“Huff…! Huff…!!”
Woojin began running with all his might, tearing through the dense bushes like a madman.
“…What the hell is that?!”
His heart felt like it was about to burst. But he knew—if he stopped now, it wouldn’t be a matter of dying later. He’d die right there on the spot.
“Damn it…!!!”
It wasn’t clear whether he was cursing the monster chasing after him or the fact that his decision to play a game had brought him to the brink of death. Either way, curses poured ceaselessly from his mouth.
“Leave me behind.”
A strained voice came from Raul, whom Woojin was supporting.
“If you’ve got the strength to say that, put it into walking just a bit harder,” Woojin gritted his teeth, pulling Raul closer.
‘Was he always this light?’
Maybe it was because something that should be there was missing.
Crunch—.
Woojin glanced at Raul’s right arm.
The hand that should have been gripping a sword was gone.
“Grr…!!”
Though the potion he used managed to stop the bleeding, it couldn’t reattach the severed arm. With every step Raul took, blood gushed from his side, staining his clothes.
It had happened in an instant.
A monster emerged from the darkness and swung its sword awkwardly, cutting off Raul’s hand in one strike. The blade then plunged into his side. Though its technique was clumsy, the speed of the attack was so quick that Raul, already old and worn, couldn’t react.
‘At this rate, we’re both dead.’
Woojin knew they wouldn’t get much farther with him supporting Raul.
The monster, as if mocking them, was lumbering along, closing the distance step by step.
“What do we do?”
“…What?”
“What do we do to kill that thing?”
Woojin’s desperate voice carried his ragged breaths.
“Didn’t I tell you earlier? That thing’s a monster! It’s not something we can kill!”
“So what? You’re saying we just lie down and die?”
Woojin asked, his voice sharp.
“You said we had to survive! You said we needed to reach the Lion King’s Bastion! I’m saying the same—I don’t want to die here!!”
He shouted, his desperation spilling out.
“Do we stab its heart to kill it? Or break its limbs?”
His cry jolted Raul back to reality.
Raul turned to look at him.
At his eyes.
At his unwavering determination to fight.
Without a word, Raul nodded as if he’d finally understood what needed to be done.
“Wait, what are you doing?!”
Raul removed the sword from his waist and pressed it into Woojin’s chest.
“Someone has to survive.”
“Raul!!!”
With a fierce shove, Raul pushed Woojin away.
The path flanked by steep slopes caused Woojin to lose his balance and tumble down the incline.
“…Ack!!!”
He rolled for several meters before crashing into a tree, finally coming to a stop.
“Raul!!!!”
He screamed the name over and over, but no answer came.
“Damn it…!! Damn it all…!!!”
Just hours earlier, he had clung to a shred of hope in this nightmarish world. And now…
“Damn it!!!”
Who could he blame?
The gods? Himself? The game? Or that monster?
Gritting his teeth, Woojin clutched Raul’s sword tightly.
“I have to get back up there, no matter what…”
And then it happened.
Click—.
In the eerie silence, a foreign noise echoed.
Woojin’s trembling eyes slowly lifted.
“…!!!”
On the ridge above, a pair of crimson eyes glowed ominously.
Thud— Thud— Thud—!!
Rumble—!!!
Woojin couldn’t believe his eyes.
The monster was sliding down the slope, charging straight at him.
“This is bullshit!!!!”
With a thunderous roar, his attack caused the monster’s body to stagger.
Thud—!!!
The monster’s legs slid back several steps.
‘W-what?!’
Quickly pulling back to create distance, Woojin looked at the creature with a bewildered expression.
‘That just now….’
The form had been clumsy, but the power behind the downward slash was entirely different from before.
It was the warrior skill, Smite.
‘It… it worked.’
For the first time, Woojin stared at his hands in disbelief.
“Huup…”
There was no time to be amazed.
He looked at the monster advancing toward him.
Clink— Clink—.
Every time it took a step closer, Woojin retreated one step back.
The tension was noticeable.
Woojin focused all his attention on the monster’s worn sword.
Whoosh—!!!
The monster’s blade moved, and—
Clatter—!!!
Seizing the moment, Woojin lunged into the monster’s reach with all his might.
‘If I can use warrior skills…!’
Boom—!!!
He didn’t need to figure out how.
His body and mind instinctively moved as if they had known all along.
The warrior’s second skill: Dash.
Moving at an explosive speed, Woojin circled to the side of the monster and swung his sword with all his strength.
“Hyaahhh!”
Boom—!!!
Another swing landed, causing the monster to sway. But Woojin didn’t stop—he kept swinging.
“Huff… huff…”
How many times had he swung?
He was out of breath, his head pounding from exhaustion.
“Damn it…”
He had poured everything into the attack, but the monster didn’t even have a scratch.
Still, it stood steadfast, blocking the exit.
Woojin’s expression hardened as he stared at the creature.
Of course, it had killed Raul.
There was no way he could win.
But—
‘I can’t die like this.’
If he could just create an opening to escape…
Then, it happened.
BOOM—!!!!
The monster, which had been motionless until now, finally moved.
“…?!”
Slash…
The creature’s blade grazed Woojin’s cheek.
Blood trickled down from the wound.
Woojin stared at the monster in a daze.
‘W-what was that?’
He hadn’t even blocked or reacted to the attack.
This was different from before.
‘…Was it toying with me this whole time?’
Damn it.
Biting his lip in frustration, Woojin felt nothing but anger welling up.
But there was nothing he could do.
Only fear pressed down on him.
His last desperate attack had been futile, and now all he could do was retreat, step by step, as the monster advanced.
Thud—.
When his back finally hit the wall,
[Grrk, grrk.]
The creature’s shoulders shook as though it were laughing, mocking him now that he had nowhere left to run.
‘…Is this how I die?’
No matter how hard he tried to think, he couldn’t find a way to escape.
Crunch—!!
Screw that.
If there’s no way out, then I’ll fight until I find one.
“Arghhhh!!!!”
His fear turned to rage, driving him forward.
At that moment—
Woooom…
Surprisingly, the magic circle beneath his feet began to glow.
“…?!”
Startled, he looked down.
Without realizing it, his retreat had brought him to the center of a magic circle etched into the floor.
“What… what is this?!”
As the magic circle suddenly activated, his unease deepened.
Swoooosh―――!!!
A blinding white light and a sharp gust of wind enveloped him in an instant.
‘That’s….’
As the swirling dust cleared, Woojin noticed something lying inside the circle on the wall.
A black robe.
And within it, skeletal remains.
It was the corpse of a dark mage.
“Ugh… ugh.”
It felt like he was submerged in water—he couldn’t breathe.
His consciousness blurred.
Bzzt—.
A sound like a broken radio’s static stabbed into his mind.
It felt like sinking into a deep abyss, his body weightless and unresponsive, drifting in a daze.
‘…What is this?’
It was an indescribable sensation, like simultaneously falling endlessly and rising infinitely.
His vision wavered.
Something soft and gelatinous broke through the oppressive darkness around him.
Tremble—.
A small, trembling light appeared.
“…Ugh?!”
Suddenly, the light forced its way into his mouth.
Gulp—.
In an instant, it slid down his throat and attached into his body.
“…Cough!!! Cough!!!”
Woojin opened his eyes, clutching at his neck, gagging.
“Ugh, ughhh!”
But only thick saliva came out.
“What’s wrong with that guy?”
“Who knows? Guess he’s really lost it now.”
“Tsk tsk…”
Voices surrounded him.
He quickly lifted his head.
The once-ruined village was now lined with intact buildings, and the crimson sky was clear.
“This is…”
Woojin stared blankly at the scene before him.
[You have logged in.]
The notification lingering in his vision slowly disappeared.
He was inside the game.
“Damn it…”
Exhausted, he collapsed against the fountain in the plaza and closed his eyes.
“Ha… haha.”
The logout menu was still nowhere to be found.
Nothing had changed.
And yet it was strange.
He had wanted to escape this game world so desperately…
But ironically, realizing he was in the game brought him a sense of peace.
“…Was it all just a dream?”
He opened his eyes slowly.
Maybe he had been exhausted.
That might explain it.
After all, he had been standing in this spot, unmoving, for days.
Shiver—.
Suddenly, his body trembled.
Clang—.
The sword he held slipped from his hands and fell to the ground.
Name: Raul’s Dragon Slayer Sword
Grade: D
Description: The treasured sword of Raoul, a dragon hunter, found in the Dark Forest. Though it lacks special abilities, it is said to be unbreakable.
▶ Attack Power +50
▶ Indestructible
▶ Contains Raoul’s essence.
Gulp—.
Woojin swallowed dryly without realizing it.
“…No way.”
It was all real.
[Would you like to absorb Raul’s essence?]
At that moment, a notification appeared before his eyes.
