We stopped the whole back-and-forth about whether to disband the party and gathered around the campfire for now. We didn’t even have proper firewood, so we burned the dusty scraps we’d scraped up earlier from the underground canal to raise the temperature. The result was a choking, acrid smell.
“I just wanted to enjoy the game, you know? I didn’t think my playthrough would turn into this kind of mess.”
Of course, I joined the game aiming to win. But I wanted to win fair and square—or at least through a route that looked fair and square. This kind of cakewalk, like the world was handing me the win on a silver platter, just felt wrong.
Crackle, crackle. Jung Da-hoon, who had been roasting marshmallows over the steadily growing fire, gave a small nod.
“So, what should we do now?”
“For now… I’m going to carry out all active parts of this playthrough using Jung Da-hoon’s appearance.”
“So you’re gonna keep using Da-hoon’s face?”
Kessler glanced at me sideways and asked.
“Yeah.”
I had gotten Da-hoon’s consent for it, technically, but he had only gone along with what I said. That’s why I wanted to make sure. If he didn’t want it, I was ready to stop right here.
“If this makes you even a little uncomfortable, I can drop it anytime. It’ll set the team back a little, but…”
“Absolutely not.”
Right then, Jung Da-hoon’s expression changed completely. He pulled in both knees and had been sitting neatly, but suddenly straightened up with a solemn look. Wait, why was he kneeling?
“The entire reason my character exists is to capture your amazing moments, Pro. Without that, my identity as a photographer is meaningless.”
“But during the last beta test… you wanted to rank first too, right? You were working hard on leveling up your crafting skills, really putting in the effort…”
“I only joined the Alpha test because you did. I just wanted to become a successful fan. To meet you, and even get sponsored for my fangirling… It was a total win-win! Sure, once I had a goal and that competitive spark lit up, I did pour everything into it. I wanted to be like you. But… just look at me now. I’m honestly happy.”
Wearing a countryside-boy outfit with a camera around his neck, Jung Da-hoon really did look happy.
“Even if it’s your image that ends up in the footage, you’re okay with that?”
“I’ll just think of it as a massive buff!”
“Got it. Then if you ever change your mind, let me know right away. I’ll stop immediately.”
I stood up, and Kessler rose with me. Now that we had the green light from the man himself, it was time to move on.
“Where are you going?”
“Da-hoon, the fox, and I are going to spend some quiet time together—”
“Da-hoon already gave his okay, so let’s get back to the game.”
With that, I pulled out the standard-issue sword from my inventory and transformed into Jung Da-hoon once again. Kessler flinched a little, but it was obvious he was trying not to show it in case it hurt my feelings.
“Still not used to it, huh?”
“……”
“Well, anyway. Spirits are fresher at night. The higher the moon is in the sky, the better the soul restoration rate.”
“Restoration rate?”
“Yeah. When you restore a soul-form, it might look polished on the surface, but due to the erosion of time, it often has memory gaps. So, the older the soul-form, the more it deteriorates—like a rusted iron sword. But at night, those scattered fragments have a better chance of finding their way back to their owner.”
This was something I’d learned while attending soul funerals in my spare time back in the Lizard Village.
According to the quest system, soul-form restoration would show as complete, but sometimes we’d still get complaints from the deceased’s families that the restored spirits were slower or couldn’t remember key events from when they were alive. Of course, those complaints were usually smoothed over by Kessler, but through a lot of trial and error, I’d discovered this one consistent truth: performing funeral rites at night improved the restoration of deteriorated soul-forms.
Even though the boost to my skill proficiency was barely noticeable, once I understood that it made a difference, I started putting more care and sincerity into each funeral.
It was just a game, just quest NPCs—but maybe, without realizing it, I’d started treating them like real living beings. Somehow, I was starting to take it all seriously.
“I see.”
“From now on, I’m going to use Jung Da-hoon’s name to restore this city.”
I slung the sword over my shoulder and turned around. Then, I walked into the center of the darkened Neo City.
***
[Jang Bori]: I found a way.
[Jang Bori]: The water fairies can compress massive energy into water droplets.
[Jang Bori]: We can probably brute-force it if we grind hard enough.
[Jang Bori]: sob sob
[Jang Bori]: We’re screwed—the other team just pulled a water fairy successor.
[Jang Bori]: What do we doooㅠㅠ
[Jang Bori]: While we’re moving one droplet at a time, they’re probably transferring ten at once…
[Jang Bori]: How’s everything going on your end?
[Jung Da-hoon]: Don’t worry, Bori-ssi.
[Jang Bori]: Hing..ㅠㅠ Da-hoon-ssi…
[Jung Da-hoon]: Let’s just eat something tasty. I’ve got a lot of free time for a while.
I turned off chat and revived a soul marked by dark traces.
—You’ve been asleep a long time. You are…
“My name is Jung Da-hoon. Are you feeling alright?”
I emphasized the nametag pinned to the left side of my chest. While I was disguised as Jung Da-hoon, the real Da-hoon had logged out and gone to live his real life, hanging bat-like on the wall of an abandoned building far from people. After all, you couldn’t have two of the same person in the same space.
Click, click. Beside me, Kessler captured the moment using Da-hoon’s camera, documenting my work in his place.
—Thank you, Jung Da-hoon.
“Yeah.”
—I won’t forget the name of the one who saved my life.
I scoured three buildings, each dozens of stories high and without even a functioning elevator. I managed to revive around 900 shriveled souls.
Two hundred of them left for the Tower of Shadow Atonement, and the rest chose to remain here, waiting for the city’s restoration.
—Please, save my friend Perry first, O Restorer of Death.
“Where is he?”
—Follow me.
As I gave a sign that I was listening, the newly awakened souls started clamoring all at once, shouting “me too, me too!” from every direction.
Like dealing with a rowdy batch of VIP customers, I prioritized the soul’s old classmates, relatives, and friends. Then I saved their friends.
—Thank you.
“I am Jung Da-hoon.”
—Jung Da-hoon!!
—Jung Da-hoon!!
—With your power, we’ll hold a meeting to decide whose soul should be restored next.
“I’ll be attending that meeting too.”
—Fair enough. You deserve to be there. But what about that big guy over there? Why does he keep following you? Doesn’t look like he’s doing anything useful…
“He’s my sidekick.”
—Ah, I see.
Kessler, standing silently beside me, locked eyes with the suspicious ghost until the ghost quickly looked away.
—Ahem, h-hm.
We moved to a new location to join the Council of Elders’ meeting. They had assigned me the lowest seat in the restoration council.
—Jung Da-hoon and sidekick, you’ve arrived?
“We have.”
“Yeah.”
—Sit down quietly and listen.
—Even if we ask for help from the Shadow Tower now, that can only go so far. It’ll just end up increasing Neo City’s debt. We must not repeat history. We need an alternative.
—There’s a rumor that outsiders have started delivering droplets. Water will be rationed for a while.
—Then it’s fine for now.
—Why are those outsiders taking so long to transport the water?
—Useless lot. We’ll just use them while we can and toss them when we’re done.
As he quietly listened to the ghosts’ discussion, Kessler tilted his head.
“Why do they all talk like that?”
“…You’re the game developer. Why are you asking me that?”
“I didn’t get that involved in the fine-tuning of things like this.”
“Fair enough. Must be a city dialect or something.”
—Hey, you! Jung Da-hoon and Jung Da-hoon’s underling! Focus on the meeting!
I slammed the table and stood up.
“We were discussing spirits. Right now, outsiders are indeed transporting droplets, but they’re as lazy as ghosts. And they’re people who can leave at any time.”
—How dare a human speak like that?
—Then what do you suggest?
To be honest, I didn’t get it. I’d restored so many spirits. So, why didn’t you all just form contracts with the water fairies directly?
“How about you make a contract with the water fairies? Self-sufficiency. Move the water yourselves.”
—How dare you utter such nonsense to noble souls like us?
—You expect us to sign contracts with those ridiculous beings?
“‘Ridiculous’… wait, are you guys on bad terms with the water fairies?”
—They disrespected us first. They said the moonlight reflected on the surface of water was more beautiful than the lights of our city.
“…Well… I’m sure there’s more to the story, but isn’t that just a personal opinion?”
—That’s exactly the problem. They’re too blunt. We just don’t get along.
“But you need their water, don’t you?”
—Shut up! You want us to bow our heads to those tiny pests? I’d rather turn back into dust!
“…Then there’s no point in continuing this meeting. The purpose here is to come up with a stable water supply plan, but if you’re unwilling to negotiate with the source itself, what’s the point?”
“Baby Jung Da-hoon’s right. We’re outta here.”
—Wait, hold on. Are you siding with the water fairies?
“I’m absolutely on the spirits’ side.”
The elder spirit, who had been floating midair as if pondering, dancing slightly in the void, suddenly tilted its head upward as if it had made a decision.
—Jung Da-hoon, you’ve already become a hero who saved our city. So it’s only right that you lead the way. Find a way to secure a water supply.
‘Maybe stabilizing the city is the condition for ending the season.’
“Understood.”
The criteria for season termination hadn’t been revealed yet. I nodded and stood up.
***
“Ha-ohh, haven’t slept that well in ages. I should text Bori-ssi.”
Jung Da-hoon
Bori-ssi, I dreamed about you just now.
After a long nap, Jung Da-hoon rubbed his eyes and opened KakaoTalk. But there was no response from Jang Bori. She was likely too busy in-game, hauling water droplets non-stop.
Stretching out his arms and sipping a drink, he logged back into the game after a long break.
Just as the bat-like Jung Da-hoon, who had been hanging upside down in an abandoned building, spread his wings with a loud skrrrk—
“Wh…what is all this?!”
[System]: You have revived 1,000 souls. Title earned: One Who Sparks Life With a Single Touch
[System]: You have revived 10,000 souls. Title earned: Soft-Handed King Who Rebuilds Cities
[System]: The revived souls feel deep affection for you. Title earned: Hero of the Most Advanced Civilization
…
[System]: The lights of the city are returning. Title earned: He Who Makes It Shine Again…
Jung Da-hoon’s eyes widened, practically bulging out of their sockets. He had just received ten new titles from the system. And the most recent quest now caught his eye.
Neo City is in desperate need of a stable water source. However, the souls that have sealed themselves within the city refuse to contact the water fairies. They want you to resolve this issue.
— Quest Unlock Condition: Title “City’s Delegate” Acquired
“Gehk—what is all this…? Just what kind of things has he been doing…?”
Just as the overwhelmed Da-hoon was rereading the stacked-up notification windows—
[Yeo Woo-rim]: Da-hoon-ssi, are you there?
