Chapter 34
2nd Floor Advancement Quest (5)
9.
Experiment result:
Silver Fang endured as many as 12 tooth extractions.
Is this guy really invincible?
I told you, he is.
But why does he feel pain?
Invincible doesn’t mean painless, duh.
Seriously, what the hell?
How can you die if you’re invincible?
Silver Fang’s just a normie who was born in an era without meteors, lol.
Today, we acquired some excellent knowledge.
“Yeah, he’s definitely got some invincibility mechanic. When I landed a punch to his solar plexus earlier, it didn’t seem to have any effect.”
It wasn’t that no one could challenge him, but rather that no one dared.
To cut to the conclusion: that guy was in a ‘partial invincibility’ state.
That strange red glow—whatever it was—must have been the source of the invincibility phenomenon.
“The strategy seems simple enough. Just shove a bomb into the werewolf’s mouth or something. Doesn’t have to be the fangs specifically. When I jabbed the palate with a pulled-out tooth earlier, it bled.”
So you’re telling us to attack the inside of a monster’s mouth that’s like 100 levels higher than you?
This wasn’t designed to be killable in the first place, lol.
How’s a 2nd-floor player supposed to do that?
Megod’s a 2nd-floor player too though.
Isn’t this the world’s first kill?
Balance, where? How can a 2nd-floor player physically beat down a Lycanthrope?
Correction: he didn’t beat it down. He pulled its teeth and killed it.
This Korean player is breaking the Abyss system (auto-translation).
LOL look at the foreigners freaking out.
Even we’re freaking out, so imagine how they feel.
Now even foreigners were showing up naturally in the chat.
Viewers: 12,000.
Once the stream ends, today’s clips will probably spread everywhere.
Excellent outcome.
But one thing bugged me: Silver Fang’s corpse wasn’t disappearing.
Normally it should drop items and vanish.
Could it be because this wasn’t originally a killable monster, so it doesn’t drop items?
“…Oppa?”
As I was rubbing my chin in thought, a small voice came from behind.
It was Ruby.
She was trembling as she looked at me.
“You… killed the Lycanthrope?”
“Too cruel, huh? Sorry.”
“…H-how?”
Even if Ruby was just an NPC, she looked pitiful.
To a young girl, this was far too gruesome a scene.
The stream was censoring a lot, but judging by chat reactions, even the censored footage was horrifying. That’s why they were all freaking out.
“Grandma… Grandma….”
Ruby gazed at Silver Fang’s body in despair.
The eyes of someone who had just lost a loved one.
That dim light in her gaze reminded me of memories I had tried to suppress.
I had seen such eyes countless times in Avalon.
So sad.
So did her grandma die?
No clue.
We’ve never seen this scenario before either.
Why didn’t the quest end when Silver Fang died?
Don’t you usually have to return to the starting spot?
How did the original fairy tale end again?
Didn’t everyone just get eaten?
I think there were other versions too.
Something felt strange.
The moment Silver Fang died, the forest—once filled with a malevolent aura—grew calm.
Sure, going back to the start would probably end the quest, but… it felt wrong to just leave.
Why hadn’t a quest message popped up yet?
“Ah.”
At that moment, a powerful hypothesis crossed my mind.
There are many versions of Little Red Riding Hood.
The Brothers Grimm’s version is quite similar to this situation:
A hunter kills the wolf, cuts open its belly, and rescues Grandma and Little Red Riding Hood.
If that’s the model for this quest…
“Ruby. Can you close your eyes for a bit?”
“Oppa, I-I’m really sorry, but… can we please check on my grandma, just once…?”
“Yes. So keep your eyes closed.”
Maybe this ridiculous idea was actually the answer.
I approached Silver Fang’s corpse.
Even dead, it hadn’t reverted from its enlarged state.
Something about its belly had bothered me for a while—it looked abnormally swollen.
“Guys, your auto-censor mode is on, right?”
This could get gruesome, so better safe than sorry.
I don’t want my stream banned.
As I asked, a donation message popped up.
[<Anonymous> has donated 10,000 won.]
Yeah don’t worry, censorship’s running fine.
Good.
Looking around, I saw no sharp tools.
If needed, I could cut with magic—but I decided to take the safer option.
“Hope you’re in here.”
I shoved my hand into Silver Fang’s chest and ripped it open.
With the red glow gone, its hide tore easily.
It was tough, but nothing my bare hands couldn’t handle.
RIIIIP—!
Ughhh
Did he just… teabag it? Crazy bastard.
So, who’s the real monster now?
What is he doing?
Why’s he cutting open its belly suddenly?
He actually did the “gut it” meme (literally).
Sounds like jerky getting torn apart.
If you’re butchering, at least use tools.
Humans are tool-users, remember?
Nah, Megod isn’t human. He doesn’t use tools.
Most people would puke at this.
Without the mosaic, many probably would have.
The shorter the pain, the better. I went straight for the stomach.
RIIIIP—!
The abnormally bloated stomach.
As I tore it open, I saw something unbelievable.
?????
Is that… a person?
Idk??
Looks human to me.
Excuse me?
From inside the stomach, a figure finally emerged.
Coughing weakly, it was—astonishingly—an old woman.
“Cough, cough.”
Wrinkled and frail, but emanating a faint magical aura.
The old woman, freed from the werewolf’s stomach, blinked faintly at me. Then, spotting Ruby behind me, she croaked in a cracked voice:
“Ru…by?”
Perhaps the voice was familiar.
Ruby, who had kept her eyes shut, shot up as soon as she heard it and ran forward crying:
“Grandma!”
“My darling… my darling child…”
“Grandmaaa!”
The miracle of a human surviving inside a werewolf’s belly.
As I watched their tearful reunion, satisfied, a message finally appeared before my eyes.
[…The damaged system has been temporarily restored.]
[You have completed the Advancement Quest.]
[Hidden Quest <True Ending – Little Red Riding Hood and the Cruel Wolf> completed!]
[Congratulations. You are the world’s first to encounter the true ending of <Theater of Dimensions>.]
[Reward settlement in progress. Estimated time: 30 minutes.]
[The story has been liberated and integrated into the worldline.]
[Linked Quest <Epilogue – Little Red Riding Hood and the Cruel Wolf> has begun.]
“…Eh?”
As I read the message, the chat exploded.
Announcement just popped up.
I’m a player too, I confirm—it’s real.
It says Little Red Riding Hood and the Cruel Wolf has been liberated from the Theater of Dimensions.
What does that mean?
???
What does “liberated” even mean?
?????????
Looks like I caused another incident.
10.
The fact that she survived inside the werewolf’s stomach already proved she wasn’t ordinary.
To cut to the chase again: Ruby’s grandmother was a witch.
Her name: Agatha Christine.
“Thank you. We… we don’t know how we could ever repay this debt.”
“I didn’t expect you to be a witch.”
“I only dabble in petty tricks. Thank you, truly… thank you.”
“What a relief.”
No guides existed for this, but one thing was certain:
I was the first person in the world to see this scene.
The evidence?
What on earth is happening here? (translation)
I saw the announcement and barely managed to find this stream. (translation)
Foreigners flooding in now.
Yeah, the announcement really did go global.
It showed up to all Abyss players, I think.
I just joined—someone give me a TL;DR.
TL;DR: Megod.
The hype from my viewers said it all.
Viewers: 15,000+, rising explosively.
Might even break my all-time record.
Even with the 3rd-floor raid stealing attention, this much traction?
Yeah, I definitely caused a scene.
“You came from outside this world, didn’t you?”
Agatha, holding Ruby gently, looked at me.
“Thank you for saving me and my granddaughter from our endless torment.”
“What do you mean, outside this world?”
“Exactly what I said. Your soul isn’t bound to this Abyss yet.”
The Abyss.
So she understood her situation?
I decided to ask directly.
“What do you mean by endless torment?”
So far, very little had been revealed about the Abyss.
Maybe I could get real information here.
Something big coming?
Were NPCs always interactable like this?
Maybe high-rank players were hiding it.
Someone translate her words properly please.
This is an incredible discovery. (translation)
But as always, expectations and reality diverged.
“…I cannot give you a precise answer. I wish I could, but my memory is incomplete.”
Of course.
No way they’d spill everything at floor 2.
“I see. That’s a shame.”
I clicked my tongue, disappointed, but Agatha spoke again:
“Shameless as it is… may I make a request of my benefactor?”
Something about this smelled sweet. Dangerously sweet.
“Of course.”
“Deeper in the Abyss, you will encounter black fragments called ‘Shards of Soul.’ Please collect them for me. Through them, my granddaughter and I can restore our memories. I beg of you.”
The moment I thought “sounds like a quest,” a message popped up.
[Epic Quest Discovered]
[Shards of Soul <1>]
Grade: Epic
Precondition: <Liberator of Theater of Dimensions – Little Red Riding Hood and the Cruel Wolf>
Description: The witch <Agatha Christine>, liberated from the Theater of Dimensions, has asked you to gather <Shards of Soul>. As the liberator of this story, you are obliged to aid her. Do you desire the Abyss’s hidden secrets and treasures?
Completion Condition: Shards of Soul 0/10
Reward: Massive EXP, <Witch’s Treasure Box>
Shards of Soul can be obtained from Floor 3 onwards, at a certain probability.
“Epic Quest?”
This was new.
I shared the system message on stream, and chat went wild.
Seeing an Epic Quest live, holy sht.*
Epic Quest triggered!
Wow wow wow wow
So this is how they appear?
Insane.
As expected of Megod.
ㅇㅅㅁㄱ
Sorry but… what’s so special about an Epic Quest?
[<AbyssEncyclopedia> has donated 10,000 won!]
Epic Quests are known to hugely influence the Abyss. Only one person can undertake them, and they appear only under very specific conditions. But I’ve never seen one appear like this.
Even the AbyssEncyclopedia boss—my most knowledgeable viewer—was impressed.
So this was that rare?
“Taeo oppa.”
Ruby, clutching her grandmother’s robe, spoke softly.
“Thank you for saving us… truly.”
“You must have been scared. You okay now?”
“Yes! Truly, thank you.”
I remembered what Ruby said earlier—like she was trapped in a nightmare.
Maybe that too was connected to this quest.
Meaning:
The beings of the Abyss might not just be mere replicas.
It’s been seven years since the Abyss appeared on Earth, yet maybe humanity still hadn’t grasped its true nature.
Interesting.
Was this what Administrator Yushin meant?
That players were supposed to uncover the Abyss’s identity themselves?
Either way, no reason to refuse.
But one problem remained.
This was the Theater of Dimensions, a special dungeon for advancement quests.
How would I re-enter to complete the Epic Quest?
Agatha answered as if reading my concern:
“Thanks to you, we’ve escaped this endless loop. Yet my power is too weak to leave the Abyss entirely. I shall create a small sanctuary here, to live with Ruby. If you ever need aid, please return to us.”
Huh?
“Not only you, but even those close to you—we shall gladly aid. It may be our only path to escape the Abyss.”
The moment she declared this—
[Hidden Quest <Epilogue – Little Red Riding Hood and the Cruel Wolf> completed.]
[Title <Liberator> obtained.]
[Announcement to all Korean players.]
[A Korean player has liberated <Theater of Dimensions – Little Red Riding Hood and the Cruel Wolf>. A new Floor 2 Starting Point has been added for Korea.]
[From this moment, any player authorized by <Yoo Sungwoo> may enter <Starting Point – Witch’s Forest> from any Korean Abyss Gate.]
[In the Witch’s Forest, players can purchase goods, enchantments, and quests from <Witch Agatha Christine>. Special herbs can also be purchased from <Little Red Ruby>.]
Another announcement just dropped;;;;;
A new starting point unlocked??
??????
Bro seriously, stop hogging all the announcements.
LMAOOOO
World first again? Again? Again??
Megod.
Memen.
Memen.
Hearing uni professors in Abyss Studies drool from here, lol.
Emergency! Bureau of Ability Control emergency! Abyssology students emergency!!
This is peak national pride, lmao.
The world had changed.
