Chapter 16
“Damn it!”
A primal emotion surged from deep within Sweet’s heart.
Fear, despair, dread, doubt, distrust…
Standing on the brink of death, Sweet felt his heart pounding wildly.
Could he truly dismiss this as just a ‘game’?
He looked at Raven, who had lost an arm.
Drip- Drip-
Blood droplets continued to fall incessantly.
Yet, Raven resisted with his remaining hand.
If this continued, he would surely die from excessive blood loss.
In such a dire situation, what was he doing?
He was just watching.
‘Should I just die and start over?’
Rationally speaking, there was no chance of winning.
It would be wiser to die and restart the main story.
This is a game, not reality.
If he starts over, Raven’s arm should return to normal.
Just as the word “give up” was about to form in Sweet’s mind…
“…I am a coward who fled alone from a fallen kingdom.”
A voice came from the front.
The one taking on the Black Phantasmal Rabbit’s attacks all alone…
The one slowly dying was forcing out words with every last bit of strength.
“Because a calamity more terrible than that thing reawakened, my kingdom was destroyed… Guh!”
As if not wanting to grant his prey a moment’s respite, the Black Phantasmal Rabbit’s attacks grew even fiercer.
Huff… Huff…
“Run away.”
Raven’s voice came through his ragged breathing.
Hearing that, Sweet bit down hard on his lip.
“I will act as bait.”
Ding!
[ Escape from the Forest That Devours Darkness. ]
A choice appeared.
The same choice he had seen on a stream just a few days ago.
“Why does it have to be you who’s the sacrifice…”
…when it should be me?
Raven was an NPC. For him, this world was reality.
Sweet was a player. For him, this world was merely a pastime, just a game.
The deaths of these two were far from equal.
Raven’s death was the end, while Sweet’s death was just another beginning.
“I am already someone who once abandoned everyone in the kingdom and ran away.”
If I turn my back again, I won’t be able to face those who have gone before me.
There was resolve in his words.
Raven was determined to fight to the end.
Even though he knew the outcome would be his death.
“…There isn’t much time left.”
Indeed, Raven looked as though he could collapse at any moment.
He was barely holding his sword and managing to fend off the Black Phantasmal Rabbit’s attacks.
Even so, he couldn’t evade all the attacks, and the accumulated damage was taking its toll.
Even in such a situation, Sweet did nothing. No, he couldn’t do anything.
The sheer, relentless despair, something he had never experienced before, paralyzed him.
“Even now…”
Tremble-
Despite his rigid legs refusing to move…
That damnable trembling in his hands grew even worse.
The sight of his pitiful state made a fire burn within Sweet’s heart.
“Energy Bolt.”
He chanted. His voice was filled with desperation and self-directed anger.
But no Energy Bolt was fired, and the trembling in his hands only worsened.
“Fire, Energy Bolt.”
He wished. He called out that wish. The wish contained the power to save Raven.
But nothing happened. There was no dramatic awakening of the protagonist in the face of crisis.
Clench-!
“Please, just once. Energy Bolt!”
Raven, who had been resisting until the end, coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Beyond him, the rabbit-shaped demon grinned hideously.
The illusionary rabbits, seeing that smile, leapt at Raven, who was half kneeling.
“Just die already, you goddamn rabbit bastards-!”
Desperation, extreme rage.
A clear intention reached out to the world.
At that moment, the trembling in his hands stopped.
“Energyyy Bolttttt.”
Crackle-!
A sphere formed of mana shot forward in response to the caster’s will.
The Energy Bolt accurately hit only the illusions.
The previously composed expression of the Black Phantasmal Rabbit turned into one of surprise.
“You’re dead, you damned rabbit bastard.”
Energy Bolt.
He boldly stepped forward and chanted Energy Bolt once more.
Screeeech-!!!
The Black Phantasmal Rabbit hiding within the illusions let out a shriek.
“Does it hurt?”
The previous attack had drained about 20% of the Black Phantasmal Rabbit’s health.
If he could land four more Energy Bolts, he could kill it.
The Black Phantasmal Rabbit knew this as well and didn’t give Sweet any time to breathe.
It continued hiding within the illusions, repeatedly summoning more.
If the battle continued like this, Sweet would run out of mana and lose.
However—
[ Level Up! ]
A miracle-like level-up occurred at the perfect timing.
A brilliant white light burst forth, illuminating everything in the darkness.
***
[ Indie Minor Game Gallery ]
Game Insider Gallery. It was generally open to streaming broadcasts.
Considering that most game galleries prohibited streaming, it was quite unusual.
The circumstances surrounding the Developer Gate and Daehyeop Kim made streaming practically mandatory.
If they banned streaming, there wouldn’t be much to talk about anyway.
―――
-Sweet’s awakening scene looks like something straight out of a movie [345]
-Why the hell is Raven a male character? [785]
-Here’s why the developers are geniuses [501]
-So when’s the next official update, you bastards [430]
-Raven << Best NPC ever [555]
―――
[Title] Why is Raven a Male Character Anyway
Imagine if Raven was a female character.
A kind-hearted, busty sword maiden sacrificing herself for me.
A kind-hearted, busty sword maiden flirting with me to have a conversation.
Spending a long, deep night with a kind-hearted, busty sword maiden.
Why the hell is Raven a male character?
Like 755
Dislike 125
―――
Gross weeb fantasy
ㄴBut look at those upvotes, huh?
ㄴThe rate at which upvotes are stacking up lol
ㄴA female character would be more exciting, though
You moron, the fact that he’s a man is what’s good.
ㄴ(Board Admin) Get out of my gallery
ㄴAhaha lololol
ㄴThe normalization of “gay gay” is led by the sacred board admin
―――
[Title] Here’s Why the Developers are Geniuses
(Clip of Daehyeop Kim’s first awakening)
If you look closely here, he gained experience from killing illusions.
He barely gained any, but he kept going until he hit level 10.
The result? He awakened and then soloed the Black Phantasmal Rabbit.
(Clip of Sweet’s first awakening)
Sweet’s situation is similar to Daehyeop Kim’s.
He steadily hunted monsters and progressed until he was just shy of level 10.
In a critical moment, he successfully cast magic without his staff.
With Raven holding aggro, he wiped out all the illusions and levelled up.
After his first awakening, he just grilled the Black Phantasmal Rabbit whole.
The thing that impressed me the most is that all of this was orchestrated by the developers.
Posts certifying the capture of the Black Phantasmal Rabbit keep popping up.
It might be a coincidence the first two times, but more than that?
Developers << These guys’ design skills are on another level.
They’re twisted perverts who know what romance really is.
Like 680
Dislike 5
―――
[Comment 501]
Perverted Director and Maid, ehehe
ㄴBye-bye
ㄴGot PPAP’ed, see ya
ㄴEnjoy your punishment for breaking the rules, lol
―――
If you actually try it, you’d probably lose your mind at that part.
ㄴThat’s exactly what they intended.
ㄴI really want to try it, though.
ㄴBeta testers must be so damn lucky.
―――
With both Daehyeop Kim and Sweet successfully hunting the Black Phantasmal Rabbit, the discussion topics in the in-game gallery shifted from the two of them to the NPC named Raven.
Raven is a man. No, a big-breasted sword maiden.
Raven being a male character is good. Being a female character would be more attractive, etc…
Since he’s the first person you meet in Akare’s journey, it’s no wonder he drew a lot of attention.
“I really want to spoil this.”
From the perspective of the all-seeing Director, Raven was a very special person.
The sole survivor of a ruined kingdom. His connection to the Elder Lich.
His potential for growth, his character, his story, and even his charm.
Above all, there was a decisive reason why Raven was chosen as the central character of the main story.
“But I have to hold back.”
Knowing everything, but still, spoilers were bad.
“Daehyeop Kim… has progressed a lot more than I thought.”
After the first main story arc, where you travel with Raven,
you part ways with him in the capital of the Empire.
And when the time comes, you meet Raven again to continue the main story.
No matter what choices the player makes during this process,
the story is designed to eventually lead to the ‘Elder Lich Raid.’
‘Daehyeop Kim is on the mercenary route.’
After completing the Sewer Inspection Request, he falls into the Black Mage’s Trap.
Once he overcomes that trap, the ‘Cradle of Dark Magic’ dungeon opens up.
Clearing it allows him to gather clues related to the Elder Lich’s resurrection.
“But it’s impossible to clear alone.”
Daehyeop Kim’s current level is 15.
His equipped items have a level restriction of 10.
In comparison, the boss monster of the Cradle of Dark Magic, ‘Minion of Darkness,’ is level 17.
‘The Martial Artist class is specialized in boss fights, though.’
If mages are specialized for hunting, Martial Artist are specialized for boss fights.
But can they overcome a level difference that big?
‘I can do it, but…’
Theoretically, it’s possible. For someone like me, that is.
In other words, Daehyeop Kim can’t beat that boss.
Even though the Martial Artist class excels in boss fights, the Minion of Darkness is a melee-crushing machine.
“I’ve got the hang of it now. I’m definitely going to clear it this time.”
―――
-Season 32427 Clear Declaration
-Is it even right for the boss to have over 10 attack patterns?
-For a relatively low-level zone, it sure looks tough.
―――
Despite Daehyeop Kim’s confident declaration of a clear on screen,
his 58th attempt of the season ended in failure once again.
“Ah, dying repeatedly makes this so exhausting. I’m starting to get hungry. And I’m kind of tired.”
―――
-Ah, here it comes
-Getting ready to log off, damn
-Stop it, that’s enough
-We’re sorry, Daehyeop
-It’s not, right?
―――
The viewers eagerly reacted to the familiar pattern of his “stream shutdown build-up.”
And just as if he had been waiting for it, Daehyeop Kim smiled and spoke softly.
“This is it for today’s stream.”
[Daehyeop Kim’s stream has ended.]
With those final words, the screen faded to black.
The chat was flooded with fire emojis expressing curses and frustration.
“Ugh… this isn’t easy.”
Even though the stream had ended, I could still see Daehyeop Kim talking to himself.
After all, I had been watching Daehyeop Kim’s dungeon playthrough directly inside Akare.
“If only I had one more ranged damage dealer.”
Muttering to himself, Daehyeop Kim left the dungeon.
After following the dirty sewers out, he headed toward the plaza.
Daehyeop Kim moved to the front of the plaza, standing before the capital’s fortress gate.
“Hmm, is he trying to recruit party members?”
All the beta testers were still progressing through the first main story.
And the fastest among them was none other than the streamer Sweet.
He had chosen the Mage class in the Hall of Heroes and progressed rapidly.
And since his class was specialized in hunting, it was no surprise that he was the fastest.
“If he gathers party members, he’ll probably tackle the Black Mage’s Trap first to get some equipment…”
Maybe because he was a streamer, Daehyeop Kim kept muttering his future plans.
“…If we go for party hunting, we’ll level up much faster too.”
It was a fairly reasonable strategy.
The Martial God class benefited from party play due to the synergy skill Martial Soul.
Knowing this, Daehyeop Kim was likely waiting here for that reason.
“It’s almost… the right timing.”
I watched from observer mode for a long time, and finally, she appeared.
She walked toward Daehyeop Kim, who was waiting in front of the fortress gate.
A familiar-looking Armor, sword, and presence.
“Hmm?”
Sensing someone approaching, Daehyeop Kim turned his head.
“Who are you?”
Daehyeop Kim didn’t recognize her.
Well, it would’ve been stranger if he did.
“Pfft. Have you already forgotten?”
Narrowing his eyes, Daehyeop Kim tried to figure out the woman’s identity.
Had they met somewhere before? Was it a voice he had heard before?
It wasn’t any of those, yet she gave off a strangely familiar vibe.
So, Daehyeop Kim scrutinized her a bit more carefully.
“…No way.”
The Armor’s design, the shape of the sword, and the familiar aura.
“Raven?”
Finally, she smiled brightly.
“You’ve grown much stronger since the last time we met.”
Daehyeop Kim stared blankly at her—Raven—completely dazed.
—
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