[Blue Pillar (1)]
Werewolves were brutish to the bone.
They charged in like they’d never felt fear or terror. Even though the battle had just begun, we didn’t freeze. We met it head-on.
Physical Reinforcement
“Effect applied.”
The time I’d spent taking hits from Elena had definitely worked. The werewolves’ attacks were slower and duller than Elena’s. They were completely harmless.
Crack!
“For humans, you’re not bad!”
The werewolf bared its fangs, yellow teeth gleaming. Crimson blood trickled through the gray fur.
Way too easy.
Even inside a pack of werewolves there had to be ranks. Some were stronger, some weaker. The one I was holding might be the weakest. But werewolves were werewolves. One month ago they’d been powerless. That didn’t matter anymore.
“Awooooo-! Human!”
The werewolf attacking me was drooling. It had given in to pure rage after getting crushed earlier.
Thud!
The force that slammed into my shield was surprisingly heavy. Completely different power from before. Still, nothing changed.
Life Force Absorption
The moment it surrendered to rage, its mental strength hit rock bottom.
“Uuuuuh…!”
As I started draining its life force, the thing began to shrivel. Life Force Absorption was an unbeatable weapon.
A thought flashed through my mind. Have I been too soft all this time?
To surpass Yoo Dahui I had to grow in a different direction. Overtaking her in the same direction was impossible because of the Blessing of Obsession or something like that.
The only difference between me and Yoo Dahui was Black Magic, the one I’d received from Pluto. I needed to think about whether to focus on Black Magic or keep it as a side skill.
The important thing was that I’d already crossed the starting line. I’d never meet Pluto again. I had to figure out Black Magic on my own.
Pluto felt nostalgic.
Thud.
[Visual effect description]
Effect:Killed by Life Force Absorption
Reward:4,000 Coins
“Black Magic Lv.7 ▶ Black Magic Lv.8”
I’d taken down one werewolf. It was completely shriveled after dying to life force absorption.
The others were still fighting the rest. The one I fought must have been the weakest.
Help them or not?
Help them.
Nothing felt as rewarding as fair PK. The more werewolves I killed, the more coins I got and the stronger I became. The System was really useful in times like this.
“Hryaaaaargh!”
Two werewolves clinging to Elodin charged toward me.
They were bigger and more vicious-looking than the one I’d fought. Their roars gave me courage, so I didn’t feel scared staring at their faces.
Invisible hands were the most terrifying kind. Five black hands shot out and grabbed the werewolves.
Thanks to the strength I applied, they were brutally rough.
“W-what…!”
The werewolves thrashed and shook them off. Elodin seized the opening.
“DIE!”
Crack!
Elodin’s blade sliced through the werewolf’s hide like butter. It didn’t chop off an arm, but it left a deep gash.
The werewolf covered the wound and backed away, trying to run.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
“This monster!”
Black hands moved with my will and snatched the werewolf.
It writhed and roared.
“Not scared. So shut your mouth. You smell like shit.”
Life Force Absorption
Blood made everything excited. No race stayed calm after seeing blood—human, elf, or werewolf.
Unstable excitement from fear left gaps. Black Magic slipped in and drained life force.
“Ugh… what a vile trick…!”
“Thanks for the compliment.”
It felt like the kind of praise you’d give in a shitty game. I could at least send it off smiling.
[Visual effect description]
Effect:Killed by Life Force Absorption
Reward:2,000 Coins
Elodin had already eaten the reward, so the payout wasn’t much.
“Awooooooo!”
While I finished the last one, the werewolves were mostly wiped out. Yoo Dahui took one, Horin took one, and Elodin, Elysha, and Elbaren each took one.
“I never thought I’d be able to hunt werewolves… I might actually become the pack leader…?”
“It’s because Elena is so strong. After getting roughed up like that, you can handle this much… Honestly, you guys are super weak. But you’re getting 10,000 coins and…”
“Hyeyeon?”
Horin asked after Yoo Dahui’s remark.
“Hyeyeon? What’s that?”
“…”
Yoo Dahui looked at me as if asking for help, then gave a rough explanation.
“It’s… solid?”
“Solid means Hyeyeon is solid?”
“U-um…”
The nonsensical explanation made me want to hit my own forehead.
“Ah, forget it. Let’s just go.”
The trial against the werewolves ended surprisingly easily. Was I stronger or had the werewolves been that weak?
“Second City!”
Second City finally came into view.
It looked a bit different from First City. Similar monster settlement vibe, but with a strong sense of improvement. For example, in First City you could barely wash. Players rented a shared hut with a shower and took turns. For the elf party, we just splashed water on ourselves in the borrowed hut.
“Whoa, there’s a well.”
This place was different. Mysterious wells everywhere with infinite water supply. If you were confident, you could bathe freely.
“Oh shit.”
To bathe you had to strip. Even if dimensions were different, there was no dimension where you washed while fully clothed. The Tower of Struggle was the same. At least you kept underwear on. That was the rule. But there were always weirdos.
“New faces. Just got here?”
One naked guy was bathing at the well. Green skin, symbol of strength and bulk. An orc.
Elysha frowned.
“Orc.”
She didn’t like an orc casually splashing water while dangling that threatening thing.
I knew the guy. He didn’t know me, but I knew him. The one-armed orc. The strongest in Second City right now.
“He’s the real deal.”
“Anyway… that’s disgusting.”
Who the hell was that thing for? It was absurdly massive. Getting pinned by it would kill you before you could even breathe. I had no choice but to peek secretly, like sneaking a look at a bathhouse.
The one-armed orc took a towel from his inventory and dried himself off. The dangling thing had been more threatening than the werewolves.
The one-armed orc glared at us and spoke.
“If you’re new here, let me give you one piece of advice.”
He tied a rough cloth around his waist. Even though they had plenty of good clothes, they still wore what they’d worn in their original dimension. Elysha, Horin, and the one-armed orc.
“Don’t use this well.”
The one-armed orc left with that bold declaration. His eyes swept over me, Elodin, and Elbaren. I felt my strength return on instinct. My body trembled.
“Everyone’s a special kind of freak.”
Yoo Dahui laughed in disbelief.
For a regressor it was just amusing.
“Let’s check out the village first. Split up and meet back in an hour.”
Don’t do the dumb thing of all running together. The elf party wandered off on their own, and Horin and the rabbit beastman went to see the rabbit people. In the end it was just Yoo Dahui and me.
“Oh… so this is the feeling.”
Players around the well were using water to cover only their important parts. Most were races that wanted to live cleanly. Humans, nymphs, fairies… They faced embarrassment and washed themselves.
Yoo Dahui walked around Second City, noticing how the wells were used.
“Let’s check out one of those huts too.”
Abundant coins were everywhere. In a city where players struggled day to day, only we had over a million coins.
“The price difference isn’t huge, but… wait.”
There was a well outside. Players who wanted water might think it was better than First City, but for some it was bad news. It was the worst for bourgeois players living in huts with proper showers. Fear became reality.
“Oh, then I can’t shower…!”
“Yeah, I can.”
“Outside? Seriously?”
Yoo Dahui looked disgusted at the idea of bathing outside. Showing her naked body to strangers was creepy. Especially Yoo Dahui, whose body attracted so many men—their lewd gazes would be hell.
“Kim Jinwoo! You’re washing outside?”
“No.”
“…This is seriously not okay…”
When reading the novel it had been fun to watch Sodahee shower naked. The various hedonistic moments were entertaining. But now the situation didn’t sit right with me. Still, I’d come to Second City specifically to show Yoo Dahui what it was like.
“I want to go back. It’s better to finish everything in First City.”
“Do whatever you want.”
I’d let Yoo Dahui decide. Either way, once we reached the second floor we’d be fine.
Whether we lived in First City or Second City, it didn’t matter.
“Still, don’t go back right away. Let’s find a blue pillar nearby first.”
There was one blue pillar somewhere between Second City and Third City. Once we found it, whether we regressed or walked back, it wouldn’t matter.
I killed time for about an hour and we met up again.
Horin and the rabbit beastman were calm, but Elysha looked gloomy staring at Yoo Dahui.
“Dahui…”
“I get it. You don’t have to say anything, I already know.”
Yoo Dahui hugged the sad-looking Elysha. They looked like cats grooming each other, gently rubbing.
“So, what do you say? Shouldn’t we just go back to First City?”
“Yeah! Let’s go back!”
Elysha nodded with sparkling eyes, as if she’d seen the Messiah.
“That’s not making sense.”
Elysha wore elf traditional clothing, and the players bathing only in underwear at the well looked the same. What was the difference?
“Horin, what are you going to do?”
“Go back to First City? Why?”
“…”
Yoo Dahui couldn’t answer Horin’s question.
“It’ll be a bit uncomfortable… I don’t have a choice. If you stay, you can stay.”
“Ah… then we’re leaving?”
“Y-yes…?”
Horin glared at the rabbit beastman.
“Yeah! Then I’m going back too!”
“Sorry.”
“It’s fine. First City and Second City don’t seem that different.”
Horin’s decision was final.
“I’m not going back to First City. I have to move forward for Carrot.”
The rabbit beastman coolly chose to say goodbye to us. No regret.
“Take care.”
Yoo Dahui waved at the rabbit beastman.
The rabbit beastman left.
“Since we’re already this far, let’s go a little more toward Third City and head back to First City. Okay?”
Yoo Dahui suggested heading toward Third City. There was a big difference between experiencing something and never experiencing it.
“Yeah. It’ll be helpful later. Let’s do what Dahui says.”
Elysha’s vote wasn’t one vote. It was four. Thinking about it, the elves alone had a majority. Elysha was a dictator crushing democracy.
We moved toward Third City. We subtly changed direction. We looked like we were going straight, but from above it would look slightly bent.
Swish.
A colony of rats appeared. A knight rat in armor.
“Five…”
The difficulty rose sharply. It was felt in the skin.