The Aftermath – Part 1 Complete

,Uhm…”

The first thing I checked after logging into Deron was the connection status of my guild members.

Even though I left Hwarang, Iyap, and SnowMage in charge of management, I was worried.

272/300

Malangjondeuk Cow, which always maintained a full guild of 300 members, had shrunk.

And the connection status of the guild members was also a disaster.

Even though it was a weekday afternoon, there were only 30 concurrent users.

SnowMage – [Blood Demon King-nim!]

The people who were currently logged in were desperately calling for me, but I had a mountain of things to check first.

That was sorting out the mailbox that had been piling up for a month.

From guild members contacting me to say they were quitting the game due to personal reasons, to acquaintances asking why I hadn’t been logging in lately.

Because I had been living a life disconnected from Deron for a month, my world was a mess.

After roughly sorting out the mailbox, I started typing in the guild chat.

Yeon – [Long time no see, everyone.]

SnowMage – [Did you have a good trip?]

I didn’t ask why the guild’s login rate had become like this.

I slowly started to unravel the conversations I hadn’t been able to have with the guild members who were logged in, and began to guess the general reasons.

Currently, Deron was at the end of its season.

No matter how many new contents and maps appeared, it couldn’t hold the users for long without a regular raid.

I groaned and nodded.

Yeah. It was something I experienced every season.

But this time, it felt more severe than usual.

I started kicking out long-term inactive members one by one.

SnowMage – [Blood Demon King-nim, did you hear the news?]

What news?

I tilted my head, checking SnowMage’s chat.

Then, she wrote down a list of things I hadn’t even asked about.

SnowMage – [It seems like Deron has started developing a new game. There are various stories coming out on Blind.]

Yeon – [A new game?]

SnowMage – [Yes, so the existing Deron developers have been transferred to other departments.]

I was stunned by the sudden news of a new game.

The reason Deron has been able to run for so long was thanks to the talented developers.

To transfer those developers to other departments, what would happen to Deron then?

Yeon – [Then what about Deron…?]

SnowMage – [Well… there’s a lot of talk among users because of that. The announcement for the next season should be coming out soon, but there’s nothing right now, right?]

A sense of foreboding washed over me.

I hurriedly accessed Deron’s website.

I had been away for about a month.

During that time, Deron had undergone several server checks, but nothing had been added internally to the game.

The developer’s notes were also empty.

Only then could I realize it.

The reason why there were so many long-term inactive guild members and why I couldn’t fill the 300 guild members.

The end of the game’s season. A time when users’ interest naturally declines. This rumor must have started circulating.

As a result, the departure of users would have accelerated.

I stroked my chin with a serious expression.

Yeon – [You’re still recruiting guild members, right?]

SnowMage – [Yes, I am, but… since Blood Demon King-nim has been inactive for a long time, there haven’t been many inquiries about joining.]

That makes sense.

This Malangjondeuk Cow guild was created solely for me.

Since I, who am the guild master, had been inactive for a long time, saying I was going on a trip, the guild members must have felt uneasy.

It was common for guild masters to quit the game after going on a trip and being inactive for a long time.

Yeon – [Let’s revive the guild first. It will come back to life because I’m here.]

SnowMage – [Yes!]

I started playing Deron even harder than before, since I hadn’t been able to play it for a while.

I even cut down on my sleeping time. I started recruiting guild members again while playing Deron at school.

A week after the summer vacation ended.

My Malangjondeuk Cow guild had 300 members, and the guild chat was as lively as before.

Of course, some of the guild members who had been with me all along had left completely without returning…

A month after the summer vacation ended.

Deron’s final content was still the Doomsday Wastelands raid.

I played everything I could during that time.

I freely roamed the Doomsday Wastelands using new weapons, playing the space pirate game, and sometimes playing the space police game.

But Deron was still the same.

There were still no updates, and no developer notes were posted.

Two months after the summer vacation ended.

A video was uploaded to Deron’s YouTube channel.

A flashy video that seemed to promote a new game.

SnowMage’s words were true.

It was revealed that all the talented developers were making a new game.

[The emergence of a next-generation game that combines virtuality and reality.]

I spent time blankly watching the promotional video.

***

Three months after the summer vacation ended.

Deron still had no updates.

It would be nice if they added the next season soon…

No, if they had released news that they were developing the next season’s expansion pack, or even concept art…

I sighed and checked the status of the guild.

220/300

The guild’s situation was terrible.

The situation of other guilds was not much different from ours.

I moved to a large city that many people visit.

In front of the fountain in the center of Solaris Capital City.

The place that was always crowded with users was empty.

The fact that a place where you could witness a huge crowd no matter which channel you went to was empty meant that the number of users had decreased significantly.

Of course, you can still see many users if you go to channel 1 now.

,Blood Demon King-isiyeo!”

At that moment.

I heard a voice calling me.

The sound of small footsteps, tak-tak-tak-.

When I turned my head, Jupiter, wearing angel wings, was running towards me.

One of the people who lives in Deron like me.

Jupiter was not leaving Deron.

As always, he was logged into Deron, completing all the quests and enjoying his own role-playing.

,Jupiter.”

,Are you going out to farm today?”

,Uhm…”

Farming.

I have to go.

I haven’t done today’s routine yet.

But for some reason, I didn’t have any energy.

,I don’t know.”

,Ah… are you not thinking of going? I was thinking of going together because I needed firestones…”

,I’m not really in the mood.”

,Hmm… is it because of Deron’s update cycle?”

I turned my gaze away without answering.

Jupiter, who was staring at me intently, sighed and sat down next to me.

Short legs lined up side by side dangled under the bench.

,I’m thinking it’s time to let it go.”

There’s nothing more foolish than holding onto a game that the game company has given up on.

No matter how much I like Deron, the life of a game that has stopped updating ends there.

I can’t live my whole life in an unchanging world, can I?

,Blood Demon King-isiyeo!”

,Yeah…”

,Don’t give up!”

,I want to…”

,Eee…!”

I smiled softly and looked at Jupiter.

I know that this guy loves Deron as much as I do.

I was wondering whether to quit the game or not in front of such a guy, so how would he feel?

I got up, shaking off the worries I had been having, along with a sigh.

,Oh, where are you going?”

,You said we were going farming.”

,Huh… are we leaving right now?”

,Isn’t it obvious? Time is money.”

Of course, the gold price has been completely ruined…

Anyway, I’m going out to farm today too.

I am the Blood Demon King.

Deron’s one and only beautiful girl Demon King.

How many people would be sad if I quit the game?

I can’t show an irresponsible side as a guild leader and raid leader.

Yeah, Deron is a little late.

You can be late sometimes in life.

So let’s wait patiently.

We just need to wait and wait again and welcome those who come back.

I have always been here, and I will continue to be here in the future.

,Come out!”

Ppiyaaak-!

,Come hither!”

Kkwaaaak-!

The moment I shouted as I ran out of the capital city, two griffons appeared.

My griffon Ppiyaki and Jupiter’s griffon Julius.

***

Four months after the summer vacation ended.

During that time, the number of Malangjondeuk Cow guild members decreased to 200.

There’s no influx, and only users are leaving, so it can’t be helped.

I was spending my days like that, like usual.

One small message arrived on my phone screen.

What appeared at the top was a message announcing Deron’s notice.

At this time? It’s not even the regular maintenance date, so what’s going on?

,Huk…”

No way…

,Ha-yeon-ah?”

No way, this is.

I got off Sohee’s lap and took a breath.

My heart was pounding.

My breathing naturally quickened.

Blood started circulating throughout my body.

A tingling sensation spread through my arms and legs.

,Huk… huk…”

,Ha-yeon-ah, what’s wrong…?”

,A, an announcement has been posted on Deron.”

,Really? Come here and let’s look at it together.”

,Ah, okay.”

I nodded at Sohee’s words and sat back on her lap.

Now I’m used to sitting on Sohee’s lap even at school.

I put my phone on the desk and carefully access Deron’s website.

Sohee naturally rested her head on my shoulder.

It was a little heavy, but not too bothersome.

The familiar scent wafting around.

Sohee’s breathing, which now feels even stable.

I twisted my posture slightly to make it easier for Sohee to lean on me.

[Client Update Information]

Hello, Adventurers.

The Deron Online update is scheduled for Wednesday, December 7th.

New Expansion Pack Update

[Where Encounters Beyond Dimensions Intersect]

[Added New Area: A Place Bathed in Warm Sunlight]

[Added New Area: Deep Rock Valley]

[Added New Area: Beast’s Shelter]

[Added New Area: A Place Where People Come and Go]

[Cross Area Seoul Added]

[Cross Area New York Downtown Added]

[Cross Area Opera House Added]

[Cross Area Stonehenge Added]

[Cross Area Colosseum Added]

[Cross Area Eiffel Tower Added]

[Cross Area Pyramid Added]

[Main Quest Update]

[New Equipment Added]

*View Details

[New Items Added]

*View Details

[Job System Reorganization]

*View Details

[Large-Scale Balance Patch]

*View Details

[Two New Raids Added]

[New Raid ‘Dreamlike World’]

[New Raid ‘A Place Where Everyone Comes Together’]

,Heok… heok… heok…”

,Ha-yeon-ah. Breathe, breathe…!”

I grabbed my chest and leaned my head on the desk.

I knew it.

There was no way my Deron would fail.

How many guys in the Deron Gallery told me to switch to another game, saying the game was going to fail soon?

I played the video that was uploaded at the very bottom of the announcement.

[The emergence of a next-generation game that combines virtuality and reality.]

[Deron Online]

[New Expansion Pack ‘Where Encounters Beyond Dimensions Intersect’ Update]

The familiar sentence that came to mind at the same time as playback.

But the video didn’t end there.

The video that I thought was a new game was actually a promotional video for Deron’s new expansion pack.

,Yahoo!!!”

I jumped up from my seat and hugged Sohee.

When everyone was leaving Deron.

I always protected Deron in that place.

Because I was the guild leader.

Because I was a responsible raid leader.

I hurriedly opened the guild chat room.

Most of them had already quit, but I left the members of the guild chat room as they were without kicking them out.

Yeon – [Your guild leader commands you. Please come back quickly. A new expansion pack has been released!]

Yeon – [Your raid leader commands you. Log in right now. We’re preparing for a new raid!]

There’s no time to be doing this.

I broke away from Sohee’s arms and ran out of the classroom.

,Ha, Ha-yeon-ah! Where are you going!”

,I’m sick, so I’m leaving early!”