Episode 1: The Dead One
The 24-hour penalty had finally ended.
Mu-hyuk was deep in sleep.
Penalty Ended!
24 hours have passed! Mu-hyuk, please log in!
Unaware of this, a flood of urging messages from the audience continued.
In the end, they gave up and returned to their own tasks.
The chat room fell quiet.
Dawn passed silently, and around 7 AM, the deep silence finally broke. Mu-hyuk had logged into Illusion.
The dwindled viewer count surged back rapidly.
*
Revived at the Hemil Empire's temple, Mu-hyuk first checked his quest.
Black Mage, Zikera
You've pinpointed the black mage's exact location, not just a clue. Inform Duke Amur of this fact.
📍 Reward: Massive EXP. Achievement Points. Hemil Empire Contribution.
Mu-hyuk smiled.
Nice.
Just reading the reward description satisfied him. It was basically screaming to clear it immediately without delay.
Mu-hyuk left the temple and headed to the castle to sit face-to-face with Duke Amur.
"You're here much sooner than expected."
"Yes."
"So, did you give up without finding anything? Or..."
"I found it."
"Oh? Really?"
"Yes."
"Then, let's hear it."
"I followed the clue to the lab and found a small hint. That led me to the Alpono Mountains."
"Alpono Mountains."
"While investigating there..."
The full story began.
"Hmm."
Duke Amur nodded occasionally or let out gasps of admiration. When the tale ended, he stared at Mu-hyuk with a grave expression he couldn't hide.
"Is that true?"
"Yes."
"Hmm. We need confirmation."
"Of course."
Duke Amur immediately dispatched a mage to the location Mu-hyuk described. A capable mage who alternated between Fly and Blink to reach the destination in record time. The results came back in less than a few hours.
"I'm back, Your Grace."
"Oh. So, what was it?"
The duke didn't lower his speech even to the mage.
"It was true."
"No way...!"
Several messages popped up simultaneously.
You've completed the hidden quest 'Black Mage, Zikera'.
Duke Amur looked at Mu-hyuk.
"Your words were true."
"Yes."
"I never imagined you'd pull this off. You must have suffered greatly. I'll send letters to kingdoms and empires across the continent, gathering only elites to head there. Will you join us?"
Mu-hyuk's eyes flickered.
Originally, Black Mage Zikera would reveal himself first, wreaking havoc on villages, kingdoms, and empires, causing massive damage.
Only then could his location be pinpointed.
But Mu-hyuk's intervention had completely altered the sequence. Whether positive or negative, he had no intention of missing this golden opportunity.
"Of course."
A message appeared only to Mu-hyuk.
Duke Amur continued.
"Now that the location is confirmed, we must gather not just you, but capable otherworlders as well."
"Good idea."
"We need to announce it immediately. You've done well. As the representative of the otherworlders, lead them."
"Understood."
"Departure tomorrow morning, then."
The higher the position, the greater the rewards.
Mu-hyuk accepted readily.
And that day.
A hologram arrived to players across the Forma Continent.
Episode 1: The Dead One has opened.
The location of the final black mage who plunged the continent into terror has been revealed. Kingdoms and empires have united their elites. You can join the march against the black mage. Will you participate?
[Yes/No]
The first episode in Illusion history was unveiled.
*
The homepage forums exploded.
Tremendous interest.
As attention focused, several facts emerged.
No reply from Depressed after that.
Of course, no official apology either.
This was tame.
More posts mentioning Mu-hyuk than expected. Thanks to them, Illusion TV viewers increased.
"Haa."
After dinner, Mu-hyuk checked the audience on Illusion TV and let out a deep sigh. Way too many.
Damn.
A whopping 92,000.
He proudly claimed rookie ranking 1st and overall 5th including veteran BJs.
He closed the chat after a quick glance.
"Hmm."
He'd planned to log in early tomorrow since nothing to do, but with all these waiting fans, he couldn't.
He'd decided on silent streaming without interaction, but with so many waiting and cheering, it tugged at him.
Well, gotta log in anyway.
First, he messaged Sung Min-woo to check.
Next, to Yerin.
Romance is childish, they say.
But he enjoyed these chats.
After the affectionate exchange, he logged into Illusion. Too awkward for hunting, so Mu-hyuk decided to maintain gear.
He checked his current achievement points and contributions.
Save more contributions.
Spend achievement points.
Could go to Hemil temple, but Weibra's more familiar, so he headed there.
Oh, before that.
Mu-hyuk turned off Illusion TV.
Sorry, but no choice.
Skills and stats are fine, but hidden info like this? Not yet. He arrived at the temple and met the high priest.
"Long time."
"Yes."
"What brings you today?"
"To use the achievement shop."
The high priest's eyes widened.
"Heh..."
Already his third time.
The high priest had never seen anyone use the achievement shop this frequently.
"Impressive."
"No big deal."
"I'll guide you."
Entering the space guided by the high priest.
The achievement shop.
He scanned the shop glowing in the darkness.
One item caught his eye.
Of course, he could skip greed and buy physical attack potions or defense potions.
But intuition said stage 2 would have stat potions.
Raising stats strengthens not just Mu-hyuk, but his skeletons too—far more efficient than attack or defense.
100 points.
Permanently increases Physical Attack by (1).
Required Achievement Points: 3
99 points could buy 33 physical attack boosts.
He'd have to forgo that.
What if no stats at stage 2?
But it might have them.
At this rate, regaining points wasn't impossible.
Upgrade to 2, then steadily spend all future points—definite profit.
"Hoo."
Decision made.
Purchase.
The hologram dazzled his eyes.
Achievement Shop Stage 2 purchased.
Achievement Points (100) deducted.
He hurriedly clicked stage 2.