Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Intrigue (1)
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《Intrigue》 - (1)
01.
...
It had been nearly a week since the boundary between reality and the virtual world crumbled, transforming me into Selverion.
A week—a span that could feel long or short depending on one's perspective—but I could confidently say I'd been through quite a lot.
From subjugating trolls and wyverns, to taking down Ace Guild members who came to pillage the neighborhood, and even killing their comrades who showed up seeking revenge.
That made three battles in just one week. Considering I'd vowed to lay low right after turning into Selverion, it was more than I'd expected.
"No helping it..."
But what could I do? It was all in the past now.
...Someone might ask if I regretted revealing my identity to the Ace Guild and issuing that ultimatum. I'd shake my head without a moment's hesitation.
If I'd stayed quiet, this neighborhood would've been turned into a wasteland by Ace's raiders. Innocent weaklings would have died, their only homes ruthlessly destroyed.
Of course, I hadn't anticipated my identity being reported back to Ace's main base, but in the end, it worked out for the best. Now that they knew Selverion was here, they wouldn't dare pull any more stunts.
All I could hope was that they'd pull themselves together and focus solely on recapturing Seoul and the capital area.
"...Achoo."
Was someone talking about me a lot lately? I sniffled at the sneeze that slipped out, then wrapped myself in the blanket like a pupa preparing to pupate.
I lay in what had to be the world's most comfortable position on the bed and picked up my battered smartphone. As usual, I started surfing the internet.
"Lively as ever..."
It was 5 a.m., the hazy boundary between dawn and morning when the sun was just beginning to rise. Not a single rat stirred outside, but the world of SNS and communities buzzed relentlessly.
"Hmm..."
I shifted restlessly, endlessly scrolling through the 'Season Off Fantasy' community where hundreds of posts popped up every minute.
It had been nearly 24 hours since I'd issued my final warning to the Ace Guild via the 'Aegis's Red Hand Mirror,' but not a single word about it had surfaced in the community.
Worried about causing panic, perhaps? It seemed Ace had decided to keep everything about me and my warning under wraps.
Otherwise, the community wouldn't be this quiet. Even a hint of it leaking out would've spawned endless posts like 'Selverion showed up— are we all doomed?'
...Fewer people knowing about me was better anyway, so from my standpoint, Ace's choice was actually welcome.
That said, I couldn't completely rule out the possibility that they were laying low, pretending there was no interest in me, while plotting something shady among themselves.
It'd be suicide by any measure, but I couldn't swear their odds of raiding me were zero percent.
I had to keep every possibility in mind.
"...Next."
...Like some celebrity checking public opinion on myself, I skimmed through 'Selverion'-related posts in the community before switching to internet news.
Sticking to one thing wasn't wise. Communities were perfect for raw reactions from people, but their credibility was iffy at best. So, I decided to check the news articles for once.
"So many..."
Internet news articles galore, rivaling the community posts in volume. Some headlines were even more sensational than the posts, so I calmly scanned them.
"Hm...?"
Then, one article—plastered prominently on the portal site, clearly big news—caught my eye.
📰 Breaking News "The game has swallowed reality" …US Announces All 'Season Off Fantasy' Developers Missing, Investigation Fails to Determine Cause Reporter: Jung Min-ha / HBS Correspondent "All developers missing...?"
...Yes, every event has a cause and effect. If an unprecedented result like the game merging with reality occurred, there had to be a cause behind it.
Unlike other articles that merely reported the situation in Korea or worldwide, this one zeroed in on that very 'cause.'
...
I'd overlooked it, never even considered it.
What was the cause of monsters spilling from the game into reality, turning people into game characters? And why had I become a stage boss, Selverion, instead of a playable character?
...
Hoping for a hint in this article worthy of being called a scoop, I gently tapped it.
*****
📰 Breaking News "The game has swallowed reality" …US Announces All 'Season Off Fantasy' Developers Missing, Investigation Fails to Determine Cause Reporter: Jung Min-ha / HBS Correspondent The U.S. government conducted an emergency investigation into Upside C&C, the developer of 'Season Off Fantasy'—identified as the starting point of the global virtual-reality boundary collapse—but reached a shocking conclusion. The special task force dispatched by the U.S. government officially announced that the entire Season Off Fantasy development team has gone missing. The Digital Anomaly Unit (DAU) under the Department of Homeland Security raided Upside C&C's headquarters in San Jose, California, three days ago to identify the entity behind this, but found only empty server rooms and unidentified code. The game servers were still operational, but every employee registered as involved in Season Off Fantasy's development was unaccounted for, according to investigators. "There was no one in the office. The developers had vanished like shadows. No communication logs, travel records, access logs—nothing." — DAU Official (Anonymous Tip) Local server rooms showed unidentified photon patterns and traces of widespread energy bursts, hinting at some technological experiment or accident that enabled the 'merging of virtual and real.' However, the cause and mechanism remain unidentified, with experts stating it defies all existing scientific theories. Meanwhile, countries worldwide, including Korea, are uniting with local players to combat Season Off Fantasy's aberrations, and governments have officially initiated cooperative frameworks with select players. Yet the technology, purpose, and intent behind Upside C&C—the spark of this incident—remain shrouded in mystery. — HBS Jung Min-ha, Washington Correspondent. "Missing..."
Unfortunately, the article stated that the U.S. investigation had yielded zero results.
The Season Off Fantasy developers—surely the ones who knew something—had all vanished without a trace, leaving only bizarre photon patterns inexplicable by modern theory at their headquarters, per the U.S. government's announcement.
"Hmm..."
Anyone could sense it: the missing developers were deeply entangled with this catastrophe.
...But no one remained to testify, and deciphering the enigmatic traces they'd left would take science ages. For the foreseeable future, no one would uncover the cause.
Failing to pinpoint the cause also meant the only way to navigate this disaster was the straightforward method of sealing every rift one by one. This unprecedented crisis would drag on for a very long time.
In such circumstances, all we could do was slay the monsters before us, reclaim cities, and protect civilians.
...Unraveling the root cause was beyond even Selverion's mighty powers, which was utterly frustrating.
"...Maybe that guy could."
Suddenly, a certain existence popped into my head—one that seemed like it could explain this phenomenon and uncover the cause.
A goblin with green skin, wearing thick goggles and a long white lab coat.
...That goblin was none other than Billstein, the mad scientist stage boss guarding June's stage, the 'Ruined Hanging Gardens.'
With his unparalleled genius intellect per the game lore, maybe he could explain the collapsed virtual-reality boundary and how this happened.
"Hmm..."
Just as I'd become Selverion instead of a playable character, one of the 300 million Sio-pan players might've turned into that ugly goblin.
But no stage boss news had surfaced worldwide yet, and I couldn't be sure whoever became Billstein inherited that brainpower. It was just one of my hopeful hypotheses.
"...It'll work out somehow."
If slaying the threatening monsters was the players' role, uncovering the cause fell to governments and scientists. For now, giving our all from our respective positions was the best we could do.
"Phew..."
After skimming a few more unhelpful articles, I chucked my phone to the far side of the bed and sprawled out spread-eagled.
By then, a round sun crested outside the window, bathing the world in light once more—a signal that another day of this endless war had dawned.
Today, too, countless people would die or be injured, and many cities would be lost or reclaimed.
......In that chaotic mess, what stance should I take—I, Selverion, who was neither monster, player, nor human?
"Ugh, annoying..."
Lately, my sense of identity felt jumbled, furrowing my brow in irritation.
Gender swap was one thing, but changing species entirely? Even if my body had adapted, my mind struggled. That 'specialness' of being different from everyone felt joyful yet alienating, churning my emotions.
KABOOOM!!
"Huh...?"
......But as if the world refused to give me time for personal dilemmas, a deafening roar—enough to make my ears ring—erupted outside the window, right around this rundown neighborhood.
"What the..."
Startled by what had to be the loudest sound since the incident, I bolted to the window.
Maybe a boss-level monster had invaded.
Or could it be an Ace Guild ambush...?
"...A pirate ship?"
But what entered my view wasn't a monster or Ace Guild—it was a brown pirate ship that had smashed through several neighborhood walls and run aground on dry land.
"......A pirate ship. Cool."
I stared in admiration at the luxurious, cinematic vessel straight out of a movie, its majestic Jolly Roger flapping imposingly in the wind, stirring something deep.
Yeah, as a kid, I'd dreamed of sailing one on grand adventures.
"Hmm..."
But a pirate ship in our neighborhood?
How the hell did it get here?
We're nowhere near the Han River.
No, how was a ship on land to begin with?
"Hmm...?"
It didn't take long to realize the scene before me defied all logic.