Chapter 26: Malleable Chewy Cow(1)

[Client Update Notice]

Hello, Adventurer.

The update for Daron Online is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, June 22nd.

Event: Traces of the Vanished Sun God

June 22nd – July 10th

The traces of the Sun God, who had vanished without a trace, have finally begun to appear in this world.

The event quest can be initiated at the temple located in Lunaris Capital City, and players can proceed with the quest during the event period.

Starting now, all monsters in every region will drop the item [Faded Sun Fragment].

Faded Sun Fragments can be exchanged for special items at the Lunaris Temple.

New Region Added: Frozen Sakazan

The Adventurers’ Guild has discovered a frozen region known as Frozen Sakazan.

Upon entering this region, players will be affected by the debuff [Biting Cold].

[Biting Cold]

• All stats reduced by 10%.
• Incoming damage increased by 10%.
• Health and Mana recovery reduced by 30%.

New Main Quests Added

• [Frozen Sakazan – Part 1]
• [Frozen Sakazan – Part 2]
• [Frozen Sakazan – Part 3]
• [Frozen Sakazan – Part 4]

New Dungeon Added: The Ruined Stronghold

[The Ruined Stronghold]

• Entry Requirements:
  • Minimum Level: 25
  • Completion of Sakazan’s main quest.

[Dungeon Drop Items]

• ※Click to view details※

New Items in Lunaris Capital General Store

• [Thick Fur Coat]
  • Wearing this item negates the effects of [Biting Cold].
  • Price: 10 Silver.

Item Discontinuation Notice

Starting from the update date, items with low usage rates will be discontinued.

[Items to be Discontinued]

• ※Click to view details※

The update for Deron Online had begun.

At the same time, faded memories began to resurface.

Around this time, Deron gradually prepared for its new expansion pack.

To raise the overall stats of players, new dungeons were added, and unused items were discontinued.

For those already participating in raids, the new dungeon wasn’t particularly significant.

Of course, if you wanted exclusive equipment appearances that could only be obtained there, you’d have to run the dungeon.

However, my focus was on the event that had just started.

I moved my mouse to check the items available in the event shop.

There were various items, from avatars to cosmetic enhancements, as well as recovery potions that restored health and mana by percentage.

Among them, there was one item that boasted overwhelmingly superior performance.

[Blessing of the Sun]

• Grants the [Blessing of the Sun] buff for 1 minute upon use.
• Reduces incoming damage by 30%.
• Increases all stats by 30%.

This buff item, commonly referred to as “Sun’s Blessing,” featured a simple description and overwhelming buff capabilities.

It was one of the design flaws in Deron.

Although doping items with better performance than Sun’s Blessing would appear in later expansions, until then, Sun’s Blessing reigned as the king of doping items.

If you aimed for a first clear in upcoming raids, having Sun’s Blessing wasn’t optional but essential.

You had to stock up as many as possible while it was still available.

I kept repeating this process.

By the time two rows of my inventory were filled with event items, I received a frantic message from Harang.

Harang: “Hey. Hey… I think you need to come here.”

Yeon: “Why?”

Harang: “Some of our guild members are having trouble with the Singsing Guild in the new region.”

Yeon: “Can’t they handle it themselves?”

Harang: “Not really… They probably won’t even make it outside the village.”

I exited the dungeon and ran a hand over my face.

I had a feeling something like this might happen, but I didn’t expect it to actually come true.

Even the guild chat, which I had pushed to the side, was bustling with activity, signaling that things were indeed urgent.

Singsing Guild… That name just kept coming up.

I hurried back to the capital city and used the event items I had collected to purchase Sun’s Blessing.

Immediately after, I used the warp to travel to the new region.

Beyond the white-tinted field of vision, a snowy world unfolded before me.

The cold wind brushing against my skin and the snow falling from the sky painted the scene in white.

At that moment, I recalled something I had forgotten—I hadn’t purchased the fur coat to block the Cold Wave debuff.

But in the next moment, to my surprise, the Cold Wave debuff disappeared on its own.

[The Blessing of the Sun God drives away the Bitter Cold.]

It seemed that the hidden option previously attached to the Sun Fragment Ring was also embedded in the Holy Sword.

I quickly dashed toward the largest village.

The sensation of snow crunching beneath my feet was unnervingly realistic.

The moment I arrived at the village entrance, I stumbled upon a truly absurd sight.

A massive group of players, all bearing the same guild mark, surrounded the entrance.

Their nicknames were another issue.

Seeing them glowing red—a sign of forced PK—was almost comical.

[Singsing]

They weren’t bothering other players.

They were solely focused on blocking our guild members from leaving the village.

Harsh words were exchanged across the narrow village entrance.

Those uninvolved either stood by to spectate or went about their quests.

At that moment, a sudden flash inside the village revealed a mass respawn of Singsing guild members.

It wasn’t from warping—they had the distinct resurrection effect.

Yeon: “I just arrived in Sakazan. Where are you?”

Harang: “Sniping from outside.”

I looked around at Harang’s words but couldn’t spot him anywhere.

With a sigh, I drew my sword.

With a light flick of my wrist, the blade began spinning, scattering dazzling rays of sunlight.

I immediately sent a message in the guild chat.

Yeon: “I’m opening the entrance. Follow me out, everyone.”

Facing over a hundred opponents alone was impossible.

Even with Sun’s Blessing doping, it would be a tough fight.

However, our guild members from [Malleable Chewy Cow] were already positioned inside the village.

If I cleared the entrance and they surged out, we’d stand a chance.

Who started this mess didn’t matter anymore.

I downed Sun’s Blessing and layered every buff I had on myself.

[Blessing of the Sun]

[Berserk]

[Holy Blessing]

[Sanctuary Proclamation]

In an instant, all my stats skyrocketed.

Statistically, I had reached levels surpassing the gear from the next expansion and even the one after that.

Even the slightest movement sent my blade whirling, carving swift arcs through the air.

As brilliant effects enveloped my body, the Singsing guild members began to take notice of me.

At that moment, a faint flash from far away streaked toward us.

A Singsing mage standing near the entrance had their head blown off.

It was Harang’s snipe.

Time seemed to slow as I focused my mind.

The falling snowflakes drifted lazily, pausing in midair.

As I prepared for a charge, blue mana erupted from my body.

Boom!

Time resumed, and the snow piled at my feet exploded outward.

A blinding white burst of snow surged behind me, spiraling into the sky.

I shot forward in a straight line, cutting through the air, slamming into the massive knight blocking the entrance, and forcing him aside.

A massive shockwave from the charge spread outward, scattering snowflakes in every direction.

Once again, time slowed.

Within that slowed flow of time, I began to move freely.

Through my blurred vision, my blade sliced swiftly, beheading five enemies.

Before their heads could even hit the ground, I spun my body and swung the sword again.

The long-reaching Holy Sun Sword cut through the air in a flash.

With a single charge, I had cleared out ten enemies.

At that moment, more faint flashes streaked through the air.

From a great distance, massive arrows fired from a longbow pierced through the chests and heads of mages in the midst of casting spells.

Simultaneously, [Malleable Chewy Cow] guild members began pouring out of the village entrance.

Each one was an elite.

I had personally recruited them, so their skill was unquestionable.

We had simply been outnumbered until now.

With the entrance cleared, they began to spread their wings.

Despite being outnumbered by more than two-to-one, Singsing was quickly overwhelmed.

I thrust my sword into the chest of the last remaining Singsing guild member.

Watching their trembling body collapse to the ground was almost laughable.

As I steadied my breath, I assessed the situation.

Our guild members were visibly energized, while Singsing members were thoroughly demoralized.

I opened my inventory and distributed [Blessing of the Sun] to my guildmates.

“Drink one of these before the next fight.”

This was the most critical moment.

Singsing was a massive guild with a significant number of members.

Their usual arrogance and tyranny came from their sheer numbers and the high specs of their top-tier players.

Just as our guild had called on me, they would undoubtedly summon their top-tier players.

We couldn’t falter.

We needed to solidify our momentum and maintain this state.

If we could hold our ground against their top players, Singsing would be forced to retreat.

As I expected, the Singsing guild emblem soon appeared in the distance.

About 30 reinforcements approached.

Judging by their equipment, some were decked out in raid gear.

I steadied my breath and raised my sword.

Then, it happened.

Ping!

A faint noise was followed by a flash of white light slicing through the air.

The light struck, exploding the heads of Singsing reinforcements as they approached the entrance.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The shots were fast.

With each successive strike, the direction of the firing shifted.

From afar, Harang had begun sniping, constantly changing his position to avoid detection.

Confusion spread across the faces of the advancing Singsing players.

We couldn’t let them regroup.

I turned to my guild members.

“Hold the entrance. If they try to come out, drink the Sun’s Blessing and fight them head-on. You can hold them off.”

I raised my sword.

After the brief standoff, the cooldown for Berserk had already reset.

I immediately activated Berserk and gulped down another Sun’s Blessing.

[Berserk]

[Blessing of the Sun]

With the buffs applied once more, my vision turned blood-red.

At that moment, my small frame shot forward like the wind cutting through the air.