Let's Keep Having Fun Together
"Let's play together happily from now on, too."
I looked down from atop the sand fortress wall.
Over on the far side, an uncle who looked like a total wreck and his gang were running toward the sand castle.
To be honest, I'm pretty scared.
Because I witnessed the power of a C-class hunter with my own two eyes back in Seocho-dong.
But looking at it from another angle...
This is also a golden opportunity to test out a 3,100-point trap.
"Huhu-hung."
I raised the bright red toy hammer high above my head.
"Guys, guests are here! Time to go greet them!"
Wheeeeeeeing―
A fierce wind blew hard, slapping my squishy cheek fat.
At the same time, fist-sized clay dolls waddled over and hopped onto the fortress wall.
"Ing! Ing-ing!"
"Eee-ing!!"
They might look crude on the outside...
But haven't people always said there's no match for a mob beatdown?
I swung the toy hammer down with a swoosh.
"Wipe them all out!"
At that moment...
Hundreds of clay dolls poured down the fortress wall all at once.
"Ing! Ing-eee-ing!"
"Eee-ing!!"
Woah, what a grand sight.
Since there are so many of them...
It almost looks like a sand tsunami crashing down.
Swaaaaaaaah―!!
"What?!"
"W-Wait. This is..."
The hunters who were charging with great momentum flinched and stopped dead in their tracks at the sheer wave of numbers.
I sat on the edge of the fortress wall and crossed my arms.
"Hung-hung. What're you gonna do now?"
You can raise a white flag if you want, you know?
However, as expected of Awakened individuals, they didn't go down quietly.
In particular, the wreck of an uncle causing a rampage at the very front had movements that were far from ordinary.
His skill in swinging the tonfas in his hands was definitely fierce.
"You slowpokes! We need to form a wedge formation to break through! What on earth did you learn at the Academy?!"
Following his command, they formed a sharp triangular formation.
"Heee..."
Pretty impressive, huh?
Every time the uncle swung his tonfas, five clay dolls burst into pieces in all directions.
Peo-eok!
Kwa-jik!
Thick white sand dust scattered densely.
The others also swung their respective weapons, desperately smashing the dolls.
I guess relying purely on quantity means the quality bound to drop—it can't be helped.
Yet, I actually hummed a song instead.
"Huhu-hung♪ Hu-hung♬"
Did I spend a fortune building the sand playground for nothing?
I placed it because I had a plan for everything.
Just as expected...
The more dolls they smashed, the noticeably slower their advancing speed became.
"Keuk! What are these things?!"
"The sand is sticking to our boots!"
"Boss! I-Is this dangerous? We're completely surrounded?!"
Well, of course.
The broken clay piled up like toad houses, burying their legs.
Of course, they'll break through with brute force soon enough...
But that doesn't matter at all.
The real cheat code of this trap is something else entirely.
Glancing inside the fortress wall...
New clay dolls gushed out like a cornucopia from the sand pits.
They even held sand hammers in their hands as they charged once again.
"Eee-ing!"
"Ing! Ing!"
The effect of the Sand Playground:
When a hunter possessing ether sets foot in this area...
The sand sucks up their ether chug-chug and prints out familiars infinitely!
Literally infinite power, a creative economy!
"Hee-hee."
It'd be a waste if I'm the only one watching this, right?
"I wonder what everyone will say."
I'm already curious about the reactions of the veteran players.
[General] Baby Witch Gallery User: If this gets broken through, I'm seriously fucked.
Author: Anonymous(404.404)
(Photo of hunters struggling with their feet bound in sand dunes)
Currently wiping out the human bastards with sheer numbers, can I succeed in defending? ㅠㅠ I'm scared
Futanari Big Sister: Wow, look at how sticky and tangled the sand is~~ Big sister wants to get buried there and roll around with the newbie-ching too...❤
└Anonymous(404.404): ;;;
└Wishing for Enhancement Success: Dumbass
Room-bound Shrine Maiden-chan: Hoe-e... Newbie-jang's adorable human wave tactics are so cute-desu-waaa...
└Duel Master: Hmm... Seeing so many challengers, I shall add a word. Human wave tactics are ultimately useless before overwhelming martial power. Thus, I advise the youngest to personally sever the enemy general's head.
└Human Fertilizer Factory: Kkkk human wave tactics are top tier, why bother going out? They'll just do a butt show among themselves, tire out, and go straight to becoming fertilizer kkk
└Corpse Lover: @Duel Master Brain-muscle murim-tard bastard. Blowing hot air at the newbie again. Why? Afraid you'll die alone at home?
Schizophrenia Max: Ddak-dda-ra-ddak-ddak old geezer~
└Duel Master: ....You son of a bitches? Care for a duel?
"Hmm..."
Both sides have valid points.
First, suck up those bastards' stamina and ether chug-chug to dry them out in real-time.
And when they enter a groggy state, I'll land the final blow myself!
A perfect strategy!
"Hu-hung. I guess I'm a genius."
Maybe it'll be settled by the trap alone without me having to lift a single finger.
Just as I was swinging my short legs on the fortress wall, running my happy delusion engine...
Seu-seu-seu-seuk―!
Suddenly, a friction sound that pierced the ears rang out.
"?"
What's that?
A female hunter with short hair fluttering was sprinting up the wall.
G-Gravity, where did you go?
I don't know, I'm scared!
The moment she landed right in the center of the battlefield...
In the middle of the sand.
"Hue...?"
A terrifying vortex whipped up around her.
Huuuuuuuuuung!!
Dozens of clay dolls caught in the sharp wind were knocked away in a single breath.
Amidst the sandstorm, she adjusted her grip on her two daggers into a reverse hold.
"I was saving this until the Association promotion exam... but I have no choice."
She raised her daggers high into the air.
"Wind God Mode."
Pa-aa-ang―!
W-Wait a minute!
That's a C-class hunter?
That makes no sense!!
The comments in the gallery, watching the situation in real-time, also exploded.
Grilled Whole Boss: ??? Isn't that B-class?
└Wishing for Enhancement Success: B-class, yeah
└Corpse Lover: B-class hunter
└Anonymous(404.404): Huh? You said it was C-class.
└Mirror Therapy Specialist: When did we ever?
└Anonymous(404.404): FUCK?
Crazy crazy crazy crazy crazy.
I'm seriously fucked.
C-class was already tough enough...
B-class?!
└Human Fertilizer Factory: Kkkkk that's not what's important right now kkk at this rate you're fucked
└Anonymous(404.404): Nooo save me ㅠㅠ at this rate baby Witch Gallery User is gonna die ㅜ
└Life Logout ♥: ...Looking at the current situation, you have two choices.
└Life Logout ♥: One is to retrieve the core room heart and flee. In this case, the points you've accumulated so far will evaporate. It's truly the worst and final resort.
└Anonymous(404.404): Ah ㅠㅠ Main Mod-heung-nim please... then I'll really dry up and die ㅜ
└Life Logout ♥: Calm down. The remaining method is a strategy used by other Witch Gallery Users too. Right now, don't you have points left over?
R-Right!
Points!
It's a shame that Beaters were mixed in...
But I had succeeded in clearing out a large number of small fry early on.
└Anonymous(404.404): I have 3,400 points
└Life Logout ♥: That's a relief. Buy stats with that. Since they've already barged right up to the core room, you have no choice but to face the hunters yourself.
"Eh?"
Stats...
Could be bought...?
Fierce gales whipped up with every step Yuna took.
Wheeeeeeeek!!
The sand spread across the ground scattered, forming a hazy barrier in all directions.
"Ing!"
"Ing-ing!!"
The clay dolls tried to cling to her legs...
But swept up by the violent air currents, they couldn't even get close and were bounced away like falling leaves in an autumn wind.
"Eee-ing!!"
Riding the flow of the wind, she leaped high into the air.
Pat!
In a single bound, she landed lightly atop the 4-meter-high sand fortress wall.
'...There's no time.'
Wind God Mode was a secret technique she had only recently mastered.
Its drawback was that it consumed an extreme amount of ether, making its duration absurdly short.
So there was only one answer.
Hurry, secure the witch's person, and protect her.
"Swift and decisive!"
Yuna adjusted her grip on her two daggers.
"Please, just come quietly!"
She shouted as if pleading...
However, the clay dolls atop the fortress wall swarmed over as if protecting the platinum-haired girl.
"Ing-ing!!"
"Eee-ing!"
She crossed both hands.
"Get out of the way!"
Seo-geok!
Following a sharp X-shaped trajectory, a vortex exploded in a curved arc.
Pa-aa-aa-ang!
The familiars forming the defensive line collapsed and scattered in all directions.
"Eee-ing!"
Yet in that brief instant...
The girl was pitter-pattering away toward the red room door beyond the fortress wall.
Her short, slender legs fluttered busily...
And her speed was abnormally fast.
"Wait! Hold on!! I'm trying to help you!"
Yuna shouted at the top of her lungs.
"Ugh!"
However, her vision soon split into two before merging back together.
Her mind spun as a severe dizziness washed over her.
The recoil of excessively squeezing out ether in a short period of time.
There was no time.
'Even if it's pushing it... I have no choice.'
Yuna loaded ether into her feet and stomped hard against the ground.
Kwang!
The swirling burst of force shook the entire sand fortress wall to its very foundation.
Wa-reu-reu-reu―
The fortress wall collapsed in an instant, turning into a violent sandstorm.
"This is the last of it."
She swung the daggers she had pulled back forward with all her might.
"Taebaeksan Wind!"
Pa-aa-aa-at!!
In an instant, the barrier blocking her eyes split open, clearing a straight path cleanly through.
A final cry that squeezed out every last drop of her strength.
Yuna dragged her trembling legs and stepped toward the room door visible straight ahead.
"Wait. Big sister will... definitely... put you on the right path..."
Just then.
Peok!
A blunt bursting sound struck the back of her head directly.
"Ugh!"
At the strong impact that shook her brain, her consciousness grew distant.
Seo Yuna collapsed onto the floor.
When she raised her head, Bae Sinhyeok stood there holding a tonfa with cold eyes.
"Good work, Sub-Guild Leader. Your role ends here, so rest easy."
Yuna gritted her teeth and glared at him.
"Bae... Sin... Hyeok... Why... to a fellow guild member...?"
Bae Sinhyeok pulled up the corners of his mouth into a smirk.
"Fellow guild member? What bullshit are you spouting? You threw your resignation letter earlier. So we're strangers now."
He roughly stomped on Seo Yuna's left arm with his combat boot.
"Ah-ugh!"
"Ah, right. Yuna, you said it before, didn't you? That in this witch's house, you must never get injured."
He slammed his tonfa down mercilessly onto Seo Yuna's left arm.
Peo-eok!
"Kyaat! S-Stop..."
Peo-eo-eok!
"Uuu-ugh..."
Yuna groaned and bit her lip.
Yet despite the terrible impact, no red blood flowed.
Through the torn fabric of her clothes, plush cloud cotton poured out in streams.
"Since you've dedicated yourself to the guild all this time, I'll recognize your contributions and spare your life. Be grateful."
Bae Sinhyeok led the guild members and walked briskly toward the room door.
Among the guild members passing by in a crowd...
A young male hunter stopped and supported Seo Yuna's shoulder.
"Sub-Guild Leader, are you okay?"
"You... was your name... Han Jiu?"
"Names aren't important right now. I'm going to quit this shitty guild too. Come out with me!"
In Yuna's fading vision, semi-transparent system text floated up.
[You have been designated as 'Tag'.]
[※ You can prevent 'Toyification' by attacking intruders.]
Only then did she realize.
Why Adolf had lost his mind and indiscriminately attacked his allies.
'Ha... It was this kind of gimmick?'
Yuna painfully raised her arm and pushed the young man's chest away.
"I'm already... hopeless. So survive and get out alone."
The young man's eyes widened in panic.
She exhaled a breath and whispered.
"You know the colors of the footholds we've stepped on so far, right? Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet... Run while stepping on them in exact reverse order. Then an escape route will open."
His pupils shook violently.
"D-Don't say things like that. Together with me..."
Yuna painfully continued her words.
"Survive... and expose Bae Sinhyeok's evil deeds to the world in detail. It's my last request as your senior."
The young hunter bit his lip tightly and bowed his head.
"Sub-Guild Leader... I truly respected you. I will never forget!"
Wiping away his tears, the young man fled into the darkness.
Watching the young man's receding back, Yuna painfully forced her body up.
"Uu-ugh."
Far across her vision, she saw Bae Sinhyeok and the remaining 9 guild members opening the room door and entering.
"No... That witch... is the only seed... that might change this world..."
Staggering, she took steps one by one toward the room door.
Ku-seu-seu-seu-seu.
The collapsed sand castle was restored once again...
And hundreds of clay dolls were regenerated...
Yet strangely, they no longer attacked Seo Yuna.
Even while feeling a bizarre sensation, she walked only toward the room door.
"Haa. Hold on... just a little. I'll be right there..."
Yuna slowly pushed open the room door.
"...Uh?"
However, what unfolded before her eyes was a completely unexpected sight.
Bae Sinhyeok and the 9 guild members who had entered first were nowhere to be seen.
Instead, countless five-colored round candies and star candies were scattered all over the floor in every direction.
Right in the center of the candy mound.
A platinum-haired girl stood blankly holding a toy hammer...
Looking at Seo Yuna with eyes like midwinter.
"W-What on earth happened..."
The moment Yuna tried to step into the room in shock...
Kung!
"Ugh!"
Her forehead collided against hard empty air, and she bounced backward.
"What's this?"
As if there were a transparent barrier between the doorframe...
No matter how much she reached out her hand, she couldn't cross into the room.
"Why? How come...?"
The witch picked up a round candy fallen on the floor and popped it into her mouth.
Savoring the sweet taste, the girl smiled sweetly and walked toward Seo Yuna.
"Eonni, were you really flustered?"
Tilted her head, the girl whispered in a playful voice.
"You see... Tag can never leave their designated area."
Yuna's pupils trembled finely.
"T-Tag...?"
The young witch looked up at her with innocent, pure eyes.
"Hu-ung, didn't you know? Eonni just died a moment ago. So you're Tag now. I thought the system would kindly inform you. Did an error occur? How strange~"
Yuna shook her head violently in denial.
"That can't be! Look clearly. I'm breathing fine right now, and I'm talking with you!"
"Huu-uung..."
Instead of answering, the girl dragged a full-length mirror from the corner of the room with much effort.
And reflected Seo Yuna clearly in the mirror.
"...?"
The moment she faced her own image reflected in the mirror...
Yuna's breath choked in her throat.
Reflected in the mirror was a stuffed doll...
With one arm torn horribly, patched together with cloth fabric.
At least her right pupil and lips maintained a human form...
But her entire body was in a gruesome shape, being eroded into a toy.
"Eh? T-That can't be? I-I... I clearly!"
Yuna collapsed on the spot as if crumbling down.
"Noooooo! That can't be! No, no, nooooooo! This is all a dreaaaaaam!!"
A terrible sense of despair crushed her entire body.
To protect people her whole life.
She had worked blood, sweat, and tears for her dream of becoming a noble hunter.
She had even received a scout offer from the mid-sized guild 'Hwarang'...
And was dreaming of a future where she would leap to even higher places!
For the conclusion to be merely...
Becoming a doll filled with cotton wool!!
All her dreams and hopes shattered into pieces in a single instant.
"No. No. Nooooooo!"
Choked up with misery and unfairness, tears burst out in a torrent.
"Don't do this to me. Don't... do this. Please..."
Just then, the girl came over and squatted down in front of Yuna.
She held out a sweet candy with her tiny hand.
"Don't cry~ Good girl, right? Stop crying."
Yuna blankly received the candy with her doll hand that had turned into cloth pieces.
"Sniffle... W-What is this...?"
Forming dimples on her cheeks, the girl wore a gentle, captivating crescent smile.
"You see, I really, really like you, eonni."
Passing through the transparent wall, she softly stroked Yuna's plush cheek.
"So, let's play together happily from now on, too."
From the clear voice tickling her ears...
"Now... pinky promise..."
A sweet fruit scent that one must never eat wafted forth.