TNAAS Ch 13

Episode 13

He looked up at Rai with an expression that could be taken as rude, mixed with a hint of disbelief. There was no such thing anywhere in the world as a Guild Master joining a quest himself. Yeonwoo was grateful that Rai had accompanied him this far, but it would be unwise to get any closer. Whenever he looked at Rai, he would sometimes be seized by the strange illusion that this wasn’t a game but reality, and that made him uncomfortable.

“No, I’ll have to refuse. I appreciate you coming with me this far, but let’s stop here. I don’t travel with anyone.”

He worried that he might have rejected him too sharply, but if he didn’t make his stance firm now, he would once again be swept up by Rai’s pace. Whether Rai hadn’t expected Yeonwoo’s reaction or was simply thinking it over, he stood there blankly for a while before giving a faint smile.

“Understood. If that’s what you wish, Mr. Yeonwoo… It’s a shame, but I’ll only stay with you until today’s subjugation raid.”

Seeing Rai accept the distance so easily, unlike how he had been recently, Yeonwoo felt a small wave of relief. He had comforted himself by thinking that he was seeing sides of him he hadn’t known before, since they hadn’t been detailed in the game so far. So now that the cold, iron-walled Rai he knew was back, he couldn’t be happier.

Suppressing the involuntary smile that tugged at his lips in relief, Yeonwoo said his farewell.

“Once the subjugation raid ends, I’m planning to go on vacation right away, so I might not get the chance to say goodbye later. Thank you for everything, Mr. Leo.”

“It was my pleasure as well. I’m glad to have worked alongside such a capable member of our guild. Please be careful during the raid.”

Rai, offering a farewell as cool as his expression, turned his back without hesitation and walked to his position. Everything finally felt like it had returned to its proper place.

Yeah. This is how it should be. I just need to leave like this…

It wasn’t that Yeonwoo disliked the time he had spent bickering with Rai. On the contrary, he had enjoyed it. Even in reality, he could count on one hand the number of times he’d been able to speak so openly and comfortably with someone. It would have been nice if they could have met not as game characters, but in real life.

As a strange sense of regret began to rise within him, Yeonwoo quickly shook his head to dispel it.

“This is just a game. It’s not real. That person is only a programmed setting.”

He muttered the words repeatedly, almost like brainwashing himself. Whether he was trying to engrave the truth deep into his heart or deny the reality that loomed closer, even he couldn’t tell.

Slap—

Trying to snap himself out of it, Yeonwoo struck his own cheek hard and then marched toward the tunnel entrance. This wasn’t the time to get sentimental. He had to defeat the final boss and return to reality.

Taking his assigned position from earlier, Yeonwoo surveyed his surroundings. On screen, it hadn’t felt like much, but seeing it up close, the entrance to the undersea tunnel was truly magnificent.

On a beach where emerald waves crashed against the shore, an entrance as tall as a five-story apartment building loomed imposingly, creating a jarring sight. The tunnel extending outward led beneath the sea, reminiscent of a dungeon gate.

Once he stepped inside, the raid would begin. A little past the entrance, low-level monsters would start appearing one by one. The deeper they went, the stronger the monsters would become until, at the final barrier, the boss monster would emerge.

He had been here several times before, so he silently recited the sequence of the undersea tunnel in his mind. In the game, taking a few hits from low-level monsters hadn’t been much of a problem, but this was different. A single mistake could mean death or something just as irreversible.

Gazing into the depths of the tunnel, which had now become far from an easy mark, Yeonwoo swallowed dryly. From the front, a guild member shouted loudly, as if the final preparations were done.

“We’re heading in now! Please stay in formation and follow carefully!”

Now it was truly beginning. This wasn’t a battlefield for his character; it was one that Yeonwoo himself had to face.

* * *

As expected, the front-line attackers swiftly took care of the early monsters. Their levels seemed to be higher than he had anticipated, so there was no significant damage in the rear line.

Watching the situation unfold far more smoothly than his nerves had prepared him for, Yeonwoo let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Phew, I guess we cleared it.

Damn it. I just set up a flag^[1].

Realizing he had carelessly thought something he shouldn’t have, Yeonwoo spat to the side a few times to ward off the bad luck. The formation briefly wavered as the people around him were startled by his sudden spitting, but it soon returned to order.

There wasn’t much distance left before they reached the boss area. Feeling calmer now, Yeonwoo finally had the leisure to take in his surroundings.

The tunnel’s inner walls were transparent, like being inside an aquarium, allowing him to see the entire underwater world around them. They had apparently come quite deep into the ocean; the sea around them was sunk in darkness without a trace of light, but to Yeonwoo, it was an extraordinarily rare sight. He should have felt fear, yet it was so beautiful it left him speechless.

From glowing jellyfish to enormous fish, there were things here that could never be seen in reality. It was impossible not to be fascinated. He wanted to get closer to the wall for a better look, but the guild members were watching the mercenaries with such sharp eyes that he couldn’t risk it.

He was quietly enjoying the scenery when a murmur of noise, out of place in the silent depths, began rising from the front.

Pulling his gaze away, Yeonwoo rose on his toes to see what was happening, but his short height made it difficult. In the end, he asked the person in front of him.

“What’s going on? It’s really loud up there.”

The man, who had been nervously watching the front, flinched at Yeonwoo’s voice and turned around with a start. His reply came out in a trembling voice.

“Ah, up there… th-the b-boss… people, it… it suddenly appeared, and they…”

His eyes were already clouded with fear, making it hard to understand what he was saying, but at the word “boss,” Yeonwoo’s eyes widened.

“The boss? That can’t be right. We’re not at the boss area yet!”

Yeonwoo’s startled voice rose in urgency. The man hunched his shoulders and was about to stammer out another reply when a deafening crash echoed from the front. Guild members in the middle of the formation turned back in a panic, waving their hands.

“The boss has appeared ahead! Everyone, stay calm and begin casting your spells!”

“If you can use rapid healing magic, come to me! We’ll move forward together!”

The boss? There is still supposed to be some distance before the boss area. Right now, only the mob monsters are supposed to appear…

Cutting his thought short, Yeonwoo quickly approached the guild member who was calling for mages to gather.

“I-I’ll go.”

He needed to see the situation up front. He had to confirm whether it was truly the boss or if someone had simply mistaken a large monster for it. The latter seemed unlikely, but he still had to see it with his own eyes.

At Yeonwoo’s words, the guild member’s face brightened with relief as he repeatedly thanked him. It seemed he had been in a difficult spot with no one willing to step forward. Everyone appeared too shaken by the sudden turn of events to volunteer.

“It shouldn’t be too dangerous. Our members are stationed all around, and since it’s not a high-level boss, all you need to do is follow and provide healing support.”

After finishing his words, he grabbed Yeonwoo’s wrist and teleported them to the front formation.

It was Yeonwoo’s first time experiencing teleportation, and dizziness hit him hard the moment they arrived. He staggered, but then froze at the thunderous crash that followed.

Yeonwoo, desperately chanting Please to himself inwardly, cautiously lifted his head.

Kraken.

The boss that appeared at the end of the undersea tunnel. It had the shape of a colossal octopus, and its twisting tentacles were stained a dark crimson, making it grotesque to behold. The Kraken was thrashing violently, destroying everything nearby as if searching for something.

The torn cavity attached to its head darted busily in all directions before locking onto Yeonwoo upon spotting him. The moment their eyes met, Yeonwoo’s body went rigid, and he instinctively began to stumble backward.

“Why is that here…? That’s not possible… It’s not supposed to be like this…”

Overwhelmed by surging fear, Yeonwoo muttered to himself with unfocused pupils. Once again, the story had gone off track. In-game characters that moved solely according to a meticulous system, devoid of variables, were starting to crumble like misaligned gears.

His body trembled uncontrollably, his mind hazy, and tears threatened to spill. Then, the guild member beside him placed a steadying hand on his shoulder.

“It’s alright. No matter what happens, we’ll make sure you’re safe.”

Yeonwoo turned toward him, his eyes brimming with tears. The man had gleaming silver hair and a sturdy build. Lifting the sword at his waist with confidence, he tried to reassure Yeonwoo.

But Yeonwoo felt no reassurance at all. What terrified him wasn’t the monster before them, but the deep, suffocating fear of the game’s system changing—of something unnatural seeping into what should have been an immutable world.

At that moment—

“Watch out!!”

A scream pierced his ears. Before Yeonwoo could even register it, a shadow fell over him, and droplets of liquid splattered down, running across his face. Still dazed, he slowly raised his hand and wiped his cheek.

“Blood…?”

As he stared at his hand, his pupils gradually refocused. It took a long moment for the image passing through his eyes to reach his brain, but when it finally did, Yeonwoo’s entire body began to tremble.

His heartbeat pounded violently, as if someone had gripped his heart in their fist. Panicked voices echoed around him, but the sound of his pulse thundered so loudly in his ears that it drowned everything else out.

Slowly lifting his head, Yeonwoo was finally able to face reality.

“A… Are you… alright?”

The guild member who had just shielded him was holding Yeonwoo in his arms, with a hole torn clean through his abdomen.