If Education Is Necessary (1)
Ever since Arcana began spilling into reality, Korea's new symbol became the Mage Tower.
"Yes, I'm reporting live from in front of the Mage Tower!"
"Whoa. How many meters tall is that thing? It just popped up overnight?"
"Wait—aren't those the Supernovas? The ones they say are threatening the rankers?!"
The Mage Tower.
The sacred ground for all mages.
A key location that played an important role even within Arcana itself.
And now that this Mage Tower had risen in Seoul,
the resulting impact was beyond words.
[Mage Tower Effect? Rankers Flocking to Korea]
[Mages of the Tower: "We only seek new knowledge. We wish for friendly relations."]
[Mage Tower Tourism Boom... 3,000% Increase in Tourists Compared to Last Year]
"Why are we in Korea? Obviously because of the Mage Tower. From long-distance teleportation to magic enhancement services—it offers a lot. That's why our Shining Guild plans to stay in Korea for the foreseeable future."
The world's top guild, Shining, opened a Korean branch.
Following their lead, other major global guilds also began setting up shop in Korea.
They brought massive tax revenues as a bonus.
And with so many players around, monster-related incidents naturally dropped.
The future of Korea was looking brighter by the day!
But the Mage Tower wasn't the only thing that crossed over from Arcana.
And wherever there is light, there is also shadow.
'Damn it. Am I just a background extra even as a player?'
'I wanted to make it big like that too!'
'Jealous. So jealous I could kill them.'
Yes—demons lurked in that darkness.
"It was hard to adjust at first, but the more I look around, this place is even better for demons than the Arcana continent. Jealousy, envy, despair... negative emotions flow non-stop!"
In this kind of environment, becoming a high-ranking demon was only a matter of time.
"Someday, I'll be like the Demon Kings too...!"
An imp—a low-ranking demon—licked his lips in ecstasy.
He had found his next prey.
A group of five players.
"Let's go with those guys this time."
He thought back to the ones he toyed with and killed yesterday.
Their desperate screams had been music to his ears.
These new ones looked even more clueless. Easy pickings.
Including me, we had exactly five.
'I guess that's lucky.'
After all, there was no rule saying only high-level players awakened.
The community was full of recruitment posts from people seeking others at their level.
Soloing was too risky.
Especially because this was real life.
If you died here, it wasn't game over—you were just... dead.
"I see it now. The Rift."
A finger pointed toward the subway exit.
It was still rush hour, so the crowds were thick.
If I hadn't quit my job, I might've been one of those commuters right now.
Thinking that, I suddenly found myself right in front of the exit.
So this was what a player's view looked like.
The Rift—visible only to players.
A kind of 'veil' blocked the way to the subway platform.
Ordinary people passed right through it.
They weren't affected by the Rift at all.
Which was probably the only reason society was still functioning.
[Gnoll's Underground Storage]
Recommended Level: 35–40
Collapse Progress: 19.8%
'So I can even see Rift info now.'
If the Collapse Progress hits 100%, the Rift breaks down and monsters spill into reality.
Back in the early days of the Cataclysm,
when players and knowledge were both in short supply,
Rifts collapsed all the time, unleashing monsters into the world.
The loss of life during that time... was unspeakable.
Thanks to those sacrifices, today's players could enter Rifts freely, without many restrictions.
Rifts were ticking time bombs.
And only players could defuse them.
"Judging by the progress, someone may have gone in before us. Still, let's give it our best! Okay, I'll smoke one quick cigarette, and we'll enter in exactly five minutes."
...I was nervous.
And that was only natural.
Just days ago, I was an ordinary office worker.
Now I was about to go monster hunting—something completely out of my fate.
So of course I was tense.
'In times like this, I guess I should be grateful.'
But that was just a feeling.
Physically, I wasn't trembling at all.
My neck stood tall.
My shoulders were relaxed.
My gaze was sharp and full of confidence.
...It looked like a noble had just arrived at the subway station.
To any onlooker, I didn't seem like someone entering a Rift for the first time.
Let's think positively.
There's nothing good about being nervous.
Besides, this was a beginner party—joined specifically because it was my first Rift.
[Recommended Level: 35–40]
My current level was 55.
Even if demon hunters had somewhat average stats, I still had a 15-level gap on this place…
No reason to be nervous at all.
"Alright then, shall we head in?"
"Let's do our best!"
"Let's work hard together!"
Five minutes had passed quickly.
The party members pumped themselves up.
All of them were older women.
And apparently, they were all sisters born a year apart.
Growing up, I'd survived countless sibling skirmishes and mastered the art of reading the room.
That social skill had made me a favorite with my bosses, too.
So naturally, I opened my mouth to keep the mood light—
and spoke in a very refined voice:
"You need not worry with me here."
…Wait a sec. Who's worrying about who here?!
But the words were already out. Too late to take them back.
"...Huh?"
Damn. I could see the party members flinch.
I might just die of embarrassment here.
Grandfell...
you cursed, cringe-inducing remnant of my dark past.
They say if you stay quiet, you're already halfway there.
It seemed best to keep my mouth shut as much as possible.
That was the conclusion I came to.
As soon as we entered the rift, the scenery changed.
It was the same subway I saw every day on my commute, but…
There was an unexplainable sense of alienation.
Nam Cheol-min, the party leader walking ahead, clicked his tongue.
"The escalator's rusted. Looks like we'll have to walk. There are a lot of stairs here, but think of it as a warm-up!"
At his words, I looked over at the escalator.
He was right.
A rusted escalator.
A damp, unpleasant smell drifting from the depths of the underground.
Occasional howling from some beast.
'Is that the sound of a gnoll?'
Sure enough, the rift had transformed the subway to match its own environment.
Only players could enter these ruins of a subway station.
Of course, if the rift collapsed, the real subway would end up looking like this too.
"Start getting your gear ready."
"If the entrance is this empty, maybe another party went in before us?"
"Seems like it. But no worries. This is a transfer station, so it's pretty big. As long as we pick the right route, we can avoid overlapping with other parties."
Good thing I found a party.
If I'd come alone, I'd be completely lost.
I opened my inventory and checked my equipment.
'…I guess I should consider myself lucky?'
Level 55.
It might not be high now, but back in the day, that was a pretty decent level.
Gear wasn't easy to come by back then.
But who was I in the past?
Someone who lived and died for style—your classic edgy teen.
I vaguely remembered spending my allowance just to buy cool gear.
Thanks to that, my current equipment was actually quite luxurious.
[Masterwork of an Unknown Blacksmith: Silver Dagger]
Grade: Rare
Requirement: Lv. 50
Effect: Deals additional damage to Undead and Demon-type enemies.
Description: A masterpiece crafted by a highly skilled but little-known blacksmith.
This dagger, in particular, stuck in my memory.
I remembered paying a hefty price for it at the auction house…
As the description said, it was made by a blacksmith who was very well-known among players at the time.
I don't know who it was, but if they'd kept playing Arcana, they probably became a famous blacksmith by now.
'But that's not the issue here.'
…Is this the only weapon I have?!
This was bad.
Silver weapons had notoriously low durability.
I clearly remembered how it deteriorated with every fight, and the repair costs weren't cheap either.
Back then, it cost gold. Now it meant real money!
I did have a bow, but only five arrows.
And all of them were silver arrows.
I couldn't afford to use those while worrying about durability.
I made a quick decision.
'I'll have to avoid fighting as much as possible.'
At least until I find a new weapon.
[You've entered: Gnoll's Underground Storage – Food Supplies Area]
The best I could hope to find here would be some crude weapon used by the gnolls.
Still, better to use that than waste my precious silver dagger.
'At least I have a significant level advantage.'
That was what I thought—until the fighting started, and I regretted it.
'…Goddamn it, Lee Hoyeol, you idiot!'
Sure, the silver weapon looked cool.
But was it so hard to prepare one practical weapon too?!
"Grrraaagh!!"
Dog-men, gnolls.
In reality, they were faster and craftier than the ones I'd seen in Arcana.
Maybe they'd adapted to the subway environment.
They used the complicated layout of the station to launch surprise attacks on us.
Thwip!An arrow flew from a blind spot.
Seo Jeong-yeon, the mage, barely dodged and shouted:
"Gnoll archer! Hiding behind the vending machine!"
Oddly enough, they seemed better coordinated than our party.
I looked toward Nam Cheol-min.
'…Is this how parties hunt these days?'
I hadn't heard it directly, but anyone could tell Nam Cheol-min was a tank.
His large shield and plate armor made that obvious.
And yet…
He wasn't protecting the party—instead, he'd broken formation.
'I don't know what's going on, but this isn't good.'
Especially when I'm failing to pull my weight.
The mage, Seo Jeong-yeon, was our party's only ranged damage dealer.
I looked toward the vending machine, just as she'd said.
Sure enough, there were two gnoll archers hiding behind it.
'They're reloading their arrows.'
Is this my chance?
I gave it some thought.
Yes, it was a chance.
Gnoll archers were terrible at close combat.
If I could take them down, I might be able to snatch their arrows.
But then again, wasn't I just as bad at close combat?
And it had been over ten years since I'd last fought like this.
Click—
But such concerns proved pointless.
I was walking toward them calmly.
There was ease in my stride.
As if the gnolls couldn't even dream of approaching me.
I walked straight toward the gnoll archers with absolute confidence.
Sure, my mind was busy calculating every risk and variable…
But my body was honest.
I wasn't the least bit tense.
No—more accurately, I couldn't be intimidated by a bunch of gnolls…
Because the overwhelming confidence of Grandfell had taken over me.
"E-excuse me? That's dangerous! You don't even have a weapon…?"
I thought I heard Seo Jeong-yeon shouting in my ear.
But I didn't hear the rest.
Whether it was because I didn't listen or because she trailed off—I didn't know.
"Grrraaagh!!"
Baring their fangs, the two gnolls growled, full of hostility.
Click—
I approached them with ease.
Click—
And struck both of them squarely on the nose with my fists.
There was more than just confidence in my movement—there was grace.
My vision didn't waver in the slightest.
I spoke.
"It seems you weren't properly disciplined."
Like someone scolding their disobedient hunting dogs.
"I'm not fond of it, but when necessary…"
It was the attitude of a noble looking down from a great height.
"Punishment must be dealt."
...Whimper, whiiine!!
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