Class Quest (2)
[Name: Granfell Cloudy Arpheus Romeo]
[Class: Demon Hunter]
[Level: 67]
[Stats]
Strength: 23 / Agility: 28 / Magic Power: 18 / Luck: 2
[Available Points: 0]
Fortunately, Granfell's brilliant mind remembered the previous numbers perfectly.
Thanks to that, the change in stats was immediately noticeable.
[Stats]
Strength: 25 / Agility: 30 / Magic Power: 18 / Luck: 2
[Available Points: 0]
Strength and agility had both increased by 2 points.
...Was it really okay to receive this much?
It felt too generous.
An increase of 4 stat points was equivalent to leveling up 4 times.
But it wasn't something I could just calculate so simply and move on from.
'The level didn't even change.'
I was now four—no, even more—steps ahead of players at the same level.
Just thinking about the price of items that increase stats...
'Even raising just one point costs millions of won. From a certain point, the price per stat point skyrockets.'
This might be a reward even my old corporate salary couldn't cover.
But that wasn't the end.
While staring at the quest window, I flinched.
─Train your weakened body. (Repeatable)
The quest that had increased my stats was marked as repeatable.
Of course, there's no guarantee the reward would be the same every time.
But even if it raised just one point, if I could improve my stats through training...!
This was the kind of quest I had to repeat whenever possible.
That's when I understood.
Why just starting the class quest could generate headlines,
Why people were saying it could put you in the top ranks.
I looked at the quest window again:
─Defeat a demon. (Completed)
─Train your weakened body. (Repeatable)
'If the very first reward was this good...'
What kind of rewards would the next chain quests have?
Anyone would naturally start to feel excited.
'No. I can't.'
But I didn't allow myself to get excited.
This was not influenced by Granfell—this was entirely my own will.
The higher the expectations, the bigger the disappointment.
Right. I couldn't afford to forget my place.
...But still, just for this moment, couldn't I allow myself a little joy?
After all the hellish training I went through this past week?
The aftermath of that grueling routine was still clinging to my body.
Even so, I didn't let a shred of emotion show.
My shirt and slacks were soaked in sweat.
My legs felt like they'd buckle at any second.
Yet I stood up without hesitation.
This current state of mine perfectly embodied the dark past of Granfell—of me, Lee Hoyul.
What even is pride, if it keeps me from expressing anything honestly?
I tried thinking about it—but decided that overthinking was the real problem.
Puberty's just like that, isn't it?
My stats had increased.
There was no magical side-effect like my fatigue vanishing.
Which meant...
Back at home, I had no choice but to prepare my meal with hands shaking like I had tremors.
At least the menu was solid:
Chicken breast, fresh vegetables, and rye bread.
A nutritious and clean meal.
The problem was the chopping.
Chop chop—
I looked at the jagged slices of vegetables.
Then shamelessly said:
"Sometimes, unorthodox cuts add character."
Picking up a particularly crooked carrot piece, I continued:
"This one resembles a constellation in the night sky."
How poetic.
I was clearly getting more shameless by the day.
But I had to adapt to it.
As I said, criticizing it would be like spitting in my own face.
...Still, I should come up with at least one excuse.
This was a meal I'd usually prep in under five minutes.
Slice the rye bread in half, stuff it with chicken salad—
A quick sandwich and done.
But today I sat at the table, fork and knife in hand, eating with a strange sense of elegance.
My trembling arm spilled salad on the table.
"...Poison."
Even small slip-ups were unacceptable to my pride.
"This part must've had pesticide residue."
And so, I found myself seriously considering—
'...How about blaming it on head trauma?'
It's not like I'm filming a stand-up comedy skit!
Still, wouldn't pity be better than being looked at like a lunatic?
Once the thankfully unobserved meal was over,
I immediately picked up the stack of papers on the table.
They contained the magical theory I'd written down while watching NetTube videos.
Even though I had written it, I found it hard to believe.
'What's more unbelievable is that I actually understand this now.'
Magic doesn't create something from nothing.
It searches for the target.
It interferes with the target.
Then it manifests.
Most spells begin by searching for and interfering with mana.
Magic power significantly affects how one searches and interferes...
It actually sounded legitimate.
It wasn't just a game mechanic like "skills"—
It truly felt like magic was a real, complex concept.
'Well... I don't know if I'm understanding this correctly, though.'
From just watching the videos, I had come to understand the process of searching and interfering.
But I still hadn't managed to manifest magic yet.
Even though I had invested stat points into Magic Power,
It wasn't enough to actually cast spells like the one shown in the NetTube video.
'That mage was close to level 300.'
It's only natural their magic power would be at a similar level.
Of course, whether it's simply because I lack magic power—
Or if it's another mental defense mechanism to protect my "pride"—
I couldn't say for sure.
And hoping my magic power would someday match that mage's?
That would be absurdly greedy.
So all I could do was focus on analyzing simpler spells.
Breaking them down to the point where I could at least search and interfere.
'Studying magic... wasn't in my life plan.'
It took me three days to analyze one spell.
Now, just thinking about analyzing another one gave me a headache.
But despite those feelings, there was no hesitation in my actions.
I replayed the NetTube video.
Picked up a blank sheet of paper.
And began writing once more.
"Once I adapt, the time it takes will shorten too."
I just hoped this confidence wasn't misplaced bravado.
And silently wished I could live up to the words I'd spoken.
8:00 PM.
International Organization: Anti Arcana United (AAU).
The lights in the Korean branch office of AAU were still on.
"…Damn Thursdays."
That late-night shift happened every Thursday without fail.
Seong Hyun-joon lay flat on his desk.
Every Thursday, he missed the past.
The time when Arcana was just a game.
"Where did you go, my work-life balance!!"
The world's greatest virtual reality game, Chronicles of the Arcana Continent.
Back when he landed a job at Cosmo—the company that developed Arcana—
He felt like he had it all.
Cosmo wasn't just any company.
Its CEO, Raymond Shen, was a devout believer in work-life balance.
And yet, they offered top-tier salaries in the industry.
It was a dream job for any developer.
But everything changed when the CEO went missing.
Arcana was no longer just a game—it became reality.
Cosmo's closure was only a matter of time.
From executives to janitors, all Cosmo employees—except the missing CEO—
Were in and out of courtrooms across the globe.
And after all those lengthy trials, the verdict was: insufficient evidence.
And now, here he was.
"…Seriously, Raymond, if I ever get my hands on you, you're dead."
Seong Hyun-joon was forcibly employed by AAU's Korean branch.
Well, he should be grateful.
In today's job market, landing a public-sector position was no small feat.
And it even allowed him to use his experience to contribute to international peace.
But gratitude and resentment were two different emotions.
He turned to the senior next to him.
"Hey, do you think we'll get through this week without a new update?"
"God, I hope so."
"It's 8 already and there's no notice, so we're probably safe, right?"
New updates—
That was their euphemism for Arcana's intrusion into reality.
The elements of Arcana bleeding into the real world.
No other phrase described it better than "update."
And of course, people like Seong Hyun-joon had no way of knowing when those would happen.
"No way to tell. That guy changes his mind every other second."
Only Raymond would know.
Because Raymond wasn't dead.
The Arcana official website still functioned perfectly. That was proof.
Thanks to the site, the world could keep track of players' levels and rankings.
You could also check which player cleared which Rift, and rewards were distributed accordingly.
That site was what kept the world functioning.
What on earth was he thinking?
Hyun-joon scratched his head in frustration.
"That guy Raymond… Is he even human? Seriously, what is he doing all this for? This is a sick hobby. Making us work overtime every Thursday… It still feels like I'm servicing Arcana."
But even his grumbling didn't last long.
It wasn't just his office—groans echoed everywhere.
"Crap. There's a new update!"
"Seriously?! I put in for vacation tomorrow!"
"That's it. I'm quitting and hunting Raymond down myself."
Well, it had been nearly a month since the last update.
It was kind of expected.
Hyun-joon sluggishly sat up and logged onto Arcana's official website.
Just like his coworkers said, a new update had been uploaded.
The author, of course, was undoubtedly Raymond.
"…What the hell?"
"This… Is this for real?"
"Is that lunatic Raymond out of his mind?!"
Those reading the patch notes couldn't hide their shock.
The update made no sense whatsoever.
A new demon approaches.
New Rift: The Count's Fortress
New Named Monster: Count Askura, Lv.430
New Rift: The Count's Domain
New Monsters:
Askura's Right-hand Man – Lv.390
Askura's Knight – Lv.350
Askura's Soldier – Lv.300
New Rift: Outskirts of the Domain
New Monsters:
Blood-drenched Beasts – Lv.220~250
Blood-drenched Bandits – Lv.230
"He already released Count Askura?"
A Level 430 named monster.
And the current top player, Skal, was only Level 401.
A full 30-level difference.
And Askura was a demon-type monster.
Growth type.
Terrifying status effects.
And considering the real-world traits of unleashed demon-types…
"…Senior, this isn't an update we're supposed to clear, is it?"
There was no way to beat this new Rift.
"Exactly. This is them telling us to just sit back and watch."
If this were still a game, it'd be fine.
People would just complain about balance patches.
Sure, players might gripe a little.
But eventually, they'd figure out strategies through trial and error.
But this wasn't a game anymore.
If you died, that was it.
If the Rift wasn't cleared, that terrifying demon would manifest into the real world.
A horrific reality.
Riiiiing—
Phones were ringing nonstop.
But no one was picking up.
They had all realized just how serious this situation was.
"…Even if top-ranked players teamed up, would it still be impossible?"
"Who knows. But it won't be easy. You know demons can't just be brute-forced."
"What if we got help from the Tower mages?"
"Yeah, right. The mages from the Magic Tower only move when the Tower itself is in danger. Even if the world's ending, they won't lift a finger as long as the Tower's intact."
Hyun-joon asked,
"Then what about the other mobs? Outside the Count's Fortress?"
"You'd need a full guild alliance just to try."
"So it's not hopeless. We grind levels on the outskirts or the domain, and then take on the Count's Fortress after powering up!"
"Assuming we have enough time. The Rifts could collapse before then."
"…"
Hyun-joon was at a loss for words.
Was there really no way?
If so… what would happen to them?
Riiiiing—
"…Let's at least pick up the phone."
At his senior's suggestion, Hyun-joon blankly answered the call.
An excited journalist's voice spilled out from the receiver.
But he couldn't focus at all.
"…Sorry. I don't have anything I can tell you right now."
Early Dawn.
"?"
As I sat at the table filling out papers, my vision suddenly blinked.
"!"
[Class Quest: Dawn of Retaliation]
To the final demon hunter—
The time has come to strike back at the demons.
▷ Slay a demon. (Completed)
▷ Strengthen your weakened body. (Repeatable)
▷ Hunt the vampires. (In Progress) ▼
Vampires, huh.
I put down my pen.
"Such inferior beings dare interrupt my precious time."
I muttered quietly,
"I shall see to it that they are punished severely."