It’s an Academic Fact That Rankers Are Model Students – Chapter 175

Chapter 175: Befriending a Bear (2)

“You know, if you leave right now, I’ll forget about the axe incident. You should go.”

Kyung-joon said in a gentle voice and a kind expression, telling him to get lost.

No, after provoking him and bringing him all the way here, he wants him to leave now?!

The one who got extremely pissed off by this was AngerManagementVodka…… or not.

“This bastard?! Are you kidding me?!”

It was the clueless new subordinate who had previously massaged Ceram’s shoulder and messed things up.

He was probably trying to make up for his past mistake.

“How dare you act so arrogant towards AngerManagementVodka-nim—!”

The moment the new subordinate stepped forward threateningly as he spoke……

Whoosh! Thwack!

“Huh—?”

Swoosh!

The sound of blood splattering.

Crack!

The new subordinate was split in half by AngerManagementVodka’s giant axe and forcibly logged out.

“……Damn it.”

[Rage has increased by 7.]

[Rage begins to boil from the depths of your being.]

Despite his rising rage, AngerManagementVodka was still holding back.

“……I won’t be fooled twice. Don’t screw this up, trash.”

Words directed at the new subordinate who could no longer hear him.

And then.

“The rest of you, don’t take a single step closer. Unless you want to end up the same way.”

Those words were directed at the remaining subordinates waiting behind him.

“Y, Yes…!”

At AngerManagementVodka’s exemplary words and actions, his subordinates didn’t dare move an inch, only adjusting their postures.

“Oh.”

Kyung-joon was inwardly surprised by AngerManagementVodka’s response.

It seemed he was not only smart, but also had good ‘senses’.

“……”

Drip.

A bead of cold sweat trickled down AngerManagementVodka’s back.

It was chilling.

The current situation felt like being scraped by a sharp scythe.

‘……What is this killing intent?’

[Unique Skill 『Killing Intent Detection (Lv.6)』 ]

AngerManagementVodka could feel the killing intent.

The higher his rage, the stronger the killing intent he felt.

Therefore, when his rage surged, he became more aware of his surroundings and fought more rationally.

He could sense the killing intent beforehand and dodge attacks.

However, that had become his downfall this time.

‘……Since when?’

He hadn’t noticed it at first, but as his rage built up, he could now clearly feel it.

Kyung-joon’s killing intent was all around him.

There was no escaping it.

There was no way to counter it.

By all around, he meant literally 360 degrees, above, below, and all around.

‘Normally, killing intent is strongest near the caster……’

The killing intent he sensed was almost nonexistent around Kyung-joon himself, and instead, it was densely concentrated solely around him.

He didn’t know what this killing intent was, but one thing was certain.

If he moved, he would die.

“Oh? You recognize it?”

[Unique Skill 『Hide Casting (Lv.1)』 is in effect.]

▶Currently Hidden Skill 1: Energy Shooter (Lv.4)

▶Currently Hidden Skill 2: Energy Shooter (Lv.4)

▶Currently Hidden Skill 3: Energy Shooter (Lv.4)

.

.

.

▶Currently Hidden Skill 999: Energy Shooter (Lv.4)

The true nature of the killing intent that AngerManagementVodka was feeling was Kyung-joon’s 『Hide Casting』.

Like a spider web laid in advance, the skills that Kyung-joon had hidden hours before AngerManagementVodka’s arrival were filling the surroundings.

If AngerManagementVodka hadn’t stopped his subordinate himself, he would have been half beaten and his remaining subordinates would have all been logged out.

That was the reason why he had been holding back his anger despite his continuously rising rage.

‘I can’t afford any more losses, especially after failing to farm recently……’

AngerManagementVodka was surprisingly thoughtful and rational.

“I thought you were just a reckless and chaotic group, being a workshop guild and rumored to be the Russian Mafia, but I guess not.”

“……Hmph. I’m not obligated to tell you what kind of guild we are. But let me tell you this, if you make an enemy of us, you, a loner with no guild, will be finished. You won’t be able to set foot in World for years.”

Although his life was practically being held hostage, AngerManagementVodka still held his ground and spoke his mind.

Of course, he had no intention of actually starting a war with Kyung-joon.

As he had just said, if the entire guild was involved, his position and benefits as a current guild executive would be jeopardized.

So, what he just said was nothing more than a bluff, a threat using the guild’s reputation.

However, coincidentally, AngerManagementVodka wasn’t the only one bluffing.

“A loner, you say…… Even after seeing this?”

Fling!

Just like when they had exchanged shareable status windows during their first encounter, this time Kyung-joon was the first to toss something.

It was bread.

To AngerManagementVodka, it looked like an ordinary, insignificant piece of bread.

“……?!”

However, the unforgettable name of the player was right there on the bread’s status window.

[BlackChef’s Soft Bread]

▶Soft bread made by the wandering chef, BlackChef. It shows the skill of an experienced chef. For your information, it’s delicious.

▶Stimulates appetite, temporarily decreasing satiety by 10% and then slowly recovering it by 20%.

※Currently preserved with preservation magic!

▶Item Grade: High

The bread BlackChef had made for them when he visited Kyung-joon’s territory, asking if they knew what good bread tasted like.

It was just a delicious piece of bread with no special abilities, but it made AngerManagementVodka think all sorts of things.

‘He has BlackChef’s food…… What kind of relationship does this guy have with BlackChef…?’

Just about two months ago, AngerManagementVodka and his group had a very bad experience with BlackChef while farming arlivs.

Of course, since his subordinates and AngerManagementVodka himself were there, they managed to cope somehow, but in the end, AngerManagementVodka decided not to mess with BlackChef.

It wasn’t that he was afraid of him, but more like avoiding him because he was a nuisance. Dealing with such a crazy person was a waste of energy.

In fact, the damage he suffered while dealing with BlackChef was the biggest he had ever experienced since he started playing World a year and a half ago.

And Kyung-joon was vaguely aware of this fact.

‘He must be thinking all sorts of things right now, right?’

A post he had seen while searching for BlackChef on the internet before.

After reading that, Kyung-joon assumed AngerManagementVodka must have had a hard time because of BlackChef.

So, Kyung-joon bluffed.

Actually, Kyung-joon was the one whose life was being targeted by BlackChef, but AngerManagementVodka had no way of knowing that.

And what if AngerManagementVodka saw Kyung-joon with food personally made by BlackChef in this kind of situation?

AngerManagementVodka would inevitably misunderstand that there was some kind of connection between Kyung-joon and BlackChef.

‘……Don’t tell me that BlackChef’s attack on my workshop back then was also under this guy’s orders.’

And that Kyung-joon was a huge ‘mastermind’ who could even control BlackChef.

‘No, not just BlackChef…… Come to think of it, the letter also came through World’s Best. And that Epic Quest I couldn’t clear for over half a year was completed in just a few weeks……’

Gulp.

Everything started to add up.

Ruski Komrade, a guild that other players avoided, and he, one of its executives, was being brazenly provoked and summoned.

And now, he was being held hostage with overwhelming killing intent.

Kyung-joon, as AngerManagementVodka saw him now, was an unpredictable figure whose true abilities and backing were completely unfathomable.

‘Tsk, I was humiliated back then because of BlackChef. I guess I have no choice but to tell the boss and the other executives……’

He really didn’t want to.

First of all, it was extremely embarrassing.

Second, they would dig into all the money he had secretly pocketed from farming arlivs.

And third, the other executives would definitely demand a share after hearing about this.

But he had no choice.

He had no other option.

‘This guy, Kyung-joon, is someone I can’t handle alone.’

Step. Step.

AngerManagementVodka walked through the killing intent created by Kyung-joon’s 『Hide Casting』 and said,

“……So you know about that incident. Well, it’s no surprise, considering how famous it is. But there’s a saying in Korea.”

That he didn’t avoid something because he was afraid of it, but because it was dirty.

“Back then, I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, so I ended it myself. But if it’s a matter that involves money like this time…… I can always ask the boss and have all the executives participate. If that’s the case, then neither BlackChef nor you are a big deal.”

Step. Step.

Thud.

Finally, AngerManagementVodka broke through the killing intent and stood right in front of Kyung-joon.

Kyung-joon had to slightly tilt his head up to look at his nearly 2-meter tall figure.

They were so close that he could headbutt Kyung-joon’s chin if he jumped.

The reason why Kyung-joon allowed AngerManagementVodka to approach him this close was obvious.

AngerManagementVodka didn’t have his giant axe in his hand.

The giant axe was still stuck in the ground behind him.

“Here.”

Instead, he was holding the bread that Kyung-joon had thrown, and he handed it back to him.

He said with a frown,

“……What do you want.”

Snap!

Kyung-joon snapped his fingers.

[Unique skill 『Killing Intent Detection (Lv.6)』 ]

[Most of the killing intent you felt around you disappears.]

He felt the intense killing intent that had been pressing down on him disappear.

AngerManagementVodka felt a sense of relief and a chill at the same time.

What kind of guy was he, able to create and erase a skill that could wipe out hundreds of people without a sound?

Although Kyung-joon was looking up at AngerManagementVodka, and he was looking down at Kyung-joon…

The psychological situation was completely reversed.

“Thank you.”

Kyung-joon, with a satisfied and bright smile, received the bread that AngerManagementVodka handed him.

But then he tore off about two-thirds of it, stuffed it into his mouth, and handed the remaining one-third back to AngerManagementVodka, saying,

“Vodka, do you want to imagine something fun with me?”

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

The statement 『AngerManagementVodka is the labor force of Kyung-joon’s territory』, which had been false until now…

Now that statement has become undeniably true.

At Kyung-joon’s arliv-silva business……

“Good job~! Good job~!”

AngerManagementVodka’s subordinates were working hard.

They carefully applied and covered each and every arliv with the purification fertilizer made by the silvas.

And that wasn’t all.

They trimmed the arlivs’ branches, removed any bugs or pests attached to their bodies, and even gave them additional nutrients and water containing the forest’s mana.

It was a perfect after-sales service!

《Ooooh…… Feels good……》

The arlivs were very satisfied with the various services provided by AngerManagementVodka’s subordinates.

In the past, AngerManagementVodka and his group were intruders and plunderers to the arlivs, but now they were like masseurs and customers.

The fact that they had once tormented the arliv colony didn’t matter much.

From the perspective of the arlivs, who were spirits, except for a few special cases, all humans were the same anyway.

In the first place, it was only natural for humans to cut down trees and hunt animals in the forest.

But…

That aside…

“How exactly are you planning to make money in this situation?”

AngerManagementVodka couldn’t figure out how Kyung-joon was going to profit from this ‘arliv-silva business’.

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