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chapter 81
“Hey, they’re here.”
“Told you they knew something.”
“Quiet! Just watch the stream!”
-They’re openly being assholes. LOL
-Average viewer;
-They’re relaying the location on the community again.
-Doesn’t matter what Black Dragon does, they can’t copy it anyway.
-For real, lol.
The people waiting inside the cave were already watching Black Dragon’s broadcast.
Viewers who had seen this same situation multiple times were already used to it.
“Attention’s definitely gathering. What should we do?”
Avantgarde asked from a position that looked like he was guarding Hanbit.
He looked ready to act as a bodyguard.
“Let’s go in first.”
Taking the lead, Hanbit headed toward the cave entrance.
The other two followed behind him, meeting the surrounding gazes.
‘The passage itself is normal.’
The cave’s size and depth weren’t excessive.
The soil and rocks forming the interior were familiar as well.
“Looks like that’s the end.”
After walking in for a bit.
A blocked wall soon came into view in the distance.
That area, too, was packed with people.
“Excuse us, we’ll just pass through.”
Hanbit pushed forward through the crowd blocking the way.
Then he examined the wall pattern mentioned in the forum comments.
‘What is this?’
Something running vertically through a white crescent moon symbol.
Judging by the shape, it almost looked like a sword.
“Do you know what it is?”
“Not sure.”
Even at Kim Jaeha’s question, no memory came to mind.
It wasn’t something he’d forget if he’d seen it before.
“Should we look for NPCs around the mountain? There might be someone new hidden nearby.”
Avantgarde quickly suggested the next plan.
But if a new NPC had appeared, there was no way this many people wouldn’t have found them already.
“No, let’s try this first.”
Hanbit moved to a corner, a bit away from the crowd.
Then he took out the compass from his inventory again.
Pop—!
Pure white light extended from the compass’s round glass.
It flew straight toward the pattern on the cave wall.
“Huh?”
“That was Black Dragon!”
“Get closer, hurry!”
The crowd inside the cave reacted to the single beam of light.
People scrambling competitively without knowing why.
But the wall remained blocked.
“What is this? It’s not opening!”
“There’s got to be something else!”
“Hey, just wait a second!”
-What a bunch of clowns. LOL
-Look at that disgusting movement.
-Shouldn’t this be done off-stream?
-Just like PK, turning off the screen would be understandable.
-Not letting thieves get what they want.
Viewers began getting angry at the others’ antics.
Hanbit, who had been watching calmly, stepped toward them.
“Let’s go that way.”
“Huh? Isn’t it blocked?”
“So you’ve noticed something!”
He headed toward the cave wall with the two of them.
Others watching Hanbit murmured and slowly parted to make way.
The atmosphere felt like they were urging him to hurry and find the answer.
‘There has to be something.’
The path shown by the dreaming compass never lies.
If they advanced like this, they would definitely be able to enter.
The problem was that what awaited inside was completely unknown.
“Ranger, you’re here too?”
While scanning the surroundings, Hanbit spotted a familiar face.
By now, he was so familiar he’d even grown a sort of grudging affection.
-Essentially a stalker fan;
-He must be furious after becoming fish food. LOL
-I thought he’d come straight for PK.
-Still, he can’t resist a restricted area.
-Yeah, but he can’t get in, right?
“…….”
Ranger frowned.
As the viewers said, it wouldn’t have been strange for him to draw his bow right away.
But Ranger asked calmly,
“What are you trying to do this time?”
“Isn’t it obvious? Entering the restricted area.”
Hanbit answered plainly and glanced around.
He was wary of a situation like Nesto’s ambush.
“I thought you’d hire a PK guild again. Guess you’re letting it go this time?”
“…Let me be clear. I wasn’t the one who hired the Nesto Guild. I don’t do things like that.”
-He says it wasn’t him?
-Yeah, right.
-The vanguard’s strongest no-shame.
-He doesn’t do that, but he will monopolize.
-And flex with the strategy too.
Ranger’s explanation didn’t convince anyone.
The suspicion was simply too reasonable.
Of course, Hanbit didn’t really care.
“Handle your excuses yourself. If you’re curious what this is, find the method on your own.”
“A restricted area isn’t information a single player should monopolize. Are you trying to shake RP again?”
“Doesn’t sound like something the vanguard should say.”
“…….”
At the mention of the vanguard, Ranger fell silent.
As always, his thoughts were written all over his face.
If anything, he was transparent.
“That stings.”
At that moment, someone emerged from the crowd.
A man wearing a hood.
A long blue spear rested on his shoulder.
“Li Wei?”
“Is that really Li Wei?”
“Another vanguard showed up?”
Murmurs spread with the name.
It seemed another vanguard had arrived.
It was only natural to be interested in a restricted area.
“Who’s that?”
“A vanguard from China’s Qingla—Li Wei.”
-Meeting plaza.
-Info) Li Wei is a mid-tier vanguard. Loves duels like crazy.
-Info2) He’s actually insanely handsome.
-Literally celebrity-level.
-But he’s a true battle maniac. LOL
-Did he come to spar here too?
-WWE-level match possible.
No negative aura could be felt from the clear-faced man.
After briefly looking at the wall, Li Wei turned his gaze.
“Is it only possible for your party to enter?”
“Who knows. Since others can’t get in, chances are high.”
“Hm, then I came for nothing.”
Li Wei nodded easily and adjusted his grip on the spear.
Then he casually asked,
“Care to try a one-on-one duel?”
“No.”
“Is that so?”
At the firm refusal, he nodded again.
To begin with, fighting a vanguard one-on-one right now would obviously end in defeat.
Even Ranger, whom he’d clashed with many times, was nearly impossible to beat head-on.
If Li Wei attacked first, there’d be no choice but to fight.
“Alright. I hope we get a chance to face each other next time.”
With his spear on his shoulder, Li Wei walked out of the cave.
Hanbit kept watching, but Li Wei didn’t even turn his head until he disappeared from sight.
-Clean.
-Like him a lot.
-Not like someone who clings annoyingly, right?
-If his eyes go wild in a fight, it’s over. LOL
-Keep rejecting duels, pls.
The viewers chatted amicably at the contrast with Ranger.
Curious as they were about seeing his battle-crazed side, they didn’t really want to see it.
“Anyway, you should all try moving around yourselves. You won’t find anything just by watching.”
The gazes of the players gathered here were still burning.
Shrugging, Hanbit grabbed Kim Jaeha’s and Avantgarde’s arms.
And then—
“We’re going in first.”
He jumped toward the light on the wall.
***
“Huh?”
“Oh……!”
Passing through the light took only an instant.
Kim Jaeha and Avantgarde, who had arrived in a new space without realizing it, blankly scanned their surroundings.
“Black Dragon-nim?”
“Hey, what’s wrong?”
The two, who had been looking around, turned their eyes to Hanbit.
But his expression was close to shock.
“Ha…….”
Letting out a short sigh, Hanbit faced the ruins spread out before him.
Towering glass skyscrapers and an old, leaning clock tower opposite them.
Broken concrete buildings, ancient temples, carriages, and automobiles were scattered everywhere.
On the outer stone walls, fragments of magic tools, guns, and turrets were strewn so densely it was hard to take them all in.
‘So this is how it appears.’
Hanbit blankly looked up at the pure white moon floating in the violet sky.
This was a place he could never forget.
The death he’d faced every time during the 55th regression.
Each time, he’d been summoned here and wandered the streets.
Bringing him here meant she clearly had an intention.
“Are you okay?”
“…Ah, yes. It just felt unfamiliar.”
At Kim Jaeha’s question, Hanbit nodded.
“Huh? The broadcast turned off. This place… it really must be a restricted area!”
Avantgarde’s voice rang in his ears.
When he pulled up the broadcast screen, a single message was displayed.
[Streaming is not available in unreleased restricted areas.]
-?
-What is this?
-Don’t abandon us.
-Save us.
-It really was a restricted area?
-Let us see.
-Admin, come out.
-We’re sending trucks to HQ, seriously.
The outrage of viewers who suddenly couldn’t watch the stream flared up.
Unfortunately, there was no way to overcome the will of whoever created this situation.
[Fixed Message]
[I’ll free it quickly and show you. Please wait a moment.]
-Dragon Dad finally gets it.
-We trust you…….
-Start a challenge mission.
-Agreed.
[Sword God has registered a 1,000,000 won challenge mission.]
[Success upon freeing the restricted area.]
[Prayer Meta donated 50,000 won to the challenge mission.]
[Please.]
[Great Spirit donated 100,000 won to the challenge mission.]
[We believe in spirits.]
[Taehun Corporation donated 1,000,000 won to the challenge mission.]
[This is Taehun. We’re cheering for you!]
…….
The sudden wave of donations continued for quite a while.
Of course, regardless of the challenge mission, there was no intention of failing.
[Fixed Message]
[Thank you, everyone. I’ll definitely succeed.]
After leaving the message, Hanbit looked around.
The ruins were strangely quiet.
Ting—
「Roper」
「Hyung, please record this.」
Yeonwoo, who had been watching the broadcast, contacted him urgently.
After sending a reply, Hanbit pressed the button to start recording.
“Huh? There’s something here.”
A few steps ahead, Kim Jaeha looked down at the ground and spoke.
“What is it?”
Hanbit approached and lowered his gaze.
There was a white, square board with writing embedded in the ground.
‘True death?’
It was an unfamiliar phrase.
Ting—
At the same time, an alarm sounded.
A message appeared with a single line.
[No death penalty is applied in the current map.]
“No penalty?”
“That’s a first.”
The two had clearly seen the message as well.
If there was no death penalty, there was no reason to fear death itself.
The question was why such an environment existed.
“Let’s find the condition for liberation first. If we split up and look around—”
Kugung—!
At that moment, a loud noise echoed from afar.
The three turned their gaze toward the center of the ruins.
Thud—!
Kugung—!
The continuous noise came from the ground shaking.
It was strong enough to make glass buildings and the clock tower move.
“Something’s moving. Is it collapsing?”
“Could it be a new monster we’ve never seen?”
Kim Jaeha and Avantgarde each voiced possibilities.
The noise continued to intensify.
And the moment the vibrations stopped for just an instant—
Kugugung—!
A massive stone golem burst forth, tearing through the ground.
