“Of course, you’re on my side.”
…I have no idea what he’s talking about, seriously. The act of scooping me up into his arms and smothering me with kisses had become almost second nature by now. If only he’d get rid of that ‘black X’ floating above his head. How was I supposed to believe he was sincere like this?
“Who the hell did you lose the bell to?”
Nyang.
I wasn’t going to tell him. Even if I opened my mouth, all that would come out was nyang-nyang sounds anyway, so it was impossible either way. Besides, I didn’t want Kessler getting marked by a suspected murderer.
…The attachment was clearly one-sided.
“Alright, alright! Expedition payout is starting soon! We used the Uni Distributor to ensure accurate division. Everyone, please gather in the plaza!”
The voice boomed like it was being shouted directly into my ear. It was the special feature of the expedition leader’s exclusive cash item, the ‘Premium Megaphone.’
People who had been doing their own things began to gather one by one. Standing atop an old guillotine set up like a platform in the center, the expedition leader continued.
“Thank you all for gathering. I’m here to announce the results of the meeting held by our expedition executives, the ‘Wolf Supporters.’ On our way back to the castle, there was an unfortunate incident. Realistically, it’s impossible for us to identify the murderer who killed Uncle Beard. We apologize for not ensuring everyone’s safety as we should have.”
After starting with an apology, he moved on to the distribution announcement.
“It took a long time to divide the wolf hide accurately. It’s been split into exactly 810 shares. As for the miscellaneous loot, everything has been sold off, and the proceeds will be distributed as cash. Thank you all for your hard work.”
“Thank you for your hard work, Garlic-nim!”
[The expedition leader, ‘PeeledGarlicUnpeeledGarlic’-nim, has sent you 83,100 won in cash and 1 piece of wolf hide as expedition participation rewards.]
[Will you accept? Yes/No]
Of course, I pressed Yes. They said expeditions made money, and it really did feel like my pockets had suddenly gotten fatter.
“Wow! That’s enough for four packs of ramen!”
…Although, yeah, it was only enough for four packs of ramen.
“But seriously, carrying this wolf hide around makes it so the ghosts are too scared to come near, right? So sweet!”
“My pockets were empty, but having even a wolf hide makes me feel secure.”
“Ah? Da-hoon-ssi, let me give you this cloak!”
“To me? But if you give it to me, Bori-ssi, what will you use?”
“Please just take the hide, Da-hoon-ssi. Think of it as a token of my fandom.”
“Ah…….”
“Hurry up.”
“Understood.”
Bori draped her expensive cloak over Jung Da-hoon’s shoulders.
‘Is that what you’d call a tribute?’
Then, taking the still bloodstained piece of Jung Da-hoon’s hide, she settled down and began tanning it with steady pang pang pang motions.
Seriously, this crazy bastard is just sucking the pure soul right out of that innocent girl.
“Bori-ssi, you look beautiful when you’re working.”
Meanwhile, Jung Da-hoon sat there comfortably, blankly staring as she toiled away for him.
“Then… could you sing me a song?”
“Run run run, I’ll catch your falling sweat~”
The lyrics of my game’s tournament finale theme song popped right out of Jung Da-hoon’s mouth.
‘This guy…’
I was only watching him because I suspected he might be the murderer, but all I’ve confirmed is that he’s actually just my fan.
[System]: You have heard a sweet voice. You feel refreshed. Movement Speed +4 for 30 minutes.
Ah, what a joke.
Taking advantage of the speed boost from listening to Jung Da-hoon’s singing, I immediately set off. There was no time to just stand around watching my fan’s shameless flirting.
Only three days left until the next quest. I had to accomplish something within that time.
“Ugh, it’s hot and I’m exhausted. Hey, kitty, do something cute for me.”
As I trotted along toward the marketplace run by skeletons, someone suddenly stepped into my path. It was the men who had been tanning the wolf hides they had personally caught.
Since tanning sapped stamina, they were trying to recharge by using me. I ignored them and bolted past them.
The place I arrived at was the Perfumery Workshop.
Bubble bubble. A perfumer skeleton was busy synthesizing mysterious substances.
Since skeletons couldn’t smell, the stench inside was absolutely horrible, but he clacked his teeth together in satisfaction.
[Baby Arctic Fox with an excellent sense of smell! Somehow, you seem to have a natural talent for perfumery.]
[To acquire the skill, you will need a Perfumery Kit.]
[Materials required to receive a Perfumery Kit: Empty Bottle (0/1), Old Tree’s Spine Sap (0/1), Scent Testing Paper (0/1), Seven Shadow Petals (0/1)]
[!!! You already possess the Perfumery Kit.]
Right. That’s why I came here. It was loot I scavenged off a corpse on the first day.
[!!! The Descendant of the Perfumer quest has been triggered.]
[Because you possess the perfumer’s belongings and have a keen sense of smell, you are now qualified to carry on his legacy.]
‘Huh?’
This was completely unexpected.
Not just a simple skill acquisition… but actually inheriting the Perfumer’s Legacy? This easily?
[Would you like to inherit the Perfumer’s Legacy? Yes/No]
Yes! Yes! I pounded my front paws into the air with a thud thud, hot air blasting from my nose. I was officially part of the Special Occupation group now.
[!!! First Job Quest: Find the Baby Fox’s Protective Scent!]
[The baby fox, blessed with innate talent, can change its scent to hide itself. Find the necessary materials and bring them to the perfumer, Smellbone.
Wolf Fur (1/1), Withered Fish (0/1), Soft Vanilla (0/1)]
The skeleton, Smellbone, who had been stirring chemicals at the perfumery table, waved at me.
As I carefully examined the quest description, I was so startled I leapt up and let out a sharp nyang-nyang cry.
‘This is insane.’
I had no idea a perfumer could wield such a defensive skill set.
No one had ever said anything! I thought it was just a job that caused some confusion along ghost paths at best.
‘If it’s this strong, maybe… I could survive against the murderer?’
Better yet, the remaining two materials were easy to get. The Withered Fish could be bought at the upcoming Shadow Night Market, and the Soft Vanilla was just lying around on the perfumer’s table.
[System]: You have purchased a piece of Vanilla. -10,000 won
It was even cheaper than a pack of ramen.
Perfumer Smellbone cracked his jaw open and laughed, thrilled that he’d made a sale. It was then that it happened.
[!!! Race Quest <Eat the Jewel Ice!> Time Limit: 2 hours
—If you fail to consume it within the time limit, you will lose your silky fur and be treated like a puppy.]
Ah, I had completely forgotten about this.
Another Race Quest had arrived. Now that I understood just how vital my soft, fluffy fur was—my greatest weapon—this was a quest I absolutely had to complete.
[Difficulty: Very Low]
And this time, the difficulty, which had been ‘Very High’ before, was now set to ‘Very Low.’ I knew exactly why.
I hopped over to where Kessler was lying in a nearby hammock, bouncing a few times in place. As if it was the most natural thing in the world, he scooped me up and tucked me into his chest.
“You’re noisy. Go to sleep too.”
Tugging free the ice jewel tied to the front of his clothes, I chomped down on it and gulped it down.
[<Race Quest: Eat the Jewel Ice!> Quest Complete! Your soft fur will be maintained for 5 days.]
Difficulty: Very Low—exactly as it said.
***
Friday evening, the usual time for quest activations, had arrived.
“Phew, finally it’s Quest Friday. Wonder what kind of quest will pop up?”
“I’m so curious.”
The players were gathered in the plaza, holding a barbecue party. I lapped up my milk pudding as I mulled over the upcoming third quest.
‘But the second quest didn’t follow the Alpha Test pattern.’
Thinking back to when Haru noona had been forced to log out because of the sudden event still made my head spin in disbelief.
Because of that, I couldn’t be completely sure about the third quest either. However, if there weren’t any major changes…
It would likely be a chain quest designed to trigger mass eliminations.
***
[Third Survival Quest,
There are a total of 500 marbles in the castle. Only the 500 individuals holding a marble at the final moment will be able to protect their flesh and soul.
Remaining Time: 2:59:56]
“What the hell… only 500?”
“Wow, I heard this quest was gonna be a massacre, but this is legit…”
People clutched their heads in despair. Considering that there were currently over 800 survivors, that meant more than 30% of them would be wiped out.
“What do the marbles even look like?”
“I don’t know, just find one! It’s basically a treasure hunt.”
The third quest proceeded exactly as the information I knew described. If there were a Seeker around, and if that person was kind-hearted enough, they would likely find undiscovered marbles and hand them out to others.
As soon as the quest started, I bolted out of the room. The method for clearing this quest was simple: Find a marble, then hide in a spot where others couldn’t easily reach you.
I crossed the third-floor hallway, which was filled with traps, right after exiting my room. Two blue-glowing marbles emerged.
Nyang!
I immediately snatched one up with my mouth. I wanted to give the other to Kessler, but the advice for this quest was not to worry about Seekers or Thieves.
And besides, because I’d been running around so much before the game started, I had no clue where Kessler even was.
Nyang!
I dropped the spare marble from the third-floor window. It fell right in front of someone passing below, and that someone bent down, picked it up, and lifted his head.
‘Huh?’
Of all people—it was Jung Da-hoon. He looked up at me with a dazed expression. Flustered, I immediately leapt down from the window ledge.
Clutching the marble tightly in my mouth, I stilled my breathing.
From beyond the door, occasional screams leaked in.
My brief eye contact with Jung Da-hoon was seriously bugging me, but he wouldn’t be able to come up here easily. After all, the third-floor hallway was rigged with vicious trap mechanisms.
Only a Thief or a Seeker would have a chance of crossing it safely.
Click clack click clack.
Amid the distant screams, I heard footsteps approaching. I flattened my ears and lowered my body even further.
Desperately convincing myself that it must be the thief who always found his way to my side—Kessler.
Creeaak.
The old door creaked open with a worn, grating sound. The silhouette of a man, haloed by the moonlight, appeared.
From far off, the sound of screams tearing through the air reached us, and in the darkness, our gazes locked.
At his fingertips was the blue marble I had dropped.
Even in the gloom, the black X hovering above him was vivid and unmistakable. He was the prime murder suspect—and my fan—Jung Da-hoon.
