Episode 33.

Jung Si-woo was like a lion caught between wanting to hunt and wanting to rest. If there was nothing to stimulate him, he could be indefinitely inactive, but if anything caught his mind, he moved tirelessly to achieve it. For now, though, he was clamoring for a break. As soon as Jung Si-woo opened his eyes the next day, Soo Ah-rin was already active. This strange behavior surprised him as Ah-rin, the one who was originally against adventure, was craving to explore another dungeon. When she glanced at him, he tilted his head and gestured towards the bed.

“Did you even take a break?”

“I had enough of break overnight, thanks. Now, you’re obviously overworked, so rest if you feel like resting. But wouldn’t you like to explore an uncharted dungeon or gain new skills in a dungeon exceeding your level? Your level has risen so quickly in such a short span of time!”

As one’s level rose, both their health and mana would be quickly restored, so the need for rest was also reduced. Soo Ah-rin knew he felt the changes too.

“There’s something called level motion sickness.”

She added, trying to convince him.

“Level motion sickness, that’s right. An ordinary player like me hasn’t experienced it, but if you’re a senior like Soo Ah-rin, an active member of the since the guild’s founding, you may have experienced it.”

Yong Se-ha chimed in helpfully. As Jung Si-woo’s eyebrows furrowed, Soo Ah-rin plowed on with her explanation.

“When the level rises rapidly, the mind can’t adjust to the body, making it feel dizzy and easily exhausted. If you continue fighting in that state, you may experience more serious complications. So, you need to adjust to your physical condition over time. This is known as balance and adaptation.”

“Hmm.”

Jung Si-woo thought that statement made sense. When creating his skills, he first emphasized grasping his own body thoroughly, but now his body had risen by 15 levels at once. Exploring skills with a jump of 15 levels would prove more burdensome than useful like this.

“A proper rest is the stepping stone for growth.”

“Okay. If you need to rest, then rest.”

Jung Si-woo sighed and sat down. Of course, even if he took a break, he didn’t think he would lie down all day. He would enhance his senses by working on some light physical training.

“If you want to do something, go do some shopping. You wanted to buy a dollhouse for Se-ha, right?”

“It is definitely something you should buy.”

“No, do I really need to buy it?”

Jung Si-woo looked at the male fairy with a twinkle in his eye.

“Maybe a better compromise would be to buy him a baby’s crib!”

Si-woo had originally planned to order some necessary items but realized that deliveries would probably not reach his underground base. Perhaps a shopping spree was to be his adventure for today.

“Well, I have a new fridge at least.”

“I’m very proud.”

The truth was the money he accumulated would be enough to buy thousands of refrigerators like that. But that wasn’t all! With his current earnings, he could also purchase any mansion of his liking. Normally, this wouldn’t be possible for a level 50 player, but it was definitely possible for Jung Si-woo, who reaped dollars by battling and killing high-level monsters from the test dungeon.

“Do you think we should buy a mansion, Ah-rin?”

Soo Ah-rin shook her head firmly at his question.

“Not yet. If we make a hideout in the outside world, we would be discovered easily.”

“But who is he running away from?”

Se-ha asked but received no answer. Jung Si-woo was left speechless. In the end, Soo Ah-rin’s argument was valid enough to convince him to go shopping. As usual, Ah-rin crawled into his chest while Se-ha fluttered over his right shoulder as the female fairy didn’t want to share her comfort place. The party rode on a bike and headed towards the nearby supermarket. Jung Si-woo ensured that they abided by the traffic laws and screwed the license plate back on before they went. On their way to the supermarket, Si-woo thought of a strange question.

“Why hasn’t anyone invented a floating bike yet?”

“Most people ride models like yours. A man can always dream, though.”

There were quite a few bikes on the road, their riders being a mix of young and old. Most bikes were painted in a two-tone red and white. Si-woo peacefully hummed as he passed by them in Seoul’s busy streets.

“There are so many Chinese restaurants in this neighborhood.”

Se-ha noticed. Ah-rin was examining the pedestrians’ faces and some bikes that had been behind them for some time.

“No matter where you go, they will always follow you!”

“Damn it, I know!”

He responded, unsure how to feel about his fans. At that point, Jung Si-woo decided to give up on escaping reality, for no matter how much they tried to hide, people would still follow him. He thought he’d get away with it just this once, but his presence seemed to attract attention wherever they went. While many players could stand before the impending calamity, Jung Si-woo was famous for another reason entirely. Viral videos made him famous by showing him defeat monsters without breaking a sweat, garnering him international attention.

Jung Si-woo knew that there were a great many players of higher levels and greater strength than he, yet few had the raw power he possessed before he had even upon becoming a player. Viewers liked to see him joke around the goblins as he fought and even slaying the Goblin Centurion with his trustworthy hammer. Jung Si-woo was not yet aware that his video on Xtube had reached over one hundred million views and was still rising. Far more people watched him than had watched the news broadcast.

“There is a fan cafe for you!”

“Hah… I am the first underground player, so I’ve cornered that market at least.”

“Talking like that, you should’ve entered the corporate world.”

“Ugh, no thank you, Ah-rin. That life would be too boring for me.”

Sky Castle players had existed since before, but the moment the Ant Cave was discovered, it was none other than Jung Si-woo that left his mark by conquering them first.

“Damn it; I don’t like being in the spotlight like this.”

He said as they finally reached the store. There were a lot of people there as well, and he hoped that only a few would notice them in the crowd. He parked his bike and dismounted. These days, shopping patterns had changed drastically on a global scale. People mainly shopped for preserved foods so that they could comfortably stay at home in case something popped up. Other than the food, there were many who bought self-defense weapons such as an ax or a club that could defeat monsters in emergency situations. As the ratio of self-defense weapons in each household increased, the number of thieves decreased.

“Let’s go buy that crib first.”

“Huh, should I act like a baby now?”

Yong Se-ha responded bitterly. Si-woo ignored him, noting that a hint of resignation had crept into Se-ha’s tone. He picked up the cot from its isle, placing it in the trolley. They then rolled on to the electronics department, sliding into the shopping spirit.

“There’s no kitchen back at the resting place. Should we set up one?”

Soo Ah-rin excitedly suggested.

“But I can’t cook…”

Si-woo replied, causing Ah-rin’s smile to turn upside down. Noticing his fairy’s immediate mood change, Jung Si-woo thought of another excuse.

“There is no electricity for our resting place.”

“Then what happens to the refrigerator? Uh, surely there is a water supply, right?”

“That’s a very good question.”

Jung Si-woo responded with a refreshing smile.

“But I don’t know the answer myself.”

“…”

The party’s last stop was the food corner, where they chose foods that could be consumed without preparation. People in the store glanced at him, more so when they noticed the baby crib, he had in his trolley. He calmly weathered their attention but became a little sad when he realized that he had already grown used to this celebrity status.

“Ah damn, here it comes again.”

He muttered as he saw his face appear on a big screen at the store’s wall. His actions in Sanha-dong were being broadcast. After the footage was shown, the screen transitioned to the live news desk.

[If you have any information about this player that we just showed, please report it to us or the local authorities.]

“Wait, what?”

Jung Si-woo grabbed his head in disbelief. What did he do this time for this attention? He patiently waited for the reporter to continue, hoping to gain more information about the sudden “wanted” tag on his head. However, the announcer disappeared as new footage was played, this time showing a lush mountainside with a great spine of rocks sticking out of it, looking much like the back of a stegosaurus. Stairs led to this ridge of stone, which stretched into the sky above the forested slopes’ lush greenery. Monsters could be seen on the mountain as the helicopter made its pass.

“Is…is that a dungeon?”

“No, it’s too wide for one. Also, this is being captured live from a helicopter.”

“Hey, that is Mt. Seorak near Sokcho city! It is part of the Taebaek range in Gangwon province. My parents and I hiked there every summer when I was a little girl.”

Ah-rin was right. The camera panned once more over the scene before focusing on a stern reporter explaining the situation as the helicopter hovered above Mt. Seorak.

“The monsters had appeared near Biryong falls but were soon routed by players who had been dispatched after receiving the emergency broadcast. After this victory, however, a greater number of monsters appeared. The invasion’s scale was too vast to calculate a definite headcount of the monsters that have appeared at this time. There are a number of people trapped in the mountain, and government efforts to control the situation have all failed thus far.”

This was one case out of countless worldwide where monsters were invading the human realm. Such events occurred when players were unable to destroy a dungeon or failed to kill the boss. As a result, monsters gradually settled on Earth, gaining power at the expense of human lives.

“So, this must be why they are searching for me.”

Jung Si-woo finally connected the dots.

“What are you going to do?”

Ah-rin asked anxiously.

“There are already players stronger than me on Mt. Seorak, right? I’m sure they will kill off these monsters eventually. Will lives be saved with me rushing all the way there?”

“Hmm… there aren’t that many players stronger than you anymore!”

Ah-rin proudly retorted.

“Still, give me some time to think.”

Jung Si-woo spoke calmly as he placed his purchases in his inventory.

“I still need to take a break, remember? I need to adjust my body to the level jump. This thing on Seorak might take a while, so when I’m done resting, the mountain might still be in an uproar.”

He might eventually head there. The party returned to their base, with Si-woo calmly initiating his training to adapt to his new level. However, while Jung Si-woo trained and rested, the mountain situation worsened beyond despair.