Crackle—

In the blue forest, a small campfire blazed to life.

“Sob… sob…”

“Sniffle.”

Before the fire sat the Prince and Princess—Teil and Rain—exhausted from crying.

The three knights wore deathly faces, staring blankly into the flames.

A thick gloom pressed down on the air around them.

Ha Gangwoo leaned against a tree, arms crossed, watching them.

‘Now what do I do?’

He narrowed his eyes, sinking into thought. The fastest way was to check the updated quest.

Ha Gangwoo snapped open his quest window without hesitation.

[Scenario.1 The Fallen Kingdom (2)][Main]

Description: You have rescued the prince and princess of the Teron Kingdom. Escort them to the next destination.

(Caution! If both the prince and princess perish, the Scenario quest will terminate.)

Reward: ???

“Same as before.”

He’d thought the Hidden quest might’ve changed things, but the main quest was identical.

‘Then I just proceed as planned.’

No need to rack his brain. All he had to do was follow what he already knew.

Based on the intel he’d gathered, protecting the rescued pair and reaching the destination would wrap up 1-1.

He’d even uncovered the mandatory Hidden rewards along that route.

The entire plan was laid out in his mind.

Yet Ha Gangwoo’s expression wasn’t good.

‘Annoying.’

The reason was simple.

Evan kept glaring at him with a venomous look.

When Gangwoo shot back a fierce glare, Evan cleared his throat with a “Hmph.” and straightened up.

“We’re grateful for the rescue, but we’ll manage on our own from here.”

His tone was polite enough, but his eyes told a different story. Undisguised hostility radiated off him.

Gangwoo’s gaze sharpened as he studied Evan.

‘Evan, was it… I’ve heard that name before.’

Hearing it before meant Evan was a key NPC.

And there was no easy fix for a bad impression.

The moment he lost a major NPC, the whole episode would get tangled.

“Haah…”

Gangwoo let out a deep sigh, then spoke with a cold face.

“The Teron Kingdom, was it? Now I see why it fell.”

“Wh—what did you say! I don’t care if you’re our savior—insult Teron one more time, and I won’t stay my hand!”

Evan flared up at Gangwoo’s words, clenching his fist as hostility poured off him.

But Princess Rain grabbed Evan by the leg.

“No! Don’t fight!”

Evan’s enmity didn’t waver, though, and Gangwoo, still stone-faced, activated a skill.

In an instant, a crimson aura rippled around him.

[Combat Stance has been activated.]

[Your next attack will deal 2x destructive power.]

‘Seismic Stomp.’

CRACK!!!

The ground screamed beneath Gangwoo as the earth buckled.

“Aaagh!”

“Waaaah!”

*BOOM* — the ground heaved up and down in violent waves.

Knights watching the scene shrieked; the prince and princess trembled uncontrollably.

Evan had already drawn his sword, pointing it at Gangwoo.

With a murderous expression, Gangwoo walked slowly toward Evan’s group.

Evan’s face twisted in terror, and the knight beside him also drew his blade, aiming it at Gangwoo.

But Gangwoo didn’t stop. He just spoke low, his face cold.

“Use that head of yours. Why do you think I bothered saving the princess in the first place?”

The real reason was the quest — but Evan had no way of knowing that.

Evan’s face twisted as he watched Ha Gangwoo approach.

‘That ominous power! He’s definitely the same kind of creature as the demon that invaded the castle… But then why did he help us?’

Evan kept turning Gangwoo’s question over in his mind, but no answer came.

‘If the Prince was his target, he had no reason to spare us. What was he after?’

Just as Evan was lost in thought.

Gangwoo grabbed the blade Evan had aimed at him and spoke in a low voice.

“The reason I helped is simple. Your enemy and my enemy are the same person.”

“…”

For a moment, Evan’s expression twisted into disbelief.

“A demon’s enemy?”

In that instant, Evan’s mind raced.

‘There are multiple demon factions? Then the demon before me belongs to a different one?’

Having apparently reached a conclusion, Evan’s face hardened.

‘I’ll use him.’

The Teron Kingdom was already dead. Its king, its people—all torn apart and slaughtered by demon hands.

Evan had one goal.

To save the kingdom’s sole survivors, the Prince and Princess, and then, with foreign aid, rebuild the Teron Kingdom.

But he knew, vaguely, it was a hollow hope.

Because even other kingdoms couldn’t stop the demons.

The man in front of him, though, was different.

With just a single movement of his foot, the earth itself screamed.

He’d killed that massive monster in one blow.

Overwhelming martial might.

‘Even if he’s a demon… it doesn’t matter.’

Evan had made up his mind. For the sake of his goal, he would use even a demon.

Then, a gleam of resolve settled in Evan’s eyes.

He sheathed his sword and knelt before Gangwoo.

“I was rash. Please… help us.”

Gangwoo looked down at the bowing Evan.

‘This should be enough.’

He was just an NPC, after all—a crafted character.

Gangwoo felt no need to grind him under his heel just to prove he’d won.

Without a word, Gangwoo sat down by the tree. Seeing this, Evan bowed his head and spoke.

“Thank you.”

He took it as a sign of consent.

And so, they had a brief rest period.

Evan called his fellow knight for a meeting,

while the Princess Rain and Prince Teil, exhausted, passed out by the campfire.

Gangwoo used the free time to check his rewards.

‘Wonder what they gave me.’

Gangwoo stroked his chin and opened his Inventory.

Inventory (9/10)

[Madness of Temperance]

[Runetail’s Necklace]

[Warp Altar x1]

[Rupicel Mineral x1]

[Mid-Grade HP Recovery Potion x3]

[DLC – Book of Job Change: Blood Devil]

[F-Grade Active Catalog]

[Frost-Imbued Shortbow]

[Black Leather Boots]

[-]

“Oh?!”

A total of three new items had appeared.

‘In order of the rewards I got, right?’

The first reward was the F-Grade Catalog, the second was the Hidden reward from the DLC quest, and the third was from the main Scenario.

‘Let’s check.’

A satisfied smile spread across Gangwoo’s face as he examined each item one by one.

[F-Grade Active Catalog]

Grade: F

Description: Randomly acquires one F-Grade Active Skill.

[Black Leather Boots]

Grade: F

Durability: 10/10

Defense: 19

Vitality: +11

Description: Boots crafted from black rat hide. The fur is badly damaged, resulting in low durability.

[Frost-Imbued Shortbow]

Grade: E

Durability: 25/25

Attack: 21

Agility: +25

Mana: +22

Description: A bow imbued with frost magic. Compact in size, making it easy to carry.

Effect

– When firing an arrow, there is a 53 (3↑)% chance the arrow is imbued with a frost effect.

“Oh?!”

The reward was better than expected.

Especially the Hidden Quest reward from the DLC pack—the shortbow was an E-Grade Artifact.

‘Has to be worth at least a million Gold.’

Was this the item that had just been Unlocked? He wondered, but there was no way to verify.

‘The problem’s the arrow.’

But the trouble was, he only had the bow. No arrows meant no way to shoot.

Ha Gangwoo pulled the string back, a disappointed look on his face.

*Crackle*—the string was surprisingly taut.

‘I wonder.’

A new weapon—a bow. He was curious what kind of weapon it really was.

And there was something else fueling Gangwoo’s curiosity.

[Weapon Mastery] [E]

Grade: S

Type: Passive

Effect: Allows proficient handling of all weapons. (Grade increases as skill is honed.)

‘That’s amazing.’

A bow was something he’d only touched for the first time today. But the moment he drew the string, he understood.

‘I want to shoot.’

It felt familiar and intimate, like something he’d used a hundred times before.

Confidence surged—he felt he could hit a target a hundred meters away, right now.

‘Buy some.’

If there were no arrows, he’d just buy them. Gangwoo opened the Auction House window.

*Zing—*

[You cannot use the Auction House here.]

“Huh?”

But what was this? In the Scenario, the Auction House wouldn’t open.

Ha Gangwoo’s face tightened with a grimace of regret.

‘No choice, then.’

As Ha Gangwoo gazed at the Auction House, lost in thought…

“What are you doing?”

A tiny girl tilted her head and spoke to him.

It was Rain, the princess of the Teron Kingdom. She must have woken up at some point and started watching Ha Gangwoo.

Ignoring Rain’s words, Ha Gangwoo pulled on the Black Leather Boots.

Ding-

[You have equipped the Black Leather Boots.]

They looked shabby, but the fit was surprisingly comfortable.

“Are you really a demon?”

Rain leaned in closer, tilting her head again to ask.

‘Annoying.’

Ha Gangwoo scowled at Rain. She was just a pre-scripted NPC—he had no desire to exchange words.

‘Demonization.’

Ha Gangwoo decided to scare Rain.

Ding-

[You have used Demonization.]

[All stats have increased by 100%]

In that instant, Ha Gangwoo’s skin darkened to black, the whites of his eyes staining pitch while his pupils blazed crimson.

Rain saw it and flinched, stumbling backward and landing hard on the ground.

“Ahk!!!”

A faint, involuntary tremble ran through her.

Ha Gangwoo looked at her and spoke in a low rasp.

“Yeah, it’s on. Don’t bother me.”

There was a strange grating quality to his voice, like metal scraping metal.

Rain answered, her voice trembling with tears.

“O-okay…”

Her face twisted in terror as she scrambled away and fled.

Ha Gangwoo watched her go, then released the Demonization.

‘That should be enough.’

With his privacy restored, he checked his remaining rewards.

[F-Grade Active Catalog]

‘Wonder what’ll come out.’

An F-grade Catalog. He didn’t have high hopes. From the Catalogs he’d gotten so far, higher grades always meant better effects.

Which meant an F-grade now was likely underwhelming.

He used it anyway.

Ding-

[You have used the F-Grade Active Catalog.]

[Charging Shot]

Grade: F

Type: Active

MP Cost: 2~ (Consuming more Mana increases destructive power.)

Action: Maintain an aimed stance.

Effect: Wreathes Mana around a projectile, amplifying its destruction.

‘Hm…’

Ha Gangwoo stroked his chin, appraising the new skill.

‘Not bad.’

It was essentially a variant of Straight Punch.

‘Does it work with guns too?’

Maybe it was because he’d expected nothing, but the skill looked surprisingly decent.

The weapon he’d just gotten was a bow. A fitting skill, wasn’t it? Still, it didn’t seem easy to use.

‘Too bad.’

He let out a disappointed sigh and got to his feet. Right on cue, Evan walked out from the forest.

Evan gave a slight bow of his head and spoke to him.

“May I know your name?”

“Hm.”

The hostility was still faint, but his actions were clearly friendly.

Proof of that—asking for his name.

‘I’ll just make something up.’

These were fabricated characters anyway; no need to give his real name.

“Call me Player.”

“I see. Player, we intend to move to Master Zenon’s dwelling now. Will you accompany us?”

Evan asked politely.

At that moment—

Ding-

[A sub-quest has arrived.]

[Evan’s Request.][Sub]

Description: Protect this group and escort them to Zenon’s dwelling.

(Penalty will be applied if Evan, Rain, or Teil die.)

Reward: ???

(Pathfinding)

A new quest appeared. This time, it even included a Pathfinding function so he wouldn’t get lost.

He looked at Evan, who still had his head bowed.

‘That worked better than I thought.’

He was fated to travel with them anyway for the Scenario. Their goodwill was a welcome thing.

“Fine.”

Ha Gangwoo accepted readily. Just as the Scenario was about to begin—

“I’m hungry…”

Prince Teil grabbed Evan’s leg with his small hands. He couldn’t have been older than six—he looked impossibly young.

Evan forced a bitter smile, knelt down, and ruffled Teil’s tiny head.

“Just bear with me a little longer. I’ll have something good ready soon.”

Growl—

Beside Teil, Rain rubbed her own stomach, equally hungry.

‘Hmm…’

Ha Gangwoo watched them, stroking his chin as he mulled it over.

It looked like he’d need it after all.

Having made up his mind, Gangwoo slowly spoke.

“Give me three minutes.”

“Huh?”

Evan shot him a puzzled look, but Gangwoo ignored him and stepped into the forest.

‘Will it work?’

He spread his palm and called up the activation word in his mind.

In that instant, the Warp Altar responded, teleporting straight into his hand.

Gangwoo tossed the Warp Altar into the underbrush.

Then the Warp Altar swelled—expanding wider and deeper until it stood the size of a well.

Ha Gangwoo thumbed the Warp Ring on his finger, working its cool metal, and swallowed dry.

‘Warp Ring.’

The moment the Activation Word surfaced in his mind—

Ding-

[Please select a destination.]

– Warp Altar 1 — [Antero’s Resting Place]

– Warp Altar 2 — [Association]

– Warp Altar 3 — [Hope Repository]

– Warp Altar 4 — [Scenario 1]

– Warp Altar 5 — [Set a location name.]

Every spot he’d ever anchored flashed through him.

‘Let’s try it.’

‘The ability he’d unlocked with ‘DLC — Warp Altar Update II’ was dimensional movement.’

If that were true… maybe it could work.

Ha Gangwoo chose Warp Altar 4 — Scenario 1 without hesitating.

Then—pop— his vision flipped.

***

A low, buzzing hum.

The clamor of the market in Scenario 1’s district poured into his ears.

A grin spread across Ha Gangwoo’s face.

‘This is insane.’

He’d done quite a lot of studying by then.

The result: the moment you enter a Scenario, there are only two ways out.

Clear — or fail.

So the fact that he could step outside mid-Scenario opened up a world of applications.

‘Lion.’

There was only one reason he’d come here now.

To buy arrows for his shortbow.

The upcoming Quest was an NPC-escort mission — and no matter how he looked at it, he needed a weapon.

Ha Gangwoo opened the Auction House and started browsing arrows.

Sure enough, the selection was enormous.

[Wooden Arrow] — 300 Gold

[Steel Arrow] — 1,000 Gold

[Fire Arrow] — 2,000 Gold

[Ice Arrow] — 2,199 Gold

[Lightning Arrow] — 2,999 Gold

[Trinity Arrow] — 33,330,000 Gold

…..

…

.

‘That’s a lot.’

His eyes snagged on the Trinity Arrow in particular.

[Trinity Arrow]

Grade: A

Endurance: 65/65

Attack Power: 975

Description: An arrow forged from three gemstones—In, Sel, and Rune—fused into one. Potent energy clings to its surface.

Effects

– On firing, a 33% chance the arrow splits into three.

– On firing, a 33% chance for 300% destructive force.

– On firing, a 33% chance for 300% speed.

“33.33 million Gold per arrow…” he muttered.

The moment he read the effects, the price made sense—but arrows were consumables.

‘Does anyone actually use those?’

The doubt flickered and died. Pointless hesitation. Ha Gangwoo bought the arrows without another thought.

Ding-

[You have purchased Wooden Arrow x30.]

A corona of light coalesced before him the instant the purchase went through.

He’d gone with the cheapest—Wooden Arrows. For Scenario 1 content, these would be more than enough.

Thirty arrows cascaded down at Ha Gangwoo’s feet, clattering across the floor.

‘Did I buy too many?’

He eyed the bolts scattered across the ground and almost nodded—but shook his head instead.

He’d fired a gun before. You needed this many to stop yourself from hesitating with every shot.

‘I’ll need a quiver, too.’

Ha Gangwoo bent to gather the fallen arrows. The problem was plain: unlike bullets, arrows needed a place to be stored.

Once he’d scooped them all up, he opened the Auction House again.

[Wooden Quiver] — 15,000 Gold

[Steel Quiver] — 120,000 Gold

[Mana-Infused Quiver] — 1,400,000 Gold

…

..

.

Of course. Quivers existed, too.

‘It counts as a weapon.’

[Wooden Quiver]

Grade: F

Durability: 15/15

Attack Power: 9

Description: A quiver made of wood. Convenient to carry, but its wooden construction makes it fragile.

And here was a new discovery: quivers had Attack Power attached to them, and the system treated them as weapons.

Ha Gangwoo browsed through the quiver effects, and a sudden idea struck him.

‘No way it works.’

He closed the Auction House window, then grabbed the thirty arrows in his hand.

Ding-

[You have placed Wooden Arrow x30 in your Inventory.]

Swish—the thirty arrows vanished in a blink.

Ha Gangwoo lifted the shortbow with his left hand and drew the string back.

*Creak*—a satisfying sound from the taut, elastic cord.

‘Wooden Arrow.’

The moment he summoned the Activation word in his mind—

Swish-

[You have Loaded Wooden Arrow from the Inventory.]

An arrow materialized precisely in the spot where he held the string drawn.

‘It works!’

A sharp grin spread across Ha Gangwoo’s face as he released the string.

Ding-

[Frost Effect has been applied.]

*Shwoosh*—the arrow left the string, splitting the air with tremendous speed as it flew toward the tree.

*Thunk!* A brutal impact, and the tree *zinged* with a resonant hum.

‘Not bad at all.’

The bow was better than he’d expected. And when combined with the Inventory’s Load function, the bow’s biggest weakness disappeared entirely.

A satisfied look on his face, Ha Gangwoo walked toward the tree where the arrow had lodged itself.

‘Can I reuse it?’

Where the arrow had struck the tree, the wound was frozen solid with cold energy.

‘Perfect.’

If a monster had taken that hit, the wound would have frozen on contact, and it would have suffered Frostbite damage on top of it.

‘Let’s try pulling it out.’

A three-hundred-Gold item. If it could be reused, it made sense to reuse it.

Ha Gangwoo grabbed the arrow lodged in the tree and yanked with all his strength.

The moment he did — *CRACK* — the arrow snapped clean in half.

Reuse wasn’t happening.

Ha Gangwoo clicked his tongue in disappointment, then brushed his fingers over the Warp Ring.

‘Let’s go.’

He’d bought the arrows he needed, and he’d confirmed the Shortbow’s power.

Ha Gangwoo activated the Warp Ring to head back.

[Please select a destination.]

-Warp Altar 1 – [Antero’s Resting Place]

-Warp Altar 2 – [Association]

-Warp Altar 3 – [Hope Repository]

-Warp Altar 4 – [Scenario 1]

-Warp Altar 5 – [Please set a location name.]

Then, suddenly, Ha Gangwoo stopped in his tracks.

‘Hm…’

He stroked his chin for a moment, thinking, then started browsing the Auction House.

*Shwoop—*

[You have entered Scenario 1-1.]

He stepped into the Scenario.