If you ask me to give a reason why PMH is branded as the Nation’s Failed Game, I could talk about it endlessly.
Although there were only a few users left who saw the game to its end, some tried to look for silver linings in the game.
Such was the case with the so called ‘blood shield’ that exists in the fandom, but there was something that even I couldn’t defend.
And that’s the balance between the characters.
From the perspective of someone who cares about every character, it’s a shame that some are extremely overpowered while some are too weak as if they’re meant to be disposed.
I found it somewhat enjoyable to use weak characters in clearing difficult missions, but it isn’t right for others to call my playable character a ‘failed’ one.
The so-called ‘failed character’ of PMH was ‘Lee Lena’.
Her offense stats are at the bottom, her whip skills were difficult to manipulate, and her light skill was barely useful.
Her light skill Banquet of Illusions can only demonstrate a brief and sloppy illusion that could only deceive low-level enemies.
‘This image of her right now doesn’t warrant being called a failed character at all.’
As Kwon Lena glided her fingers along the strings of the violin, a cheerful and refreshing sound rang in the hall.
The sound was followed by a light filling the whole stage.
The energy violin seemed to amplify her light skill’s effect by resonating with Kwon Lena’s voice and her energy wave.
As the stage became filled with sound and light, I blinked and suddenly I was at a banquet hall.
Inside the spacious banquet hall with a double-decker structure, the dress code for the guests was Vegas Gold.
The carpet, the velvet curtains, the dresses, the accessories, and everything was in Vegas Gold.
‘I can’t believe she’s recreated the auction to this detail…!’
Saeum of April’s face turned pale after seeing the illusion summoned by Kwon Lena.
With one glance, he seemed to have noticed that this was the convention center where this year’s Hwanmong Auction was held.
“This is… We’re in… And that’s…”
Saeum looked forward with confusion.
At the end of his gaze was Kwon Lena wearing a cocktail dress with a ribbon of Vegas Gold.
Kwon Lena was brightly dressed, but her face looked somber.
She closed her eyes tightly and cleared her gloomy expression.
And then Yeom Junyeol, my playable character to be precise, approached carefully and talked to her.
“…Lena and Red Wall Thief-nim?”
I was distracted by the illusion of my playable character, but I was awakened by the combination of ‘that word’ and ‘nim’.
After that, the tone of the violin that was ringing in my ear changed.
‘Homecoming’ a song composed by Kwon Jein herself, was a song that conveyed the joy of reuniting with family in one’s hometown.
The intro begins with a pizzicato technique that seems to describe one’s cheerful steps home.
After that, the song transitions to the arco technique, drawn-out sounds to express the feeling of reaching home and finally meeting the person you miss.
The landscape changed rapidly when Kwon Lena transitioned from pizzicato to arco.
‘She can change the content of the illusion by the way she plays…!’
A golden cage appeared on the stage.
In it, a boy in a winged robe made of golden thread, Saeum of April, was trapped.
Kwon Lena looked stunned when she saw the boy.
She bowed her head, unable to bear to stare further.
Deuk.
A silver coin fell from her hands as she looked at the floor.
The sound was muffled thanks to the carpeted floor, but when the heavy coin reached the ground, I felt like I heard the sound ring.
At the end of it, the illusion turned into a particle of energy wave as if it had been burned and disappeared.
The performance was over before I knew it.
Her energy wave and physical strength seemed exhausted, and Kwon Lena’s stance weakened as the violin and bow in her hands began to shake.
“…I’m sorry.”
“What…?”
Kwon Lena sincerely apologized, but it seems like Saeum of April hasn’t completely understood the situation yet.
No, it’s like he doesn’t believe it yet.
It would be impossible for Saeum of April to accept that his classmate and friend, Kwon Lena, was involved in the auction in a span of a few minutes.
Saeum of April looked at me as if his gaze was reaching out for help, but instead of helping him, I turned my attention to Kwon Lena.
For now, it would be better to watch the two rather than interrupt and explain to them.
In the end, instead of glancing at me, Saeum of April decided to wait for Kwon Lena to speak again.
“…That day at the Hwanmong Auction… I was there. I was there and I watched Saeum and I did nothing.”
Droplets of tears began to well up in Kwon Lena’s eyes.
Her voice was shaking slightly, but she did her best to tell Saeum of April the truth.
“I knew who you were when you started going to school, but I didn’t say anything until now. I didn’t do anything, and I didn’t say anything… I’m sorry…”
Kwon Lena pursed her lips.
I could see her squinting her eyes as if she were trying to hold back her tears.
Saeum looked at me and Lena alternately.
I also appeared in the illusion shown by Kwon Lena so he seemed to realize why I was there too.
To testify that everything Kwon Lena said was true.
“Why…”
After a long silence, Saeum of April spoke.
His face was distorted.
“Why are you apologizing for that, Lena?!”
Kwon Lena flinched in surprise at Saeum of April’s loud shout.
He walked toward her and held her trembling hand.
His hands were also slightly shaking, but after holding each other’s hands, I could see the trembling gradually disappear.
“I’m sure you didn’t go because you liked it there. My family and Red Wall Thief-nim, and Lena were the only ones who didn’t treat me like a zoo animal that day!”
“But… Unlike your family and Red Wall Thief, I couldn’t—”
“My uncle and aunt were seriously hurt while trying to save me that day. You saw that too, Lena! If something happened to you if you tried to save me, I…”
I was dizzied from the continuous use of ‘that word’, but I had to keep my mouth shut so as not to disturb my playable characters.
By the way, has Oh Hyejung already become an ‘aunt’ for Saeum?
“Did you… Have you kept blaming yourself ever since we saw Hongryong at our first practice?”
“I’m sorry, Saeum-ah…”
“I told you there’s nothing to be sorry about so why do you…!”
When Saeum soothed Lena with a gentle tone, her tears eventually rained down.
Even if he asked her not to apologize, Kwon Lena continued to do so.
Seeing Kwon Lena crying and apologizing nonstop also made Saeum of April cry.
“I don’t like seeing you have a hard time when it’s not even your fault…”
It took a while before the two settled down.
After they stopped crying, the two looked tired, but not mentally distressed.
I thought about what dinner I should buy for the two while I waited for them to talk to me.
* * *
Shortly after Saeum of April went to the concert hall…
Jared Lee, who was waiting near the hall, encountered Mok Wooram.
“Hello?”
“Sorry for calling you here all of a sudden, Wooram.”
“It’s alright. I happen to be doing my sideline so I was coming here anyway.”
“…Sideline?”
Mok Wooram replied that he was monitoring a student at the request of a Korean master named Tak Geosan.
He said that the student ran away from the central area and came this way.
‘It’s fitting for a Class Zero student to have an odd sideline.’
Jared Lee was convinced as he recalled Kwon Lena’s stories about Class Zero.
And then…
Mok Wooram suddenly looked at the concert hall.
“…What sound was that just now?”
“What sound?”
“I think I heard a violin sound.”
Jared Lee knows that Kwon Lena would play for a friend today.
Kwon Lena must’ve begun already, and so Mok Wooram heard it right.
However, as someone who’s served as a staff in this hall before, something seemed odd to him.
‘The soundproofing in the hall should’ve prevented any sound from coming out though.’
Even if Jared Lee tried to shake his head and deny it, Mok Wooram’s ears were pricked up as if he was searching for the source of the sound.
He changed the subject and decided to switch places to distract him.
“I have something I want to ask you, Wooram. I wanted to talk about it over dinner.”
“Please go ahead.”
“You were traveling and looking for your muse, right Wooram? I want you to tell me in detail what happened to you at that time.”
“You mean the long journey I went through to find my muse? I can talk about it as long as you want to listen!”
Soon, the story of Mok Wooram’s tearful journey began.
The long story involved a mix of mysterious groups and raids.
Jared Lee listened intently to the story, recalling his team in the past, The Oath of the Three Knights.
* * *
For dinner, Kwon Lena, Saeum, and I ate together.
The two of them had swollen eyes so they didn’t want to go out, so we ordered delivery to the waiting room inside the hall.
The menu for tonight was all blueberry flavored.
Kwon Lena and Saeum of April didn’t eat much, but they talked candidly and shared a nice dinner time.
‘Maybe I should leave them alone?’
I thought so, but I’m just thankful that the two kind-hearted people wanted me here.
On the other hand, Kwon Jein and Jared Lee remained where they were even after everyone bid goodbye.
Kwon Lena was set to spend the night in the Lake of Eternity’s team building again.
“We’ll study tomorrow as soon as Lena returns to the dorm. Euishin, you can come too if you have time.”
Saeum of April spoke in a bright voice.
During dinner, he offered to help Kwon Lena with the re-test.
She hesitated, but in the end, she accepted the offer.
I was very relieved to hear that.
It felt like the two returned to being normal school friends.
“Alright. I’ll buy some snacks.”
“I’ll also bring some. Message me beforehand so we don’t bring the same things!”
Saeum and I talked about snacks until we arrived at our own dorm rooms.
‘I should make a reservation first.’
I tried to search for nice snacks for me and my classmates as soon as I reached my room, but when I turned on my device, a pile of messages greeted me.
Several people sent me messages, but there’s one person who sent a lot of them.
[Do Sihoo] What u doing? Hehe
[Do Sihoo] Tomorrow’s the weekend, are you busy?
[Do Sihoo] Euishin-ah?
[Do Sihoo] Sanghoon’s not checking his messages too…
[Do Sihoo] TT…
Come to think of it, I got a message from him yesterday too.
It seemed like a not-so-urgent message, so I put it off and forgot about it.
He must’ve sent messages to Sanghoon too, and Sanghoon didn’t answer him too.
‘He’ll call if it’s something urgent.’
I contemplated answering him or just checking the other messages, but I decided to reply to him.
[Me] ?
[Do Sihoo] !!!
[Do Sihoo] What u doing? Hehe
I wanted to ignore him again, but I replied.
[Me] Checking my messages.
[Do Sihoo] I see!
The conversation was cut off again.
Did he keep sending messages just to ask me this?
As I was about to close our message window, he sent another one.
[Do Sihoo] How’s Sanghee noona?
