Endless Evolution As A Skeleton In A Game-Like World

Hell level difficulty.

As an obsessive gamer, Ark was well familiar with that term. When a game was so hard that it seemed borderline impossible, gamers tend to call it hell-level.

It was a good theory. There was no where it was expressly written that all towers had the same difficulty level, and since the tutorial was basically a tower, it made sense that not all tutorials will have the same difficulty.

The only problem was that the way Soo-jin said it, it sounded less like a theory, and more like cold, hard facts.

”Is there something I should know?” Ark probed as they continued walking.

There was another cautious look from Isabella, but she did not dare stop her mistress.

”Hmm... is there something you should know?” She unfurled her fan and blew her face, sending the stray strands drifting, then her ears twitched.

”Of course, there are lots of things you should know.” She smiled. ”But information does not come cheap does it? What can you offer me?”

Ark sighed. ”I don’t think there is anything I have that you would want.”

She was filthy rich, while he was just trying to get by. What could he possibly offer her? It was almost as if it was her way of saying she wouldn’t talk.

”If you’re not going to tell me, then you shouldn’t have piqued my interest.” Ark frowned.

”A favour.”

”What?”

”I want a favour.” Soo-Jin smiled innocently, then her ears waved from side to side. Ark couldn’t help but feel they were far more expressive than she was.

”A favour, and I’ll tell you about Hell Level Difficulty.”

Ark scratched his bald head. ”I don’t know, I’m not the type to offer favours to strange women.”

”Tch—” Ark heard Isabella click her tongue. She looked as if she was barely holding herself back from ripping him apart.

’What is her problem?’

Soo-jin frowned playfully, her voice still as low, and calm as it always was. ”Are you saying I’m a strange woman?” She cocked her head to the side.

”Yes.”

Her eyebrows creased and she let out a sigh, a hint of disappointment seeping into her voice. ”And here I was thinking we were friends~”

”Guys—!”

Swish!

Olivia suddenly cut through the thick canopy of leaves above, arriving from her scouting mission above.

She had a weary look in her eyes as she hurried up to Soo-jin. ”There is something strange up ahead, it is like... it is like something was there, something large.”

”What exactly did you see?” Soo-jin asked, returning to her normal demure.

”Tracks, like... like marks left by a motorcycle, but very much bigger.” She pointed at the direction they were headed in. ”It is not too far off...”

The two brothers shared a look and summoned their weapons, holding it at the ready.

Meanwhile, Soo-jin glanced at Ark. ”What do you think?”

Ark gave it some thought. They revived countless hours of monster education back in the academy, so most people who listened at least had an idea of what kind of monsters to expect.

”If they look like motorcycle tracks, then they might be made by a tube-like monster, something like a hydra...”

”Or a Diamond Back Anaconda.” Isabella cut in, her hands folded across her chest.

The entire part became dead silent.

Hydras were powerful, but they did not hunt in large packs, and they were actually beatable. But giant anacondas? They were as large as cars, and their skin was so thick that most beginner weapons would break before getting past half of it.

But the worst part of it were its six inch teeth, and how it had the bad habit of leaving a few in people’s bodies after each bite.

If it really was a giant anaconda—

”Is there any way to go around it?” Soo-Jin asked, calmly accessing the situation.

Olivia shook her head. ”Unless we go back.”

Soo-Jin sighed. Everyone had an obligation to find the tower entrance. She could not give up just because they had a little hitch...

”We’ll take a break, then we’ll cross.”

But it seemed not everyone was too keen on the idea.

”Are you crazy?!” Charles stormed towards Soo-Jin. But before he could even reach her, Isabella stood between them, glowering at the knight.

”Take a step closer to my lady, and you will lose your head.”

It was not a threat, threats were usually made by people who couldn’t actually carry out their warning.

What Isabella had told him was plain truth.

”How can you all support her?! She is telling us to walk right into our deaths!” He barked. ”Do you think I am suicidal?”

Soo-Jin stared at him with disgust. ”What do you recommend we do?”

”I say we get the fuck out of here! The others will find the tower, all we need to do is farm strays and rank up enough to pass!”

Ark felt disgusted. Charles was the exact type of player he hated the most. The randoma that would let you get pipped while they camped, picking out bots.

”So you are saying we should leave the boss fight to the others while we sit on our hands?” He asked.

Two of the class’s main players were here. If they were to leave the others by themselves, then the odds of them getting defeated by the boss was far greater, their entire class could even potentially be wiped out.

But Charles did not seem to care.

”They have Darius and Cain, they can fend for themselves!”

He continued arguing, unloading his pent up frustrations on the party.

Then Soo-Jin smiled. ”Then leave.” She said in a tone so polite that Ark had to turn to confirm it was her. ”If you don’t like my leadership, leave, I won’t hold it against you.”

Silence...

Soo-jin chuckled. ”What? Are you too much of a coward to do that?” Her tone immediately shifted.

As impulsive as he was, even Charles knew that his best chance of survival was by sticking close to Soo-jin.

If they were to experience an attack in the same magnitude of the last one, while alone, not even bones would remain.

Charles gritted his teeth, his hand balled it of fist by his side.

”Guys, can we just calm down, we can talk this over...” Olivia tried to interject, only to be completely ignored.

”Good.” Soo-Jin walked forward, stopping just as they were next to each other. Then her crimson eyes grew cold, her tone so intimidating that Ark felt a chill run down his spine.

”A dog should never forget its master. Because when it does...”

”It will be put down.”