Woohyuk’s party didn’t return to the base camp immediately, but rather stuck around searching for more hidden items on Paradise Lost.

Fishing with the rod had a certain advantage, one could find a silver key within the fish’s stomach.

They kept to an intense schedule, hardly resting, but none of them regretted not returning to camp. After all, the items to be found on the island far exceed the worth of the daily rewards.

Those in the party that had yet to achieve a place in the rankings, were especially happy. Also, they took very little damage due to the proper use of the many herbs they had collected.

The Fire plant increased fire resistance which was useful against the Rainbow Lizards which spat out fireballs. The Cloud mushrooms  created a shield around the user, helping deal with the poisonous fangs of the snakes.

Bay leaves on the other hand sped up one’s recovery and doubled as painkillers, which was useful when Song Anna was low on mana and a Heal wasn’t readily available. They managed to extract the maximum profit from the adventure, while paying the lowest cost.

By day three on Paradise Lost, everyone on the team had achieved a good haul. Be it items or scrolls with various effects. Apart  from the items obtained from Seo Changseop’s party, everything else was distributed evenly.

Woohyuk then sent Hong Yuri away first, after giving her some rough guidelines which she should work towards in the near future. Although she didn’t want to leave his side, she noticed that due to the blood contract, she was unable to go against his wishes.

‘Next it’s time for the first official Boss fight.’

Although he wasn’t entirely sure if their Base camp was still up and running, he figured that Ma Gwanpil would have put his all into defending it.

He had spared him all those times for that very purpose.

‘At the end of the day it wouldn’t matter much since there are many more camps.’

Still, it would indeed be much simpler if they could just return to their original camp, so he was still hopeful. Woohyuk led his team as they blitzed their way through the forest.

The real game was just about to start.

* * * 

The first seven days were like a noob protection period. The interference from the system was set to a minimum, so that adventurers could adapt to the sudden change in environment.

As such, those that had been sitting on their laurels because things had been easy, would be in for a rude awakening as of day 8.

And that day was today.

“Unfortunately there won’t be any more contribution rewards to distribute, instead you will be given a new opportunity.”

“Opportunity?”

“What do you mean?”

The adventurers in camp gossiped among themselves as Eve had just finished stepping out of her black portal. Seeing her, they were naturally anxious as to what was to come.

“It’s a team game this time around, and the rules aren’t too hard. You all simply need to get into groups of eleven and point out who you want to become the leader, majority rules. With a wave of her hand, a large screen appeared detailing the specific rules.

[Description and Rules of the Crown Game.]

1. When the leader dies, the group is disbanded. However, if eleven people come together once more, a new leader can be elected.

2. If you kill the leader of another group, your team rises a single tier, and can now hold an additional 10 members.

3. If your group reaches tier 10, the leader’s crown is promoted to silver. In such a case however, a separate examination is also required.

4. The leader wielding the crown is entitled to expel one of their members every 10 minutes. But, if the majority of their members are against them, the leader can be impeached and replaced.

5. Using the [Ring of Solidarity] teammates can exchange voice and text messages with each other to facilitate communication.

6. If someone is teamless for a duration of 3 days, they will die of a heart attack. (An exception is made for solo leaders).

“What the hell is this…?”

“Are we seriously being encouraged to fight amongst ourselves?”

Being the leader seemed like a dangerous position, if a conflict were to break out, you would always be the one that was targeted. For the most part, most adventurers truly didn’t want to take up the mantle of leadership.

“Oh and by the way, if a member were to kill his own leader, they would be penalized. A red marker would appear above the sinner for 24 hours time and they wouldn’t be able to join any other groups. If killed, 10% of their stats would be absorbed by their killer.

“...”

At the very least that gave a certain level of security to the leader within their own group, but still most were reluctant to become leaders.”

“Is it possible to escape from this forest by reaching a very high tier?”

“No, you won’t be able to get out through this game, but the more members your group accumulates the better. After all, the next stage is much more intense than this one.”

Eve winked at the young man who asked the question as she wagged her finger.

She looked at the group of survivors, before pointing to Woohyuk.

“Someone has already been elected as a leader. The rest of you better make a group unless you want to die of a heart attack.”

Everyone turned to look at him. Above his head a bronze crown appeared with the number 1 on it.

“Let me give it a try as well. Those that have faith in me, gather around.”

As soon as Ma Gwanpil spoke up, several people rushed towards him. However, there had been those that had been already ready and the quota quickly filled up.

“Oh shit…”

“Let’s just group up amongst ourselves.”

Those that had been left out had no choice but to arrange things amongst themselves. Currently there were 58 survivors in the camp, so it was certain that after 5 leaders were elected there would be at least 3 people left out.

“Shit…”

“What do we do?”

As those desperate three cried out in despair, Eve chose to speak up.

“Since you guys seem about ready, we can get started with you very first Boss raid.”

“Boss?”

Everyone looked at Eve with a frightened expression. Even those that had stayed the whole time in the camp had heard about the fearsomeness of a Boss monster.

On the very first day there had been a rumor going around about a team that had entered a goblin camp, only to have been wiped out by the Goblin Chieftain which wielded an obsidian spear.

Everyone looked at Woohyuk. People had been complaining about him recently because he had been away for so long, but in this situation they had no problem relying on him once more. 

Thud

Thud

The sound of heavy footsteps could be heard approaching.

[Minotaur]

It was a monster which was half human half bull, standing at an average 3 meters tall with fearsome horns.

‘Those annoying guys.’

Woohyuk flashed back to his first encounter with Minotaurs. They wielded large heavy two handed axes with ease, and if provoked would run you through with their horns. Even adventurers which had appeared in the rankings had trouble handling them.

However, they weren’t a problem for Woohyuk who had been non stop hunting, as well as successfully clearing Paradise Lost in the last 7 days.

Suguk

The longsword Grandia, which looked a lot like a claymore, easily severed a Minotaur at its waist.

[Destruction]

One of the runes engraved on the sword shone with a white light. As soon a Woohyuk began, his party followed suit. Song Anna played her flute, and a red aura spread out, buffing the party with a 20% increased attack and movement speed.

At the same time a fire lizard, the size of a lion appeared beside her.

[Salamander]

It was a summoned fire spirit using the Greenwood Spirit Sword. The Salamander jumped into the fray, using its long tail as a whip as it struck a nearby Minotaur.

“Moooo!”

An angry Minotaur aggressively swung its two handed axe, Lee Jaesung dodged to the side, before countering with a slash of his Red Flamed Broadsword to its ribs.

Hwarrrk

Flame spurt out from the sword, cooking the insides of the Minotaur a well done.

On her end, Yoo Kayoung wielded her Sage’s staff, sending a dangerous looking Fireball with a 20% increase in damage.

Boom!

It struck the Minotaur's head, burning it to a  black crisp.

The party’s teamwork had truly come together. Since they had hunted together on so many occasions, their motions were seamless with no hesitation.

‘It was worth the time invested in them.’

Woohyuk thought to himself with a satisfied expression.’

He was slaughtering any Minotaurs which crossed his path as he made his way forward.

‘I need to take care of that guy.’

[Minotaur Captain]

It was armed with a huge double edged axe, as well a sturdy black iron breastplate engraved with magical runes.

 If they were to encounter that guy, even his own party would suffer.

‘I’ll need to settle this quickly.’

Woohyuk glanced at the Minotaur Captain as he made his way over.

* * *

The Base camp was littered with Minotaur corpses.

A total of 47 adventurers had survived. An entire group had disappeared. 

‘Well, for the most part those that ran away are basically done for.’

Although some may yet return, it was quite unlikely.

‘The first day isn’t that bad.’

Without the red marker, one could still find a different camp with groups that had openings. The problem however was that more often than not, the camps had succumbed to this first Boss assault.

That meant that there were even more people wandering around without a base, and that number was only likely to increase.

Quite the chaotic situation.

“Let’s see… oh, you guys did a good job over here. Well, as promised, here are your supplies.”

Although there wouldn't be any more daily rewards, the supplies would continue to be given until the very last day. Still, Woohyuk wasn’t guarding the Base camp for that sole purpose.

“Alright, another important piece of information is you need to be here in 7 days if you want to leave. If the number of adventurers within the camp exceeds 100, you are better off reducing the number yourselves, or else a death match will occur.

“What happens if we are left behind?”

A young man wearing glasses raised his hand and asked nervously.He wasn’t sure if he wanted to go to the next area, just as he had begun getting used to life over here. 

“You will be erased, along with the forest.”

“What…” 

The adventurers looked at each other in surprise. If they didn’t want to die, they would have to ensure the camps existence no matter what.

“Let me give you a hint before leaving. If you kill a monster, something like this might drop.”

Eve held a copper coin up with her right hand for all to see. It was a coin with the image of a forest stamped on it.

[Ancient Coin]

It was an item that previously had a very low drop rate.

“By collecting these, you can purchase items from the new shop feature in your Adventurer’s watch.”

Hearing Eve mention it, everyone hurried to check out their own watch. Under Menu, they found that a General Store option had been added.

“There is also a currency exchange function, so you don’t need to worry about carrying any excess weight.”

Eve stacked 10 copper coins together and they fused into a silver coin. She then repeated the process and obtained a gold coin.

“You all understand right? Have a nice day adventurers!”

Eve gave them all a cute wink and then disappeared, leaving the many adventurers to examine the items in the shop.

[General Goods Store]

-Megaphone:                          1C

-Bottled Water (350ml):                     1C

-Combat rations (1 person):               3C

-Health potion:                                   5C

-Magic crystal:                                    5C

-Emergency Kit                                   1S

-Repair Kit:                                          1S

-Daily necessities (Select 1)                 3S

-Adventurer’s Stimulant:                      5S

-Treasure Map fragment (Random):    1G

* C: Copper, S: Silver, G: Gold

There were many useful items available. As those that had collected some coins thought about what they should buy, Woohyuk focused on his recently acquired loot.

[Berserker’s Plate Armor Set]

Category:    Armor

Grade:     D (Growth)

Durability:    8200

Effect:        Strength +30, Agility +30. The more blood it absorbs, the stronger its defenses become. Decreases Stamina by 20% and Increases Strength and Agility by 20%

[Minotaur Captain’s Illusory Axe]

Category:    Weapon

Grade:     D (Growth)

Durability:    6300

Effect:        Strength +10 Make the Axe appear illusory for the opponent, send an energy wave 10 meters in one direction, knocking back opponents.

‘A difficult decision.’

The Berserker armor set piece was quite useful. By using the Vampiric dagger and Grandia, he could make up for the loss in Stamina.

Although metal armor didn’t have as much Magic resistance as cloth or leather type armors, the difference could be made up with the Ghost Queen Star Serpent or Calm Sea’s Silence.

On the other hand, the Minotaur Captain’s Axe appeared to be quite useless for him.

Woohyuk took a look at his party members.

‘It doesn’t suit Lee Jaesung.’

He played the role of a Tank Knight, with a one handed sword and shield, so the two handed axe wouldn’t work for him. Of course Yoo Kayoung and Song Anna weren’t even considered.

‘It should be a good fit for Kim Dogyun.’

Since arriving on Paradise Lost, he had been wielded a double-edged axe, slaughtering monsters through sheer force. It would work well since he was already used to axes.

‘Is he reliable though?’ 

Reliability

The important thing was to find the right owner that could be counted on. After all, it was still a decent weapon with impressive effects that could only drop from Boss monsters.

‘I’ll need to manage the team carefully.’

Regardless of how high his personal strength was, if he were to be impeached by more than half of his members, he would still lose his position as leader. That meant that he had to have a core of five members that he could rely on no matter what.

Holding the Minotaur Captain”s Illusory Axe. Woohyuk headed to where Kim Dogyun was sitting down.