Invaders at the Remote Summit
Atop a rundown hillside shantytown where no human footsteps could be seen, dozens of armed men appeared.
Judging by their gear, they were high-ranking hunters—their auras alone marked them as no ordinary folk.
They passed through Jeongseong-gu, steadily advancing until they reached a massive building fortified by towering walls.
"This the place? They sure built it in the middle of goddamn nowhere."
The man at the front grumbled as he eyed the soaring barrier.
"Tell me about it. Who the hell sets up their main base out here? And check out these walls—I thought it was a fortress."
"Yeah. I've seen plenty of guilds, but nothing on this scale. Might even be bigger than our HQ."
"We'll see when we get inside. Anyway, time to get started? Boss said to preserve as much as possible, so we go straight through the front? Everyone, get ready."
At his command, the hunters drew their weapons in unison.
"Just to be clear, listen up. These people here are enemies of our guild. Once we breach, we kill every two-legged animal—man, woman, doesn't matter. No need for guilt. If we don't kill them, they'll kill us. Got it?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Alright then. I'll handle the two at the entrance."
Meanwhile, the guards stationed at the headquarters entrance spotted the armed hunters approaching from below and radioed the control room.
Observer: HQ, HQ. This is Observer. Unknown hunters approaching the main gate from below.
HQ: Unknown?
Observer: Yes. Roughly over 100... all armed.
HQ: Huh? That's weird. No reports of anyone coming. Hold on. Checking the monitors... What the hell? Who are those guys?
Observer: What should we do?
HQ: Figure out who they are first. Don't let them in casually... Hey, where's the captain? Go get him.
The other guard asked the man on the radio.
"What'd they say?"
"Dunno. Told me to ID them."
"Want me to check?"
"Nah. We'll wait for the captain. Anyway, how much longer till shift change?"
"About 30 minutes? Hold up. Those guys down there look off."
"How so?"
"They've drawn their weapons. What the—? They picking a fight?"
The radio guy peered ahead at his words. Then he doubted his own eyes.
The group, led by the front hunter, was charging straight at them.
"What the fuck."
Seeing the ferocious glow from their weapons, he realized something was wrong and frantically keyed the radio again.
"HQ! HQ! The hunters... Argh!"
HQ: What? What's happening?
Attacker: Heh heh. You assholes hear me?
HQ: What the hell is this?
Attacker: You the one in charge?
HQ: What're you on about? Who are you?
Attacker: You'll find out soon enough. We're coming up, so wash your necks clean and wait.
HQ: What? Hey! Hey!
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
A man raced through the deep forest of Great Nature at blinding speed. Each time he kicked off the ground, the scenery blurred and shifted entirely.
Up close, the naked eye couldn't even track him.
After running for what felt like ages, he finally stopped at a spot and tilted his head.
'I've been sprinting for over an hour, but why's nothing showing up?'
The man was Park Taemin.
He'd charged in one direction through the Elf Forest since entering, yet he was still stuck in the same unchanging woodland backdrop, no signs of life anywhere.
With his gear upgraded, his Arrainba boosted his speed to 300. He should've encountered something by now.
Puzzled, Taemin activated his map.
"What the? Why's it blank?"
Unlike the first time he'd summoned it, the map showed nothing now.
"No position data either. What now?"
He'd run straight from the entrance, so backtracking would get him out easily enough. But turning back after coming this far felt like a waste.
'Push on or head back...'
"Screw it."
He decided to retreat.
"Go deeper and I might get totally lost. Could starve to death in the worst case. No clue what's wrong, but let's call it for today."
It stung to leave empty-handed, but he wasn't dumb enough to stubbornly wander an unknown place.
"This way."
Just as he turned to leave—
A faint scream pierced his ears.
'What was that?'
Taemin froze and strained to pinpoint the source.
Another shriek.
"Definitely screams. Someone else make it in besides me?"
No hesitation—he bolted toward it. 99% chance it was a guildmate.
Soon, a clearing appeared, revealing the screamer.
Taemin's face twisted oddly.
A woman writhed in agony, her body entangled in wooden vines. Pointed ears poked through golden hair; flawless white skin gleamed between the coils. Even frowning in pain, her features were strikingly sharp.
It matched every elf description he'd ever heard.
"An elf... Oh shit."
Urgency overriding thought, he decided to save her first.
As he drew his sword to charge—
Wheel of Destiny (1/3)
📍 Objective: Rescue the elf in peril and defeat the Stump.
🎁 Reward: Affinity increase
'What the hell?'
He tapped it instinctively and scanned the details.
It matched the situation perfectly. No time to question—he lunged at the tree monster.
Unleashing Assault from the start, he hammered its trunk mercilessly.
Bam!
Luckily, the tree monster wasn't tough; one hit shredded it. The vines binding the elf loosened and dropped her.
Acquired 5,900,000 EXP.
Wheel of Destiny (1/3) completed.
Affinity has increased as reward.
Please check the quest window.
Ignoring the flood of messages, Taemin approached the crouched elf.
"Uh... you okay?"
As he offered a hand, she looked up from inspecting herself and met his gaze.
"Gasp."
Locking eyes, Taemin nearly collapsed. Her face was too beautiful—beyond words, a devastating allure that blanked his mind.
Her beauty shattered all reason.
Snapping out of his daze after staring blankly, he repeated himself.
"Uh, you okay?"
She didn't respond, just eyed him with intense curiosity.
Unable to bear that gaze, he averted his eyes slightly and tried again.
"It's dangerous for a woman alone out here. Be more careful next—"
"Are you... a human?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Human."
"I heard about them from my parents, but I never thought I'd see one. You really look like us. Like our tribe."
"Do I? To me, you look more like... Never mind. You speak our language?"
"Our language? What's that?"
"You know, Korean... the words I'm saying. Language."
"Language?"
"Yeah. Uh... how do you understand me?"
"Dunno. Just sounds like my language?"
"Oh, right?"
Something felt off, but communication worked fine, so he brushed it aside.
"Anyway, what was that thing? Good thing I spotted you quick. That was close."
"A Stump—monster that lives in the forest. I was out picking fruit and... Oh! Look at me. Sorry. You saved my life, and I haven't even thanked you."
As she scrambled up to bow, he waved it off.
"No need. Helping someone in trouble is just right. More importantly, you okay?"
"Yeah, thanks to you... Ow!"
She'd stood saying she was fine but grabbed her ankle and sat back down. Twisted it in the fall, apparently.
"Let me see."
Taemin checked the injury. As expected, her ankle was badly swollen.
"Broken? Hurt a lot?"
"A little..."
"Wiggle your toes?"
She did. Smiling, he replied.
"Lucky—not broken. Where's your village? Far?"
"Takes a bit to get there."
"Hop on my back then. No good way to treat it here; I'll carry you."
"You don't have to... I can walk slowly."
"No way with that ankle. Come on. I'm fine."
"Then... just this once more. Sorry."
She didn't refuse twice. Walking like this was near impossible, and another Stump would be nightmare fuel.
Once she climbed on, Taemin stood and glanced around.
"Which way?"
"That way, over there. Oh, I didn't ask your name? I'm Alicia. You?"
"Alicia? Suits your face—pretty name. Park Taemin."
After brief introductions, they set off.