Arka

[Congratulations! You have cleared the boss!]

For a while, I couldn't take my eyes off that message.

Because I couldn't believe it.

Could it be that I… no, that we had taken down the boss? The fact felt like a dream.

But I was breathing.

My HP bar had entered a critical state and was dyed red, but I could feel my heart beating, feel the cool wind, and I realized I was alive.

"We won…."

More than the joy of victory, an overwhelming sense of relief washed over me.

Feeling the accomplishment of having pulled it off, I completely surrendered my body to the field.

Then, I heard footsteps approaching from beside me.

"Good work, Ian."

It was Emily.

She looked at me and let out a chuckle.

"You look a mess. Anyone who saw you would think you were a corpse."

I could relate to that.

If I went around looking like this, people would probably think I was a ghost.

But I didn't even have the strength to speak right now, so where would I find the time to wipe off the blood?

It would be a hassle once it dried later, but I truly couldn't move a single finger.

"Still… you look much better with the hood off. Why don't you go around without it from now on?"

"No thanks."

"Aww, what a waste."

A waste? It's not like I'm playing this game to show off my face.

Next time, I need to get something sturdy that won't come off or tear no matter what.

Anyway.

Now that only the two of us remained, there was one thing I wanted to ask her.

"But Emily. Did you really believe I would hold out?"

Judging by how she commanded the party throughout the battle, she was quite a cold-blooded commander.

I didn't think someone like her would have pushed me into a death trap based on nothing but a hunch.

I stared at Emily intently, as if interrogating her.

At my gaze, she shrugged.

"Who knows? You wouldn't believe me no matter what I say anyway. But without you, Ian, we wouldn't have cleared the boss today. We might have been wiped out. In that regard, I want to express my gratitude too. Today's raid MVP is undoubtedly you, no matter what anyone says."

"Flattery."

But I closed my eyes.

Looking at it objectively, her judgment had been correct.

Someone, some party member, needed to draw the boss's aggro. That had been the correct answer.

It just so happened that I was the one who had to carry out that task.

I just… decided to think of it that way.

"So how many died?"

"…Ten."

"That's a lot."

Still, my mouth tasted incredibly bitter.

In a raid without even a proper strategy, sacrificing a quarter of our forces could be considered light, but a person's death cannot be weighed on a scale.

Most of them were people I'd met for the first time today, yet my heart felt as heavy as if a boulder had settled in my chest.

That was when.

-Clap! Clap! Clap!

The sudden sound of applause.

A voice of praise rang out like that of an audience member who had just watched a magnificent play.

"Truly magnificent! I never thought you'd clear it in one go. Humans really are amazing, after all."

It was a familiar voice.

No, any player trapped in this world could never forget this voice.

Emily's expression, which had been smiling just moments ago, instantly turned ferocious.

"Y-you…!"

A girl stood there.

Pure white hair flowing down to her legs. A blue dress fluttering softly. Even a mysterious aura that spread gently, like an angel who had descended from the heavens.

We knew who that girl was.

"Now then."

That day.

The day this world began.

The NPC who had guided the players to Arcadia.

"Welcome to Area 2, players."

The girl who had declared that this place was a death game.

Arka.

She lifted the hem of her dress slightly and bowed gracefully toward the people.

***

April 5, 2038.

Even now, after all this time, the memory of that day remained as vivid as if it were yesterday.

Because that was the day Arcadia was revealed to the world, and the day this cruel death game began.

It was exactly as they say: something you want to forget but cannot.

A cauldron of chaos and screams.

The one who had revealed herself then was Arka, right before my eyes.

Originally, Arka had been a guide NPC who taught players about this world when they first logged into Arcadia Online.

Usually called a tutorial.

How to handle weapons, how to use consumables, and so on. She was supposed to be the only multiplex NPC in Arcadia, an existence meant to help players adapt.

So when Arka appeared from the sky, people had thought it was an event prepared by the game company.

The situation of being unable to log out of a virtual reality game was a cliché often used in various creative works, so they thought it might be a special prank by the first full-dive MMORPG.

But the Arka of that time greeted the players as elegantly as she did now.

"Welcome to the death game, players."

With those words, hell began.

A month had passed since then.

Arka had not shown herself before the players.

No one knew whether she had transformed into another NPC or was hiding among the players.

So why had she appeared here now?

Did she really just want to congratulate us on our clear?

Then, a voice rang out from beside me.

"Arka!"

"E-Emily?"

She had suddenly lost her grip on sanity and was pointing her shield at Arka.

"Die…!"

Before Emily could rush out, I urgently grabbed her hand.

"Get a hold of yourself!"

"Let go!"

"Have you lost your mind and want to die?"

"You…."

Fortunately, Naira and Mugi, who had belatedly grasped the situation, ran over; if I had been alone, I might have missed her.

That was how full of rage she was, and how violent.

Of course, I could understand her feelings.

Who wouldn't want to land a punch on that wretched face?

If I could, I'd do it all day long.

But we knew what the future held for those who opposed that thing.

The moment she made people who had caused a fuss demanding to be let out disappear with a simple hand gesture was still vividly etched in our minds.

Besides, it's just an NPC.

Emily's actions right now were nothing more than venting her anger.

A situation where ten people had already died.

We couldn't afford to lose Emily at this point.

Naira, Mugi, and I desperately held Emily back.

Watching us, Arka burst into laughter.

"Good judgment, unni. It's a bit of a shame from my perspective, but well, I only came to see your face today anyway."

"What?"

Who's your unni? I didn't have time to say that.

Because Arka appeared before me as if sprouting from the ground.

In the moment everyone froze in bewilderment, her lifeless hand grabbed my chin.

"Kuk!"

"Hee… so this is what you look like? You're a mess. That's no good, unni. A girl should always be clean."

When Arka snapped her fingers, water droplets formed in the air.

They instantly engulfed my body and washed away all the foreign substances clinging to me.

Everyone here, and even I, lost ourselves in that surreal spectacle.

She appears after a long time, and all she does is give a welcome speech for Area 2 and wash me?

Could an NPC lose their mind too?

In the meantime, my body became cleaner and drier than it had been before we set out.

Only then did the water droplets release me, popping as they vanished into thin air.

Arka looked at my appearance with satisfaction and took a step back.

"Well then, that's all for today. See you again in Area 2, everyone!"

And after waving her hand as if saying goodbye to a friend, she disappeared like the wind, as if she had never been there from the start.

But no one could move from their spots.

"What the hell did she come here for?"

Only someone's hollow words scattered on the wind.

***

By the time we returned to the village, the sun had completely set.

We had originally planned to head straight into Area 2, but the fierce raid had left everyone exhausted, so we chose to return to the safety of the village.

We held a modest banquet at the restaurant where we had gathered in the morning, celebrating our clear and comforting those who had left us.

It was the usual plain food paired with bitterly strong liquor, but the atmosphere wasn't half bad.

Even I, who always traveled alone, had joined without running away.

Maybe it was because I had been singled out by Arka?

Or because it was known that I had faced the boss alone?

"Oh! So you're Ian? I'm Shaurya. I wield a sword, same as you."

"I'm Paris. I use a spear. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Wang Mei. Please take care of me from now on."

With today's achievements known, gathering people's attention was inevitable.

And amidst all that, how they kept offering me drinks.

Even though it was a virtual world, my stomach churned.

Still….

Honestly, it wasn't a bad feeling.

If before they had flocked to me for my looks, now I felt recognized as a member of the party.

So without realizing it, I had accepted all the drinks they offered.

Ah, I feel like I'm going to burst.

"So this is the life of a popular person. You must be tired too."

"This isn't what I wanted. Sigh… I want to go in and sleep."

Naira approached my side and clinked glasses with me.

The banquet was almost over, but her complexion hadn't changed one bit, and she was still full of energy.

"By the way, where's Mugi?"

"You know how timid he is. He already went in."

"Right."

For a moment, we blankly gazed at the crowd of people.

It had been a hard day, but the faces of the people, including Emily, were very bright.

The sight of them chatting noisily, singing, and drinking was very pleasant to see.

Then, Naira's voice came from beside me.

"You know what? Honestly, I thought I was going to die today."

"Yeah?"

"Hey, I may look like this, but I'm actually pretty timid."

"Sure, let's go with that."

Naira grumbled, but I could understand how she felt.

I too had thought I was going to die more than once or twice during today's raid.

I had resolved to try taking it down alone, but if I had truly been alone, the one to die would have been me, not the boss.

"That's why I think you were really amazing today. It was practically like you took down the boss alone."

"You're exaggerating. We took it down together."

"I'm glad you think that way."

Naira sipped her drink and cast her gaze toward me.

That gaze felt burdensome, so I instinctively turned my head away.

It wasn't like she was confessing or anything; why was she staring at me so deeply?

Feeling awkward, I tried to take a drink.

Until Naira's voice reached me.

"Ian."

"What?"

"Will you become a hero?"

"…Huh?"

What did she just say?

My mind went blank at this sudden linguistic violence.

I didn't know what to say.

I couldn't even imagine what expression I was making.

Time passed like that.

In the meantime, I just kept opening and closing my mouth.

For someone like me, whose entire life had been socially inept, the current situation was more difficult than a boss fight.

Because I had never learned how to say the right thing to a woman when there were no dialogue options to choose from.

At that moment, Naira burst into laughter.

"Puhah! Look at your face. I'm joking. Why are you so flustered?"

And though she patted my back, despite her actions, I couldn't take my eyes off Naira.

Regardless of my reaction, Naira stood up from her seat.

"Ah! I'm tired. I should head in and get some sleep now too."

She smiled and waved her hand.

And she moved to climb the stairs to the second floor where her room was.

My brain, once broken, didn't easily return to normal.

All I was permitted to do was blankly stare at her retreating back.

Then, Naira, who was climbing to the second floor, suddenly looked back at me.

"By the way, you're really pretty. Why don't you just show your face?"

Only then did my mouth barely manage to move.

"L-look… if you want."