<Current Rankings>
Rankings are updated every 10 minutes.
1st: Yeo Woo-rim
2nd: MaekbanseokGrilledEgg
3rd: Bori
4th: KebabGudasaai
……
11th: Bada
“Huh? Still holding third place?”
I recalled MaekbanseokGrilledEgg’s outfit. Just how much had they already cashed in? There were still two more exchange opportunities left, but seeing how much they had already converted suggested they were using a similar strategy to mine: exchange heavily on the first turn and hide out in a safe place to hold their position.
‘…….’
The next turn was a crossroads. Should I give Bori Noona more Resonance Pills to find out exactly how many Shadow Resonance Pills the current 2nd place had, or should I play it safe and wait?
In truth, I could always reinforce my lead with additional exchanges later, so this might be unnecessary. But knowing exactly how much 2nd place had pulled on the first turn would help me better read the flow of the game.
[150 Shadow Resonance Pills have been gifted to user ‘Bori’. You have 474 Shadow Resonance Pills remaining.]
Bori Noona, who saw the gift notification, looked startled at first, but then nodded as if she understood his intentions.
“Let’s wait for the results.”
And ten minutes passed.
Nyang!
“Ah…… Oh? What the—?”
MaekbanseokGrilledEgg was wealthier than expected. Did they sell off all their junk items? Or maybe they’d gotten hold of a unique item and sold that.
“I heard they’re real-life friends with PeeledGarlic. Maybe they moved all their assets in advance, thinking PeeledGarlic might get targeted.”
Nyang……
“I guess it’s fine either way. I’m still in the top three as long as things stay like this……”
Sure, but the problem was the variables. If MaekbanseokGrilledEgg had that kind of wealth or stat power, then it was entirely possible other players might too.
‘I thought I’d win by a landslide.’
There were two exchange windows left. And I would have to risk my life twice to seize those opportunities.
The fact that Bori had an ally was already exposed. And it was clear that ally was me. Except for the assets I could still squeeze out, all my cards were on the table.
‘I got way too careless.’
Had I waited for the exchange periods to end before checking the rankings, we could have minimized exposure of our alliance.
[The Shadow Exchange Booth will open shortly.
Location of the first Shadow Exchange Booth: …]
This situation arose because I underestimated how much shadow value the other players might hold. Since I owned all the shares of the Enhancement Center, I thought I would win easily.
Danger always comes when you get complacent. And yet, here I was—a so-called pro—completely overlooking that fact.
‘What do I do? Going for an exchange in the final round is too risky.’
If it came to that, I could always take back the Shadow Resonance Pills I gave to Bori Noona and secure my own survival. No matter how much they managed to scrape together, the value of my 10% in the Enhancement Center would be enough to keep me in the top 3.
The only bit of luck was…
PleaseUnfoldTheMap
…the exchange booth was right nearby. Perhaps the system intentionally placed it so close to our stable.
After checking the map that Guide Bori unfolded, I hopped and typed another message.
I’llBeBackAfterExchange
“Let’s go together. It’s way too dangerous on your own……”
ExchangeBoothIsClose
I intended to head there first and convert my remaining 10%. For moments like this, I had something prepared.
[System]: Fox Roller Skates equipped. Show off your sprinting skills!
Because my tail was so long, there was a risk someone might step on it, but at least the skeletons had no interest in stealing my Shadow Resonance Pills.
[474 Shadow Resonance Pills have been gifted to user ‘Bori’.]
“Okay, I’ll take good care of them.”
When the exchange window opened, I bolted toward the exchange booth. Normally, I would have stumbled and tumbled from the speed, but right now, I was a lightning-fast fox.
[The remaining stake in the Bone Density Enhancement Center has been exchanged. A total of 708 Shadow Resonance Pills were received.]
After quickly completing the exchange, I rushed back toward the stable.
‘Too late.’
I hoped there would be no players nearby. But on my way back, I ran into KebabGudasaai, who was running toward the exchange booth with his tail tightly coiled behind him.
‘So Kebab still has assets to convert.’
Currently in 4th place in a game where only the top 3 survive, Shadow Resonance Pills would be absolutely crucial for him. Rather than exchanging his own assets at the booth, it would be easier to steal the dangling tail of Shadow Resonance Pills from a weak baby fox.
‘I’ll probably lose a few.’
“Hey Fox, hi! Good luck out there!!”
With a bright smile, KebabGudasaai waved and passed me by.
‘…Huh?’
A little thrown off, I returned to the stable.
“Huff, huff. Good job, Baby Fox!”
Bori Noona pulled on my long tail of Shadow Resonance Pills like a tug-of-war rope, filling the small stable with black orbs of shadow.
I climbed onto Bori Noona’s shoulder, and together we peeked through a small crack in the door, observing the exchange booth in front of us.
“Ooh……”
A user was cautiously approaching the booth, glancing all around.
“See how on edge he is? Must’ve picked up some supplies.”
Whirrrrrr. Just as he reached the booth and started exchanging, someone who’d been lying in wait launched a shuriken right into his back.
“……Holy crap.”
Bori Noona covered her mouth in shock. As the wounded player lay dying, the attacker swiftly cut his tail, wound it around himself, and ran off.
By the time the injured player barely recovered and regained consciousness, all he had was a tiny lump like a rabbit’s tail dangling behind him.
“Too cruel. Baby Fox shouldn’t see stuff like this.”
Seeing the player despairing at his stripped tail, Bori Noona covered my eyes.
“Now we just have to stay quietly hidden here, right?”
[600 Shadow Resonance Pills have been gifted to you by user ‘Bori’.]
Bori returned the Shadow Resonance Pills to me, creating a fake ranking lead. My tail now held a total of 1,308 Shadow Resonance Pills.
After returning the Pills, Bori Noona had dropped to 5th place. She had a little over 200 remaining, which likely meant that was roughly where the mid-tier players clustered.
“Wow, unless there’s some crazy upset, Baby Fox is probably taking first. You don’t need to give any to me. What matters right now is securing your spot at the top.”
She was not wrong. But in a three-way survival match, having an ally versus having none made an enormous difference. Not knowing what kind of quests would follow, having a companion who could die for me if the worst happened was extremely important.
‘And that bastard Maekbanseok is dangerous.’
He’d been hiding the fact that he was PeeledGarlic’s real comrade this whole time while infiltrating the player alliance. Most likely, he’d been checking the mood and playing spy the entire time.
Either way, we passed the time quietly. The stable door was sturdy, the next exchange booth had spawned far away, and my 1st place ranking remained solid. So I was able to relax.
“Haaaahm. Man, I’m getting sleepy.”
Haaaahm.
I caught Bori Noona’s yawn and did one myself. Three peaceful hours passed like that.
[Time Remaining – 00:29:52]
By gifting Shadow Resonance Pills, I secured my spot at the top—1st place: Yeo Woo-rim, 2nd place: Bori. Now, all that was left was to wait for it to end. But suddenly, 30 minutes before the conclusion, a new mission popped up.
[<Fill the Shadow Storehouse>]
[Please deposit your Shadow Resonance Pills into the Shadow Storehouse. The shadows you donate will be used for the benefit of the Poor Bones.]
[Shadow Resonance Pills can be moved in multiple trips.]
Nyang!!
I barked in disbelief, but due to my anatomy, it came out as a soft, thin sound.
The location of the storehouse appeared on the map. It was not over yet. What if someone ambushed us on the way to the storehouse? Would they just steal everything?
“What should we do… Okay, Baby Fox. Stack them here first and make several trips. Can you handle that?”
Nyang!!
“Good.”
With Bori Noona’s help, I quickly strapped on my fox roller skates. Meanwhile, Bori Noona pulled out a large frying pan from her bag.
“Stable Keeper Mode: Activated.”
It was clear she was fully prepared to bash the heads of anyone who dared try to steal our tail.
Nyang, nyang!
Even with the skates, the weight of 100 Shadow Resonance Pills—or maybe it was just my nerves—made me feel oddly sluggish. Faster, I need to go faster. Considering Bori Noona and I would need to make fourteen trips in total, my anxiety only grew.
Then it happened.
– Gol gol gol.
Skeletons sprang out from every direction.
Nyang nyang! Nyang! Nyang nyang!!
Were they trying to steal my Shadow Resonance Pills? Did they spare me earlier just to strike now? With over a hundred pills trailing behind me, maybe they thought grabbing just one or two would not hurt. The skeletons closed in.
Nyang nyang! Nyang nyang! Bbi-kuri nyang nyang!
I barked with all my might—telling them to back off. But the skeletons, without hesitation, approached and started picking up the Shadow Resonance Pills one by one.
‘I’m screwed.’
– Gol gol, Baby Fox help needed
– Let’s help the Baby Fox
[System]: Lawyer Captain ‘Byeonhogol’ wants to assist you.
[System]: Bakery Owner ‘Evil Skeleton’ gives you Fox Barley Bread to help you while you’re busy moving shadows.
[System]: Apothecary Owner ‘Sleepyhead’ launches your Shadow Resonance Pills to the destination using a golf club. (Success Rate: 96%)
Nyang??
– Gol gol gol
– Fox good
Hearing that Baby Fox needed help, the skeletons all mobilized at once, eagerly picking up my Shadow Resonance Pills and helping carry them to the Shadow Storehouse.
