NOVEL NEXT Chapter 21
Chapter 21 – Trial (1)
‘The die is cast, and I don’t know what awaits me next, so there’s no helping it.’
As Deputy Kim Gyuseok pointed out, I found myself overwhelmed with work but was lucky enough to head home early. The moment I left the office, I had to confront the issues I had been trying to ignore.
Riding the jolting and rattling bus, my feelings as I looked at the familiar streets of the city at sunset were quite different from a few days ago. I wasn’t tired or stressed; I wasn’t even blankly staring. I was just anticipating resting and playing at home.
Still, I managed to reach a decision at the cost of all that. Just a bit more, I’ll wait one more time. Nobody, including my acquaintances, would ever know that I was prepared to risk my life for the moment I was in.
However, throwing away my computer completely was out of the question. It was sad to think about those at the other end, and it was also terrifying considering the warnings I’d come across in the manual.
Soon, I would need to head home and game, but honestly, it felt more like I was gearing up for a real fight rather than just gaming.
‘Has Riena always fought with such feelings?’
If I said it was completely the same, she might slap me, but I could somewhat understand the heart of Riena, who had always fought monsters that I saw merely as in-game enemies with her life on the line.
“Hah.”
Finally, I arrived in front of the villa with a heavy heart. My house was still quiet. The only faint sound I could hear was the persistent noise from the computer that just wouldn’t turn off.
The screen displayed the familiar desktop, and on it were several people moving about.
I zoomed in on the screen as usual, examining them. In the sandbox game that was running on its own, the residents, including Balun, were busy farming resources to sustain their livelihoods today as well.
Other residents were expanding the village, repairing houses, and taking care of livestock… while Riena sat still, waiting for something. Waiting for me.
‘I have to check on this.’
I couldn’t tell how long she had been waiting like that, which made me chuckle, but I didn’t immediately start the game.
This morning, before reading the manual, right after defeating the bug, I had definitely seen a phrase stating that there was some sort of additional reward besides points.
“This is it.”
After fiddling with the Master Program, I successfully pulled it up again.
[Bug Defeat Reward Selection Available]
The phrase indicating that reward selection was available. I clicked on it without much thought. It was probably something meant for the residents.
[Trait Selection Grant]
“Uh, no way.”
What appeared before me were martial arts, miner, farmer, shaman—all traits the residents had acquired so far, and I could choose one to grant.
I was thrilled, thinking it was a pretty good reward, so I quickly chose the one that Riena possessed, martial arts.
Perhaps it was because the user was quite capable, but that special power that allowed her to face absurd monsters with just a sword looked incredibly appealing to me.
[Trait Grant Successful]
“Uh?!”
However, in that moment, I distinctly witnessed a beam of light shoot from the monitor and pierce into my body.
Having developed a trauma from things popping out of the monitor, I was already thinking of locking the door and sleeping outside starting tonight, and in my startled state, I tumbled backward with the chair.
If I fall like this, I would land headfirst on the floor—a disaster in the making.
“Guh.”
Ultimately, flailing my feet in the air wearing my indoor slippers, I smacked my head against the floor with a thud. Instant pain coursed through my spine, making me shudder.
“Ugh…”
After squirming for a moment, I pushed myself up, feeling tense but otherwise fine. My head was ringing, and my neck hadn’t been broken; my body was intact.
‘Could it be?’
The strange sensation coursing through me felt nonsensical, yet it couldn’t be more absurd than what was happening on my monitor’s desktop.
On my desk was the grip strengthener. A piece of equipment I bought at a convenience store, a last resort for my conscience, or simply a toy to fiddle with when bored.
I tried to squeeze it once. The spring compressed smoothly. Even at its highest setting, the same was true. My arms, which used to tremble with each squeeze, were now completely steady.
‘Could it be that I’m not completely helpless?’
With monsters springing from the monitor, the manual hadn’t lied when it mentioned it wouldn’t be a big deal. As long as this bizarre connection continues, I might actually grow stronger too.
[Resident Placement]
After lifting the chair back up, I sat down again and launched the game.
I had gained an unexpected power, but that didn’t mean I wanted to fight monsters. No matter what, I needed to resolve everything within the confines of the desktop.
‘Will this even get through?’
Before bringing Riena, who had been waiting, into the game, I put the cursor over her head and repeatedly clicked the left mouse button. It was a thank you for saving me from the enemies that had attacked me.
“—!”
It seemed like something got across. She opened her eyes wide, immediately jumped to her feet, and shouted something to the sky with a smile.
And that joy didn’t fade even after we met in the game.
Feeling a bit at ease, I used a somersault to shorten the travel time as I approached her. Having gotten used to my antics, Riena didn’t seem surprised at all.
*
“To be honest, Chapter 1 feels like an entire tutorial, so the gimmicks are few and the difficulty isn’t high. It’s a stage to instill familiarity in new players… for those who have done it several times, it’s pretty dull.”
The internet streamer I reference, who filmed a guide, commented that the Dark Blood Chapter 1 I was progressing through with Riena was a beginner’s section, while experienced players might find it tedious.
The difficulty itself wasn’t hard, mainly repeating combat through basic controls without skills or complex patterns.
That may be true, but it didn’t apply to us.
‘We should be playing the boss fight at full condition. We need to get inside the castle today before the boss battle.’
Having confirmed through a capture app that Riena was in decent condition, I determined my goal for today was to push through to just before the boss fight.
Naturally, mindless monsters came rushing at us to obstruct our path.
After activating one of three devices, which I had no clue how they function to open the castle gate, we made our way through the Underground Passage towards the Northern Region of the village.
Against the howling specter soldiers, we swung our weapons.
Riena fought well, but I was also starting to get used to controlling my character against erratic moving foes without following a specific pattern.
‘After the battle, I’ll farm potions from the tallest house.’
Just before the combat ended, I set my next plan. Based on the strategy, it would be a route to efficiently gather items while advancing quickly.
“Hmm?”
However, my steps halted. Riena, who I thought would follow, stopped and was staring at something.
“I’m skipping all the side quests. They don’t give good items. I’m really here to see the story.”
The guide I was following had skipped this part. The side quest available here involved an unnamed specter.
I slowly approached Riena’s side. As I turned my viewpoint in the direction she was looking, I spotted a ghostly figure barely visible.
It didn’t matter to me since it was a game, but I wondered if Riena wasn’t scared. She was staring at a boy-shaped ghost whose essence seemed to be drained.
‘It’s better to move on.’
I expressed my intention to move forward, which I typically conveyed to her, but although she slightly turned her body, she kept gazing at the place as if she was concerned.
“Should we help?”
Upon checking, the quest didn’t seem too difficult. The ghost boy merely wanted to preserve his mother’s corpse.
Ultimately, I decided to try it once. The game activated through the Master Program was clearly different from the one I knew, so there was a probability of some changes happening.
“—!”
As we approached, the ghost turned and began to lead us somewhere. Originally, the boy’s mother was supposed to be crushed under the debris of a collapsed building, alongside a ghoul that feasted on human flesh roaming nearby.
‘As expected, here’s the ghoul.’
“!!!”
When we arrived, there was indeed a collapsed house and a ghoul lurking in front, growling while attempting to devour a corpse.
It naturally bared its teeth upon seeing us, and noticing the situation, Riena bit her lip in anger and charged at the ghoul, sword in hand.
‘What are you staring at? We’re in the middle of a quest.’
Without giving me a chance to jump in, she began to inflict wounds on the ghoul’s body. Thus, while watching her fight, I was rather startled to find myself the target of the ghost boy’s gaze rather than watching Riena in action.
What did he want from me? I shrugged in response. The boy merely turned his head slowly.
‘What the?’
Riena dodged the ghoul’s claws and made a swift diagonal slash across its face. She gasped for air briefly as the ghoul fell dead, but contrary to what I had known, the quest hadn’t concluded.
‘Elite Monster: Soul Devourer!’
Beneath the dark, ominous clouds that showed no sign of drifting away, an even darker and gloomier aura gathered. Revealed beneath it was a skull cloaked in black robes.
An elite monster that should only be seen upon entering the castle.
The ghost boy’s plea for help wasn’t for his mother’s corpse. He was asking to save his soul and his mother’s from being captured.
“Does it really connect like this?”
I mumbled blankly as I watched from the screen.
By the setting, the boss of Chapter 1 was an enemy that wielded soul-manipulating necromancy. Hence, it had attacked this territory to harvest souls, using its subordinates to absorb the spirits of the victims and utilizing them to become bizarre monsters.
A story that had not been implemented in the game, only mentioned. But that story was becoming reality right here and now.
“—, –!”
As the Soul Devourer reached out to suck in the ghost boy and his mother’s souls, Riena, startled by the sight, shouted at me.
The urgency to fight was palpable even beyond the words that were conveyed.