[Party] 0: ?
[Party] 0: Not dead, huh?
[Party] 0: Lucky, or tough like a cockroach.
0, standing among the mobs, sent a chin-resting emoji with an interested look. Doyeong wiped the sweaty palms on his pants.
[Party] Won: Just hunt. I’ll report after it’s over.
[Party] 0: Report?
0’s character slid smoothly toward Won.
[Party] 0: You want me to call the cops? Cute.
[Party] 0: Want me to give you my legal team’s number? They’re faster with business.
0 provocatively sent a ‘throwing coins’ emoji. Golden coins rained down like a shower over Doyeong’s character’s head. The jangling sound pierced annoyingly through his headset.
“Ah, seriously, I picked the wrong person.”
Anyone could tell this guy was messed up. I just wanted to sell pumpkin seeds to ease my grandfather’s worries, so what the hell is this…. Doyeong wiped his eyes, which were starting to sting.
[Party] 0: Well, alright. I admit you’re persistent.
[Party] 0: Follow me. Let’s see if you die or not.
As they passed through mobs, they encountered numerous mechanics.
0 seemed to already know all the strategies, killing mobs by himself and clearing the dungeon. Doyeong followed like a shadow, picking up dropped junk items. He even carefully collected leftover coins from where 0 had swept past.
As 0 said, there were some sections where dying was easy. Walking over lava or climbing cliffs to skip mobs.
But Doyeong was actually used to those situations. Pixel rubbing was his specialty. If that big guy squeezed through, how easy was it for a small rabbit? Doyeong followed 0 so well it was borderline annoying.
Finally, they reached the boss room.
A massive iron door stood imposingly. Cold air seeped out through the door cracks. 0 elegantly folded six wings and looked back at Doyeong.
[Party] 0: Wow, you made it this far.
[Party] 0: I’ll give you props. I thought you were a cockroach, but you’re at least a woodlouse level.
[Party] 0: Gotta admit, tough vitality.
0 put a hand to his mouth and laughed with a motion.
[Party] 0: But not here. Don’t come in for the boss fight.
[Party] 0: I don’t mind you watching me kill, but don’t get swept up and die, leaving your corpse in my ‘solo play video.’
[Party] 0: It’s annoying to have a flaw.
[Party] 0: Hide in that corner, the VIP seat, just breathe and watch.
0 kicked the door open alone.
The ‘Abyssal Pit’ was thick with blood-red mist.
It was truly a hell where not a single ray of light entered.
Yet now a dazzling white flash sparked brightly from all around, as if mocking the darkness.
Bang, KRAAANG-!
Every time the screen shook, monsters screamed and extravagant damage numbers exploded like fireworks.
[Critical! – 45,920,100]
[Critical! – 52,110,000]
Damage numbers in the hundreds of millions. No, this wasn’t just numbers—it was the taste of capital from gear worth hundreds of millions in actual cash value.
In the corner of the dazzling slaughter scene, behind a rock at the map edge, a scruffy rabbit crouched.
[Party] Won: …Hey.
[Party] Won: Should I really just stay still?
Doyeong trembled as he typed on the keyboard. But his party member—the dungeon’s ruler—0 gave no reply. He moved elegantly, as if dancing alone.
Moreover, 0’s gameplay was strangely precise.
Most Rankers would be busy showing off flashy skills, shouting “See how strong I am!” but 0 was different.
Swish.
A sharp monster claw grazed 0’s neck. By sight, it should have counted as a hit.
But naturally, damage was ‘0.’
It was slight, pixel-level micro-movement calculating hitboxes.
Maybe because of supreme confidence in dodging, 0 never perceived monster attacks as threats. His movement showed no hesitation, treating dirt splashed on his expensive clothes as pollution.
Bam-!
Simultaneously evading, 0’s fist landed on the monster’s chest. It was concise, clean, and above all, efficient.
“Wow… he’s really something.”
Doyeong clicked his tongue. This wasn’t just good reflexes. It was stingy movement allowing zero pixel of wasted path.
Even in Doyeong’s ‘peak’ days seven years ago, no one played so breathlessly well.
[Party] 0: Uncle, a graze and you’re dead. Don’t come close.
[Party] 0: Or maybe dying would be better?
0 typed this standing on a monster corpse. Although no voice was heard, somehow it felt lazy and obnoxious.
“Yeah, you’re dodging because you’re scared of shit. Not scared, just disgusted.”
Doyeong puckered his lips and pushed his character deeper into a rock crevice. His pride stung, but he had no choice. His inventory carried 50 million Won to pay the tractor repair bill—no, to survive this winter.
‘If I die, it’s over. Seeds will burst.’
He muttered the prayer repeatedly. All he wanted was for 0 to kill the boss quickly and get them out of this hellish dungeon safely.
Then it happened.
Gugugugung―!
The dungeon’s air twisted. From cracks in the floor, red magma erupted spasmodically, and a massive shadow cast over the map center.
With eardrum-piercing noise, a black steel mass rose from the abyss floor.
[System: Dungeon master, ‘Abyssal Overseer,’ awakens!]
The boss appeared. A knight clad in jet-black armor, dragging a greatsword taller than himself with one hand.
Purple light from his helmet’s eye slits radiated killing intent that seemed to pierce the screen.
When the boss appeared, 0 lightly cracked his neck, shaking his character’s wrist with a motion.
[Party] 0: Three minutes.
[Party] 0: If it goes over 3 minutes 10 seconds, it’s my loss, so I’ll finish within that.
Without hesitation, 0 walked toward the boss. His stride, neither rushing nor running, exhuded eerie calmness.
And then, one-sided devastation began.
[Kraaaaah!]
The Abyssal Overseer roared and swung its greatsword horizontally, a wide-reaching slash covering half the map. The sound of slicing wind tore through Doyeong’s headset.
Anyone would have known it was time to retreat or roll backward.
But 0 stood firmly in place as if rooted to the spot.
‘Dodge, you crazy bastard!’
Doyeong silently screamed in his mind.
The blade cut through 0’s neck. Or so it seemed.
Flash―!
The moment the blade touched, 0’s form wavered faintly, leaving only a black afterimage before vanishing.
[Phantom Counter]
[Perfect Evasion!]
“Wow….”
Doyeong’s mouth dropped open. That wasn’t a simple dodge. It was perfect evasion appearing only in the split second 0.5 seconds before contact. A hair too fast and the skill would miss midair; a hair too slow and he’d be split in two by the greatsword—a brutal technique.
The afterimage was uselessly sliced away, and the real 0 appeared behind the boss.
Pa-pow! Kaang!
0’s fist smashed into the boss’s unguarded back.
Blue sparks flew off the demonic armor where his fist hit, and the heavy impact echoed dully through the dungeon.
[System: Counter successful! Damage 300% applied!]
Simultaneously, red steam rose from 0’s fist.
Then, the boss swung its axe blade toward 0.
[Passive Activated: Arrogance]
[Attack Power Increase Stack: 1]
But 0 did not retreat. Instead, he thrust his head into the axe’s descending arc and pressed the attack.
‘Crazy, does he want to die!’
Just as Doyeong was about to scream.
Kra-jik-!
Not a dull thud, but a sharp crack rang out.
The Overseer’s blade failed to cleave 0’s head. More precisely, 0 slightly tilted his head, just enough to deflect the blade. The sword brushed 0’s cheek and embedded in the ground.
[Passive Activated: Arrogance]
[Attack Power Increase Stack: 1]
At the same time red text appeared on screen, and 0’s fist glowed blue again.
“Opening.”
0’s fist drove straight into the boss’s chest.
Paaaaarrrrk-!!!
Like a cannon blast, the towering Overseer was flung backward like a paper doll. This wasn’t a simple punch. Something beyond a counter was stacked on the strike.
Doyeong was speechless.
“What the—? Lag? He just went right through it?”
This wasn’t tanking as Doyeong understood it. A proper tank stood in front of mobs, blocking falling skills with a shield with a ping.
But 0’s tanking was different. The more he dodged attacks with afterimages, the more his damage increased—a thrilling dance.
0 moved like a dance under relentless assault. Twisting his body just before blades touched, swatting punches away with the backs of his hands, leaving afterimages while slipping behind when breath attacks came.
