The Boss of Zone 1 Appears

The dirt road stretched endlessly from the village toward Startia, the great city of Zone 1. The steady clop of hooves echoed as a single carriage rolled along the path.

At a glance, it was hardly a luxurious vehicle. It was a shabby, open-topped wagon with no separation between the cargo and passenger areas.

“I never thought I’d actually end up riding in a carriage.”

Of course, it wasn’t a good carriage. There ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was no division between cargo and passengers, and the roof was completely open to the sky. Still, seeing the path I would normally have trudged along on foot from atop a carriage felt strangely refreshing.

A gentle breeze brushed past. Flowers and grass danced across the fields. I had been too busy to notice any of it before, but sitting quietly and watching the scenery warmed something deep inside my chest.

‘Is this really a virtual world?’

Even with full-dive technology that stimulated the brain directly, the general consensus was that this level of realism couldn’t be replicated. Creating such lifelike landscapes required an enormous amount of data.

That was precisely why full-dive VRMMORPGs had never been released before. Neither developers nor players had equipment capable of handling that volume of information.

Which was why Arcadia Online could only be played using a dedicated full-dive machine. No one could have imagined that those very machines would become the prison trapping all the players inside.

‘Who on earth created this world, and for what purpose?’

Officially, the developer of Arcadia Online was known as Logos Company. It was a reputable firm that had successfully released several VR games in the past. So what could ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠possibly have driven them to trap two hundred thousand players and force them to die? Was there a reason so important they were willing to throw everything away? Or was someone else pulling the strings from behind the scenes? Could any single person truly control an entire corporation like that?

“Big sis, is something bothering you?”

“Hm? No, it’s nothing.”

Lian’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts and back to reality. I couldn’t ignore those bright, sparkling eyes staring up at me, so I forced my sluggish brain to come up with something to say.

“By the way, Lian, how old are you this year?”

“I’m ten.”

“I see.”

I had assumed he was younger because of his small stature, but ten wasn’t exactly a little kid. In the real world he might still be a child, but in this world without proper schools, it was the age when children usually started helping their parents. That explained why Miss Kate had trusted him enough to send him along.

Now what should I talk about? We still had quite a while before reaching Startia, and my head was already starting to ache. Honestly, the hardest part of this quest might not be the combat but having to make conversation with Lian. As a former male gamer, talking felt far more difficult than fighting.

—Hiiiiiing!

Suddenly the horse began to thrash wildly. Though it was tied to the carriage and couldn’t flee, the driver broke into a cold sweat trying to calm the animal as it reared up and kicked in every direction.

“W-what’s gotten into this thing all of a sudden…?”

It didn’t take long for us to discover the reason.

A pack of wolves had emerged from the fields lining both sides of the road.

The clever beasts had already surrounded the carriage.

“W-wolves?! W-why are they h-here…?”

“B-big sis… a-are we going to die here?”

Both the driver and Lian were terrified. Since this wasn’t normally part of a direwolf’s territory, even I was a little shaken.

“Of course. There was no way this quest would be that easy.”

I scanned our surroundings. Six direwolves in total surrounded us. It was a threatening number. I had never faced this many at once before, so I couldn’t guarantee I would escape without injury.

But still—

“Lian, stay close to the carriage. If anything happens, shout for me.”

“W-what about you, big sis?”

“What else?”

I drew the sword from my waist.

“I fight.”

I had to make sure the direwolf pack couldn’t reach Lian or the horse. That responsibility fell to me. I leapt down from the carriage and landed in the middle of the wolf ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠pack.

—Awooooooo!

The apparent alpha let out a howl. Fortunately, it seemed to have recognized me as the primary threat. All the wolves except the three on the opposite side charged straight at me.

Dodging them wasn’t difficult. The direwolves were level 4 while I was level 7. Beyond the level gap, my experience hunting many of these creatures let me instantly read their timing. I countered with a swing of my blade.

—Shwaaack!

The skill struck perfectly. Blood sprayed from the wound, and the direwolf that couldn’t withstand the blow died on the spot.

The remaining wolves froze for a moment at their comrade’s death. They clearly hadn’t expected one of them to fall in a single hit.

But I was just as surprised.

‘It died in one blow?’

My usual method of hunting direwolves was to land a counter, then finish them off while they were stunned. Sometimes another wolf would interrupt before I could deliver the killing blow, forcing me to swallow my frustration.

Yet this time, a single skill had inflicted a fatal wound.

‘Is it because I changed weapons?’

It was a weapon I had hastily bought from the village weapon shop, but its attack power was two points higher than the beginner straight sword I had been using. Before setting out, I had invested two stat points into Agility, and my movements definitely felt lighter than before.

Putting it all together, there was only one conclusion.

‘I’ve gotten stronger.’

Arcadia Online didn’t display exact numerical values, so I couldn’t measure precisely how much stronger I had become. But I was definitely more powerful than I had been when I was grinding wolves before.

“That’s one down.”

A smile crept across my lips. Right now, I felt like I could do anything.

The hesitant direwolves charged again. Once more I easily dodged their claws and fangs, then swung my sword. The same sensation flowed through my hand. As if to prove it wasn’t a fluke, the second wolf also suffered a fatal wound from a single strike.

“Yelp! Yelp! Yelp!”

The alpha that had been watching turned tail and tried to flee. Even though it was the leader, its stats were no different from the others, so the decision was perfectly rational.

But I had no intention of letting it escape.

Even with the level difference, this was free experience that had rolled right into my lap. As a player, I couldn’t possibly let it go.

‘Come to think of it, I learned a new skill, didn’t I?’

When my basic sword proficiency had passed 50, a notification had appeared saying I’d unlocked a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠new skill. I hadn’t had time to check it because I ran into the wild boar right after, but this seemed like the perfect chance to test it.

I lowered my sword, stepped forward with my left foot, and dropped my stance as if preparing to sprint. Mana flowed out of me and seeped into the blade. The moment blue light bloomed across the sword, I stamped hard against the ground.

Basic Sword Skill, Second Form. A single-strike charge technique.

My body shot forward in a straight line like lightning, instantly catching up to the fleeing direwolf.

—Shwaaack!

A blue vertical arc sliced upward from below. The wolf was split cleanly in half without even having time to scream.

“This is incredible.”

The thrill refused to fade. It felt like flying through the sky. In that instant of charging forward, I had become the wind, and the wind had become me.

I never imagined a skill like this existed. Aside from its heavy mana consumption, it was an incredibly attractive ability.

“Big sis~! Help!”

Lian’s urgent cry snapped me out of my excitement. Three wolves still remained. This was no time to be basking in the afterglow.

“I’m coming!”

I sprinted straight toward the carriage. My steps felt far lighter than before.

After defeating the direwolves, several more packs attacked us on the way, but none posed any real threat. Before long—

“I’ll be counting on you again.”

“Go get ’em, big sis!”

“Haah, I’m not even nervous anymore.”

Unlike earlier when they had been terrified at the first sign of beasts, Lian and the driver now casually cheered me on. It didn’t feel bad at all. Even though they were NPCs, it was genuinely nice to have someone believe in me.

So my solo experience farming continued until around noon, when the walls of Startia finally came into view.

‘Has it already been a week since I was last here?’

I gazed at Startia with complicated feelings.

I had spent two weeks in Startia after the death game began. It was a short time, but every memory that surfaced was nothing but horror. Honestly, if not for this quest, I wouldn’t have given the city a single glance until the game was over.

Still, there was no telling when another Startia-related quest might appear. I couldn’t avoid it forever.

I pulled the hood of my cloak low to avoid attention and spoke to Lian.

“Lian, you must stay right next to me once we’re inside the city.”

“U-um… okay.”

I didn’t expect anything major to happen, but Startia was where ninety percent of the players were gathered. Even with NPC guards patrolling, it was a lawless zone where order had collapsed. I couldn’t predict what might occur.

It was best to stay on guard until we left again. Soon the carriage passed through the gates of Startia.

Inside the city, neatly paved stone roads replaced the dirt path. Cream-colored stone buildings lined both sides of the street, and the crowds of people moving about reminded me of a medieval metropolis.

The exotic scenery felt like stepping into Europe. Yet the atmosphere of the city had sunk to the depths of gloom.

People with hollow eyes stared blankly at the sky. Others screamed and begged to be let out. Some had given up on life entirely and laughed like madmen.

There wasn’t a trace of hope anywhere in sight.

The scene was no different from two weeks ago. Instinctively, I covered Lian’s eyes and ears.

“B-big sis?”

“Kids shouldn’t see things like this.”

I knew full well that none of them were truly at fault. They had all been living ordinary lives. It would be strange if people suddenly thrown into a death game didn’t lose their minds. I had been the same.

Suddenly trapped in a death game. Turned into a woman. I had hidden in a cramped room, praying for salvation from sensations I didn’t understand.

But—

“……”

My gaze fell on a dark alleyway. I bit my lip hard.

If I focused, I could hear faint screams. I couldn’t tell whether they were my own voice from the past or someone else’s desperate cry for help.

One thing was certain: I still hadn’t completely escaped that place.

That was why I had to become stronger. Strong enough to protect myself. Strong enough to remain myself.

Though the city was chaotic, the deeper we moved inward, the slightly better the situation in Startia became. More people carried weapons than before, and guards patrolled more frequently, so completing the quest went smoothly.

Thanks to that, the carriage’s cargo bed was soon filled with fresh ingredients.

“Did you buy everything you needed?”

Lian nodded with a proud expression.

“Yes! We can head back now.”

“Not bad for someone so young.”

When I was his age, I had been too busy playing with friends. Feeling proud of him, I gently ruffled his hair.

I checked the time. It was a little past one in the afternoon. If we left now, we could reach the village before five.

‘Then I might have time to enter the forest for a bit.’

With luck, combining the quest reward with some hunting, I might even reach level 7 today.

I climbed back into the carriage and called out to the driver.

“We can depart now.”

It was at that exact moment—

“Everyone! Breaking news! Breaking news!”

A man came sprinting down the street, shouting at the top of his lungs.

And at the words that followed, I—and everyone else—could only stare in stunned silence.