Epilogue: Escape from Sanctuary (1)
“Please tell me! How do you do Bunny Peaking?”
“Bunny Peaking? What’s your strength and stamina at? Below 8 won’t cut it.”
“Ah….”
“Still, keep grinding and it’ll go up eventually. Plus, training your body in the real world carries over to the Cube, so never slack off on workouts, got it?”
“Yes, sir, Baroque! I’ll go hit level 8 first!!”
Baroque, leader of Raiders—a top-tier adventurer party where every member held at least a gold badge—watched the rookies march off with renewed determination.
“What’re you up to? Another free lecture during downtime?”
Miya, another party member, popped up right on cue.
She plopped down beside him with a teasing grin, pressing close. Baroque chuckled awkwardly.
“Nah, ever since I showed off Bunny Peaking last time, tons of kids have been hounding me for tips. It’s not that hard a trick, but it’s super useful.”
“Heh~ Someone’s shoulders are getting broader these days, huh?”
Truth be told, Raiders had shifted focus from their main gig—expeditions—to their side hustle: coaching in Escape from Sanctuary.
During the expedition, they’d outshone even most platinum-badge parties.
Naturally, all eyes were on them now.
They’d always had a name for themselves, but nothing on par with platinum-badge elites.
Then it came out: Raiders had been close alpha testers for Sanctuary. And most of the premium intel circulating through info brokers? Their doing.
Overnight, they rocketed to celebrity status in the Adventurer’s Guild.
Some even dubbed them ‘Sherpas’—legendary guides from adventurer lore.
With platinum-badgers hooked on the game’s addictive pull, Raiders had more than earned the moniker.
Hell, even Lamont—even he—was leading his barbarian buddies, spilling tips like a party boss.
Of course, as the game’s hype spread to adventurers and imperial troops alike, plenty of others shot to fame too.
Like that psycho illegal mage ‘Claudia’ in the commercial district—sniping from afar with a Summerfield Rifle, then unleashing flame barrages on pursuers, toasting crowds alive.
Still, no one topped Raiders as the capital guild’s biggest stars.
“Who’d have thought we’d end up like this? Feels like yesterday we got wiped out in that commercial goblin nest.”
Baroque reminisced on the not-so-distant past.
The more he dwelled, the more horrifying—and embarrassing—it got.
Miya burst into giggles at his shuddering frame.
“But hey, we shut down those legion snobs, right? Hated how they looked down on adventurers during northern expeditions.”
“True that.”
“And… I got this out of it.”
Her tail slinked over, coiling around his waist with a silky swish.
“Whatcha doing tonight?”
“Uh, wha—? Oh, nothing really, but…”
Baroque froze mid-stutter like a glitching marionette under her bold flirt.
Then it hit him.
“Wait, Miya. We’re hitting the arcade tonight, remember?”
“Huh?”
Only then did it click for her too.
The labyrinth—a new zone added post-launch.
Entry required a rare ‘Bloodstone’ drop from various areas. Rumor had it a vampire lord modeled after Belrat lurked inside.
A month into Escape from Sanctuary’s official release, no one had cleared it. An impregnable fortress.
Raiders had been prepping for a serious run just days ago.
“First underground labyrinth boss kill? Ours by rights, yeah?”
“Duh. Who else but us?”
Miya shrugged like it was inevitable.
“Man, wish they’d add more melee weapons. Guns pack a punch, but nothing beats dagger feel.”
“Heard rumors of unique polearms coming soon.”
“For real!?”
“Yup. We’ll farm ’em together when they drop.”
“My man’s the best!!”
She was Raiders too.
A Sherpa, no less.
Of course, Raiders weren’t the only ones making waves in Escape from Sanctuary.
Cassian Valerius was a pretty big deal among players too.
The guy who’d pitched the expedition-training sim alongside Pavel Ishinkiore.
But stuck coordinating between the council and adventurer parties, he’d only jumped in after the expedition wrapped.
So he was late to the news: the game was set ‘two years after’ Dead Wizard’s City.
“Two years later… Does that mean Mary and Lucy are in it too?!”
He’d been scraping by on sheer longing for them—how could he not leap for joy?
Main characters like Mary and Lucy had been teased in planning docs, but nothing implemented yet.
They were swamped polishing the official launch and non-official escape story—no room for legacy protags.
Cassian had no clue how game dev actually worked.
“I will meet them.”
So he’d stashed a Cube in his office corner.
One he’d quietly pocketed during Imperial Arcade construction.
Day in, day out, he grinded Escape from Sanctuary in his private Cube nook.
Started as a Mary-and-Lucy hunt, but soon he was hooked.
Nickname? Claudia, after his late daughter.
Yup.
That Claudia—the guild cult fave, newbie-shredder extraordinaire—was none other than the 2nd Magic Corps commander and imperial grand mage, Cassian Valerius.
A name fit for noble ladies, twisted into a mad arsonist blasting kill-flames everywhere she went.
Luckily, he never set foot in guilds or info shops.
Thus oblivious to nicknames like ‘Flame Shitter’ for camping one spot.
Or ‘Headshot-Only Shooter’ for head-only rifle taps.
Or ‘Illegal Mage Gay’ for trash-tier play.
Anyway, Cassian headed to the commercial district as usual.
Pattern never changed.
Hit outpost, dig in.
Snipe nearby scavenger snipers first, settle in comfy, scout around. When time’s up, dip to nearest exit.
Other players hit the district sometimes, so encounters happened.
Ignore him? He ignores back. Spot him or near outpost? Blasted, no mercy.
Spawned rumors he was a stationary boss once.
Then—three players wandering the plaza near the outpost clocked him.
Leader dude yelled, pointed. Cassian squeezed Summerfield’s trigger.
Bang!
One shot, helmet and all—leader flopped dead.
His ammo: .308 mithril AP rounds. Theoretically lethal to high-city gargoyles boasting top physical defense.
Infused with his mana for fire attribute, it one-shot even armored heavies.
They knew that shot too well. Realized who they faced.
“It’s the Shitter!”
“Fuck, run! Worst luck ever! No wonder vision wobbled!”
Party scattered into the plaza in blind panic.
No thought to loot leader’s gear.
Cassian didn’t pursue.
Stood another 40 minutes till time ticked down, then strolled to exit.
“Not today either, huh. Hope she’s safe.”
If he could just glimpse her once, even from afar…
Time Remaining Until Escape: 00:00:05
Cassian kept eyes locked on the commercial district to the bitter end.
Maybe she was in Sanctuary’s sealed old downtown now.
When could he reach there?
The mage departed the world, yearning for an impossible reunion.
Soon after, two women approached the lone corpse sprawled near the plaza.
One brushed back moonlit-gray hair as they rifled the body.
“…Sis, this guy’s killed by fire-enchanted mithril rounds.”
She spotted the telltale flame scorch.
The taller one traced it with a finger, gaze drifting to Cassian’s old spot.
“Uncle?”