"'...'"
The two just stared.
With looks of deep pity, with eyes full of such sorrow.
"I-it's true! It's true! I'm telling you, it's true!"
He emphasized it three times, but that wasn't enough to make them believe him.
"If it's Horror Crypt Lord... that's the guy we saw yesterday, right?"
"Yeah. That cool, big guy."
The two whispered among themselves, openly ignoring that skull-faced guy.
Horror Crypt Lord was furious at the disrespectful treatment he was receiving for the first time.
He struck the pose of that giant Horror Crypt Lord they'd seen yesterday.
"Ugh... Alright, I'll show you proof. Look... at my blue flame!"
With those words, magic gathered around him.
Poof!
His skull face burst into blue flames.
And a cloak of blue flames wrapped around his frail ribs.
The sight was truly...
"What is that? A mood light?"
It was pathetic.
"Enough of this, let's go."
"Yeah."
The two turned their backs, ready to leave.
"Ah, no! I'm serious!"
The guy finally grabbed Newbie's pant leg and clung on.
"Seriously, stop being so pathetic."
"I'm telling you, it's true! I had to leave my physical body behind due to unavoidable circumstances!"
"Even if that's true, why should I care? We're busy."
Just as Newbie was trying to shake off the skeleton that was clinging to him so pathetically, the guy screamed in a rage.
"You! I saw you go to the Riding Pet Market earlier! I'm sure of it! The other pets must have rejected you! Right?!"
Caught off guard, both of them froze.
The Skeleton Gourd, sensing he'd hit the nail on the head, continued.
"Of course! With that terrifying thing lurking inside you, what pet would want to follow you?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Curious? If you're curious, just—trust me and listen!"
"Ugh, fine."
Newbie grabbed the creature by the scruff of its neck and lifted it up to meet its gaze.
"What on earth is inside me?!"
"Hmph! Do you really think I'd just tell you that?"
"What do you want?"
"Freedom."
The creature enunciated the word clearly.
"Freedom?"
"Yeah, freedom."
The conversation dragged on from there.
Of course, no matter how long the conversation went on, that word "freedom" ultimately explained everything.
However, one condition was added.
That was...
"So, you don't just want to escape on your own—you want to free every monster and pet in this city, as many as possible?"
"Yeah."
A very serious answer.
There didn't seem to be a trace of a joke in it.
Even so.
"You're joking, right?"
Newbie replied as if he were grilling him.
"I'm being completely serious right now."
"Just because you're saying crazy stuff seriously doesn't mean it's not crazy, you know? How many monsters are there here to begin with?"
"1,324,560. Yesterday, 322 new friends joined."
"So, are you telling me to stage some kind of Exodus right now?"
"I know better than you whether it's possible or not. I know this city better than anyone else."
"Let's say it's possible. But why me? There's no way there aren't other players besides me."
"Whether you're an outsider (player) or an insider—none of that matters. What's important is..."
He seemed to hesitate for a moment before speaking.
"I need that power inside you. The power that makes those pets tremble."
"I'm asking what exactly that is."
"That, along with information about the Apostles. And this thing you want so badly."
With those words, he snapped his fingers.
Immediately, a swarm of small, stray wild monsters rushed over.
They struggled to bring over a single item.
"This is it."
"A Level-Up Potion. This is what you wanted, right? Take a look."
Ding
[Game 1st Anniversary Event Level-Up Potion]
It was the real thing.
It looked just like the green apple-colored one in the glass bottle that Vald had given me as a gift.
"How on earth do you know? I haven't even said a word."
"Every monster and pet in this city is my friend, my comrade, and... my family. Their eyes and ears are my eyes and ears."
'So, seeing me back then wasn't just my imagination.'
To think I'd been under surveillance from the moment I entered the city.
It gave me the creeps a little, but the important thing was that the other party needed a newbie.
The fact was, the newbie still held the upper hand.
"Alright. But I need to get something in return."
"What do you want?"
"A new friend to ride around on."
"Alright."
The guy nodded.
"In return, you have to participate in the Pet Colosseum as you originally planned. That's the only way I can execute the plan I've laid out."
"I doubt I'll even make it past the early rounds, let alone win."
"I'm not called the strongest in this city for nothing. I'm also the best at teaching."
The guy proudly tapped himself on the chest with his thumb.
It was up to Excel to respond.
"That's a joke! You look like some cheap plastic doll!"
"Ha! What's a flying stuffed doll got to say about that?"
"What?! Do you even know who I am?"
"I know. The tutorial fairy."
"Hic!"
At his reply, both of their eyes widened.
Seeing the look on their faces that seemed to ask, "How did you know?", he snorted derisively.
"Hmph! You think you can hide that from me? Still, it is strange. Usually, tutorial fairies part ways with the player once the tutorial is over, you know."
"None of your business! Our bond is much stronger than your narrow-minded assumptions!"
"I've watched dozens of pet tournaments over the decades, and not once has a team that talked about 'friendship' between partner and pet won. This isn't a family-friendly cartoon."
It was a bit ridiculous to bring up "reality" in a game world, though.
Still, he had a point.
"Anyway, I'll make this guy useful, so in the meantime, go visit the place I mentioned. Once you see it, you'll change your mind."
"What, are you saying I'll have a soft spot for a monster that's being abused?"
The newbie wasn't exactly cold-hearted, but he wasn't the type to be swayed by mere pity either.
In fact, that retort made Horror Crypt Lord pull a displeased face.
"I know this, and so do all the pets and monsters. That kind of cheap sympathy has no power whatsoever. And we don't want it either. We aren't that cheap. We don't seek salvation. We intend to seize it for ourselves."
"..."
In fact, those words moved Newbie's heart.
He felt certain there was something to it.
The problem was...
"Can you really do it?"
"Hehe, with just a few of my lessons, I can turn even that weakling fairy into the strongest warrior!"
"Hey! Who's weak and feeble?!"
Just as Excel was about to start up again, Newbie blocked him with one hand on each side.
"Alright! Then this is our first deal. You bring all the level-up potions. I'll go check out the places you mentioned. We'll talk about the great escape later."
"Alright. I didn't think you'd agree right away either."
The long, drawn-out negotiation was over.
Just then, Excel chimed in again.
"But do we really have to keep calling you Horror Crypt Lord? It's way too long."
"You're right about that."
Horror Crypt Lord nodded in agreement.
"Then give me a new name."
"Hmm..."
Newbie began to ponder deeply.
Skull? That's too obvious. Bonehead? Still, that's a bit much.
Then he recalled a story from an old textbook.
"Wonhyo. How about that?"
"Wonhyo? Hmm... It's a unique name. Well, it's not bad. I thought you'd give me something obvious and annoying like Skull or Bonehead."
Ouch!
"Fine. I'll make sure you can't get by without helping me."
For the time being, Newbie vowed never to tell Wonhyo the story about the skull water.
*
Strike while the iron is hot—the three of them got right to work.
Newbie left for the area where Wonhyo was known, while the other two stayed behind to prepare the Colosseum.
Excel shook the bracelet Skull had put on his wrist and asked.
"What's this?"
"Let me ask you one thing. Have you ever felt pain?"
At the off-the-wall answer, Excel scowled.
"Why would I feel something like that? Are you a pervert? And I asked what this is."
Whack!
The response was scorching.
Wonhyo jumped at Excel and landed an uppercut.
For the first time, Excel was sent flying into the air not by his wings, but by the force of a fist.
"Ugh..."
Excel couldn't regain his senses for over five minutes.
For the first time, he felt as if the sky were spinning wildly.
"W-what the hell are you doing!"
"Does it hurt?"
"Does it hurt?! Did you just ask if it hurts? Of course it hurts... Huh?"
A sudden doubt crossed Excel's mind.
Does it hurt? Does it hurt? Is there pain? A very unpleasant sensation?
It was the first time. The first time he'd ever felt pain.
"You know what? You're not the only invincible being out there."
The guy twirled his bone fist around.
"It's rare, but there are others like you who are invincible. Like that guy, Oli."
The guy clenched his jaw briefly with a bitter expression.
Wonhyo shook his head.
"To begin with, guys like you who are deemed invincible are banned from participating in all pet tournaments."
"What?! That's ridiculous!"
"Isn't that obvious? You're basically a living cheat code."
"W-well, what am I supposed to do then! It's not like I wanted to be in this situation in the first place."
"Normally, a guy like you would've been banned from competing long ago..."
Wonhyo continued.
"You're different. Unlike other invincible guys, you're not even on the banned list to begin with. Do you know what that means?"
Seeing Excel's confusion, he continued.
"You have to win by deceiving everyone. To do that, you have to develop your senses yourself."
"Master my senses?"
"Yes. Pain and fear. You have to experience things you've never experienced before—or rather, things you don't want to experience—and you have to face them in the tournament too. At the same time... you have to learn how to find courage in those moments."
"I have to learn to embrace pain? Something so unpleasant?"
Suddenly, the memory of being struck by Wonhyo earlier came flooding back.
Excel shuddered.
Wonhyo crossed his arms as if in anticipation, then spoke in an even brighter voice.
"But you have an advantage that's uniquely yours."
"Huh?"
Wonhyo offered Axel a hopeful piece of advice, as if making a solemn declaration.
"As long as your will doesn't falter, you're the one who'll ultimately win."
"My will?"
"Every battle is decided by your will. I'll make sure your will never breaks."
*
While the two of them were filming a hopeful sports movie like that.
Newbie was filming a spy action movie.
"What the hell? There's a path like this?! Damn it, don't calculate based on your own size!"
To anyone's eyes, it was a place that seemed difficult to access, not just for tourists, but even for most staff members.
Newbie squeezed his body into a space so narrow it resembled a ventilation shaft or a pipe and pushed forward.
Grrrrr...
It seemed like a place that was spacious enough and secluded enough for him, but for an ordinary human like Newbie, it was barely passable.
"Ugh. Ha! Finally..."
Forcing open the loose screw door, Newbie finally emerged into a spacious area.
Just as Wonhyo had said, despite looking like such a secretive and important place, there wasn't a single guard in sight.
True to his words, the claim that security was so tight there weren't even any guards was indeed accurate.
"Anyway. Building a place like this right underneath a tourist spot. It's just so eerie."
He began to slowly look around.
What caught Newbie's eye was a glass case.