Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The Reason I Must Not Fail (1)

Good work. I'll see you again.

“Yes. Thank you for your hard work.”

[Spirit Possession has been released.]

The Black Hunter's form gradually blurred before disappearing completely.

At the same time, the light faded from the dagger as well. I stared blankly at the crude blade, now returned to its former state, before casually tucking it into my waist. It was around then that Theo lowered his head.

“You can sleep now. You did well too.”

“Yeees.”

The preparations to return were complete. I gave everything one last check to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything.

Though the only thing worth bringing back was the hunting proof.

[Corrupted Rabbit's Tail]

The five short, round rabbit tails were safely tucked inside my leather armor.

If I were being honest, I wanted to bring the Demonic Beast corpses back too.

'Let's not get greedy.'

The rabbit corpses were much heavier than I'd expected.

There was no way I could carry Theo on my back while hauling the rabbit corpses as well.

Even if I somehow managed it, night would fall before I reached the village. Without any lingering regrets, I gave up on bringing the Demonic Beast corpses.

“Well then.”

I looked up at the sky painted by the setting sun.

Beneath the sunset, white smoke rose from the chimneys throughout the village.

'Let's head back.'

I slowly started walking toward the village.

*

A familiar person stood at the village entrance.

“James?”

It was James, the innkeeper.

He had been sitting near the gate in casual clothes, but the moment he saw me, he got to his feet.

“Were you waiting for me?”

“This is part of my job.”

James took two round pieces of bread from his pocket and handed them to me.

“Eat them before midnight. Both you and Theo.”

“What is this?”

“A Purifier.”

“A Purifier?”

“It's food infused with processed Holy Power. It'll help detoxify Demonic Energy.”

I accepted the bread James handed me, still somewhat bewildered. At that moment, one of the militia members chuckled and joined the conversation.

“That James may not look it, but he used to be a Priest.”

“…A Priest? You were a priest?”

I stared at James in astonishment, and he simply shrugged.

“Is there a problem?”

“I thought you were a mercenary.”

“I was a freelance priest. The temple kept pressuring me to accept knighthood, so I ran away.”

The militia burst into loud laughter.

I couldn't help letting out an awkward laugh myself.

Still, I didn't entirely believe it.

'Special Police Unit.'

There was no reason combat priests couldn't be part of it.

“Don't forget to eat it.”

James spoke while looking toward the forest, where darkness was beginning to settle.

“The Demonic Energy is growing denser. It never hurts to be careful.”

“Thank you.”

“There's no need to thank me. It isn't free.”

“Excuse me?”

“One Copper Coin for ten. I'll add it to your lodging bill on the fifth day.”

“…Isn't that forcing a sale?”

“It is.”

“What if I don't eat it?”

“Then you won't be able to carry out missions. I won't let you leave. Or perhaps you won't be allowed back inside.”

“……”

There was no choice.

When I followed James back to the inn, a familiar face was eating dinner.

“Oh, you're back.”

“Senior.”

It was Cream. She looked me over from head to toe before smirking.

“Congratulations on making it back alive.”

“I thought I was going to die.”

“What an exaggeration. Where's Theo?”

“He fell asleep. I'll wake him up and make him eat the Purifier.”

“Handle that yourself. Now hand over the proof.”

“Yes.”

“I'll take Theo upstairs. You take care of your business.”

“Jenny. Thank you.”

Jenny took the sleeping Theo from my back and headed upstairs.

Feeling much lighter, I stretched before taking out the rabbit tails and handing them to Cream.

Only after counting the tails did Cream take out three Copper Coins.

“Good work. The mission reward is one Copper Coin. Two including Theo's share. And take the dagger too.”

Cream flicked the three coins into the air.

They landed precisely in front of me, and I caught them.

“Didn't you say the reward was one Copper Coin?”

“I'll buy the rabbit tails. I gave you a generous price. Just accept it.”

“Thank you.”

At the same time, messages appeared one after another.

[Quest completed.]

['Earth Mercenary Company' has gained 100 Honor.]

['Kim Iseo's Health has increased by 1.]

['Theo's Health has increased by 1.]

[You have obtained Beginner's Dagger.]

[You have obtained three Copper Coins.]

Then came the message I had been waiting for.

[You have obtained an Entry Ticket.]

That wasn't all.

[You have obtained access to the 1st Floor.]

[You have obtained permission to view information on the 1st Floor.]

“…Huh.”

As I stood there blankly, Cream spoke.

“You're hungry, right? Come sit down. Let's eat together. I'll pay for this too.”

“Thank you for the meal, Senior.”

*

'Take tomorrow off.'

'Why?'

'If it's your first time being exposed to Demonic Energy, it's best to rest for a day.'

'Understood.'

That had been my conversation with Cream after we finished eating.

Thanks to that, I unexpectedly had a free day.

Without complaining, I went upstairs to the room, woke the sleeping Theo, and somehow managed to get him to eat the Purifier.

“Sleep well, Theo.”

After barely chewing and swallowing the bread, Theo immediately fell asleep again.

I covered him with a blanket before sitting down on my bed.

'Should I eat mine too?'

I rolled the Purifier around in my hand.

There was already something inside my body that drove away evil energy.

I probably didn't need the Purifier, but I figured it was still better than not taking it.

'It smells like freshly baked bread.'

I popped the Purifier into my mouth, chewed it thoroughly, and swallowed.

I felt a clear, refreshing energy flow down my throat and spread throughout my body.

Then a message appeared.

[An unknown energy absorbs the Holy Power.]

Holy Power. So he really had been a combat priest.

'More importantly… absorbs it?'

Before I could even voice my confusion, another message appeared.

[You have obtained 0.2 Bonus Points.]

A quiet exclamation escaped my lips.

“Oh.”

The Bonus Points I had earned from hunting five rabbits totaled only 0.15.

Yet a single Purifier had increased it by 0.2. That meant eating just five of them would earn me a full point.

“What a shame.”

Purifiers could only be received after completing a mission and returning.

Apparently, that was stipulated by Imperial law. Even if a remote countryside village could have afforded to be flexible, James had firmly stated that he couldn't make exceptions.

'Well, if they're part of the Empire's Special Police Unit, they can't exactly violate Imperial law.'

I found myself agreeing inwardly.

After finishing the Purifier as well, I lay down on the bed.

At last, I had a moment to breathe. It was time to assess my situation.

'Thankfully, things aren't going badly.'

A Unique Ability that let me view reviews.

A mysterious power that repelled things like Demonic Energy.

Theo, who had awakened unlike in the game and become even stronger.

And Bonus Points that could be earned through effort.

Even if I'd been dropped into the game without knowing anything, I could still see a way to survive. There was just one thing that continued to bother me

'It feels like everything revolves around the player.'

As though someone wanted me to clear this game.

Was that the will of whoever had placed me inside the game?

Or was it the will of the being waiting at the very top of the Tower?

Theo Homer had called me the "last player." What exactly had he meant by that?

'I don't know.'

I didn't know.

There was nothing I could know.

At least, not yet.

Lying on the bed, I raised my hand.

[Entry Ticket]

The ticket that allowed me to enter the Tower appeared.

I stared at it before reaching out with my finger.

[Would you like to enter?] [Yes/No]

What should I do?

'Maybe I'll take a quick look.'

I didn't deliberate for long.

'Let's go.'

Combat wouldn't begin the moment I entered.

There was a waiting area where players could prepare before entering a dungeon.

'I just have to avoid starting a challenge.'

Once I'd made my decision, there was no reason to hesitate. Thinking that, I waved my hand.

[Entering.]

A brilliant flash filled my vision, and I felt my body being pulled somewhere.

An odd sensation of weightlessness enveloped my entire body, and when I opened my eyes again

“…Oh.”

I was standing in the middle of a plaza.

The scenery was familiar. It was always featured in the advertisements for Mercenary Company Management.

This was the gathering place for players.

[Plaza]

I stood before the fountain in the center of the plaza.

Calling it a plaza was almost misleading—it was more like an enormous castle.

Blinking, I looked around.

'It's deserted.'

Not a single person could be seen in the vast plaza.

“Hello!”

I shouted for no real reason.

Only my own voice echoed back.

The same was true no matter where I looked. I checked every place where people would normally gather.

But

“Is this for real?”

There was truly no one.

There wasn't even a trace that anyone had ever been here.

It was impossible to believe this was the same game that had once boasted hundreds of thousands of concurrent players.

The moment I realized there wasn't a single sign of human presence, an overwhelming sense of emptiness washed over me.

'Was I expecting too much?'

I had hoped I might meet another player.

The greater that expectation had been, the greater the disappointment.

'No.'

But I quickly regained my composure.

Nothing would change just because I sat around feeling sorry for myself.

Whether there were other people or not, the fact that I was trapped inside the game remained the same.

To begin with, Mercenary Company Management had always been a single-player game. There had never been any way to cooperate with other players.

'It's a little disappointing, though.'

If there had been someone else in the same situation, at least we could have understood each other.

Shaking off the stray thoughts, I lifted my gaze.

There was one building I hadn't entered yet.

[Central Library]

It had also been one of the places where players gathered most often.

I wasn't expecting anyone to be there either.

'I'll check this place, then head back.'

More out of obligation than anything else, I walked to the entrance and opened the door.

Whoooosh—!

An incredible gale suddenly erupted.

I hurriedly raised an arm to shield my face, and with a heavy thud, the door slammed shut behind me.

“W-What?”

Darkness swallowed everything in an instant.

The gale still raged.

Then, amidst the storm, light descended.

The majestic interior of the Central Library slowly came into view.

An uncountable number of books filled the space.

The light illuminating the library came from the books themselves.

The moment I realized that, a message appeared.

[There are 20,240,206 comments.]

[Comments for which you do not meet the requirements cannot be viewed.]

One by one, the glowing books began turning dark, starting from the highest shelves.

[Comments for which you do not meet the requirements cannot be viewed.]

Darkness spread across the library.

Even the raging gale gradually died down.

Unable to react at all, I could only watch everything unfold before my eyes.

I had no choice but to wait until the entire process was complete.

And when it finally ended

['Kim Iseo' is authorized to view information up to the 1st Floor.]

As if entranced, I began walking.

Between the books that had sunk into darkness, I made my way toward one that still shone with light.

“……”

I looked at its title.

['Today's Sunshine's First Comment]

Carefully taking it from the shelf, the book crumbled into dust and flowed into my body.

['Today's Sunshine's First Comment]

[What in the world is happening? Am I trapped inside the game right now? I wish someone would explain this to me.]

The information was imprinted directly into my mind.

Like a memory.

Like data that I could retrieve whenever I wanted.

“…No way.”

My hand slowly dropped to my side as I looked around the Central Library.

Toward every book that still emitted light, I hurried forward.

['Setsyeon''s First Comment]

[What the fuck is going on?! Let me out of here right now!]

I grabbed another book.

['Chilseong Cola's First Comment]

[I really must have played this game too much if I'm having a bullshit dream like this. This isn't even funny. Fucking wake me up!]

I reached for yet another book.

['Night Sea's First Comment]

[I can't believe it, but I have no choice except to believe it. I accept that I've been trapped inside the game. First, I'll start recording information. Beginning with the demons on the first floor. The demons that appear are…]

“…Ah.”

These were unmistakably comments left by the players.