New Moon

Completely surrounded by a dozen or so cavalrymen who had almost certainly been sent by Dong Zhuo. Heeheehing! The horses, sensing the danger even sooner than we did, reared and thrashed in panic.

"W-who on earth are these people, Do Yeop?"

Yu Bi, pale with terror, hid behind me as she spoke. Wait a second—our roles had completely flipped.

She had seventeen more points of Force than I did. What was the point of hiding behind me?

"I-it'll be fine, Lady Yu Bi. Let's try talking our way out of this first."

Not that we had any other choice. I cleared my throat as best I could and shouted toward the enemies radiating murderous intent.

"You wouldn't happen to be from Liang Province, would you?"

"How did you know that?"

"I've heard that the cavalry of Liang Province ride with divine skill, moving as one with their horses. Not long ago, the Grand General reached out to the great hero of the west, Lord Dong Zhuo, to handle the affairs of the court. Might you be the men who escorted Lord Dong Zhuo here?"

"What? We're that famous in the Central Plains already?"

Just as I expected—Dong Zhuo's men. For all I knew, Yu Hyeop and Chosun might already have reached their camp.

"And who are you two supposed to be?"

"I am Do Yeop, a eunuch in service to the Prince of Chenliu. And this is Bibi, a palace maid who attends His Highness."

"We heard the palace turned into a bloodbath. So why are a eunuch and a palace maid of the Prince of Chenliu sneaking out of the capital alone?"

"His Highness left ahead of us. We fled to escape the chaos. If you help us, it might make reaching His Highness that much easier."

I threw every scrap of justification I could invent at them. If Dong Zhuo, like everyone else, was after the persons of Liu Bian and Liu Xie, these men had no reason to ignore our request.

"Why should we do that for you?"

"Well... because the Prince of Chenliu is the Son of Heaven's own younger brother and the second most exalted person in the realm. He dotes on his eunuchs and palace maids especially. If you bring us to him, he will surely reward you handsomely."

"Reward, my ass... He's not even the Emperor. What the hell can a mere Prince of Chenliu do for us? Hell, even the Emperor himself is on the run from his own subordinates right now."

But these were Dong Zhuo's men—logic bounced right off them. Their arrogant bearing made it clear they already considered the imperial persons as good as in their grasp.

"Haa... Fine. You've come a long way; it would be rude to beg empty-handed. What about this?"

If polite pleading wouldn't work, bribery was the only option left. I emptied my pockets of every last coin I owned and held it out to the nearest rider.

"This is..."

"Surely this is enough for a token of gratitude? His Highness is waiting for us, so if we could hurry—"

Whoosh! Clink!

The moment he checked what I'd handed him, he flung it into the dirt. His face twisted with pure outrage.

"You fucking with us? This isn't even a full string of wushu coins—it's a single damn piece! How much of a joke do you take the Liang army for, handing us this trash?"

"W-well, as a eunuch I don't receive a proper salary, so this is all I—"

"Enough. Kill the eunuch brat and take the palace maid. Heh heh heh..."

Dong Zhuo's cavalry had never been interested in me from the start. Their lower halves were already hardening at the thought of dragging off the peerless beauty that was Yu Bi and doing every vile thing imaginable to her.

"N-no! If you lay a hand on her you'll be punished beyond imagining!"

I spread my arms wide to shield Yu Bi. The riders clicked their tongues as if the whole scene were beneath contempt.

"What the hell are you doing? Don't tell me a eunuch's got a crush on a palace maid? Even if you do, the ones who'll actually make her feel good are us, not you."

"It's not like that. This person is no ordinary palace maid—she is of a station so exalted you wouldn't even dare share a table with her—"

"I will give you this! Please, just let us go!"

Yu Bi, who had been cowering behind me the whole time, could no longer hold back and burst forward. What she offered left me utterly stunned.

What are you doing, Lady Yu Bi? That's the jewel you bought with the silver tael Yuan Shao gave you!

It was her most treasured possession, the one she had worn carefully around her neck all this time. Even with our lives on the line, she was offering that?

Ahh... but if I don't do at least this much, they said they would kill you, Do Yeop...

"...?"

A sudden wave of emotion hit me. Even with my life hanging by a thread, I never expected her to hand over something that carried her bond with Yuan Shao so readily.

"This looks pretty expensive."

"I purchased it on the street for a single silver tael. Please, take it and simply let us go."

Trembling, Yu Bi held the jewel out to the nearest rider. He thrust out the tip of his spear instead of his hand, speared the necklace, and examined it.

Phew... Thank goodness. Now we can escape safely.

Uh... I don't think so.

Yu Bi still hadn't grasped the situation. Fine—being generous, they'd taken a valuable item, so maybe they'd be in a good enough mood to spare my life at least.

But not Yu Bi. These men had ridden for days on end from Liang Province; their frustration was piled high and ready to explode.

And now they'd stumbled across a beauty of peerless, eye-popping caliber. Did she really think they would just let her walk away?

They muttered among themselves, still appraising the jewel Yu Bi had given them. Instinct told me this was our last chance.

Lady Yu Bi? I'm going to cause a distraction. The moment their eyes are on me, mount up and run.

What are you saying? They will let us go any moment now.

There's no way they will! Haa... I don't want to do this either, but it's all for your sake. While I draw their attention, flee the other way and you'll surely reach Master Lu Zhi.

Then how do you plan to escape, Do Yeop?

"..."

I wouldn't. Even if we both ran on foot there was no guarantee I'd outpace them—how was I supposed to shake ten mounted soldiers?

But I had one thing to count on. This was a game dressed up as reality, and Yu Bi had the special skill Run Away that guaranteed escape no matter the situation.

These bastards were after Yu Bi, not me. If the two of us fled in opposite directions, the vast majority would almost certainly chase her.

Yet because of Run Away, she would never be caught. And I would only have to deal with the bare minimum of pursuers, so my odds of survival would skyrocket.

There was no other way. I yanked the knife hidden at my waist and roared at them.

"You bastards! If you're so confident, come at me!"

Then—thwack!—I swung the blade and smashed it into the flank of the nearest horse.

Heeheehing! The terrified animal leapt into the air, and one of the riders crashed hard to the ground.

"Th-that little shit's lost his mind! Get him!"

Now! Yu Bi would flee the other way, so I spun toward the west—

"...?"

But something was wrong. Not a single one of them went after Yu Bi.

Far from it—they simply glared at me with eyes full of killing intent, not moving an inch.

Why...? I turned around and—ah. Yu Bi was still standing right there.

"L-Lady Yu Bi? Why didn't you run?"

"Sniff... How could I abandon you and flee alone, Do Yeop? I thought I would never see you again. At last we could be together—if you throw yourself into danger to save me now, how am I supposed to bear that sorrow by myself?"

Yu Bi was so moved she was actually crying, swearing she would never leave me. If this were a movie scene, the entire audience would be blowing their noses at the peak of melodrama.

B. U. T. Just run already! I had squeezed out a plan to save us both—why, in the middle of all that, did you have to make the absolute worst choice?

"You son of a bitch... You dare wound my horse?"

The rider who had been thrown dusted himself off and rose. I hurriedly leveled my knife at him in a clumsy stance.

"S-stay back! I don't want to hurt you—"

Thud!

Out of nowhere came the sound of a blade punching into meat. At the same instant every ounce of strength left my body like air from a punctured balloon.

Dreading what I would see, I looked down. The tip of his spear had already punched clean through my belly.

"Uhhh..."

My whole body began to go cold at terrifying speed. Cold sweat poured down my back; I couldn't so much as twitch a finger as he yanked the spear free again.

Pop!

"Do—Do Yeop!!!"

Yu Bi cried out and rushed to me. The moment she saw the black blood pouring from the hole in my gut she screamed so hard it felt like my eardrums would burst.

"You worthless little shit, acting tough... Wait, not even a little shit—you never had a dick to begin with, did you? Hahaha!!!"

The jeering that crushed what little pride I had left rang in my ears even after they'd already crippled me. But that wasn't what mattered right now.

Right before my eyes, countless scenes flashed past like a slideshow, second by second. Scenes that had nothing to do with this game at all.

My parents' faces the first time I ever saw them. The hopeful entrance ceremony and the purely miserable graduation.

A first love that ended cruelly, and the holiday inquisition after I failed the college exams.

A life flashing before my eyes. The deepest part of my brain, which knew my body's condition better than anyone, was wrapping things up before it hit the power button.

"Kh... khkh..."

I could no longer even stand on two legs. I collapsed, thud, propped against a tree, my entire body locking up.

"Do Yeop! Stay with me, Do Yeop!"

I could hear Yu Bi desperately calling my name, but I couldn't even manage a simple reply. Only now did I understand how that eunuch ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠earlier must have felt.

"Take the woman."

"Kyaaaa!!!"

Cruelly, my eyes and mind were still working perfectly. The men roughly seized Yu Bi's arms and dragged her; she struggled with everything she had, but it made no difference at all.

"P-please let me go! Kyaaaa!!!"

"Heeheehee!! Bark for us, you bitch! Bark louder!"

The more desperately she resisted, the more it only fed their sadistic arousal. One of Yu Bi's shoes came off; her neatly combed hair, pinned back, came loose and tangled.

"Uhhh... uhhh..."

All I could do was foam at the mouth and make grotesque, unintelligible sounds. I couldn't even grab a single fold of her clothes as they hauled her away.

I had the feeling this nightmare would not end until the very moment I closed my eyes for good.

I had never felt so pathetic in my life. Yu Bi was sobbing, snot running, begging for my help—and all I could do was lie there like a corpse while they laughed at me.

Why didn't you run? Even if I died, you could have survived.

We'd only spent about two weeks together. Why throw yourself into hell over a bond that short?

Who was I to blame, though? Everything was my fault.

I was nothing but a Chi-byung-nan-byung White-Haired Failure, yet I overestimated my own ability and looked the other way at He Jin's death. That was where it all began.

I shouldn't have. No matter how pitiful Yu Hyeop was, I should have put myself first.

Someone with a Politics of twenty like me was never going to survive a chaotic age drowning in bloodshed to begin with.

I should have just saved He Jin. Then Dong Zhuo never would have come, and Yu Bi never would have been dragged away.

The hubris of failing to evaluate myself objectively. That single misjudgment had forced me to watch the words Game Over.

But did it have to be like this? I'd already tasted more than enough powerlessness back in the real world.

All I wanted was a little comfort, even if it meant diving into a private world no one else knew—so why did I have to live ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and die here as a worthless human who couldn't do a single thing?

Shhh...

I couldn't bear to watch Yu Bi thrashing as they dragged her away, so I used the last of my strength to lift my head and search the dark sky for the moon.

Suddenly I remembered the night of the full moon. After meeting Yu Hyeop and Chosun, Yu Bi and I had walked back to Chwiwharu and paused for a moment to look at the moon.

It had been the only moment of real relief in this place full of nothing but bad memories. Back then I had been full of the will to survive and the goals that came with it.

Even if the person beside me was a freckled plain girl, it hadn't mattered. She had quietly told me her story, and for the first and last time in my life I had boasted about my ambitions like a real man.

"..."

But why? I tried to recall that memory one last time—yet tonight, not even the moon was visible.

New moon...

Only then did I understand. Today marked exactly one lunar month since I had arrived here.

The moon had waxed and waned until it vanished completely—the new moon.

I'd lived a life that lasted only one month. A meaningless playthrough where I accomplished nothing.

So was this the end? Did the data stop calculating the moment the words Game Over appeared?

If only I died, wouldn't everything that happened to Yu Bi after this be nullified? Wouldn't she be spared the lifelong defilement of her purity at the hands of these thugs?

Please let that be true—please let her suffer no pain at all...

"...?"

That was when it happened. I began to sense that the air around me had changed.

Yu Bi's screams were gone. The heavy breathing of the lust-crazed men, the pained whinny of the horse I'd wounded—everything had vanished.

The world had literally stopped. Not a literary flourish for the end of a life—the world had truly, literally frozen.

And then text appeared.

"...?"

Out of nowhere, in the middle of this? More importantly—what did "tutorial complete" even mean?

So that was it. This wasn't some irresponsible game that just dumped you in with no tutorial—the entire past month had been one big stage for getting used to the game?

But what good was any of that now? Even if they handed me specializations and abilities at this point, what more could I possibly do from here?

The date had changed. Well, the new moon had just risen, so a full ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠month had passed.

But that wasn't the end of it.

"...?"

Stat reallocation? There hadn't been anything like this at the start.

But every single stat had been reset to 1, and arrow buttons had appeared beside them.

The total was still the same 100 as before. How I distributed it, however, was entirely up to me.

My mind spun into high gear. I dragged the long-forgotten gamer instincts back to the surface and rebuilt myself into exactly the person this situation demanded.

"Kyaaaaa!!!"

Yu Bi's scream returned. I shot to my feet, snatched up the discarded knife, and roared at them.

"Hey! Let her go right now!"

"...!?"

The enemies stared in shock at the half-corpse that had just been lying on the ground now standing upright. But only for a moment—then they snorted as if it were the most ridiculous thing they'd ever seen.

"This bastard's got a long life string, huh? You stay right there. This time I'll send you off properly."

Heehing heehing!

One of them spurred his horse and came at me like the wind. I immediately checked my own stats.

An unbalanced—no, an extreme—distribution of stats. But don't make the mistake of thinking I'm just another White-Haired Failure.

I had wrung every last drop out of those 100 points. I was the most powerful White-Haired Failure in history.

The blood pouring from my belly stopped. That alone was clear proof that invincibility had activated.

On top of that, a power I had never felt in reality or in any game before was surging through me like an explosion.

Uryaaa!

The rider leveled his spear and charged like lightning. The kind of ferocious momentum that would have made the old me piss myself and run.

But I could see it—I could see everything. Where he would strike, and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠exactly how I would win this fight.