GAVS20

[Episode 20] Lost Land (9)

The moment he saw the rope, Dojun immediately thought he could use it to escape.

“With this, I don’t need to go down. I’ll head back up.”

Wait, he can climb ropes too?

A high school senior who can ride horses, do parkour, and climb ropes? Terrifying.

Kids these days are something else…

Feels like I’m watching a spy thriller, lol.

“I’m going up now.”

Just as the soldiers’ attention outside was focused elsewhere, Dojun silently moved again, muffling his footsteps.

“That window was only meant to buy time—I have to hurry.”

While everyone below the fourth floor was distracted, Dojun started making his way back up to the fifth floor, slipping deftly through their encirclement. The viewers could only watch in awe.

Do these soldiers not have eyes? How do they not see him? lol

It’s probably just that Phantom’s really good at dodging.

Still, they seem way too clueless??

Everyone was baffled, but Dojun didn’t answer. He focused intently as he moved to the fifth floor.

To the viewers, it looked like he was just easily slipping away. But in truth, it was an advanced technique based on a skill assassins learn—reading lines of sight. It involved instantly gauging where enemies were looking, identifying blind spots, and predicting their next moves to carve out safe paths.

Dojun had mastered this skill to perfection.

Once they lose sight of me, these grunts have no chance of catching up.

Thanks to his skillful use of sightlines, he arrived safely on the fifth floor.

As expected, Dojun planned to escape using the rope.

“Let’s find a good spot to escape from.”

He moved cautiously, checking the rooms one by one for the perfect escape point. Just as he was about to grab the handle of the next room, he froze.

“Someone’s inside.”

Huh?? Who’d still be here?

Could it be him?

┗ Nah, it can’t be. That person’s probably outside by now.

Don’t open it! This is giving me bad vibes.

Dojun pressed his ear to the door.

He heard faint, ragged breathing—someone was inside, badly hurt or sick.

Then something clicked in his mind.

“No, I’m opening it. I think I know who this is.”

He cautiously opened the door.

The room was pitch dark, but a ray of moonlight shone through a small window, illuminating the center.

There, a man was bound to a chair, gasping harshly.

His condition was horrific—completely naked, his body bore clear marks of torture. His breathing was so ragged it seemed like he could expire at any moment. Then, the man lifted his head, locking eyes with Dojun.

In those eyes, Dojun could read it clearly:

Conviction. Unbroken will.

He’d seen many like this in his past life—people who refused to break under torture, clinging to their pride.

“Are you a knight from the royal palace?”

“That’s right. And who are you—are you from the palace?”

“No, I’m Phantom, an adventurer.”

“You must run. This is a den of demon worshippers.”

“I know. I’ve already killed Count Brderne, one of the demon worshippers.”

“You… killed Count Brderne?”

“Yes. But we must leave now. The castle is about to fall—monsters are invading.”

The knight closed his eyes briefly, then reopened them.

“Could you… take the ring from my hand?”

Dojun stepped behind him, removing a simple copper ring from the knight’s cuffed hands.

“This is my wedding ring. Take it to the Royal Knight Commander hiding in Altheon Castle. Show him this ring, and he’ll trust what you say.”

“Wouldn’t it be better if you gave it to him yourself?”

“Look at me.”

It was clear he couldn’t even stand.

“Understood. I’ll make sure to deliver it.”

Ding!

The main quest has been updated.

◉ Main Quest – John’s Request

Royal Knight John infiltrated Behera Castle to uncover the demon worshippers’ identity but was captured. Before dying, he wishes to fulfill his duty as a knight. Take his ring and meet the Royal Knight Commander hiding in Altheon Castle.

Phantom is a god! Phantom is a god!

This is the real main quest!

Wow, without the ring, you wouldn’t be able to progress properly.

But there’s not much time left—if he hesitates, escape will be impossible.

Phantom, move now!!

Dojun didn’t intend to waste any time.

“Please… let the kingdom know about these demon worshippers eating it from within.”

“I swear.”

Dojun gave the knight a respectful nod before leaving the room. Then he called out loudly down the corridor:

“Looking for me? I’m up here on the fifth floor~!”

Soldiers immediately looked up, shouting.

“The assassin is on the fifth floor! Get him!!”

Troops from throughout the mansion began charging upstairs. But Dojun had already prepared his escape route.

“There he is!”

As soldiers burst onto the fifth floor, Dojun slipped into the room. While they gathered, he used the rope to swing out of the window. By the time they tried to follow, it was too late—he was already out of reach.

From the ground, he saw orcs pouring into the castle grounds.

Landing, Dojun ran north at full speed.

Finally, he made it through the northern gate.

But suddenly, the screen changed.

“Huh? What’s this? Why did the screen switch?”

The confused expression on Dojun’s face sent the chat into a fit of laughter.

The scene transition triggers when the main quest completes.

Haha, Phantom really is a clueless newbie sometimes.

Wait… this isn’t the cutscene we know…

The usual first main quest ending scene showed Altheon Castle with a protagonist’s monologue. But this time, it was completely different.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The ruined interior of Behera Castle.

Buildings were burning, screams filled the air, and monsters ravaged the grounds.

Amid the chaos, a tall figure appeared—clearly the leader of the monsters. Before him knelt a horde of human demon worshippers, their heads bowed.

“You’re saying both Rahel and Brderne are dead?”

“Forgive us.”

“Useless fools.”

The camera zoomed in on the figure’s face—and the chat exploded.

Nel…??

Why is he here??

Nel is that person??

Damn it! I’m restarting the game to kill that bastard myself!!

┗ Haha, like you’d ever beat him.

NPC Nel.

He’d been introduced as the leader of the first group you meet at the start of the game.

“What about the one who killed Rahel and Brderne?”

“He likely fled to Altheon Castle.”

“Identity?”

“We think he’s with the royal knights—or it could be the hidden Knight Commander.”

Despite the bad news, Nel’s expression barely changed.

“Any contact with Altheon Castle’s leaders?”

“None yet. Their security has suddenly increased dramatically.”

“The palace must suspect something.”

“Seems that way. Even Marquis Delfiero is being cautious now. We’ll have to wait until they reach out.”

“One week.”

“Pardon?”

Nel’s icy tone sent a chill through his subordinate.

“If there’s no word in one week, we attack Altheon Castle. Our forces might take losses, but we’ll seize it easily.”

“But—”

“I said do it.”

“Understood.”

The scene ended with a chilling close-up of Nel’s face.

As the scene ended, Dojun’s character became playable again.

“Oh, I can move now?”

My head is spinning. Nel was the bastard all along!

No wonder he was sketchy—he was a demon this whole time!!

If it weren’t for Phantom, we’d have been gaslit by Nel forever, lol.

The chat seethed with rage at the betrayal. But Dojun planned to keep streaming to widen his lead over other players.

“Alright, let’s run straight to Altheon Castle!”

Yes! Let’s go!

Run, oppa, run~~

Let’s marathon this!!

But fate had other plans.

Ding!

[Attention: An emergency server maintenance will begin shortly. Please see the upcoming notice for details.]

Huh??

The devs are forcing a pause??

Snowstorm just forced a broadcast end, lol.

Dojun looked dumbfounded.

“I… I was about to sprint…”

He wanted to capitalize on the attention and momentum, but now he had no choice but to end.

The game cut to the capsule standby screen, his face cam turned off, and the energy of the stream evaporated. Viewers began dropping off rapidly.

I guess that’s it for today.

“Must be a sign from above. I’ll end the stream here. I’ll go live as soon as the maintenance is over, so subscribe and turn on notifications if you don’t want to miss it. Thanks, everyone—Sba!”

Sba~

Of course we’re subscribing—we can’t miss this.

┗ Exactly, this is the hottest topic anywhere right now!

Gotta check the maintenance notice first—Lost Land has never done a server maintenance before, has it?

┗ True, most modern games with super-AI systems don’t even do server downtime anymore…

┗┗ The timing is way too convenient… could this be because of Phantom?

There was no shortage of gossip. Despite the disappointment, excitement for the next stream was sky-high.

Thus ended Dojun’s second broadcast.

Ssshhh—

The capsule opened, and Dojun slowly rose.

“Phew…”

His body loosened up instantly, exhausted from the intense focus of the session.