Treasure Reset and the Special Skull
It was only at 11 p.m. that the search finally wrapped up.
"We still couldn't find any treasure in the end."
"Yeah."
Kim Min-ho PD approached Mu-hyuk.
"Are you planning to stick around and keep hunting for treasure?"
"Hmm, who knows."
"If you are, mind if we keep the cameras rolling?"
"Sure thing."
"Thank you."
"No problem."
Kim Min-ho PD flashed a smile.
"Alright, that's a wrap for today, even if it's disappointing. Great work, everyone."
"Great work!"
With farewells exchanged, the Illusion program staff began logging out one by one. Yura was the last to exit Illusion.
Mu-hyuk and Sung Min-woo took a short break before summoning their minions and scattering them in all directions.
"Think we'll find one today?"
"Don't get your hopes up."
"Right. With all these users swarming the place..."
Total of 5 treasures discovered.
Time until reset: 13 hours, 12 minutes, 33 seconds.
The fifth treasure had been found.
"Ah, damn it."
Mu-hyuk just chuckled.
Five left.
The real issue was the tight timeline.
"Whoa, how'd the time fly like this?"
Only 13 hours remained.
"It'll end around lunchtime tomorrow."
"Oh, right."
"Let's push a bit harder tonight."
"Got it!"
Steeling themselves, they focused on their summons' fields of vision.
Time ticked by, but...
"Ahh."
All that escaped was a sigh.
The next day.
Around 11:30 a.m., Mu-hyuk insisted on leaving the dungeon.
"Right now?"
"Yes."
"Any particular reason?"
"The reset's coming up soon."
"True."
"Why not exit now and line up again?"
"Hmm."
"It seems smarter than getting stuck inside."
"Makes sense, but..."
Mu-hyuk held the leverage in their contract anyway.
"I think we should head out too."
"If both of you say so..."
With Sung Min-woo chiming in, Kim Min-ho PD had no choice but to agree.
"Alright. Let's go."
They exited the dungeon and moved to the back of the line.
Thankfully, it wasn't too crowded.
About 30 minutes later.
Whooooom.
Light burst from the dungeon entrance, and tens of thousands of users popped up in front of it.
"Wh-what the hell?"
"Ah, crap. We got booted on reset!"
The sheer number of users caused instant chaos.
"We just got in!"
"This game's a joke."
Some unlucky players got the short end of the stick.
But what could they do?
Everyone shuffled back to re-line up.
Only then did Kim Min-ho PD's expression relax.
"Well, I'll be."
His gaze toward Mu-hyuk deepened with respect.
"You're really something."
"Just got lucky."
Thanks to that, they re-entered the reset dungeon almost immediately.
"Alright, fresh start—let's do this."
"Sounds good!"
They decided to check the starting point first.
"You don't think it's here, do you?"
"Can't hurt to look."
There was probably a 99.9% chance it wasn't.
Still, skipping it would feel off, so Mu-hyuk searched thoroughly.
After about five minutes, everyone except Mu-hyuk started showing signs of impatience.
Undeterred, Mu-hyuk meticulously probed every nook, gently touching the walls—then flinched.
Eh...?
It felt soft somehow.
Squish.
Pressing again confirmed it: different from the surrounding wall.
Mu-hyuk's face lit up with anticipation. He clenched his fist and punched the soft spot hard. But it wouldn't break.
"What's up?"
"This wall feels weird."
The others gathered around.
No way...
Their expressions mirrored his hope.
It can't be.
They watched Mu-hyuk intently.
Ignoring them, Mu-hyuk focused on the wall, trying various methods. He drew his sword and stabbed it.
Shunk.
Twisting the blade, he felt the wall cling to it. Pulling out, a chunk of wall came with it.
Oh, it pulls out?
He grabbed the protruding section and yanked. The wall tore away, revealing a hidden space.
A small chest sat inside.
Found it...!
Kim Min-ho PD, who had been filming steadily, clenched his fist—but stayed silent since they were recording.
Total of 1 treasure discovered.
Time until reset: 47 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds.
The message barely registered.
The symbol on the chest: materials.
As if entranced, Mu-hyuk opened the lid and lifted the item inside.
Kim Min-ho PD zoomed in. As Sung Min-woo approached and made a fuss, it was clear it was something special—even if the exact words weren't audible.
"Whoa, this dropped?"
"Yeah."
A smile crept across Mu-hyuk's lips.
A skull had emerged.
Not just any skull—a special one.
◈ A skull that perfectly reflects the traits of its monster origin. Usable only by Gangster Necromancers.
Mu-hyuk's excited gaze shifted to Bone Sword 1.
Now...!
Then he remembered the cameras.
"Ah."
Shaking his head with a sigh, he stowed the skull in his inventory.
Kim Min-ho PD approached.
"Mind sharing what the item is?"
"A skull."
"A skull...?"
"Yeah, pretty useful for me."
"Can we see the options?"
Mu-hyuk shook his head.
This wasn't something to reveal.
Not yet.
That evening.
Asrahan and his 19 followers logged back in.
At the Treasure Dungeon entrance.
They waited for someone.
As impatience set in, a group of about 30 approached from afar. Spotting them, Asrahan walked over with his signature blank expression.
"You're late."
"Late? Right on time."
"Hmph."
"Move, asshole."
"Fine, since I asked nicely."
"Ha, your mouth's as ugly as ever."
The group totaled 50—all elites.
No one could ignore that force.
"Anyway, let's go."
"Yeah."
They ignored the line and pushed forward.
Front-runners scowled at the intrusion.
"What the hell? There's a line."
"Line? What line?"
"Can't you see it behind you?"
"Nope, asshole."
The user who spoke flinched at Rudolph's sharp tone—Asrahan's ally.
Remembering his comrades behind, he fired back.
"You crazy bastard!"
"What, mad?"
"Huh?"
"Don't like it? Come at me."
Users in the back murmured.
"Harsh words."
"Lines exist for a reason."
Meanwhile, front users blocked the entrance.
Rudolph smirked.
"Wanna go?"
"Funny guy. Just 50 of you? Against everyone here?"
"Too chatty. Die."
Rudolph nocked an arrow and drew.
No arrow visible—what was he doing?
Doubt vanished instantly.
Bang!
Something invisible pierced a user's forehead.
The power was immense—one-shot logout.
Blockers flinched at the instant kill, but rage soon exploded.
"You psycho!"
Full clash erupted.
Boom, kablooey!
It was fierce.
And brutal.
"Losers."
It ended in seconds. Hundreds, thousands yielded to 50.
Overwhelmed, they froze.
"Anyone else?"
"..."
Silence.
The 50 PKers sneered and entered. Queued users coughed awkwardly, pretending nothing happened.
A world where the strong devoured all.
That was Illusion.
Inside, the PKers rampaged.
"Ha, it's huge."
"It's a dungeon."
"Damn, I'm beat."
"It'll be fun. You're a battle maniac."
"That's why I'm here. Otherwise?"
Asrahan and Rudolph bickered like old pals—middle and high school together, college apart but met weekly.
Early in Illusion, they partied up. Asrahan's speech got weirder, so some distance now.
"Yo, monsters."
Rudolph loosed an invisible arrow.
Bang!
The Variant Hydra didn't react—transparent shot.
It screamed only after flesh tore.
"High defense."
"How much?"
"Around 2,700."
"Not bad."
"Freak. Your speech is annoying."
Asrahan dashed forward, daggers flashing—ghostly agile.
50 like him.
Hydra melted away.
"Come on, hurry."
Move, move.
Until they met their target: Mu-hyuk.
They pressed on relentlessly.
*
Night deepened; program staff logged out.
Finally alone, Mu-hyuk pulled the skull from inventory and approached Bone Sword 1, clacking its jaw.
He yanked out its skull and slotted in the Variant Hydra's.
Kee, kirik?
A strange sound heralded evolution.
'Bone Sword 1' evolves into 'Enhanced Bone'.
Conditions for 'Armor Knight' met—skipping a stage.
'Special Skull' traits applied.
Evolution progress: 1%...
Strength +35 | Agility +20 | Vitality +30
Attack +60 | Defense +35 | Magic Defense +35
Attack Speed +10% | Movement Speed +10% | Reaction Speed +5%
Its appearance now resembled the Variant Hydra.
Yeah, Skull Hydra.
Skull Hydra?
Too long—annoying.
Just Hydra.
Overlaps with the monster name, but whatever.
'Armor Knight' name applied as 'Hydra'.
He checked the two new skills right away.
Summons countless Skull Snakes to inflict continuous damage on enemies.
Enhances summoned Skull Snakes, increasing damage.
Perfect reflections of the Variant Hydra's traits.