Chapter 277
Chapter: 277
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 277
>Chapter Title: Yellow Zone (1)
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>Seongjin woke up to an unexpected sensation.
Just moments ago, he had been huddled under the covers in a dark room, but now everything around him was blindingly bright, and his body felt strangely light.
‘…What is this?’
Instead of a soft bed, he was lying on grass. As he opened his eyes, harsh sunlight beat down on his face.
A wide expanse of green grass stretched out beneath a clear blue sky.
This was unmistakably not his room—it was somewhere completely unfamiliar.
Seongjin sat there in a daze, looking around.
‘Is this the dream my sister mentioned…?’
Even with his eyes wide open, his vision was hazy and blurred. Yet his mind felt strangely alert and awake.
It certainly felt vivid in some way.
Rustle.
As he got to his feet, Seongjin suddenly noticed how empty his head felt—different from usual.
‘…Hey, Demon King?’
As expected, there was no response from him.
‘Did my soul leave my body again while I’m still in there?’
If so, it might not be just a simple dream. There was no way to confirm it right now, though.
In any case, the current situation didn’t feel particularly dangerous. If he were truly in peril, his father would have come rushing in immediately.
It was right then.
[Who’s that? They just popped up out of nowhere over there.]
He heard murmurs from people nearby. Not voices, but clear conversations formed of thoughts.
[Guest ID user. No equipment at all—they must be a newbie.]
[A newbie dropping into the Yellow Zone? That’s some bad luck.]
Seongjin brushed himself off and looked toward the voices. He soon spotted three shadowy figures that he assumed were staring at him.
[But luckily, we’re right here. Can’t say they’re totally out of luck now, can we?]
Even though Seongjin sensed their gazes fixed on him, he could only guess they were looking because he couldn’t make out any distinct faces or eyes on them.
Made of dark, smoky wisps, they resembled shadows or ghosts.
[It’s been ages since we last saw a Guest ID.]
Stretch.
A figure that was unnaturally elongated for a human spoke.
[But their connection seems unstable. The graphics are glitching.]
Plump.
A bulky, blob-like shape used oddly phrased speech, as if poorly translated.
…Wait a second, doesn’t that one have five arms? And they’re all squiggly? What the hell?
[It happens sometimes. But it’s fine. The functions are intact.]
Swish.
Someone with what looked like long, flowing hair spoke.
At least this one feels somewhat human-shaped.
Crackle, crackle.
Occasionally, bizarre noise-like distortions passed through their pale, hazy forms.
‘Is it my eyes, or are they the weird ones…?’
Still, Seongjin didn’t find them scary or off-putting like evil spirits such as Hayes.
His own fists felt solid and real, and he could sense their presence just as clearly.
Which meant he could swing these fists and bash them if needed.
‘Huh?’
Glancing at his hands, Seongjin froze in surprise.
‘What’s wrong with my hands?’
Like the three others, his own hands appeared as dark smoky wisps. He realized it then.
Ah, so it was my eyes that were messed up.
[Anyway, with a newbie, we finally have enough people. Might even tackle a four-man dungeon if we’re lucky.]
[Too early for that judgment. We don’t know what kind of person they are.]
[We can figure it out while we’re with them. A newbie’s no match for us anyway.]
“…What?”
He didn’t understand exactly what they were saying, but he could tell he was the center of the conversation.
Seongjin frowned.
What the hell are you talking about? If you’re going to discuss me, at least explain it so I can understand.
“What are you guys saying? Who are you? And where the hell is this place?”
The moment Seongjin spoke, one of them flinched and froze—the one who seemed most human-like.
Then, as if delighted, he exclaimed toward Seongjin—not shouting, but clearly excited.
“That speech just now! That’s definitely Imperial tongue! Are you from Delcross by any chance?”
“……?”
Before Seongjin could respond, the figure strode forward.
Crackle, hiss.
There was occasional visual noise, but even through the faint outline, Seongjin could make out his tall stature and sturdy build.
“Wow, the first Guest ID user I’ve seen connecting from the Delcross homeworld! I can’t tell you how thrilled I am!”
He couldn’t see the expression, but the guy clearly seemed overjoyed.
[Hey, guys! Turns out this newbie’s from my homeland!]
[A fellow countryman?]
[Then we must be cautious. They might be able to affect your real life, Owen.]
[Don’t worry. Like you said, this time I’ll help them adjust.]
But the reactions to his confident declaration were lukewarm.
[I don’t know. Maybe rethink that?]
[Owen, you’re not exactly skilled yourself yet.]
[What about the quest? You still haven’t gotten your class change item, right? Your status window seems to have a prickly personality too.]
[It’s fine, it’s fine. It’s a bit grumpy, but my status window isn’t completely unreasonable. Besides, I don’t even know if class change items are available anymore. Word is they’re all dried up across the servers.]
Seongjin couldn’t make heads or tails of it.
As he stared up with wide eyes, a refreshing laugh came from above.
“Haha. Hey, I know it’s confusing right now, but don’t worry. I’ll help you out.”
Crackle. Hiss.
Through the noise, he faintly saw curving lips. The vibe alone suggested a cheerful personality.
“Nice to meet you, newbie. Shall we introduce ourselves? I’m Owen. Owen Rockwood.”
Owen Rockwood.
“…That name sounds familiar.”
We’ve got a guy with that name at home too—the eldest son who ran off.
He hadn’t come back in ages, so he figured it was about time to track him down and see his face.
“Well, could be. It’s a pretty common name on the continent. And you?”
“Yi Seongjin.”
Seongjin answered without thinking, then winced. That wasn’t a Delcross-style name.
Sure enough, the shadowy head tilted to one side.
“That’s a unique name. Not the usual format around here. You from one of the Barsha minority tribes or something?”
Is this guy probing if I’m some southern heretic?
Seongjin thought for a moment before replying. Anyone speaking Imperial would at least superficially follow the Delcross Orthodox Church.
“I was born and raised under the Lord God’s grace in the capital. You calling me an enemy of the Empire right now?”
“What? Haha, no, I was just curious because it’s unusual. Don’t get so defensive. Not all Barsha tribes are enemies of the Empire anyway.”
He waved his hands hurriedly, showing no real malice.
An Imperial defending Barsha, though? What a weirdo.
After a brief argument, Owen agreed to guide Seongjin in this world. Seongjin gladly accepted.
For one, he knew he’d hit a wall trying to figure out this place alone.
Plus, regardless of their initial friendliness, dealing with three unknowns while his vision was blurry wasn’t ideal.
“Not just you—your appearance looks weird to us too. Probably because your terminal isn’t fully intact or there’s some other issue.”
Owen led Seongjin along busily while explaining.
“Terminal?”
“Yeah. You used something to connect here, right?”
Suddenly, the shattered signpost flashed in Seongjin’s mind.
Did the previous Oracle’s gem really bring him here?
“As you’ve probably guessed, the others back there are the same. They all used terminals to get Guest IDs and log in. Not official users.”
Owen then launched into a lengthy explanation of the world.
This was a type of astral realm, a temporary hub where people from various worlds came and went. Players each had their own identity, represented by an ID or account.
And it all worked through some mystical process where thoughts manifested into reality.
‘This guy doesn’t seem to know much himself…’
After listening to the rambling for a while, Seongjin concluded. That explained why the other two shadows distrusted Owen.
Anyway, Seongjin simplified it with earthly logic.
This was like a game world, and neither he nor Owen had official player accounts.
“Here, take this at least. Might come in handy today, who knows. Gotta be careful in the Yellow Zone. It’s a beginner weapon—pretty standard.”
Owen, chattering away, pulled something from his inventory and handed it to Seongjin.
Of course, Seongjin couldn’t see it clearly. He just glimpsed a short, shadowy shape in Owen’s hand and assumed it was a weapon.
But free is free. Before Owen could change his mind, Seongjin reached out and grabbed it.
Owen panicked instantly.
“W-Wait, hey! Hold on! Hold…!”
Too late.
Slash.
Though invisible, something sharp sliced his hand, and warm liquid trickled down.
Probably blood. Not that Seongjin could see it.
Clang!
The rod hit the ground with a dull metallic ring.
“Argh! Even in the Yellow Zone, friendly fire still counts as damage?!”
Owen fumbled with his inventory, searching frantically.
Bandages, bandages! HP, HP!
He soon found a hazy strip of cloth and wrapped it around Seongjin’s hand, grumbling.
“Are you nuts? Grabbing the blade like that? It’s beginner gear, but it’s sharpened and pretty damn sharp!”
Ah, I thought it was a club. Guess it was a sword after all.
“Uh, sorry. Couldn’t see it.”
“…….”
Owen paused, then scratched his head.
“Hmm, I thought we could manage, but a glitching view is more trouble than I figured. Must be uncomfortable, huh?”
You think?
Even if we meet again, I wouldn’t recognize you.
“Really? Got it. Hang on a sec.”
Sigh. Already scraped together everything for that gift last time—cash is almost gone.
Owen muttered something incomprehensible and fiddled with something busily.
“Sent you a gift. Accept it.”
Sure enough, a small window popped up before Seongjin’s eyes.
〚Qr#^^E& has sent ‘Gather Friends – Skin’ to □□□ □□. Accept?〛
〚Accept / Decline〛
Seeing the text window confirmed this really was an astral realm.
“But your name isn’t Owen? It’s all glitched.”
“Told you, we’re all on Guest IDs?”
“Hmm.”
Nodding in rough understanding, Seongjin said,
“Accept.”
Instantly, his vision brightened dramatically. Blurry edges sharpened into clear lines, faded objects burst into vibrant colors.
But it wasn’t a normal world. Yellow sidewalk blocks, a spotless blue sky. Clouds floating like cotton candy.
It felt like stepping into a brightly colored, simplistic kids’ game.
“…….”
“Ooh, your avatar’s adorable now. Better? Vision okay?”
Seongjin blankly stared at the changed Owen before asking,
“It’s way better than before, but… do you know what happens to your vision when you apply this?”
“Nope? Never used a skin myself. Picked the cheapest one. Why? Problem?”
“…….”
“Whoa, whoa, no misunderstanding. Not skimping on cash! Cheaper skins have simpler graphics, so less strain for unstable connections like yours!”
Before Seongjin’s eyes, a tall red fox asked worriedly, swishing its fluffy long tail.
“What? What’s wrong? Why are you staring like that?”
Eh, it’s so creepily cute I can’t even say it.