Chapter 6

The streets of Tulavia are dark at night. All the bulbs in the streetlights were either broken or had already been taken.

I don’t know how they got it out of there, but if you’re in a hurry, you can do anything. There’s no electricity anyway, but there are plenty of nooks and crannies to use.

In a way, bums are eco-friendly. They smell like shit, but they recycle like shit.

“Good thing I borrowed a flashlight.

A scarlet glow illuminated the upturned and broken tiles. Kim walked with a flashlight in one hand, the other loosely clenched into a fist.

I wanted to be able to make and wield a [Spear of Invulnerability] at any time. It would have been safer to craft it ahead of time… but I needed to keep my health as intact as possible.

“That’s scary. Maybe I should have asked him to come with me.”

Needless to say, she heard every word. Pablo even went so far as to call her a lunatic, which Leila promptly scolded him for.

It came out a bit forced.

They said it’s just a night walk, it’s a routine for them, they don’t need help from strangers.

“We’re not going to be able to split up the workforce anyway.

Three people. That’s the minimum number they thought of before coming to Tulavia.

What if one of them follows him out? Then it becomes difficult to defend the professor.

Kim’s confident demeanor forced Leila to nod her head. You can’t force someone to do what you don’t want them to do.

Instead, I heard something like this

– Please take care and come back soon.

– If we don’t hear from you by morning, we’ll assume you’re in danger and we’ll definitely come to your aid.

– So… for our sake. Please don’t just walk away without telling us. Okay?

I cringed at the thought.

“You’re an asshole.”

An idealist who never doubts the good she believes in. She is often referred to as the “sweet potato-armed girl,” which even Kim Yi-hyun found frustrating at times.

I didn’t feel bad about being worried, though.

Not only did he give me a horse, but also a valuable flashlight and a wristwatch. I took the watch from Pablo after he called me a lunatic.

“Okay. You’ve come this far, you better be good.”

0-5. The culminating stage of the tutorial.

While it doesn’t really teach anything about game systems, it works well as a prologue to the story. It’s the part of the game that really gets the world of Polaris into the player’s head.

This is the so-called “losing event”.

“You can’t break it if you proceed normally.

Here’s how it goes

After scouting in stages 0-4, Shadow himself stops Leila’s group in their tracks.

The group is overwhelmed by an overwhelming force. When they realize they have no chance of victory, Ghost decides to stay behind.

Leila and Pablo make a quick getaway, taking the Professor with them. Ghost grabs Shadow’s ankle, giving his companions time to escape.

It succeeds in causing significant damage to Shadow, but eventually dies. Not only is it well illustrated, but it even has its own BGM.

“I don’t know why people love sacrifice so much.

This will prevent you from using Ghosts in the future. It doesn’t say how many stars it’s rated. It’s not even mentioned in the tutorial.

Stages 0-5 end when the Ghost is killed. The battle ends with the same wording as the previous stage.

[Operation Complete]

[Congratulations!]

‘This is creepy again.’

No matter who dies, the player lives, so there’s no impediment to progress.

But here’s the thing.

Any stage can be rechallenged at any time.

“The devs are a bit of a bunch.

There are several defeat events in Polaris. As the player progresses through the story, the deaths of agents become essential.

One time only.

The developers have included a strange feature. Every “impossible stage” has a predetermined number of agents you can assemble on your first attempt.

Levels and equipment are fixed. The user cannot intervene.

However, when you try again, the conditions are different. You can use user-trained agents.

‘If we had such fucking strong kids, that character wouldn’t have died, or whatever.’

It’s a diabolical prank. They even add extra rewards for “re-challenges”, which are not paid goods, but unique items.

In other words, a pet peeve.

From 0-5?

Give [Ghost’s Tattered Notebook].

‘Isn’t that too much, motherfuckers…….’

Players cursed the devs, but also enjoyed it as a piece of content, especially when it came to weaving the story of IF by clearing the minimum power.

If they’d only taken one agent, if they’d only had certain equipment, the ghosts, some of them could have survived.

He’s done it all, too.

“If it’s 0-5, I’ve got it memorized.

Here are the minimum conditions for the strategy

a well-established 4+ star dealer.
10 specific 1-star special weapons.
10 random characters to serve as launchers for your equipment.

The dealer can also be fitted with the equipment, bringing the total number of agents needed to 10. If you include the professor in Leila’s group, you’re only halfway there.

Worth it.

“I’m the only one in charge of the launch pad.

The gaps between the game and reality we’ve seen so far. A skill called [Craft Special Weapons] that didn’t exist in the game.

A combination of factors.

The probability of success is high.

“The problem is, it can make you look a little crazy.

So I stubbornly went out on my own. Maybe if I explained the skill, he’d understand, but it’s too early to tell.

I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to tell someone everything. This is no ordinary skill, no matter how you look at it.

“Especially things like the ability to cap a few times.

Equipment with a set number of special ability uses. The question of how to know and create them is difficult to explain.

I wouldn’t even call it gaming knowledge, I can see how it would be misunderstood.

Or if you just tell them you made it up as you went along, they’ll think you’re a jack-of-all-trades blacksmith who can make anything.

It’s better to keep your shenanigans quiet.

“Where do I want to work?

The stage is quite a bit further along than this. Leila and her group are on the move early in the morning and encounter Shadoor in broad daylight.

“I don’t know where that is, I want it.

If you see it, you might recognize it. If it’s in the background, you remember it.

But how do you get there and how do you get back, with all those roads?

‘I’ll have to look for it around here. With all due respect to Leila… I’ll be stuck here until noon.

What if I can’t find my way around. Ghosts can’t die of injustice.

“The stage start times will be similar.

Given Shadow’s tendencies, this makes sense. Why would he choose broad daylight when he already knew where Leila and her group were?

This is because this is when Shadow’s spells are at their strongest.

“PM 02:17.

I’m remembering correctly.

Polaris often gave the time to the minute in his introductions, especially during serious situations. Common narration, if common.

This put all the pieces in place.

How I’ve been lost in the streets.

“……Oh. Perfect.”

I see the garage attached to the house. It’s not a large space, with a gate on the side and shutters on the front. It was in good condition.

You’re in luck. When I checked, the inside had already been gutted, but it didn’t matter.

You’re done searching for a location.

Now all that’s left is the hard work.

“Woohoo.”

You have to be determined. Be willing to throw up three times and not quit.

Kim activated the skill [Craft Special Weapon]. A paint can and a flat brush appeared in his hand. Two items that came as a set.

“The game is disgusting.”

In addition to “weapons,” there is another category of special armor. Things that are categorized as ‘auxiliary equipment’.

Polaris is a triple-value game.

“Well, let’s draw something crazy.”

* * *

The next day. Around 1:30 PM.

“…….”

The mood is dreary.

The four of us, including the professor, didn’t say anything, but I could feel the stares, especially from behind.

“……ha.”

The sigh was as loud as thunder. Leila’s face, a mixture of arrogance and pride, fell.

“I’m sorry about earlier. I was nagging too much, and we’re not even close.”

“No, that, um.”

Tuk Tuk.

Ghost touched Kim’s shoulder, and when he turned to look at him, Ghost pretended to zip his mouth through his mask.

This means keep your mouth shut.

“That was a little scary.

When I returned after noon, the Professor and Pablo were the only ones in the abandoned house. Leila and Ghost were searching around.

Once I rejoined, I heard the stars.

“But I’ll say it again, I’m glad you’re okay, and if Mr. Hyun had a toilet seat… I would have regretted my decision.”

It wasn’t just that they sent him away alone. They must have blamed themselves for the unhappiness of someone who was doing so well in Tulavia.

Pablo would have called it self-inflicted, but at least Leila couldn’t take it that way.

“Okay, I was wrong. I didn’t realize I was acting like one of you.”

As she spat the words of apology out of her mouth. Inwardly, Kim had other ideas.

“If I were in a cell biology lab, this would happen a lot.

Kim plans to use his gaming knowledge in the future. He would do things that others wouldn’t understand with common sense.

Being a part of a rap doesn’t make you safe, it ties you down. I didn’t realize there was such a downside to being a part of a lab.

“I’m going to have to think about it.

You’re a lunatic, if only for the griddle on your face. Other practical issues arise.

‘I’ll probably go in as a reserve agent.’

You are likely to be on a reserve operations team. You usually train indoors. If you happen to be called out on an assignment, it’s hard to move around freely.

What if HR says I’m not fit to be an agent? Am I going to be sent to the mines?

‘Shit. Not as good as that.’

I’m going to have to think about this very deeply.

* * *

2:11 PM.

“…… Prefecture!”

As soon as he heard Ghost’s cry, Kim rolled to the side.

He didn’t hesitate for a second; he’d been on high alert for less than ten minutes.

Pavavavak!

The shadows of the building rubble rose up and slammed down in Kim’s direction. With a crash, a large and small hole opened in the floor.

“Hey…!

Kim quickly straightened her stance. She kept her head up and stared straight ahead, ready to dodge at any moment.

A shopping district. The middle of a boulevard.

Smal.

The shadows around you gathered together. Clumping together, they formed a human form. Soon, half the shadows peeled away.

A male with a thin build, like a dying patient. Jet-black hair and red eyes as if pooling blood.

This is how it looks in the game.

“Hello, sherbet.

This is the beginning of the “untouchable” stage.