***
There was no mistaking it. I wasn't so out of my mind as to confuse dreams with reality.
It was real. Monsters from Pangenia had truly appeared in reality.
Bang! Bang!
The police officers from the police station right in front of me rushed out and responded with pistol fire, but it was completely ineffective. Without even leaving a scratch on its hard skin, they became prey for the Giant Mantis.
"Help... Ah!"
"Emergency! Emergency!"
The police were engaged in a standoff, communicating via radio. Most ordinary citizens were fleeing, but many were not.
Inside buildings, people were wringing their hands and just observing the situation. Some were taking photos or videos, not recognizing the severity of the incident.
Beeeeeep-!
The air raid siren began to wail, increasing in decibels.
My phone did the same.
Just like during a disaster, it made a loud noise, and the information that appeared on the screen was:
〔14:32 Unknown attack occurred. Seoul Metropolitan City, Busan, Daegu, all of Gyeonggi Province.
*Evacuate to the nearest underground shelter and listen to broadcasts〕
......This meant it wasn't happening only here. Attacks had begun simultaneously across the entire Korean peninsula. From unidentified life forms.
But I knew what that was.
A field boss monster that one inevitably encounters when playing Pangenia.
Level 4 Giant Mantis!
I couldn't mistake it with its characteristic attacks utilizing its antennae and the distinct red flower on its back.
"What should I do?"
My heart felt like it would burst. In the game, I was a flexible and capable all-around player, but in reality, I was just an ordinary citizen.
My head ached. My heart rate continued to accelerate endlessly.
"Aaaang! Mom! Mommyyy!"
Hearing the child's cry, my senses snapped back.
I had brought all the rewards I obtained in Pangenia back to reality.
If monsters from the game were roaming freely in reality, wouldn't the things I obtained from the game be usable in reality too?
"Soul of the Hydragon!"
I grasped the stone inscribed with runes.
Hydragon. It was a monster incomparable to a mere field boss like the Giant Mantis.
It was only easy to defeat because I knew the strategy; otherwise, it was a trial that required 12 people to overcome.
Swish-swish-swish!
"Why isn't this working?"
I frowned.
In the game, all it took was a double-click. Then, the character would pretend to take out the stone and wipe it with their hand, and the summon would be complete.
I wiped it diligently, but it was completely ineffective.
I turned my gaze again.
"Fragment of Broken Golden Rule."
It said it enabled synchronization between reality and the game.
Snatching the golden coin as if it were mine, I held it.
"On."
At that moment, a goddess appeared before my eyes.
The twin goddesses of Pangenia. The goddess I had always seen when logging in. She kissed my cheek.
<<<<Starting synchronization with ‘Randolph’.>>>>
<<<<Synchronization complete.>>>>
<<<<Remaining time for Fragment of Broken Golden Rule is 24 hours.>>>>
......The pounding of my heart subsided.
The trembling of my body, the confused thoughts in my head, were all neatly organized.
I opened my hands. Thick hands. I had become Randolph.
I picked up Michaela's Sword. The thick greatsword fit perfectly in my grip.
I grasped the Soul of the Hydragon. Then, I went to the window.
Thwack!
I stepped on the window frame and leaped to the ground.
A 구식 (old-fashioned) 5-story villa. A height that would be instantly fatal for an ordinary person, but I paid it no mind.
While floating in the air, feeling the resistance of the wind, I rubbed the Soul of the Hydragon.
Guaaaah!
An adult Hydragon was summoned onto the main street.
I rode on the Hydragon's back and charged towards the Mantis.
✺✺✺
"Exclusive scoop!"
Kim Hana, an intern reporter, thought of the scoop the moment the monster attacked.
A giant praying mantis had attacked the city.
If I could capture this moment perfectly, the Pulitzer Prize for this year would be mine.
Click! Click!
After getting as close as possible, I raised my phone and took pictures.
"Amazing."
It was a real monster, not a movie prop or CG.
Scoop. My tiresome internship was finally over. As I thought that.
"Aaaang! Mom! Mommyyy!"
Not far away, a child who looked about 5 years old was crying mournfully.
A shopping basket. A woman pinned beneath building debris.
The giant mantis turned its gaze.
All sorts of emotions welled up.
Should I photograph this scene of the cruel monster destroying a family? Was that what my seniors called true journalistic spirit?
Damn it, Kim Hana threw away her heels, gritted her teeth, and ran.
What kind of heavenly disaster was this on my way back from a blind date, arranged by a friend? But there was no time to dwell on such things.
Kim Hana leaped as if performing a parkour move and wrapped her arms around the child.
"Are you okay? Are you alright?"
"Mom..."
"Ah, miss. My child..."
The woman pinned under the debris regained consciousness and managed to open her mouth.
The mother's plea to save her child.
Those who are alive must live.
But there was something Kim Hana had overlooked.
It was that the monster's antennae were surprisingly fast.
Kim Hana, who had turned her head to see the approaching tendril, pushed the child to the side.
'Ah.'
For a moment, I felt like I was flying.
Immediately after, a giant mantis's face appeared before my eyes.
My life flashed before my eyes.
So this is how I die. Dying without ever having a proper relationship in my blooming youth.
"Our hospital's young director. He pestered me so much to let you meet him just once. Please, won't you meet him just once, Hana?"
"He's a really great guy. They say he was the campus heartthrob in college, incredibly handsome. Tall and with a stunning face. You'll regret it if you miss this chance, you know?"
Should I not have gone on the blind date?
He was a decent person, as my friend said, but I had no interest in dating and had planned to just pass the time and return.
'Why did it turn out like this?'
Kim Hana tightly closed her eyes. She didn't have the courage to face the giant mantis's mouth and its numerous teeth that protruded like spikes.
Chak!
It was at that very moment.
I felt my body lift again, and then I felt someone's warmth.
I slightly opened my eyes.
"Who—"
"......"
A man with a wild aura.
He dropped me as if throwing me.
With a groan, I found myself riding on the back of some unknown monster.
'What, what is this?'
There wasn't just one monster?
Is this a dragon? But it has too many heads for a dragon. A monster composed of nine heads, a monster of monsters that couldn't be compared to a mere giant mantis.
"Hic!"
"Hold on tight."
It was Korean. Kim Hana gripped the monster's back tightly.
The man holding a giant greatsword leaped up.
Kaaak!
The nine-headed dragon began to viciously bite the mantis.
The giant mantis shrieked and howled.
The scene was like something out of a legend or myth.
Kim Hana watched, stunned, with a vacant gaze.
Every time the man swung the greatsword like a toy, green blood poured down like a waterfall. The mantis, with its nine heads bitten, couldn't move at all.
Violence. Kim Hana had never witnessed such a brutal and visceral scene of violence in her life. The level of violence in movies or dramas felt like child's play in comparison.
Was this what a hero in mythology looked like?
It was a raw, untamed wildness I had never felt before.
At that overwhelming sight, Kim Hana...
"Ah..."
...shuddered. Her body trembled. Not out of fear, but from encountering a being that was indescribable, ineffable.
Thud!
Eventually, the giant mantis fell without even being able to put up a proper fight. Its claws and neck were severed, and its eyes lost focus.
Then, the mantis's carcass began to disappear like dust. It turned gray and then vanished.
The nine-headed dragon also did the same.
Kim Hana began to fall.
"S-save me...!"
Waving her hands and feet left and right, she was suddenly embraced by someone again.
The man who had killed the monster.
He caught Kim Hana as she fell to the ground and landed her safely.
"Th-thank you."
"......"
Our eyes met.
The man turned his back without a word.
Watching the man walk away, Kim Hana raised her phone.
Click.
"Ah."
Immediately, as if realizing something, Kim Hana turned her head.
By then, people were working together to pull the mother, who was pinned under the building debris, out.
Kim Hana also ran over and helped lift the debris.
✺✺✺
The world was in chaos.
Monsters had appeared simultaneously not just in Korea, but all over the world.
Upon appearing, the monsters immediately killed people and destroyed human civilization.
But it wasn't just monsters that appeared.
Warriors, who could cut down monsters that even guns couldn't penetrate, like slicing through butter. They were slaughtering monsters mercilessly, clad in armor, swords, spears, and bows reminiscent of medieval times.
"Don't worry! I will protect your safety!"
"An era of monsters is dawning. We must all join forces!"
Some of them spoke in their native tongues, talking about the safety of the people.
What was even more surprising was the 'transformation' they underwent.
Those who existed as warriors transformed back into ordinary people and began spouting such words.
Of course, not all of them did.
"At best, about an hour of duration. Everyone probably wants to save time."
A man muttered while watching the torrent of news reports and videos.
The warriors who had appeared now were all 'rankers' who could log out.
You could log out by ranking high based on your Main Quest score.
"I need to save the remaining time on the Fragment of Broken Golden Rule as much as possible."
However, the 'Fragment of Broken Golden Rule,' which synchronizes reality and characters, was a consumable item. It only lasted for a short time, from a minute to at most an hour.
Therefore, almost no one used synchronization in reality.
The man was no exception. In Korea, there were currently eight known individuals who could log out.
Among them, the man, who possessed the ranker character 'Massacre,' was a powerhouse.
To observe the situation, 'Massacre' held back from this incident.
If he were to reveal his Pangenia character's appearance, there was a high probability that both the game and reality would be threatened.
After all, 'Massacre' was universally acknowledged as a player who engaged in unsportsmanlike conduct.
"Speaking of which..."
'Massacre' stroked his chin.
"I expected Phantom to appear. But there's no one who looks like Phantom."
Phantom. Or Ghost.
The undisputed number one player in Pangenia.
Since no one knew their name, everyone called them that.
It was speculated that they possessed hundreds of characters and had recently executed the 'Great Demon Realm Expedition.'
However, the expedition had failed due to various sabotage, and Phantom had also died and had their character deleted.
"Is Phantom actually an administrator? They were still playing the game."
'Massacre' was also a pure game player.
But two years ago, when the 'Massacre' character died, they were summoned to Pangenia.
It was the same for other people.
Only Phantom, or rather, the person presumed to be Phantom, continued to play the game.
To discover the reason for this, many people had set out to find Phantom.
If someone appeared to be Phantom, they were either hindered or betrayed and killed, and their character was deleted.
This was because most people, when their characters were deleted, were summoned to Pangenia.
"No. They must have been summoned with that character. When the strongest character they possessed died, they were summoned."
A 5-star character, equipped with eight unique-grade items and armed with all sorts of treasures and talents.
Having consumed five stars beyond level 10, it was an insurmountable wall.
It must have been Phantom's strongest character.
If not an administrator, they would have definitely been summoned.
And when summoned to Pangenia, although reset, the talents of the strongest character could be inherited.
Their appearance would change, and they would become like an NPC, disappearing from contact with others. However, they would gain opportunities to grow stronger by progressing through the Main Quest.
"......Randolph. Is this guy Phantom?"
Since being summoned 2 years ago, 'Massacre' had ranked in numerous Main Quests.
'Massacre' was level 10. Like other rankers, they possessed hidden traits.
However, there had been recent changes in the rankings, which had remained relatively unchanged for 2 years.
Specifically, in the very first Main Quest, 'Survival.'
"220 points."
Was such a score even possible?
Even going back 2 years and doing it again, I didn't have the confidence to achieve 220 points.
If something like this were possible, it would undoubtedly be Phantom.
It was only a matter of time before they became a target, as all rankers would have confirmed it.
Competitors would be eliminated. Furthermore, if it were Phantom, upon being killed, an enormous amount of 'Fragment of Broken Golden Rule' would be obtained.
It was confirmed that reality and Pangenia were actively 'infiltrating' each other. The competition to obtain Golden Rule fragments would also intensify.
Eventually, Pangenia and reality might become one.
Pangenia NPCs might appear in reality... or perhaps a Demon King would truly descend.
I needed to establish my position before that happened. It was obvious that from now on, the stronger ones, those with more Fragments of Broken Golden Rule, would become the protagonists of this era.
"......Hydragon? Who is this?"
At that moment, 'Massacre' frowned while watching a video.
Hydragon.
A warrior who appeared with a monster that had never been officially released, or rather, only one had ever been released.
The warrior's appearance was definitely new.
'Massacre' took in the warrior's appearance.
They also noted the other warrior characters that had appeared in Korea.
Everyone was a competitor.
Because in the chaotic era that was about to unfold, I had to be the protagonist.
✺✺✺
"Let me enter the sanctuary? Are you crazy?"
......Isabella, the Snake Princess, was aghast.
It was due to my request.
To be allowed into the desert sanctuary.
"If the first Main Quest is survival."
However, I absolutely had to go to the sanctuary.
"The second Main Quest is to obtain a class."
Class. It was there that I could become stronger while progressing through the Main Quest.
Not only that.
"There is a star there."
"What...?"
Isabella's eyes trembled.
She must have been surprised that there was a way to receive the blessing of the stars there.
Although I had given up before, I had recently learned this through playing.
There is a star in the desert sanctuary. A way to break the Queen's curse.
However, it was hidden.
"The star that is in the lowest place, yet can shine brighter than any other."
And the class I desired could also be obtained from that star.