Chapter 9

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 9

Chapter Title: Invisible Enemy

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Zrriiing—

The sound of money draining from my bank account was heartbreaking no matter how many times I heard it.

All the cash I'd earned grinding my ass off and putting on strength shows at the gym was halved in an instant.

But now I wouldn't have to worry about getting kicked out of my place. I could focus entirely on my own world.

"This should hold me until the next summoning."

I scarfed down a convenience store lunchbox and some cup ramen to fill my stomach, then plopped down in front of the computer.

Stomach full, urgent fires put out.

All that was left was tackling the next chapter that this prophecy would reveal.

Click.

The familiar loading bar filled up.

But right as it started, an obnoxious message caught my eye.

A sinister red counter had appeared in the top left corner of the screen, which had always been empty before.

And the number in front, the 1, started climbing rapidly.

2... 10... 28... 30/30.

"...Huh."

Full 30-player matching right from the start.

This game was definitely a single-player roguelike.

So what the hell was this random message?

'I knew it wasn't just a simple game anymore, but this is ridiculous. It's not even an online game.'

At the tutorial's starting point, all the NPCs except me had been knocked out.

But here, at the starting point of Stage 1-1.

There wasn't a single living thing on my monitor screen.

Which meant all 30 players had been randomly scattered across the entire map of this stage.

'They didn't cram 30 people in here just to make us fight battle royale style, did they?'

I placed my hands on the keyboard.

The vibe felt ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠completely different.

Well, yeah. The tutorial was just that—a tutorial.

It was nothing more than a practice game.

The real deal started now. This was combat for real.

"Damn, this thing knows how to get your blood pumping."

My character spawned in a foggy corner of the graveyard.

The surroundings were dead silent.

But that silence felt even more eerie.

I knew one wrong step could bring a horrific monster charging out to rip my body to shreds.

'Might as well start by farming some stuff.'

I pressed the sit key and moved cautiously.

Behind tombstones, under crumbled sarcophagi.

I scoured every nook and cranny, picking up rusty gear and a few herbs.

Fortunately, all the items I'd gotten from the tutorial were neatly stored in my bag.

'Easier than I thought?'

Whether it was the Speed Up or Power Up buffs, dealing with skeletons bursting through the graveyard walls was a breeze.

That was the moment I was heading toward the ossuary in the center of the map, thinking that.

-Shrieek!

There was no warning whatsoever.

-Thwack!

My character's head exploded in an instant on the screen.

"..."

I stared blankly at the black-and-white screen.

I hadn't even had time to react.

I couldn't even tell where the attack came from, whether it was an arrow or magic.

The only thing on the monitor was the result: dead.

'Not a monster.'

I sensed it instinctively.

Monsters give warning signs. They make noise or emit killing intent.

But this was different.

A perfect sniper shot from a blind spot.

It was a person. And a damn skilled, strong one at that.

'I figured as much, but still.'

Not everyone summoned to the same space was a fellow sufferer bonded by shared hardship.

The 30 were potential rivals, and any number of psychos out for blood could be mixed in.

I'd played my share of PVP games; I knew it on sight.

'But the bastard who just killed me.'

No matter how I sliced it, that wasn't the level of a fresh tutorial newbie.

'Someone who grabbed a hidden piece like me? Or...'

My mind was racing.

My hand, about to hit the restart button blindly, froze.

It was an old habit of mine.

I hated dying to monsters, but dying to another player was even worse.

So I plan meticulously, devise strategies until I'm sure I can win completely, and only then retry when victory is in sight.

Nothing's more humiliating than getting owned by the same guy twice.

For now, I lacked data.

I had zero interest in dying like a dog again without understanding why.

"Information, huh..."

I immediately opened a browser window.

Missing persons cases had been popping up worldwide for months now, and survivors who periodically returned from the Abyss existed.

There had to be info circulating among them.

'General communities are just trash.'

The survivors' shelter community was nowhere near what I was looking for.

So I started digging into the deep web.

Shady info-trading sites I'd stumbled on while hunting game intel back in the day.

Among them, I found an encrypted private board keyed to "[Abyss]."

Breaking in wasn't hard.

The security wasn't top-tier, so it seemed like a semi-public spot known in certain circles with plenty of traffic.

Dozens of boards popped up the moment I logged in.

I absentmindedly clicked one that caught my eye.

'Stage 3?'

I was barely at 1-1, and people had already reached 3?

Curiosity got the better of me, and I clicked. The vibe there was entirely different.

Dry, but brutal.

People for whom death was routine.

Veterans who had no time to grieve fallen comrades, already worrying about the next survival.

Blood and guts seemed to seep from the text itself.

'This feels... way too real.'

Too specific and emotionally charged to be fake.

I quietly hit back.

What I needed wasn't memoirs from those old-timers.

I needed info on Stage 1, the thing gunning for my neck right now.

I scrolled down and found the [Stage 1] board.

Among the flood of posts, one with high views and tons of comments jumped out.

My pupils dilated as I read on.

It didn't end there.

As expected.

This wasn't some boomer rant.

A stark warning of harsh reality, core system rules, and the location of a practical hidden item.

Prime vet intel.

'Party max 4. Leader card rarity.'

I Alt-Tabbed to the game screen and hit New Game.

Then I opened my inventory to check for the card.

'Should've used it sooner.'

Unfortunately, I hadn't activated Leader's Qualification yet.

'Oh well, better than nothing.'

I memorized the hidden item info too.

Super potion. Had to claim it first.

'Public knowledge means fierce competition.'

Anyway, steeling myself, I returned to the board.

I scrolled slowly and checked the comments this time.

'What the hell.'

My brow furrowed on its own.

Unlike the useful post, the comments were pure chaos.

'Hold up.'

My eyes locked on the last comment.

[Archer dude]. [Instant death, no reaction].

Eerily similar to what I'd just experienced in-game.

Sniper fire from an unseen spot.

Power way beyond a fresh tutorial grad.

'Elf?'

Not just fantasy cosplay or fear-induced hallucinations.

If those testimonies were true?

What if non-humans were mixed in among the 30 players?

And they had superior physical abilities, hunting us down?

Chills ran down my spine.

If my hunch was right, this wasn't just matching for party hunting.

An unfair battle royale with invisible apex predators lurking.

'That's why.'

Why the tutorial boss dropped [Leader's Qualification] for sure.

Why they crammed 30 into one map.

Maybe the system was warning us.

Don't go lone wolf.

Don't get eaten by mystery hunters—build trustworthy allies to fight back.

And that privilege was only for those who qualified.

"Ha, starting to get a feel for it."

Things were clicking into place.

How to tackle Stage 1-1.