Chapter 104: Tyrant of the Sea

Reward? Oh, right!

Kai realized his mistake and grimaced in embarrassment.

I'd been so used to soloing that I forgot!

He wasn't the only one there. Black Bear and the Rush guild members were present too.

He had just had a private conversation with Lynel, so naturally, they would have heard about the rings he obtained.

"Oh, re-reward...

As Kai turned around looking like a child who didn't want to lose his toy, Black Bear said, "Yes, we've thought a lot about the reward issue..."

Black Bear trailed off. As Kai swallowed nervously, fearing what decision would be made, Black Bear smiled gently.

"Everyone agreed that we wouldn't have been able to clear the dungeon without you, Kai. So, we've decided to give you 20% of the dungeon clear reward."

“Pardon...?"

A single Cleric receiving 20% of the reward from a raid that involved over thirty people clearly indicated that the Rush guild wanted to maintain a good relationship with Kai.

However, Kai's mind was occupied by something else entirely.

Huh? Why aren't they mentioning the rings Lynel gave me?

As Kai stared at Black Bear, puzzled, Black Bear tilted his head and asked, "Is there something wrong...? Are you unhappy with the distribution ratio by any chance?"

"N-no! 20% is more than generous. It's just that, earlier with Lynel and I..."

"Oh, that? We all saw your escape. Honestly, I'd recommend you switch to a Wizard or Warrior right away... but I can't force you to quit the job you love."

From what Black Bear was saying, it seemed they hadn't heard his conversation with Lynel.

How is this possible? Even if they didn't hear the conversation because they were far away, they must have seen Lynel...

Kai's eyes suddenly widened in realization.

Oh! It must have been a personal event.

Personal events were only visible to those who met certain requirements, even if they were a part of a party.

Now that I think about it, I’m a Cleric and Lynel specifically thanked me, so it must have been a personal event.

That explained Black Bear's reaction.

"If you give us your mailbox address, we'll send you the statement and payment as soon as we finish the calculations."

"Great, thank you."

Even after giving his mailbox address, Black Bear didn’t leave.

"Just to avoid any misunderstandings, I want to mention that our Rush guild's full strength was definitely not represented here. Among those present today, I am the only elite member. Back at the guild headquarters and on the front lines, we have numerous top-ranking domestic players as part of Rush guild's..."

Black Bear’s sudden guild introduction showed obvious intentions, but Kai listened with a benevolent smile.

They've leveled me up, given me a unique ring, and even raised my Benevolence stat. Listening to a few minutes of talk is nothing.

After listening attentively, Kai gave a simple response. "After hunting with you all today, I can see that Rush is an excellent guild. If I ever consider joining a guild, I'll be sure to contact you."

Of course, that day would never come.

***

“Good work.”

“I didn’t do much. You were the one that did great."

As the raid party disbanded after leaving the dungeon, Balter whistled and nudged Kai's side.

“What are you really up to? You’re not hiding something, are you?”

“Hiding something? Come on.”

“Well, you're barely level 100, so I guess there’s not much you could hide... Oh?” With his hands clasped behind his head, Balter suddenly seemed to remember something and asked, “Come to think of it, isn't Unknown about the same level as you?”

Kai spat out the water he had been drinking to quench his thirst. Unfortunately, Balter was caught in the crossfire.

Balter wiped his face with a calm expression and said, “I’m only letting this go because it’s a game. Why are you so over the top?”

“N-nothing. I know who Unknown is. He’s really famous, right?”

“Of course. He even has a fan club now.”

“...A fan club?”

This was news even to Kai himself!

“You really don’t pay much attention to Unknown, do you? Check it out when you have time.” Perhaps as it was a topic brought up without much thought, Balter quickly changed the subject again. “Anyway, that Lynel guy didn’t give much XP, huh? I thought I'd level up at least twice.”

“Huh? Didn’t he give quite a bit?”

“What are you talking about? I barely leveled up once. Sure, my contribution was a bit low, but still.”

That’s strange. Why did I level up four times then?

Even with a 60-level gap between him and Lynel, this was a raid with thirty people, not a solo play, so XP should have been distributed based on contribution.

Even though I attracted a lot of aggro, I didn’t land the final blow...

Kai, pursing his lips, tried to recall who landed the final blow.

“Move your hand.”

The health bar was marked 0%, but...

Focusing more, Kai recalled the health bar above Lynel’s head in detail.

[Remaining Health: 72 (0%)]

Kai's mouth dropped open. The simple flick with his finger to brush aside Lynel’s arm had actually been the killing blow.

“Hey, why are you so quiet?” Balter asked.

“Oh, nothing... Maybe it’s because I was running for so long. I’m exhausted.”

“Yeah, you did a lot of running today,” Balter nodded as they reached the end of Arhan’s Ruins. “I promised to give you a boost, but you ended up giving us one. Sorry about that.”

“I didn’t give anyone a boost. I had fun today, thanks for inviting me.”

“Let’s keep in touch. And remember what I said. If anyone’s giving you trouble...”

“But you said you can’t take on the top 10 guilds, right?”

“Hey! Even Cheonhwa can’t handle that!”

“

Hahaha

!” Kai laughed heartily, then turned around and waved. “I’m off. See you.”

Balter stayed until Kai disappeared from sight. Then he turned around and opened the internet browser.

“Time to watch Unknown's video again.”

***

Clang, clang, clang!

Kai entered through the back door of the smithy as naturally as if it were his own home.

Solid, who was hard at work, turned his head and said, "

Hmm

? Oh, it’s Kai!"

He put down his hammer and approached, wiping his sweat that was pouring down like a waterfall with a towel around his neck.

"Why have you come so late? It’s been a while since I’ve finished it."

"

Haha

... I thought I would just get anxious if I received it early and couldn’t use it."

"

Hmm

, let me take a look." Then, Solid scanned Kai and burst into hearty laughter. "

Hahaha

! Your timing is impeccable as ever! You’ve come at the perfect moment."

Solid went into his room and brought out a large box, placing it on the desk.

Thud!

The heavy sound of the box falling echoed, and Kai’s eyes sparkled at that moment.

You can even tell if a watermelon is ripe by knocking on it!

Kai stared at the box that emitted a solid sound.

Confidence radiated from Solid, marking him as a master craftsman.

"Aren't you dying of curiosity? If you do me one favor..."

"I might actually die if you keep me waiting."

"

Ahaha

! Just kidding. Go ahead and check it out."

As soon as permission was granted, Kai immediately rushed to the box.

"Item information!"

[Tyrant of the Sea Set Box x1]

Grade: Rare

A box containing the Tyrant of the Sea set.

A set item!

Joy overflowed in Kai’s eyes.

Solid nodded encouragingly. "Go ahead and check..."

He was eager to hear what Kai thought about it. Without hesitation, Kai opened the box, regardless of it being account-bound.

Then, he let out a gasp of awe.

"Wow..."

There was a helmet, shoulder pads, chest armor, leg armor, belt, and boots! It was a set that matched the parts of the Armor of the Undead set perfectly.

Kai quickly turned to look at Solid.

Solid met his gaze and then shrugged as if to say that indeed he was the best.

"

Ahem.

I took a look at the armor you were wearing. It was clear what parts made up the set as soon as I saw it, so I made it to match."

"Solid!"

They exchanged a thumbs-up, their warm friendship bubbling over.

Kai carefully lifted the items. The equipment, meticulously crafted from jade-colored scales, looked more like a piece of art than scale armor. Moreover, whenever the furnace light reflected off the green armor, it transformed into a striking red.

"...Item info."

[Tyrant’s Helmet]

Grade: Rare (Set)

Defense: 507

Magic Defense: 884

Underwater Movement Correction +20%

Intelligence +3

Requirement: Level 100+

Durability: 100/100

[Tyrant’s Pauldrons]

Grade: Rare (Set)

Defense: 475

Magic Defense: 841

Underwater Movement Correction +30%

Agility +3

Requirement: Level 100+

Durability: 100/100

[Tyrant’s Breastplate]

Grade: Rare (Set)

Defense: 642

Magic Defense: 1124

Underwater Movement Correction +40%

Strength +5

Requirement: Level 100+

Durability: 100/100

[Tyrant’s Greaves]

Grade: Rare (Set)

Defense: 621

Magic Defense: 942

Underwater Movement Correction +30%

Strength +5

Requirement: Level 100+

Durability: 100/100

[Tyrant’s Mina]

Grade: Rare (Set)

Defense: 357

Magic Defense: 570

Underwater Movement Correction +20%

Stamina +3

Requirement: Level 100+

Durability: 100/100

[Tyrant’s Sabatons]

Grade: Rare (Set)

Defense: 529

Magic Defense: 822

Underwater Movement Correction +30%

Holiness +3

Requirement: Level 100+

Durability: 100/100

As expected, the Magic Defense is insanely high.

After all, they were made of the scales of the naga clan, who were renowned for their high magic defense! And that wasn’t all. Unlike the Armor of the Undead set, which only had Defense and Magic defense, this set included additional stat increases and Underwater Movement Correction for each part.

This is amazing! They’re truly worthy of being called Rare items!

Now it was time to check the set effects.

Kai felt excitement but no worry or anxiety.

Solid is the best master craftsman I know. If he couldn’t make the best product with these materials, then no one could.

Kai had firm belief in Solid, and once again, that belief did not betray him.

[Tyrant of the Sea (Set)]

+1% Attack for each piece of armor set equipped.

+1% Speed for each piece of armor set equipped.

+1% Magic Defense for each piece of armor set equipped.

5% chance of activating skill “Tyrant’s Wrath” when attacked with full armor set equipped.

[Tyrant’s Wrath]

Water trait added to weapon for 10 minutes, +100% fire resistance.

“Finally.”

Finally, he could upgrade from the Armor of the Undead set that had a level 50 equipment requirement!

Kai felt a mixture of joy, nostalgia, and other complex emotions at the thought.

New equipment... huh?

Kai changed into the new gear right then and there.

This time, it wasn't Kai but Solid who exclaimed. “Whoa!”

Seeing the creation born from his hands protecting another always warmed the heart of the blacksmith.

“Let’s see.”

Kai summoned a full-length mirror and grinned as he looked at his reflection.

It’s time to return the embarrassing title of Black Knight or whatever that’s been floating around the community.

The old Kai, the one who had been entirely covered in black armor, was long gone and the figure in the mirror looked much more powerful than Unknown.

The size of the armor itself was larger than the Armor of the Undead set, and the finely carved scales of Hakhas made it look like an art piece rather than armor.

I especially like this helmet.

Made from the bones of the Undead Gnoll Chief, the Armor of the Undead helmet had a skull-like appearance. However, the Tyrant’s Helmet resembled a sharp dragon’s head, just like the faces of the naga clan.

If I wear this in a video, it’s going to cause another stir.

Expecting thousands of messages asking about the name of the equipment, where to get it, or if he would sell it, Kai chuckled.

“Stat window.”

[Kai]

Class: Solaris Cleric

Level: 102

Title: Envoy of God

HP: 29,500

Holy Power: 35,900

Stats

Strength: 415 Stamina: 295

Intelligence: 236 Agility: 210

Holiness: 359 Dignity: 177

Benevolence: 116

Poison Resistance +30

Magic Defense +70%

All Attack Power +6%

All Speed +6%

“Wow...”

It was a stat window so dazzling it was blinding!

I can’t believe these are my stats.

He wasn’t overwhelmingly strong in one area, but was still balanced and capable of handling any situation with high-spec stats!

Magic Defense is now at 70% combined from the previous 40% and Tyrant’s Wrath 30%. Adding the high Magic Defense from the individual pieces of the Tyrant set...

He would no longer be able to complain about getting hit by a few spells.

And that wasn’t all.

Adding the 15% Underwater Movement Correction from The Three Treasures set pieces... now I can move underwater at twice the previous speed.

That meant he could easily hunt while swimming in the actual ocean, not just while floating on the surface!

Kai approached Solid with confident steps, the rose-patterned cloak on his back fluttering.

“Thank you as always, Solid.”

“Well, I don’t have children, but seeing you grow stirs something in my chest. When you first came here, you still had the air of a country bumpkin.” Wiping his nose while reminiscing, Solid patted Kai on the shoulder. “Now go on! Adventurers hunt monsters and explore uncharted territories! Wearing the gear I made, slash all monsters that stand in your way!”

“I will! But before that...” Kai pulled out the Armor of the Undead set. “Could you make a hole for a tail at the rear?”

Solid's expression turned into a grimace as if he had just eaten something unpleasant.