Episode 42: Episode 8 Update (3)
The Elf Fortress.
Its grandeur and majesty left major guilds and media personnel gaping.
“Whoa… what is this?”
“The vibe alone screams tough.”
The Elf Fortress rose high among blackened, twisted trees.
A pale mist drifted through the branches, and dark ash fell ceaselessly from the ashen sky, as if recreating the World Tree’s final moments, burned by the Witch of the Apocalypse.
Fully armed elves stood watch, glaring down at the humans.
Amid the heavy atmosphere, Radiance Guild Master Yoon Hae-joon stepped forward.
“I’ll go first.”
Yoon Hae-joon headed toward the blackened, creaking wooden bridge at the entrance, its eerie groans amplifying the ominous mood.
“…”
Once he signaled it was safe, Radiance guild members followed.
As they arrived, a warning message reached all adventurers in the area—a message unlike any seen in other dungeons.
《PVP is forcibly enabled within the Elf Fortress.》
《No penalties will apply for initiating PVP without consent in this area.》
Adventurers panicked.
Penalty-free forced PVP?
Normally, initiating forced PVP leaves a mark reducing all stats by 10% after the first attack.
Removing this penalty made the intent clear.
“What’s this mean?”
“Feels like they’re encouraging infighting.”
“I get the intent, but do we have to fight each other?”
As if on cue, a reason to fight appeared.
《The first to clear the Elf Fortress will receive the artifact Lumiel’s Grace.》
【Lumiel’s Grace】
Description: A blessing left by Lumiel, creator of the elves. When an equipped summon becomes incapacitated, it revives with 50% HP at a 100% chance.
This artifact is immune to annihilation effects.
Gulp.
Every adventurer swallowed hard.
A revival ability, immune to annihilation effects?
Its versatility was staggering.
As adventurers eyed each other warily, an unpleasant voice cut through.
“In a rush, huh? What, Radiance wants that artifact too?”
Deathside Guild.
Radiance members bristled.
“We’re here to stop the threat, not for the artifact.”
“Always so high and mighty. Funny, your guild master was the first to sprint across the bridge.”
“That’s to clear the fortress ASAP and prevent a dungeon break—!”
“If you cared about dungeon breaks, you’d have joined the strategy team. You broke the alliance to go solo, and now you play the good guy?”
Yoon Hae-joon, quietly listening, faced Deathside’s Sun Sung-tae.
“Master Sun, are you serious?”
“About what?”
“Master Sun Sung-tae!”
“You should’ve expected some friction. I’m not wrong, am I? You’re the ones who wrecked the alliance.”
Sun Sung-tae smirked, patting Yoon Hae-joon’s shoulder.
“Let’s do our best. Friendly competition—that’s what you wanted, right?”
Yoon Hae-joon wanted to snap back but held off, aware of the watching eyes.
Nothing major had happened yet, so picking a fight was pointless.
Radiance’s goal was clear: stabilize society through the clear.
‘Focus on the clear for now.’
Returning to his guild, Yoon Hae-joon addressed them.
“We’ll proceed with the fortress raid as planned. Everyone, prepare thoroughly.”
“Yes!”
“But inside, stay vigilant. Treat everyone—monsters and adventurers alike—as potential enemies.”
As tension brewed, Radiance led Korea’s major guilds into the Elf Fortress.
***
Back home, I was spending rare quality time with family.
But the air felt oddly awkward.
They probably expected me to rush to the Elf Fortress, so seeing me lounging felt off.
“The fortress raid isn’t going well. Fewer than 100 adventurers remain inside…”
“Should we change the channel? There’s a new movie on Letflix.”
“Hyun-woo-ya.”
My mother looked at me, her eyes holding back words.
“Is it really okay without you? All this talk of withdrawal—what did you do wrong? Those shameless people…”
Hyun-ah, munching snacks on the couch, chimed in.
“Yeah, oppa’s a titleholder in Korea. First Tower of Strife clear.”
“Right, first title! I hear it from the neighborhood ajummas all the time.”
No wonder my ears were itching.
“The neighbors know?”
“Of course! Not that it’s you, though.”
“I see.”
I paused, then spoke to reassure them.
“Don’t worry too much. I’m not withdrawing because of criticism—I’ve got plans.”
“If you say so, but…”
My mother’s expression was uneasy, torn between hoping I’d avoid danger and wanting the crisis resolved.
Yeah, this isn’t fair to her.
She’s bound to worry.
Our family’s had enough trauma from dungeon breaks to last a lifetime.
“…”
But why’s Hyun-ah staring at me like that?
Trying to pick a fight?
“What’s with you?”
“What.”
“Why the constant glares?”
“Oh. Want something to drink?”
What? She’s dodging.
She definitely has something to say.
‘Hmm.’
I got up and headed to the kitchen; she followed.
As I opened the fridge, I turned to her.
“Got something to say?”
“Huh?”
“Spill it. You did something, didn’t you?”
“What? I didn’t do anything!”
“Then what’s up?”
“Ugh, never mind. There’s nothing to drink. Mom, I’m heading to the convenience store!”
She’s hiding something.
Sibling instincts don’t lie.
“Hey, I’m coming with.”
“Why follow me?”
“I need to buy something too.”
Time to have a chat with my little sister.
***
Oh Hyun-ah had been lost in thought lately.
It was about her future.
Thanks to Oh Hyun-woo, she could focus on her studies without financial worries.
But lately, she couldn’t concentrate like before.
The reason was simple.
A strange package had arrived for her, and when she opened it…
《Congratulations! Astaroth, you have awakened as an adventurer.》
She’d suddenly become an adventurer.
After that, a flood of incomprehensible notifications poured in—PVP ranking first, record achievements, special privileges.
She couldn’t make sense of it.
‘Should I tell oppa? Or keep it a secret?’
Unable to decide, she’d even probed him about adventurer life.
- You can’t do it. You’d need to be reborn.
Hyun-woo’s reaction wasn’t encouraging.
As time passed, she started researching adventuring on her own.
That’s when she realized the value of her privileges.
And then it hit her.
‘This is like giving pearls to a pig.’
For someone clueless about games, receiving such rewards felt absurd.
Judging by the magnitude of the achievements and privileges, they surely belonged to her brother.
But handing them over wasn’t an option—they were bound and non-transferable.
What should she do? Should she confess now?
If only she hadn’t opened that package.
“Ugh, what do I do?!”
“Whoa! You scared me! Give a warning before you barge in!”
“Oh, you were there?”
“What were you thinking so hard about that you didn’t notice me?”
“…Come here for a sec.”
Hyun-ah dragged Hyun-woo to an outdoor table at the convenience store.
Closing her eyes tightly, she asked.
“Oppa, do you know Astaroth?”
“What? Some trendy tart thing?”
“No, ugh! Astaroth! That demon stuff you’re into!”
“Oh! Yeah, I know it. Why, suddenly into webtoons?”
“No! Stop joking and listen seriously!”
Hyun-woo straightened up at her reaction.
“Okay, I’m ready. What’s up?”
“Was your Legend Seven account named Astaroth?”
Hyun-woo’s brow furrowed.
“How do you know that?”
“So it is yours. What do I do now?”
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry. I think I stole your account.”
Hyun-woo’s face twisted, not fully grasping her words.
“What are you talking about?”
“Listen, a while back, I got this package about some privileges. I opened it, and there were these creepy tickets inside.”
“And?”
“When I touched them, I got rewards and awakened as an adventurer. I’m so sorry!”
“What?!”
“I’m really sorry! I know I messed up! I didn’t know what it was, I swear!”
Hyun-ah slammed her head on the table in apology.
But Hyun-woo broke into a cold sweat.
‘Oh, right. My alt account was under Hyun-ah’s name.’
***
He’d completely forgotten.
Astaroth.
His alt account, created under Hyun-ah’s name for PVP.
‘Lucifer wasn’t great for PVP…’
Using the Seven Sins in PVP would’ve exposed his strength.
Obsessed with his ‘shadowy mastermind’ persona, he hid his power.
But without the Seven Sins, his main account’s affinity dropped in PVP.
So, he made an alt under Hyun-ah’s name, since Legend Seven allowed only one account per person.
Who’d have thought that account would get privileges too?
‘Well, I did dominate PVP with it, so it makes sense.’
Hyun-ah, unaware of this, thought she’d stolen his rewards.
But in reality…
‘She awakened because of me?’
Seeing her guilt made him feel a pang.
But he was curious—what did she get?
“So, what’d you get?”
“A mythic-grade summon ticket…”
“Nice, that’s valuable.”
“But… it’s different from what’s out there. The summonable characters are specific.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, weird names. Like ‘Witch’s Follower’, ‘Lab Assistant’, stuff like that. Seems like they have a master.”
Right, now he remembered.
Old habits die hard—he’d gone all-in on the ‘Astaroth’ roleplay too.
A loyal servant of Lucifer, using the episode villains’ aides as summons.
If she got those…
“Anyway, I’m really sorry! I’ll do anything you say!”
“You said it first.”
“Huh?”
“Then join Ascend tomorrow and start adventuring.”
“W-what?”
“There’s a guy named In-soo there, like your senior. Learn from him.”
“Uh, uh, uh?”
“And join my guild later.”
“O-okay… wait, so you’re okay with me adventuring?”
What’s there to allow or not?
Hyun-ah, the moment you got those privileges, studying was over.
“If you want, join. If not, study.”
“No! I’ll join! I want to be an adventurer!”
Unexpectedly, he’d gained a capable ally—a trustworthy one at that.
‘…Wait, does Hyun-ah have to roleplay like me?’
Now that he thought about it, Astaroth’s playstyle had its own cringeworthy history.
But its summons were milder than the villains, so she wouldn’t risk her life like him.
Though she’d still have to embrace some serious chuunibyou acting! Haha!