Chapter 35

That night.

In the largest community of Rasel, Rasel IB, a heated debate erupted over an unexpected bug controversy.

The posts on the free board were being updated by the second.

-As everyone knows, there are no bugs in Rasel. It’s just that a super rookie has appeared...

└ No, it is a bug.

└ Think about it logically. Do you think that time is reasonable? It’s a bug.

└└ It’s a waste of time to type this. Just go see for yourself. (Link)

└└└ No, I won’t fall for a fishing link~

Rasel IB boasts the highest number of users among all domestic internet communities.

Given the sheer number of users, it was inevitable that all sorts of people would be present, and fishing links would be posted dozens or hundreds of times a day.

When someone clicked on a link titled "Legendary Item Acquisition Video!" expecting to see a photo of a kind uncle fishing, the result was so cliché that no one even bothered to comment.

However, there were always those who, out of curiosity, would click on such links.

-What? This is a video link? The channel name is Cheonma TV?

-Cheonma TV sounds familiar.

└ Wasn’t it the one with the guerrilla quest yesterday?

-Just checked the link, and it’s real. A new video has been uploaded.

-Cheonma TV has a new release!!!

As soon as the new video from the channel that had recorded the best video in just one day was uploaded, everyone’s attention, regardless of the bug or any other issues, shifted to it.

-What’s this video about? It’s probably giving accurate information about the guerrilla quest, right?

└ That would be great. I started the game two days ago and spent the whole day today trying to find the guerrilla NPC ㅠㅠ

The IB users hurriedly clicked on the link.

The new video on the Cheonma TV channel was a short one, about a minute long.

However, the reaction it elicited was enormous.

-?

-???

Just like the previous video, this one was shot from a first-person perspective.

After entering the Hell Beast dungeon and a short while had passed, the Hell Beast appeared from a magic circle.

The moment the preparation phase ended, the Hell Beast charged! However, the protagonist of the video dodged the charge as if he had anticipated it.

Then, the player lunged into the Hell Beast’s body.

Poke.

[Roar!]

Boom.

That was it.

When the protagonist of the video stabbed the Hell Beast with his sword, the Hell Beast collapsed as if by magic.

Despite watching the video multiple times, the IB users were left with nothing but a series of question marks in their heads.

-What? What happened?

└ I’m not sure... Something... Something happened.

-Hey, I just started Rasel, but is there anyone who can analyze this video?

└ Seriously, what’s there to analyze... Poke, stab! That’s it. What’s there to analyze?

The forum exploded, and many users refused to believe what they saw.

-Oh, it’s a hack. There’s no other explanation.

└ Talking about hacks. Are you a middle schooler? It’s common knowledge that the full-dive system is completely immune to hacks.

└└ Would someone who’s hacked or found a bug post a video saying they’re crazy? They’d keep it to themselves. It’s not like they’re advertising for a ban.

-I just checked the time, and it took exactly 9 seconds from when the Hell Beast charged to when it was defeated.

-Well, well... It seems the uncle who was so adamant that it wasn’t a bug was right.

└ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ When I checked the post, most of the comments had already been deleted. Hilarious ㅋㅋㅋ

└└ I’m the one who posted that comment. It is a bug. I just reported it.

└└└ Rasel IB is so lame...

About 30 minutes after the video was uploaded, specific analysis posts began to appear.

「Perfect Analysis of the Hell Beast One-Hit Kill」

[I’m a Rasel IB user who has been playing full-time every day since the game opened. I’ll summarize this video for you.

First, the sword he’s holding looks to be at least Hero grade. If you look closely at the blade, you can see a slight golden tinge.

It’s the 3-star skill Striking.

Moreover, the bluish hue suggests that it might also have water or ice attributes.

As you know, the Hell Beast is fire-based, so the damage would have been significant.

And when he stabbed the Hell Beast’s throat, the breath reversed, melting the Hell Beast’s insides and resulting in a one-hit kill. That’s the truth of the video.]

└ Is Rasel IB crazy?

└ ㅅㅂ ㅋㅋㅋ A Hero-grade sword in a beginner’s city ㅋㅋㅋ. And Striking with attributes? You’re kidding. Why not say he has a hidden pet too?

However, no matter how many analysis posts were made, the reactions remained negative, and the frustration only grew without a clear answer.

However, one thing was certain.

-But where did such a monster come from?

-It looks like he’s moved on to Luana now... He’ll probably join a guild soon.

-Whatever guild he joins, it will shake the balance of the top guilds. At this level, they’ll have to pull out all the stops to recruit him.

-I’d love to party with him once...

A precedent-breaking monster had appeared.

Many people began to pay attention to Cheonma TV.

* * *

“Ugh.”

Jung-hoon woke up early, quickly washed his face, and left the house.

After having a hearty meal at a nearby rice soup restaurant, he logged into Rasel with precision!

-You’re here?

“Yes, I’m here. Did anything happen overnight...?”

Cheonma’s expression was so agitated that anyone could tell he was on the verge of losing his mind.

-Yeah, something unimaginable happened. Let’s move to a different spot first.

“Alright, the number of people has increased a lot.”

Yesterday, after leaving the dungeon, Carpe did not return to the city but immediately logged out. So, he was still near the dungeon.

“Tank and DPS are waiting. We’ll go as soon as the priest arrives!”

“Ah, the thief? The thief... This dungeon doesn’t have many traps, so...”

“Looking for a 20-level priest. No item checks!”

“Selling a shield I got from killing a reinforced skeleton. The options are amazing!”

Near the Pit of Luana, the area was bustling with dungeon recruitment and merchants.

“By the way, I remember you said that the dungeon would turn into a regular dungeon once the quest was cleared.”

When Carpe dipped his foot into the pit, an alert appeared: “Do you want to enter the Rare-grade dungeon, Pit of Luana?”

“Amazing.”

Because of his actions, a new dungeon had been created, and people were enjoying the game around it.

A part of his chest tingled, and it wasn’t a bad feeling.

-This should be enough.

As they moved away from the pit, the number of users dropped significantly.

Cheonma looked around and then told Carpe about what happened the previous day.

-...That’s how it happened.

“Totally out of the blue. A room?”

-Yeah, a room.

“Isn’t that a feature in management or simulation games?”

-Isn’t it absurd? How absurd do you think I felt when I was suddenly appointed as a manager?

“It’s absurd, but... it’s still a good thing, right?”

The ‘Room’ was a space for subordinates, and the background spirit that managed it.

Even though it was an absurd feature that Cheonma had never heard of, it didn’t matter.

The important thing was that this absurd feature was helpful.

“So, how exactly is it helpful?”

-You’ll be shocked. It’s better if you see it for yourself. Your status window should have changed too.

“Really? Status window!”

With the command, Carpe’s status window appeared, and sure enough, a new item labeled ‘Room(New!)’ had been added to the bottom.

Touch, touch.

At that moment, numerous notification windows filled Carpe’s view.

[You have met the minimum number of subordinates.]

[You have achieved the minimum conditions to open the ‘Room’. The Room is a hidden feature that opens when certain conditions are met.

-3 or more subordinates (Achieved)

-8-star or higher crafting skill (Achieved)

-8-star or higher exploration skill (Achieved)

-Maximum friendship with the background spirit (Achieved)

“Wow, what’s this?”

There were hidden conditions.

Even a cursory glance revealed that each condition was not easy to meet.

-...This game really has no end.

“Though it seems difficult, I’m surprised you didn’t achieve it, hyung.”

-If we’re talking about each condition, I’ve met them all. Just not all at once.

Cheonma recalled that during his second regression, he had met three of the conditions.

Ding.

[Once a day, a player can move to the Room.]

[Do you want to move now?]

“Huh? It seems I can move to the Room too?”

-If so, it’s better to see it with your own eyes. It will be more impressive that way.

“Hyung, you’re really laying it on thick. If I’m not impressed, it’ll be quite embarrassing for you.”

-Hmph. Just prepare to be amazed.

“Alright, I’m going.”

The moment he accepted the move, a ‘pop’ sound effect played, and Carpe’s body instantly transported to a different location.

“...Wow.”

Despite the name ‘Room’, the place Carpe moved to was outdoors.

-How is it? Isn’t it amazing?

“Definitely. This is something to brag about.”

A massive Western-style mansion, the kind you’d see in a cartoon, stood before him.

The place Carpe arrived at was the garden of the mansion.

“Or is it not a garden?”

There were hardly any plants or shrubs, making it more like a wasteland or a dirt field.

“Moo!”

“Have you arrived, my lord?”

“...What are you guys doing there?”

“Just as you see.”

The dirt field welcomed Carpe with the other two subordinates.

However, their appearance was so different from what Carpe had imagined that he was momentarily speechless.

Tistania was dressed lightly, having taken off her heavy armor, wearing a straw hat and carrying a large plow.

“I’m farming.”

“Moo!”

“...Farming?”

“Yes. Watch.”

Poke!

As Tina plowed the ground deeply with the plow, Mokhyang took an acorn from her pouch and planted it.

Then, she patted the soil with her small hands and used the water attribute of ‘Spell of Eight’ to moisten it.

“...”

“I guess Mokhyang wanted an oak tree, so I’m helping her. Building camaraderie among subordinates is important.”

“Moo! Nya!”

“Yes, Mokhyang. I’m enjoying it too.”

“...Alright.”

The idea that a homunculus and an epic pet, both created with great effort by the ancient empire’s emperor, were working together to farm acorns...

“Something feels off, but if they’re happy, it’s fine.”

Let’s put aside the question of whether acorns should be planted in a field or a forest for now.

-Kuk. Don’t be too disappointed. Right now, it’s just acorns, but as the Room grows, you’ll be able to cultivate ultra-rare items like the World Tree’s fruit.

“Mokhyang. Let’s stop here for today. Farming is good, but a true knight should also focus on escorting their lord.”

“Moo moo!”

Mokhyang ran up to Carpe and climbed onto his shoulder. Tistania smiled gently at the scene.

“Now, I’ll give you a tour.”

Thus began the grand mansion tour.

The inside of the mansion was much larger than it appeared from the outside.

-I was shocked when the door opened after I received the notification of becoming a manager.

When I went out to catch Mokhyang, who had run out, I was even more shocked.

Outside the door was literally a different world.

-Other players will foam at the mouth when they see this.

Indeed, Cheonma was so astonished that he foamed at the mouth.

This alternate world was filled with various facilities.

-Not all of them are usable yet, but they will be eventually.

A ‘Training Ground’ and a ‘Research Lab’ to increase the subordinates’ experience and skill proficiency.

A ‘Vegetable Garden’ and an ‘Orchard’ to obtain various magical materials and basic ingredients.

A ‘Mine’ to get metal materials, and so on!

“And this place, I think, will be the most interesting for you, my lord.”

Tistania said this and opened a door.

A 10-star player who became stronger through the gacha system.