The Mysterious Cave and the Blacksmith's Ordeal
"Gonna be late."
After clocking out, Hanbit hopped straight on the subway toward Jongno 3-ga Station in Seoul. He'd already texted Juyeonu and Avant-garde ahead of time, even locking down the meeting spot.
"Hyung!"
As soon as he stepped out of the exit, Juyeonu was waiting.
"Told you to hit the cafe."
"Perfect timing, right? But did you check the community boards?"
"What's up? Something happen?"
"Take a look at this."
Juyeonu handed over his smartphone. The screen was filled with a list of forum posts.
The topics were all over the place. But the real kicker was something else.
It's the mountain west of Ifrit, but there's a new cave that wasn't there before. Isn't this a hidden zone? -Whoa. -That's it. -What's inside? └Went in, but it was blocked. └Just terrain generation? └Nah, there's weird markings inside too. └Snap a pic and post it. └Jealous? Go check it yourself.
"A cave?"
The colosseum-sized thread caught Hanbit off guard too.
"You don't know what it is either, hyung?"
"No clue."
Hanbit shook his head. It was genuinely unfamiliar terrain, but a thought did cross his mind.
Is it really a hidden zone?
Even after 55 cycles, he couldn't remember every tiny nook and cranny. But something in such an accessible spot? The layout would stick out crystal clear.
Circumstantially, it was probably a hidden zone.
"Gotta log in and head that way. Cafe first, though."
The two made their way to a nearby cafe right by the exit. Tucked in the back corner booth sat a man in a sharp suit.
"Avant-garde?"
"Ah, you've arrived! Please, have a seat."
Avant-garde shot up from his chair with a warm welcome. Once everyone was settled, he pointed to the tablet mounted on the table.
"Feels like we're meeting all the time already—love it. How about we order first? I called this one, so dinner's on me too."
"Thanks. Strawberry smoothie for me."
"Oh, chocolate frappe for me!"
Orders placed, Avant-garde looked between them.
"Saw the hidden zone buzz? First I'd ever heard of the place."
"Yeah. Pretty sure it's one."
"Thought so. So, no need for that episode reward compass after all?"
"Hm..."
Hanbit paused at the question. He'd been monitoring the boards nonstop, but no one had entered a hidden zone yet. Two possibilities: it was a different spot altogether, or the cave was the entrance but needed a special way in.
Either way, he'd need the compass to sort it out.
"Let's check the cave first. Decide there."
"Got it. Ifrit today, so we gotta hustle."
Avant-garde was buzzing with excitement. Drinks arrived in the meantime, and they sipped while chatting.
"Roper, you holding up? Heard starting a company is a nightmare."
"Actually, I'm done logging in for games. Full steam ahead starting today. Mostly Black Dragon channel stuff, though."
"Ah, gotcha. No more streaming then?"
"No live streams for a bit. Manager duties, mostly."
Having passed his dad's vetting, Juyeonu had launched the company right away. Running his dream business. Backing the main streamer, Hanbit, properly—that was the goal.
"Sucks we won't party up, but congrats. Whatever I can do while you're with Black Dragon, count me in."
"Appreciate it. You've got the experience—teach me the streaming ropes. I won't listen great, though."
Their back-and-forth flowed smoothly. Hanbit, watching with a bemused stare, cut in.
"So, how's this joint stream gonna work?"
"Black Dragon's the star. Push story, show whatever—your call. Won't be like any normie play anyway."
"You said you hadn't cleared a single episode?"
"Up till yesterday. Not anymore."
"Huh?"
Hanbit blinked at the odd reply. Avant-garde set his phone on the table.
"Been following Black Dragon's streams from before the reset message, progressing the story along. Finished the main quest late afternoon today. Still miles off your level, no extras either. But a proper ending? Thrilling."
[Achievement: Walker of the Path of Truth unlocked.]
The reward message on screen. Half of what Hanbit got, no frills. But Avant-garde beamed genuinely.
Even using his streams as a guide, reaching a true ending? Impressive.
"Stuck mid-Edlen story, right?"
"Yep. Talking to every NPC gave me that hunch—lucky break. Tough going, but Black Dragon got me on track."
"That's the impressive part. Glad you can come to Ifrit with us. Issue is..."
A nagging worry resurfaced in Hanbit's mind. Ifrit had multiple goals, but one he couldn't solo. Tied to the episode too—big deal.
"Not just us talking, then."
"Someone else?"
Avant-garde asked. Hanbit stood, downing his drink and grabbing his phone.
"Let's go pick up Kim Jaeha."
***
"You thought it over?"
"Just the final call left. Funding's solid."
Juyeonu nodded at Hanbit's question. They'd discussed scouting Kim Jaeha on and off. Juyeonu was the one paying salary as boss—his say mattered.
"Wasn't he ghosting your texts?"
"Replied late. Said 6:30 at latest, but it's past 7:30 now. No word."
Kim Jaeha, who'd gone radio silent, finally replied at dawn. They'd set a meet, but time was slipping.
"Reminds me of the old days. Probably supposed to punch out at 6."
Avant-garde, walking with them, looked wistful. He'd been your average office drone till three years ago.
"Taeyul's department head... This way."
Leading, Juyeonu navigated the alleys. About ten minutes from the station, a massive shout echoed.
"Hey, Kim Jaeha! Where the hell you crawling from?!"
The building named after Taeyul Corp's department head. At the stairwell entrance below, a middle-aged man was berating someone.
The tired-faced guy called Kim Jaeha raised his voice pitifully.
"I'm not crawling! How many times did I tell you we needed to bid?! If you'd just reported to the prez..."
"Hindsight bullshit! Who'd guess some psycho bids 100 mil on a 10 mil Earth Essence?! You should've sold it to me proper!"
"Every corp, streamer, solo player was scrambling for connections! I sniffed the vibe and flagged it early! You ignored it!"
"You're a total nutjob. Your job was to sweet-talk Black Dragon without an auction. Got it?"
Hanbit got the gist from the exchange. The other two did too.
"That's the auction thing, right hyung?"
"Looks like Kim Jaeha pushed for the bid. Mess is obvious."
Plenty eyed Black Dragon's auction as a shot. Anyone quicker than Luna would've connected. Jaeha's read was spot-on.
"You're the guy for no-cost gigs. Money spent? You tank the company. Hell, not even worse than before."
"...I warned it was risky back then. This time, it was a must-do."
"Hey."
Thwack—the department head punched Jaeha's chest.
"Don't kid yourself. You're just incompetent. I give you no-cost busywork 'cause you can't handle desks. Zero tact."
"......"
The endless barbs drilled into Hanbit's ears. Then the boss dragged out the unforgivable.
"Your wife and kid know you're like this at work? Don't embarrass 'em. Hey? Useless? Nail the basics."
"...Why drag my family into it?"
"Oho, wanna swing? Fist still clenched?"
Jaeha's balled fist trembled. But he held back—for his family, probably.
Are all companies cesspits like this...?
His old team lead's face flashed up. Down to invoking family—identical scum. Jaeha suffering under him mirrored Lee Minho and himself.
"Can't take advice? Better care for your family then. Rot in that spot forever. I took pity on trash like you—...what?"
Someone grabbed the ranting boss's arm. Looking up, his eyes met Hanbit's.
"Who the fuck are you? Let go!"
"What the hell are you?"
"Holy shit, no home training. Talking to an adult like—argh!"
The boss's face twisted mid-sentence. Agonizing pain surged through his arm.
Crunch—Hanbit squeezed just enough with his fingers. He knew exactly how to dial pain without breaking.
"Act your age to be an adult. My mom's words."