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“Block! Block it!”

“Ahhh!”

The cries echoed over the walls. A fierce battle was raging at the Malak Fortress, located on the border between Meikahel and Trisia.

For years, Malak Fortress had never been attacked from the outside. But recently, the situation changed when a group of people claiming to be heroes appeared.

At first, they staged a sit-in in front of the fortress, demanding passage. However, the defenders, under strict orders not to let them through, firmly locked the gates and held their positions.

The standoff continued for a while until…

“Quest alert!!”

A stir arose among the heroes. It was strange. They had been staring into the void as if they had lost their minds, and then suddenly, they began attacking the fortress without warning.

“Send the casualties to the rear! Archers! Rain arrows on those climbing up!”

“Yes!”

“Quickly! Shoot faster!”

The once peaceful Malak Fortress quickly turned into a battlefield filled with blood, arrows, and screams.

Malak Fortress was one of the more robust border fortresses. Designed by renowned Grand Magicians of the Empire, it could easily fend off attacks from foreign tribes or monstrous beasts. However, even the Grand Magicians who built it likely never anticipated an invasion by tens of thousands.

“Damn it! Where do you think you’re climbing?!”

Radkan, the fortress’s defense captain, kicked away a ladder leaning against the wall. Simultaneously, the screams of falling heroes echoed.

It was fortunate that the heroes lacked proper siege weapons. If they had, the fortress would have fallen without a fight. Of course, that didn’t mean they could handle the sheer numbers swarming like locusts.

Radkan groaned as he looked down from the wall. Despite the number of heroes they had killed, the base of the wall was still packed with them.

Even the soldiers, who had been fighting hard, lost their nerve when they saw the horde below. With the odds already against them, their morale plummeted, making it clear that holding the fortress would be impossible.

Radkan shouted to the wavering soldiers:

“Listen up! Reinforcements will arrive soon!”

“Reinforcements?!”

“Did you say reinforcements are coming…?”

“Yes! His Majesty has promised to send reinforcements, and they will arrive soon!”

The soldiers’ faces flickered with a glimmer of hope at the news.

“So, hold out no matter what! We must defend this fortress until the reinforcements arrive!”

“Yes, yes!”

However, not everything Radkan said was true. While he had indeed requested reinforcements from His Majesty and received a promise, he had no idea when they would arrive.

Malak Fortress was located near the border, an isolated area. On average, reinforcements took three days to arrive. This time, luckily, a unit prepared for a monster invasion was stationed nearby. It probably wouldn’t take long—Radkan estimated about a day.

But he couldn’t tell the soldiers it would take a day. He had to say “soon” because he knew…

‘Can we really hold out until then?’

Radkan couldn’t be sure as he watched the endless swarm of heroes below. Having participated in the northern expedition, Radkan had faced undead legions blanketing the snowy plains. But even their numbers weren’t this overwhelming. Knowing what it meant to hold out for a day against such a force, Radkan shouted to his men:

“Defend this fortress at all costs until reinforcements arrive!”

“Yes!”

Seeing the flicker of hope in his soldiers’ eyes, Radkan let out a sigh of relief.

Traditionally, heroes were known as noble beings with sacred duties. They were humanity’s champions, fighting at the forefront against the Demon Lord under the will of the gods. But the heroes before Radkan were far from that image.

“F*ck, f*ck, f*ck!”

“Ugh! These bastards keep shooting arrows. It’s so annoying. Hey! Don’t just stand there; shoot back!”

“What am I supposed to shoot back with? You need to block them first, idiot.”

“Shut the f*ck up. What level are you? I could tear you apart even as a tank.”

“Then try it, you bastard.”

Listening to the vulgar exchanges below, Radkan’s illusions about heroes were shattered. Not all of them were like this, but they fought among themselves, exchanged crude banter, and overall seemed like a downgrade from the heroes of legend.

‘What a mess…’

Radkan felt relieved. Of course, the gods wouldn’t choose such people as heroes. The legendary heroes must have died out.

Still, these people were strange. They had appeared in this world through pillars of light. While their individual abilities varied, on average, they were about as skilled as novice mercenaries. It was obvious they were handling weapons for the first time.

The problem was that they were growing stronger.

Radkan was a warrior. He had seen many warriors grow stronger through battle experience. In that sense, the heroes’ growth rate was unnaturally fast. But what Radkan found most alarming wasn’t their rapid growth.

They lacked the fear of death—a fear that all living beings should have.

Even in their dying moments, there was no despair in their eyes. Instead, they showed irritation, regret, and anger. Watching the heroes turn into fragments of light upon being struck by swords, Radkan felt an inexplicable dread.

‘Perhaps they are transcendent beings who have overcome death…’

If that were the case, this battle—no, this war—was unwinnable.

“Captain Radkan!”

“What is it?”

“We’re out of arrows!”

Radkan bit his lip inside his helmet. Complaining about how quickly they had used up their arrows was pointless. In fact, it was a miracle they had lasted this long.

Radkan steeled himself.

“Understood… First, tell the mages to conserve their magic power and fall back.”

“Captain…”

“All soldiers, including archers, listen up! Drop your bows and draw your swords! Prepare for close combat!”

The time for resisting with arrows was over. All that remained was close combat.

The soldiers followed Radkan’s orders, drawing their swords and stopping those climbing the walls. They fought desperately, but eventually, someone made it to the top.

“Kahaha! Did you all see that? Choi Seong-jun of the Wind Breaker Guild is the first to reach the top! You losers! Haha!”

Choi Seong-jun, a man in gleaming armor, glared at them triumphantly. The soldiers immediately charged at him.

“Die…!”

“Hah! Get lost, you trash!”

Thud!

With a dull sound, the soldiers were sent flying into the air before crashing to the ground. Choi Seong-jun’s greatsword, swung with enough speed to create a gust of wind, had sent them flying with a single strike.

“Hah. Level 10 guys acting all tough.”

“Everyone, fall back from that man.”

“Oh? Are you the captain here?”

“That’s right.”

This opponent was on a different level. Radkan faced Choi Seong-jun, tense and on edge. Choi Seong-jun, however, casually scanned Radkan from head to toe and muttered.

“Hmm, let’s see… Level 30? Not bad for a captain.”

“…Level?”

“Ah~ You’re an NPC, so you wouldn’t know. Level is like a number that represents strength. The higher it is, the stronger you are. You’re level 30, so you’re as strong as a level 30.”

Level and NPC—both were terms Radkan was hearing for the first time. But coming from someone as strong as Choi Seong-jun, it didn’t sound like nonsense.

“By the way, I’m level 37. I leveled up like crazy to get here!”

“What?!”

Clang!

Radkan reflexively blocked Choi Seong-jun’s sword and finally understood what he meant.

‘Is this… the power of 37?’

The gap between 30 and 37 was significant. The sword he blocked was heavy enough to make his arm numb. No wonder the soldiers couldn’t handle him. Even Radkan, the defense captain, could barely block his attacks.

“How’s that? That’s the difference between you and me. Wouldn’t it be better if you just let us through? Huh? You damn NPC!”

“Kuh… Don’t look down on me…!!”

Radkan mustered all his strength to push Choi Seong-jun’s sword away and lunged forward. While there was a gap in strength, Radkan had the upper hand in skill. His warrior instincts, honed during the recent expedition, were razor-sharp. Even if his opponent was a hero, a young hero couldn’t match Radkan’s seasoned swordsmanship.

“Uooo!!”

“Oh, scary.”

Radkan charged forward, swinging his sword at Choi Seong-jun. The seasoned warrior’s strikes pushed the man back. But…

“You’re trying hard, you idiot. Haha.”

Choi Seong-jun casually blocked Radkan’s attacks. Though he was being pushed back, his movements showed no signs of faltering.

“Let me give you some advice. Levels are absolute, you idiot.”

If Radkan’s sword swings slowed due to exhaustion, he would be counterattacked immediately. Realizing this, Radkan shouted to his men.

“Mages! Shoot fireballs at me!”

“Huh?”

A fireball’s power would be enough to incapacitate this man. At this range, he couldn’t dodge it. But neither could Radkan.

“But Captain, you’ll…!”

“Never mind!”

Even if it meant mutual destruction, so be it. This was an opponent he couldn’t defeat. If Radkan fell, the fortress would surely be lost. To protect this fortress, he had to take this man down.

Perhaps sensing Radkan’s resolve, the mages reluctantly aimed their spells at Choi Seong-jun.

“Ah, planning to self-destruct? You should stop. It’d be a waste to get a death penalty after coming this far.”

“Aren’t you… afraid of death?”

“Huh?”

“Aren’t you afraid of dying?”

Even with magic aimed at him, Choi Seong-jun was so calm that Radkan couldn’t help but ask.

“Why would I be? Getting a death penalty is annoying, but I’m not scared.”

“What?”

“No matter how many times you kill us, we won’t die.”

Choi Seong-jun grinned.

“We just come back to life.”

“Come back to life…? What are you…?”

“Yeah. Now, shut up and die.”

“Kuh?!”

Choi Seong-jun’s greatsword surged with power. Radkan’s sword, which he had been swinging relentlessly, was knocked away.

“Now! Be my experience points!”

The sword flew out of Radkan’s hand. He sensed his impending death. At that moment…

“Hoho… That’s quite an interesting story…”

“What?!”

An old man’s voice echoed, and Choi Seong-jun’s greatsword was blocked by an invisible wall.

“Coming back to life after death… So, like the undead?”

“Who are you? Show yourself!”

“Tsk tsk. Where are you all looking?”

The voice was clear, but no one could see its source.

“Over here. Here.”

“…?”

“No, not there. Here!”

Finally, Radkan and Choi Seong-jun spotted the source of the voice and wore identical expressions.

“What the…?”

“A cat…?”

As if seeing a mirage, a calico cat was now sitting between the two men.

“Finally noticed me, huh?”

“What? A talking cat? Did you block my sword?”

“Hoho… Indeed. You looked dangerous.”

Radkan realized the cat had saved him. So shocked was he that he even used honorifics, forgetting the cat was just a cat.

“W-who are you…?”

“Huh… A boss-level NPC? Let’s see your level…”

Choi Seong-jun squinted at the cat, then tilted his head in confusion.

“…Level 1,294…???”

“Hmm? 1,294… Is that this old cat’s level?”

“What the… A bug?”

Choi Seong-jun blinked repeatedly, checking the cat’s level over and over. But no matter how many times he checked, the cat’s level remained the same.

“That thing you’ve been using to check levels… Is it magic? Fascinating. If you don’t mind, could you check the level of someone I know? I’m curious about his level.”

“Ah, whatever. It’s either a server issue or a bug. You’re next, you stupid cat.”

“Stupid? Hmm… Doesn’t sound like a compliment.”

“Hah! You don’t need to know what ‘stupid’ means!”

Choi Seong-jun scoffed and gripped his greatsword.

“Hoho… You said levels are absolute, right? By your logic, you have no way of defeating me.”

“Kahahaha! This guy’s hilarious. It’s obviously a bug. There’s no way a level 1,294 could exist. Are you some kind of special NPC?”

“Oh, young one… I don’t consider myself special.”

“Then shut up…”

“But people say I am.”

“What?”

“Listen, young one. May this old cat give you some advice?”

The cat, echoing Choi Seong-jun’s earlier taunt, gracefully descended from the wall.

“The dead don’t speak.”

“What nonsense…”

At that moment, Choi Seong-jun felt a strange sensation.

Silence.

“What… is this?”

It was too quiet.

Since when?

The shouts and curses of the players were gone. It was eerily silent.

Choi Seong-jun turned to look back at the wall. What he saw was a bizarre scene.

“What the… hell is this…?”

It was as if winter had arrived. Fragments of light, like snowflakes, were scattering everywhere. The light fragments disappeared into the sky like a blizzard.

Upon closer inspection, they were the effects that appeared when players died. The dazzling light fragments were rising into the sky.

Below the wall… there was nothing. Where players had once swarmed, only dropped items and equipment remained.

Choi Seong-jun finally realized the light fragments were from the players who had died below the wall. The soldiers around him were also staring blankly into the sky.

“Hoho…”

The cat, stroking its whiskers, grew larger and transformed into an elderly man. Only then did Choi Seong-jun realize what had happened.

That’s right! This damn mage NPC used magic to…!

But no words came out of Choi Seong-jun’s mouth. He, too, had turned into a fragment of light and disappeared.

“The dead talk too much.”

 

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