[Quest completed.
Remaining spots: 7/12]
I stared blankly at the notification window. Just before I parachuted down, it had read 3/12. Now, it was up to 7—three more people had made it.
“Whoa, one parachute was coming down super slowly, so I was wondering what was going on, and turns out it was the fox. I almost collided with you, Fox.”
“Yeah, that was dangerous. Fox, you really could’ve gotten hurt.”
It was all because of the weight the parachute was carrying. No matter how chubby my belly was, I was still a baby compared to the users, barely a handful in size. Naturally, I could not build enough speed.
As a result, any gust of wind midway would push me off course.
The users who had landed earlier stared at my unusually slow descent and murmured among themselves.
“What the heck is that? Why’s it coming down so slow?”
“Is it really descending?”
“I took a look while I was dropping and wondered what it was—turns out it’s a baby fox on the parachute.”
“…The wind’s probably blowing him away. Baby Fox! Flex your belly!”
What usually took five minutes took me twenty-five, swaying the whole way down. Naturally, I ended up with a cheering squad.
Clap clap clap clap! When I finally landed, everyone applauded and patted my head.
“You really went through it. Bet you were scared, huh?”
“Welcome, Baby Fox.”
“Isn’t this fox a genius? Who else would’ve thought of dropping in like that?”
“Maybe a skeleton strapped him in and dropped him down?”
There was a warm, survivor’s camaraderie in the air.
A moment later, a seat at the table was prepared for me.
One of the skeletons serving food brought over a high chair just for me. Sitting in it, I looked around at the faces of the other survivors.
“Who do you think’s coming next?”
“Oh? Someone’s falling.”
“They’re flailing hard.”
Sitting at the head of the table, Bori noona stared intently at the newcomer. Then she shouted excitedly.
“Da-hoon-ssi!!”
[Remaining spots: 8/12]
The gangly mess of limbs flailing in descent was none other than Jung Da-hoon.
“Haa… I made it.”
“You look cool, Jung Da-hoon-ssi!!”
[Remaining spots: 9/12
Remaining spots: 10/12
Remaining spots: 11/12
Remaining spots: 12/12]
Soon, all the remaining seats were filled. Out of the twelve final players, two belonged to the original PeeledGarlicUnpeeledGarlic faction, and the rest were from the user alliance.
[All spots have been filled. The quest is now complete.
Congratulations to the final twelve players.
Rewards bestowed to the hungry are always sweet.
As a reward, you may now taste the ‘Ultimate Dish.’]
The towering castle that had stood high above us began to crumble, shattering into pixelated fragments that scattered into the sky. The sight was nothing short of spectacular.
In front of us, bone broth champagne was served. We raised our glasses in a celebratory toast. Of course, I lifted a cup filled with milk with my front paw.
Jung Da-hoon, who was filming me, soon made a suggestion.
“Alright, alright. Congratulations, everyone. Since this is kind of a moment, why don’t we take a photo as Beta Season 1’s survivors?”
“Absolutely, love that!”
“I’ll post a shot on the Fox account Insta, so just grab it from there. What’s the best way to frame it for maximum likes? Everyone, gather around Baby Fox!”
I was the center. Click click. After taking a group photo centered around me, we began sharing how each of us had made it here so quickly.
“Oh, I used a skill.”
“A skill?”
“Did I not mention it before? I’m prepping to open a café, but my main job’s as a Shadow Guide. As a guide, I have to know the castle’s history and where key items are, so I’ve got a skill that lets me scan the castle quickly. On the map, there was a spot that felt off, so I checked it out and boom—there was a parachute I could ride down. What about you, Kebab-nim?”
“I got chased out by skeletons. They said I stank up the castle and told me to get lost.”
User KebabGudasaai had limited access to the castle, so the skeletons reacted to him with particular hostility. In the end, they had driven him into a corner and out the edge—leading to his survival.
Thus concluded the secret survival tips from first and second place.
“Appetizer: Moon Soup.”
“Bon appétit!”
Everyone’s noses twitched at the aroma of the food served directly by the Castle Steward. The main course was black pork steak.
“Oh… so black pigs aren’t only found in Jeju.”
“In the swamp region, they say black pigs survive by eating snakes.”
I licked the pudding, which was tastier and higher in quality than anything I’d ever had.
“Wow, the stat boost from this is insane.”
“They say the ‘Last Chef’ has the highest cooking skill and dexterity stats of any NPC. Maxed out!”
“Oh really?”
Just then, a skeleton chef wearing an apron appeared. Embarrassed by the group’s enthusiastic reaction, he scratched his chef-hat-shaped skull.
The ‘Last Chef’ had been born with a skull that resembled a chef’s hat and thus was doomed to always wear one.
Soon after, fireworks exploded above the sky in celebration of the Final 12.
“Whoa, the fireworks are beautiful…”
“Waaaagh! What the hell!!”
The fireworks, however, were actually human firecrackers—flames had been lit on the butts of dead users, launching them into the sky before their charred remains came raining down like hail.
I quickly ducked under the table to avoid it, but since it happened so suddenly, most users ended up drenched in gore.
***
After the bloody festival, night fell. Right at midnight, I returned to my human form, Yeo Woo-rim, and sat on a bench with Jung Da-hoon.
“So that’s how you made it, Pro. I’m really glad everyone was so fond of Baby Fox.”
“There’s actually something I wanted to discuss with you once this was all over.”
We shared a can of butter beer each. This sweet, nutty-flavored butter beer was Kessler’s favorite.
I debated whether I should bring it up. Da-hoon had been firmly in favor of immediately reporting my possession case to the game company. I, on the other hand, believed that if we hit a wall trying to resolve it, the devs might mess with the server. So I wanted to win first and act afterward.
“Kessler is a player too, Da-hoon-ssi.”
“Huh? Isn’t he the Castle Lord?”
“In the setting, sure. But the Castle Lord was supposed to be a kid. Didn’t that ever seem strange to you?”
“Well… he did act like a kid…”
He opened his mouth, lips moving as if to say something—only to shut it again. Fair point, honestly…
“Yeah. I wasn’t the only one trapped in the game.”
“No way… wait. Are you saying—that guy from back then was telling the truth?”
“Sorry?”
“I think I chatted with Kessler’s friend on a forum once. The only accounts without a mosaic over their pictures were yours and Kessler’s, and someone commented like they knew you…”
“Oh, really?”
As if dredging up a buried memory, Jung Da-hoon looked deep in thought for a moment, then nodded vigorously.
“Please, go on. Don’t let me interrupt.”
“Right. But please don’t report this to the company. I’ve actually made a pact with the game’s system.”
“Huh? You mean the system…”
“That bastard who always pops up notifications to users.”
[System]: (Global) Please refrain from using language that may offend others, and always use polite and kind words.
The moment I called it a “bastard,” the system clapped back with a global announcement.
“…Anyway. Yeah. This is the contract.”
I pulled a document from my bag.
“If I win this time, I’ll be able to escape the game.”
I explained to Da-hoon everything I knew—the story of how Kessler turned into an NPC after the Alpha Server, how I came to make a contract with the system, and my plan moving forward.
As we talked, I cracked open another can of beer.
“I’ll take first place, so you make sure to get second, Da-hoon-ssi. Once I win and the possession breaks… I’ll probably get a high rank on the official server too. Let’s squad up then.”
“Wait a second… Pro. You’re trapped in a game, went through hell, and your plan is to start gaming again as soon as you get out?”
Now that he mentioned it, yeah. I let out a dry laugh at myself.
“Well, I don’t regret starting it.”
I truly didn’t. Ever since I found out I could meet Kessler and rescue him, I was glad I’d started.
“Still, I’d be honored.”
While we kept chatting over our beers, Da-hoon didn’t stop working—his hands kept assembling bones.
“Trying to max out Dexterity Master?”
“Yep. Now that I’ve promised to play future games with you, I’ve got to level up harder.”
“Touching.”
His skill was impressive. What surprised me most was how deft and precise he was while still holding a conversation.
“How about going full Repairman as your next class?”
“Yep. Planning to become the GOAT of repairs, rake in cash, and start from there.”
“Right. And since your clients are all skeletons, you’ll pass any tax audit clean.”
I continued watching him as I sipped my beer. There was something oddly satisfying about how clean and meticulous his work was.
While he sanded the bone’s surface with fine grit, a tiny spark shot out from one area.
“What was that?”
“It’s an impurity. That part of the bone had rotted and fallen off, so someone secretly patched it with plaster. It’s like passing off U.S. beef as local Korean beef. Bastards.”
“Lowkey satisfying to watch, honestly.”
Wiping the soot off his hands, Da-hoon scratched his head—then pulled something out from inside it.
“Huh? Did you just pull that out of your head?”
“Oh, there’s a storage compartment in the back of my skull.”
“Oooh…”
It was true. As I expressed my amazement, Da-hoon took it a step further—he slipped something under his thick hair and then let out a long, satisfied sigh.
“Put vitamins in here and it clears your head. Since it bypasses the digestive tract, it kicks in right away.”
Watching him fiddle with his own head, a series of exclamation marks floated above mine.
!!!
“I’ll get going first, Da-hoon-ssi.”
I quickly slipped on my slippers and headed toward Kessler’s room.
