“F*c—!”
As the curse that had been interrupted burst out thunderously, my body trembled involuntarily.
Suddenly, a space filled with echoing recordings appeared.
Damp air and warmth permeated the surroundings.
Even though I was just standing still, it felt like I was about to break into a sweat.
[Entering the mission area.]
[This location is not a player protected zone.]
[Purification agents (×3) are provided.]
The system was sending messages, taking advantage of my momentary confusion.
“Not a protectected zone?”
The sentence changed.
During the tutorial, it was always designated as a protection zone.
Does that mean this place is different from there? In what sense?
If I had the free time, I might have pondered these questions a bit more.
Before I could contemplate, my whole body tensed up as if in fear.
A strange creature stood beyond the newly-appearing mission window.
Its build was similar to mine, but its visible physical features were completely different.
Feet resembling those of a beast, hands shaped like a human’s, and on top of that, black, furry fur.
Long claws and nails reminiscent of a polar bear.
Pointed ears like a fox.
A snout protruding forward like that of a dog or wolf.
Four fangs are jutting downward.
And its eyes that were entirely crimson without distinction between whites and pupils.
“Kiiik?”
Something was observing me, tilting its head with a curious gaze.
What on earth should I call that thing standing on two legs like a human?
I bet I’m seeing that thing for the first time since I was born.
All the muscles in my body tensed up as if in fear.
The creature stared at me intensely beyond the mission window.
And when the window disappeared, leaving nothing between us.
“I’m starting the mission.”
“Kiaaaah!”
As the message appeared, the monster roared, opening its jaws wide.
A split tongue and teeth filling the roof of its mouth like a hedgehog’s spikes were revealed.
My body involuntarily flinched.
“T-That mouth…”
Certainly, when that thing opened its jaws, it looked like flesh extended with it.
In human terms, it meant the edges of its lips tore apart.
Yet, when it closed its jaws again, everything returned to normal.
It wasn’t an illusion. The hair on my body stood on end, I was terrified.
“W-What is that?”
What in the world is that monster?
In the shocking encounter, not just my body but even my thoughts froze.
“Kiik?”
At that moment, the creature tilted its head and took a step to the side, observing me.
It started circling around me.
‘What’s going on?’
The creature’s behavior right now is like…
‘Is it examining me?’
Trying to confirm whether I’m strong or weak.
Just as I realized that, my cheek twitched.
‘What happens after it confirms?’
The moment that thing deems me easy.
Gulp.
It revealed its teeth, adopting a threatening posture.
I forced my stiff body to move.
As if about to charge at any moment, I shifted my weight forward.
Hmm.
Was my action the right answer? The monster trembled.
And it lowered its stance, ready to charge at any moment.
It felt like a declaration that it wouldn’t yield to me.
A tense atmosphere enveloped us.
Without either of us moving, we exchanged sharp glances during that moment.
“Aaaah!”
In the distance, a clear scream that unmistakably belonged to a human reached our ears.
That was the trigger.
The monster and I simultaneously charged towards each other.
It was almost an instinctive reaction.
If I retreat here, he will look down on me.
To avoid being overwhelmed by the nerve-wracking situation, I had to move too.
“——!”
Someone’s desperate scream continued, but there was no time to look back.
I began using Mana and thrust the spear straight at him.
The monster twisted its body, avoiding the spear.
But it didn’t end there.
He pushed through the spear, coming closer, and then swung his claws toward my legs.
In a desperate attempt, I pulled my targeted leg back.
As the monster shifted its focus to my other leg.
“Oh, damn!”
I completely threw my body backward, avoiding his claws.
“Shit!”
As I lost balance and fell backward, he slammed onto the ground.
“At this rate, I’ll be torn apart!”
I swung the spear desperately towards the approaching monster.
Thud.
His head turned to the side, and my body rolled on the ground.
I tried to roll over to get up, but the monster was faster than me.
As he turned towards me again, he opened his mouth wide.
I couldn’t even imagine his tongue sticking out.
“Ugh!”
I screamed in disbelief at the horrifying sight.
But the snake-like tongue that emerged quickly coiled around my neck.
“Thunk!”
While my throat was dry, sharp claws dug into my shoulder.
If I hadn’t quickly focused my Mana, it would have pierced deep.
I let go of the spear and took out a dagger from my storage.
There was no hesitation in my move to thrust it into the monster’s eye.
Swoosh.
“Kieeek!”
The monster wrapped its head around mine and jumped up.
I was about to stab the dagger into his chest, but…
“What the…?”
I froze, making a dumbfounded sound.
“Is this…?”
Since the monster with the dagger in its eye started to flee.
For a moment, I stared at the direction the monster ran away, as if I were dazed.
“—!”
After the desperate scream, the surroundings fell silent.
I quickly got up, looking in the direction of the sound.
“Surely….”
If I didn’t mishear, what I just heard was human voices.
***
After the monster fled, I took care of the bleeding on my shoulder.
I tore my clothes to wrap it, but it wasn’t too severe.
“It’s better than just leaving it.”
Fortunately, the wound wasn’t deep.
It wasn’t a puncture, nor a cut.
My muscles were unharmed.
At most, my clothes was torn apart.
There was some pain, but I had no problem moving my shoulder.
Thanks to promptly using Mana manipulation at a right time.
“Ha.”
Thinking of such injuries as nothing special at the moment amazed me.
I got up and sighed.
Then I raised my head high.
“…I guess I’ll survive.”
The white sky welcomed me.
I noticed it while stopping the bleeding.
It wasn’t a cloud, but a sky.
To call it a sky was ambiguous; it was too close for that.
Moreover, that artificial feeling was familiar.
“It looks like the place where I did the mission….”
Not only the color, but the unique feeling resembled that white space.
After a while, I wiped my face with my hand.
My palm was full of damp sweat.
“It’s damn hot.”
It had only been a few minutes since I came here. Even if I am right, it was about five minutes.
Yet, I was already sweating profusely.
I briefly stuck my tongue out and alternately looked in different directions.
One was the direction the monster fled, and the other was where I heard the screams from people
“Where should I go?”
If I head towards the direction of the scream, I might join forces with someone.
It seems like this mission involves other players, excluding me, being in the same space.
If we stick together, the risk should decrease when encountering monsters again.
However…
“Why is it so quiet? It’s making me uneasy.”
After the desperate scream ended, there was complete silence.
The silence only increased my uneasiness.
“They might already be done over there.”
The scream was similar to the dying cries of the beasts I had killed.
Considering the silence that followed, it didn’t seem likely that they were still alive.
If they had killed the monster at the end of the struggle, its roar should have been heard.
What I heard was undoubtedly the scream of a person.
Thinking that someone might have actually died sent shivers down my spine.
“If I didn’t know how to use Mana…”
I would have screamed and howled when I encountered the monster.
Just like when the lions tore me apart.
Recalling that moment, the fear of death slowly crept inside me.
“Mission window.”
As soon as the location changed and I encountered the monster, there was no time to check the mission details.
I need to know how this mission ends.
That way, I can return to the room.
[MISSION
Promotion Test (Beta Test)]
Eliminate the enemies (0/13).]
[Rewards
Different rewards will be given based on performance.
• Attribute Mana 10
• Promotion (varying based on performance)
• Attribute Stone (varying based on performance)
• Currency (10,000,000 won)]
There was no time limit or start timer for this mission.
The content was more vague than before.
But there was only one word that caught my eye.
“Ten million won (around 7500 USD)?”
Gulp.
My throat made a loud, gurgling sound.
—
Ethan, born and raised in the UK, had just turned 20 this year and was a student.
Despite his rough personality, he lived a fairly ordinary life, except for his large build.
However, everything changed abruptly due to the game that started.
He was with friends on the day of the first mission, and it happened to be at a shopping center.
He disappeared suddenly and returned with blood on his body; chaos was inevitable.
He was arrested and interrogated.
Fortunately or unfortunately, another mission occurred while he was in custody.
Repetitive summons and details about the system that Ethan stated.
Weapons appearing and disappearing in thin air, and a significant enhancement in physical abilities.
The UK government moved before the third mission began.
They took Ethan to MI5 (Military Intelligence, section 5: the UK’s domestic security intelligence agency).
There, he received protection, surveillance, and basic military training while preparing for the third mission, but most of it was pointless.
All the weapons he had stored in the locker disappeared when the mission started.
He faced a bear with nothing but his bare hands.
“I should have learned martial arts.”
For the past few days, Ethan had focused more on marksmanship.
Wrong choices resulted in injuries.
To kill the bear, he had to sacrifice one arm.
The sound of bones being crushed by the bear’s jaw still seemed to echo.
The sight of a completely severed arm was visible.
Unfortunately, there was no time to recover from the shock of the dismemberment before the fourth mission began.
“Boom!”
His body, reaching a height of 191cm, sliced through the air like a sheet of paper.
Less than a minute after encountering a monster that dripped black liquid from its empty eye, the situation turned frightening.
Thud!
Ethan’s body hit the ground after colliding with a tree.
The monster’s tongue, stretched several meters, coiled around Ethan’s neck, swinging him mercilessly.
“What strength!”
He tried to endure somehow, but the difference in strength was stark.
Ethan helplessly succumbed to the monster.
Suddenly floating and then ruthlessly slammed into the ground, he groaned in pain from the impact that struck his entire body.
“Thud!”
The impact of the full-body blow caused involuntary moans mixed with pain to escape.
“I need to find balance…”
Continuing to be tossed around like this won’t lead to a solution.
Somehow, balance must be regained on order to confront the monster.
However, the monster didn’t give Ethan a chance to recover.
Thud, thud, thud.
It began to swing Ethan’s body with just its tongue.
As Ethan, he couldn’t resist the monster’s strength.
In every aspect, the monster overwhelmed him.
Due to the blocked airway, his face had turned a bluish hue.
“Kyaaah!”
The monster had a firm grip on Ethan’s body as if intending to finish him off.
In an instant, death loomed right in front of Ethan.
“No, I don’t want to die!”
He struggled, but there seemed to be no way to escape the monster.
A moment of despair.
A voice reached Ethan’s ears as he writhed, holding onto the monster’s tongue.
“Mi chin noma! (You Crazy!) Geu sa lam nea lyeo nwa! (Let him go!)”
(This part was written by the author like this. He probably used google translation and copy pasted it.)
An incomprehensible language.
Simultaneously, swaek!
A creepy cracking sound echoed.
“Ki-eeeek!”
A dreadful scream echoed as the force on the monster’s tongue was released.
“Huuk!”
As Ethan struggled to catch his breath, a black shadow swiftly passed by.
“Ya i sae kki ya, geo gi seo!(Hey, you bastard!)”
Ethan coughed violently and lifted his head with great effort.
A man of East Asian descent, shirtless, was leaping behind the monster that had started to crumble.
“Cheon man won! (Ten Million Won!)”
Immediately after, incomprehensible words were accompanied by black liquid scattering into the air.
The monster that had just instilled the fear of death in Ethan slowly began to crumble.
