Chapter 5: Adaptation (2)

The first day I entered school.

The first day I fell in love.

The first day I confessed my feelings to someone.

No matter what it was, for a human being, the experience of a “first time” becomes a memory that is not easily forgotten.

Those “first” memories turn into fragments of nostalgia, embedded deep within our hearts.

They remain with us until the moment we close our eyes for the last time, only disappearing when we finally turn to ashes and return to nothingness.

…Memories that resurface sporadically— while showering, reading a book, or even sleeping.

That is the nature of “first” memories.

That’s why I still vividly remember the days when I first played Season Off Fantasy, back when life still had room for leisure.

The overwhelming graphics and realism. The captivating characters, classes, and storyline— I was completely absorbed in Season Off Fantasy, living in its world.

The first time I leveled up, agonized over my choice, and ultimately decided on the “Greatsword Knight” as my main class.

The first time I won in PVP and roared in triumph— a time when nothing existed but pure joy.

There were truly many wonderful memories, but ironically, the one that resurfaces most often is the day I first saw the “You Have Died” screen.

After choosing the “Greatsword Knight,” a class specialized for PVE, I boldly ventured into a forest teeming with monsters far above my level.

It was there that I encountered two trolls.

[Grrrrrrrl…]

The massive wooden clubs gripped in their hands, their menacing faces, and their towering frames— easily twice my size.

The overwhelming aura radiating from their entire bodies.

…They were terrifying monsters, the kind that made your knees tremble just by looking at them.

But back then, armed only with the confidence of my “Greatsword Knight” class and my still-unrefined skills, I foolishly chose to hunt them instead of fleeing.

No matter how PVE-oriented the Greatsword Knight was, I was still a fresh newbie who had just changed classes.

Taking on monsters above my level— let alone two at once— was fundamentally beyond me.

[I’m screwed.]

The moment my greatsword clashed against the trolls’ clubs, I deeply regretted my reckless decision.

Their strength was far beyond what I had anticipated, and their seamless coordinated attacks were more than enough to reduce my HP gauge to zero.

[You Have Died!]

[…Fuck.]

That was the first time I was greeted by the red holographic screen announcing my death.

The crimson letters floating in that pitch-black, nameless void burned themselves deep into my mind, remaining vivid even now, years later.

…C-rank monsters, Trolls.

Though low in rank, they were the first beings to deliver the word “death” to me in Season Off Fantasy.

With overwhelming force, they shattered my greatsword, crushed skulls with ease— monsters among monsters, beasts in the truest sense.

That was the terrifying image of “trolls” seared into my memory.

—Graaaaaaah!!

“……”

…Which is why, even now as a Selberion, I never underestimated them. How could I face them carelessly when they were the first monsters to bring me death?

“Here I go.”

If only to properly avenge that day, I reached out toward the trolls with genuine seriousness.

In response, the Chains of Death and Frost, which had taken the form of a greatsword, shot toward them at a vicious speed.

Shaak!

Like the sonic boom of a fighter jet, the Selberion’s chains tore through the air at supersonic speed, piercing straight through the center of the trolls charging at me.

—G-graaah?!

The moment the chains passed between the three trolls like a speeding car on a highway, their bodies began to twist.

What followed was a horrific scream.

—G-graaaaaaaah!!

The wind pressure from the chains’ passage tore through the trolls as if bombs had detonated inside them.

Their upper bodies burst apart beyond recognition, scattering blood and chunks of flesh in all directions.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

One after another, the trolls collapsed to the ground with dull thuds.

Without even landing a single blow on me, all three were reduced to half-crippled corpses.

Boom!

“…!!”

The Chains of Death and Frost, having pierced through the trolls, only came to a stop after obliterating the wall of a residential building behind them.

Witnessing the spectacle, I let out a short exclamation of awe.

“Oh.”

It wasn’t even a direct hit.

The chains had merely grazed past them, yet the sheer wind pressure alone was enough to make all three trolls explode.

“Incredible…”

Given the level difference between a Selberion and trolls, I had vaguely expected to take them down in a single strike— but I never imagined just the wind pressure alone would be enough to obliterate them.

The power of a Selberion was far, far beyond what I had anticipated.

[Ding!]

“Hm?”

…Just as I was marveling at my own overwhelming strength— having wiped out three monsters in mere seconds— a blue holographic screen suddenly appeared before me, my crimson eyes glinting in response.

*

[Monsters Defeated!]

You have defeated C-rank monsters “Troll (Lv. 180) × 3”!

Reward: C-rank Magic Stones × 3

*

“Ah.”  

The screen turned out to be nothing other than a monster defeat notification.

The tiny letters densely packed into the blue screen reconfirmed that I had indeed one-shot the trolls while also informing me of the items they dropped upon death.  

“So the item drop system is still active…”  

I had assumed that since the boundary between the virtual and real worlds had collapsed, monsters would no longer drop rewards when killed.

But the trolls’ corpses, as if mocking my shortsightedness, blatantly dropped two items before departing this world.  

“…”  

I closed the holographic screen and carefully picked up three shimmering purple stones from the trolls’ gruesome remains.  

The stones, shaped unlike anything found in reality, gleamed beautifully under the sunlight.  

“Magic Stones…”  

Their identity was none other than Magic Stones— the core essence of monsters.  

Magic Stones were guaranteed reward items dropped upon defeating monsters.

The higher the monster’s rank, the larger and higher-quality the stone would be.  

In the game, Magic Stones were primarily used for crafting weapons and accessories, making them an indispensable item in Season Off Fantasy.  

As a result, they were traded in player markets at wildly varying prices.

I suddenly found myself curious about how these stones would be treated in reality.  

“Hmm…”  

If the mystical magical power imbued within these stones functioned the same way as it did in the game, it could propel 21st-century Earth’s science forward by leaps and bounds.  

When that time came, the value of these stones would undoubtedly skyrocket exponentially.  

Even though these were only C-rank— not exactly high-grade— Magic Stones, there was no harm in keeping them for the future.  

“…Let’s consider them souvenirs.”  

Even if they didn’t fetch a high price later, these were the first Magic Stones I obtained as a Selberion, making them worth keeping for that reason alone.  

“Hm…”  

After storing the stones in my inventory, I retrieved the Chains of Death and Frost, which had shattered both the trolls and the wall in a single strike.

The greatsword, its crimson blade still intact, somehow gleamed even more menacingly than before.  

“…Feels a bit unsatisfying.”  

I muttered bluntly as I stared at the shimmering chains.  

Though I had experienced my first battle in this Selberion body, calling it a “battle” was a stretch.

All I did was stand still and throw out a single basic attack.  

…If I wanted to properly test out passives, skills, and other abilities, I’d need to hunt at least a few more monsters.  

“…Let’s take our time and look around.”  

I carelessly tossed the chains to float around me before taking another step forward.

Hundreds— no, thousands— of luminous rifts still hung in Seoul’s skies, and countless monsters roamed freely on the ground.  

Given that this was still the early stages of the Cataclysm, encountering them would be easier than eating rice cakes while lying down.  

Besides, with my appearance concealed by the Tiara of Illusions, transformed into a hoodie and mask, there was no risk of my identity as a Selberion being exposed.

If I wanted to, I could continue skill-testing and monster hunting well into the evening.  

“…”  

I glanced around again as I strolled through the neighborhood.

Perhaps because there were no luminous rifts directly above our area, the surroundings were surprisingly quiet compared to the distant roars of monsters.  

…I guess I’d have to venture further out if I wanted to run into soldiers or other players.  

“Alright, just up to the next residential complex— …?!!”  

—Skreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!  

…Just as I resolved to leave our neighborhood and go a little further, a monstrous screech tore through the sky, loud enough to shatter eardrums.  

“…What the hell.”  

Tilting my head at the loudest monster cry I’d heard since the Cataclysm began, I immediately looked up.  

—Kyaaaaaaak!!  

“…”  

Then, something massive enough to blot out the sunlight flapped its wings and soared through the air before gracefully landing atop a half-demolished apartment complex under reconstruction— not too far from where I stood.  

A gigantic, pitch-black, winged something perched atop the ruins of the building, where only steel beams remained, striking a dramatic pose.  

As if flaunting its majesty, it spread its wings wide and let out another ear-splitting screech.  

—Skreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!  

And I studied the creature intently.

“That is….”

The massive black wings, the single sharp horn on its head reminiscent of a unicorn, and teeth so sharp and hard they could crush anything to dust—

…It didn’t take long for me to recognize it as the sub-boss monster from Season Off Fantasy, the “Dark Wyvern.”

“Dark Wyvern….”

Dark Wyvern.

With an average level of 1,500 and a measured rank of A+, it was undeniably one of the upper-tier mid-boss monsters, sitting at the very top of the food chain, second only to the stage bosses.

Only those who could comfortably take down a Dark Wyvern like this were acknowledged as true rankers— a monster notorious for its overwhelming strength, high stamina, and extreme difficulty to defeat.

—Keeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen!!

“….”

…The Dark Wyvern, the superior counterpart to the regular Wyvern that the Fate Guild had supposedly defeated in Asan, Chungcheongnamdo, perched atop the steel beams of an apartment complex, roaring endlessly.

Its posture almost seemed like it was demanding fear from the humans watching it.

“Hmm….”

Scratching my chin, I studied the creature.

I was pretty sure I’d read on the Season Off Fantasy community forums that sealing one boss-level monster would close one dimensional rift.

Which meant that if I took down the thing right in front of me— close enough that I could practically touch it if I fell forward— one of the rifts near my neighborhood would disappear.

Not to mention, a Dark Wyvern like this seemed like the perfect sandbag to test out Selberion’s passives and skills.

“….”

…More importantly, after my business went under and I fled here, this neighborhood was one of the poorest in the area— meaning most people here had likely never even played Season Off Fantasy, a game that required expensive VR gear.

In other words, in this impoverished neighborhood, the only Changer around was probably me.

And that meant the only one who stood a chance against that Dark Wyvern was me.

It wasn’t like the military could reliably take down something dozens of times stronger than a Kobold, either.

If I didn’t step up, it was only a matter of time before that violent beast reduced my tiny rented room— and the entire neighborhood— to rubble.

…But if I took care of that Dark Wyvern, I could test Selberion’s passives and skills, close a rift, and protect both my neighborhood and my home.

A true three-in-one benefit.

No matter how much I thought about it, there was no reason to just walk away from that ferocious creature.

“…Alright.”

With a faint smile, I leaped high into the sky.