Chapter 29

Father looked at Kim Na. His face was twisted with rage, practically foaming as he breathed heavily. Even after they had shown proof, he was still spinning new suspicions, refusing to drop his accusations.

Father regarded him with pity, then jerked her chin toward Blaine.

“No matter how much you nag and nitpick, we’re not kicking Blaine out.”

“…What?”

“That’s the whole reason you’re attacking us, isn’t it? To force us to get rid of Blaine.”

“Wh-what are you…?”

Kim Na faltered, glancing nervously at Chester and Hanayu. Chester was the one who spoke up.

“What do you mean by that?”

Father leaned her cheek against one hand, feigning troubled hesitation as if this was her chance to expose them.

“We’re being blackmailed, you see.”

“What?”

“They’ve been pressuring us to kick one of our guild members out.”

“What?!”

“And when that didn’t work, they started grasping at straws. Dragging you into this mess along the way.”

“…That’s not something to hear lying down. Could you wait a moment while we respawn?”

“As long as you need.”

Chester immediately attempted a respawn. The closest safe zone was, of course, Ratteon. Hanayu respawned soon after, and their guild members began reappearing one after another.

Chester and Hanayu stepped out of the village with their Murderer Mode deactivated, showing they had no intention of continuing the fight. Father, making a point of it, went into town in full view of them, since Murderer Mode could only be switched on in the field and off inside a town.

Once she had deactivated Murderer Mode and returned, Father folded her arms and asked:

“If you reported someone to the admins because of suspicion, and they replied there was no problem, what would you think? Would you accept it? Or would you assume the admins were bribed?”

“…We’d accept it.”

“…Me too.”

“That bastard chief knows his argument is bullshit. And he knows he’s just made everything more of a mess for nothing.”

Both Chester and Hanayu thought for a moment, ‘Who’s this ‘bastard chief’?’ But they decided not to ask. It was obviously Kim Na.

“But… what did you mean when you said they told you to kick Blaine out?”

“There are sensitive details I can’t share, but I’ll tell you this much: they’re a violent group of bigoted supremacists who make it their mission to target people who don’t fit their standards.”

“Oh, cut the crap about sensitive details! You can’t even say it out loud—Blaine’s a Fourth Gen!”

Kim Na shouted before Father could finish. Chester, Hanayu, and their guild members all gasped. Their eyes darted between Father and Kim Na, then quickly to Father’s guild members, as if trying to spot which one was the Fourth Gen.

Father stared at Kim Na, stunned into silence for a moment. Then, with a face full of genuine irritation, she stomped on his face.

“I told you last time—outing.”

She ground her foot down hard, as if to smear his face into the dirt. Kim Na thrashed, overcome with humiliation. Chester and Hanayu rushed to intervene, but Father still got in one last kick before stepping back.

Once they’d managed to calm her down, Hanayu and Chester asked in turn,

“B-but, what does it matter if Blaine is a Fourth Gen?”

“Wait… are you saying they wanted him kicked out just because he’s Fourth Gen?”

“That, and they even attempted murder.”

Theo spoke up. Chester and Hanayu’s eyes widened in shock, waiting for him to explain. Theo told them everything Kilimanjaro had done—how they claimed Blaine wasn’t even human and abandoned him in the Jain Forest, how they gaslit him constantly, exploiting his naivety and tormenting him over and over.

By the time he finished, Chester and Hanayu were openly condemning Kilimanjaro and Kim Na. Whatever else could be forgiven, deliberately abandoning a Fourth Gen in the Jain Forest could not. It was common knowledge that Fourth Gens were especially vulnerable to pain. They couldn’t possibly have been ignorant of that. If Blaine’s data had been corrupted in the forest, it really would have been murder.

Realizing even Chester and Hanayu weren’t backing him, Kim Na panicked and immediately logged out. His guild members, left behind, respawned quietly and slipped away, avoiding everyone’s eyes.

Watching Kim Na and his guild members flee in disgrace, Chester and Hanayu were filled with indescribable anger. They offered repeated apologies to Father and her guild for the trouble they had caused, and only then did the incident finally come to a close.

Noquia’s jailbreak uproar—long if you called it long, short if you called it short—ended just like that.

Dragging his weary legs, Theo headed home. All he wanted was to rest for the entire day. Walking quietly at his side was Blaine.

Before long, they arrived at Theo’s house. Theo climbed the steps to go inside, while Blaine stayed below, silently looking up at him. Just as Theo grasped the doorknob, Blaine spoke.

“Hyung, what are you doing tomorrow?”

Theo paused, hand still on the knob, and turned around. His gaze drifted through empty space before settling downward. Seeing Blaine standing below, he tilted his head slightly, then released the knob and fully turned to meet his eyes.

“I’m going to see Marco tomorrow.”

“Marco?”

“Yeah. I think I need to get my weapon adjusted.”

“Your weapon? Did something happen to it…?”

“Not exactly a problem, but… when I swing, the string keeps catching. It’s a bit annoying.”

“Ah…”

Blaine nodded, then stepped back as if satisfied. He seemed ready to leave, but Theo gave him a puzzled look.

“…You’re not coming in?”

Blaine’s eyes widened. His face flushed red as he waved his hands frantically.

“Huh? N-no, you must be tired. I’d just be in the way. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Theo blinked in surprise. He had assumed that, since Blaine had followed him all the way here, he would naturally come inside. Feeling oddly off-balance, he gave a small nod.

“Alright then.”

Blaine grinned shyly, waved, and left.

Theo stood there, watching Blaine’s back as he walked away into the distance. For some reason, it felt like Blaine had just seen him home.

The next day, Theo stepped out of his house on his way to Marco’s workshop—only to find Blaine waiting right outside. He pretended to be surprised, but when Blaine greeted him with a bright smile, Theo felt his whole body relax.

Together, they rode the regular carriage into Lucilvania, heading straight for Marco’s workshop. Marco was just opening up when he spotted them. His eyes widened, but then he rushed out barefoot to greet them warmly.

“So, what brings you here so early in the morning?”

He ushered them inside, serving drinks as he asked. Theo placed his bow on the table.

“The bowstring’s been catching when I swing. It’s a bit uncomfortable.”

“Oh, really?”

“Can you make the string detachable? And also widen the grip a little, so there’s more space to hold.”

“Hmm… In that case, I’ll take the string out of the main bow stave and attach a ring. At the end, I’ll add an auto-reel, so if you unhook the string it’ll wind back in automatically. That way, when you need it, you can just pull it out and hook it back on the stave.”

“That’s possible?”

“For me, sure. I’ll also wrap the grip wider for you.”

“How long will it take?”

“Let’s say… one full day to be safe.”

“Alright then. I’ll leave it to you. Thanks, Marco.”

“Yeah. Just trust me.”

Marco slung his forging hammer over his shoulder and grinned with confidence. Theo gave his sturdy shoulder a couple of pats, then left the workshop with Blaine at his side.

“So, what are you going to do now?”

“Hmm… well, without a weapon, I can’t exactly go hunting…”

“I can! I’ll… carry you through!”

“Carry me through?”

Theo repeated, chuckling at Blaine’s dead-serious expression. “I haven’t even chosen an Action yet. Even if you carry me, it won’t do much good.”

Blaine’s face fell as realization dawned on him. His ears drooped pitifully.

“Then… want to go with me to a Survival Dungeon instead?”

Blaine’s head shot up.

“A Survival Dungeon?”

“Yeah.”

Survival Dungeons were perfect for raising tiers. Normally, the only way to climb tiers was to make heavy use of tier actions. But in Survival Dungeons, players were placed in artificial scenarios with only the tools suited to that stage. They couldn’t bring their own weapons or actions inside. If they cleared it, they received tier experience as a reward. More importantly, the reward could be saved and held back, making it useful even for someone like Theo who hadn’t chosen his Action yet.

“If it’s with you, hyung, I’ll go anywhere!”

“A five-man party gives the best rewards, so let’s find three more.”

“Yes!”

Blaine nodded quickly, his face lit with excitement. It wasn’t just the two of them, which was a little disappointing, but going with guildmates was good too.

The ones who joined Theo and Blaine for the Survival Dungeon were Father, Holanghee, and Noquia. Blaine was already fairly familiar with this lineup. Together, they gathered in front of the dungeon, considered which stage to pick, spun the random roulette, and entered.

As soon as they stepped inside, everything went pitch-black. They felt their bodies drop suddenly. A wave of dizziness forced them to squeeze their eyes shut. Then came a blinding burst of light, and the world snapped back into clarity.

They found themselves surrounded by forest. Dropped into unfamiliar terrain, the five of them began looking around to figure out the stage. It was Noquia who identified it first.

“Hey, this one’s Night Raid.”

Night Raid was a stage where players had to build a shelter in a field that mixed plains, forests, rivers, seas, and deserts. Once night fell, waves of monsters would attack. The goal was simple: survive.

“Let’s move. The forest isn’t great for building.”

Father took the lead, pushing through the trees, and the others quickly followed. As they went, they gathered branches and stones to craft tools.

It wasn’t long before they emerged from the woods. Luckily, the forest hadn’t been very deep. Before them stretched a wide plain. Behind lay the forest, ahead the ocean, and a river cut across the grassland. Resources abounded in every direction—an ideal spot for building a home.

The scenery was breathtaking, but they had no time to admire it. They needed shelter before the sun went down.