Chapter 9 (2/2): Information (2)

It’s a welcome thing to have all opinions gathered at once without conflict.

Even the Dark Ghost, Jeong Hyunjun, revealed his satisfaction with a smile.

Yeonhwa, who had seemed unexpressive, also faintly curled the corners of her lips and opened her mouth to proceed toward the final part of the meeting.

— If new information arises, please share it immediately in the chat. As for the last announcement… Well, the government is not only worried about monsters but also conflicts between players or the looting of civilians.

“Looting…!”

The Dark Ghost’s pupils dilated.

Right. Even in zombie movies, the most dangerous enemies were ultimately humans.

There was no guarantee that every player would use their newfound power for good.

In this chaos, there would undoubtedly be those who sought to abuse the power they had gained.

They would assault the weak, plunder resources, and flaunt their strength as “players.”

Perhaps they would become even more dangerous than the monsters.

— …So, though it may be troublesome, I think it would be good if our guilds also took on the role of vigilantes. Soldiers and police likely won’t be able to subdue players by force.

No matter how low-level or newbie a player was, they had essentially become game characters.

Their basic strength and physical abilities far surpassed those of ordinary humans, making it impossible for regular police or soldiers to suppress them.

Only a player could subdue another player.

…Since cooperation with the government was all but certain, they had a duty to handle what the authorities couldn’t, no matter how bothersome it might be.

— Also, though it should go without saying, please ensure that guild members don’t act out due to arrogance over belonging to one of the top four guilds.

— Don’t worry about that.

“Deoksu’s right. You don’t need to worry about that.”

— …Understood. Especially Ace— since your numbers are overwhelmingly large, Solsol, I’d appreciate it if you paid extra attention to managing them.

— Huh? As if our guild members would do such things? Don’t worry, unnie.

Whether in schools, companies, or society, the larger the group, the harder it is to manage meticulously.

At Yeonhwa’s request for stricter oversight, Solsol responded with a bright smile.

Yeonhwa returned it with a faint smile of her own.

…Now, the meeting was finally drawing to a close.

— I think we’ve covered everything that needed to be discussed. There’s just one last thing.

Then, Yeonhwa, the guild master of “Legend” and today’s meeting facilitator, looked at the camera with the most serious expression she had worn throughout the entire discussion.

A grave tone seeped from her lips.

— I did say that if a stage boss appears, you should handle it within your assigned area as you see fit, but…

For a moment, the Dark Ghost noticed her pupils trembling and a drop of cold sweat rolling down her face.

And the next sentence that left her mouth made even him understand her strange reaction.

— …The December stage boss, “Selberion,” is an exception.

“Selberion…!!”

— Y-You mean that God of Destruction?!

…The boss guarding the December stage, “The End of the World.”

The Frost of Ruin, the God of Destruction— “Selberion.”

A being on an entirely different level even among stage bosses, one that fifteen guilds allied— 3,000 players raiding simultaneously— had failed to defeat.

A monster among monsters that had never once knelt in the past eight years.

Even Legend, Geumgang, Fate, and Ace, all present in this meeting, had challenged her countless times, only to fall before Selberion’s freezing aura and chains.

Selberion.

The undisputed strongest existence in Season Off Fantasy.

At the mention of that name, even Typhoon Saiyan Kim Deoksu and the Dark Ghost Jeong Hyunjun froze in their seats.

Yeonhwa, too, seemed to recall her previous defeat at Selberion’s hands, unable to hide her tension as she continued.

— If you ever face Selberion, do not provoke or attack her first. Focus on stalling her advance as much as possible until all four of our top guilds can gather. That should be your goal.

When even the united forces of the top four guilds stood little chance of victory, attempting a solo raid would be nothing short of suicide.

So Yeonhwa urged them to adopt a purely defensive stance, buying time until Korea’s strongest elites could assemble.

…Only by uniting all of Korea’s strength could they even hope to stand against Selberion.

But Yeonhwa didn’t stop there. She shared one more hypothesis she had formed after the incident.

— Also, it seems the monsters appearing now have developed distinct self-awareness. Among them, creatures like “Forest Spirits” and “Fairies” have reportedly not attacked humans, unlike in the game, and have even attempted communication.

“…”

— Similarly, there’s a slim chance that Selberion and other stage bosses may have gained self-awareness and won’t be indiscriminately hostile toward humans. So absolutely, under no circumstances, should you provoke them first— especially Selberion. Only respond if they show clear hostility or attack first.

…The greatest victory is won without fighting.

If Selberion and other stage bosses, like the Forest Spirits and Fairies, had developed peaceful self-awareness upon crossing into reality, there was a faint possibility they might not take much interest in slaughtering humans.

So Yeonhwa pleaded with them not to strike first—especially against Selberion.

After all, no matter what they did, they could never win.

They had always been forced to their knees in defeat.

Against the Frost of Ruin— Selberion.

— …Understood. We’ll do as you say. Selberion’s appearance is still that of a young girl, after all. It’s possible she’s developed a “girl’s heart” upon manifesting in reality.

“Regardless, as Yeonhwa said, there’s no need to attack first if they show no hostility. At least when it comes to Selberion.”

And at the seemingly reasonable words of the “Legend” guild master, Typhoon Saiyan Kim Deoksu and the Dark Ghost Jeong Hyunjun nodded vigorously in agreement.

In the current situation where everything had become reality, one of the reasons for their intensified fear was how their dread of Selberion, buried deep within their hearts, had been amplified— doubled, tripled even— without them realizing.

— Huh…? What?

But there was one person who showed no signs of unease— no fear, no tension.

With a flat, indifferent tone, she stood out from the rest.

It was none other than Solsol, the guild master of Ace.

— You’re saying we should just leave the stage boss— Selberion, of all things— alone…? Why would we do that…?

Customized as a beastkin with cat ears and a tail, she bit her lip as if she couldn’t understand the other guild leaders’ words, her eyes fixed firmly on her camera lens.

— Leave it alone because it might have calmed down? What kind of nonsense is that? Do you really think a being of pure evil like that ice-cream bitch could suddenly grow a girl’s heart…?

Solsol glanced back and forth between Kim Deoksu and Jeong Hyunjun in disbelief.

The playful tone she usually carried was gone, and her words now cut like blades.

— Even if it hasn’t attacked yet, that’s probably to catch us off guard. At least the Selberion I know would do exactly that. That cunning bitch definitely would.

“….”

— Wait until everyone gathers? That’s absurd. Offense is the best defense. By the time we’re all gathered, a second Ice Age will have already hit Seoul. How could you expect us to just sit around?!

“Soll…”

DarkGhost looked at the agitated Solsol with a touch of pity in his eyes.

He knew why she was so obsessed with the Selberion raid— why she reacted so violently to just hearing that name.

To her— and to the Ace guild— Selberion was like an Achilles’ heel.

Ace was a top-tier global guild, having cleared every stage boss at least six times.

When it came to raid strategy, they were considered world-class.

But Selberion was the only stage boss they had never managed to defeat.

Because of that one failure, they could never claim the titles of “perfect”, “first”, or “best”.

No matter how many accomplishments you stack up, there will always be people ready to tear you down for even the smallest flaw.

Just that one fact— that Ace had failed to defeat Selberion— led to people mocking them as “useless when it really matters”, calling them “Selberion’s footrest”, or “pretenders with no merit”.

So Solsol and the Ace guild gritted their teeth and challenged Selberion year after year.

But the outcome was always the same: defeat.

And with every loss, the ridicule only grew more vicious, and Solsol’s hatred toward the god of destruction deepened further.

If someone kept you from planting a flag at the summit of a mountain— eight times in a row— you’d be furious too.

That’s why, now that the boundary between reality and virtuality had collapsed, Solsol wanted to defeat her no matter what.

Even if she had to force the issue like this, it was her way of justifying the inevitable raid to come.

…With a long sigh, Hyunjun tried to calm her down.

“Sol-nim, I understand how you feel, but you also know very well that Ace alone still isn’t a match for Selberion.”

— The ghost guy’s right. If we attack first without confirmation, we’re just asking to get wiped. The only time we can possibly challenge her is if we’ve confirmed her hostility and our top four guilds are united.

Kim Deoksu, guild master of Typhoon Man, agreed with Jeong Hyunjun’s words.

Lastly, Yeonhwa also chimed in, looking at Solsol’s face.

— Sol, even Nighthead, the world’s number one guild, couldn’t beat Selberion. It’s not like Ace has some secret method to win.

— Ngh…

— Besides, this isn’t a game where you can just respawn. If you die here, it’s over. It’s reality. Avoiding a fight we don’t have to take is the smarter choice. Please, set aside your pride, just for now.

— Ugh…!!

Clearly stung by the three guild masters’ words, Solsol’s face turned bright red, like a tomato.

Finally, she exploded, yelling at them all.

— We can win, okay?! We’ve already analyzed all her patterns! Cowards!!

“Soll…”

— Don’t come crawling back later asking for raid strategies. Just sit back and watch. Whether it’s a stage boss or Selberion herself, Ace is going to crush them all.

Click.

With that last outburst, Solsol’s feed— one of the four split screens on the monitor— went black.

She had rage-quit the call, unable to control her anger. Kim Deoksu let out a deep sigh.

— Still so young… Let’s just hope she doesn’t make a foolish mistake…

— …Agreed. If Selberion were to interpret Ace’s actions as representative of all Korea— or even of humanity— it would be a disaster.

Yeonhwa shook her head at the unpredictable path Solsol and Ace might now take.

Only Jeong Hyunjun, aka Dark Ghost, gave a bitter smile, wondering if they might have gone too far with their words— and tried to reassure the others.

“It’s probably just an overreaction.”

— Hm?

“I mean, in a world this big, what are the chances that Selberion, of all things, shows up in Korea, and specifically in Seoul, the area Ace is in charge of?”

This collapse of boundaries between reality and virtuality was happening on a global scale.

The odds of the stage boss— especially Selberion— appearing in the capital of Korea seemed almost nonexistent.

“So really, don’t worry too much.”

…At least, that’s what Hyunjun thought.