SSG 272

Episode 272

“Just one day left now.”

“This damned ordeal is finally ending!”

Willy and Mad Hammer spoke loud enough to be heard.

“Thank you for your efforts. Just don’t forget to do your best for the one day left. Please don’t look at me like that. It’s a contract we agreed on as equals, after all. And I’m giving you these bonuses as well.”

Yuseong handed rare items to Willy.

“I’m not that grateful. You’re definitely going to gain more from what we did.”

‘That’s true. What could be more beneficial for me than migrating to another world.’

“We’re getting something out of this too, so that’s fine. But just make sure you keep your promise.”

“I’ll give it to you the day right after our deal is over.”

“That’s all we ask.”

Willy and Mad Hammer left. Maybe it was because the strange contract was finally ending, but they looked lighter on their feet.

Yuseong logged out and moved worlds.

[You’re here.]

“Yeah.”

He was greeted in a familiar way.

[Soon, even these greetings won’t be necessary.]

“Right.”

Yuseong looked around the house once more. This was the place he had arrived at on his first world jump. He recalled how he’d been mesmerized by the beauty and abundance that was, literally, a world apart from his own.

He absent-mindedly brushed the walls and furniture.

Soon, he’d either get used to this and need no more such impressions, or never see this scenery again.

“I’m going out.”

[Have a safe trip.]

He walked out the door. It was the same street he always walked down when coming to this world. Except for when he first arrived, he hadn’t paid much attention to it. Usually, his mind was filled with thoughts of the food Haewon’s grandmother had made.

But today, even at a slower pace, he wanted to look around.

He strolled leisurely and reached Haewon’s grandmother’s house.

“You’re here?”

“Come in.”

The greeting was as always. The scent was as always.

Nothing had changed.

Haewon’s grandmother treated Yuseong exactly as she had when they first met. Even though she must have heard that Yuseong and Haewon were seeing each other.

“Hello.”

Yuseong greeted her as always as he walked inside.

Soon, a lavish meal was set out.

Yuseong chewed and swallowed every bite with care. Both Haewon and her grandmother noticed that Yuseong seemed ever so slightly different than usual.

Haewon, who understood his situation, wore a worried expression. By contrast, her grandmother, as always, didn’t ask anything.

She only said a single thing as Yuseong left the house.

“If you’re having a hard time, come by anytime. At least I can feed you a good meal.”

“…Thank you so much.”

Is this why people long for their hometowns?

Yuseong thought he finally understood, having never really comprehended the feeling due to his trash of a home world.

Yuseong and Haewon stepped outside.

“…Has something dangerous happened again?”

“Not exactly. That world is just dangerous all the time.”

“But you seem different today.”

“I’ve got something important coming up. If I put it in novel terms, it’s like the final showdown, maybe?”

“Then you should watch your wording. It might be bad luck.”

“Superstition… is what they call it, right?”

Yuseong recalled the concept he’d learned in this world.

“Yeah. Some superstitions are old, some new, but it feels unsettling to ignore them. That shows how firmly rooted they are in people’s minds.”

“I don’t believe in that stuff. The other world isn’t naïve enough that something like superstition could actually change anything. How about you, Haewon?”

“I don’t believe in it either. But I can’t say I don’t feel anything. Like I said, it’s ingrained in us.”

“Ha ha, then maybe it’s better to avoid it just in case.”

Haewon peered at Yuseong.

“Is something up?”

“You can smile more easily now. When I first met you, you struck me as incredibly dry.”

“I learned a lot here. Not just emotions, but about people, food, and a lot of other things too.”

Unlike his own world, which tried to strip away even his last remaining life, this one had given him so much.

“Do you need help with anything?”

“No. Back then was a rare exception. This time, I’m going in thoroughly prepared.”

“Okay.”

A brief silence fell.

“When will it be over?”

“A week at most, I’d say.”

That was allowing for unexpected issues; it could well be over within two days.

“By the way, isn’t Arc having a server maintenance today? Is that part of the preparations?”

“It is.”

“And if it’s the final showdown, are you coming to this world for good this time? You said that’s what you were fighting for.”

“Yes. I’ll truly become a resident of this world.”

“Then we should throw a party. Get all the guild members together.”

“That sounds troublesome.”

“Lots of people have been waiting for it. Celine keeps bugging me about how far you and I have gotten.”

“I’ve been getting messages from Uncle Taeseop.”

“So that sly old man was targeting you instead of me! No wonder he hardly ever contacts me directly.”

“Those two are just the bold ones. Others will probably ask similar questions, I bet.”

Usually, they went their separate ways in front of Haewon’s grandmother’s house, but today they kept walking and chatting together.

Neither had suggested it first. It just happened naturally.

It was certainly a pleasant time, but nothing lasts forever.

“See you next time, then.”

“Yeah, see you next time.”

With a composed farewell to worried-faced Haewon, Yuseong went home.

Haewon stared at his back for a while. When his figure disappeared, she sighed deeply and headed home herself.

---

“Are you ready?”

[It’s done. All that’s left is to execute it.]

Yuseong entered the virtual reality device set up at home.

He usually accessed Arc only from his own world. But this time, he needed to log in from here.

“Let’s begin.”

Yuseong logged into Arc and moved to the city where Hades was.

“Get him!”

“He’s coming from the side!”

“Shit!”

The sounds of chaotic battle echoed through the city. Willy and his comrades were fighting Hades. It didn’t sound like things were going well.

From a distance, Yuseong watched the battle. They died several times, but, just as requested, kept charging at Hades.

‘They’re putting in serious effort. I was worried they might slack off.’

[I told you. With the reward being a city and their pride at stake, they’d follow through. The fact that you never broke trust with them is another reason.]

But their fight didn’t last much longer.

‘It’s time.’

Though they’d respawn and return again and again, soon there were no more dead bodies appearing.

The agreed time was up—they stopped coming.

After even Willy and Mad Hammer, who held out until the end, got a game over, the sounds of battle ceased.

Yuseong returned to Prochenhau. It wasn’t time to fight yet.

He finished the last preparations and waited for the moment.

After a while, an announcement popped up for every player enjoying Arc.

[Arc’s server maintenance will begin in five minutes. Thank you for your understanding, as this is for a more enjoyable and pleasant Arc. See you again after the maintenance.]

Players began logging out one by one. Some complained, but nobody seriously resisted.

Messiah’s overwhelming abilities meant the game had never been stopped for a patch or server maintenance before.

Besides, Arc being special aside, server maintenance isn’t that unusual in games.

Most players disappeared from Arc, and the few who remained were forcibly logged out by Messiah when the time came.

Now, the only ones left in Arc were NPCs, monsters, Yuseong, and Hades.

‘Let’s move.’

Yuseong used a crystal to head to the city with Hades. Mutant monsters and beasts attacked. Willy and his allies had wiped them out, but they’d respawned.

However, not many had respawned yet.

Yuseong used Cooking Day’s explosion potions to quickly clear them.

He had to remove obstacles before Hades arrived.

Boom!

Just as he finished off the last one, Hades attacked. Yuseong barely dodged. The area grazed by that massive arm was devastated.

Incredible destructive power. The city was already in ruins from battles between Hades and Willy’s group. Since the attacks impacted reality as well, it was only natural for Yuseong to shudder.

Hades tilted his head at Yuseong.

‘He must be searching for me.’

But there was no way the monster could find Yuseong if he was in another world.

Even so, if he couldn’t find him in reality, he could just beat down the Yuseong before his eyes—so Hades attacked again.

Wooooong!

The world shook.

‘It’s started.’

Yuseong kept calm, since he knew this would happen. But Hades, seeming alarmed, looked around.

As one eroding Arc, Hades had sensed it.

He knew this phenomenon was incredibly dangerous.

Sure enough—

Crack! Crackle!

All around, the sounds of breaking and collapse rang out. Sky, earth, monsters, plants—everything was crumbling into particles and drifting away.

The world was literally breaking apart.

And beyond the debris, absolute darkness appeared.

Hades was shaken. That darkness must not be approached. Even he, mighty as he was, would surely suffer grave harm. No, he might be completely annihilated.

Having overlaid his essence onto Arc, Hades could feel it well.

He must not remain here. Hades tried to return to reality.

But he couldn’t.

Panicked, Hades searched for the cause. Soon, he saw Yuseong watching him.

A tiny, frail prey. Annoyingly slippery, but not threatening apart from that.

And that prey was smirking at him.

“Where do you think you’re going? You were fighting me. Didn’t you know you can’t just log out in the middle of combat? That’s one of the basics in Arc.”

–You…u…–

“Like it? I prepared this stage just for you. It’s a shame to destroy something that Savior and Messiah worked hard to create for humanity, but I have no choice. I can’t afford to take chances with a monster like you.”

Far off, the sky was disappearing.

Arc—the virtual world connecting worlds—was collapsing.

“You can feel it, right? When this world ends, you won’t get out unscathed, either. But I’m going to keep you here until the end. If you want to escape, beat me, monster.”

–Youuuuuu…!–

As if to drown out the noise of a collapsing world, Hades roared and charged at Yuseong.