It was a message from the game site.
My heart felt full at the thought that it had finally sold. The idea that all I had left to do was hand over the item put me in a good mood. I was hungry, but I figured I’d complete the trade first and then order delivery food, so I happily put on the access device helmet.
<<Welcome to Blood Planet.>>
<<Moving to your last logout location.>>
Since I had logged out in Velvet Town, I took a Relax Scroll from the warehouse and sat by the fountain. Then I opened my phone message window and told the buyer that I was in front of the fountain. I added that my ID was GentleTouch and asked them to let me know when they arrived. They said I just had to give the item to a character named “Goddess.”
Goddess? Isn’t that a male character? Why is the name Goddess?
While staring at the coins scattered across the fountain floor and wondering if I should pick them up, a woman’s silhouette reflected over the transparent water. I turned my gaze toward her and saw the name “Goddess” floating above her head.
“Are you here for the Relax trade, by any chance?”
“Yes.”
“The person who sent the money was a man, but your character is female?”
“That’s right. It’s a gift.”
It felt a bit suspicious, but I had definitely seen Kang Chung-man’s message telling me to hand it over to the character Goddess. Still, before giving it away, I said, “Just a moment,” and sent the depositor another message.
[Goddess is here now. Should I give it to her?]
[Yes, please give it to her.]
Ah, so this was the right person.
I immediately initiated the trade. I placed the Relax Scroll into the window and pressed confirm. Just like that, the three-million-won cash item left my hands. Now all I had to do was receive the settlement from the game site. It was my first time using it, but I thought it was a really convenient system.
The moment Goddess received the item, a bright light flashed around her body as if she had used it right away. Not long after, many Psychics gathered around her. I had originally been standing close to her, but as people crowded in, I was gradually pushed farther away.
“A male Guide really gets treated like yesterday’s leftovers, huh.”
Aside from appearances, she looked higher level than me. On top of that, she was wearing obviously high-grade equipment. With those fairy-wing-like clothes I had no idea where she’d gotten, she really looked like an angel. Even if I were a Psychic, it’d be natural to be drawn to someone like that goddess rather than me in my dull-colored robe.
Standing near them, I could hear their conversation clearly.
“Where did you take the photo you posted on Byeolgram today?”
“She’s a real goddess even in person.”
“How can someone look exactly the same as their game character in real life?”
Hearing that, I found myself nodding unconsciously. The idea of someone looking the same in-game and in reality—if they saw ShutUp and Moment, they’d probably be even more shocked.
Then I noticed in the partner window at the top that ShutUp had logged in. Earlier, the lights on the seventh floor of the building had been off, so he must’ve just come in. Yesterday he’d complained about me not logging in, but now that he knew I was online, he wasn’t calling me. As I thought about that, my body flashed once.
“He’s hunting.”
I almost Warped to where ShutUp was, then stopped. Wouldn’t it be fine to just stay here and link with him later? But that “link” wasn’t something light enough to think, Yeah, sure, I’ll just do it.
I lifted my left hand—the one he had sucked and kissed yesterday—and turned it around.
If I tell him I’ll just use my hand instead, would he accept that? From what I’ve seen, he seems satisfied with just hands….
I had never really examined my character’s hands closely before, but looking now, even the palm lines were rendered.
Wow, look at this lifeline. Looks like I’ll live forever.
Does that mean I’m supposed to keep enduring? I was lost in random thoughts when suddenly someone grabbed my hand.
It was ShutUp.
Standing close enough to cast a shadow over me, a faint burnt smell clung to him. Maybe he’d been zapping something with electricity again—soft currents flickered around his eyes.
“Why didn’t you come? If you log in, you should Warp first.”
“How am I supposed to know where you are? What if I die the moment I get there?”
“Why would you die when I’m there? Seriously, just come quickly.”
Without even telling me where he was, ShutUp Warped again.
<<‘ShutUp’ has invited you to a party. [Accept / Decline]>>
After accepting the party invite, I realized ShutUp hadn’t been hunting alone. There were other party members too.
<<Moving to ‘Siren’s Forest.’>>
The place I arrived at through partner Warp was some kind of forest.
Trees with purple and blue leaves lined the area, and the surroundings were as quiet as dawn. It didn’t have enough trees to be called a jungle, and the neat pathways made it feel more like a well-maintained park.
As soon as I Warped in, I saw ShutUp’s back. He glanced over his shoulder at me before walking ahead. I followed behind him, looking around. Despite being a forest terrain, there were no insects or reptiles approaching me at all. It honestly felt like I was on a peaceful stroll.
Huh?
Not long after, a massive lake came into view. The water color was completely different from the lake I had seen at the pavilion before. The purple water reflecting the moonlight looked eerie—like once you fell in, you’d be submerged forever.
“Since the lake is purple, it kinda feels like you’d die if you drank it.”
“Yeah. You would.”
“…….”
At that moment, a male character approached ShutUp as he answered so casually. His entire body was wrapped in blue light, suggesting he used electricity too. I looked at the name floating above his head.
Enlistment.
A guild mark sat next to his name. I’d seen him somewhere before… Thinking about it, he was someone I had seen in the guild hideout when I first matched with ShutUp.
“Gentle, long time no see! Looks like you’ve been getting lots of ShutUp’s love—you’re glowing these days.”
What part of me looked like I was “glowing,” exactly? I glanced down at my still gloomy robe and just smiled instead of answering.
“Didn’t you say it would spawn on the hour?”
“Yeah. But that’s just speculation, so who knows.”
“What did you catch?”
While looking around, I heard rustling from the forest behind me. Startled, I whipped my head around, and where there had been nothing earlier, a rabbit-like creature was now wandering around. I didn’t remember seeing anything on the way here, so maybe there really were things hiding around.
“Siren.”
“What’s a Siren?”
When I asked, glancing between Enlistment and ShutUp, Enlistment tapped his lips thoughtfully. Then he suddenly went, “Ah!” and said the name of a coffee brand anyone would recognize even if they didn’t drink coffee.
“The logo in the middle. That’s a siren.”
“Isn’t that a mermaid?”
“Yeah, it kinda looks like a mermaid princess, right? Right, Jun?”
“Don’t call me by my name.”
ShutUp snapped at him. Well, it wasn’t exactly a secret to me— I already knew ShutUp was Seomun Jun, and his friends had called him Jun several times before.
Feeling like teasing him, I chimed in too.
“Instead of ShutUp, you should’ve named yourself Juni. It suits you.”
“……Juni?”
Crap.
I had said it to tease him, but my expression stiffened instantly. The name slipped out with the exact same intonation I used in real life. ShutUp stared down at me with a sharp, incredulous gaze.
“Hey, looks like it’s about to appear.”
Just then, Enlistment hurriedly tapped ShutUp’s shoulder. Thankfully, ShutUp shifted his attention toward the rippling water.
I followed their gaze to the calm lake, where small ripples were spreading from something approaching in the distance. Foam bubbled up, and fear crept in that some giant mermaid monster might suddenly appear and drag us alive to the bottom. I found myself slowly backing away.
But then ShutUp grabbed my arm.
“Stay close to me. This time, it’ll be dangerous if you get separated from me.”
“O-okay….”
I nodded repeatedly and stood there, holding onto one of ShutUp’s arms.
Whatever was moving beneath the water gradually approached us. There was definitely something under there. I tensed, expecting it to burst out at any moment, and then the figure slowly rose near the surface.
And then, a woman appeared before us—her charm so fatal it felt like every form of beauty in this world had been combined into one. Seriously, my breath almost hitched with a sharp gasp. She stood at a moderate distance, wearing a seductive yet gentle smile.
I’d bet the game designers had poured their souls into creating her. I had imagined a mermaid princess when I heard “siren,” but though she wore a lace dress, long pale legs showed through the slit fabric.
She barely wore anything to begin with, and even that began falling away piece by piece as she started to tempt us. It was enough to make someone lose their mind instantly. A voice as beautiful as her appearance flowed from her lips.
“Hold me.”
Ah….
My mouth slowly fell open, completely entranced. An overwhelming urge rose to take her outstretched hand. My mind felt hazy, like it was being pulled away, and without realizing it, my own hand lifted.
Thwack!
“Ah!”
Out of nowhere, I got flicked on the forehead. It didn’t hurt like it would in real life, but my vision flashed. When I checked who did it, of course—it was ShutUp. He clicked his tongue and looked at me like I was pathetic.
“Get a grip.”
“I was just looking….”
“Just looking? You looked completely soul-drained. Honestly, the game developers didn’t think this through. Is this supposed to be temptation?”
After giving me a brief warning, ShutUp stared at the woman with clear disinterest.
Well, ShutUp was gay, so that made sense—but strangely, Enlistment also didn’t seem interested, casually picking his ear with his pinky finger. Maybe it was the composure of high-level players. I was the only one staring like I was hypnotized. A random curiosity popped into my head, and I looked at ShutUp.
“Then if a female player comes here, would a male siren appear?”
ShutUp gave me a look like I’d asked something unbelievably stupid.
“Probably. But doesn’t more than one spawn here?”
“I think several do. Look, there’s another one coming.”
There are some things in life you just can’t choose between. Mom or Dad, jajangmyeon or jjamppong, pork belly or beef, meat dumplings or kimchi dumplings, kimchi stew or soybean paste stew, chili tuna or vegetable tuna.
And right now, I discovered a new one.
This woman… or that woman.
If the woman before us was a pure, innocent blonde, the one emerging behind her had jet-black hair and striking red lips, radiating a dangerously alluring beauty.
I can’t choose. I seriously can’t….
“Hey!”
Just as I sank into my dilemma, ShutUp suddenly shouted right into my ear, jolting my entire body like I’d woken from a dream. Enlistment was trying hard to hold back his laughter while watching me.
