The sharp taste of metal lingered on the tip of my tongue.
My spine was damp with tension, and the overwhelming pressure made it hard to breathe.
But.
I managed to overcome countless shudders and successfully typed in the chat.
[ ImARealWizard (Warrior): ㄷ리! Right now!! ]
I typed so frantically that I even made a typo.
Luckily, my intention was accurately conveyed to the other party members.
A variety of characters rushed at the gigantic raid monster.
This time, we really got it, right? …Did we defeat it?
For a moment, my ominous thoughts were interrupted as the raid monster began to engulf itself in a sea of light.
Big letters appeared on the screen.
『GREAT ENEMY FELLED』
A phrase signifying the boss’s death.
I felt energy drain from my whole body as I sank deeply into my gaming chair.
It was the result of dozens of tries.
[ Grepejamiohnya (Thief): Kyaaaaa!!! ]
Only after seeing the chat from the least controlled dealer did I let out a sigh of relief.
“…We got it.”
If we had failed again, I would have clutched my neck due to blood pressure and been rushed to the hospital. Seriously.
To be honest, I thought we were doing a raid on the party leader, not the boss.
– ‘Huh? It still hasn’t fallen after this much trolling?’
It was a very enlightening time as I realized the limits of my patience.
Anyway.
I completed my role as party leader while watching the happy characters.
[ ImARealWizard (Warrior): Great job, everyone. ]
[ Grepejamiohnya (Thief): sss ]
[ RabbitGangDude (Archer): You all worked hard… ]
[ IiiIiiIilIlill1l (Warrior): Good job. ]
Everyone left encouraging words in response to my chat.
I never expected to be able to do a 30-person raid in this game. Since increasing party numbers raises the cooperation difficulty of raids, it was a tough fight.
It would have been much easier if the warrior received buffs…
I glanced at the developer (Eve) sitting next to me with a slightly dissatisfied look.
“What’s the matter?”
“Could you buff the warrior a bit?”
“Thank you for your valuable opinion, dear customer. However, buffs for the warrior profession are not currently planned, and we will notify you separately later. Have a great day!”
“……”
What kind of tone is that?
It really sounded like a response left by a game company employee.
I chuckled and typed again among the elated party members.
[ ImARealWizard (Warrior): Now, I will distribute the raid boss drop items. I will divide them based on profession and contribution, so if there’s any specific item you want, please let me know in advance! ]
First of all, I started item distribution to avoid any incidents like last time.
[ Grepejamiohnya (Thief): Dealer… Dealer items! ]
[ ImARealWizard (Warrior): Congratulations, Thief! You came in last among the dealers! In fact, you even dealt less than the tank! Here, take this white item! ]
[ Grepejamiohnya (Thief): … ]
A reasonable distribution.
—
Neon City had finally welcomed winter.
What this means is…
It’s been a whole month since I last set foot outside.
In the past, if I had not gone out for just a week, my view interface would have been noisy with messages, but now, that’s no longer the case.
Maybe it’s just a feeling, but it seems like I want to stay in even more lately.
Anyway, my last outing was when I went to the lower class with Eve and Andrea to find clues about spirits.
Of course, I had no intention of staying cooped up inside for so long.
I stretched widely and got up from my seat.
As I moved toward the wall, I relaxed the muscles in my body that had stiffened from focus and tension.
When I activated the switch linked to my view interface, the opaque wall began transforming into a transparent glass wall.
It reflected the clean scenery of the white city.
Flurries of light snow danced between the towering skyscrapers.
On rainy days, it felt like I had back pain, and on snowy days, the implant surgery areas ached.
It was a chilling scene just to look at.
This is why I don’t want to go outside…
Outside, I saw many people bundled up in thick clothing.
No matter how unique the fashion of the cyberpunk world was, seeking “style” in such weather would be hard.
Especially when I thought about how each year, people die from icicles hanging from ceiling blockers, and those who flaunt their midriffs end up in the emergency room when their temperature control implants malfunction— it made it even worse.
Well, the middle class was certainly better off compared to the lower class.
At least the temperature control systems were operational, and in the lower class, people literally die from the cold every year.
But still, cold is cold.
To make excuses, my physical attribute of “delicate skin” was the problem. I had a minus adjustment for cold.
It’s definitely not that I can’t handle the cold.
Hmm.
I briefly considered stepping outside for some fresh air.
But it would be better to just leave it as a thought.
Covering up the trembling outside scenery again, the opaque wall settled back into place.
Looks like my next outing will be in the spring of next year.
I made a resolution, thinking about how my roommates would be shocked if they heard this.
“Uh, Siwoon…?”
Julia’s voice came next.
There’s no way she read my mind.
I responded kindly without showing my feelings.
“What’s wrong?”
Anything asked by our party’s central dealer, ‘RabbitGangDude’, is welcome.
I just want to pat her on the head.
If only Julia wasn’t older than me, I would have done so dozens of times already.
Julia cautiously fiddled with her cyberware prosthetic arm and continued speaking.
“I think someone’s calling for you in the game…”
“Oh, thank you.”
“…Hehe.”
Who could it be calling me?
If it was about the next raid schedule, I would have informed everyone already.
I sat down in my fluffy chair and looked at the old monitor.
I saw a character jumping and spinning around my character.
[ InfoSeller7 (Warrior): Are you offline? ]
A familiar info seller from my past.
It’s the Underdog.
He had also been a warrior that just raided together.
Scrolling through the chat, I saw a continuous log of calls for me.
[ ImARealWizard (Warrior): ? ]
Why is he suddenly calling me?
[ InfoSeller7 (Warrior): Oh, you’re awake. ]
His character acted relieved. This guy has become very accustomed to the game compared to before.
Thinking about it, I don’t think I’ve seen him log out much.
How did the info seller from the Backworld Network end up like this…
…
Since my proportional share was also a bit involved, I quickly typed in the chat.
[ ImARealWizard (Warrior): I distributed all the drop items as intended, right? I even gave up my shield, but honestly, asking for my helmet too is a bit… ]
[ InfoSeller7 (Warrior): No, it’s not that I’m being greedy. That’s not why I called the guild master. ]
Then what is it?
I waited for the Underdog’s next message.
Although he previously gave me false information regarding Pete Mc and passed my info to Heishukai when I went to the black market, now he has become a valuable warrior in raids.
Being broad-minded, I forgave him for tanking the boss’s breath instead of me a few days ago.
Anyway.
The Underdog’s message came through.
It was not what I had anticipated.
[ InfoSeller7 (Warrior): Uhm… do you have any contact with the brother who used to hang out with me? ]
[ ImARealWizard (Warrior): Which brother? ]
I think I remember more than one.
[ InfoSeller7 (Warrior): Wait a moment… his ID is a bit complicated… ]
His chat soon continued.
[ InfoSeller7 (Warrior): P2034871140, that’s it. ]
Ah.
—
Looking back, I realize I haven’t been paying attention lately.
No matter how much “no news is good news” is a saying, in this cruel cyberpunk world, the absence of news often signifies bad news.
My second master.
The wizard who went to the underground level.
The first to fall for me—Zhenbu 2.
I scratched my head, recalling the name of Merlin as Underdog asked for news.
[Connection not available. You can leave a voicemail, and if there is no subscription for the related service, a fee may be charged─.]
As expected, he’s not answering.
I called just in case, but the signal didn’t connect.
There were no new messages either.
“…Hmm.”
Honestly, I’m worried.
Especially since he went to the underground level to find a new magic system for me, I feel even worse.
“What’s wrong, is something up?”
I heard the chairman’s voice from the opposite table.
It was also a problem that I had forgotten it was mealtime while I was lost in thought.
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
I instinctively shook my head.
But that alone was insufficient to dodge the chairman’s piercing gaze.
“…Really?”
The chairman’s eyes penetrated into me.
Suddenly, the surrounding became quiet. During mealtime, a silence hung in the air.
Looking around, everyone’s gaze was fixed on me.
Why are they all staring at me?
I let out a light sigh and replied.
“…It’s really nothing. Recently, there was a person named Merlin who taught me magic.”
“The one who was caught trying to break into this building last time?”
“…Yeah.”
That’s why I had to rescue him from jail.
I slowly picked at my soup, carefully choosing my words.
“How do I explain this? That person went down to the underground level because of me. But since then, I haven’t heard from him, so I’m a bit worried.”
I couldn’t just go searching for him in the underground level with no clues.
This is completely different from when Smith went missing.
Simply put, it’s like trying to find one person in the expanse of Neon City’s underground.
Ultimately, the most reasonable approach was to wait for other news or messages.
“…Hmm, is that so?”
I didn’t pay much attention to the chairman’s ambiguous reply.
—
The next day.
I heard rumors about a super artificial intelligence sweeping the net space, news about Monolith’s employees being busy, and reports that the info personnel associated with No Answer were looking for information related to the underground level.
“……”
I never imagined that after merely one comment during mealtime, all these events would transpire.
And.
Nobody knows that a post with zero views was uploaded in the Fusion-Japanese Restaurant community.
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