Chris had enough time to summarize his unfortunate adventure in the forest to his moody friend. Mu-Yeon didn’t say a word until he finished, but Chris noticed how his expression kept shifting from anger to relief as he spoke.
Mu-Yeon’s only words were:
“Go to sleep.”
Chris had expected to be scolded, but instead, Mu-Yeon simply told him to rest and disappeared from his sight.
'That was strange. I thought he’d be angrier.'
-He was. He just hides his emotions well.-
'How would you know?'
-You should pay more attention to the people around you. Don’t you think so, Soa?-
Soa jumped out of the ring and made herself comfortable on her pillow, then gave an approving nod.
-She said…-
'I can tell when she agrees with you. You tiny traitor.'
He gave Soa an annoyed look, but the snake didn’t care. She simply closed her eyes and went to sleep.
'I’m surrounded by snakes, figuratively and literally. You know, because Soa is a snake.'
-Stop with those jokes. You aren’t that funny.-
'That’s harsh. How can you crush someone’s dream like that?'
-Since when has it been your dream to become a comedian?-
'Since I found my comedic side in those gloomy tunnels. But I can see I have to improve my jokes. I’ll work on them in my free time.'
-We can go back so you can leave that “comedic side” there.-
'Nah, I’m never stepping foot in that nest again.'
Chris sat down on the edge of the bed, took off his shoes and his ripped shirt, but kept his pants, too tired to look for spare change. He reached for the pillow, but Soa hissed at him and grudgingly shifted to make some space.
'Thanks.'
She opened one eye to acknowledge him before closing it again.
He lay down, and his head sank into his half of the pillow. The other side puffed up, launching Soa into the air. Chris chuckled, but his laughter stopped when she landed on his face and bit his nose.
“Soa, stop that, it hurts! You need to find another way to vent your anger.”
She finally let go, hissed again, and slithered back to her side of the pillow.
Chris rubbed his nose until the pain faded.
'System, you awake?'
-I’m always “awake.” I don’t need sleep.-
'Is my nose red?'
-You can’t just use me as a cheap mirror. But yes, your nose is as red as Rudolph’s.-
'Damn it, Soa. It might leave a scar! I should scold her. Wait… how do you know about Rudolph?'
-Good question. How do I know about that mythical red-nosed reindeer? It just came to me while looking at your face. Strange, isn’t it?-
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'We’ll talk about that later. I’ve got something more important to check out.'
-Your choice, Chris.-
'Let’s look at my status window. I haven’t checked it since I got stranded in this world.'
A familiar blue window popped up before him:
Name: Baek Yong-Su (Chris Sully)
Species: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 19
Job: Martial Artist *
'What a pity. His life was snuffed out too early.'
Chris felt sorrowful for Yong-Su; he might have gone far if not for those despicable assassins.
-He might be dead, but you can still avenge him.-
'I thought I was the comedian here. How can I go against them when I barely survived?'
-You were powerless then, but look at you now. You escaped that dreadful nest using nothing but your wits.-
'Thanks for the encouragement, but I’m still the same old Chris, just with a new shiny wrapping. Still, the shut-in who played games all day to survive.'
-You’re selling yourself short. Look at what you’ve done; you survived that game and won, you made new friends, even if some are a bit… loony; Marvin, and you survived in this strange place.-
'That game was all smoke and mirrors. And here? I just got lucky. What’s the point of new friends if I’m still alone? My family has no idea what happened to me.'
A streak of glittering tears rolled down his cheeks.
-How can you say you’re alone when Arwenwel, Alek, and even that annoying skeleton are waiting for you? Your family might not know where you are, but a new one is blooming right now. Look at that small child; she lost her mother before she even came into this world. She hides her pain so she won’t worry her new family.-
'What are you talking about?'
-I’m talking about you, you bumbling buffoon. You’re her family now.-
'I didn’t…'
He couldn’t finish the sentence.
-That’s the problem. You only saw her as something to protect, not someone. You’re such a fool sometimes.-
'I was so blind to her feelings.'
He gently caressed Soa’s tiny head. She let out a sleepy yawn.
'I’ll try to be better…for our new family.'
-See? That wasn’t so hard. Now, check your stats. You might have a surprise.-
'Before I do… what’s that star next to my job? I saw it before.'
-I didn’t notice it earlier either. Try pressing it.-
Chris touched the star. His first job appeared: Soul Reaper.
'So I can have multiple jobs?'
-We’ll have to test that later to be sure.-
'We’ll see once I get back into my body. Now let’s check my stats.'
Strength: 15 (+2)
Agility: 17 (+2)
Intelligence: 15 (+2)
Luck: 7 (+2)
Qi: 0
'Okay, that’s strange. My stats are different, and a new one appeared, but it’s zero. And what’s with the +2?'
-Check above, you’ll see where those bonuses come from. The last stat is your Qi pool. Since you’re crippled right now, it’s empty.-
Chris noticed another addition: his level. He was level 3.
'How am I level 3?'
-Remember when I gave you that quest when you were fighting the assassin?-
'Yeah, I remember that. But how did I get to the next level?'
-You’d know if you stopped interrupting. You earned it when you survived the ant nest.-
'I don’t remember getting a quest.'
-You had one. I just didn’t tell you, I didn’t want to stress you out.-
'So each level gives me a stat boost in all attributes, huh? Where can I see those quest logs?'
-Give me a moment to update your window.-
As he waited, Chris counted the nails in the ceiling boards. He reached twenty before a new tab appeared: Quest Log.
Ongoing:
- Eliminate Jang Wol
- Regain Your Core
Completed:
- Defeat Go Hwan-Do
- Escape the Nest
'Are you creating these quests?'
-They’re generated automatically, based on your environment.-
Chris examined the first quest.
Eliminate Jang Wol:
Find and eliminate the one who will bring about the end of the world.
Reward: Return to your old body.
Failure: Death.
'Wow. Isn’t that a bit harsh?'
-You’ll die anyway if he ends the world with you in it.-
'Fair point.'
He moved on to the second quest.
Regain Your Core:
Wait for Jang Mu-Yeon to return and finish the preparations for the procedure.
Survive the procedure.
Reward: Regain access to your Qi pool.
Failure: Death.
'What’s with this obsession with death penalties?'
-Because if the procedure fails, you’ll literally die.-
'Yeah, I know, but it’s still grim to see death every time I fail something.'
-Maybe future quests will be different. This one’s unique; it even offers a new reward type.-
'I hope so. I don’t want to die just because I fail some simple fetch quest like in those old games.'
-Stop worrying. We’ll see when we get there.-
At least it keeps track of progress and marks off completed objectives. That’s nice.
Chris glanced toward the window; no sign of any light. Mu-Yeon must have finished his preparations.
He looked down at Soa one last time. She was sleeping peacefully, utterly carefree.
“Good night and sleep tight, you two.”
Finally, he closed his eyes and drifted into sleep.
Tomorrow would be long and tiring; the outcome would decide his fate in this strange and exotic world.
But not everything was in their favor.
–An unnamed plain–
A small crack formed in the physical plane. From it oozed a black substance, spreading into a puddle that killed the very earth it touched. It was a primal evil; one this world had never known. The crack sealed shut as if it had never been, leaving only the foul puddle behind.
The ooze writhed and twisted, trying to form a shape but failing. Drawn by the scent of death, it slithered across the land, killing grass and drying the soil in its wake.
It found a shallow grave and seeped into the ground. For a while, there was silence, then the plain itself began to wither. Plants, animals, even insects died as the corruption spread.
Suddenly, it stopped. The once-lush landscape was now barren and gray. The earth split open, and two decomposing hands clawed their way out. A decayed body followed, coughing black ooze as it dragged itself free.
“I finally reached this damned world… and the only usable body is this human. Such feeble creatures.”
It staggered upright, disgusted. With a sneer, it pulled a sword from the grave and tossed it aside.
“Yuck. Primitive tools. I have all I need right here.”
Black liquid oozed from its left arm, shaping into a claw. With one swing, it carved a crater into the ground.
“This will do for now. But I can’t smell my target anymore. Where are you hiding, little lamb? I can’t wait to taste your fear.”
Drool dripped from its rotten mouth. Then something caught its attention, an intriguing scent drifting from a nearby mountain range.
“I’ve found a better body.”
As it lumbered toward the mountains, the discarded sword gleamed faintly in the moonlight.
A nameplate hung from its hilt…
Go Hwan-Do.