NOVEL WEB Chapter 17
[If you clear the game and satisfy the escape condition, the game will end immediately, and you will return to reality.]
[Escape Condition 1: You must surpass a completion rate of 95% with all heroines.]
[Escape Condition 2: You must conquer the final boss, ‘Draken.’]
That phrase, which I’ve seen a thousand times, now fills my vision once again.
But from now on, we can consider Escape Condition 1 a non-issue.
I will never get entangled with those annoying main heroines again.
Even if death lurks, my only focus will be to conquer the final boss.
As I open my eyes, fully determined.
[If you failed to meet the escape conditions when clearing the game, you will return to the starting point…]
WHAM!
Oh shit, what a surprise!
Suddenly, my vision is filled with text and it’s a total mess!
What on earth is happening?
Stunned by the unexpected strike from the system window…
“KIEEK! Our father’s enemy! KEK!”
As always, our Blin, holding a club and crying, charges at me.
But he picked the wrong timing.
“Shut up! I’m thinking right now!”
“KEK!”
THUD.
A crisp sound echoes as Blin falls flat.
Anger flares up, I unconsciously smack the top of his head with my hand…
But for some reason, Blin lies there, not moving.
“Hey. Get up. You’re not dead, are you?”
“…”
Seeing no achievement pop up, it seems he’s not dead.
Or maybe the achievement window is messed up too.
Just in case, I sit on top of Blin, who’s out cold with a big bump on his head, and continue assessing the situation.
“Status Window.”
[Username: Yoo Jin]
[Age: 21]
[Initial Trait: Guardian Knight]
[Stats amplify when protecting someone. When inactive, there’s a penalty of -5 to all base stats.]
[Synchronized traits over 90% automatically restore.]
[Trait: Insight]
[You discern the information of items.]
[Trait: Dakia-style Swordsmanship (lv.10)]
[You learn the forgotten ancient one-handed sword style. Understanding of one-handed swords increases.]
[Trait: Merida-style Swordsmanship (lv.9)]
[You learn the improved elven one-handed sword style accepted by humans. Understanding of one-handed swords increases.]
[Trait: Frost-style Swordsmanship (lv.9)]
[You learn the swordsmanship of the Frost royalty. Understanding of two-handed swords increases.]
[Stats]
[Strength: 9(-5) *Guardian Knight penalty in effect]
[Stamina: 7(-5) *Guardian Knight penalty in effect]
[Mana: 12(-5) *Guardian Knight penalty in effect]
[Dexterity: 18(-5) *Guardian Knight penalty in effect]
[Luck: 4(-5) *Guardian Knight penalty in effect]
Initial traits, swordsmanship traits, and all stats are identical.
Not a single text or level changed, everything remains the same.
So, was that just a simple text bug?
[Relationship Chart]
[…entirely garbled text…]
“Oww, my eyes hurt.”
Clearly not the case.
There are corrupted parts in my status window too.
This chart, which reflects real-time updates on relationships with characters in the game, has completely vanished.
THIS IS NOT GOOD.
The only glaring error is that one.
My physical condition seems fine, and all initial gold is intact, so apart from a slight chill, there’s nothing to feel off about.
But I can’t relax either.
Unsettlingly, the part where an error pops up was about going back to the starting point if I failed to satisfy the escape conditions after clearing the game.
“Does this mean I can’t regress anymore?”
This system has kept cranking out settings arbitrarily, so it’s hard to believe a trivial text error just happened randomly.
If everything else is fine and that one window is malfunctioning, there’s no other interpretation.
I can no longer regress.
I can’t just grab a heroine and run in for a kiss to regress if things go south.
Thinking this way makes everything seem bleak.
“Let’s think positively. Good thoughts.”
Thank goodness this bug hit now.
What if it had happened while I was still memorizing the dungeon’s locations and structure?
I would have had to jump into the final boss raid unprepared.
The bug happening now, with my preparations in place, is lucky at least.
I’m avoiding the worst.
That’s how I choose to think.
“Anyway, nothing has changed.”
Even if regression is blocked, the goal doesn’t change.
It’s been the same all along.
I will defeat the final boss and return home.
Avoid the main trio of heroines that would serve no purpose.
Just a one-coin clear is what’s permitted.
I’ve memorized everything in this game except for the final boss’s face; there’s no way I can’t beat it, right?
“These kids nowadays love difficult games? Crank up the difficulty! Let’s make it Young!”
“Damn it! CEO!!!”
The words from that bastard come rushing back, and my head is spinning with clutter.
It’s not hard to guess how the RPG team ramped up the difficulty, obediently following the CEO’s whim.
They probably just opened a jar of chili powder and tossed it all in.
“Heehee, since it’s the final boss, there needs to be excitement! Phase 1, 2, 3, 4, 5… an excessive brain freeze is easy to imagine.”
I’m really screwed.
Someone who only played casual healing games occasionally is now facing the endgame content designed for hardcore players.
Suddenly, my head starts throbbing.
“Well, I have to do it… what else can I do…”
Burying my head in my hands, it won’t change anything.
I have to do it.
I must get home.
Although my voice is already quivering with moisture, I resolve to stand firm.
To be honest, I’m also a veteran gamer now.
After all, I’ve been playing full-dive VR games for 12 years.
Maybe the system has gotten so frustrated, it blocked regression entirely due to the long span of time.
Yeah. If I fail this time, I’m an idiot.
If I end up on a tombstone that reads, “Stuck in a game for 12 years, couldn’t even clear one,” I’d have no words to say.
“KIEEK…! This is heavy! Who’s on top?!”
“Oh. You awake?”
“KIEEK! Our father’s enemy! KEK!”
I felt something wriggling beneath me and…
Blin has woken up.
Relieved to know he’s alive makes my eyes water a bit.
Honestly, who could blame Blin for being so miserable?
He lost his entire family and is treated like an achievement reward vending machine, always dying from the start.
“Calm down, okay?”
“KKEK! How can I calm down?! You go lose your father, sister, and brother!”
“Why bring that up? You’re gonna hurt my feelings…”
This time, I really don’t want to kill Blin.
It’s the last time, so even more so.
Of course, it’s not that I’ve grown fond of him, but considering he’s been carrying his wooden club as a holy relic for his inner peace, I owe him quite a bit.
“I’m gonna kill you! KEK! KIEEK!”
“Blin, let’s do one thing together. I can help you avenge your family.”
“KKEK! How can I trust you?!”
Blin’s struggles begin to weaken.
And the fury that had taken over his eyes starts to give way to clarity.
Who would have thought a goblin would possess such intelligence?
If there’s intelligence, we can converse.
“Even if I lose, I’ve got nothing to lose. You’re fated to die anyway. How about trusting a person for once?”
“…”
After a long silence…
Blin grudgingly takes my offered hand.
[Hidden Achievement Unlocked]
[Alliance with a Monster!]
[As a reward for unlocking the achievement, the trait ‘Mana Control (lv.1)’ is granted.]
…
These days, there have been ominous rumors circulating in the free adventurers’ area.
They say a suspicious figure assaulted during the night and robbed everything.
Even if one tried to fight back, they were subdued and had their possessions taken.
Something like that.
“HA HA HA! Are you an idiot? Set traps and just wait; do you really get caught in that nonsense?”
“No, that guy’s really strong! He’s not at the adventurer level! He flies around!”
At first, everyone was laughing at the victim’s plight.
But as the night wore on, more and more victims appeared, the mood shifted.
“What’s going on? There were traps set at the door, then suddenly a sword burst through and broke the traps! Like something had enhanced vision!”
“Is he possibly using magic?”
“A mage wouldn’t waste time robbing scoundrels in this slum! They’d earn way more just by breathing!”
“That’s true…”
The adventurers who had boasted their strength were all defeated.
Their last memory of the robber was a bizarre figure with a potato sack over their head.
They all fainted without ever seeing the robbers’ faces.
And when they woke up, their belongings had invariably vanished.
The robber only targeted adventurers with relentless precision.
Consequently, citizens who used to pay protection money started praising the robber as a hero.
Rumors spread that a mage had come to empty the pockets of every adventurer, urged on by the citizens.
Fear quickly spread among the adventurers.
“I’m making a deposit. All my wealth!”
“Sir, your voice is quite unpleasant for our establishment. Please leave.”
“Oh, if the staff says so, I guess I have to.”
“Next customer please.”
“I am…!”
“Could you please leave?”
The adventurer guild was filled with patrons daily.
People terrified they’d fall victim to the robber began using the bank services of the guild.
The guild offered security not just from S-rank adventurers but also from retired mages and knights.
Safety was guaranteed within the guild.
This became everyone’s common belief.
“KKEK! All the guards are knocked out! Blin was right!”
“Shut up and follow me. We need to steal all the gold tonight.”
“What are we going to use humans’ money for?”
“We won’t use it.”
“Then why steal it?!”
“Because humans are in trouble, so we’ll steal it!”
“Now that makes sense! KEKEKE!”
That night, for reasons unknown, all the guild’s guards fell unconscious, and every single lock in the storeroom was unlatched.
Inside, a horde of goblins stormed in unopposed.
Under Blin’s leadership, hundreds of goblins meticulously carried out bags of gold.
As dawn broke, the goblins withdrew and vanished.
All adventurers found were the remains of a burnt-down guild.
Before the smoldering ruins, the tied-up staff awoke to a horde of furious adventurers surrounding them.
“What the hell happened, staff member?!”
“Sir, your voice is too loud. Please leave…”
“You crazy bastard! You still think you’re the boss? Give me back my money!”
“My money too!”
Adventurers began to beat the staff who had obediently followed orders until now.
It was as if they had been released from a powerful trance that required the guild to last forever.
While still dazed, the sounds of staff members getting beaten echoed conspicuously.
Then a man, wearing a smile, leisurely departed the free adventurers’ area.