Unmasking the Scammer
-Where'd that scam dragon basket go?
-Gotta dance now, right?
-Pink Day incoming
-Twerking time lol.
The chat exploded as the quest window hung there innocently. Hanbit's brow furrowed deeply.
They turn a blatant lie into a quest?
He let out a sigh. Julio was trying to frame someone with fabricated evidence. The target? His rival general store owner, Atsbel. To Hanbit, she was his true magic mentor and benefactor.
Hanbit turned to Yeonwoo.
"Clear the quests in chain, and they give you a spellbook?"
"Yeah, there's like three linked ones. Knock out two more after this for the achievement, and you get the spellbook."
"What about the thief?"
"Shows up as a cutscene. Ends up dragged off to jail."
-Brutal, Black Dragon.
-Try dodging, but you still gotta dance~
-Newbie dance = instant rice bowl lol.
Ignoring the incoming chat, Hanbit dredged up old memories. In his first loop in this world, he'd been slapped with a thief frame-up and thrown in jail. All because he worked under Atsbel at her rival store. That was it.
'Atsbel's dog, and all you learned was thieving?'
He'd stopped by Julio's shop on a delivery errand when they suddenly branded him a thief. Fabricated crime evidence and bribed guards. He'd defended himself with everything he had—hands, feet, words—but it was pointless, of course.
'Your crime will drag Atsbel down too. Her shop's future... isn't it obvious?'
Julio's sneering words had made his blood boil. But back then, he was too naive and powerless, so he'd been hauled off to rot in a cell.
'Still pisses me off thinking about it.'
Even revenge in the next loop hadn't fully quenched the rage. Julio, same line of business, always felt inferior to Atsbel and lost. The guy had no real skills, so he scraped by with scams. And now, without Hanbit around, he was pinning it directly on Atsbel herself.
Shaking off the filthy memories, Hanbit walked to the display shelves.
"Will you grant my request?"
"Shut your trap, you scamming bastard."
"...Did you just call me a scammer?"
Julio's face twisted at the word. As Hanbit studied it—
Ding—
An alarm chimed, and a hologram window popped up.
[Quest]
Find Julio's hidden money bag.
Reward: 500 gold, unlocks new quest.
-Huh?
-What?
-He's actually a scammer?
"Huh?"
Viewers' confused chat scrolled alongside Yeonwoo's wide-eyed stare. Hanbit pushed deeper into the store.
Thud—
Clatter—
He started kicking through the piled-up crates. Julio rushed over in a panic.
"H-Hey, you can't do that! Don't mess up my shop!"
Hanbit didn't stop, even as the guy clung to him. Heading toward the back corner, his foot caught on something.
Thud—
'It's so identical it's ridiculous.'
The money bag hidden under the box from when they'd framed him as the thief. Exact same spot and size. He couldn't help a hollow laugh. Probably the same setup in Atsbel's shop to frame her.
Bending down, he yanked the bag free from under the messy crates.
"Wasn't this stolen?"
"......"
Julio's face hardened. He scowled and spat,
"Sharp one, aren't ya."
-Holy shit.
-This guy's a real scammer? What do I do with my quest?
-Can't reset the quest?
-Truck to the face = regression ez.
-Ah, we're screwed lol.
Viewers reeled from the shocking truth. Who'd expect to get duped by an NPC?
Julio jabbed a finger, yelling,
"I got nothin' to sell to scum like you—get lost!"
"Bullshit."
Wham—!
"Gah!"
Hanbit booted Julio square in the chest. The guy flew back, crashing into and toppling a display shelf.
"What's going on here!"
A voice from the back. Hanbit turned—a guard stood there, spear in hand.
[Cutscene transition.]
Shhink—
The scene shifted with the message. From a pulled-back view, Julio was there, hands bound.
"I didn't do anything!"
"Shut it! We've got witnesses and evidence of your scams!"
The guard dragged him out. Screen flickered again—to Julio locked in a cell.
Shhink—
Scene ended, screen snapped back. Julio was gone.
'Cutscene, huh.'
Normally, you'd have to bust through bribed guards and hand him to someone trustworthy. But the cutscene skipped to the guard he'd been hunting showing up and hauling him off. Clean resolution. Felt distinctly like a game mechanic.
Ding—
Another alarm, updated screen. Messages piled up.
[Quest completed.]
[Received 500 gold.]
[New quest unlocked.]
[Head to Atsbel's General Store to receive quest.]
-Wtf no
-What is this shit;
-Reset pls you bastards!
-Trap event lol.
Chat plunged into chaos as the truth hit. Even Hanbit, who knew the inside story, felt conflicted.
'...They chain it together perfectly.'
Julio in jail, now it directs to Atsbel. Flow like it was scripted. Coincidence? Doubtful.
"Hyung!"
Yeonwoo, who'd watched the stream, rushed over wide-eyed. In a tiny whisper-shout,
"What was that? How'd you know?"
"Well......"
Hanbit paused, mouth open. How do you explain this? First-time gamer with this knowledge? Impossible.
'Ah.'
Brain churning, he landed on a white lie. They might not buy it, but truth later would fix it.
"There was this webnovel I read before. It's gone now, but the setup matches."
"Webnovel?"
-Webnovel?
-Wtf sudden?
-Stop whispering already.
Viewers reacted to his louder voice. Necessary evil, so Hanbit scratched his head.
"Hard to believe, but I dug into a ton of fantasy books back then. Seriously, I was kinda deep into that stuff......"
"Ah, got it."
Yeonwoo nodded before he finished. All the fantasy trivia from army days—books or comics made sense as source.
"You buy that? Why?"
"Games based on original IPs aren't weird. Could be the author wrote RP's story too. But what's the title?"
"...Erport, I think?"
"Whoa, that's the title? RP's story goal is finding Erport."
-Title's Erport??
-Black Dragon into that stuff?
-Let's chat more?
-First time hearing it tho.
-Prob some trash novel. I could write better lol.
-Said the delusion.
Yeonwoo and viewers bought it wholesale. Hanbit's feelings were mixed, but no choice now.
Ding—
[ㅇㅇ donated 10,000 won.]
[It worked ;]
"Whoa! Thanks for the 10k donation!"
Yeonwoo's voice boomed. Bet winnings delivered. Since the viewer kept their word, Hanbit chimed in.
"For real? Thanks, man."
-But fr how'd you know?
-Account's brand new tho;
-Webnovel facts?
-Gonna search.
Confused viewers spun theories. Hanbit's character info showed account creation: today. No body-duping meant pure new account—name Black Dragon, auto-custom looks aside. Goddess or minion handiwork, obviously.
"This guy's always suspicious and quirky."
Yeonwoo stepped up, defending.
"If Julio wasn't the scammer, he'd have made him one, right?"
"Huh? Made how?"
"See this fist? Physical mods are possible too."
-Criminal (custom)
-Physical therapy checks out.
-Won't mess with ya.
Chat laughed at the absurdity.
'...This streaming life.'
Still adjusting. Leave the hard stuff to Yeonwoo. Hanbit focused on what he did best.
"Now to Atsbel's."
"Not a thief anymore, huh. That NPC's your magic teacher?"
"Yeah. Not sure how it'll play here."
Yeonwoo hustled after Hanbit as he started walking, readjusting camera.
"Didn't expect it to link to Atsbel. I bailed after catching the thief."
"What? Not on your map?"
"Duh, went straight to jail."
-Come to think, mine neither.
-Tried all skill quests tho.
-Legit good quest, just did it.
-I got it lol. Skipped for magic.
-Yeah me too.
Few viewers still had it. No limits on trying quests beyond main skill focus. Easy rewards made sense.
'Atsbel must be fuming unjustly.'
He could picture her reaction in this mess. Which explained why he'd taken out Julio. Countless players progressed without her.
Step—
Hanbit halted in the alley. Shabbier than Julio's, but far more stable vibe.
"Whew."
Tension crept in. Unlike Julio, someone he'd truly been close to. A benefactor who deserved endless gratitude.
'Why come to me for work? Scram.'
First meeting: prickly as hell. But more visits softened her.
'...Move those crates first. No freeloading.'
'Combat skills? Who're you to... Sigh. Learn magic from me instead.'
'Told you to be careful. Get hurt, your loss.'
'Not hauling crates forever? Study up. Basics matter.'
From rejection to doting. Jobs, magic lessons, world info—she gave endlessly. Even after his frame-up soured things.
'Your fault? Bullshit. Julio, that rat bastard—I'll handle him.'
She'd visited his cell, left firm words, and gone. Days later: news she burned to death.
Creeeak—
Hanbit eased the door open and stepped in.
[General Store Owner Atsbel]
At the counter, a yellow-haired young woman propped her chin.
Hanbit murmured her name softly.
"Atsbel."