Chapter 4 …

The Corporate Slave of a Dead Game

This Trashy Otherworld (2)

Yeah… even I have to admit these stats are insane.

Even when I raised this character in the online version of Dunz, I had never seen stats like these.

My guess is probably…

‘It might be related to character customization. I maxed out the height and muscle mass back then.’

And I even used cash items while doing it.

“Did it become reality and reflect the character customization? That actually sounds plausible… I only used this character as a storage alt anyway.”

“Same here.”

Modern people don’t waste time putting effort into their secondary characters.

“To think the money I wasted like an idiot would come back like this… Should I be happy or not…?”

As Nieommel let out a self-mocking sigh, Kang Hyuk tried to comfort him.

“Still, having high stats from the beginning is great, right? Noo— I mean, hyung. This will definitely be a huge advantage.”

Maybe because he’s a firefighter.
He’s really good at calming people down.

Yeah, Kang Hyuk is right.
These stats are definitely my weapon.

But…

—Grrr…

Nieommel remembered the wolves they encountered by the lake.

Even with this well-trained body, all he could do was run away in fear.

She spoke.

“You know how in stories when someone enters a game world, they get some kind of mental barrier or something?”

“Huh?”

“They run bravely at monsters they’ve never seen before, kill people without hesitation, and turn into those cool, emotionless badasses.”

“……”

“But why are we… so terrified right now? We’re just camping by the roadside.”

Neither the American guy nor Kang Hyuk had anything to say.

They were simply struggling with the gap between fantasy and reality that had merged together.

The American man summarized the situation.

“Let’s just sleep for now. We need to recover our strength before we can plan anything.”

I’m already exhausted.

More mentally than physically.

Nieommel immediately raised her hand as if she had been waiting for that.

“I’ll take the first watch.”

“Hey, that’s unfair. Show some respect to the elder here—”

“Then I’ll take the last shift~”

“You little… Is this the Korean style?”

The American guy grumbled with a dumbfounded expression before flopping down to sleep.

Kang Hyuk chuckled and lay down as well.

“Wake me up immediately if something happens.”

“Yes.”

Nieommel leaned her sword against her shoulder and stared into the pitch-black darkness ahead.

Saaa…

Hoo-hoo.

The sounds of rustling bushes and animal cries mixed together, assaulting her ears.

Naturally, no one in the group managed to sleep well.

Looking up at the two moons floating in the sky, Nieommel thought:

Please let us get through tonight safely.

Or better yet… when we wake up, please let us be back home.

* * *

My throat is dry, and my whole body aches from sleeping on the cold ground.

Since I barely slept, my eyes feel heavy.

But the saddest part is…

“Ah… fuck.”

Even after opening my eyes, the reality I’m in hasn’t changed.

Above the campfire that had burned down to ashes,

the sky and the sun were perfectly clear.

“Ugh…”

The American guy blinking awake…

Kang Hyuk looking dazed after finishing the last watch…

Nieommel rubbing her forehead and pushing back her hair…

“……”

The three of them stayed silent for a while, gathering their thoughts.

“Shall we go?”

“Uh… yeah. Let’s go. We have to.”

Soon they began walking down the road, dragging their feet like office workers forced to go to work.

If they kept following this road, they would eventually find something.

After all, it had clearly been made by human hands.

Of course…

This wasn’t just a random guess.

“Everyone, look at this.”

The first to notice something strange was Nieommel.

When she rolled up her sleeve, a golden compass symbol was spinning on her wrist, pointing in a specific direction.

“The road… wait. Then do we have it too?”

The American man rolled up his sleeve.

Sure enough, he had the same symbol.

Kang Hyuk too.

“A map?”

“Judging from the situation, probably.”

“It might also be a mark that distinguishes players from NPCs.”

If players exist, then surely the native inhabitants of this world exist too.

Even though only a single day had passed, the three of them were calmly analyzing the situation.

“For now, let’s follow this direction.”

Step. Step.

They kept walking.

But all they saw were rough roads and thick bushes.

Just how long is this road?

“Huff… huff…”

“I’m starving. And thirsty.”

The moment Kang Hyuk said that—

Grrrrrrk.

All three of their stomachs growled at the same time.

The hunger they had ignored in the crisis came crashing down on them.

Their mouths had long since stopped producing saliva.

“Me too… damn. This is bad…”

“How about we go into the forest and look for food?”

The American guy shook his head at Kang Hyuk’s suggestion.

“Forests aren’t places where you easily find something edible. And this isn’t even the world we know.”

“But we have knowledge from the game.”

Could they really distinguish a polygon image from reality?

The American guy almost asked Nieommel that but kept quiet.

There was still no sign of civilization.

If they kept walking like this, they would collapse.

Whether they liked it or not, it was time to make a decision.

The American guy’s eyes became serious.

“You all know we won’t be the only ones in that forest.”

“I’ve already been chased by wolves.”

I see.
After experiencing something like that, she’s gained some confidence.

But…

“Will it only be wolves? There could be monsters too.”

Goblins. Hobgoblins. Kobolds. Maybe even gnolls.

“……”

“Can you fight?”

Just as Nieommel was about to answer—

“WE HAVE TO, DAMN IT!”

Suddenly Kang Hyuk shouted.

He was breathing heavily, eyes bloodshot, the friendly demeanor gone.

“If we don’t, how are we supposed to get back home?! How will we ever see our parents again?!”

The stress of this extreme situation must have finally exploded.

“…You’re right.”

Clear the nine chapters and reach the ending of the game.

For that, combat is unavoidable.

Because Dunz is an RPG.

“Then let’s go! Let’s clear it quickly and go home!”

Kang Hyuk led the way.

The other two exchanged a glance.

Then—

Step.

They followed him into the forest.

* * *

After searching the forest for a while,

the three of them discovered something completely unexpected.

Not food.

Not a monster.

Not an animal.

“Ugh…”

It was a fairy.

And a player.

* * *

Shiny blonde hair.

Delicate facial features.

Clothes woven from green plant fibers designed for mobility.

And finally—

pointed ears.

The reason they knew she was a player was simple.

“Wh-who are you?”

The moment she woke up, she looked around in confusion.

And most importantly—

On her wrist was the same compass symbol spinning.

“Ha…”

“Now it’s a different race?”

The three of them explained the situation they had deduced so far.

They expected confusion.

Suspicion.

Fear.

But instead—

“WOOOOOOO! I GOT ISEKAI’D!!!”

She jumped around with a huge grin.

What the hell…

Nieommel was stunned.

Is this really something to celebrate?

“A forest elf as a starting race! I’m so lucky! This is an easy start!”

From her words, it seemed clear.

She thinks this is still a game.

Maybe because she had only just arrived.

“Nice to meet you guys! I’m Baek Geon-young— oh wait. I guess I should use my nickname here. Call me Auriel!”

“You’re Korean too— wait, what?! You turned into a girl?! And… Auriel? That’s rank 10.”

Am I insane?
Why am I worrying about rankings in this situation?

“Oh! Nieommel knows me! You said that was your alt earlier, right? What’s your main character’s name?”

“PutAnAppleOnYourHead.”

“NO WAY! Rank #2 overall! Rank #1 Magic Archer! It’s an honor to meet you!”

Ah yes.

One of my glorious past achievements.

But this isn’t how I wanted to hear it.

“R-rank 2?”

Even though Dunz had become a dying game, it still had a global player base.

Being among the top ranks meant incredible skill.

Ignoring Kang Hyuk and the American guy who were shocked,

Nieommel shook hands awkwardly and asked:

“Aren’t you worried? Or tense at all?”

“Not at all.”

“…This isn’t a game. Look how real everything feels.”

Auriel listened to Nieommel seriously.

Then said casually:

“I’ve always wanted this.”

She muttered quietly.

“To escape my shitty reality and get isekai’d.”

“….”

Those words carried a lot of meaning.

Nieommel nodded.

Everyone’s life circumstances are different.

For now, focus on what matters.

“Anyway, Geon-young—”

“Auriel.”

“Right… Auriel. Do you want to join our group?”

“A party with rank #2?! Of course I’m joining! RPGs are all about party play!”

That constant “-yong” speech…

Damn. I’ll never get used to it.

“So what’s our goal? Clearing Chapter 1 first?”

“Right. But first we gather food.”

“Ahh.”

Auriel looked at the tired group and their growling stomachs.

Then pointed.

“Over there.”

She guided them to a tree.

And on that tree—

were dozens of ripe fruits.

Smiles spread across the group’s faces.

This weeb—
No, this new friend.

She’s actually pretty useful.

* * *

Crunch.

Nieommel bit into a Rotten Apple.

This fantasy-world apple was sweet and refreshing.

So damn good…

“Sniff… it’s delicious…”

“I’ve never tasted anything like this…”

Kang Hyuk and the American guy devoured the fruit.

Kang Hyuk asked:

“Auriel hyung— uh, how did you find these fruits so fast?”

“I’d prefer if you called me noona.”

“Yes, noona. How did you find them?”

“They just stood out.”

Nieommel watched Auriel’s twitching elf ears.

Elves receive stat bonuses in forests.

It seems that’s how it manifested.

Non-human races definitely have advantages.

Though not everything about them is good.

Auriel’s mindset was completely different from theirs.

Her adaptability was honestly abnormal.

The American guy gathered some apples.

“Let’s go.”

“We stayed too long.”

They had food and a new companion.

But they had wasted too much time.

Just as they began retracing their path—

“Shh.”

Auriel’s ears twitched again.

“Look over there.”

She pointed at some bushes.

Looking carefully, they saw a brown body and muscles moving between the leaves.

“A deer.”

“A deer…”

“If we catch that, we’ll have food for days. Maybe even experience points too.”

Meat.

Experience.

Leveling up.

A stronger chance of survival.

It was too tempting to ignore.

And it was only a herbivore.

“Alright. Let’s hunt it.”

The American guy and Auriel—both archers—drew their bows.

Creak.

But to Nieommel, their sloppy posture looked like they couldn’t even hit a rabbit.

And besides…

Rustle.

There was another problem.

Nieommel whispered while looking around.

“Wait. Something’s strange. Do you hear that?”

“I’ve been hearing sounds the whole time. Forests are noisy.”

“No, not that. Something else—”

TWANG!

The bowstring released.

“Wind Arrow~!”

Auriel said the skill name out loud.

Of course, the arrow missed completely.

The deer ran away.

Auriel glanced sideways.

“See? I missed because Apple-nim talked to me—”

At that moment—

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!

Something cut through the air.

Nieommel’s instincts screamed.

She ducked.

“Huh?”

Auriel blinked.

Long needles had suddenly pierced her body.

“Wh—what is—”

Before she could finish—

Rustle!

Something burst from the bushes.

“KIIIIEEEK!”

A monstrous creature lunged forward and slashed.

“Ghk—”

The fairy’s body was torn apart instantly.