Let’s hear him out.
I quietly waited for the man to continue.
“You… are aware of the notification message that appeared yesterday morning, right?”
“Which one……?”
“The one saying the First Sequence for entering the main quest was beginning. Because of that, the Minotaur Lord descended and destroyed all the Special Supply Stations.”
Since messages delivered to Players would never appear to an NPC like me, I had no idea whatsoever. Even so, I kept a straight face and just replied with a vague “Oh, that one,” as if I already knew.
I may not know much about a First Sequence, but I did personally witness the Minotaur Lord destroying the Special Supply Station with my own eyes.
“The fact that it was labeled ‘First’ means that several more descents will continue to follow. It’s possible that a large-scale slaughter, like during The Cleansing, could occur again.”
Even if such a slaughter were to happen, I — as an NPC — would be safer than anyone, but I kept that to myself and listened with a serious expression.
“If that happens, a small group like ours would be wiped out in an instant. Compared to larger factions, we’re lacking not just in combat strength but in information as well, so we wouldn’t even have a way to prepare.”
The man briefly cast his eyes downward as if picturing his group’s future for just a moment — then suddenly slammed both hands down hard on the bed. Despite his lean, agile-looking frame, the force was something else; my body actually bounced on the mattress for a second.
He leaned forward and brought his eyes level with mine, and his gaze was filled with resolve.
“That is why we intend to join Eclipse, which is currently gathering an alliance of raid teams.”
I blinked at the incredibly familiar name.
Eclipse?
A Player’s status window typically listed their base stats, skills, and titles. Occasionally there was one additional line — that being their “affiliation.” My guess was that it got added when the group they belonged to had an official name.
Among all of them, Eclipse was the affiliation I had seen most often.
And for good reason, too —
That’s Jeong Euijin’s team, isn’t it?
The status window I had checked more than any other was Jeong Euijin’s, so even the name of his affiliated team felt familiar.
The man, seeing my reaction, seemed to take it as confirmation that I was at least well acquainted with Eclipse.
“Unlike before, Eclipse is currently aiming to structure the raid as a coalition. If we can join, the raid rewards — whether Coins or experience — would come pouring in on a tremendous scale.”
The man’s expression shifted slightly, becoming a bit conflicted.
“However, Eclipse is currently only accepting people in team units. They’re not recruiting official members, but to get into the raid team, you apparently have to demonstrate at least a team-level combat force or some useful skill.”
“I think I understand what you’re trying to say.”
There was no need to hear any more.
I had a clear enough picture of what this man’s intentions were.
“I, who can’t join alone, get to have a team and join Eclipse — while you, on your end, use my ‘skill’ to compensate for your low number of fighters…. Is that about right?”
“…Yes. Exactly.”
The man had seemed to try to lay things out in full, probably hoping to make a good impression before proposing they become a team — but in the end, it all came down to something simple.
A proposal to join hands, each for their own survival and future wellbeing.
If I were an ordinary Player, this would be exactly the kind of offer worth welcoming, simply for the sake of surviving going forward.
With the title of Monster Tamer, any group would welcome me without question — which was why this man had had no choice but to be so deferential toward me until now.
The truth was, I was finding it appealing for a different reason entirely.
The most important thing I needed to focus on right now was finding a way to leave Zone 2 and make my way to Zone 1.
If it’s not just Eclipse but many different teams all gathering in one place, there might be a Player with a skill for moving others across zones.
I had already set up the cover story of being a low-level Monster Tamer, and there was a witness right in front of me to back it up.
With Players gathered together, the eyes of others and basic social decorum would keep anyone from doing something shameless like outright stealing — so under ordinary circumstances, my true identity would never be exposed.
The one thing I was a little uneasy about was my longtime regular, Jeong Euijin — but for now, I decided not to worry about that.
He doesn’t even know what I look like, anyway.
As far as I knew, Jeong Euijin was an executive of Eclipse. With the number of people being gathered for a coalition at this scale, no one would be busier than the executives — so the chances of crossing paths with him were probably slim.
I should slip the handkerchief in quietly while I’m there.
I thought of the Healing Handkerchief stored away in my subspace and gave the man a nod.
“Alright. When are you planning to join Eclipse?”
The man’s face lit up instantly at my acceptance.
“If everything goes smoothly with the others, we should be able to set out this very afternoon.”
For me, who needed to find a Player with a zone-transfer skill as soon as possible, the faster the better.
Without another thought, I packed my things and left the building alongside the man.
* * *
But as always, things in life have a way of refusing to go smoothly.
“What’s going on?”
Kim Seokju arrived at the hideout with me in tow, his expression bewildered as he looked around.
“Where did everyone go?!”
There were clear signs that people had been living here until just moments ago, but the place looked as if a band of thieves had swept through and stripped it bare.
They bolted.
There wasn’t a single trace of a monster attack. The only thing evident was that someone had hurriedly packed up and made a run for it of their own accord.
Just then, a woman and a fidgety young man came walking out from inside.
“Iseul! Jaekyung!”
Those two must be the ones Kim Seokju had mentioned — the ones who had been trapped in the street the night before. From what I had heard, after the Werewolves scattered into buildings at sunrise, Kim Seokju had sent them back to the hideout ahead of him.
Checking their status windows, Jeong Iseul was at level 38, three levels above Kim Seokju. Her stat distribution was quite solid as well, making it immediately clear that she was the strongest fighter in the group.
And that man over there has surprisingly good stats too.
I took a closer look at Woo Jaekyung’s status window — someone who looked like he couldn’t hurt a fly. His level was exactly 30, but his skills as a Player were quite impressive. He was clearly a fighter for good reason.
While I was busy analyzing the two of them, Kim Seokju — who had just finished greeting the pair — quickly hardened his expression.
“Where did everyone go?! Someone explain what happened!”
“Well……”
“Were you attacked? But if it was monsters, last night they definitely……”
Kim Seokju’s gaze shifted to me. He seemed to think it was impossible for monsters to have invaded this far, given that the nearby Werewolves had been packed into the streets because of me.
Jeong Iseul, who had been staring at me like I was some exotic creature, averted her gaze with a somber expression. In her place, a tall man who had been standing like a shadow in the dimness inside spoke up.
“Everyone else has left.”
“Seowon-il!”
Kim Seokju’s delight was genuine — he had thought no one was there aside from Jeong Iseul and Woo Jaekyung.
The man named Seo Wonil had pale skin and an air about him that was just as striking as Kim Seokju’s dark clothing — though his own outfit was similarly dark.
As I swept my gaze over Seo Wonil, it landed on the unusually shaped longsword hanging at his hip, and my eyes lit up.
The hilt had a trigger fitted to it, and where the grip met the blade, a revolver’s cylinder sat fitted unmistakably in place. The upper part of the blade peeking out above the scabbard also had a rounded protrusion, as if a gun barrel had been attached along its length.
I didn’t even need to check the item name to know what it was.
A weapon of that design had appeared more than once in games. The last rare weapon I had ever equipped a character with in the game I used to play before the world came to this — was exactly that.
So this is what a Gunblade looks like in real life.
A Gunblade is not simply a weapon that combines a sword and a gun.
While ranged firing is certainly possible, its primary use is to drive the blade deep into a target, then pull the trigger to detonate the internal charge within.
Because of that, its attack power is considerable — but since it requires calculating both the thrust and the firing moment simultaneously, it’s an extremely difficult weapon to master before getting used to it.
That was true even in the game — in reality, it must be even harder to handle.
In that sense, the man who used a Gunblade as his primary weapon looked strong at a glance alone.
Out of curiosity, I checked Seo Wonil’s status window.
Hm? Didn’t they say Jeong Iseul was the highest-leveled in this group?
Jeong Iseul’s level was 38.
But this man’s level was 47.
That’s nearly a 10-level difference.
Had he been hiding his level? Why?
Wait — why does this person’s status window have something like that……
I was tilting my head at something puzzling written there when I accidentally made direct eye contact with Seo Wonil. I could feel his dark, unreadable eyes slowly scanning me in return.
