After Arcana overflowed into reality.
Korea's symbol became the 'Mage's Tower.'
"Yes, I'm standing right in front of the Mage's Tower right now!"
"Wow. How many meters is that thing? To think something like that appeared overnight."
"Wait, aren't those the Rising Stars? The ones threatening the rankers?!"
The Mage's Tower.
The holy land of all mages.
A place that had played an important role even in Arcana.
After such a Mage's Tower rose up in Seoul, the ripple effect that followed was beyond words.
[Mage Tower Effect? Rankers Are Flocking to Korea.]
[Mage Tower's Mages: "We Only Crave New Knowledge. We Want a Friendly Relationship."]
[Mage Tower Tourism Popular... Tourist Numbers Exploded by 3,000% Compared to Last Year]
"Why did I come to Korea? Obviously because of the Mage Tower. From long-distance teleportation to magic enchantments. The services available at the Mage Tower are quite extensive. That's why our Shining Guild plans to stay in Korea for the time being."
The world's greatest guild, Shining Guild, established a branch in Korea.
Following that Shining, major guilds from countries around the world also set up base in Korea.
The enormous taxes they would pay were just the baseline.
With players overflowing, it was only natural that damage caused by monsters would decrease.
The ever-brightening future of the Republic of Korea!
However, what came over from Arcana wasn't only the Mage Tower.
Moreover, if there was light, there was bound to be darkness too.
'Damn it. Even after becoming a player, I'm still just a supporting character?'
'I wanted to succeed like that too!'
'I'm jealous. So jealous my stomach hurts enough to want to kill them.'
Right, demons were living hidden in that darkness.
"At first, it was really hard to adapt. But the more I see, the more this place is better for us demons to operate in than the Arcana continent, you know? Envy, jealousy, pessimism—all kinds of negative emotions never cease!"
In this environment, becoming a high-ranking demon was only a matter of time.
"Someday, I too will be like the Demon Lords...!"
A low-ranking demon, an imp, licking its lips with an ecstatic expression.
The creature spotted its prey.
Five players.
"Let's go with those guys this time."
It recalled the bastards it had toyed with and killed yesterday.
Their desperate wailing had been so pleasant to hear.
These ones looked more naive than those bastards—easy prey.
Including me, exactly five people.
'I guess that's fortunate, at least.'
Then again, there was no law saying only high-level players would awaken.
The community was full of recruitment posts looking for players of similar levels to oneself.
After all, solo play was dangerous.
Moreover, this was reality.
If you died, it wasn't game over—it was just the end.
Meaning death.
"I can see it. The rift."
The finger pointed toward the subway exit.
Since it was still rush hour, the crowd was considerable.
If I hadn't written my resignation letter, I'd be there too, wouldn't I?
While having such thoughts, I had already reached the exit.
...So this was what players' vision was like.
A rift visible only to players' eyes.
I could see a 'barrier' blocking the subway exit.
Office workers heading to the platform, passing through that barrier.
As you could see, ordinary people weren't affected by the rift.
Thanks to that, society could keep functioning like it did now.
[Gnoll's Underground Storage]
[Appropriate Level: Lv35~40]
[Collapse Progress: 19.8%]
'I can see the rift information too.'
When the collapse progress reached 100 percent, the rift would crumble and monsters would be released into reality.
In the early days after the Great Cataclysm.
When both players and knowledge about rifts were lacking, rifts would collapse and monsters would be released frequently.
The casualties from that were too terrible to even mention.
Because of those sacrifices, current players could now clear rifts without much regulation.
Rifts were time bombs.
And only players could approach them.
"Looking at the progress, there might be players who entered first. Still, let's do our best! Alright, just let me smoke one cigarette. We'll enter in exactly 5 minutes."
...I'm a bit nervous, aren't I?
It was an unavoidable reaction.
After all, I had been an ordinary office worker until just a few days ago.
I was about to hunt monsters, which had never been in my destiny.
It was natural to be tense.
'At times like this, I should think I'm fortunate again.'
But that was merely a matter of feeling.
After all, I couldn't feel even the slightest tremor in my body.
An utterly upright neck.
Shoulders not shrunk in the slightest.
Even a gaze clear with confidence.
...A noble had graced the subway.
To anyone watching, I wouldn't look like a player entering a rift for the first time today.
Let's think positively.
There was nothing good about being nervous.
Besides, wasn't this a party I had joined with the understanding that it was my first experience?
[Appropriate Level: Lv35~40]
My current level was 55.
No matter how mediocre the Demon Hunter's stats were, with a level difference of 15... there was no need to be unnecessarily scared.
"Alright then, shall we enter?"
"Please take care of us!"
"Let's struggle through this together!"
It seemed 5 minutes had already passed.
The party members raising their motivation.
Three older women.
Even those women were all consecutive ages.
How many bowls of anxiety had I eaten since childhood to survive as a neutral country in the war between sisters?
With that experience, I was someone who had been favored by my superiors.
I too opened my mouth to tactfully lift the mood.
In a very refined voice.
"Since I am here, you all need not worry."
...Wait, who's worried about whom?!
However, I couldn't take back the words that had slipped out.
"...Excuse me?"
Damn it, I could see the party members flinch.
At this rate, I was going to die of embarrassment, really.
Granfel, my damn cringeworthy dark history.
****
There was even a saying that if you just stayed still, you'd at least make it halfway.
It would be best to keep my mouth shut as much as possible.
That was the conclusion I had reached.
Soon after entering the rift, a changed landscape came into view.
Though it was the subway I saw every day on my commute.
I felt a sense of unfamiliarity somewhere.
The party leader who was leading the way, Nam Cheol-min, clicked his tongue.
"The escalator's rusted, so we'll have to walk. Ah, there are quite a few stairs here... Let's just think of it as warming up and go down!"
At those words, I looked at the escalator.
It really was true, wasn't it?
A rusted escalator.
A damp and unpleasant smell wafting from deep underground.
Even the occasional howling of beasts.
'Is this the Gnolls' cry?'
Indeed, it seemed the subway had also transformed into an appropriate environment, affected by the rift.
Only players could approach this ruined subway station.
Of course, if the rift collapsed, the real-world subway would also change to look like this.
"Start getting your equipment ready."
"Looking at how empty the entrance is, it seems there's a party that entered first?"
"It definitely seems that way. But, well, no need to worry. Maybe because this is a transfer station, it's quite large? If we choose our route well, we should be able to hunt without overlapping with other parties."
As expected, I did well to find a party.
If I'd come alone, I would have been lost.
I opened my inventory and checked my equipment.
'...Should I think of this as fortunate?'
Level 55.
Though it might only be a low level now, back then it belonged to quite a high level range.
Back then, getting equipment wasn't easy.
But who was my past self?
A chuunibyou who lived and died for style.
I vaguely recalled investing even my allowance to obtain cool equipment.
Anyway, thanks to that style-over-substance approach, my current equipment level belonged to quite the luxurious category.
『Unknown Blacksmith's Masterpiece: Silver Dagger』
[Grade: Rare]
[Restriction: Lv.50]
[Effect: Deals additional damage to Undead and Demon races.]
[Description: A masterpiece by a blacksmith with outstanding skill but lacking fame.]
Among them, I particularly remembered this dagger.
I recalled buying it at the auction house for an extremely expensive price...
As stated in the description, it was equipment crafted by a blacksmith player who was very famous at the time.
Whoever they were, if they had continued playing Arcana, they would surely have become a very famous blacksmith by now.
'The important thing isn't that.'
...So this single weapon is all I have?!
This was a disaster.
Silver weapons had considerably poor durability.
I vividly remembered the durability decreasing with each hunt and quite a bit of gold being spent on repair costs.
Back then it was gold, but now it meant real cash was going out!
I did have a bow, but only five arrows.
And all of them were silver arrows.
When I was already worried about durability, I couldn't use silver arrows either.
I made a quick decision.
'I should go with fighting as little as possible.'
At least until I obtained a new weapon.
[You Have Entered Gnoll's Underground Storage - Food Storage.]
As for new weapons in this place, there would only be the crude weapons the Gnolls used.
Still, using those would be better than using the precious silver weapon.
'No matter what, there's a level gap.'
Having made that judgment, I regretted it once combat started.
'...Lee Ho-yeol, you bastard, seriously!'
Even if silver weapons were cool, still.
Was it so difficult to keep one practical weapon?!
"Grrrowl!!"
Dog-men, Gnolls.
The ones in reality were much faster and craftier than what I'd seen in Arcana.
As if they had adapted to the subway station.
They attacked us utilizing the complex terrain and features of the subway station.
Swoosh─!
An arrow flew in from a blind spot in my vision.
The mage who barely dodged it, Seo Jeong-yeon, shouted.
"Gnoll archer! It's hiding behind that vending machine!"
Somehow their role distribution was more proper than our party's.
I looked toward Nam Cheol-min.
'...Is this how parties hunt these days?'
Though I hadn't heard directly, Nam Cheol-min's class was obviously a tank.
The large shield and plate armor proved it.
But for some reason.
Nam Cheol-min had broken away from the formation, let alone protecting the party.
'I don't really know, but the situation isn't good.'
A situation where I wasn't pulling my weight.
The mage, Seo Jeong-yeon, was our party's only ranged dealer.
I looked toward the vending machine as she had said.
Indeed, behind the vending machine were two Gnoll archers.
'They're reloading their arrows.'
Was now the opportunity?
I tried thinking it through.
Right, it was an opportunity.
Gnoll archers had terrible close combat abilities.
If I took them down, I could even steal their arrows.
But wasn't I also terrible at combat?
Moreover, it had been about 10 years since I'd had this kind of battle.
Tap─
But rendering such worries meaningless.
I was walking leisurely.
My gait overflowed with composure.
As if the Gnolls couldn't even approach me.
I was walking confidently toward the Gnoll archers.
Right, though my mind was calculating all sorts of variables and dangers.
My body was honest.
I wasn't tense at all.
No, to be more precise, to be frightened by a pack of Gnolls.
The confidence of Granfel that had been overlaid on me was far too great.
"U-um, excuse me? It's dangerous! You don't even have a weapon...?"
Suddenly, I seemed to hear Seo Jeong-yeon's shout in my ear.
But I didn't hear it to the end.
Whether I hadn't heard it.
Or whether Seo Jeong-yeon had trailed off—I couldn't tell.
"Grrowl!!"
Baring their fangs.
Two Gnolls revealing their hostility.
Tap─
I lightly approached them.
Tap─
I struck both creatures' noses with my fists.
In that series of movements, beyond composure, one could feel dignity.
In my vision, there wasn't even the slightest waver.
I said.
"It seems your training has been lacking."
As if reprimanding hunting dogs I kept.
"Though it's not to my liking, depending on the circumstances."
It was a view from an immensely high place looking down.
The attitude of a high-handed noble.
"Corporal punishment is also necessary."
...Kya, kyaing!!
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