The Desperate Slash
“Huff! Haaah!”
My lungs burned as if they might burst at any moment. My chest ached so badly I wanted to collapse right there, and every muscle in my body screamed in protest.
But I couldn’t stop running.
“Gruuuaaargh!”
A single Wild Boar thundered after me with terrifying speed. The creature’s massive frame closed the distance with every stride.
[Level 6 Wild Boar]
‘How far is this thing going to chase me?’
I had already weaved through countless towering trees and dense undergrowth, yet the boar refused to give up. At this rate, getting caught was only a matter of time. Outrunning it with my current speed was impossible.
That left only one option: fight.
—Shing.
I drew the sword at my waist. The beginner’s straight sword issued at the start had long since lost its edge. Still, it was the only thing I could rely on right now. It wasn’t completely broken, so it could at least manage one more swing.
One chance. That was all I had.
I glanced over my shoulder.
‘Closer than I thought.’
No time to hesitate. I looked forward again. A massive tree stood directly ahead.
‘Can I pull this off?’
No—if I didn’t try, I would die. Even if it seemed impossible, I had to do it.
I poured every last ounce of strength into my legs and launched myself toward the tree. While airborne, I twisted my body half a turn so my feet faced the trunk.
—Crack!
A dizzying shock jolted through my soles, but I managed to plant both feet against the bark. Ignoring the pain, I kicked off hard, using the rebound.
—Boom!
The distance I had created vanished in an instant. Red-tinted eyes. Hot breath. Drool glistening between protruding tusks.
Suppressing the rising terror, I drew my sword back behind my waist, pulling it taut.
Even a skilled swordsman would struggle to swing freely in this situation. Without solid ground beneath my feet, I couldn’t channel any real power. But this world had a way to make the impossible possible.
The Wild Boar was almost upon me.
In that moment, I moved.
Basic Swordsmanship, First Form. A single horizontal slash.
Slash
“Slash!”
A blue horizontal arc carved through the air and slammed into the charging boar.
—Kagagak!
My wrist went numb. Without the skill’s assistance, the impact would have sent the sword flying. The blue light still clung to the blade, driving it forward into the boar’s hide.
“Hraaaagh!”
If the sword refused to give up, neither would I. With desperate resolve, I shoved the blade deeper into the boar’s tough skin.
—Shrrk!
“Gruueeek!”
Finally, my sword snapped one of the boar’s tusks and split its hide. The moment the strike landed, the blade broke. Unable to regain my balance, I tumbled violently through the undergrowth.
“Haa… ugh…”
It hurt so much I felt like I might actually die. The health bar in the upper left of my vision flickered dangerously low. If the boar had survived that attack, I would have had no more options left.
But—
—Boom!
“Gruueeeek…”
The boar slammed headfirst into the very tree I had kicked off from and died instantly.
Level increased!
Status points acquired.
The window that appeared before my eyes confirmed my survival. Only then could I finally let my body sink onto the damp ground.
I looked up at the sky. A deep indigo twilight had already fallen, and a silver moon hung overhead.
…It was annoyingly beautiful.
“I should head back for today.”
Hopefully nothing else would happen on the way.
I forced myself upright. Before returning to the village, I opened my status window out of habit.
A natural sigh escaped me. I had spent the entire week hunting nonstop, yet I was still only level 7. Who knew when I would max out my sword proficiency?
“Will I ever even get out of here?”
I had no idea. Whether it would take a year or longer, I couldn’t even guess. The only thing I knew for certain was that I had survived another day.
Arcadia Online.
In this death game where dying in-game meant dying in reality.
By the time I left the forest and returned to the village, the sun had completely set.
“Finally back.”
Fortunately, I hadn’t encountered any aggressive beasts on the way. Meeting them unarmed would have been extremely dangerous. Only now could I finally relax the tension in my body.
As I entered the village gate, the usual guard NPC smiled at me.
“Hey there, miss. Back again?”
“Haa… I told you not to call me that.”
“But it suits you so well, miss.”
“Forget it. I’m not arguing.”
This place was on the outskirts of Zone 1. The wooden buildings glowing with soft lamplight created a picturesque, pastoral scene—a small rural village that still felt alive with human warmth. Even in this brutal death game, I could find a measure of peace here.
Supplies weren’t stable, so there weren’t many players around. That was another reason I liked it. I had stayed in this village for the past week.
After passing the guard, I walked through the village until I reached the inn where I was staying. Its name was The Place Where Starlight Sleeps. It suited the small village perfectly.
Opening the door revealed a quiet dining hall. Inside, a few NPCs and a handful of familiar players sat scattered about in the typical medieval-style layout.
At that moment, the warm middle-aged woman behind the counter spotted me and greeted me cheerfully.
“Oh my, Miss Ian! You’re back late today.”
She was Kate, the inn’s owner and chef—an NPC. I took my usual seat at the counter she tended.
“Have you eaten dinner yet?”
“Not yet. The usual, please.”
“Got it. Just wait a moment.”
She hurried off toward the kitchen.
“Hello, big sis.”
Soon after, a bright-eyed little boy sat down beside me. I gently patted his head.
“Hey, Lian. Been good?”
“Yes! I helped Mom a lot today too.”
Lian was Kate’s son—also an NPC. Yet I felt none of the usual artificiality that NPCs typically gave off. The more I talked with them, the more the distinction blurred.
It wasn’t just Kate and Lian. Every NPC in Arcadia Online—the guard I had just spoken to included—felt the same. They reacted differently to each player, remembered even minor past events unrelated to quests, and conversed without any sense of distance. And like players, they didn’t respawn if they died. They truly felt like residents who had always lived in this world.
“Ohoho~ Food’s ready. Enjoy!”
“There seems to be more meat than usual today.”
“That’s a little service for our pretty miss. It would just go to waste otherwise, so don’t worry about it.”
“Th-thank you.”
Conversing with them always left a faint ache in my chest. The care and affection they showed me could only ever be met with lies on my end.
“That was delicious. I’ll head upstairs now.”
“See you tomorrow morning~”
“See you tomorrow, big sis!”
After finishing my meal and saying goodnight, I climbed to my room. The first thing I saw was the mirror.
Reflected there was a woman.
Jet-black hair, snow-white skin, a beauty whose figure curved in all the right places. That woman was me—Ian.
This false appearance was the form the world had assigned me.
In Arcadia Online, players couldn’t choose their own avatars. Gender, age, race—even names. Everything visible to others was randomly assigned by the game the moment we logged in. That was why I had become a woman named Ian. Just like in reality, it was decided the instant I connected. Complaining in a death game changed nothing.
So every morning, when I woke up, got dressed, and looked in the mirror out of habit, I had no choice but to accept reality whether I liked it or not.
“She’s disgustingly pretty.”
If this were a normal game, her looks would have been enough to spark a newfound netkama preference in me. But what use was that beauty to me? In a lawless zone like Arcadia, this cumbersome appearance was nothing but a hindrance. Especially when I thought about everything I had already suffered because of it.
“Haa… Forget it.”
Letting out a deep sigh, I left the room and headed downstairs.
“Oh my, you’re up early. Good morning, miss.”
“Yes. Good morning, Miss Kate.”
In the dining hall, Kate was already preparing breakfast.
“Same thing as usual today?”
“Yes. Thank you for always taking care of me.”
“It’s nothing. Just wait a moment~”
After greeting her, I sat in my usual spot and ate breakfast while reviewing today’s plans.
‘First, I need to go to the weapon shop and get a new sword.’
It was a shame that the weapon I had used for nearly two weeks was gone, but it was about time I replaced it anyway. With the money I had saved from hunting, I could easily afford two or three decent swords.
Then I would head into the forest and hunt until my experience bar was half full. As for the unallocated stat points… I would put one into Stamina for now and decide the rest later depending on the situation.
Just as I finished organizing my rough plan, the food arrived in front of me. Steam rose from a bowl of soup, accompanied by warm bread and sweet fruit. As I took a spoonful of soup, savoring the taste, Kate spoke to me.
“You said you were an adventurer, right, Miss Ian?”
“Yes.”
“Then, could I ask you for a favor?”
“What is it?”
“Could you take Lian with you to the city later?”
At those words, a possibility flashed through my mind.
‘Is this a quest?’
NPCs in Arcadia didn’t advertise themselves as quest-givers like in other games. There wasn’t even a cursor above their heads. Most quests were either given after building rapport or offered suddenly—and they were extremely rare. I had never received one until now.
Arcadia’s quests were unique. No matter how much realism the developers wanted, quests couldn’t be shared between players, and their outcomes became permanently fixed in the game world. Because of this, quests were known to be far more efficient than hunting. Raid parties were said to be desperate to find them.
And now one had just fallen into my lap?
“We’ve run out of ingredients for dinner tonight. Normally I would go myself, but I have maintenance work to do during the day and can’t leave. So I was thinking of sending Lian instead… but I’m worried about him going alone. I’d feel much better if you went with him.”
As soon as Kate finished speaking, a window appeared before my eyes.
Accompany Lian to Startia and procure ingredients.
📍 Location: Startia
🎁 Reward: Unknown
I was about to nod immediately, but hesitated the moment I saw the window.
Startia. The place I had left a week ago. The thought of returning there made me pause.
After a brief moment of thought, I nodded.
“Of course I’ll help.”
How could I refuse a quest that had practically fallen into my lap? As a player, there was no way I could turn down such an easy opportunity.
I stood up.
“Shall we leave right away?”
“I’ve already arranged a carriage, so just wait a moment. I’ve taught Lian everything he needs to know, so don’t worry too much.”
“Understood.”
Startia, huh…
Hopefully nothing would go wrong.