HG Ch 6

<6>

Chirp, chirp.

[SYSTEM] Current Season: Spring, Rainwater (Usu) [SYSTEM] Current Time: Evening (Hour of the Rooster[1]) [SYSTEM] Current Weather in Nonyeok Village: Slightly cloudy

Eunho staggered briefly from the impact of the automatic teleportation and let out a deep sigh.

“Hah… That was terrifying.”

His tense body finally began to relax a little. Just before being teleported away from Dodeul-Yangji, he had been scared out of his wits when a shimmer rose mere steps away from him.

It must have been the spatial distortion caused by *“Teleportation Spell.” If I had been just one second slower, I would’ve run right into him.

—“Taming a clueless newbie who knows nothing to my taste… Just thinking about it makes my heart race.”

But no matter how much of a novel character he was, wasn’t he acting completely insane without any semblance of logic? Novels are supposed to prioritize coherence even more than reality, yet he clearly didn’t get that. In real life, even something as trivial as a strand of hair getting caught in a button could spark romance, but if that happened in a novel, readers would tear it apart. It was a writer’s duty to build a convincing narrative that readers could accept. Therefore, the fact that Eunho has no understanding of the current situation whatsoever is entirely due to the author’s negligence.

No, he understood that the guy was a veteran player who would be utterly captivated by a newbie. The moment he saw the character introduction mention “Newbie Conquest,” he knew he wasn’t just your average lunatic. But suddenly talking about fixing his habits, taming him, and f*cking him? That was beyond absurd. It felt like studying polynomials with all his might, only for implicit functions and inverse derivatives to show up on the exam.

On top of that—

● The protagonist just wants to live quietly → Ends up becoming famous.

● The protagonist wants to cruise through life effortlessly → Ends up overworked.

● The protagonist wants nothing to do with Character A → Ends up intertwined like wild vines on Mansu Mountain^[2] and spending a lifetime together.

The extensive database Eunho had built from reading countless fantasy novels pointed to nothing but ominous conclusions. Just now, hadn’t he practically lured the guy’s curiosity by acting like a beggar for no reason?

Caught off guard by the unexpected encounter, he had reacted too thoughtlessly. Assuming the other person wouldn’t be interested, he had put on an act—only for that very act to pique the guy’s interest. It was one of those age-old clichés.

“But if he likes me whether I act normal or crazy, then what the hell am I supposed to do?”

「Are you speaking of “fate”?」

“What fate, my ass!”

Eunho snapped.

Confession time. Eunho had always scoffed at protagonists in novels who fought against fate, suffering endlessly in the process. Why do they go through all that trouble? If a god told me which department to major in, I’d just accept it and go to college. But now that he was in their shoes, he wanted to fight fate with everything he had.

I’ve worked too damn hard all my life for it to end up like this—with that pervert…

His grip tightened around the beginner’s firearm. Now, even sheer stubbornness was fueling him. There was no way he was going to live according to this world’s script.

And it’s not like there aren’t any options.

If his fate were to be loved no matter what, then wouldn’t it be enough to simply stay out of sight? If they had no points of contact, coherence and narrative logic wouldn’t even matter. If they still try to force a connection, that’s just a crossover at that point. Readers will tear the author apart. Their writing career will be ruined.

「Is he not to your taste?」

Alright. First, he needed to get out of the village! The moment he decided on his course of action, Eunho moved quickly, only to hear a voice from the butterfly perched on his shoulder.

Annoyed by the ridiculous question, Eunho frowned.

“I’m a guy, you know.”

「I am aware. And why would that be an issue?」

“That’s not normal! I’m going to go back, date a pretty girl my age in college, and eventually get married!”

「From what I hear, it doesn’t necessarily have to be a woman. You can sleep with a man.」

At the indifferent response, Eunho finally snapped.

“What’s with this selectively open-minded attitude? You look down on commoners and discriminate against them, but when it comes to homosexuality, you’re all lenient? And if this is a virtual reality game, shouldn’t they be taking cybersex crimes more seriously? Where’s the oversight? Summon the Admin!”

[SYSTEM] Invalid command.

“Nyaa–ruined game^[3]!”

「No need to worry. “Ja-Gwi” offers a variety of opportunities. Soon, you will meet the destined one who will shatter that outdated mindset of yours. Meet many people, and experience many things.」

What the hell was this nonsense? It sounded like something a parent would say while sending off their marriageable child to a matchmaking meeting. Eunho was utterly baffled by how supportive the system seemed to be of same-sex relationships.

“Stop meowing nonsense! It’s my life, and I’ll live it how I want!”

「Oh, please. At least gain some spiritual power before you talk big. You’re still stuck at a mere 4. How disgraceful. By this time, the average player would have reached level 15.」

“Stay out of my business! I’m not a commoner anymore! I’ll handle things myself!”

“I’m not talking to Master anymore!”

「What?!」

Just as Eunho was yelling at the top of his lungs, a system window suddenly appeared before his eyes.

[Thread of Fate: Ryeongyul] [SYSTEM] Current Favorability: 55 [SYSTEM] “Ryeongyul” is longing for you. [SYSTEM] Current Status: Searching for my missing newbie. [SYSTEM] You have achieved a favorability of 50 or more. “Ryeongyul’s” status message is now visible to you. [SYSTEM] “Ryeongyul’s” status message: I wanna lick the newbie.

“Lovely!”

「You brat! Where do you get off shrieking like that? Are you begging for a real punishment?」

“I wasn’t yelling at Master!”

But now wasn’t the time for this. Practically sprinting, Eunho hurried out of the village, scanning his surroundings. In the distance, at the entrance to a forest path, stood an old woman. Though she appeared ordinary, a faint golden glow radiated around her like a halo. It likely signified that she was the NPC who initiated the “Strange Traces” quest.

Eunho rushed over and spoke to her hastily.

“Elder, I heard that strange things have been happening at night. I’d like to investigate right away—where should I go?”

He was so desperate that his role-playing came naturally now.

The old woman gazed steadily at Eunho, who had been speaking so fast he barely had time to breathe. Her eyes flickered toward the firearm slung over his shoulder, and then her deeply wrinkled lips curved into a crooked smile.

“Heh heh. Impatient hunter, aren’t you? No fear in you at all.”

“With my skills, there’s nothing to be afraid of.”

Ugh, I hate role-playing. Please just give me a selection window. Responding with a cocky drawl, Eunho felt like dying from secondhand embarrassment.

Finally, the old woman brought up the quest window.

[SYSTEM] Main Quest “Strange Traces” has begun. [SYSTEM] Leave Nonyeok Village and follow the trail into the mountains. You will come across a graveyard. Investigate what is happening there.

Wait—hold on a second. A graveyard?

Eunho hesitated.

“Be careful when heading to the graveyard at night. You might fall under the fox’s spell.”

Of course, since this was a Byeokgwi—an exorcism-themed—game, the protagonist of the novel roamed mountains and graveyards like they were his backyard, casually chatting with ghosts dripping in blood as if they were next-door neighbors. Eunho had read all that with ease, flipping through the pages without a second thought.

But letters on a page are different from pictures.

Pictures are different from videos.

And videos are entirely different from virtual reality…

Whooosh—

A chilling wind brushed against Eunho’s cheek.

[SYSTEM] The once sunset-lit sky has now turned pitch black. The weather seems especially gloomy tonight.

Walk alone down a forest path without streetlights, in the dead of night, to a graveyard? And observe whatever was happening there? In a world where not just wild animals but actual ghosts and demons actually existed?

Eunho trembled violently.

I-I don’t think I can do this.

* * *

“AAAAHHHHH!”

But he had no choice.

As Eunho dashed frantically through the forest path, his vision was suddenly flooded with a romantic pink glow.

[Thread of Fate: Ryeongyul] [SYSTEM] Current Favorability: 55 [SYSTEM] “Ryeongyul” desires you. [SYSTEM] Current Status: Trying to deduce where you might have gone. [SYSTEM] You have achieved a favorability of 50 or more. “Ryeongyul’s” status message is now visible to you. [SYSTEM] “Ryeongyul’s” status message: When we meet again… I’ll make sure you can’t live without me, hehe.

From now on, the mere sight of pink might give him PTSD.

「Take the right path!」

“AAAHH!”

「Now the left!」

“What the hell is this?! Hahh… Hahh… Something just moved, Master!”

「It’s a mountain rabbit. Get a grip and keep running straight!」

“Somebody help meee!”

「You’re mistaken. Right now, you’re no longer a person^[4]. You’re a beast! Act like a human for once! How exactly do you plan to survive without me?!」

Before he knew it, he had arrived at the graveyard.

The butterfly, which had been tightly clutched in Eunho’s hands throughout his mad dash, wriggled in protest. But Eunho only tightened his grip, holding it as if in desperate prayer, and pleaded earnestly.

“I can’t live without you, Master! Don’t you dare leave my side! I told you not to! Do you want to see me lose my mind?!”

「You lunatic.」

---

Author’s Note:

*Teleportation Spell – A teleportation skill possessed by all job classes in Jagwi. Users can set up to three coordinates freely for teleportation.