As they emerged from the secret passage, a suffocating heat suddenly hit them.
[Area Entry: Shadow Canyon – Inner Depths]
This place was once called the ‘Fairy Spring.’ It was a pristine zone where clear valley waters flowed and fireflies danced. But now, the scene before their eyes was nothing short of hell.
The sky was stained blood-red, and the once-clear valley water bubbled with purple poison fumes. The towering trees had their bark stripped off, bristling with grotesque thorns.
“Wow… The design team really needs a mental health check,”
Ihyeon muttered, furrowing his brow.
“This looks like a nightmare. Hyung, you said this was your hometown? You have a very unique taste.”
“It wasn’t like this before.”
Doyeong’s voice sank low. His rabbit character stared blankly at the withered flower field.
“This place… was where the water fairies lived. The stream over there was Class 1 Water, and the monsters were all cute water-drop shapes.”
“Water drops? What’s running over there looks like rotten slimes to me.”
Ihyeon pointed ahead with his finger. A pack of monsters oozing purple slime was running toward them, making eerie sounds.
[Corrupted Swamp Stalker (Lv. 110)]
“I really hate disgusting stuff like this. Let’s just clear them out quickly.”
Ihyeon clenched his fist lazily. Then he loaded his ring-customized gauntlet and stepped forward.
“Wait! Be careful!”
“What’s there to be careful about? They’re just minions.”
Confident, Ihyeon charged ahead. With such a 200-level difference, it was obvious the mobs would die at a mere touch. Ihyeon’s fist was just about to strike the monster’s head.
Swish.
There was no impact.
His fist had clearly pierced the monster’s skull, but the monster’s form dissipated like smoke and passed right through Ihyeon’s body.
[Attack Nullified]
“…Huh?”
Ihyeon’s eyes widened. It wasn’t a miss. There was no hit registration at all. It was as if he had punched a hologram; his fist awkwardly froze in midair.
“What? Is this a bug? Why won’t it hit?”
Flustered, Ihyeon swung his fist again, but the result was the same. The monsters transformed mockingly into a liquid state and circled around him.
Kueeeek!
Then, one monster solidified from the liquid and spat poison needles offbeat. Ihyeon instinctively turned his head to dodge, but the poison needle grazed his cheek with a sizzle, corroding his expensive armor skin. The damage was negligible but enough to bruise his pride.
“Ah, this is annoying. Are they immune to physical attacks? Should I use magic?”
As Ihyeon frowned, Doyeong’s calm voice sounded beside him.
“No, they’re in ‘Incorporealization’ right now.”
“Incorporealization?”
“They were originally singing fairies. When threatened, they transform their bodies into ‘sound waves’ and hide. So if you just hit them, it’s like slashing sound.”
Doyeong drew his worn sickle and approached Ihyeon’s side.
“They’re thrashing madly, so their rhythm’s off. Instead of 4/4 time, they’re wobbling in 3/4 syncopation, so you can’t lock in your hits. You have to forcibly break their rhythm to catch their real form.”
Ihyeon was momentarily stunned at the explanation. He’d just thought this was a simple hunting ground to crush by level—never expected such a pesky gimmick hidden here. Without Doyeong, he probably would’ve given up, punching air in frustration and logging off.
“Watch the timing carefully. The moment they materialize to shoot poison needles.”
Doyeong swung his sickle, and vines flew out with a whir. The damage was weak, but the vine trap could bind monsters.
Thwack!
“Now! Their feet are caught!”
The monster, weaving among them, was forced to materialize to launch its poison needles. The ‘Physical Immunity’ message vanished, revealing its grotesque true form.
Ihyeon got chills.
This wasn’t about overpowering by level. This guy was wielding the world’s lore as his weapon.
“…Hyung, you really are a weirdo.”
“Is that a compliment?”
“More like high praise. I want to crack open your head sometime.”
A wide grin crept onto Ihyeon’s lips.
“Well then, I’ll try riding that rhythm too.”
Bang!
This time, Ihyeon’s fist pierced perfectly through the monster’s solar plexus. A perfect counter that anticipated the pattern of trying to hide offbeat.
[Boss Room: Corrupted Tree of Life]
A huge ancient tree was wrapped in iron chains. Black mist hissed backward from its knot holes, and a boss monster with the twisted shape of a human appeared.
[Corrupted Spirit King: Dryad]
Once a guardian of the forest, now it had tattered translucent wings, and its beautiful face was disfigured painfully with black veins.
Graaaar… Leave… Please… Just leave…
It was more a scream for mercy than a threat.
“This boss is kinda small. I’ll finish it in 30 seconds.”
But Ihyeon didn’t care about such backstory. It was just a data chunk he needed to clear quickly. He relaxed his wrist lightly and charged ‘Overload Smash.’
Kraaaang!
The fight was more like a slaughter. The Act 2 boss was too weak to withstand the ruthless firepower of a ranker. Every time Ihyeon’s fist connected, the Dryad’s body crumpled like a sheet of paper.
Ahhhh!
With a miserable scream, the Dryad’s HP dropped to 5% instantly. Collapsing to the floor, she coughed up black blood and crawled somewhere.
“Finishing move.”
Just as Ihyeon aimed to strike the final blow with indifferent eyes,
“Wait!!!”
Doyeong’s urgent shout tore through the headset.
Paht!
Doyeong’s rabbit character leapt to block Ihyeon’s path. Wearing only worn robes and no armor, he threw himself into the trajectory of Ihyeon’s fist.
“Hyung! What are you doing! Do you want to die?!”
Ihyeon was shocked and canceled his skill. Though party members don’t die, the action felt unpleasant.
“Don’t kill! The lines! We need the last lines!”
“Huh? What lines? Shouldn’t it be over once we kill it?”
“No! It said it has something to say! Please!”
Doyeong pushed Ihyeon’s character, desperately blocking the attack. While Ihyeon stopped in confusion, the dying Dryad shakily stretched her hand, swirling empty air.
[I’m sorry… I couldn’t protect the forest…]
The Dryad’s gaze turned toward the empty sky.
[Where did everyone… go…? I’m so… scared…]
Black tears dripped from the Dryad’s hollow eyes. The last words of a guardian who had collapsed alone after all the players vanished six years ago.
“It’s okay… It’s not your fault.”
Trembling, Doyeong opened the chat window.
NPCs can’t read chat. This is only data wasting. But Doyeong didn’t stop typing.
[General] Won: Sorry I’m late. You did well. Now rest.
Doyeong was comforting the in-game entity with all his heart. Like someone watching over the deathbed of an old friend.
Paaaah…
As if Doyeong’s consolation reached her, the black aura drained from the Dryad’s body, and for a brief moment her clear, beautiful former self flashed by like a vision. She looked faintly toward Doyeong and smiled softly before dissolving into light.
[Boss Cleared!]
[Cinematic Video Playing]
The screen shifted.
Memories from the past filled the monitor. A clear Class 1 Water stream flowing, baby fairies playing in the pollen-dusted forest, the Dryad smiling brightly as she gifted flowers to beginner players.
A calm, sad piano melody played in the background.
Ihyeon stared at the screen expressionless with his arms crossed.
“They should improve the graphics a bit. The textures are all broken. Does anyone still fall for this tacky production?”
Of course, technical flaws caught Ihyeon’s eye more than any emotion. He just wanted to skip quickly and check his rewards.
Then,
“…Hmph.”
Beyond the headset came a very faint but clear sound.
Ihyeon twitched his brow. Did he hear wrong?
Sniff… Hoo…
No, he heard right.
The sniffling of a nose, the trembling exhale soaked with moisture. Thanks to the high-performance microphone, even the sound of Doyeong swallowing and moving his throat was transmitted vividly.
“Hyung.”
“…Yeah.”
Doyeong’s reply was delayed by a beat. His voice was thick and wet.
“Don’t tell me… you’re crying now?”
Ihyeon gasped incredulously.
You’re crying over a piece of dead data? You’re thirty-two years old, aren’t you?
“…Shut up.”
Doyeong snapped back gruffly, but he couldn’t hide the dampness in his voice.
“No… it’s just… pitiful. She wasn’t like that before. When beginners came, she gave them heals and guided them to the entrance when they got lost. She was really a kind soul…”
“Oh.”
“The devs… why did they have to corrupt her like this? Couldn’t they just have let her pass peacefully? Sob…”
Eventually, Doyeong couldn’t hold back and began to sob.
A man who grit his teeth against fifty million won in debt was now shedding tears like a child over the death of an NPC in a game.
Ihyeon stared blankly at Doyeong’s character on the monitor.
To Ihyeon, the game was a battlefield. Monsters were EXP vending machines, emotions superfluous. But it clearly wasn’t the same for this guy.
