[No Title Provided]
The crashed airship was caught in the imugi's jaws and torn to shreds like a piece of paper. But the players who had seized Yeongdong Bridge paid it no mind.
"This is our only chance! Keep firing!"
A man holding a shield shouted, and a barrage of light zeroed in on the imugi. In the midst of it all, the airship took direct hits from the cascading skills, losing its form and exploding.
Boom!
I furrowed my brow. A bitter taste filled my mouth.
It's deliberate. No doubt about it.
Otherwise, there's no way the skills would fly off in the opposite direction from the monster. The moment the imugi leaped, three layers of light shields cleverly blocked the airspace above the inverted triangular formation from a blind angle. And at the exact instant the imugi collided with the airship, two streams of flame rays slyly shot out from the graphite haze.
Everyone over there is in on it.
I could tell from their shifting expressions, the blatant angles, the flow of the air currents. The repulsive underbelly of humanity.
Roooaaar...
The imugi sank, and the skill barrage ceased. Jang Jin-cheol, the holy knight wielding a massive shield, gazed down at the Han River bed with sunken eyes.
"Search!"
At his command, his team members dove into the water without hesitation. Soon, they spotted the airship, brutally smashed and settled at the bottom. They exchanged hand signals with their fingers and methodically located the cockpit.
And in the cockpit, with its door ripped off...
...there was no one.
They stared at each other in bewilderment for a moment before expanding the search area. But even after combing every inch nearby...
...not a single corpse, not even a trace of a person.
A man surfaced and shouted up at Yeongdong Bridge. "Jin-cheol! See anything from up there?"
"Nah, not even a fish."
Jang Jin-cheol shook his head. The man frowned oddly and dove back in.
They resurfaced ten minutes later.
"There's really nothing."
"What're you talking about?"
"We searched every gap, but no bodies, not even a strand of hair. Looks like the current swept them away."
"Damn, what a hassle..."
Jang Jin-cheol scratched the back of his head. His sharp eyes hadn't caught even a glimpse of her emerging from the water.
Chance of survival? Zero. By now, she'd either drowned or been killed in the bombardment—one or the other.
Tch, reporting this is gonna be a pain.
Clicking his tongue, Jang Jin-cheol rallied his team. They couldn't keep these precious national assets bobbing around like fish forever.
"Everyone, withdraw."
They turned and vanished beyond Yeongdong Bridge.
And at around the same time...
In a shadowed corner, blood-red eyes filled with murderous intent watched them silently before fading away.
"Sertina! You're ba—Aaah! What is that?!"
Tier, who had come running with her usual cheer, screamed and dropped the box she was carrying. With a metallic clatter, stainless steel containers rolled across the marble floor.
I casually jostled the woman slung over my shoulder.
"This? A person."
"That's not what I meant! Why are her clothes in tatters like that?!"
"She went in the Han River."
"You don't go in the Han River and come out with your clothes shredded! Anyway... that lady first...?"
"Dunno. Fished her out."
Tier's eyes darted around as if her brain had short-circuited, then she added, "You're not... kidnapping her, right?"
"No."
My voice was as flat as ever, but this time it carried a hint of emotion.
"Take her to my room and treat her."
"O-okay! But... you sure you're alright?"
Tier asked with cautious eyes. I knew what she meant. I nodded and handed the woman to Kim Min-seok, who had approached after overhearing.
"No problem."
As a world boss, exposure would be a big issue. The moment word got out, the whole world might come crashing down. But she'd be bedridden for a while even after treatment—her injuries were that severe. Plenty of time to win her over.
And above all...
I scanned the woman's info as Kim Min-seok carried her to my room.
[Hyeonwol] Cha Eun-joo
Hyeonwol. I'd heard it was Korea's top-ranked guild. They should be fully committed to defending the nation—why sacrifice one of their own like this?
Something smells off.
It was common even back in Pandela. Politicians who killed their own kin for power—dig into their pasts, and nine times out of ten, they were scum. And they all spouted the same lines.
If this was over something trivial...
I walked to the end of the corridor and stared out the window at the distant cityscape with cold eyes.
They'd better hope for a quick death.
Just like always. I'd make them pay the proper price.
With my own hands.
This world was one I had to live in. For this nation to know peace, so I could live without worry.
I glanced down at my outfit in front of the large bathtub. The ragged hoodie and shorts were riddled with holes and scorch marks—clearly past their lifespan.
"Gotta toss these..."
With a twinge of regret, I stripped off the ruined clothes one by one. What could I do? I'd taken the full brunt of the players' blind skill barrage while rescuing Cha Eun-joo from the water. Miraculous they hadn't shredded completely.
I showered off, then sank my feet into the glossy black pearl marble tub. The steaming bathwater enveloped my ankles and calves like soft down. As I melted into it like glutinous rice cake, the aroma soothed my mind and body.
"Haaah..."
My chilled skin from the cold Han River water relaxed, the tension easing. I let my body float in the quiet, gathering my thoughts.
Cha Eun-joo. Techno Master class. A unique job that crafts personal weaponry using magic engineering tech.
Techno Masters are 99% eccentrics, 1% geniuses, from what I've heard.
Which was she? Probably not the eccentric type. Her guild, Hyeonwol, was Korea's number one, after all. They wouldn't take just anyone.
So, high chance she's a genius...
Listening to the water's natural flow, I closed my eyes peacefully, then opened them.
Whatever. I'll find out in time.
I rose from the tub, ripples spreading with a splash. After toweling off, I opened my inventory and equipped my outfit.
Flash!
A silver-white sleeveless dress adorned me in a shimmer of light, etched with elegant blood-red patterns—Sertina's signature look.
Time to pay her a visit.
She'd had treatment by now, so she should be conscious. I'd soaked for quite a while, after all.
Savoring my firm, plump skin that showed no signs of withering, I headed straight to my bedroom without delay.
Lost in a haze of delirium, Cha Eun-joo wandered the border between life and death. The massive impact when the imugi slammed into the airship rocked her entire body. Then the sinking into the water. The merciless skill barrage that followed savagely tore at her.
It hurt.
But soon, a warm embrace enveloped her. After that, the cruel skills no longer touched her body.
That touch was... comforting. Like a holy angel wrapping her in its arms.
As she drifted in that sensation, her mind suddenly snapped awake.
The first thing she felt was the plush mattress beneath her.
"Nngh...?"
Cha Eun-joo groaned softly and shifted her body. The soft fibers brushed gently back and forth.
"Oh? You're awake?"
A clear but soft voice. The unfamiliar tone ringing sharply in her ears carried genuine care.
Cha Eun-joo slowly opened her eyes. Her vision adjusted to the dimness, revealing a green-haired girl's face.
"No fever, wounds all closed. You seem okay."
The girl removed her hand from Cha Eun-joo's forehead and smiled warmly.
But unlike the girl's expression, Cha Eun-joo was confused.
"Wh... where am I?"
As she spoke, she pushed up with both hands to sit.
"Ah, no! There might still be pain!"
"Kgh!"
True to the warning, Cha Eun-joo grimaced deeply and flopped back down. Agony like torn flesh ripped through her muscles.
The wounds were fully healed, but the pain lingered separately. Her strength drained away—just that one motion had exhausted her remaining energy.
Staring at the green-haired girl through unfocused eyes, Cha Eun-joo held her breath and forced her mouth open.
"Who... are you?"
"I'm Tier! This is our guild headquarters."
The cheerful girl beamed in response.
"Guild...?"
Cha Eun-joo murmured blankly. She checked the girl's info with bleary eyes.
[Eterna] Tier
The guild name stood out.
Eterna? Never heard of it...
Cha Eun-joo had poured half her life into Astria Online. She'd interacted with countless players, but never a guild by that name.
Small guild?
That made sense. As she rationalized it and tried to close her heavy eyelids...
Her vision widened slightly, taking in the room's full layout.
"...?"
Cha Eun-joo's brow furrowed faintly.
She said guild headquarters, right...?
Luxurious furniture and decor that screamed hundreds of units easy. Walls with white base and gold trim. Crystal chandeliers scattering brilliant light, marble floors gleaming with golden reflections. Even the blanket over her boasted intricate waves like gold-thread embroidery.
It felt like stepping into a novel as a royal princess.
An unknown guild with this kind of money...?
Cha Eun-joo was stunned. Her own guild, Hyeonwol—Korea's top-ranked—had camped in a school building for two months just to scrape by. Only now were they setting up in a building near the National Assembly in Yeouido, starting renovations.
Living in luxury when survival's a daily struggle?
And the green-haired girl in front of her wasn't even high-level. Who was backing them to afford this? Right in Seoul, monster central.
An obscure guild chilling in the heart of it all?
"Oh, right—the guild master should be here soon. To check on you."
"Guild master...?"
"Yeah! She saved you."
She saved me...
Cha Eun-joo grew curious. Who was tough and bold enough to survive—and rescue—in this hellhole?
Her benefactor.
Gotta thank her first.
Definitely a top-tier ranker. Maybe even someone she knew.
As anticipation swelled, footsteps approached from outside.
"Ah, speak of the devil."
Cha Eun-joo turned her gaze. And there, rounding the corner...
A white sleeveless dress etched with blood-red patterns. Silver-white hair with blood-red tips fluttering at the ends.
The terror she'd faced countless times in world boss raids.
"Wha...?"
Cha Eun-joo's mind went blank as she froze like stone.
"You're awake."
The voice pierced her frozen ears. The harbinger of doom, Sertina, looked down at her with an impassive face.