The Heavenly Demon Plunders (1)
So, the game we're playing today is Thread.
"Yeah. Since I started the game at her recommendation in the first place, that's what I'll do."
I'd been told that the minor details would be handled by me and my team, so I could just play however I wanted. Still, I had to do my part. Leaving things like this to others was a sure way to ruin the relationship. If I'd planned to live alone, I wouldn't have cared, but that wasn't the case anymore.
"Do as you like."
While I was chatting with the viewers, a call came in from Enry. She must have started her own stream as well.
"Haa. I'm a little nervous right now. It's been a whole year since I last played Thread."
"A year?"
Enry. What was that supposed to mean? Hadn't she claimed she was confident about this game? I'd trusted her when she said she'd teach me and hadn't bothered looking it up myself, yet now she was saying it had been a year? If we weren't careful, it would mean the two of us were in the same boat.
"Don't worry! I really grinded hard back then! I still remember everything clearly!"
"You said something similar when we played Sky's End, didn't you?"
She'd blustered about being an expert in this game, but in the end all she could say was that everything was new to her. When I openly showed my distrust, she'd yelled that I was the abnormal one.
"I can tolerate anything else, but I can't stand Sky's End being used to dismiss me! I'm seriously good at that game!"
Her reaction was explosive, probably because her skills were being mocked. Hmm. If I left her like this, logging into the game would become difficult. I'd better give a quick apology and move on.
"Yeah, I got it. Sorry."
"Isn't that apology a little too half-hearted?!"
"Anyway."
"Anyway?!"
A year was a long time. Even in the Murim where I'd originally lived, so much could change in a single year. In the modern world where information circulated endlessly, that one-year gap would be even more massive.
Enry. Be honest with me. Is it truly all right for me to trust you?
"...Umm. I hired a specialist separately. Don't worry."
It seemed even Enry, who had been shouting at the top of her lungs moments ago, had realized her own knowledge was unreliable. If she was going to back down like this, she should have said so from the start.
"Is this person trustworthy?"
"Yes. I brought them by dropping your name to someone who originally wanted to play solo."
"Huh?"
She'd used my name as bait? What was that about? When I pressed her because it sounded suspicious, Enry clamped her mouth shut. This kid. I'd thought she was unusually passionate about dragging me in, but there had been a backstory after all.
"Buy me a meal later."
"I'll get you something delicious."
After that bit of small talk, I logged into the game and found myself in an empty clearing. Let's see. The only thing covering my body was a thin brown rag.
"Hwaryeong-nim. Where are you right now?"
"Where?"
"It shows if you open the map. Ah, to open the map..."
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't treat me like some caveman."
I might not have known before, but after playing several VR games I was quite familiar with the interface now. Opening a map was child's play.
When I opened the menu and checked the map, I saw a single red arrow pinned on it. That must be my location. The English letters nearby read "E7."
"E7, huh."
"It's a bit far. Please wait a moment."
"I'm just standing here anyway, but is there anything else I should be doing?"
"Then... um. Could you gather some wood for me?"
"Understood."
After replying to Enry, I looked around. Other players who had logged in were visible. They'd said only Turret streamers were on this server, so these people must be broadcasters too. There was no need to speak to strangers, but I still had to respond if they attacked.
Someone tried to bash my head in with a rock they'd picked up from who-knows-where. I dodged it effortlessly with a simple shift of my foot.
"He dodged the ambush?!"
"What kind of ambush was that? Your footsteps were loud enough for anyone to hear."
I could understand failing to hide killing intent, but I couldn't fathom why anyone would let their footsteps and the rustle of their clothes give them away so obviously.
The moment the opponent heard my voice, panic flooded their face.
"...Hwaryeong-nim?"
"That's right."
"Ah. Um. That is... I'm sorry! I mistook my target! Please forgive me!"
Humans were creatures who acted weak before the strong and strong before the weak. Still, watching him slam his head down the instant he recognized my name made a dry laugh escape me. It brought back old memories. There had been more than a few who attacked me without knowing their place.
The ending I gave every one of them had been the same.
"Fine. I'll forgive you."
"Thank you! Thank you so much!"
"In exchange for your neck."
You know, people die far more easily than you'd think. They die from blood loss, from lack of breath, from too much pain. There are countless other ways. Even with bare hands, without internal energy, magic, or weapons.
When I told him this with a smile, the joy on his face froze solid, then twisted into desperation.
"O-our team members are really strong! We're building up our tech tree right now, so if you attack me—"
"That sounds quite promising. Make sure to come for revenge later. I'll welcome you warmly."
I couldn't have him getting scared by my reputation and changing his mind later. He had to come for my head without fail. If he didn't, I'd be the one paying him a visit.
Before I even finished speaking, he gritted his teeth and swung the rock. Negotiations had broken down, so he planned to survive by killing me. His judgment was sound, but his execution left much to be desired. It was obvious he wasn't accustomed to combat.
I twisted my body slightly to avoid the rock, then struck his chin with my palm, rattling his brain. As he staggered and lost balance, I planted my foot on his fallen body. Crushing his neck bone cut off his breath, and a bag appeared on the corpse. It must have been what he was carrying.
Hmm. He seemed somewhat familiar with the game, so I was mildly curious what he'd been holding. I opened the bag with a touch of anticipation, but it contained only miscellaneous items—wood, stones, cloth. There was a decent amount, but nothing particularly impressive.
He'd been showing off with only this?
"What is it? Are these items any good?"
From what the viewers told me, gathering basic resources was crucial in the early game. The amount this guy had apparently required about thirty minutes of work to collect. In other words, killing him had saved me half an hour.
"Hmm. So hunting people is more efficient than gathering resources."
Enry asking me to gather wood must have meant collecting these basic resources. Which meant there was no problem with me hunting other players to earn them instead.
"No. That would make me the villain, wouldn't it?"
My karma was already piled sky-high. At this point, my very existence was karma. Most people here would see me as a threat, so eventually someone would try to keep me in check. Simply waiting around for that to happen wouldn't be any fun. Better to strike first before they came for me.
"Right then. Let's head toward wherever I sense people."
Since I was gathering anyway, I might as well fill the bag completely and earn some praise from Enry.
Thread is fundamentally built on the premise of players plundering one another. It's far easier and faster to steal resources from others than to gather them yourself. Therefore, encountering another person in the field is never a pleasant experience. In this world, other people are enemies aiming for your resources.
"Nooooo! Why are all these people so bloodthirsty?!"
Enry, who had already died three times since starting Thread, screamed the moment she revived in a new body.
She'd planned to meet up with Ara, join the rest of the team, and play the game step by step. But Enry's journey had been anything but smooth. Every single person she passed tried to crack her skull open.
I have nothing. I'm just passing through. No matter how much she shouted, the bandit players wearing user skins refused to listen. They only wanted blood.
"I can do well once I get a weapon later, okay?! I'm Diamond rank in Apis!"
Just wait. Once I climb the tech tree and get my hands on a spear, everything will change!
Enry shouted while swallowing her resentment, but none of the viewers took her seriously.
"Still, I'm lucky this time. I respawned right next to E7."
Ara was still wandering around the forest at the E7 point. As expected of Ara. Not dying even once so far. Well, if Ara killed others, there was no way she'd die. She was the kind of person who could beat a bear to death with her bare hands, after all.
The thought that she wouldn't have to suffer the same humiliation if she reached the forest and met up with Ara filled Enry with excitement. She broke into a run toward the woods.
"Please spare me! I really don't have anything! I'll repay you later, I swear! So please—"
"No need. You can repay me with what you have right now."
Without the slightest hesitation, Ara snapped the person's neck and turned toward Enry. Her expressionless eyes held no killing intent, but they held no warmth either.
A chill ran down Enry's spine. She quickly raised both hands and called out.
"It's me! Enry! It's Enry! Check the map! Or look at the marker above me!"
"Pfft. I know, you idiot. I was just messing with you a little."
Ara chuckled after seeing Enry's desperate reaction.
"Shut up! You guys try standing in front of Hwaryeong sometime! It's terrifying! It really is!"