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-Oh.
-It ends here?
-Moving to the next episode now?
-But doesn’t this mess things up?
-Yeah it seems like 3, 4, and 5 are all mixed together
When the sub-quest was completed, the viewers expressed their puzzlement.
Hanbit, who had charged through to the point he had planned, also couldn’t peer ahead into the system.
But from the moment the sub-quest appeared, he had erased any worry from his mind.
“Let’s head outside.”
While the settlement was processing, Hanbit moved along with everyone.
The long underground passage.
In the course of moving through it, he came face-to-face with one person.
“Huh?”
A man wearing ragged leather gear.
The fugitive murderer, Ravok.
“That man——!”
“Ravok!”
Bolt and Ashid immediately recognized the man.
The criminal who had been the starting point of Episode 3.
His role was effectively over — but if left uncaught, he would go on causing minor incidents.
“Let’s catch him too.”
Tat—!
Hanbit kicked off and reached the front of Ravok in one motion.
“Eep!”
Startled, he covered his face with both arms and tried to block in a panic.
But Hanbit’s scabbard, which had leapt upward, came flying straight at the back of his neck.
Crack—!
“Kgh!”
Ravok, eyes rolling back from the tremendous impact, naturally fell forward and lost consciousness entirely.
“There’s not even a turn to step in on.”
Ashid, arriving right behind, let out a dry laugh.
Then he pulled rope from a pouch at his waist and bound Ravok.
Whoosh—!
Ashid picked up the unconscious criminal and casually slung him over a shoulder.
“Let’s go.”
He walked ahead with steady composure, showing no sign of strain whatsoever.
With his strength, carrying someone all the way to the city would be no difficulty.
Step—
Hanbit’s party moved their feet again and pressed on through the underground passage.
They didn’t encounter any criminals aside from Ravok.
Those who had scattered for the territorial expansion, as well as anyone who had been watching the situation, would all be trying to keep themselves hidden.
If this had been when Zenith was truly at the height of her influence as a spiritual pillar, they might have tried some kind of rescue.
Slide—
Upon reaching the exit, all the NPCs vanished.
And once again, an alert rang in his ear.
[Sub-quest settlement complete.]
[Achievement: Shadow of the Criminal Organization and the Hidden Hand unlocked.]
[Achievement: One Who Has Drawn Near to Zenith’s Tragedy unlocked.]
[With 2 achievements completed, the Episode Skip System is now unlocked.]
[Episode 3, 4, and 5 have been processed as cleared.]
[As first achiever, maximum integrated reward for 3 episodes is granted.]
[70,000,000 Gold received.]
[340 Stat Points granted.]
[Experience points increased by 75,000,000.]
[Level increased by 9.]
[9 Stat Points granted.]
[Episode branching point has been reset.]
-?
-??
-Did he just skip the episodes?
-No, and they’re giving the full rewards too
-340 Stat Points lolololol
-Was this even possible?
-Jumping straight to Ep 6 is going too far
-Why do we have to…
-The sin of trusting the guidebook.
-Fact) Even if you tried alone, you couldn’t do it like this.
The chat blazed hot with the flood of messages.
This kind of episode progression had been impossible to even imagine.
As all manner of reactions poured in, a golden message took shape before his eyes.
Ding—
[Player Black Dragon’s party has set foot into the true darkness of the Raven Kingdom.]
[Players who have cleared the original Episodes 3, 4, and 5 are granted the opportunity to reset and replay.]
-Let’s go
-Say the word. I’m starting right now.
-But to do what Black Dragon did, do you have to wait 2 weeks?
-Seems like one misstep and you’re done
-Is there no way to just clear it in order?
-Scared?
-Boldly admitting it: yes, I’m scared.
-Same
[Story Enjoyer has donated 10,000 won.]
[So what you’re saying is, this was the real story?]
[Yeah has donated 500,000 won.]
[Wait, is this real? How do we clear it?]
[Sword God has donated 1,000,000 won.]
[Will the episode you skipped walkthrough be private?]
[Article Company has donated 5,000,000 won.]
[Hello. I was wondering if advice on skipping episodes might be available for purchase…]
[Taesung Co., Ltd. has donated 8,000,000 won.]
[Regarding the sale of information on Episodes 3, 4, and 5…]
[Gellorod has donated 10,000,000 won.]
[Any information you’re willing to make public…]
The chat and donation messages continued without end.
People with enormous interest in compressing and skipping three episodes.
People wanting to secure a safe route even with such a possibility.
People on both ends hoping to purchase the information rather than miss out.
All of it was understandable.
“The walkthroughs for Episodes 3, 4, and 5 will be published through the channel membership. As for the method to compress and skip… it’s already been broadcast, so take a good look.”
-Oh.
-Membership?
-Actually making one?
-Finally going legit.
-Was sick of non-viewers coming in to leech information.
-And then blaming Black Dragon if they fail. lol
-Just switch the stream to membership-only too.
-For real, a waste to show it to trash.
Even though the channel membership was paid, the reaction was quite positive all around.
Given that the idea had originally been brought up by the viewers themselves, it seemed to be a familiar and welcome concept.
Of course, part of it was also frustration with people from all corners who kept insulting Black Dragon.
He wasn’t a celebrity, but it genuinely seemed like he had a fanbase now — a strange feeling.
The membership itself was something Yeonwoo had already been designing, so it would just be a matter of implementing it.
‘Time to wrap up.’
Without noticing, the hour had drifted well into the early morning.
Having achieved all of today’s goals, it was probably best to close out here.
“Then that’s it for today. If anything gets decided, I’ll let you all know tomorrow.”
-Don’t go
-Why is it already the middle of the night?
-Letting you go for tomorrow’s sake.
-Anyone willing to go to work in my place?
-Is there a walkthrough for having fun and making money?
-Get to work, human.
Hanbit watched the stream of messages that barely qualified as farewells and ended the broadcast.
Then he looked at the unnamed devotee, crouched down a short distance away.
‘She’s not disappearing.’
It hadn’t been caught on camera, but even as every NPC had vanished, that girl was still there.
She really was no ordinary being.
“Come over here.”
“Oh, yes!”
The unnamed devotee rose to her feet and trotted over to where Hanbit was.
The spirits continued to stay by her side.
‘..Where am I supposed to put her?’
Even when Hanbit logged out, time inside the game would keep passing.
In that case, the girl’s whereabouts became quite ambiguous.
After a brief moment of thought, he checked the quest window.
[Episode 6: Raven and the Royalty]
[Main Quest #1: The Secret Conference]
You have met Zenith, a key figure in the criminal forces.
To hear the full story from her, an audience with the king will likely be necessary.
Objective: Return to Temoshá and contact the Royal Capital.
The beginning of Episode 6, which had surfaced immediately after the flood of messages.
Getting to Temoshá wasn’t a problem — but leaving the unnamed devotee alone was something that worried him a little.
“For now, let’s change those clothes. That stands out too——”
“Momo!”
Just then, a deep, resonant voice came suddenly from the direction of the brush.
Hanbit turned his head and confirmed the identity of the approaching figure while taking a guarded stance.
“Huh?”
“That person…”
His party members also turned to look and seemed to recognize something.
[Kenji]
Kenji — a man with a fierce face who was unmistakably a player.
His extended hand and gaze were directed at the unnamed devotee.
“…?”
The girl called Momo also looked at the man.
Her expression behind the veil was unreadable, but from her darting eyes she appeared flustered.
Then, perhaps sensing unease, she quickly hid behind Hanbit.
“…Ugh.”
Kenji, who had been approaching, stopped with a stricken face.
Such a sorrowful expression that Hanbit, watching, had nearly offered a word of comfort.
Ding—
Just then, another alert rang in his ear.
It was a message from Yeonwoo.
「Hyung! If a player called Kenji shows up, don’t be on guard! He’s the Nio Group chairman!」
A contact sent in a rush because the stream was off.
Certainly the same name he had heard on the news.
‘So that’s how it is.’
The Nio Group chairman who had been looking for his daughter trapped in the game.
He had planned to get in touch with him after the sub-quest was finished.
And now, out of nowhere, the man had appeared before his eyes and was looking at the unnamed devotee with a sorrowful expression.
The girl standing behind him — an ambiguous being, neither NPC nor player.
That fact and the situation mixed in his mind and quickly formed a conclusion.
“Phew.”
Kenji, gripping his lapels, let out a breath and steadied his emotions.
He looked at Hanbit and said:
“I apologize for the embarrassing display.”
Kenji, straightening his collar, walked closer.
Coming to a stop a few paces away, he bowed deeply at the waist.
“Hello, Black Dragon. I am Kenji — Momo’s father, and the chairman of the Nio Group. I apologize for appearing without warning. And…. truly, thank you.”
“…Hello. I’ve received a rough summary of the situation.”
The deeply formal conduct prompted Hanbit to respond with an equally respectful greeting.
Kenji’s expression — joy and sorrow and desperation all intermingled — naturally made the heart grow solemn.
“I’ll ask to confirm. Do you believe this unnamed devotee to be your daughter?”
“Yes. I’m certain.”
No further explanation accompanied the firm answer.
But there was no way a father this desperately earnest would mistake his own daughter.
“You don’t have to hide — you can come out.”
“No, I won’t!”
Speaking toward behind him, the unnamed devotee gripped his clothes even tighter.
Hanbit let out a sigh and explained the situation to the downcast Kenji.
“I imagine you watched the stream, but this child has genuinely been living as a Holy Nation devotee. If she truly is your daughter, the only conclusion I can reach is that something went very seriously wrong in RP.”
“Something very serious.. I see.”
Kenji’s clasped hands pressed together with desperate force.
He looked toward his daughter, who was keeping herself hidden, and said:
“I know it’s shamelessly forward of me to say this, but right now you are my only remaining hope, Black Dragon. Neither the game company, nor the gear manufacturer, nor any expert has been able to discover anything regarding RP-related matters.”
Kenji added that he had tried everything available — lawsuits and whatever else was possible.
But Team Zero would not have been among those targets.
Hanbit deliberated briefly, then posed one question.
“Was there anything unusual about your daughter beforehand?”
“It may be difficult to believe…”
Kenji opened with a slight hesitation.
“It was around three years ago. The day my daughter changed overnight. She suddenly told me she had been to another world and told me various things about it — does any of that give you something to work with?”
“…Ah.”
The other world.
That word completely changed the lens through which Hanbit saw this situation.
Kenji, who couldn’t know that, clenched his fist and continued:
“I had also told this story to Adventurer A, the guidebook creator, and commissioned him to search for my daughter. But even now, well over a year later — even just moments ago — he was still trying to extort money while spouting lies.”
He conveyed two years’ worth of desperate struggle, full of bitter indignation.
Adventurer A’s contemptible conduct was enough to make anyone sigh.
‘So there was also a penalty reduction item.’
The man who had escaped prison quickly had apparently been trying to set traps in the area nearby.
Kenji had killed him for it, which was nothing short of a favor.
“To put it plainly — there are things that give me something to work with.”
“Are you serious!”
Kenji’s eyes went wide at Hanbit’s words and he stepped one pace closer.
Bringing up the other world and the goddess was a considerable undertaking.
But he had no desire to observe this father and daughter’s situation from a comfortable distance as a third party.
He wanted to know himself what in the world was happening in this world.
Ding—
Just then, another alert rang in his ear all of a sudden.
It was a message from Lee Minho in the real world.
「The interpretation results for the Slab of Lost Light are in. Transcribed into text it’s something like the gods of the world and dragons? Something that reads like a fantasy legend, but do you want to come see it in person tomorrow?」
