The party, after feasting on bat meat during the day, enjoyed another lavish meal all the way through dinner. Thanks to the potions they obtained—boosted by the “Kind and Giving Heart” Buff that increased drop rates when they shared bat meat with other users—the feast was possible.
“Yahoo! Look what I found!”
Even my dog bowl was filled with the highest-grade powdered milk for foxes.
“But, Haru, is it really okay for us to spend the money we made selling potions like this?”
“Of course, Bori. Life’s short—you never know when you’re going to die. Kessler, how’s the food? Does it suit your taste?”
“It’s a little salty.”
Kessler, having followed along with us, was treated to a meal as well. Even though he complained about the food he’d been given, Haru noona praised him, saying he wasn’t just handsome but also refreshingly honest.
‘Yeah, nothing beats good looks.’
Kessler elegantly lifted a slice of boiled potato with his fork and glanced at me. In that moment, an odd chill ran down my spine, and I instinctively wagged my tail a few times.
“Ah, I’m so full. How much time is left until the next quest?”
[System]: Time remaining until the next Survival Quest: 2:12:21
After eating until we were stuffed, we immediately started preparing for the next round of survival.
“Kessler… so you don’t have a girlfriend, right?”
As they whispered among themselves, Haru noona occasionally tossed a question at Kessler, but he didn’t bother replying.
“Is he hard of hearing…?”
“Looks like it.”
Feeling a little hurt from being ignored, Noona grumbled and snuggled even closer to me.
The place we arrived at was the Chapel. Having witnessed the Priest’s valor during the previous quest, everyone was determined to stick as close to this place as possible.
And that’s when something unexpected happened.
“You must make an offering to enter.”
“An offering? What offering? We don’t have any money!”
“No money? Then you can register as a follower of the Ttubi Sect.”
[You are invited to join the Ttubi Sect. Would you like to be proselytized? Yes/No]
The man blocking the entrance to the Chapel tilted his chin up arrogantly.
“For your information, pet entrance fees are double. It’s because they can poop anywhere, and we have to cover cleaning costs.”
“What the heck… how much poop do you think this baby even makes?!”
…Those scumbags.
The party bit back their curses. As Haru noona tried to argue, the bearded man gently stopped her.
[Second Survival Quest
If you fail to find and place the witch on the execution platform within the time limit, a curse will befall you. Time Limit: 09:59:58]
Huh?
Inside the Chapel, where I had been struggling with all my might to shake off the Jingling Bell, I froze as I read the details of the next quest.
‘This isn’t what I remember.’
The second official quest was definitely supposed to be something else. Did they change it when the new server opened? Why on earth?
[A hint about the witch will be provided every hour. First Hint: The witch is a woman.]
“This is bad. I’m terrified.”
I turned around and looked at Haru noona and the others. While everyone chimed in with a comment or two, Haru noona alone stood stiffly, frozen in place.
And just behind her stood Kessler. Smiling with the corners of his lips curled upward—an unsettling sight. What’s with that guy? Is he just here to enjoy the game?
“First, let’s gather all the women into one place.”
When Priest Ttubi declared this, the female followers who had been proselytized slid across the floor as if drawn by an invisible force.
“Wh-What’s happening to my body?”
Seeing this, even the women who weren’t followers began to voice their complaints. Especially Haru noona, who was particularly vocal.
“Hey, look. I get that you’re trying to use the process of elimination, but we’ve only gotten the first hint so far. We can wait for the next hint before deciding anything.”
“Funny, you sound just like a witch when you say that.”
Glancing sideways at Haru noona, whose ears had turned bright red as she defended herself again, I anxiously opened the help menu for .
[Frequently Asked Questions]
Q. Does the witch know they are the witch?
A. The witch knows they are the witch. The witch’s goal is to survive until the time limit ends.
- Are there specific conditions for someone to be assigned the witch role?
A. The witch is chosen randomly among the surviving users.
Fuck. No way, right?
Miyangmyang!
Barking a few times toward Haru noona, she pulled me into her arms. Her arms were trembling. Though I’d been held by her countless times before, this was the first time I’d ever felt her shake like this. I started trembling right along with her.
It’s… it’s so obviously her.
I was thrown into confusion, not understanding why Haru noona, of all people, had ended up with the witch role. Held tightly in her embrace, I racked my brain. Was there a way to save Haru noona?…There was.
There was a potion that could lift the curse. It would be tricky, sure, but it wasn’t impossible to get.
There were 9 hours and 50 minutes left until the end of the quest.
Struggling free from her arms, I bolted out the door.
“Fox!”
Normally, she would have just called out once and left me be, but today was different. Using the excuse of trying to catch me, she chased after me.
“Fox! Fox!”
Haru noona was running down the hallway after me but disappeared somewhere along the way. She must have hidden herself.
Nyanyang!
I fought off the ghosts that sprang at me to block my sight like they were teasing me, and made a beeline for the residential area. My destination: the General Goods Apothecary.
Given the time, the shop was already closed. But through the glass window, I could see the skeletal shopkeeper dozing off, bobbing his head. I pounded on the glass desperately.
Nyanyang!
Please, open up!
No good. I took a few steps back and surveyed the store from a broader perspective. If I were human Yeo Woo-rim, it might have been impossible—but as a tiny Baby Arctic Fox, things were different.
Nyang, nyanyang!
Carefully placing my paws, I climbed onto the railing, then leapt up onto the roof. Bouncing a few times, I regained my balance atop the chimney and slipped into the opening.
Myarrrarak!
Black ash scattered around me as I tumbled down and landed with a roll. The skeleton, momentarily roused by the noise, scratched his skull absentmindedly before nodding off again.
I tiptoed across the floor. Fortunately, the potion that lifted curses was stashed on the bottom shelf.
[You have obtained the ‘Potion to Lift Curses.’]
I slipped it safely into my bag without incident and started thinking about how to get out….There was no exit hole.
Standing firm like a wise little puppy, I ran a simulation in my head.
The shop’s front door. Jump up, grab the doorknob, and hang on. If that didn’t work, swing my body while hanging to create momentum. With enough force, the door would eventually open.
Nyang!
Firmly putting into action the plan I’d drawn up in my head, I leapt for the door. It worked. And then—
Ddalang-ddalang-ddalang!!!
The Jingling Bell around my neck, which had been quiet all this time, suddenly began to wail mournfully. They said Unique or higher-grade items had their own will… It was clear the bell was trying to mess with me.
[The General Goods Apothecary owner, ‘Sleepyhead,’ has awakened! He discovers that one of his potions has gone missing! He suspects the small Baby Arctic Fox as the culprit!]
A chill ran down my spine. Turning my head, I locked eyes with the glaring black voids of the skeleton’s sockets. The skeleton stood up, grabbing a golf club. Looked like he was planning to beat me down with it.
Kkiiing!
Jamming my nose into the slightly ajar door, I widened the gap and bolted outside. Behind me, I heard the dull scrape of the golf club dragging across the floor.
Ddalang-ddalang-ddalang!
The bell at my neck rang even more chaotically. What the hell is wrong with you?! Why, why now?!
Because of that, every Night Spirit wandering the streets nearby swarmed toward me. The air around me grew thick and sticky. No matter how much I tried to run, the Night Spirits’ pranks made me slip and slide in place, unable to move forward.
Struggling was useless. The distance between me and the skeleton wielding the golf club kept shrinking.
[System]: You have been caught in a Night Spirit’s rope.
Suddenly, it felt like my entire body was tangled in spider webs. My stomach churned, like I was seasick, probably because of the spirits. My inventory window trembled, and then—The ‘Potion to Lift Curses’ I had tucked inside my bag suddenly popped out of my mouth.
No, no!
Desperately reaching out my paw, blinking furiously, I saw the Night Spirits around me vanish as if it were all a lie. The crushing pressure in the air lifted. I hurriedly tried to grab the potion first, but someone stomped down on it.
Squatting down to meet me at eye level, Kessler stared straight into my eyes.
“This is one clever little fox.”
Kkiiing…
“Looks like you understand everything I’m saying, huh?”
He snatched up the potion I couldn’t reach and casually opened its cap. Then he poured the contents out onto the ground.
No…
Watching my reaction carefully, he pressed his soft finger against my nose.
“I’m complimenting you for being so smart.”
Kkiieeeng…
An hour after the quest began, the second hint about the witch dropped.
[Second Hint: She has claimed to be the Baby Arctic Fox’s owner.]
“From now on, I’m your owner.”
