1406 grinned at the iron ore, the golem reverted back to gravel. The other golem also vanished after taking a concentrated assault. After taking care of the monsters while recovering their health, Roco said hesitantly.

"I-I think I should go. It's almost time for my part time job..."

"Eh? Already?"

"Ah, it's no fun when the only girl leaves..."

"Quit your part time job and let's just play the game. I'll pay for your allowance."

The parole group members mumbled with a regretful expression.

Roco can't afford to play much since she was busy with school and her part time job. Even so, she could raise her level to 30 was thanks to the parole group giving her a lot of experience whenever she's logged on.

"Hohoho, I'll log on at the same time tomorrow."

"It can't be helped. Then, let us head back to Jackson, since we have to repair our equipment, too."

So after having spent another rewarding day, JusticeMan and the parole group headed back to Jackson with heavy steps. When he was about to go to the young Lord's affiliated Blacksmith, Sir Cross suddenly approached him.

"Sir, you came back at the right time. The young Lord was looking for you."

"The young Lord? Did something happen?"

"I do not know the details either."

"Understood, I'll go at once. Hey, parole group, stay put and don't cause any trouble."

After warning the paroles, JusticeMan went to see the young Lord with Cross. The young Lord, who was rummaging in the paperwork for a long time, greeted them.

"Ah, JusticeMan. You came at the right time"

"Did something happen?"

"It's no big deal. Let's sit down first and talk."

The young Lord proposed for him to take a seat, and sat in front of him. He had the same subtle smile when he sent JusticeMan to the Rotting Bog.

"You, you haven't chosen a job yet, right?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"Hmm, Good. Do you remember me telling you to get a lot of experience?"

"Well. I think so..." JusticeMan didn't have very good memory.

The young Lord nodded as though it didn't matter and continued.

"There is something I thought of sometime ago. The Jackson territory had a lot of foreigners gathering due to its geographical condition. And you might know of it as well since you have experience. However, there are still a lot of unknown monsters around the area. It's hard to deal with foreigners who do not know much about the region's laws and the monsters around it."

"I fully comprehend the difficulties." Since he had been an Inspector.

"Therefore... I wish to found a Civil Organization able to move more actively than Soldiers to patrol and manage the territories. To put it simply, like a Militia. However, back then I couldn't find the right people, and that's when I was introduced to you by Ark. After observation, you are a man with overflowing with the sense of justice. So, I would like to entrust this task to you... How about it?"

"A-a militia? Are you talking about the Police?"

"Police? Is that how foreigners call the Militia?" The young Lord tilted his head at the strange word.

JusticeMan was not in the right mind to notice.

'Police...!'

Just hearing the word made his body tremble slightly. The countless overtimes and late nights. The fights with gangs, injuries, hospitalization... Looking back there was not one good memory.

However, JusticeMan only lived with a sense of justice, the profession of being an Inspector was the meaning of his life. So when he was forced into retirement with dishonor after the firing incident, it was as though the sky had came crumbling down. Was what we would call "the feeling of having become a somewhat useless failure of society?"

But...There is a person who needed him. And it was the young Lord who was in an official position that needed him for the public order. Although it was just a game, JusticeMan felt like he finally found a place where he belonged.

"I'll do it! Please let me do this!"

"Aah, calm down. It's not something perfectly settled yet."

"Yes?"

"Even if we're calling it Militia, it's still an organization where I delegate my authority and can have governmental authority. So of course, you need the qualification that goes with it, so it can be accepted by the citizens and the nobles."

"I-is that how it is? Then what should I do?" JusticeMan asked restlessly.

"You've already proven you can manage against monsters. The rest is to make a solid result that can be approved by anyone, and it just so happens that I have a good solution to prove your competence."

The young Lord passed over a leaflet. It was a promotional flyer for the Selibrid's arena in the capital of the Schudenberg Kingdom.

"There are always matches there. In addition, every time one wins, one gets points. And when one gets over a certain number of points, they can have their names on the news distributed every month. It doesn't matter either if it's in team or solo tournament. You just have to raise your points enough to get your name on the newspaper. Do you get it?"

In conclusion, anyone who gets their name published in the newspaper will be acknowledged.

'Arena... Police...!' JusticeMan looked at the flyer with blazing eyes.

This really was a rare opportunity. Judo was the meaning of JusticeMan's life, along with his job as an Inspector. However, the judo tournament became a dream within a dream when he received a leg injury. But in New World, it was more real than reality; Martial Arts tournaments existed. He could once again let his burning passion loose.

"Huhu... huhuhu."

Laughter leaked out of his clamped lips. The young Lord looked at him worriedly after seeing his weird reaction.

"H-hey, are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. No, I'm great. I'll leave as soon as I'm ready. No matter what monster stands in my way, I will get to Selibrid and return after raising up the Jackson region's prestige."

JusticeMan gripped the flyer and left the place.

"A Militia?"

The parole group asked him back with a dumb expression after JusticeMan had explained them. But it was only for a short moment. They started to show the same symptom as JuscticeMan and started to grin.

"Does that mean... we are going to become policemen?"

"That's right. Police is the meaning of justice! I think it is a stage absolutely required for your society rehabilitating program. Is there anybody against it?"

At JusticeMan's question, they started to look at each other.

Branded as criminals, they would get cold regards anywhere they'd go. But they didn't committed crimes for their own pleasure. They committed crimes in order to eat and live but they always had, in a corner of their hearts, a wish to become a more prideful and helpful person. Because of that, they received the JucticeMan's Society Rehabilitation Training. But to skip over every courses and to be able to become a policeman... it was a dream one could not realize even if they were to die and reborn once more!

Although it was only a game, New World was a game so real that it could replace real life. NPCs were no different from real people in regards to how they speak and think. To be able to become a policeman such a world. There was no reason to hate it.

"No!" The parole group answered unanimously.

Then JuscticeMan and the parole members prepared to depart right away. The day after, as soon as Roco logged on, they left and headed toward Selibrid, the capital of Schudenberg Kingdom.

"The goal is to top the individual and the team tournament!"

"OUUUU!"