*Ding-*

[Day 2 Quest has arrived.]

The moment the quest window appeared, the chaotic atmosphere froze into a cold silence.

[Reinforce Your Formation!][Job Change]

Description: Base selection is complete. Now it’s time to strengthen your forces against the approaching dangers. A map system will be opened for you. Use the map to clear quests and bolster your power.

Reward: Differential rewards based on Day 2 faction ranking.

“A map?”

“Approaching dangers?”

Everyone read the quest, their mouths clamped shut.

‘Around six o’clock.’

Among them, Ha Gangwoo narrowed his eyes as he noted the time the Day 2 Quest had appeared.

‘A map?’

The Day 2 Quest was about reinforcing the faction’s strength.

Based on what was written, there seemed to be no conflict with other factions. But one phrase caught his attention.

‘Approaching dangers?’

Were dangerous quests going to appear over the remaining five days? The thought left a sour feeling, but there was only one thing to check now.

‘The map.’

He needed to see the map the System had opened for them.

The moment Gangwoo summoned his Activation word, a transparent holographic window materialized before his eyes.

‘This is ridiculous.’

Ha Gangwoo scowled as he looked at the map.

[Keibarnto Cave]

– Supplies can be replenished.

[Bikeun Temple]

– A special item can be obtained.

[???]

– Something special can be obtained.

The map was filled with vital information—from the surrounding terrain to special quests.

But there was one problem.

[Sharp Goblin Fortress][Blue Team Base]

-The 1st-place faction’s location is revealed to all factions.

As if the blue pillar of light shooting up from the fortress wasn’t enough.

Now the map had Blue Team’s position marked as well.

And to make the situation even worse, another line had been added.

(Caution! Quests disappear upon completion.)

[TIP-Hidden quests exist in addition to those displayed on the map.]

‘Disappear…’

Quests disappear upon completion.

That meant four factions would have to compete over three quests.

“Fuck, is this insane? Just because we hit first place once?!”

“Man… they really screwed us over.”

Blue Team members erupted in complaints at the overwhelming penalty.

With Blue Team’s position now revealed,

the nearest quest location was Keibarnto Cave.

Looking at the map, everyone would think the same thing.

-Blue Team is heading to Keibarnto Cave.

Once their position and next move were predictable, the other factions gained countless options.

“Send a small squad to hit Blue Team’s base camp.”

“Send a team to Keibarnto Cave to sabotage their quest.”

“Wait around Blue Team and map their movement patterns.”

On and on—having their position exposed was a crippling disadvantage.

Blue Team’s own options, by contrast, were severely limited.

In this worst-case scenario, Blue Team ground their teeth in frustration.

‘If we’re going to get fucked anyway, now’s the chance.’

‘Same death, different flavor. We strike now!’

If things kept sliding this way, they’d not only fail the trial—they might get gutted by the other factions on top of it.

So Blue Team fixed their gaze on the eight players standing before them.

Each one from the other factions had claimed a slot, so their individual skills had to be top-tier.

But wasn’t Blue Team fifty strong? If they wanted to, putting these eight down wouldn’t even be a problem.

Reading the same thought, Blue Team members readjusted their grips on their weapons and let murderous intent bleed from their stances.

Did they sense the shift? The other factions’ players grabbed their own weapons and started watching their backs.

A hair-trigger standoff.

The atmosphere curdled so bad that one wrong move would send blades flying.

An eerie silence stretched on.

“Enough. Does it really have to go this far?”

Akane, the Green Team leader, stepped into the gap between the two groups—unarmed.

But her voice didn’t reach them. If anything, it only goaded Blue Team further.

“Don’t move!!!”

A Blue Team member who’d already made up his mind bellowed with a vicious face—and at that exact moment, Hua Yian swung his longsword toward the man.

“I think it’s time you left. I enjoyed the conversation.”

*Clank.* Ha Gangwoo caught the blade of Hua Yian’s longsword with his bare hand and spoke, his expression ice-cold.

“…”

For a second, Hua Yian stared at Gangwoo, thrown.

‘When did he get here…?’

Speed so fast he hadn’t even registered it.

Just how high was his Agility stat to move that fast?

Hua Yian tried to yank his longsword free from Gangwoo’s grip—when—

“What? You’re just letting them go? Who knows what revenge they’ll cook up later.”

“Right! If those bastards join forces, we’ll be in way worse trouble. Let’s take them down now. I’m not saying kill them—just hold them for the remaining five days.”

Blue Team members voiced their complaints with fierce intensity.

‘That’s not a bad idea either.’

Gangwoo himself didn’t think they were wrong.

But—

[Job-Change Requirements]

-Power: Rank S or higher

-Sense: Rank S or higher

-Good-Evil: Rank S or higher

That Good-Evil rank attached to the job-change requirements. He had no idea what it truly meant, so he had to avoid any cowardly actions.

And if they did detain these people, the outcome might spiral worse.

‘Purple Team.’

Outside this fortress, forty-nine players were waiting in reserve.

If anything resembling an explosion went off inside, this place would turn into a battlefield.

“Let’s meet again sometime.”

Gangwoo signaled once more his intention to let the other faction leave.

“Ah… for fuck’s sake.”

“If there’s trouble later, step down from leader!”

The Blue Team members sheathed their weapons.

And just like that, the life-threatening standoff dissolved.

“Then I’ll be going.”

Hwang Taeseong hurriedly left,

“……”

Hua Yian scowled, shot Gangwoo a look, then turned and walked off.

Now, only the six Green Team members remained inside the sanctum.

“Haah…”

Akane let out a sigh of relief, her voice low as she spoke to Gangwoo.

“Still, at least our leader’s sane. I won’t bring up alliances or pacts again. Just remember we’re on the same side. There’s no need to kill us like monsters, right? I’ll be going.”

Akane left those words behind and departed.

A quiet silence settled over the Blue Team’s sanctum, which had been so noisy moments before.

“What do we do? Should we take a detour to a different quest route?”

“No choice. We’ll head to the cave. They already know where we’re going. Maybe they won’t even come.”

Everyone was frowning, racking their brains for a way out of this worst-case scenario.

That’s when Han Seongdae stepped forward confidently and offered his opinion.

“Let’s go to the Keibarnto Cave. It’s the closest, and with enough supplies, it’ll be a huge help for surviving the remaining five days. If we take another route, we’re bound to run into another faction. If we have to compete anyway, I think the cave—which works in our favor—is the best call.”

They all nodded at Seongdae’s words.

Only a day had passed. They’d even secured twenty rations as a reward. Yet most of them were already feeling hungry.

If this was the state of things already, they had no choice but to agree.

But then, Jo Seunghyun set his sword down on the floor with a *thunk* and stepped forward.

“I disagree. Food? We can graze on grass if we have to. But weapons—no. Today’s quest will be done and our durability will be shot. I think the Bikeun Temple is the better option.”

“That’s true…”

“So the items come first, then.”

Everyone also nodded at Seunghyun’s point.

You could scrounge up at least some food from the surrounding forest, but there was no way to get high-grade equipment.

“Let’s go to the cave.”

“Are you crazy! The temple!”

In an instant, the Blue Team split into two camps, their voices clashing in heated debate. Ten minutes passed like that.

“Leader, you make the call.”

“Haah… fine. That’s what a leader’s for, after all.”

Rather than stubbornly push their own agendas, they turned to Gangwoo for his verdict.

One way or the other, both were necessary supplies, and they’d decided to follow the leader’s judgment.

‘Hmm…’

Gangwoo pondered for a moment, then made his decision.

“Let’s go to the Keibarnto Cave.”

Items were important, but the top priority was food.

Gangwoo chose the Keibarnto Cave, siding with Han Seongdae’s opinion.

But he didn’t want to give up on the temple entirely, either.

“But I do have a few requests.”

Ha Gangwoo had just made the best call he could under the circumstances.

***

“Let’s head out right now!!!”

Jo Seunghyun thumped his gleaming breastplate — *thump!* — and blazed with enthusiasm.

“We’ll be waiting.”

“Make sure you bring them back.”

The party members left at the base cheered on their departing clearing comrades.

And so, the Blue Team’s stronghold — now down to twenty-five — fell into a quiet hush.

Everyone turned uneasy eyes toward one man.

That man was none other than Ha Gangwoo.

He was sitting this Quest out.

At first, everyone had questioned the decision.

“With all due respect, I think Ha Gangwoo Player should come with us.”

Starting with the sharp-minded Han Seongdae,

“That’s right. No matter how strong Ha Gangwoo-ssi is, holding the fort alone is too much.”

Even the support-specialist players had voiced their doubts.

“I’ll hold the base alone. You all go.”

But Gangwoo had pushed his position firmly.

“We don’t have a choice. I’m counting on you to handle the main force.”

And so, twenty-five players stayed behind at the stronghold.

Unable to hide their anxiety, they began to murmur.

“They’re not actually going to attack us, are they?”

“They will. Our position’s completely exposed — if they don’t come, that’d be weird.”

Every player left at the base was a support-type.

With all of Blue Team’s combat power gone except for Gangwoo, the tension was palpable.

But Gangwoo brushed them off lightly, sat down at a table, and spread out a map.

“??? What about the Quest?”

There were three dungeons marked on the map.

[Keibarnto Cave]

-You can replenish supplies.

[Bikeun Temple]

-You can obtain special items.

[???]

-You obtain something special.

Every single one was an enticing Quest.

And what caught his eye most was this line:

[TIP — Hidden Quests exist in addition to the ones shown on the map.]

A Hidden quest.

‘Will it trigger based on my Sense stat?’

Gangwoo had three categories to worry about in this trial:

-Combat: S-rank or higher

-Sense: S-rank or higher

-Good-Evil: S-rank or higher

That was why he was curious about a Hidden quest.

It seemed clearly connected to the Sense rank, after all.

Just as Gangwoo rested his chin in his hand, lost in thought, a woman approached him.

“Are you really sure about this? If another faction goes all out and attacks us, we’ll—”

“She’s right… We’re not confident in PvP. You’re saying you’ll hold them off alone, but no matter how I look at it, that’s too much.”

Everyone voiced their fears.

‘Perfect timing.’

Gangwoo looked at them, the corners of his mouth lifting.

He had a piece of news that would put their minds at ease, anyway.

“They’ll probably come.”

“What?!”

His words sent a jolt of fear through them, but Gangwoo pressed on without missing a beat.

“The Player they just picked as leader isn’t stupid. That’s why he came here before the Day 2 Quest even spawns — to figure out Blue Team’s base position, their Formation, their full combat strength.”

“……”

The party members listened to Ha Gangwoo, their faces draining to a deathly pale.

Because the more they heard, the more real their current penalty felt.

“So there’s nothing to worry about.”

But the reply that came back stirred up doubt.

“Huh? You said they’re coming.”

“Yes — they would’ve come if another faction hadn’t shown up at the fortress.”

“What? What do you mean…”

“Right now the area around the fortress proper is an open field. The moment they approach, they’re exposed. And to get inside the fortress, they’d either need flight-capable personnel or have to break through the main gate. Under those harsh conditions, how many would they need to send to retake the base?”

“……”

At Ha Gangwoo’s question, everyone fell silent. Ha Gangwoo spoke again, unhurried.

“They’ve already seen the main base, so no one’s coming here. Any faction that would send people to this location would rather deploy them to other Quests instead — to monopolize as many Quests as possible.”

“Ah!”

At Ha Gangwoo’s words, the remaining Player’s face brightened.

‘Still, I need to stay cautious.’

But expectations have a way of unraveling, and he needed to be as careful as possible.

‘A Warp Altar would come in handy right now.’

It was just the Inventory being blocked, yet a wave of frustration washed over him.

Clap!

Ha Gangwoo brought his palms together with a sharp clap and spoke loudly.

“Then just trust me and let’s get to work. We’ve still got a lot to do.”

“Yes!!!”

The party members’ faces brightened as if their worries had vanished, and starting with Ha Gangwoo’s words, they began moving busily.

***

The stench of rotten blood, the castle interior stained with crusted-over scabs of gore.

“Ah… this is so filthy.”

“Fuck. When are we gonna clean this up.”

Two men wrinkled their noses in disgust as they started clearing away the corpses.

Maggots writhed through the rotting corpses, but the two men worked on, undaunted.

“Still, since the others went hunting, we gotta earn our keep.”

“Tell me about it. I’m starving. Let’s just get this over with.”

The two men kept at it, their task grinding on.

And then they arrived before a massive door. The men panted, spent, their strength drained.

“Ah… I’m so hungry. If it weren’t for that brat yesterday, I’d be tearing into another leg by now.”

“Now you’re blaming a kid for everything? Once we’re done here, our sector’s cleared. Let’s just finish up.”

With one man’s spirited remark, the enormous door groaned open—*Kiiiiik-*.

“Huh?!”

“Wha… what the hell?!”

In that instant, the men stared into the Boss Room, baffled.

Inside the dank, oppressive chamber, among hundreds of corpses, lay modern-day supplies.

From various mats and sleeping bags to detergent, burlap sacks, and even water jugs filled to the brim.

“Wha… why is this stuff here?”

“Hey! You! Come over here for a second!!!”

The two men bellowed, gathering people with their voices.

On the first floor of the castle, a Player who’d been stacking stones against the collapsed wall scowled.

“What the hell?! What’s with the shouting and summoning?”

At the sudden call, everyone stopped what they were doing and headed up to the castle.

‘They found it.’

Ha Gangwoo spotted them and rose leisurely from the table.

He looked calm now—composure regained.

Plus, thirty minutes had passed, and not a single Player’s presence stirred within a kilometer of the castle.

Just as expected—proof they were all focused on clearing the quest.

Now it looked safe enough to leave.

‘Time to go, then.’

Ha Gangwoo headed outside to set his plan in motion.

“Huh?! Where are you going?”

He came face-to-face with Kim Jisoo.

He’d meant to slip away quietly, but it seemed he’d need a cover story.

“Just stepping out for a bit.”

“What?! You’re leaving the castle?”

“Yes. It’ll be safe, don’t worry. Mik, you stay here and watch the house.”

“Yes!!!!”

Ha Gangwoo brushed past Kim Jisoo’s questioning look and walked out of the castle.

‘Now, let’s see if I can find it.’

The Hidden Quest hidden somewhere in these woods.

“Uh… what do I do now…”

Kim Jisoo stamped her feet, watching Ha Gangwoo leave.

With him gone, the base was basically an empty house, wasn’t it? She had to stop him by any means.

But just then, loud voices erupted from upstairs.

“Holy… shit! Jackpot.”

“Whoa, we’re alive! Is that the reward for getting first place?”

“That Goblin’s Treasure or whatever, right?”

Cheers and shouts of joy filled the castle.

“What’s all the fuss about?”

Kim Jisoo wanted to stop Ha Gangwoo, but she knew he wouldn’t listen.

So she reluctantly headed toward the commotion.

***

Crick-crick-crick—

The forest hummed with insect song.

Ha Gangwoo spread his Sense as wide as he could, studying the map.

[Keibarnto Cave]

-You can replenish supplies here.

[Bikeun Temple]

-You can acquire a special item here.

[???]

-You acquire something special.

Three quests marked at the map’s center. Something was off.

‘Why is this spot the only one blank?’

At the center of the three evenly spaced quests—an empty space.

Ha Gangwoo kept moving toward that spot, and then he felt it.

A powerful Mana wavelength.

He didn’t hesitate. He headed straight there—and found it.

Ding-

[You have discovered a Hidden Quest!!!]

A colossal temple, hidden deep among the dense trees.