The Restored Paradise
Pop-!
With the message, a blue light descended from the sky. Hanbit, who had landed on the ground, stepped out of the clock tower.
"...What the hell is this now?"
The sight that greeted him outside was no longer the shattered ruins he'd seen moments before. It was a city in pristine condition, as if time itself had been rewound.
"Black Dragon!"
"What the hell happened? Where's the golem?"
Avant-garde and Kim Jaeha arrived right away. They too stared in shock at the transformed landscape.
"Is this the real unpublished zone? It's so beautiful...!"
Avant-garde's exclamation felt utterly genuine. A beautiful city. What other words could describe it more perfectly?
"Ah."
Something clicked for Hanbit, and he checked the darkened stream screen. It had switched back to streamable status.
"Let me turn the broadcast back on first."
Hanbit reactivated the stream for the viewers who'd no doubt been frustrated.
"Sorry for the wait. We cleared it safely."
-Phew.
-Breathe first, dude.
-Took forever lol.
-Wasn't it quick tho?
-What even happened?
-This the unpublished zone?
-So damn weird.
-Why are there cars??
-??
The chat exploded with reactions and questions upon his return. It was only natural—they were staring at a bizarre mishmash of eras and genres.
"There was a part that needed clearing, and we handled it without issues. The unpublished zone's liberated now. No idea what this place is, though."
-?
-If you don't know, who does? ;;
-Variable triggered.
-Not even in the webnovels?
Hanbit had no easy answer for the flood of messages. He couldn't exactly mention the Goddess.
"Anyway, thanks for all the challenge donations."
[You've succeeded in the challenge mission.]
[You've received 32,395,000 won in prize money.]
The donations had kept piling up even while the screen was black. Checking the records, he saw plenty of corporate names, as expected.
"But seriously, how'd you do it? I still can't wrap my head around it."
Kim Jaeha glanced at the now-pristine clock tower. The golem that had halted was gone. It had been such a formidable foe that this outcome felt unreal.
Hanbit scanned the surroundings before asking the two, "You both got the reward messages, right?"
"Ah, the access qualification thing?"
"I received the message as well."
[Access qualification to the 1st unpublished zone has been granted to players who liberated it.]
The guidance message had popped up right after the landscape shifted. Not just Hanbit, but his two companions had earned 'qualification' too. Whatever this place was for, it was enough to form one solid plan.
Hanbit thought for a moment before circling back. "The guardian golem stops if you destroy its core. There are three of them... I'm debating whether to upload a detailed vid."
"Oh! I've been dying to know how it went down—perfect!"
Even hearing it was under consideration lit up Avant-garde's eyes. Unpublished zones didn't require sharing strats, but Hanbit saw no need to hide it.
[Special privileges granted for the first liberation of an unpublished zone.]
[Title awarded to the top contributor of the liberation.]
[You've obtained the title: First Liberator.]
[First Liberator]
Upon first liberating an unpublished zone, you can manage access qualifications for all zones. Targets added to the blacklist lose access to the relevant zones.
-Holy shit.
-For real??
-Black Dragon adds you to banlist = no entry?
-Insane lololol
-Death note vibes ㄷㄷ
-Bow down lol.
The power was clear from the brief description. With this authority vested in the first liberator, anyone who gained access was still in his palm. He'd figure out uses later. Not like many would liberate these zones anyway.
"Looks like the exit's down there."
A door at the base of the spotless clock tower shimmered with the same light as the cave.
Probably the exit—and entrance.
"Let's explore this place first. Speak up if you find anything."
"I'll check below."
"I'll circle the outskirts."
With that, the two headed off. Alone in the city center, Hanbit looked up at the violet sky.
This can't be the end of it.
It was utterly unlike the ruins he'd wandered after 'death.' No way was it just meant to show off a pretty city. This space had to mean something.
-Keeps getting wilder.
-This fusion fantasy or whatever?
-Gonna snag this as my background when the full vid drops.
-Community's blowing up mid-stream lololol
-Corpses gonna be busy af.
-Vanguards ain't ready for this storyline;
-They'll just get farmed by Black Dragon anyway?
The fantastical-beyond-fantasy vista was fresh even for viewers. Hanbit opened his system and sent Juyeonu the recording and a message.
「Sending it ahead—check it out. We'll talk after stream ends.」
「Got it. Keeping an eye on the broadcast too.」
The reply came instantly. With the vid's potential ripple effects, smart use could pay off big. First, uncover this place's meaning.
Thud, thud—
Hanbit walked slowly along the street. The empty road was silent, but not desolate.
Creeeak—
Approaching a building, he pushed the door lightly. Inside was a standard grocery store layout.
"......?"
His eyes stopped at the shelves. Cooking oil, sugar, red pepper powder—familiar staples lined them.
-Cooking oil.
-Beef soup vibes.
-King pepper powder ;;
-Why tf is this here?
-Corp promo?
-Metaverse ㄷㄷ
-Weird stuff everywhere?
-Colors look off.
-Not our stuff?
Familiar ingredients mixed with utterly alien ones. Names so obscure, speculation was impossible.
Creeeak—
After a quick look, Hanbit stepped out and checked other buildings.
Zero clue what any of this is.
After the last one, he stood blankly in the street. Too much familiar-yet-unique stuff, but zero gains.
"What, you checked everywhere?"
A voice from behind. Turning, he saw Kim Jaeha approaching.
"Finished this side. You?"
"Cool stuff, but no real leads."
He'd checked other buildings too—no different from Hanbit. Without knowing what counted as a clue, harvest was slim.
"Let's head to the outskirts."
They wandered toward the perimeter. As intact walls came into view, a familiar voice called.
"Ah, perfect timing!"
Avant-garde waved faintly from atop the wall, beckoning them closer. They hurried over.
"Find something?"
Hanbit leaned in toward the crouched Avant-garde, who pointed below.
"Take a look at this."
"What is it?"
Hanbit peered over. A gravestone embedded there caught his eye.
"This is..."
A white crescent moon carved on the surface, crossed by a sword through the center. The same emblem from the cave entrance via the compass.
"Isn't that from the cave? It's here too."
"Yes. Feels meaningful, but it won't budge when touched."
The other two voiced their own bafflement—they'd noticed it too. Hanbit stared at the stone, then reached out. The moment his fingertip touched the smooth surface—
Ding-
A unique alert rang in his ears.
[Message from Team Zero has arrived.]
***
"Tch."
In the crowded cave, Rainzer glared at the blocked wall and clicked his tongue.
"Broadcast really went dark? It's been ages."
"Why lie? Viewers would've gone nuts."
"Fair. No reason to hide a viewership spike."
After Black Dragon's party vanished into the light, everyone fixated on the stream. But only black screen. His message about liberating the unpublished zone popped up, yet no one knew what happened inside.
"Whoa, packed house."
A voice from the cave entrance. Turning, they saw a black-haired human woman approaching. The sheath at her waist gleamed a pristine white.
"Hey, isn't that Luna?"
"Luna? The vanguard?"
"Luna's here?"
Players recognized her first. Rainzer's expression shifted too.
"Luna? What're you doing here? Vanguards should still be raiding."
"Don't act like you know me. Wanna go? Head there yourself."
"......"
Rainzer shut up at her icy retort. He hadn't been invited to the elite raid. Even among vanguards, skill gaps could be vast.
After a pause, he tried again. "Heard you ignore everyone. Even Black Dragon's a surprise for a chaebol like you."
"I ignore trash like you."
Not even glancing his way, Luna scanned the wall. Undeterred, Rainzer pressed.
"Don't play coy. Corps or vanguards, goal's obvious. Monopolize Black Dragon somehow."
"What kinda dumbass logic is that?"
"What?"
He scowled at her scornful tone. Luna traced the wall's emblem as she continued.
"Use your brain. Is Black Dragon someone you can monopolize?"
"With your family's cash, sure."
"If that worked, every corp chasing him would've lined up by rank."
Right after messaging Black Dragon, Luna used his tip to clear the long-stuck Crystal Rabbit quest. Laughably easy, but it solidified her conviction. That man wasn't ordinary.
Tap, tap—
She pressed the wall. No reaction to light knocks. Beyond intriguing—no clues even for deduction.
Then Black Dragon brazenly unlocked and entered the unpublished zone.
Staring at the wall, she muttered low. "No wonder heads are exploding. Even hired PK guilds."
"Keep dreaming. Never hired Nessto. Attackers were jailbirds—go verify yourself."
"Touched a nerve? Wasn't talking about you."
"......"
Rainzer gaped in disbelief. But Luna had been eyeing the swarming players from the start—suspicious ones. Corporate spies, vanguard intel gatherers.
Who's Adventure A?
She recalled her chat with Black Dragon. He'd zeroed in on 'Adventure A.' Meant he'd sensed something.
Black Dragon's got sharp instincts.
Adventure A was like a chuunibyou adult. Interest ended there, but she was sure he was the PK guild hirer. His guidebook strats—proof of his superiority—were upended by Black Dragon.
Parading his knowledge, this humiliation would sting worse than death. Inferiority complex screaming, plotting against Black Dragon? Crystal clear.
After scanning the crowd, Luna turned away.
"...You're leaving just like that?"
Rainzer asked, puzzled.
"Why stick around?"
"Door might reopen. Unpublished zones got endless variables."
"Not watching the stream?"
With that, Luna vanished outside.
"Stream?"
At the random remark, Rainzer glanced at the black screen. Sometime ago, Black Dragon's feed had returned.