Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Done!

A jet-black electric current slammed into Ashwolf’s torso. His spiky fur bristled.

The moment the action stopped, Kim hit the ground.

Poof!

I plunged the [Lance of the Infinite] into its gaping mouth. I felt resistance as soon as I pierced the soft interior. Bone. It lacked the power to crush it.

It didn’t need to be destroyed. Ashwolves, like Speeders, are mobs. They’re not tenacious enough to move even when their heads are pierced.

Shake.

Kim looked back as she drew her spear. She made eye contact with Leila. She gave him a quick glance to thank him for his help.

“It’s better than a game?

Leila is a mage-type character with a basic attack that sends out electric currents. It’s just a ranged attack that deals magic damage. There is no paralyzing effect.

This is the part that will change because it’s real.

“I still don’t have a clue.

The line between reality and game is blurred. I haven’t found a compromise yet. I’m not too intimidated by it, though.

“…… Not so much?

The hand holding the spear trembled. My stomach rumbled. A wolf beast with more ‘realism’ than speed. A cocktail of emotions mixed together.

“Hyun. What’s wrong, are you injured?”

Ghost asked, approaching, a kukri sliding down the outside of his sleeve. The knife was drenched in murky blood.

“No, that’s fine, I’d rather…….”

Kim looked behind the Ghost. Eight Ashwolf corpses. That’s as many as I got in one kill.

“That’s great. You deserve to be smoked.”

“Because it’s the job.”

Ghost didn’t use any fancy techniques. Just dodges and bells. It was just fast and sharp.

There are probably dozens, maybe hundreds, of tricks in that simplicity that beginners don’t realize.

Pablo took out three of them on his own. Leila did a great job of keeping pace while protecting the professor.

They weren’t 4-star agents for nothing.

‘I could have gotten in trouble if I went out on my own.

This is the ground.

You escaped the subway station earlier, and there was one battle. This is the second battle you’ve fought since joining the group.

That means you’ve cleared stages 0-3. Ghost’s death was approaching.

The agent, two seconds away from death, said.

“Are spears the only weapons you can make with spells?”

“Not really, I’m just using it for now because it’s comfortable, and I want to keep it in my hands.”

Kim was using his skills openly. He couldn’t fight with his bare hands. I didn’t feel like using my chi against a friendly opponent and hiding it.

“I’m not a professor if I’m barefoot, I’m a baggage that can walk alone.

I don’t know what’s wrong with him.

Grumbling inwardly, I unleashed the skill. The [Invulnerable Spear] scattered into light granules.

When it comes to skills, we’ve learned a few things. One of them was duration.

When I let go, it disappeared after about 10 minutes. But when I hold it, it lasts longer.

The way it recoils if you leave it out for too long. Even crafting the same weapon back to back gives me a headache.

I can tolerate it… but not in combat. Maybe twice at most.

“Good call. I’d better keep my daggers and swords in sight, too, if I get the chance.”

“Don’t you usually only dig one?”

“Normally, yes, but you’re different. At best, you have the ability to swap them out mid-battle, and that’s a waste. Everything has its advantages and disadvantages.”

I knew from the beginning that I wanted to be versatile. Different weapons have different special abilities assigned to them.

But I didn’t really think about the benefits of the “kind” itself. The window is long, so it’s perfect, sort of.

“I’m sure you can cover close and mid-range if you get the hang of it. Do you know how to use a firearm?”

“I know how to shoot.”

Originally a 26-year-old office worker. A military scribe.

“But it’s going to be hard to make.”

Polaris’ special weapons range from 1-star to 6-star, with a small number of weapons for each tier due to the wide range of tiers.

No guns in 1-star.

“Then carry a pistol, and that’s it. Training is important, but skill doesn’t come overnight. Having a lot of options, even if they’re shallow, will help.”

“Where do you get guns?”

“Come to the Celbrox Labs.”

“You’re going to give me a gun? That’s not how you get a job in a lab.”

“……, because, well, it’s the world.”

Meanwhile, the conversation continues.

“Those two, they’ve become best friends.”

“Ahhhh. Mr. Ghost was an instructor in the Harenhal Guard, I suppose it’s hard to let a good sprout go to waste, and you often learn, don’t you, Pablo?”

“I’m just saying… be vigilant, there’s a fine line.”

“Do you still suspect Mr. Hyun?”

“Of course.”

Pablo said, squeezing my shoulder.

“What did you say, you were exploring the neighborhood for junk, so how did you manage to get yourself into the station?”

That wasn’t all.

“Besides, the joint where we found the professor. You’d have to ride the tracks to find it, and why would a bum bother to check out a place that looks like it has nothing?”

“Hmm. I don’t think much of it, but from what I’ve seen of you, Mr. Hyun, you seem like a fickle sort of guy, so maybe you’re intrigued, and you can handle a few monsters.”

“……whatever.”

Just because you’re facing a monster doesn’t mean you have to fight it. Especially if you’re acting alone. If you know the area, you know the safe spots.

“What does your professor think?”

Leila changed the subject. She had originally intended to ask the professor to lead the battle. To give her some experience again.

But for now, things were ambiguous.

This was because Kim was included in the force. His combat capabilities were not fully understood, and there were concerns that he would not follow orders.

This was not bad as it was. In that there was no pressure on the professor. Ghost seems to care about Kim in a good way.

“I… I don’t know how to fight, especially.”

“That’s okay, Mr. Ghost, combat is your specialty. I was just asking what your impression was of Hyun when you saw him.”

“To my eyes, the string also looks strong….”

The lightly pigmented eyes turned to Kim. Kim Yi Hyun was in the middle of a conversation with Ghost, a look of nervousness on her face.

“As Ghost pointed out, it doesn’t feel familiar… the way he moves, the way he looks around… the way he moves, let alone in combat.”

This time, you look at Leila and Pablo.

“You’re cautious and careful, but Hyun is overly cautious. Perhaps… perhaps he’s new to this situation. He’s not as light-hearted as he seems.”

Colock, Colock.

The professor coughed as he spoke. Leila handed the professor a bucket of water and turned to Kim.

“That’s ……. I’m sure it is, right?”

You don’t have to be a bum to have a bad heart. There are plenty of good people out there.

The harsh environment will eventually chip away at something.

* * *

Night.

I stopped moving when I realized I couldn’t move anymore. I didn’t have to be homeless. There were abandoned houses all around.

The story is still stuck at the point where you’ve cleared stages 0-3. You just ran into a monster or two along the way.

“Ha, I’m dying.”

Kim threw herself on the bed.

The mats were dusty and the contents were sticking out. It was unsanitary, but I didn’t care.

My body and mind were exhausted. The cushioning of the mat felt too good to complain.

There was no one else in the room.

Thankfully, the house was big enough. Leila’s group had organized themselves and left me alone to rest.

I rolled over onto my side. Shards of broken glass littered the floor.

Yesterday, a cramped studio. Today, a spacious but dilapidated house. What an extreme gap.

‘He’s still alive.

The feeling of slaying a monster lingers in my hands. It’s an indescribable feeling. It’s a feeling that I’ll experience again and again.

It’s not impossible.

“I’ve had my fill.

Leila distributed the food. Dry food like jerky. The water tasted a little fishy. It wasn’t edible or drinkable.

Doable. Tolerable.

“I guess I was always this adaptable.

I’m pretty sure I’ve adapted quickly to the fact that I’m not the only one who’s been yelling and screaming at the top of my lungs.

I thought I deserved a pat on the back. I had a different problem that was making my head spin.

“Do you want to keep that or not?”

What’s coming soon.

With the arrival of a powerful enemy and the death of Ghost, the professor realizes the anomaly of reality, and the scenario begins in earnest.

‘That’s not really engaging for users either. The tutorial is too abrupt from start to finish.

It is, isn’t it. Be sad, be sad, be sad that the guy in the tutorial is dying.

They’re narrative devices, so to speak. A character that is consumed by the user to make them understand, “This is what this world is like.

“Even if Ghost dies… I’ll survive, because I’m following the story.

The hump is over.

Like I said, I’ve gotten used to it. If you focus on survival and stay calm, you should be able to make it to the halfway point.

However.

“If things are going as planned, is that a good thing?

Ghosts definitely die at the beginning of the movie. A twist? They’re actually alive, or they’ve gotten a brain implanted in a machine with advanced technology?

Absolutely not.

It’s a dead man walking game.

Nevertheless, there’s a reason why players love ghosts that leave early. They can still appear afterward.

Right in your recall.

‘Polaris is… I don’t know what to say. The devs are evil.

The gacha system is abysmal. High arming dependency. Pickups come in double and triple every time on a subject with no ceiling.

“If that’s all you have, I won’t talk to you.

Characters are treated harshly.

They kill the character off first, and then they throw in a flashback to make you care about them later.

I show them scenes from my past and tell them……. I use these lines afterward.

– Damn it, damn it, Ghostman, if only he were alive, this wouldn’t be happening…!

– It’s all… my fault. I should have been dead. Why then, why did I survive. A scumbag like me, why…….

– Professor. You’re still doing a good job, and if the agents are unhappy, it’s not because you’re not good enough.

– Yes, I realize you are irreplaceable, Professor, but Ghost died trying to save you, and just as you have a role to play, Ghost had a role to play that no one else can fill!

That’s when the “Ghostseat” sound comes out. It was so influential, I wondered if the agents gave it to the player to pick from.

There’s even a monologue by a professor who’s been gaslighted into insanity.

At the end of the war, in the ruins, among the bodies, they say, ‘If you had been here, would things have been different?

In a nutshell.

Tragedies happen all the time. I’m not sure how much the life or death of a single agent can determine the course of a war.

“If I can save it, at least I’ll feel a little better.

He’s the one who kills the Ghosts, and later, the boss who eats the entire main episode.

The agents of the future are dying at his hands. The professor’s actions cause the hardened Cellbrox Lab to creak.

‘If you can handle it here…….’

It doesn’t end with the scenario being twisted. One of the main episodes is blown to bits.

In any work, the episodes are organically connected. That’s when it gets unpredictable.

Even taking them into account.

‘I’m sure it’s going to be a good thing.

Ghosts are the mental support for agents. He has connections in other factions. He’s also a trusted advisor to the player, the Professor.

‘There won’t be any chapters between professors and agents, and the lab will grow faster.’

The genre is overtly mellowed in Deep Dark Fantasy. The spiciness was right up my alley… but that’s from off-screen.

“Reality tastes best when it’s mild.

Decided.

Let’s bring ghosts to life.

“I’m sorry.

With the living, there must be the dead, and I’m afraid we’re going to have to send Shabungi home early.