After the brief incident swept through, the castle returned to normal.
The shadow marks that had spread across the sky due to leaking spiritual pressure were cleared away. The contaminated water in the fountain had been completely purified, making it drinkable again.
The exact reason behind the event became clear later—it turned out that Snake Rim’s forced labor schedule had been updated.
So basically… it was because I got drunk.
‘I feel kind of bad for Snake Rim.’
Cradled in Bori noona’s arms, I peered down beneath the garbage disposal site.
“Baby Fox! I’m gonna take a quick call with Haru~ You remember Haru, right?”
Nod.
“She says she’s been watching you closely! Just play a bit while I’m on the phone~!”
Recently, an Instagram fan account popped up called “Baby Fox in a Horror Game.”
A post titled [Fox Crossing the Crosswalk Meant for Foxes] started gaining traction among users, and after a video of his performance made it to the popular posts section of the community, the game company reportedly began using it as promotional material.
More stories from outside came filtering in.
“From what I can tell, that post’s author is Jung Da-hoon.”
“Same here.”
“Honestly, he might as well be signing his name on them at this point.”
Some users were busy speculating about the author behind a series of persistent complaint posts on the user board.
[Title: Ugh This Game Sucks Now (4)]
[Title: Nothing’s Going My Way in Game rly (3)]
[Title: It’s Not That I Didn’t Wash, I Couldn’t ^^ (0)]
“The stench of booze is practically oozing from the screen…”
“Seriously, who told him to contaminate the fountain?”
The official reason for Jung Da-hoon being thrown back into the labor camp after just getting out was “fountain contamination.”
Seeing users cluck their tongues and put each of his posts on display left him with a strange feeling.
‘My real self should be there, too.’
I slipped into a corner, bit down on a Jewel Ice, and transformed into a human. I had tried convincing Jung Da-hoon once before and failed miserably, so I had hesitated before making this decision.
But this was something I had to resolve.
“Hi, Woo-rim!”
Having finished her call with Haru noona, Bori noona greeted me warmly. When I stopped walking, she did too. Her face radiated pure goodwill.
“Bori.”
“Yes! Haven’t seen you around much lately, Woo-rim.”
“Can we talk for a moment?”
“Eh? Is it something serious? You’ve got a really solemn look on your face… Sure. I was just thinking I needed a caffeine fix. Want to hit a café?”
We ordered two iced Americanos from a user running a stand in the corridor. The fact that she picked the same drink made me think this might actually go smoother than expected.
“So, what’s going on? Got something on your mind?”
“I need your help, Bori.”
Fiddling with the condensation on my glass, I carefully broached the subject.
“What I’m about to say might sound strange.”
“Oh, okay. Go ahead.”
Bori noona took a sip of her coffee, as if signaling she was ready to listen.
“First off, I’m the pro gamer, Yeo Woo-rim.”
“Mmm… okay.”
She didn’t even pretend to be surprised. Her face practically said And? So what? Not wanting to walk the same doomed path as Jung Da-hoon, I decided to keep it grounded.
“I can’t log out right now. I don’t know why, and it’s driving me crazy.”
“Huh? Log out?”
“Yeah. I’ve been trying since yesterday. I’m worried. Can you call 911 for me?”
“Uh… yeah, I guess I can! Just give me your home address…”
“The problem is—I don’t know my address.”
“What?”
“I know it sounds absurd. But can you just screenshot this conversation and text it to the police?”
“Hmm… Before that, let me try calling you. I mean, I don’t want to file a false report… What’s your phone number? Can you give it to me?”
“…I don’t know.”
“…That’s kinda alarming.”
“I’m more alarmed than you. If I can’t log out, I have no idea what’s happening to my real body… If you could just think of it as saving someone’s life, I swear I’ll never forget the favor.”
Bori noona puffed out her cheeks, then let them deflate, visibly flustered.
“Um… I get what you’re saying, but I still need your home address.”
“I don’t know it. The police will have to locate me themselves. Please, I’m begging you. I’ll give you all my in-game money, Bori.”
“I don’t need money… it’s just… this is tough. I don’t even know how to explain this. Like, ‘Pro gamer Yeo Woo-rim can’t log out right now’… is that what I’m supposed to say?”
“Yes.”
“Hold on a moment.”
“Thank you.”
While Bori noona made a phone call, I finished my iced coffee. My throat was parched from the nerves. When she returned, her expression was… complicated.
“Um… Woo-rim. They said since I’m not a family member… they can’t take any action. Do you know how to contact your family?”
“No, I don’t. Then can you try contacting my company?”
“Your company…?”
“KAA Agency. Or maybe one of my close friends… there’s this guy who looks like a toad. I don’t remember his name, but he knows where I live.”
At that, Bori noona’s expression turned cold and stiff.
“Yeo Woo-rim, I’m sorry, but…”
Her voice was firm. In that moment, I knew.
“This is a bit much. If you can give me even a general idea of where you live, or some other info, I’ll help you then.”
I had failed again.
***
‘…What now?’
For something I treated so seriously, it was a total bust.
All I got for my troubles was being treated like a weirdo by Bori noona. I wandered into the plaza.
The barbecue restaurant, now the only one left, was running an exclusive operation.
“I’m actually starting to miss bat meat.”
“Right? Dried jerky dipped in mayo—so damn good.”
Since the supply of bat meat had practically disappeared while demand remained, prices had shot through the roof.
These days, even the “Hunter’s Random Meat” buffet was cheaper.
“Yeah, gotta eat well to stay strong.”
Fresh meat of unknown origin, reportedly slaughtered this morning, sizzled on the grill. I eagerly bit into a piece.
—Clack, clack! Clack-clack-clack!
The plaza guards, known as Guard Skellies, blew their whistles and shut down the stall.
“What, what’s going on?”
—Fox meat is FORBIDDEN!!
“Huh? But it was fine until just recently—suddenly it’s banned?”
—Baby Fox may be traumatized. Be careful!!
The Guard Skellies blew their whistles even harder, confiscating all the raw meat.
“What the hell… then how are we supposed to do business?”
—Convince the Lord!!
Hearing it was fox meat made me feel a bit gross… but after tasting it once, I couldn’t resist the cannibalistic craving.
It was tender, practically melting in my mouth. I reached out to snatch another piece, but the Guard Skellies were faster.
—Eating it makes the fox sad.
“…Pretty sure he wouldn’t be sad though.”
—NO. Forbidden by law.
Either way, all the meat was confiscated. The shop owner cried out in frustration like he’d been struck by lightning.
“Oh my god, oh my god. How can this happen in a democracy! Impeach the Lord!”
One of the Guard Skellies trying to console the shop owner tilted its head.
—What is “impeach”?
“It’s when you boot the lord out of office! He’s been abusing power too much! Thinks he’s king for life! Let’s elect a new one!”
—No no no.
“Why not!”
—Like the Lord.
“Oh god, oh god. What’s wrong with the world these days?!”
[System]: You have eaten Fox Meat. Hostility with local residents +1.
Apparently, hunger wasn’t the only consequence.
[System]: This area has been declared a Fox Protection Zone. Fox Meat is now outlawed by castle law.
Players resting in the plaza stared blankly at the newly enacted law. Some didn’t get it at all.
“Didn’t they build that fox-only crosswalk after the Baby Fox incident last time?”
“Yeah… but the Lord’s being extra for no reason. It’s not like he even raised the fox himself. Banning bat meat, now fox meat—what next? Are we in a horror game or a survival sim?”
“Wait, I just had a brilliant idea.”
Amid the grumbling, someone whispered like they’d had a eureka moment.
“What… what is it?”
“Think about it. The fox is super popular right now. Even the Skellies are all on his side. That one fansite selling unfiltered Baby Fox pics? Making bank. They just launched a pudding group order too. Asking people to DM for pricing.”
“So what, you wanna start a fan account too?”
“No, I’m saying we should start breeding foxes. Think about this as a business venture.”
“Ooh, no way.”
“Why not?”
“Baby Fox is popular ‘cause he’s a rare species with silky fur.”
“Exactly—that’s why we need to make him breed.”
“…You mean capture the Baby Fox?”
This conversation, supposedly “secret,” was happening right behind the one it concerned.
The men wiped ssamjang from their mouths as they continued their chat.
“Isn’t Baby Fox still too young to have kits? He’s literally a baby.”
“That’s why we give him a growth elixir.”
That part actually sounded kind of appealing. Like they said, if I became an adult fox, I’d be way stronger. It would massively help with survival.
“Then we make him give off female pheromones. The horny males’ll swarm him.”
“How many kits do foxes have at once?”
Hold on—weren’t these assholes getting something seriously wrong here?
