Large-Scale Update

I clicked my tongue. Damn, that rat-faced bastard. His timing is absolute shit.

I gathered my clothes and started getting dressed. When I did, Si-eun looked up at me with a puzzled tilt of her head.

“Oppa? Why are you getting dressed…”

Hmm. Looks like she was hoping for a little something. Just wait a bit. I’ll take care of you properly when I get back.

“Yeah, I need to step out for a while. Got someone I have to meet.”

Confusion flickered across Si-eun’s eyes at my words, but she didn’t press any further. This is exactly why I like Ji-yun and Si-eun so much. They might be curious, but they never ask until I’m ready to tell them.

She probably has a mountain of questions. After I meet with the rat-head, I’ll sit everyone down and explain things properly. These aren’t random people—they’re my thralls. They would never betray me.

Once I was fully dressed, I left the Cradle of Rest. The observatory was pitch-black at night. Relying on my flashlight, I slowly descended the stairs and stepped outside the building. Just as I did, the rat-head appeared right in front of me as if it had been waiting.

“Been a while? Pretty sure we saw each other just a few days ago. Is it really okay for us to keep meeting like this? I thought you said you could get in trouble with the higher-ups.”

Hmm. When he puts it like that, I can’t help but be curious.

“Important information? What is it?”

“Progressing? I went to the survivor group you told me about and came back empty-handed.”

“Then tell me already. What is it? Stop dragging it out.”

“Upheaval…?”

I frowned. “A large-scale… update?”

I muttered, “Demons, huh…”

He’s talking about Juniel. I answered with a bored expression.

“Wait, so high-ranking demons only appear after the Shop opens and the big update hits, right? Then why the hell did Juniel—the high-ranking demon I turned into my thrall—show up so early?”

Hmm. That’s genuinely interesting. I’ll have to ask Juniel about it later.

“What? Hey, that’s a bit much. So many people have already died. You’re telling me all of that was just the tutorial? Even now, tons of people are still getting killed by goblins or those big bastards…”

Wow. If anyone else heard that, they’d probably punch him. Not that I particularly care.

“Difficulty is one thing, but… honestly, isn’t this too much? Do humans even have any hope? The difficulty seems insanely stacked against us. Even the tutorial monsters like goblins have instant-kill poison needles. Get caught by one of those big bastards—sorry, Goblin Warriors—and you’re just ripped apart. This tutorial is way too hard. Humans are already at a huge disadvantage, and now even stronger monsters are coming, forming groups and building forces… Isn’t that basically telling humans to just go die?”

Su seemed to acknowledge the point, nodding his head.

“Special event?”

So they’re giving preferential treatment because there’s a Hero here. Anyway—

“What exactly is this event dungeon, and how does it help balance that insane difficulty?”

“And how exactly does it strengthen human forces?”

At my question, Su’s expression turned visibly excited as he launched into his explanation.

“Items, huh…”

So they’re putting up some seriously amazing prizes. “Hmm… but how does any of this help with finding the Hero?”

“You said three event dungeons are opening, right? And they all open at 10 a.m. at the same time? That means I can only enter one. How am I supposed to know which of the three the Hero will enter?”

I almost swung on him. My face must have hardened completely, because even Su looked a little awkward.

I thought for a moment before asking, “This event dungeon thing… are there any participation restrictions?”

“There’s an entry fee? How much?”

“…That’s expensive.”

“Well, yeah, but… I’m not going alone.”

I gave the wide-eyed Su a sly grin.

After Su left, I returned to the Cradle of Rest. Ji-yun, Si-eun, and Ji-su greeted me warmly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠while Juniel remained curled up in her usual corner. I called all four women over, had them sit down, and told them everything—both what I had learned from Su and my plans going ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠forward.

My grand plan to prevent both humanity and the Demon King from achieving victory so the game would never end.

The four women stared at me with shocked eyes after hearing my long explanation. Ji-yun spoke first.

“I never imagined the administrators would think that way. And that you have no intention of letting any of this end… Hmm…”

“Do you think my idea is wrong?”

Ji-yun shook her head. “No, not at all. It’s what you want to do, Oppa. I will follow you no matter what you decide.”

Aigoo, this cute thing. She really knows how to say the right words.

Si-eun looked at me as well. “If either humanity or the Demon King’s army wins and the game ends… we would all disappear too, right? I don’t want that. I want to keep living. So… I also hope the game never ends.”

Exactly. That’s the point. The end of the game is the end of all of you. Even if others can’t understand me, you have to. Well, even if you don’t, it doesn’t matter. You’re all my thralls.

I told the four women, “Anyway, that means I need to find the person with the Hero class as quickly as possible. My immediate goal is to locate them and keep them within my sight. Since they’ll probably participate in this event dungeon, I think we can find them there.”

“But Oppa, didn’t you say three event dungeons are opening at the same time? Do you know which one the Hero is scheduled to enter?”

“How would I know? I don’t.”

“Then how…”

“The Hero has to show up in one of the three. So we’ll just enter all three and search.”

“…Excuse me?”

I looked at the four women staring at me with wide, round eyes and said, “We’re going to participate in all three dungeons. We’ll aim for first place in every single one. That way, we’re bound to run into the Hero, right?”

All four women’s jaws dropped.