HG Ch 13

<13>

[SYSTEM] You have completed the prerequisite quest. A new main quest, “Oh, My Eternal Sworn Companion,” has begun.

What is it this time?

[SYSTEM] While searching for the cause of the ominous energy seeping into Joseon, you sense a great threat.

Eunho was well aware of the storyline. It was something that had appeared in the novel. Upon reaching Spiritual Power level of 55, the first raid would take place. In the novel, the protagonist attempts to form a public party, only to be backstabbed by a party member, resulting in a heated keyboard battle.

[SYSTEM] This incident seems too difficult to handle alone.

So, this was about the time when party play would start. But how was he supposed to find a raid party when he was stuck in Conqueror’s Haki Mode^[1]? What if he gathered a party only for chaos to break out over his stunning beauty…?

While Eunho, fully immersed in the game’s world, was seriously contemplating this—

[SYSTEM] Now is the time to find a companion. Choose one trustworthy person and head to Seonyeok Village together to look for clues. [SYSTEM] ※ Your Sworn Companion cannot be changed once selected and will accompany you until the incident is resolved. Choose wisely.

Inside the pitch-dark eerie cavern, Eunho growled with barely restrained fury.

“Why did I abandon my training mission to do this instead? Do you really have to ask?”

Sure, MMORPG stood for “Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game,” but—

“Is it even legal for a game to force players like this?”

This blatant matchmaking system was ridiculous.

What kind of MMORPG operated like this? *It wasn’t even a co-op game.

This is a total failure in historical accuracy. It’s obvious the devs didn’t do their research properly.

When historical details were a bit off, he could be forgiving, thinking—Fine, the author must’ve tried their best. Even with effort, some things just don’t work out. What can you do?

But this was a game novel. If anything, they should have nailed the game mechanics.

「Humans are not meant to live alone. The lonelier you are, the faster you wear yourself out.」

“Just leave me alone. Interacting with others doesn’t resolve humanity’s fundamental loneliness. In the end, no matter what we do, we are solitary beings. True growth comes from accepting that.”

「…Could you at least act your age? Maybe try being a little endearing? Why does every word out of your mouth reek of cynicism instead of youthful naïveté?」

“I’m already a beauty that can overthrow nations. If I start acting cute on top of that, what then? It wouldn’t just be Joseon, the entire Earth would collapse. Are you prepared for the end of the world?”

「…Forget it. I’m wasting my breath. Anyway, you can’t stay here forever. Stop being stubborn and make your choice.」

As if to confirm the butterfly’s words, a system window popped up.

Ding!

[SYSTEM] A sudden realization.

Now what?

[SYSTEM] You have come to recognize that you stand at a crossroads of choice. [SYSTEM] Sudden Enlightenment effect: You have gained 16,830 special experience points.

What the hell is special experience? What kind of insane game is this?

[SYSTEM] You have met the required experience threshold. Spiritual Power has increased. [SYSTEM] Your HP and MP have been fully restored, and all status effects have been removed. [SYSTEM] You have reached Spiritual Power level 55. [SYSTEM] You have exceeded the dungeon entry limit. In 10 seconds, you will be automatically transported to the Buddhist altar at Hwajangsa Temple.

A forced eviction order? The sheer absurdity left him feeling like a man whose house had been demolished without warning.

[SYSTEM] 10

And just ten seconds before being thrown into the cold, indifferent world—Eunho’s expression plummeted, sinking in an instant.

[SYSTEM] 9 [SYSTEM] 8 [SYSTEM] …

The brilliance in his eyes abruptly faded, leaving behind nothing but lifeless dullness.

“…I see. So this is how it’s going to be?”

“I told you it wouldn’t work. I told you to stop. I told you I didn’t want this. But you ignored me. You kept pushing me until, in the end, you…”

Madness crept into his eyes.

Eunho shoved the last of his tarakjuk into his mouth.

[SYSTEM] After a hearty meal of tarakjuk, all lingering fatigue has vanished. [SYSTEM] Fatigue: 15/300

Fine. Let’s see who wins this game.

If my fate is to either turn homo or die, do you think I’ll go alone?

Let’s drag each other straight to hell.

***

**Do you know of a person who has been stuffed and mounted inside a novel?^[2]

A living, breathing person crushed flat by the weight of fiction. Aren’t you curious about the catastrophe that might unfold?  

Boom!

[SYSTEM] You have encountered “Maellengkomi.” [SYSTEM] Your mesmerizing gaze has melted “Maellengkomi’s” heart. [SYSTEM] “Maellengkomi’s” favorability has increased by 10.

Eunho indifferently pulled up the Threads of Fate list.

[Threads of Fate: 24. Maellengkomi]

Maellengkomi took a step closer to Eunho, wearing an enraptured expression as if gazing into a kaleidoscope.

“Sori-nim… This is the first time I’ve ever felt this way. I-I think I’ve fallen for you at first sigh—”

Before he could even finish his sentence, Eunho cut him off.

“Confession rejected. “

“…What?”

Eunho raised his left hand and swept his fingers through his hair in a slow, deliberate motion. Then, with a brief tilt of his chin, he gestured behind him.

“Over there.”

His appearance was as lustrous as jade, and his voice rang clear like rolling beads, causing Maellengkomi’s expression to melt into a daze.

As Maellengkomi, wearing a dazed, lovestruck smile, turned to look behind him—

“Hey, hey! Wait your turn!”

“You bastard! I’ve been waiting for a whole sijin^[3] just to confess to Sori-nim!”

“Sori-nim, this is the weapon I engraved my in-game name into! Please, just accept it!”

“Huff… Huff… I prepared this tarakjuk just for you! Please, eat it before it gets cold!”

“Hyung, don’t waste your time on these old geezers. Come hang out with me instead!”

“How dare you obstruct Sori-nim’s path? Are you out of your mind? Atone with your life!”

About 150 meters behind Eunho, a rowdy crowd of 23 members of the “MwonGaeSori’s Royal Guard” erupted into a frenzy.

Maellengkomi, verbally beaten black and blue, hurriedly bowed his head in apology.

“24th, listen up. Your turn is at the very back of the line. Now move! Proceed!”

“Proceed!”

With more people gathering, it seemed they had started establishing their own manual.

Eunho watched Maellengkomi get promptly sorted out and, satisfied, resumed walking.

“Wait for meee!”

Mr. Green Narae walked alongside Eunho. Why he was there, Eunho had no idea. But since the 23 members—no, now 24 members—of the Royal Guard seemed to be sorting themselves into some kind of order, he simply let it be.

Besides, what did it matter who was beside him?

At this point, Eunho had no other goal left except to go down in flames together with this novel.

“Don’t run, walk slowly.”

Yes. Utter ruin.

“You’ll trip.”

A spectacular, glorious downfall.

[SYSTEM] “Green Narae’s” favorability has increased by 5.

The moment Mr. Green Narae started fidgeting and twisting his body, a shriek erupted from behind them. It was no different from the howling of rabid dogs, yet Eunho remained unbothered. He turned slightly, throwing a glance over his shoulder, then curled his lips into a smirk.

The Royal Guard wavered, hit head-on by a fan service performance that could rival that of a pro idol.

“…Sori-nim just smiled at me!”

“No, Sori-nim smiled at me!”

“Are you serious? Has your sense of judgment aged along with you? Obviously, he smiled at me.”

“What? You bastard! Draw your weapon! Duel me!”

“D-don’t fight! You mustn’t fight…!”

“Out of the way, 24th!”

As the chaotic voices overlapped in a frenzy, Eunho thought to himself, Yeah. Kill each other.

「Why are you doing this? You need to choose a companion and set out to prevent disaster, yet here you are, toying with every single one of them.」

The butterfly, perched on the crown of Eunho’s head, spoke in a bewildered tone. But Eunho merely tilted his head, as if genuinely puzzled.

“Why should a great and noble man like me settle for just one person?”

「…Huh? Is that what this is about? Then… how many do you want?」

Eunho spread out the fingers of his right hand.

“Fifty.”

「…What?」

“At this point, my life is already crashing and burning. That’s the minimum needed to balance the equation.”

「Fifty?! You think that makes any sense?!」

“It does.”

「…What?」

“It does. I’m the protagonist, so what? Got a problem?”

「……」

“If you don’t like it, go find someone else to play this damn game.”

Was this how players felt when they deliberately sabotaged a match?

As everything spiraled into absolute chaos, a strange sense of liberation washed over him.

The past version of Joo Eunho no longer existed.

The man who used to stress over the tiniest disruption to his to-do list, who once suffered from gastritis just from overworking, had died from sheer pent-up rage.

Ever heard of Nongae^[4]?

Did you really think I’d go down alone?

Fine. Let them try writing romance with a protagonist who never gives his heart to anyone but leaves room for everyone.

As Eunho, half-mad, smiled serenely—

“I really was being dramatic, huh….”

A voice, unfamiliar and far too close, slipped into his ear.

It was as if someone was whispering directly against his skin. On instinct, Eunho snapped his head to the side.

And in that instant, a vast expanse of night sky spread before his eyes.

No.

He blinked in a rush, realizing his mistake.

It wasn’t the night sky.

It was a man’s gat, dark as ink, casting a shadow so deep that it turned the air around him into midnight. Beneath the brim, a pair of equally blackened eyes stared directly at Eunho.

Their gazes met, and the man smiled.

Eunho swallowed hard.

“Worried for no reason, wasn’t I?”

Even his smile couldn’t mask the chilling coldness in his eyes.

---

Author’s Note:

*Co-op Game

**“Do you know of a genius who has been stuffed and mounted?”

—Excerpt from Wings