Preliminary Ranking Battle (End)
??? : Entry conditions for ??? have been met.
Player: Welcoming Han Ijun's entry.
"Where the hell is this?"
I remembered something slamming into me right after Rohan—no, Cloud—told me to go ahead and die once in the arena. But when I opened my eyes, I was surrounded by nothing but blackness on all sides.
"What's this ??? crap?"
??? : This seems to be a space called ???, but did a map like this even exist?
"A bug space?"
For some reason, this place felt a lot like a bug space. Sometimes, developers intentionally leave in glitchy bugs for RTA—Real Time Attack, or speedrun—gamers to exploit, creating spaces between maps. Places pitch-black like this, so I figured this might be one of those.
"Well, I did plant some glitches on purpose myself, so a bug space makes sense... But that notification makes it seem like an official map."
Bug spaces aren't official maps, so you don't get entry notifications. But I got one saying the entry conditions for ??? : ??? were met. That means the system recognizes this as a legit map. Still, why does a completely empty space like this even exist? It was starting to bug me.
"Did Cloud send me here on purpose?"
Cloud had told me to die once. Not just "die," but specifically "once." That was weird.
"Is dying the entry condition?"
It was a guess based on the notification. Before coming here, all I'd done was say food names, lie, and die. The first two were definitely out, so maybe death was the key.
"If he sent me here intentionally, what's that bastard's goal?"
No matter how I racked my brain, I couldn't figure out what that hero was thinking, so I dropped the detective work.
"Anyway, is there an exit?"
In a dungeon, you'd beat the boss and leave, but this didn't look like one.
"So, a gimmick map where you have to meet special conditions to escape?"
Gimmick maps—like the Labyrinth or Black Desert—have set escape conditions full of puzzles. They're a nightmare for newbies who can't solve them. The most brutal one in this world? The Galaxy Special Defense HQ added in the online expansion. Clueless newbies go in, can't crack the puzzles guarded by high-level beasts, ragequit with "fuck this trash game," and either drop it or restart. Total newbie shredder.
"If it's a gimmick map, there should at least be hints. This place is literally empty."
Standing still wasn't helping, so I figured wandering was better.
"No sense of direction, like whiteout syndrome, but walking should lead to something—sink or swim."
While Ijun wandered the black void like that, chaos erupted in the real world.
"Th-the transfer student got crushed by a rock!"
"Wh-why'd it fall from the sky?"
"It's on fire! Meteor? No, that's high-tier magic—natural disaster?"
The students were freaking out because a burning boulder had flattened Ijun.
"Ranking match suspended! Of all the... what timing for an accident."
'Right on schedule.'
Cloud smirked where no one could see. 'Hope you come back alive. No idea where you went, though.'
Cloud had indeed killed Ijun, disguised as a mistake, for some purpose. But even he didn't know where Ijun's soul had flown off to.
The reason he'd killed him once? To dodge Yuda's eyes. Cloud had a ton of Apocalypse business to handle.
Marcia sliced the boulder with her sword, hauled out the mangled Ijun underneath, and bolted straight to the infirmary with him.
"No end in sight. Seriously, no end."
This place really had no end. No matter how far I walked, the black void made me doubt if I was moving at all.
"Damn you, Cloud, you bastard! When I get out, I'll punch that smug face till it caves!"
I kept walking, fantasizing about beating the hero to death once I escaped.
"Wait. Why am I even walking? I've got Luna."
One of Luna's functions was map escape. Sure, it needed dev codes, which normal players couldn't use—but I was the developer.
"Come out, Luna the Moon."
Whirrr~!
"Huh? Come on! Luna the Moon!"
Whiiiirrr~!
"What the—why isn't it working?"
No matter how many times I called, nothing.
"Damn... Is this a no-summon zone for Luna?"
Even in special maps or areas, you should be able to call Luna. If not, there'd at least be a "cannot summon" alert. Total silence? First time for everything.
"Lies don't work, can't summon Luna—what is this place?"
I'd tried every lie I could think of for walking out while pacing, but nada. Even thought about using a gacha escape scroll and tried opening inventory—still nada. Response-free paradise.
"A 'cannot' alert I could deal with, but total silence? Pissing me off."
As a dev, no response was the worst. An error or impossibility notice lets you fix it; silence? No clue what's broken.
"Hm?"
Grumbling as I walked, something appeared ahead. In the empty black, I lit up and bolted toward it.
Up close, its shape sharpened: a girl, like ink and shadow dripping down.
"A girl? Who are you?"
I called out, but she just stared with hollow eyes, silent.
"Can't hear me? Who are you, I said?"
-Can't hear me? Who are you, I said?
"Wh-what?! Urgh!"
She mimicked me, but the voice hit like a hammer straight to my brain. Not telepathy—just my skull cracking open, words slamming my neurons.
-My voice... you hear it?
"St-stop... shut up... urgh!"
-Play. Play with me. It's so cold and lonely here.
Her face twisted, and she charged.
"G-gahhh!"
I spun and ran without looking back.
"What is this, a horror game?!"
Jump scare city, her pursuit thumping behind like a horror cutscene.
"Shit, getting caught means I'm fucked."
-Play play play play play play play play
"Fuck, that asshole... of all my pet peeves!"
I play anything, but horror? Hard pass. Traumatized since kid days, nearly drowned by a classic water ghost at the beach. Horror theme? Nope.
I glanced back.
-Oppa, I'm bored. And hungry. Play with me, hungry, play with me, hungry.
"F-fuck! Shouldn't have looked!"
Now her mouth gaped wide, devouring-chase mode.
"Hah! Hah! Huh?!"
Running, I spotted light far off.
"Ex-exit?!"
Lungs burning at my limit, I gritted toward the hopeful glow. Reaching it:
??? : Escape conditions for ??? have been met.
Returning Han Ijun's soul to his body.
"Finally out!"
I flipped off my pursuer. "My win, you monster bitch!"
-Haa... gotta spoon-feed you this much? My life's a legend. Huh?
"What? You?"
-What, asshole? Called you 'oppa' so you thought I was easy? I guided you to the exit—why not just leave? Wanna break that finger? Huh?
Her vibe flipped; I could only gape.
-Don't come back. Bad place to linger.
Thwack! Before I knew it, she was up close, kicking my gut into the light.
"Urgh!"
"Ijun, eyes open."
Unfamiliar ceiling greeted me. Side-glance: familiar girl.
"Esil? What happened to me?"
Felt like some weird shit, but no memory.
"Crushed by meteor. Got flattened like a pancake once, saintess lady revived you."
"Whoa, 'saintess lady'? Esil, what're you saying?"
Nun-robed woman approached, flicking Esil's forehead.
"Ow."
"Good you're awake. Fixed your body, but soul seemed gone—no waking up. Was worried."
"Ah, Professor Cecily. Thanks."
Cecily Rastaria, saintess of Rastaria Holy Kingdom, Elan Academy health prof. Aunt-figure to Crown Prince Zeld Rubran Rastaria Argano. Best healer on the continent—no one matches her recovery. Heaven's Cancel; as long as not fully dead, she revives even shredded bodies.
"Need rest. Thanks for nursing, Esil."
"Then I'll stay too. Leave Ijun alone, worry."
"Do what you want."
"Rest well then."
Like someone cracked my skull and snipped memories. Felt like something happened... but whatever, check later. Felt like real sleep, but still tired—time to crash.