[‘Oath’s Vow’ has invited you to the group. Would you like to join?]
[Guild] Oath’s Vow: Anyone still missing the entry quest?
[Guild] furple: Where’s that suspicious old man? I just need to talk to him now.
[Guild] Freedeal: <Coordinates>
[Guild] Shokrates: Ugh, Furple, why are you so slow?
[Guild] Shokrates: My neck’s gonna snap waiting for you.
[Guild] furple: Oh wow, roasting someone for being late once out of a hundred times ——
[Guild] GegulGegulFrog: Thanks for the coords! I’m done!
[Guild] Oath’s Vow:
[Guild] Oath’s Vow: Let’s meet up here.
[Guild] Chasa: Got it.
Even in despair, there were still things to do. Today was the day a new dungeon update dropped. A Warlock could have their mental state shattered, but that didn’t mean they could just waltz into a dungeon immediately. If this was real, then every demon in hell should quit their jobs and start working for the game company instead.
“Hyung, are you really okay?”
“I’m totally fine.”
He didn’t look fine at all. Just yesterday, he had been kind and mature, but now, the only thing left was a man with an unsettling gleam in his eyes.
“If we wipe, I swear I’m making an alt.”
It didn’t matter who filled the Warlock’s spot anyway. He had repeated this phrase roughly 730 times over the past two years. With that thought, Sa-yoon clicked on the rally coordinates.
Oath: Hello. I’ll be the only one using voice for now.
[Party leader ‘Oath’s Vow’ has discovered the entrance to the Underworld. Would you like to enter?]
As soon as he pressed ‘Yes,’ the screen transitioned instantly.
[You have reached the Underworld while still alive.]
[The Lord of Darkness has noticed the intruders.]
[New Quest Acquired: <Disguising as the Dead> .]
As the surroundings gradually brightened, a mist-covered field emerged. The fog was so thick that not only was it impossible to make out the landscape, but even the nearby party members appeared only as vague silhouettes.
[Guild] Shokrates: Damn, the Lord’s perception is cracked, he spotted us instantly lol
[Guild] Swakkoong: What the hell, we have to start by finding our way? Lmao
[Guild] Freedeal: This is gonna be a pain.
[Guild] GegulGegulFrog: Huh? So what, we mask our scent using Cerberus’ fur or something?
Oath: Guess we need to find the way to Cerberus first.
The party members scattered in different directions, sprinting forward. But before long, they all hit what seemed to be an invisible wall, unable to go any further. The only thing they managed to figure out was that half of the map was water, and the other half was grassland.
In the end, everyone regrouped at the starting point.
[Guild] Swakkoong: I haven’t even been to the Han River park yet, but I’m at the Underworld’s riverbank first.
[Guild] furple: Maybe we need to find an item to move forward?
At that, Sa-yoon scanned his surroundings as well. But when he couldn’t even see the ground beneath his feet, how the hell was he supposed to find an item?
[Guild] Swakkoong: Are they seriously telling us to swim? For fuck’s sake.
[Guild] Shokrates: Nah, that’s probably not it.
Divine didn’t have a swimming mechanic. If you tried to dive, your HP would start draining at regular intervals. If you fell into deep water, you’d take fall damage as if you were plummeting from a height and die instantly. They were blocked right from the start.
“There’s gotta be a way out somewhere…”
Just as everyone was huddled together, brainstorming a way to reach the next area—
Creak… Creak… Creak…
Oath: Ah, fuck! What the hell is that noise?!
[Guild] Swakkoong: Wait, was that just Oath’s voice crack in his headset? LMAO
[Guild] GegulGegulFrog: Holy shit!
[Guild] furple: Thought my ears were gonna explode;
[Guild] Freedeal: Oath, you scared?
[Guild] Shokrates: Huh? That wasn’t me, it was Oath.
[Guild] Oath’s Vow: LOL
Creak… Creak… Creak…
Even as they joked about the voice crack, the eerie sound continued at a steady rhythm. Soon, a dark silhouette emerged from the thick fog. An enemy? The party members instinctively shifted into battle stance.
But what appeared as the mist parted was… a boat. At its bow stood a skeletal figure draped in a tattered robe, clutching an oar.
“Guess we’re supposed to talk to him?”
“Looks like it.”
No wonder they hadn’t found anything no matter how much they searched. As soon as the boat docked at the riverbank, the entire party rushed forward to surround the ferryman. Clicking on the skeleton triggered a dialogue window.
[Have you brought the fare?]
▷ Show the coin given by the Suspicious Old Man.
▷ Say you have nothing.
The entry quest reward had been a single coin.
Sa-yoon clicked the first option, and the screen immediately shifted, placing him on the boat. Right beside him, Shin-jae mimicked his actions. The [1/8] displayed at the top quickly turned to [8/8], and with the party fully boarded, the ferry set off again.
Creak… Creak… Creak…
There were eight passengers, yet the boat moved at a sluggish crawl—probably because the ferryman was all bones.
[Guild] furple: Isn’t this elder abuse? ㅠ
[Guild] Shokrates: Hyung, you should row for him ㅠ poor guy ㅠ
[Guild] GegulGegulFrog: I’m paddling from the side with my claws ㅠ
[Guild] Swakkoong: If someone saw this, they’d think we were on a cruise.
And honestly? Sa-yoon was enjoying the ride. The fog had thinned after boarding, creating an unexpectedly atmospheric scene.
With their guild name being “Underworld,” everyone clad in black, and him even having a scythe skin on hand… Sa-yoon, caught up in the moment, swapped out his weapon and stepped closer to the ferryman, rapidly spamming screenshots.
[Guild] Shokrates: Wait, isn’t that a Spearmaster weapon?
[Guild] Shokrates: That thing’s crazy expensive.
Shokrates, having finished his little boat exploration first, took immediate interest in Sa-yoon’s weapon.
[Guild] Chasa: Shok, stand next to the ferryman.
[Guild] Shokrates: ? Okay.
[Guild] Chasa: Now take a half-step to the right.
With Shokrates dressed entirely in white and Chasa in black, Sa-yoon grinned as he captured the perfect contrast shot. Just as he snapped the screenshot, something entered the edge of the frame—Killer.
Sa-yoon slightly adjusted his mouse to reframe the shot. Killer, who had been looking off in another direction, subtly shifted and ended up back in the picture. Sa-yoon tried again, turning the angle the other way, but the same thing happened—Killer’s silhouette edged into the frame once more.
“Shin-jae.”
“Yeah?”
“Wanna take a picture together?”
“Of course.”
Without hesitation, Shin-jae spun around and stepped right into position.
[Guild] Shokrates: ?
With Sa-yoon framing the shot perfectly and Shokrates still standing in place, Killer—who was significantly bulkier—ended up overlapping with him. The result? A grotesque optical illusion where the character model seemed to have four legs and two thin, spindly arms sprouting awkwardly from the waist.
“…Hey.”
“What?”
[Guild] Freedeal: Guild leader, are you taking screenshots right now?
[Guild] Swakkoong: A commemorative shot? Gotta have a commemorative shot.
[Guild] Oath’s Vow: Should I stand over here?
[Guild] Shokrates: Ugh, that looks nasty, I’m moving over. ㅠㅠ
[Guild] Swakkoong: Cheeese ^
[Guild] GegulGegulFrog: Don’t leave me out, please! ㅠㅠㅠ
The party members, having finished their sightseeing, lined up next to the ferryman. As they arranged themselves in order of height, PoisonFrog joined in, making the group even more colorful. Freedeal, the Priest, cast a healing skill, adding vibrant smoke effects, while Frog pulled out fireworks and set them off.
[Guild] furple: But why is an 8-person boat this spacious?
[Guild] Swakkoong: No way a battle starts here, right? LOL
[Guild] Freedeal: I’m out of mana right now, don’t jinx it.
[Guild] GegulGegulFrog: Wait, if we fall off here, do we have to board the boat all over again?
[Guild] Swakkoong: Let’s test it. Water-type Frog, hold your breath and dive!
[Guild] GegulGegulFrog: Bro, I’m Korean, I physically can’t take this boat twice. It’s too slow. ㅠ
[Guild] furple: Someone needs to introduce speedboats to the Underworld. ㅠ
They were chatting away when—
[Guild] Shokrates: Uh, guys, do you hear something?
[Guild] Swakkoong: Not falling for your bait, LOL.
[Guild] Shokrates: No, seriously. Frog, hold off on the fireworks for a sec.
Splash.
[Guild] furple: ? Anyone else hear that?
[Guild] Swakkoong: Probably just a fish.
[Guild] GegulGegulFrog: Do fish even live in the Underworld River?
[Guild] Freedeal: Of course not, wtf. ㅠ
Splash.
Oath: Holy shit, this is seriously ominous.
Clatter.
Clatter, clatter.
Then came a noise that was undeniably suspicious. The party immediately pressed themselves against the deck, scanning their surroundings.
In the distance, ripples spread across the water like something leaping out—like a fish breaking the surface. But whatever it was, it was getting closer.
Splash.
Oath: Ah, fuck! What the fuck?!
With a string of heartfelt curses, Shokrates yelped and stumbled backward. Something had surfaced right where he had been standing.
Clatter.
A skeletal hand, stripped of any flesh.
And then, an entire skeleton dragged itself onto the deck.
[Guild] GegulGegulFrog: Lucky bastard, got a free ride.
[Guild] Chasa: There’s no way this is just a free ride.
[Guild] Freedeal: Who the hell jinxed this?! Who was it?!
[Guild] Swakkoong: Ah, my bad. ㅠ
At that moment, skeletons began clawing their way onto the deck from every direction. They had long since lost their flesh, yet somehow, they still clutched weapons firmly in their bony hands.
The first battle had begun.
