As with any game, the PMH features countless options that lead to different development in the story.
‘But even if I replay the game over and over again to choose different options, the results don’t change much.’
There are two actions that the user can choose from when those kinds of options appear in the PMH game.
Either choose between the options presented or choose nothing and let the timer run out.
The Nation’s Failed Game PMH would present harsh options to its users that were difficult to choose from.
Because of that, a number of users made the third choice – to quit PMH altogether.
There were mundane scenarios, like when users are made to choose what sauce to put in the character’s food, and there were scenarios where users need to make a decision that usually involves injury or death of characters.
And right now, the choice that I would make could lead to people getting hurt.
‘…But I still need to make a decision!’
I can’t just sit here and wait for something to happen.
Doing so means that I reject Sidelentium’s conditions.
‘I need to choose between a guide to the demon world, and Saeum and Lena.’
There were others from the Demon Race who are on the same level as Sidelentium.
I could get someone else as my guide.
However, among the ones from the Demon Race who appeared in PMH, Sidelentium was the only one who respects human beings enough to enter a deal with them.
Even Hwang Jiho, the head of the Tiger Clan, doesn’t have enough information on the Demon Race.
I can’t afford to make a gamble.
A guide to the demon world is necessary.
Without one, the demon world scenario would fall, and there would be enormous sacrifices.
I can’t consider this option.
‘Enemies are approaching those two. Four enemies… No, there are more coming nearby. What the… The middle boss is heading towards them…!’
I don’t know if it was Sidelentium’s intention or a mere coincidence, but a Floor Master Enemy, so-called the “middle boss”, was heading toward the two.
They can’t just move to another floor to avoid the middle boss because the two were caught at a dead-end.
The two’s abilities, weapons, and consumable items.
All things considered, they have no chance of winning.
‘The middle boss is one problem, and there’s already a mob of enemies around them too. They can’t win this.’
Considering that those two are players, they could play defensively and concentrate on escaping.
They could survive even if they suffer serious injuries.
Whether they lose an arm or a leg, they need to run away.
But I don’t think those two can make a clear-headed decision right now.
‘If I defeat the boss enemy right now, this otherworld would be cleared, and we’d return to our world. If I follow what Sidelentium says and clear this otherworld right now…’
The corners of Sidelentium’s mouth were unnaturally long.
I have very little time to think, and I seem to be losing my mind.
His appearance was reminiscent of a chess player who throws a secret weapon as he waits for his opponent’s trick.
Comparing this situation to that scenario made both my fingers and head turn cold.
‘My vision has narrowed. I shouldn’t hurry to move the first piece that’s in front of me.’
Sidelentium is only one chess piece, and this labyrinth-type otherworld is the chess board.
The other players and the enemies are just pieces too.
That’s when I realized it.
I reorganized my thoughts and saw a clear answer.
“I accept your conditions.”
After saying so, I ran to the next floor where the boss enemy was instead of heading to Saeum and Lena.
Immediately after I ran, I saw Lena and Saeum begin to fight enemies with my Eye.
The sight of them trying gave me more strength and I gripped the Sangbosimgeumpa tighter.
* * *
Kwon Lena and Saeum of April were doing well.
They succeeded in attacking and killing the first enemy.
Kwon Lena trapped the enemy with her whip, and Saeum’s wind technique quickly penetrated its vital point, causing critical damage and successfully killing the enemy.
However, when they were faced with the second enemy, Kwon Lena missed with her whip and the enemy avoided the attack.
Her whip hit an otherworld ore and it ricocheted back to her.
The impact made her fall and roll to the ground.
Kwon Lena managed to get up right away, but something was wrong.
‘I lost my weapon! I was warned several times in class to absolutely not lose my weapon!’
The only consumable item she has was a recovery item.
Kwon Lena held her card holster and took out an SSR-rank item card.
The card contains her platinum-colored energy violin.
‘That’s right. I still have my violin.’
If she can control her energy wave through the energy instrument, she could do damage to enemies by playing the violin.
However, it was usually impossible to do damage with just an ordinary level of concentration.
For her to turn the tides to their side, she needs to give a performance as good as Kwon Jein’s, or her team members at the very least.
‘No… I can’t do it!’
Kwon Lena recalled her performance with Kwon Jein in front of the wall of sea, and the performance on Joo-Oh Island where her light skill was activated.
If she grasps the same emotions she felt when they were faced with the wall of sea, the same light skill that captivated around 150 players in Joo-Oh Island could be activated.
However, she wasn’t with Kwon Jein now.
“Lena! Run towards your weapon!”
Fwaaaaa!
Saeum of April blew as hard as he can so that his wind technique could restrain the enemy.
The sharp wind cut through the dried scales of the enemy, and a green fluid squirted from the murlock’s body.
However, the damage wasn’t fatal.
The murlock could still move, and it was heading slowly towards Kwon Lena.
It seemed to want to attack her first even though Saeum of April was closer.
“Gah…!”
Saeum tried to increase the wind, but he failed as he lacked energy wave.
Kwon Lena let go of the energy violin card and ran toward the whip that fell on the floor.
When she reached it, she immediately swung the whip.
Whip!
Geeeur! Aaahk!
Kwon Lena’s whip tore the murlock’s eyeball.
It was a blow less powerful than when she hit the first enemy, but the damage done by Saeum was enough to weaken the enemy.
However, the enemy was still standing.
“Lena, quickly!”
Her arm holding the whip felt heavy.
It seemed to have suffered damage when she fell to the ground.
Whup!
Kwon Lena struggled to whip once more.
Her strike was less accurate and so it only hit near the enemy’s eyeball.
Still, since the accumulated damage seemed to have depleted the enemy’s HP, it started to disappear with a piercing scream.
‘Only two left! We’ll make it if Saeum can handle one with an item card, and I’ll handle the other.’
Kwon Lena was hopeful, but only for a short moment.
Fwa!
A flash infiltrated Kwon Lena’s mind.
It was the effect of her enemy detection skill.
“O-oh no. Saeum, a super strong enemy is heading this way!”
“…Eh? A different enemy from the two here?”
“It’s approaching us faster than those two!”
Stomp!
Kwon Lena and Saeum reflexively started to move to a different direction from where they heard the loud noise.
Fragments of debris and thick smoke poured around the broken wall of the labyrinth.
“T-the walls of this labyrinth are made of otherworld ores though…”
Kwon Lena stumbled with her words.
The reason why players don’t just go around breaking walls to reach their destination faster is that otherworld walls are made of strong materials that it would be less efficient to destroy everything.
Unless one has a penetrating skill or a light skill, most players just follow the road ahead.
“It seems to be the floor master…!”
The two felt empty-headed.
The floor master is much stronger and larger than the enemies they defeated just now.
It was holding a trident that looked extremely rare.
The wall of the labyrinth was easily penetrated by the trident with shiny moss.
In addition to the floor master, there were still two murlocks that they haven’t killed.
“O-oh no. What are we going to do? Do we wrap its feet and… or maybe we should focus on defense…”
“W-w should… we should r-run, run away! No, I’ll stay back and try to block it…”
The floor master pointed its trident toward the two panicked people.
At the trident’s tip, a flow of energy wave began to gather.
The two knew that a skill was about to be used by the enemy, but they couldn’t respond immediately.
A burst of light was about to shoot from the trident.
Dung dung!
Fwaaaaa!
Explosions and shockwaves filled the labyrinth.
The two instinctively turned away from the enemy.
They first checked each other’s safety before they turned their eyes.
Something was blocking the enemy from the two of them.
“This is…!”
Flames brightly flared before their eyes.
The Dragon of Fire surrounded the two of them.
Perhaps fire was the enemy’s weakness as it looked wary and stopped heading toward the two.
“Don’t tell me… That person is…”
The two had personally seen that fire dragon at the Hwanmong Auction.
Kwon Lena covered her mouth in astonishment as she spoke.
“The red dragon of the Red Wall Thief…!”
Saeum of April felt an incredible sense of relief when he saw the Hongryong.
He looked back at Kwon Lena.
‘Oh? Why did Lena immediately think of the Red Wall Thief instead of Yeom Junyeol sunbaenim? …Does she know about Euishin?’
Saeum felt a bit of discomfort, but it didn’t last long.
“The red dragon is becoming transparent…!”
The presence of the red dragon was slowly fading.
* * *
Cheon Dongha’s light skill and Yeom Junyeol’s light skill.
And also the Sangbosimgeumpa.
Using the three at the same time takes a lot of concentration on my part.
I have to keep an eye on all the floors with Cheon Dongha’s light skill, defeat an enemy with Hongryong, and wield the Sangbosimgeumpa.
I also had to read the lips of the chatterbox that didn’t fit the modifier “silent”.
— It is said that the Hongryong can be remotely ordered to attack, but the farther away the source of Hongryong’s power is, the harder it is for it to maintain its existence.
— It will be difficult for you to protect those on other floors inside this labyrinth.
Instead of replying to him, I wielded the Sangbosimgeumpa.
Swish! Swish!
As I wielded the weapon, bursts of energy wave began to fill the air and blocked Sidelentium’s vision, which made him stop talking.
I quickly defeated the enemy in front of me.
I couldn’t hear anything, and the silence made me a bit happy.
However, right when the enemy guarding the boss enemy’s room fainted, Sidelentium began to speak again.
— Once you enter the boss room, you will not be able to use the Hongryong anymore. Don’t you have to go and protect them?
It’s true that I wanted to turn back and protect my playable characters, my classmates, from harm.
But that won’t be necessary.
— You have a suspicious face.
I gave a suspicious smile towards the crow mask and opened the door of the boss room.
