In the Vast Desert

It was pure coincidence that we discovered Park Jocheol and Namgung Cheonho in the vast desert.

“Huh? Do you hear that sound by any chance?”

“What sound?”

Geumrin stopped walking shortly after we entered the desert. The boy closed his eyes for a moment and began twitching his fin-like ears, listening intently.

“Hmm… It’s pretty noisy around here right now. Sounds like a fight… and this one feels like it’s coming from underground?”

Sound is ultimately vibrations in the air picked up by the eardrums. Since the merfolk lived underwater, it was hardly surprising that they sensed vibrations far more sensitively than humans.

“Really? Are the monsters fighting over territory?”

From what we had seen so far, monsters above Lv.3 tended to be quite intelligent. Many established their own territories and fiercely guarded them. In a desert where prey was already scarce, such territorial battles felt perfectly natural.

But when I tilted my head at Geumrin’s explanation, the boy frowned more deeply and shook his head.

“I’m not sure about that. It’s just a feeling, but the scale seems pretty big…”

“Is it far from here?”

“No, it’s close. I can’t detect anything too far away anyway.”

At his words I grinned and drew my sword.

“Then let’s go.”

Whether it was monsters fighting each other or people fighting monsters, the important thing was that a decent monster waited at the end. We had already hunted a considerable number while cutting through the jungle—everything from Lv.1 to Lv.3. Of course we had run into that Lv.4 white monkey, but after it wiggled its rear at my Moonlight Sword Art, dropped its treasure, and fled, calling it a proper hunt felt like a stretch.

The real issue was that even after defeating so many monsters, I had collected only three treasures. It seemed Lv.1 and Lv.2 monsters simply didn’t drop them, making Lv.3 and above the true targets.

And that was exactly why I was heading toward the sounds of battle now.

“It might be dangerous.”

“That’s why we’re going.”

You needed to hunt high-level monsters to obtain treasures. That alone was reason enough to walk straight into danger.

Following Geumrin’s guidance, we soon found a suspiciously artificial sand pit. The sight practically screamed This is a dungeon! Light flashed from below and heavy roars echoed upward, confirming this was the combat zone the boy had sensed.

I jumped straight into the pit.

The unidentified dungeon welcomed me as smoothly as a slide. The moment I reached the bottom of the dark shaft, the scene before me made me activate a form of the Moonlight Sword Art instantly.

Magic power flickered at the tip of my blade, releasing a soft silvery glow. The sword flashed as though it might fire a beam at any second. In front of me stood a giant spider, and beside it the shadows of two people cast in moonlight entered my sight.

Namgung Cheonho lay collapsed on the ground. Park Jocheol was moments away from being devoured. I had no idea how they had ended up here or what kind of battle could have charred a house-sized spider black. The only thing that mattered right now was saving Park Jocheol.

I brought my upward-pointed sword down in a clean arc, slicing the spider’s belly wide open.

Together with the message announcing the monster’s death, a golden necklace shaped like a spider rose into the air.

Right after it, an unfamiliar golden gem appeared.

It was the same type of gem we had received from the white monkey. I still had no idea how or where to use it, but anything that dropped from a rarely seen Lv.4 monster had to be valuable. Still, there was no time to admire it.

I lifted the unconscious, web-wrapped Park Jocheol onto my back and moved toward Namgung Cheonho, who lay sprawled on the ground.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

“Mr. Park Jocheol, how’s your body?”

“Ugh, it’s a little stiff but I can move well enough. My arm hurts though… Did I roll around that much?”

After a long struggle with the spider silk, Park Jocheol finally freed himself and rolled his shoulders to loosen up. Namgung Cheonho had reset the dislocated arm while he was unconscious; fortunately the joint had seated properly again.

“We survived thanks to you, Mr. Siin. I was completely exhausted and Mr. Park Jocheol was combat-incapacitated… By the way, who is this little friend?”

Namgung Cheonho asked about Geumrin, who stood quietly beside me watching the two men. I gave a brief explanation of how we had met at the start of the competitive match.

“Ah, so it’s a temporary alliance.”

“Something like that.”

“Hmm…”

Namgung Cheonho seemed to be weighing something. He glanced at Geumrin and opened his mouth again.

“Oh? If it’s something important, should I step away for a bit?”

Geumrin, surprisingly perceptive, offered to give them privacy. But Namgung Cheonho let out a short breath through his nose and simply waved for the boy to stay seated.

“It’s fine for him to hear. Actually, when that spider died earlier, I managed to obtain an item.”

“An item?”

What kind of item would an underground monster drop? Come to think of it, did monsters drop things besides treasures?

The three of us tilted our heads in confusion. Namgung Cheonho smiled like a child about to show off a fascinating new toy.

“This.”

An old sheet of thick brown paper—papyrus or treated leather. One look was enough to tell it was no ordinary object.

“Is this… a map?”

Geumrin’s eyes sparkled as he saw the detailed depiction of the entire competition area, from the northern snow mountains to the bordering jungle and desert, plus rocky mountains, volcanoes, and every other ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠terrain.

“Isn’t this the white monkey?”

“Looks like it…”

Following the boy’s finger, I saw a monkey face composed of various beasts drawn at the jungle’s edge. Though simple, it was clearly the same creature that had given me the bracelet and gem before leaving.

The map was covered in all kinds of symbols: weather and characteristics of each region, the monsters that lived there, even their levels. It felt exactly like looking at a game minimap, and I slowly realized just how enormous a jackpot we had stumbled ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠upon.

Namgung Cheonho seemed to feel it most strongly.

“Aren’t your reactions a bit too calm? This is basically a map hack.”

He was right. The map showed roughly five locations marked with Lv.4 monsters. If we hunted them diligently over the next few days, we could collect nearly thirty treasures.

If we clean up the Lv.3 monsters while traveling between them… first place doesn’t seem impossible.

There were also areas marked with [?]. Right in the center of the field. A strange black thorny thicket surrounded an odd symbol whose meaning was impossible to guess.

“This looks like the boss, doesn’t it?”

“No matter how you look at it.”

If the spider we had just killed was a field boss, then the black question mark in the center was likely the dungeon’s final boss. Logically, whoever defeated it would hold a massive advantage in every subsequent competitive match.

“Let’s set the center as our final destination and plan our route accordingly. We’ll avoid small fry and focus on field bosses.”

Both men and the young merfolk nodded at my suggestion. At some point Geumrin had become completely absorbed in the conversation. It seemed he had already forgotten his earlier statement about only traveling with us until we found Cheongrin.

At that same moment, in the volcanic region.

“Scatter…! Scatter!”

A player who failed to dodge the fireball hurled by the Volcano Spirit was retired on the spot, reducing the Holy Kingdom group by yet another member.

Those who had set out to find the Saintess the moment the match began. Several Holy Kingdom players had already died on the forced march, but they paid it no mind. Protecting the Saintess was all that mattered. She was the only hope who could save their ruined world. Even if others called their belief extreme, they moved forward with unyielding conviction.

“Landon!”

At the center of the group, the Saintess stretched out her hand and sent holy power toward the red knight charging the spirit. The flickering light struck him, and he thrust his sword straight forward.

The sharp sound of air being torn apart rang out as the beam of light pierced the spirit’s chest. The golem’s body swelled rapidly and then exploded.

“Protect the Saintess!”

As fragments of the spirit flew in every direction, several shield-bearing paladins moved in front of her to guard her body.

A red-colored brooch fell in front of Landon, the red knight who had delivered the final blow. It was a treasure that raised stamina. Landon immediately walked toward the Saintess to present the loot he had gained from the spirit. With this, they had collected five treasures for her. All that remained was to send her out of the competitive match first and then have the rest of the group fend for themselves.

“This is the last brooch.”

Landon bowed his head and offered the loot. But the Saintess did not accept it for a long time. When he raised his head in confusion, she was staring intently at an old sheet of paper she had not possessed before.

“What is that?”

“It appears to be a map, Sir Landon.”

In her gaze was the center of the worn map—an area painted black. It looked like a path blocked by tangled thorny bushes.

“Our next destination will be this place.”

“Understood!”

“Understood!”

When she pointed at the center of the map, the surrounding knights raised their swords in salute. Their original plan had been to send her back to the lobby and have the remaining ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Holy Kingdom knights focus on survival, but if this was her choice, obeying was their duty as retainers.

All the knights sheathed their weapons and straightened their formation. Their final destination was the center of the individual match field—the place that, to anyone’s eyes, looked like it would hold the final boss.