S-Class Alert! (1)
Public opinion on Iaidō was sharply divided into two main camps.
The group fervently praising Iaidō.
And the group suspicious of Iaidō.
Right after the fire ignited, the two groups were clearly distinct, but they quickly began merging into one.
The group immediately clashing over whether Iaidō was using hacks or not.
"Hacks in Ian Soft..."
Ian Soft, the developer of Rebion Arc, was more famous than other metaverse game companies not just for its overwhelming quality and scale, but also because it was the only online game studio that had never been infiltrated by hackers.
But if hacks had been discovered in that Ian Soft...
"This fire's not gonna burn out easily."
The woman before her eyes shook the blood off her sword onto the ground. But this was inside the game—the bloodstains on the blade had already vanished.
"You okay?"
Iaidō approached with slow steps, asking after her well-being.
With the chat window frozen just one second before it exploded between us, I said,
"Hold on a sec, Iaidō-nim..! Sorry, but I just remembered I have some urgent business... Can we hunt slimes later?"
For now, time to bail.
"? Sure."
I accepted Chaerin's sudden invitation in a flat tone. It was a bit abrupt, but she said she had urgent business. It wasn't canceling our promise, just postponing it, and slimes weren't exactly urgent anyway.
"Then let's add each other as friends?"
"Ah, y-yeah!!"
...?
Why's she so flustered? Anyway, I added Chaerin as a friend and casually hit the log-out button.
"See you next time."
"Ah, yeah!"
With those words, my vision began to fade to black.
Whirr—
The familiar sound accompanied the capsule opening, and my eyelids lifted in sync.
'Oh. Back already.'
Twitch twitch—
You too, huh.
The capsule had opened, but I didn't get up right away. For some reason, it felt like I'd had a long dream—strange and wondrous. Savoring the lingering sensation a bit longer...
"...Not bad."
I smiled faintly.
The tale of Iaidō set communities ablaze in an instant.
We only got 3 S-classes in Korea, right? And only one woman's Lee So-yul. Plus she's a mage. Y'all serious?? lololol
Why's everyone so sure it's hacks? Could really be an S-class tho?
Anonymous users hiding behind their handles fueled the flames higher and higher, voices rising in endless bickering.
The controversy raged for two days, three days, reaching its peak when...
...a post like that appeared in the Rebion Arc gallery.
Today I headed out to the mart for groceries.
'Let's see... rice... eggs... ice cream...'
Hanging a basket on my arm, I mentally ticked off today's shopping list.
Pick a bit of this and that, check out, and pop the ice cream in my mouth the moment I step outside.
Twitch twitch—
'Hehe.'
If I had a tail, it'd be wagging like crazy.
As that thought crossed my mind, I sensed mana stirring from a distance.
———!
"Ugh...!"
An enormous siren blared in my ears.
"Break detected. Rank: B-class. Citizens, please evacuate as far away as possible. Repeat—"
Panic erupted among the crowd as the announcement played.
"B-Break? Out of nowhere...?"
"B-class... like that one on the road last time? But that was definitely..."
"Mommy..."
"It'll be okay, hold Mommy's hand."
"M-Move!!"
"Is this guy insane...!"
Gate breaks weren't common accidents. The Hunter Association prevented them rigorously because even one could cause massive damage.
'But if one happened, shit's really hit the fan.'
People's footsteps crisscrossed in frantic haste. Probably confused about where to even evacuate since this wasn't familiar.
"...Sigh."
How long had it been since I relaxed? Goddess El must've sent me back to use me again.
If that was the case...
...even if it was.
"Better go check it out."
Leaping building to building, I arrived atop a high-rise with a clear view of the break site—perfect vantage point, close enough but not visible from below. Prime real estate.
Munch munch—
Biting into my fresh ice cream, I surveyed the scene below. Burning cars, debris, a few corpses.
'Survivors... probably hunkered down in buildings.'
I sensed presences hiding inside structures. That'd dodge monsters for now, but only until gate-ification advanced further.
'What a mess.'
It hadn't been long since the gate broke, yet it was already this bad. A stark reminder of how terrifying breaks were.
Vrrr—
Monsters began emerging from the gate one by one. Goblin statues in orange monk robes, one hand clutching prayer beads, the other a long spear. And on the opposite side, amid the shifting terrain, people fought the statues—awakeners, judging by their aura. Must've been nearby when it started.
Clang—!
A warrior in dark blue armor blocked a spear with his shield, then counterattacked with his sword in the other hand.
"Raaah!!"
One goblin statue split in two. Other awakeners gradually repelled the monsters pouring from the gate.
But the statues kept coming endlessly. Against them, only five awakeners.
'Wonder what level they are.'
My eyes locked on the knight in dark blue armor—the strongest-looking one.
"Raaah!!"
The knight swung, cleaving two statues at once. Solid physique and technique. Not bad. But not amazing either. C-class? Maybe B?
As I pondered, reinforcements arrived for the awakeners—three at the knight's level, two noticeably weaker. Roughly on par with the originals.
This lineup can handle the goblin statues, sure.
"But is that all?"
No sooner had I muttered than massive figures emerged from the gate.
Two huge statues with gorilla bodies and goblin heads, followed by a headless one slowly appearing, cradling its severed head like a child while seated in mid-air lotus position. It evoked an immortal sage. And behind it, ten arms.
'Those are unblockable.'
The mana radiating from them was leagues beyond the goblin statues.
Sensing it, one awakener yelled to the new arrivals,
"Tch...! Where's B-class backup?!"
"Ten more minutes!"
"Fuck...! You kidding!? Gotta wait till someone dies???"
"Don't shoot the messenger...!"
Tension thick enough to spark a fight.
That team might hold with a few casualties.
"But we can't let that happen."
No more spectating—the situation was too dire.
Fling—
I tossed the half-eaten ice cream and reached into my subsace.
Out came a black mask—a disguise magic tool for hiding identity. It blurred cameras and clouded recognition.
Slipping it on, purple light shimmered around the eyes—ability activated. My brown hair darkened to black.
Undoing my ponytail, I reached into subsace again. This time, a shield gauntlet for my wrist.
"Hoo."
No grand reason for the disguise.
Just wanted to try it once.
The mysterious powerhouse appearing out of nowhere at a gate break. How many chances like this would I get?
"Block it!! Grk!"
A gorilla statue's fist slammed into the dark blue knight's shield. A second fist crashed down on his staggering form.
"Grah...!"
Crushed ground beneath him, legs trembling as he endured—the picture of indomitable will.
'Impressive.'
Preparation done, I descended the building and approached the knight from behind.
When the distance felt right, I clenched my fist and gathered mana.
Target, as always.
"The head."
——!!
The gorilla's upper body exploded from my launched mana.
"...?"
Beneath the falling debris, the knight blocked it while spotting me.
What he saw: a black-haired woman with long hair, fist extended into empty air.
Sensing his bewilderment leaking from under the helmet,
"Tag out."
I uttered curtly, brushing past him.