Chapter 124

Midgard's official website.

Even though it was a virtual reality game, the site provided a basic map of the game world, its world view, and profiles of key characters.

Usually, unless there's a major update, the information on the official website remained largely unchanged.

However, there was a sudden change.

-Did you see the map change on the official site? I heard the desert is disappearing.

-All of it in Salevania? Does this apply to other countries too? ?

Community users were in a panic.

It was such a sudden notice, without any warning.

Of course, this wasn't limited to the Korean community.

Panic was worldwide.

In every country where Midgard was serviced, people were buzzing about this change.

Even more so for countries like the Kingdom of Valaran, who were directly connected to the desert.

And the information trading site operated by the Strategy Planning Department was experiencing its highest traffic since its inception.

"Wow, this is the amount sold in just one day?"

Even General manager Kim Jeonsu, a seasoned veteran of the company, who prided himself on his experience, couldn't hide his astonishment.

What was more surprising was that they hadn't released any significant information.

Just one sentence.

-An event caused by user intervention

That one line, stating that the change was a result of a user's actions, was the 'verified' information they were selling.

'The traffic will drop soon as it spreads, but still, this is…'

The concept of paying for information isn't familiar to the average person.

So, the current traffic meant what?

It meant that people with significant influence in Midgard, individuals for whom each piece of information was critical, were the ones seeking this out.

'…We'll have to be quiet then release the next phase in due time.'

Now that they had released the information about someone's intervention, it was time to sell 'who' did it.

As the sentence spread, so would curiosity.

With the situation assessed, General manager Kim sat again with the biggest contributor to this event.

"Ms. Jeong."

"Yes, General manager."

"You were absolutely right. You know, I was actually thinking the same. But, despite understanding something in your head, sometimes you can't help but feel anxious about it. Being a general manager makes one quite passive, doesn't it?"

"Of course, I understand, General manager. One can never truly comprehend unless they've sat in that chair! The weight of leading a department is unimaginable."

"Right, right! I knew you'd understand. Ah, you must be thirsty. How about another cup of tea…"

"Oh, General manager. I have one more thing to report."

"Another report?"

The momentarily hesitating General manager Kim sat back down, smiling brightly while nodding repeatedly.

"Ah yes, a report. Did you accomplish something else, Ms. Jeong?"

"Seojin asked for something. He wanted a contract written…"

Seyeon handed over the document she had prepared.

Virtually a slave contract.

It was limited to the game, but signing it meant losing her freedom as BunnyRabbit.

General manager Kim frowned.

"This is a bit much. Prioritizing this over company orders, and not being able to log out at will?"

General manager Kim initially thought it was excessive. Was Seojin using Jeong Seyeon to gain something?

"He said he disliked his companions being tied up elsewhere. He added that it was entirely for my benefit."

"For you? Well, if he truly meant well, he wouldn't go this extent, in my opinion. Even if he's obsessed with the game, Seojin is a real man who eats and sleeps in reality."

"I think…"

She was about to reflexively deny it, then stopped.

'Can't say that.'

Hidden classes. Legendary gear. General manager Kim knew about none of that.

If she told him?

She could convey Seojin's sincerity, but also her relationship with Seojin to the General manager.

"I also think you're right, General manager. He must be planning to completely control me."

"That's what I mean. So, what did he say? He'll penalize you if you don't sign?"

"Yes, he said he'd completely cut ties with me."

"…Cut ties? Ms. Jeong."

General manager Kim changed his tone.

"You've been through a lot. And it all started as part of this job, didn't it?"

"Yes, that's rig-…"

"Yes that's it. It's just an extension of work. This contract won't affect reality, right?"

"Of course, General manager."

"Yes, I thought you would say that."

Proudly, as if looking at his child all grown up, the General manager continued.

"Sign it. Do whatever he asks, and tell him I said so. As long as he doesn't cross the line, he's someone we can continuously support in the long term. And from what he's doing now, he doesn't seem to want anything too over the top."

"I think so too."

"Right, that's the way it is. So… come have a drink and then go. Contact me as soon as the situation is further clarified. No need to come all the way here. Okay?"

"Thank you for caring."

"Caring, what…"

General manager Kim laughed as if he would promise her the moon and the stars if asked.

"Compared to what you have achieved, Ms. Jeong, I'm nothing. Just wait a moment, okay? I'll be right back."

* * *

Time passed.

Seojin awaited the last day of life granted to Aisha and Legia.

No one entered the cave. Seojin was seated alone, firmly in front of the entrance.

"What do you want? The forest or their last day?"

The elves didn't answer Seojin's question.

They wanted the forest, but quelling their desire for vengeance was another matter.

They acted because they thought it was a no-loss situation.

He added weight to the scale.

'Choosing the latter, you will lose a lot. Your kin will die, the forest will remain just a shell of its former glory, and if we can't stop it here, the disaster will spread across the continent. Perhaps even to elves living far from here.'

Insightpenetrated.

Some elves proved it was an undeniable fact.

Empathywas applied.

Some elves directly felt the crisis Seojin was sensing.

When an elf tentatively stepped into the cave, Jin's Conditional Foresightadded a comment.

A terrible, irreversible event would occur.

It would be immensely sad, and we would all regret this decision.

'What do you want?'

He uttered the question almost like a recitation. More of a stern warning than a question.

The Guardians of the Balance ultimately chose the balance of the continent.

12 hours passed.

Seojin and Flappy steadfastly guarded the entrance of the cave.

"I'm sorry. I won't be late."

"I'm really sorry."

Kiri and Bigfoot eventually succumbed to sleep, logging out, while the elves took turns napping.

Jin stayed awake.

Night approached. Seojin waited, seated, eyes closed, but his mind was busy reflecting on everything that had happened.

He thought about what would happen next, when it was all over.

Weighing possibilities, he considered what he should do if those scenarios came to be.

Morning came.

The two guild masters who had logged off returned.

Merhen, who had dozed off while connected, woke up.

The elves were all awake, guarding their spots.

And their time was drawing to an end.

Event ends in: 77 minutes

The quest message read.

The 24-hour story was now racing towards its end.

And.

-Almost done. Both of them seem to be wrapping up their day.

Neither the sleeping Legia, nor the ordinary elf Aisha had noticed Flappy's true identity.

Flappy had been watching everything from the start.

-For their meal, they had bread. Hard, tasteless rye bread. But what they ate wasn't important, right? They talked and laughed while eating, laughing for no particular reason. Ah, Belial. Smarter than I thought. Desperately happy to meet his master, but patiently waiting. Giving them time to talk?

Seojin listened to the story, from a third-person perspective. It was like enjoying a story from a book, as he listened to Flappy's account.

-So Legia isn't clueless. Good, pet him already! Belial waited eight hundred years for this moment while Aisha slept through time. Talking again. About what happened while she was asleep… Ah, mostly dream stories. Mainly about dreams, avoiding reality. Well, that makes sense.

Reality was not mentioned. It was too sad, too horrific.

Some might say they deserved to pay for their sins, but those two couldn't. The time for regret and reflection was too short.

They spent the day laughing and talking as if nothing had happened.

Even a simple meal felt happy. They knew the end was near, but didn't dwell on it. They just enjoyed the moment.

Until the end inevitably arrived.

-She said she's going to sleep. Time's up, right? Almost. She said she wants to see you. She's coming… you'll meet soon.

Footsteps were heard. Seojin pretended not to hear and waited quietly.

"Adventurer."

It was Aisha.

As Aisha spoke, only then did Seojin turn around, and to his surprise she looked surprisingly refreshed.

"Could you meet with Legia for a moment?"

"Of course. Jin, ensure strict control. You three, intervene if necessary. By any means."

The three adventurers moved to Seojin's position. Jin entered his group to prevent any possible agitation.

Seojin followed Aisha.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Thank you. It's all thanks to you adventurer."

"There's not much time left."

"In truth, this was a time that should never have existed. Today is more precious to me than my entire lifetime."

"Then are you sure there's time for me?"

"Of course, there is. It's the last of our time here after all."

Seojin didn't respond. Leading the way, Aisha paused for a moment and then added in a soft voice, "…Actually, there's something I want to ask of you."

"I knew you would."

"It's not… your request, is it? Wouldn't it be better to hear it directly from Legia?"

"You knew?"

"I had a guess."

Of course Seojin knew. He had Flappy as his eyes and ears.

"Let's go. To Legia."