Is this all a dream?
Yeah, this whole thing is a dream.
Getting trapped in a game world? That's ridiculous.
Such a fantasy-like thing...
But that fantasy was still reality.
As the newbie rationalized this to himself, a message window popped up before his eyes.
[24 hours have passed]
[Player '!#@!#Newbie' is reconnecting]
-Beep!
"Ugh, my eyes! I really hate that eye-popping effect-!"
With that, Newbie's eyes snapped open.
Beside him, a fountain serving as a save point gurgled with flowing water.
"Huh! This is... a familiar ceiling."
"Ceiling? It's the sky, you idiot! Waaah!"
Opening his eyes, he found himself back in the village square where he'd first arrived.
Beside him, a fairy was wailing loudly.
Despite clearly having died and come back to life, the other villagers were just going about their business, looking indifferent.
A few of them chuckled or muttered a few words with pitying looks.
"Tsk tsk, someone got fooled by that again..."
"Well, that's what happens when you try to make easy money. Heh heh heh."
The newbie, clueless about what was going on, just rubbed his throbbing head.
"Ugh... What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"Sniff, sniff... Ugh... That..."
The fairy explained instead.
"That slime... It's a monster with an instant-death bug."
"Instant death bug...? What the..."
From what he roughly gathered, it was like this.
No matter how much this Seeker World was a reality beyond reality, it was still a game program world.
In a game program world, bugs and errors were always bound to follow.
Especially for a program that had truly been running for 100 years, it would be stranger if it didn't have all sorts of errors and bugs.
"So... sniff... even just getting hit once kills them instantly... ugh... That's why the guards just gave up, and the villagers keep posting requests every time, hoping for a miracle... sniff..."
'Wait, what? Why would some early-game mob have a cheat code that even web novel characters would have?'
"Got it... I guess that's how the money makes sense. Stop crying, sniff."
"But... you... you'll die. It'll hurt... sniffle."
"I'm fine, so stop crying. Look, I'm healthy, right? Come on, come on, stop crying!"
"Sniff...! Stop!"
Newbie first calmed the fairy down, then fell into thought.
'Should I just run away now, even at this point?'
Just like his old streaming style.
Like when he was a newbie seeing the game's beginning for the first time—come to think of it, this is totally unfair, right?
It felt so unjust.
Simultaneously, he recalled his old viewers, JUTUBE comments, and above all, the words of those who had passed by just before this incident.
'That noob streamer who always quits games within two hours...'
It wasn't like I was running away because I couldn't handle it...
Honestly, it was just for the broadcast concept. My real personality is...
Truthfully, before these attention-seeking streams, he was famous for being a stubborn perfectionist who saw everything through to the end.
A demon who would never leave a game until he achieved 100%.
In fact, he seemed even more famous online during that demon phase.
But he couldn't do that on stream, so he held back.
Now that he's trapped in this prison world, he doesn't need a two-hour, superficial newbie anymore.
He needs his old, demonic self back.
"Ugh... This is really bringing out my old personality."
"Huh? What? Never mind. Let's get out of this village first, okay? This place is a real eyesore!"
"Fairy... um... we'll decide on a name later. Anyway. Listen carefully. Sometimes, the answer isn't to run away, but to charge right in."
"Wh-what?! You're going to do it again now?"
At those words, Newbie flashed a rotten grin unlike any seen before.
"I'll show everyone why I was called an evil spirit before I was Newbie..."
*
That was the declaration...
"Kwaaak!"
"Keeeeeng!"
[24 hours have passed]
[Player '!#@!#Newbie' is reconnecting]
It wasn't easy, as expected.
The moment the slime showed an attack stance, its entire body became an attack target.
In short, its whole body was an instant-kill trap.
"Close combat really isn't the way... Maybe I'll try the bow this time?"
[You selected 'Beginner's Bow' from the Beginner Weapon Selection Box!]
[Beginner weapons can be changed anytime!]
If close combat is impossible, just do it from a distance!
"Kyeeeng!"
"Ugh, ugh! What the hell is this barrage?!"
But the slime wasn't a pushover.
When it got pelted from afar, it just splattered its own liquid body everywhere.
Normally, it would've been a harmless check move that wouldn't even deal damage.
Thud!
"Guh!"
[You have died!]
[You will respawn in a nearby village in 24 hours!]
Even a single drop meant instant death.
"Damn it... What kind of early-game mob has such varied patterns? Next time..."
"Should I step in again this time?"
"Not a bad idea, but it's not a barrage you can handle alone."
Before they knew it, the fairy was assisting the newbie who had become such a demon.
Seeing them like that, the villagers' perceptions gradually changed.
"I heard they're challenging it again..."
"Seriously, it's been a week now?"
"Ugh, persistent. So persistent."
Truthfully, from the villagers' perspective, that slime was more than just a nuisance—it was a village-wide crisis.
Originally, the sticky slime—an item spat out by the common slimes that used to be here—was the village's main source of income.
But because of that problematic bug slime, they hadn't been able to produce any sticky slime at all.
"Hmm... Can't we do something about that thing?"
"Yeah right, have any of those Traveler guys ever been useful?"
"Still, you never know?"
"Even if we did, what could we help with? Fight alongside them? What could we do without a resurrection skill..."
"Ugh..."
Not all NPCs were created equal.
Many NPCs who once held important roles in the game could be revived even after death, but unfortunately, many others could not.
For those who were one-off event characters or merely background NPCs, death meant permanent death.
Because of this, adventures and heroic journeys were impossible for them.
Simply finding satisfaction in each day and living safely in the village was the best they could hope for.
Because of that, they couldn't even handle something like this on their own.
Seeing someone who wouldn't give up no matter what made their hearts feel complicated.
It was like... something hot buried deep inside them was waking up.
"Usually, people just give up after dying twice..."
"Still, maybe we should keep an eye on him?"
A strange current began to flow among them too.
*
[24 hours have passed]
[Player '!#@!#Newbie' is reconnecting]
[Frequent deaths cause significant stress for the player. Therefore, a few hours of rest is recommended]
It was already his thirteenth death.
"Ah, I'm really hopeless."
For a newbie, he was truly infuriating.
"Trying to take him down up close? Just a single touch means death. Trying to take him down from a distance? He rains down a hail of bullets... Even when I set traps, they dodge them all... How the hell am I supposed to beat this?"
"Is this even allowed in the first place?"
"What?"
"I've been stuck here for two weeks already."
"Hmm... Well, that's true."
Truthfully, anyone can take on infinite challenges if they truly want to.
But reality doesn't allow it.
Money is one thing, but above all, time isn't infinite.
Especially for these two, who were in danger of being chased by those so-called devotees.
"That guy definitely said he'd catch me no matter what..."
At this rate, it might be the newbie getting caught instead of the slime.
"We really should wrap this up soon."
"End it?"
"Just one more try. If it doesn't work, we quit."
A single-shot declaration of victory.
The words sounded good, but honestly, from the newbie's perspective, they'd already tried everything possible.
'Neither straightforward tactics nor tricks work. What the hell are we supposed to do?'
Then, suddenly, a question popped into their head.
"Come to think of it, something feels off, doesn't it?"
"What?"
"In melee, I died before I could even hit it, so I didn't notice. But when I used the bow, it seemed like I actually dealt damage."
"Yeah! That was definitely true!"
"Weird... So the slime actually survived?"
"Ah! Something did feel off!"
As if something suddenly clicked, the fairy's mouth started moving a mile a minute.
"It just collapsed, turned into light, and died... but then it got right back up in the same spot!"
"Wait. So my attack actually hit? It really died?"
"For sure! I didn't pick them up, but it definitely dropped a few items!"
"I see! That's what it was! "
"Huh?"
"I figured out a way! But I need you to fix it."
"Huh? Me?"
The fairy tilted her head at the sudden request for help.
She'd been feeling down after not being able to do much this time...
"But you're not seriously asking me to swing a weapon, are you?"
The newbie knew.
Tutorial fairies fundamentally lacked combat ability.
No, worse than lacking it—they were restricted from even engaging in combat.
Probably to prevent kids from trying to exploit the fact that fairies are invincible.
Of course, Newbie was no different, but he was different.
"Instead, you might feel a bit uncomfortable. Are you okay with that?"
"Go ahead and tell me."
The fairy frowned briefly at Newbie's explanation.
"That definitely would be a bit unpleasant."
"I knew it!"
"But that was when I did it without realizing! Now that I'm being completely honest and asking for help, this fairy should help!"
"Alright! Then let's gather the supplies first."
*
Squish squish~.
Slimes had been feeling uneasy lately.
Long ago, they too had endured a life of abuse as players' prey.
Then, a hundred years ago, the day of liberation finally arrived.
Soon, this beginner's forest, once teeming with players, emptied out, and they secretly hoped.
Are we being liberated too?
The answer was 'no'.
With the players' grinding for experience points gone, the oppression by NPCs began.
They had thought, in a way, they were fellow slaves to the players...
But instead, the NPCs abused them even more thoroughly and calculatingly.
They killed them in groups at set times and collected their items.
Several times a day, no less.
In short, they were now essentially livestock to the NPCs.
No, being livestock would have been better.
Because real livestock only need to die once.
In that situation, a bug felt like a miracle to them.
But this time, the one that came felt somehow unsettling.
Just then, that thing came back again.
"Hey, let's finish this once and for all."
'Yeah, you damn thing!'
The slime wanted to answer, but lacking a speech function, it could only shout in its mind as it charged.
"Alright! Now!"
With that, the insolent little creature appeared.
The thing that could do nothing but fly around.
It fluttered about as uselessly as ever.
The only difference was that it was holding a strange black orb.
The truly important, that damnable creature, was far away.
Right at the edge of the Slime's own long-range attack.
The creature aimed its bow.
'It's useless!'
"This time will be different. I figured out your bug."
'?'
"It's not an instant-kill bug... it's an overlap bug!"
Whoosh!
With those words, flames erupted from the arrowhead he was aiming.
[The Beginner's Bow skill, 'Ignite,' has been activated.]
[The arrow fired this time is enchanted with the Fire attribute.]
Whoosh!
The arrow flew, now glowing red.
'W-Watch out!'
The slime tried desperately to dodge, but...
"No way!"
Just then, that seemingly useless slime was stuck fast.
Strangely, once the fairy touched it, the slime couldn't move at all.
'Ah, no...! No!'
The slime screamed.
But the fire arrow struck the black orb the fairy held—the Molotov cocktail!
One fire arrow wouldn't kill the slime.
Boom! Kwaaah!
The flaming firebomb was different.
The entire mass of slime that had been clustered together burst into flames.
'Krrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
[Level Up!]
...
Simultaneously, five level-up notifications hit Newbie's ears.
"You okay?"
"Of course I'm fine!"
"Whew..."
Newbie, who had been worrying just in case, felt a sense of relief wash over them.
As Newbie approached the spot, all the items and money poured in.
They both wanted to check the loot immediately, but...
"Gulp..."
"Um, what should we do about that..."
They had to resist the temptation right before their eyes.
That bug-ridden mess, writhing black and spewing strange code characters.