episode_0008

008

Wig Recapture Operation

I gathered all my troops at the shack.

If I want to lure the giant out of the map, I must start by knowing the map’s boundary.

And the boundary I’m most familiar with is, of course, around the shack.

The trees forming the boundary grow to an average of 3m.

Even if I’m lucky enough to steal the wig, jumping over a 3m wall in one go isn’t easy.

So, first, let’s make a path.

I started chopping down trees with the axe I got from the bandits.

Beside me, the zombie is also diligently swinging the axe.

Thwack. Thwack.

I assigned the dogs the role of scouts.

I don’t know where the giant, bored of playing with the bandit hideout, might head.

If the giant comes towards the shack, the dogs will let me know.

About 1 hour later.

Finally, a small path was cleared.

“Phew… well, preparations are done.”

Now it’s time to go do the main quest.

I called the dogs back.

The giant was surprisingly not far away.

By the stream where the wild dogs used to live.

He was sleeping near there.

What was unusual was that he was sitting up straight, sleeping.

‘He is sleeping, right…?’

He looked like he was meditating, so I couldn’t approach him hastily.

But after seeing him not moving for 10 minutes, I judged that he was sleeping.

I crept up to the giant.

‘Anyway, this guy is incredibly greedy.’

This guy’s hairstyle is like that of a primitive man.

It doesn’t just cover his head; it’s so abundant it reaches his waist.

Assistant Manager Park Ki-bum’s greed wasn’t even this bad.

I grabbed the end of the curly hair.

And turning around, I started running with all my might.

Tight. It feels like something is being pulled.

‘Huh? What? Why isn’t it coming off? No way… it’s not a wig?’

I looked back.

There was the giant, holding his crown with one hand, and the other side of the wig with the other hand.

Bright red eyes. A snarling mouth.

He seemed very angry.

‘Huh…? Was he awake?’

The pressure from his 5m height is immense.

It feels completely different from when I saw him from the watchtower.

I immediately shouted.

“Ch-charge!”

When the brute pulled the wig, my body was pulled along.

I hastily let go of the wig.

Thanks to that, the brute also fell on his butt and dropped the wig.

The zombie dogs leaped onto him.

‘The wig. I have to pick up the wig.’

While the zombie dogs distracted the brute, I threw myself and picked up the wig.

In that brief moment, 3 dogs were crushed into lumps of meat by the giant’s hand.

‘Crazy…’

“Now, run away!”

Thump-thump-thump –

The giant chases after me with his red eyes.

His running is faster than I expected.

Even while running, he keeps covering his crown with one hand.

But there’s no time to smile.

‘Ughhhhh.’

Every time the brute got closer to me, the zombie dogs jumped in, buying time.

I thought about having the dogs carry the wig, but there are too many obstacles in the forest.

If I accidentally tripped over something like a rock, it would be over.

If the wig went to them, I wasn’t confident I could steal it back.

“Run run run. Just run!”

Finally, the shack is visible in the distance.

‘How many dogs died?’

I don’t know.

I don’t have the luxury of looking back.

Thump –

I hear a sound right behind me again.

Goosebumps instantly erupted all over my body.

‘Huh? No way?’

A heavy sensation presses onto my back.

Pressure like being hit by a car.

‘Damn… it…’

Holding the wig tightly, I flew several meters.

Thud. Crash-bang-crash.

‘Gasp….’

The pain is tremendous.

My limbs won’t obey me.

Lying face down, I can just lift my head to see the giant stomping closer.

‘Goddamn it… it’s right there.’

At that moment, the zombie darted out and snatched the wig from my hand.

“N-no.”

The weight of the wig is definitely not light.

The zombie’s strength isn’t enough to throw the wig.

If so, she has to hold the wig and go outside the map, but summoned creatures shouldn’t leave the map.

The zombie runs outside the map holding the wig.

From the moment she went past the tree wall, the zombie staggered.

But she didn’t stop, she kept moving forward.

‘No! Move… body, move!’

My whole body is trembling like an aspen.

The giant runs past me as I struggle to stand up.

Thump. Thump. CRACK – CRACK –

The 3m trees forming the boundary snapped powerlessly.

I crawled forward, moving my body.

And the moment I stepped outside the map.

A completely new kind of pain lacerated my entire body.

This isn’t physical pain.

It’s a feeling of depletion and alienation, as if my very existence is being annihilated.

‘Gasp… gasp…’

But I can endure.

‘Stage 2 Expert’ said so.

Summoned creatures and dwarves who went outside the map couldn’t return on their own, but he himself managed to crawl back somehow.

He doesn’t know the exact reason.

Perhaps. If all this is a game, it’s probably the difference between a player who broke the rules and a being within the game.

The zombie was not far from the path.

I embraced her, lying sprawled out.

Looking closely, her body ends seem to be turning into dust and flying away.

‘Hurry… let’s go back.’

The giant? I don’t know.

I definitely saw him go outside the map, but he hasn’t been visible since.

Seeing the zombie lying by the stream, maybe he followed the wig downstream?

More important than that, I have to go back.

Giant or whatever, if I don’t go back now, everything will disappear.

One step. One step.

I took steps as heavy as a thousand pounds.

And finally, the moment I reached back inside the boundary, I collapsed.

Rustle – Rustle –

I hear a scraping sound from behind.

‘No way… no…’

I just managed to turn my head to check the source of the sound.

The giant was dragging his body back using only his arms, heading towards the massive ‘path’ he had created.

On top of his head sat the wig, soaked with water.

He looked like a huge ghost.

‘Goddamn it… you’re a mob, why are you enduring?!’

His vitality is so absurd, it makes my head swim.

Just then, I hear dogs barking in the distance.

Woof woof!

‘Some of them survived? How many?’

I don’t know. I don’t have the presence of mind to check.

I squeezed out all my strength and shouted.

“Bite… bite them all!”

With that final shout, my world was dyed black.

The lights of the world went out.

***

Ding – Ding –

“Ugh…”

What woke me was a system alarm.

Someone kept sending messages.

I opened my eyes.

[Oh? You’re awake? Hahahaha.]

‘Hah… the first thing I see upon opening my eyes is a message from that lunatic.’

I closed my eyes again.

But the alarm kept ringing.

Ding – Ding –

‘Doesn’t this thing have a mute mode? I’m going crazy.’

I said in a voice full of irritation.

“Just leave me alone for now.”

[No way. You should move more. If you clear the round, your body fully recovers, so why lie around in that state?]

Thinking about it, he wasn’t wrong.

When I cleared a round, all my minor injuries disappeared.

“Hah…”

I sat myself up.

Looking now, I’m lying on the bed in the shack.

‘Zombie… you’re alive.’

Relief washes over me.

As if answering my prediction, the shack door opens and the zombie enters.

Creak –

The zombie, meeting my eyes, opens her mouth.

“Oh… wake.”

‘Huh?’

But before I could talk to the zombie, another message interrupted.

[Anyway. I didn’t expect to see you so soon, but honestly, it was quite interesting, Zombie Summoner.]

Irritation flared up instantly.

“No, was that difficulty level right? You didn’t make it so I would die, did you?”

[Ahahaha! I was being considerate, you know?]

“Bullshit…”

[It’s true. That guy’s species name is Vampire Giant. He has the characteristic of significantly weakening when sunlight hits his 3rd eye on his crown. And Stage 2 is a unique environment where the sun is up 24 hours, isn’t it?]

Crazy talk.

How in the world was I supposed to know information like that?

‘So he kept obsessing over his head, it wasn’t because he was bald…’

I got an explanation for the situation, but it wasn’t very pleasant.

‘Wait a minute…’

Something doesn’t add up.

Chewing over my thoughts, I asked again.

“But that guy… wasn’t he capable of slaughtering all of us even with one hand on his head? Even if I knew about the wig, it felt like a battle I couldn’t win…”

A moment of silence passes.

‘What? Why aren’t you answ…’

[Ahaha. Caught me?]

‘This son of a b*tch?’

[HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Interesting. Interesting. Interesting. Interesting! Zombie Summoner, you’re interesting!]

I couldn’t answer.

Thinking about it, what this guy demanded of me was always the same.

Entertainment.

Not my growth, not my efforts, not my achievements, nothing else.

He only pursued entertainment.

“…”

[Hey. Zombie Summoner, don’t be too sulky. Instead, I’ll give you a gift. Huh? I’ll reward you as much as you gave me entertainment. Isn’t that how it is?]

‘Lunatic.’

But the gift is a bit tempting.

Since he’s as capable as he is mentally unstable, he might offer something great.

‘I don’t trust this guy, but…’

“What will you give?”

[Anything. I will reward you as much as you gave me entertainment.]

I don’t know what to ask for.

Items? Growth? But I feel like if I ask for something like that, he’ll say it’s not entertaining and give me something weird.

I’m almost certain.

The lunatic radar in my head is buzzing wildly.

‘Growth? Good! The best growth is experience!’

And then summon 3 giants, is what it feels like he’ll say.

Something I want, without upsetting this guy’s excitement…

Actually, there is one thing.

“Then… Assistant Manager Park Ki-bum. You know him, right? You said you saw my memories. I want to teach that guy a lesson.”

‘Yeah… this is about right. The target has to be someone other than me.

[Ahahahaha.]

Suddenly, without rhyme or reason, my body is enveloped in light.

‘Huh? Wait, this… isn’t this the round clear effect?’

No. I haven’t fed the dead dwarves’ corpses or turned them into zombies yet.

And isn’t there the giant’s corpse too?

I shouted urgently.

“Wa-wait a minute!”

The world went dark again.

It doesn’t feel like losing consciousness.

It’s darkness due to the absence of light.

‘Hah… where am I now? Uh…?’

Flinch.

My eyes adjusted to the darkness, and goosebumps covered my body.

I know this place.

Cardboard dividers.

A worn-out desk. Chair. Computer.

This is my workplace, Barosoft.

And specifically, the tribunal Assistant Manager Park set up to torment me.

At that moment, a message popped up in front of my eyes.

[You do it.]

And next to it, a 24-hour countdown began.

‘This… psycho?’

I had returned to reality.

I habitually sat in the defendant’s chair.

Then I got startled, got up, and sat in a different chair.

‘Ah, PTSD. Assistant Manager Park, you’re really dead to me.’

But there’s something I need to do before that.

Something very important that can only be done now.

Ding –

I turned on the community on my phone.

And I finally created the ID I had been putting off.

Do you know this?

When you upload a post on the community, your current location is automatically registered.

That’s why scammers who exaggerate their stage can’t run rampant.

So, if I write a post now?

When I clicked ‘Write Post’, the location information [South Korea, Seoul] appeared in the upper right corner.

‘Heh heh. Just as I expected.’

I quickly entered the title.

Nobody would cut in line, but I felt an unnecessary sense of urgency.

[Reality Return, Am I 1st? Easy lol]

[#Earth #Return #1st #Easy]

I’m currently getting used to the community.