Chapter 11

“

Aaaagh

!”

The scrawny man, just barely regaining consciousness, let out a blood-curdling scream the moment he realized his head was on fire. In contrast, Do-Jin remained unfazed as he casually kicked the writhing rogue aside like yesterday’s trash.

The remaining three were shocked into silence by his audacity and stood frozen for a moment. Then, they finally snapped back to their senses and erupted in panic.

“Heal him! Heal him, for fuck’s sake!”

𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

“What the hell is wrong with you? You set his goddamn face on fire?”

Do-Jin almost doubled over laughing.

These assholes had been ready to gut him for his gear, and now they wanted to cry about how he fought back? Stab him, burn him—what the hell was the difference? Sure, in the real world, burning someone’s face off might be considered excessive, but this was just a game. At worst, it was like getting a low-grade burn. If a panic attack hit later, maybe even some lingering trauma, that was the price of starting a fight he couldn’t finish.

“Shut the fuck up, you morons,” Do-Jin muttered as he stepped on the rogue’s chest, pressing down for good measure.

Without missing a beat, he scattered oil on the ground in front of the remaining three. Seeing their buddy flailing like a flaming scarecrow, his face on fire and his screams bouncing off the cave walls, the others flinched and backed off like little kids spooked by their own prank.

What a bunch of clowns... If you’d just rushed me together, you might’ve had a chance,

Do-Jin thought with a sneer.

They were no better than the one still screaming on the ground, just as slow and careless. Stupidity seemed to travel in packs.

With a smirk, Do-Jin yanked the rogue’s dagger out of his left hand. As he expected, it had been some looted trash that was unable to be equipped. He hurled it at the healer, who was ghost-pale and in the middle of a recovery spell. It was basically a piece of scrap, but in this hyperrealistic virtual world, even the sight of flying metal could send a newbie into a panic.

“Holy shit!”

Sure enough, the healer flinched and rolled aside, breaking his concentration. The half-cast spell fizzled out. Meanwhile, the human bonfire finally stopped flailing.

Do-Jin gave the rogue’s corpse a quick glance. The head now resembled Edvard Munch’s

The Scream

, albeit with a grotesque twist. The face and hands were charred black, and sticky residue from the burnt oil added an extra layer of horror, making the real painting look tame in comparison.

Do-Jin nudged the body with his foot, confirming it was well and truly dead. He slowly raised his gaze to the remaining three. His emotionless eyes sent a chill down their spines, making them retreat a step without thinking.

“So, what now?” Do-Jin asked them.

What now? What the hell was he even asking?

The question ran through the three remaining players’ heads.

Do-Jin didn’t leave them wondering for long. “Looks like you’re fucked. No hope left for you.”

Four might’ve been tricky for him to handle, but three was a walk in the park. What chance did wolves, tails tucked firmly between their legs, have against a predator like him? At this point, they were more like feral dogs, cowering from the flames like beasts afraid of fire.

Do-Jin struck first, not giving the frightened mutts a chance to recover. He emptied half of his remaining oil, creating a cascade of fire that engulfed and killed the healer. Only then did the two warriors charge, seemingly resigned to the fact that they might burn alive. But their decision came far too late. As they clumsily approached for a pincer attack, Do-Jin used Light.

“Ugh!”

The blinding burst of light made one of them flinch and drop his guard. Do-Jin followed up with a seamless attack that turned him into living bonfire number three.

“Aaaaagh!”

The final warrior, hidden behind his flaming comrade, seized his moment. With reckless determination, he lunged forward, aiming for a suicidal last-ditch attack. His strength and speed as a warrior gave him the upper hand.

As soon as Do-Jin realized it was too late to dodge, the blade pierced his right shoulder, spraying blood everywhere. Had the weapon sunk even a little deeper, it would’ve torn through to his chest, which would’ve been a fatal blow. By all accounts, it should have killed him, especially since mages lacked durability.

“W-why...?” The warrior’s eyes were wide with confusion, his hand gripping the weapon tightly as if testing its resistance. He couldn’t believe how tough Do-Jin felt for a mage.

Do-Jin answered with a grin, “Because I dumped all my points into Stamina.”

Having funneled every bonus point from leveling up into Stamina, his Defense and HP were leagues above that of a typical mage at his level. While most mages would crumple like paper after a single good hit, Do-Jin was built like a tank.

Unaware of this fact, the warrior had charged in with the naïve belief that one well-placed strike would end it. But ignorance was no excuse—his loss was inevitable.

“Here’s some advice. If you see me again, you’d better run the other way,” Do-Jin warned.

With the warrior too close to risk using oil and fire, Do-Jin opted for sheer firepower. He channeled every ounce of mana out of his body, conjuring intense flames that erupted from his hands and engulfed the warrior’s face.

The last mutt collapsed to the ground.

Standing among the charred corpses, Do-Jin pulled out a mana cigarette, lighting it on the smoldering remains. The overworked Magic Circuits of his began to stabilize.

“

Phew

... I love this game,” Do-Jin murmured in a low, satisfied voice as he blew out a plume of smoke.

He wasn’t just a fan of PvE; he lived for PvP, too.

***

Enjoying the taste of victory and the calming drag of his mana cigarette, Do-Jin let his Magic Circuits cool down as he checked the loot left behind by the scrawny rogue and his gang.

In LOST, there was a chance for neutral players to drop items upon death, but chaos players—those who committed PK[1]—were guaranteed to lose their gear.

Well, well, looks like they were packing some decent stuff.

Sifting through their remains, Do-Jin’s eyes caught on a shining ring near the healer’s corpse. Whether it had been looted from another player or was part of the healer’s personal stash, it didn’t matter. The ring boosted max mana, making it an undeniably useful piece of equipment. Even if he decided to sell it, it’d fetch a solid price, probably a few hundred dollars at least.

Damn, this’ll sting like hell for those bastards

.

Smirking at the misfortune of the idiots who dared to ambush him, Do-Jin moved on to check the other items.

Hmm, the two warriors didn’t drop much, huh?

They’d only dropped standard equipment Kobalts frequently dropped, nothing worth noting. That left the scrawny rogue.

“What the fuck? His body’s already gone?”

The rogue’s corpse had already disappeared, but the loot remained on the ground where it had been. However, judging by the appearance, it was nothing more than a piece of scrap metal, the kind of junk Kobalts collected and hoarded everywhere. A chaos player died, and all he left behind was junk?

“Was this asshole a saint in a past life or something?”

[Enchanted Mysterious Bronze Shard]

Do-Jin’s question was answered when he picked up the item, immediately confirming his suspicions.

“No fucking way. Here? Of all places?”

The shard left behind by the rogue wasn’t ordinary trash. It turned out to be a key to a hidden dungeon, an item rarely dropped by monsters near Zeron at ridiculously low odds.

***

To most players, the fragment looked like an overpriced piece of junk. But Do-Jin knew exactly what it was: a key to the barrier sealing the hidden dungeon, The Magic Workshop Consumed by Evil. He also knew exactly where to find it.

All that was left was to clear the dungeon and claim every single reward inside. It would skyrocket his level and massively boost his progress toward his growth goals.

But... even when that place got downgraded to a regular dungeon, the difficulty was a pain in the ass. No fucking way I can solo this as a hidden dungeon.

The dungeon’s difficulty wasn’t just a challenge. It practically screamed mandatory party play, which was exactly the problem. Why? Because the very idea of sharing this golden opportunity with someone else pissed him off. After going through all this effort to find a hidden dungeon, having to split the rewards with others? Fuck that.

How could he devour this golden opportunity alone, without splitting it with anyone? Forming a party was the absolute last resort. Too much risk of getting stabbed in the back, and he hated the idea of splitting the rewards.

Hiring NPC mercenaries was also off the table. The cost aside, low-tier mercenaries and adventurers were mostly just losers who picked up a sword because they had no other options. If anything, they were even more likely to betray him.

That left one option: grind until his level was high enough to clear the dungeon solo.

It might take longer to go in over-leveled, but it’s still better than splitting the loot with a party.

“Man, if only I had a super-competent slave I could boss around right now.” Do-Jin sighed. “Wait, a slave...?”

Muttering a pointless wish, Do-Jin’s expression suddenly shifted. He remembered something. Someone he didn’t have to share the rewards with, someone who wouldn’t stab him in the back, and someone who, at least for now, was incredibly skilled.

How high of a rank were Yellow Mages in the Imperial Magic Tower again?

Since his regression, Do-Jin had only encountered two mages from Elthomagia, the Imperial Magic Tower.

At the top was Sion Grace. Close to the bottom was Sisala Omen, a Yellow Mage. Obviously, her consent didn’t factor into his decision, but he didn’t care. Do-Jin was confident he could make her work for him, and if he could manage that, she was as good as a slave.

The only thing that mattered now was how skilled his “slave” would be.

A Yellow Mage would be at least Tier 4.

Tier 4, and a mage from Elthomagia at that? As a player, she’d easily be over Level 50. Do-Jin couldn’t help but applaud himself internally. He’d just figured out how to breeze through a hidden dungeon with Level 30 monsters.

***

The lower one’s rank was in Elthomagia, the busier it got. Unlike the mages at Blue Rank or higher who could focus solely on their research and the occasional high-profile magical event, lower-ranking mages had an endless list of tasks.

Training and studying to advance their abilities were just the basics. On top of that, they had to handle the duties assigned to them as members of Elthomagia. And if they were unlucky enough to be an assistant to a high-ranking mage, they’d barely have time to breathe.

In modern terms, it was like being an overworked intern or resident at a university hospital.

“Ugh... I’m going to die at this rate...” Sisala Omen was no exception as she dragged herself down a vast corridor.

In fact, having been stuck at Yellow Rank for four years without a promotion, her situation was even worse than most mages at her level.

The brilliance that once sparkled in Sisala’s magic had long since been exposed as a fraud with clear limits. Her achievements in magic had stagnated ever since she reached Tier 4 at the age of seventeen. If she had the wealth, power, connections, or a prestigious lineage to compensate for her declining talent, it might not have been so bad. But Sisala was a commoner and an orphan.

“Ugh.”

The weight of her gloomy thoughts seemed to amplify her exhaustion. A wave of dizziness hit her, forcing her to crouch down and steady herself by placing her hands on the floor.

“

Haaaaah

...” Her sigh carried a bone-deep fatigue.

She had no idea how many days it had been since she last got a proper night’s sleep. And how could she, when she had taken on an overwhelming amount of menial tasks, far beyond what was reasonable?

Tasks that, in normal circumstances, would’ve been assigned to Red Rank mages who had just entered Elthomagia. But Sisala had chosen to shoulder these burdens to catch the eye of a high-ranking mage, hoping to one day be appointed as an official assistant.

When I was younger, I thought I was a genius...

What if she’d stayed at the academy instead of joining Elthomagia? That thought haunted her, a bitter refrain of regret that echoed in her mind daily.

As she mulled over her choices, someone called her name.

“Sisala Omen?”

“Renee.”

Standing at the other end of the corridor was Renee Dacia. Her cold expression accentuated by an expensive, intricately designed robe was screaming “wealthy noble.” With an impatient stride, Renee approached, exuding her usual irritable energy.

“Sisala Omen, what are you doing here? Don’t you know it’s almost time for the experiment to start? You’re well aware how furious Master Viego gets if things don’t begin precisely on time, aren’t you?”

Even though it was painfully obvious Sisala wasn’t in great shape, Renee showed no hesitation in chastising her. Despite her lower ranking, Renee’s attitude was brazenly condescending.

But Sisala couldn’t say anything in return.

“I’ll get everything ready as quickly as I can. There’s still about thirty minutes left, so I’ll have everything prepared in time.”

Renee’s authority came from being one of Blue Rank mage Viego’s official assistants, and the experiment Sisala was scrambling to prepare for was a task she had begged Renee to let her handle.

“You’d better make sure it’s perfect. If Master Viego gets upset, you can kiss the rest of your tasks goodbye. Remember that.” Leaving a metaphorical cold breeze in her wake, Renee walked off.

Sisala didn’t even have the luxury of glaring after her. Time was short, and Sisala gritted her teeth and got to work. She worked so hard that her robe was soaked with sweat by the time she finished the preparations.

Afterward, she quietly positioned herself in a corner of the lab. She waited there, hoping that when Viego arrived, she might catch his eye. Perhaps, if luck was on her side, she’d even get to observe the experiment.

Shivering slightly as the sweat under her robe cooled, she endured the chill until Viego finally arrived, accompanied by his assistants, right on time.

“Hmm.” Viego’s sharp eyes scanned the room, taking in the neatly prepared lab. His gaze landed on Sisala, standing awkwardly in the corner. “You there.”

“Yes, yes!” It was the first time since she’d taken on this job that Viego had directly addressed her, and Sisala responded with a mix of nervousness and excitement.

But a terrible thought struck her. What if her trembling voice gave the wrong impression?

“Why are you still here? The experiment’s about to start, and your presence is distracting.” His words were as cold and cutting as ice.

From somewhere behind him, Renee’s snicker rang in Sisala’s ears like a taunting echo.

“I’m sorry,” Sisala said, bowing her head and fleeing into the hallway.

For a long moment, she stood there, staring blankly at the floor. Then, as if trying to cheer herself up, she murmured, “I’m so used to this, it doesn’t even hurt anymore.”

She listed the few things she could consider blessings, clinging to them to keep herself going. At least her work was done for the day, so that was something.

When she got back to her room, she’d have three solid hours to sleep. If she skipped a meal, maybe she could even afford to sleep ten minutes longer. These little scraps of consolation were her way of surviving, a flimsy patch for her battered spirit.

Lost in her thoughts, she arrived at her room and reached for the door. Just as she was about to open it, her communication bracelet blinked with a notification.

“Please... don’t let it be urgent. If I can’t sleep again, I swear I’m gonna die.”

With desperate hope, she nervously checked the bracelet. The sender was a mage stationed at the dispatch office.

—Sisala? Someone’s asking for you. His name is... Do-Jin. He’s a Regenian.

The name sent a shock through her, pulling memories of her recent encounter with him out of the haze of her busy and miserable reality.

1. PK is short for player killing. ☜