Chapter 278
Chapter: 278
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 278
>Chapter Title: Yellow Zone (2)
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>“We need to head to the Green Zone first. It’s a place where players can’t kill each other. I’ll explain the details once we get there.”
Peep.
“For newbies, the priority is adapting safely. Users like us with Guest IDs don’t respawn easily. They say if you mess up, you could actually die in real life.”
Peep. Peep.
“But all Guest ID users are the same. We have something absolutely necessary, so we cling to this place despite the risks… Hey, are you listening, newbie?”
“Yeah. I’m listening.”
It really doesn’t feel right.
Peep. Peep. Peep.
Every time Sungjin took a step with his tiny hooves, flower petal-shaped footprints appeared on the ground along with an eerily cute sound effect. Of course, Owen leading the way was the same.
Sungjin sighed as he followed the fox, who made cute footsteps despite her brisk gait.
‘…I’ll definitely gather that cash and change this skin!’
He didn’t know how long he’d be stuck here.
“It might sound scary at first, having to risk your life unlike others. But don’t worry. This is a world where people bump into each other, just like anywhere else. You’ll adapt eventually.”
Whether she knew Sungjin’s feelings or not, the fox ahead quickened her pace and nodded emphatically.
She spouted heavy advice like it was wisdom, but watching her fluffy tail sway happily made her words feel utterly weightless.
“Owen, so you’re living in the Delcross dimension right now, right?”
“Of course.”
“Then assuming you use a terminal to enter here, how do you log out when you want to leave?”
“Ah, right. The most important question is how to return to reality.”
The red fox sniffed and turned to look at Sungjin.
“The method’s a bit tricky. But didn’t your Status Window tell you properly?”
“Status Window?”
Various texts popped up, sure.
“That’s just a feature of the metaverse. I mean the one that gives you quests directly and bosses you around with annoying tasks.”
The grumpy one with a foul temper that skimps on rewards.
Owen rambled on for a while with words that were hard to tell if they were curses or explanations.
The impression Sungjin got was that this ‘Status Window’ was far more like a personality than the usual text box.
-I’ve been waiting for you for a long time. □□□ □□… .
Come to think of it, he vaguely remembered hearing someone’s voice in his sleep.
Sungjin shook his head after pondering his memories for a moment.
“I don’t have one.”
“Really? That’s weird. Guest ID users always have a Status Window attached. Maybe it’s related to your graphics glitching out?”
Owen twitched her pointed ears for a second, then turned back and continued explaining.
“Whatever. The fact that you’re here means you have an important goal too. Something impossible in reality, but something you must achieve no matter what.”
“A goal…”
At this point, Sungjin was slowly realizing that this world was completely different from the dream Amelia noona mentioned.
It didn’t seem to have much connection to the Oracle’s ‘unselected future’ he’d guessed earlier either.
Why was the outcome so different when he’d acted exactly the same as her?
“I hear proper ID users can come and go here freely whenever they want. But that doesn’t apply much to us Guest ID users.”
“Then?”
“We get automatically kicked out of this world once we’ve made sufficient progress. Or in reality, when it’s time to wake up from sleep. The Status Window decides that perfect timing.”
“…”
“Guest ID users can only enter and exit with the Status Window’s permission.”
Sungjin furrowed his brow slightly.
Entrust his safety to something so unreliable?
“I told you, right? We have goals we must achieve no matter what, so we cling to it. Plus, from my experience so far, even if it’s got a nasty personality, the Status Window helps users make the optimal [choice].”
Choice.
The moment he heard that word, a strange premonition flashed through his mind.
Sungjin closely examined the fox ahead for a moment before speaking.
“Owen.”
“Yeah?”
“That terminal you mentioned… is it the Oracle’s waypoint by any chance?”
“Waypoint?”
Sungjin explained again to Owen, who turned back with wide eyes.
“You know, that little gem-like thing.”
“Ah, yeah. You call it a waypoint? Correct. That’s the terminal. From what those guys earlier said, it’s the origin of the Status Window.”
As expected.
“Then Owen, you abandoned your home and are clinging here because of some crucial goal you absolutely must achieve?”
“What? Abandoned? Who?! Do you have any idea how much I’m holding back from wanting to go home…!”
The fox, who had yelled indignantly, halted and turned around.
“…Wait, did I even tell you that?”
“Yeah. You said it earlier.”
Sungjin nodded and then shut his mouth.
He hadn’t unraveled the true nature of the dream Amelia noona described, but somehow, he felt a reason to stay here longer.
Peep. Peep.
After that, the two silently crossed the vast field for a while.
‘Is this a mountain goat…?’
Glancing at his reflection in a stream they passed, he saw fluffy fur, round curled horns, and sparkling eyes.
It reminded him of that meeeh-meeeh, Schmidt’s demon familiar.
‘Its name isn’t really Meeeh-Meeeh… right? I’ll ask if I get the chance later.’
Even his hands were tiny hooves instead of fingers. It was amazing that he could still grip the weapon Owen had given him with those bizarre hands.
“Oh, we’re almost there. See that little outpost? Armed guards coming and going. That’s the boundary of the Green Zone.”
Sungjin sighed as he spotted what looked like a fairy-tale mushroom house and ants walking on two legs in the direction the fox pointed.
‘Hopefully the guards aren’t actually ants.’
What was frustrating was that all this ridiculous scenery only applied to him because of the ‘Gather, Friends - Skin’.
What made him even angrier was that everyone else saw everything as normal, while only he would look like a cute little mountain goat!
‘The Demon King isn’t here, thank goodness.’
Sungjin thought, sinking into an uncharacteristically gloomy mood.
If that guy knew, he’d be thrilled and tease Sungjin endlessly for a while.
‘Once I get to the Green Zone, first thing I’ll ask is how to earn cash.’
He needed to escape this childish skin ASAP. With that resolve, he took one more step toward the mushroom outpost.
Peep.
Sungjin suddenly sensed something and stopped, calling out to the fox ahead.
“Hey, hold up. Stay there, Owen.”
“Yeah?”
“Do you just go around causing grudges out there?”
“…What?”
The fox turned to Sungjin with a baffled look.
“What are you talking about?”
“Or else, why are those shady guys hiding and targeting you?”
No sooner had Sungjin finished speaking—
“Damn! We’re made!”
“We used a high-grade stealth item, how did he spot us?!”
From the small bushes along the path to the outpost, a bunch of adorable animals burst out.
All of them were cute critters kids would love—rabbits, raccoons, badgers.
The problem was the vicious weapons each held in their fluffy, dainty paws.
“Argh! Since it’s come to this, let’s charge head-on! He’s alone anyway!”
“There’s a little sheep next to him?”
“It’s a goat, not a sheep! What’s some guy in an outdated kiddie skin gonna do? Ignore it!”
Snap.
A vein bulged on Sungjin’s forehead.
Of course, covered by fluffy fur, no one else could see it.
“Now, hand over the class change item nicely while I’m asking politely!”
What, not a grudge, just simple bandits?
As Sungjin gauged their numbers and fiddled with the sword in his grip—
“Stay back, it’s dangerous, newbie.”
The red fox drew a one-handed axe from her belt and stepped in front of Sungjin with a serious expression.
“Don’t let their looks fool you—they’re from a pretty notorious guild. They’re not the type to rob newbies here, but with class change items so scarce lately, they’re desperate.”
Sungjin scanned the animals surrounding them. They were decked out in flashy weapons and armor, yet couldn’t hide their tension.
Meanwhile, Owen standing alone against them all looked surprisingly reliable, despite being a cute fox with just a small axe.
“Won’t you have a hard time alone? There’s too many. Better if we handle them together.”
At Sungjin’s question, Owen smirked with her pointed snout in a pretty convincing way.
“No need to borrow a newbie’s help. Don’t worry about me—prioritize yourself. Like I said earlier, unlike them, if we die here, we can’t guarantee we’ll live.”
“…”
“So don’t step forward no matter what. If it looks bad, run to the outpost with everything you’ve got.”
Sungjin scowled and crossed his arms.
Fine. Good. His determination to protect the newbie at the risk of danger was praiseworthy.
But hey. Does your family know you’re running around like this outside? Huh?
“Let’s not needlessly hurt each other. If possible, let’s talk it out. What do you want from me?”
As Owen advanced a step with her axe aimed, the animals encircling her retreated a matching step, hesitating. They seemed genuinely afraid of her.
“Like I said, hand over the class change item.”
“Class change item? Why would I have one? I gave up looking for one myself since they’re dried up across the whole server.”
The lead raccoon stomped furiously, looking ready to explode.
“Don’t play dumb! Everyone knows your shady crew sweeps up all the server’s rare items every time they hit Yellow Zone!”
“No, but this time really…”
“If you won’t hand it over, we have no choice! This is a matter of our guild’s survival!”
The raccoon yanked down the visor on the helmet perched on his chibi head and barked the order.
“You heard him? No talking our way out! Everyone, get him!”
Waaaaah!
With shouts, dozens of animals waddled toward Owen.
Peep peep pop peep peep!
They looked way too cute to feel like a real threat to life.
“…”
Crack!
In that instant, Owen’s axe swung like lightning, smashing the lead raccoon’s helmet. His head split with it, and colorful stars burst out instead of blood.
Twinkle twinkle.
At the same time, a small text window popped up in front of Sungjin.
〚Hey there, little friends! Don’t forget to always ask your parents’ permission before playing games. Isn’t this game a bit too violent for playing with friends?〛
“Yaaah!”
“Take this! Magic Missile!”
“Fireball!”
Dazzling lights, weapons, and magic effects rained down on Owen.
But the red fox Owen was incredibly skilled.
Even in the chaos, she dodged blind shots without a scratch and smashed each animal’s head with her axe.
Thud! Thud!
Flash! Flash!
Bright beams shot out here and there, colorful star dust bursting everywhere.
“Wow…”
Sungjin looked stunned.
This chaotic scene would leave a trauma. He meant it.
I’ll take out a loan if I have to and change this guy’s skin right now!