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Chapter Text

[SYSTEM CONNECTED.]

[CHARACTER BINDING : SUCCESSFUL]

[TEAM 02]

PLAYER : KIM SEUNGMIN

PALADIN

LEVEL : 109

STATS : [OPEN]

SKILLS : [OPEN]

ENLIGHTENMENT : MASTERY 2

DIVINITY : TITAN LVL 15 +3 | HARMONY LVL 14 +2

WINGS : SUN WINGS - STAGE 09 

OUTFIT : [OPEN]

BASE : [OPEN]

BAG : [OPEN]

WELCOME, PLAYER KSM! CONGRATULATIONS, YOU ARE ONE OF THE CHOSEN PEOPLE TO EXPERIENCE THIS GAME TO THE FULLEST!

I AM PUPPYM, YOUR GUIDE TO CLEAR THE MISSIONS GIVEN TO YOU IN THIS GAME.

ONCE YOU'VE CLEARED THE MISSIONS, YOU WILL BE FREE TO GO BACK TO YOUR REAL WORLD. HOW EXCITING!! 

.

.

*AHEM* PLAYER KSM, I WILL NOW WAKE YOU UP IN 3…2…

Seungmin gasped awake. A System? Divinity? Enlightenment?? Mission??? Was he still dreaming? Did he play the game too much that he started dreaming about it?

Looking around, he noticed that his surrounding… looked familiar.

The pink bed he was lying on, the Sakura pink carpet on the floor near the bed, even the pink teddy bear by the table near him…

Wasn't this exactly like the layout his partner did for the bedroom in the game?

"Hey,"

Seungmin yelped, surprised by the sudden noise.

"Yah, Player Kim Seungmin! Why are you surprised!? I told you that I'll be waking you up. Also, put on some clothes. It's freezing in here!"

Seungmin belatedly looked at himself and realised that he was only wearing boxers.

"What the f-"

"Watch your language Player Kim Seungmin," the voice interrupted. "There are clothes by the bed, given by Yours Truly. You're welcome, really."

He scrambled to take the clothing, only to realise that he was given plated armours to wear.

"You gotta be kidding me. Am I still dreaming?" he whispered, horrified.

A scoff.

Seungmin whipped his head towards the sound, finally seeing the thing that had been speaking to him. It was a beige coloured puppy, about 25cm tall (or short), standing on 2 legs by the floor. The puppy was wearing a grey hoodie with its hands? Paws?? crossed. It took a deep breath, seemingly about to insult him once more, but Kim Seungmin wasn't having it. Not anymore.

He swooped his arm out, and gripped the puppy by its neck.

"Who are you. What are you. What do you mean by 'missions'." he demanded.

"Player Ki-"

"Answer me properly. Enough with the shitty tone." Seungmin hissed.

"I- Fine." the puppy gulped. "Put on some clothes first and I'll explain."

♟♟♟

"Simply put, I've been transmigrated into the game that I played for the last 2 years, and now my mission is to save the Princess who was kidnapped then I can go back to my world."

PuppyM, also known as the System Guide, nodded his head. "Wow, Player Kim Seungmin. I am impressed. With how quickly you understood the mission, I think we can clear this in less than 6 months!"

Seungmin glared at PuppyM and swatted it. It let out a loud yelp.

"Yah!"

"Oh, so I'm not dreaming."

"Hit yourself if you doubt this reality!" the System huffed.

Seungmin rolled his eyes. Dramatic. "Anyways, now I gotta like, find the King and inform him about his missing daughter, right? Yeah? Why me? I don't even remember having this plot in the game. It's so lame. Logically, I wouldn't be obsessed with this game if this was the main plot."

"It's a New World," the system responded, "Just quickly get on with the first mission, Player Kim Seungmin!"

The player raised his eyebrow. Something about the quick response from PuppyM struck as weird. He had tons of questions, but part of him didn't want to hear the answers yet. What if he didn't like the answers given? Whatever the reason or answers were, he figured that being in this world for a while would be alright.

He had watched and read several isekai novels to know that upon clearing the missions given, he can go home. No big deal. Unless-

"Is my real body dead?"

PuppyM squinted, "…..No..?"

Seungmin rolled his eyes. Great. Maybe he can't go home.

But what about it?

No big deal.

"So… Are we leaving?"

"Don't tell me what to do." Seungmin mumbled as he picked up the shield and spear, finally leaving the base.

♟♟♟

"That'll be 50,400 coins, sir."

Seungmin nodded and passed the man 80,000 coins instead.

"Keep the change," he smiled sweetly. "Many has recommended me this Seafood Braised Rice, especially made by you, Chef Su."

"Oh- I," Chef Su stuttered, ears and face turning red as his eyes glistened. "Thank you so much, Sir Paladin. Your words mean the world to me."

"I hope more people will give this restaurant the recognition it deserves."

Nodding his head once more, he took the bowl of rice and walked towards a secluded area within the restaurant to sit. Once he had seated down, he let out a heavy sigh. He had left his base approximately about… maybe 15minutes ago. Did the time in this world worked the same as back in his world? Absolutely no fucking idea, and he wasn't about to ask the system. Sometimes being ignorant is a bliss. Looking around, he realised that he was in the most populated area within this world. It was achingly familiar, almost like he knew the area at the back of his head. He could probably even travel this area with his eyes closed.

Simply put, it's almost like travelling inside the land of Anemo Archon of Mondstadt in Genshin Impact.

There were many non-playable characters roaming around, spewing the same shit they always did. Most of them were dressed in an old and worn out attires, typically what you'd see in villages. The irony, considering the place was named as a 'city'.  He knew there were many more areas to explore outside of this city, but nothing he could remember about any 'castles' or 'palaces' to find this supposed King. Also, what Princess? Who is this Princess? If there was a Princess, there should be a Prince, right? Or… or like a main character to save the Princess. Was he the main character? Were there others in this World to help him, or? Too many unanswered questions, but he refused to budge. Maybe I should just go with the flow.

Or maybe he could actually ask the system and stop being ignorant. 

He tried to cross his legs comfortably but eventually gave up when he heard metals clanking loudly. Seungmin clicked his tongue, goddamn paladin's plated armour…

He snuck a glance at Chef Su and chuckled softly when he notice the man grinning ear to ear.

A success.

Please the NPC and he'll give discounts in the future. Seungmin silently applauded himself for remembering such trivial information.

"Player KSM, what was-"

"Shut the fuck up," the Paladin hissed in annoyance. "The place may be empty but anyone would freak if they saw a humanoid dog talking."

PuppyM let out an offended gasp.

"Maybe you should start barking, or something. Walk on all fours. Be less suspicious." he mumbled while mixing the rice.

"Just to be clear, no one can see me."

Seungmin paused, spoon filled with fish and rice in mid-air, both eyebrows raised.

Sensing the player's confusion, the system repeated. "No one can see me."

"So I've been talking to myself the entire time? The entire time, I thought that people were looking at you weirdly, but it was actually me?"

PuppyM tilted its head.

"I supposed so."

Seungmin tightened his grip on the spoon, and started digging on his food harshly. His face, ears, and even his neck was turning red. If his plated armour weren't so high up, the system suspected that his collarbone would be a bright shade of red too.

♟♟♟

So…!

One, time works the same in this world. 15minutes in this 'New World' is equivalent to 15minutes in real world. Kim Seungmin is officially wandering in this New World for a whole 3 hours. He was lost, but if he kept quiet, no one will know. Not even PuppyM.

Two, apparently there was a Prince. Or a Hero. This character was supposed to save the Princess, but lo and behold, he disappeared. No one has heard of him, no one seemed to even remember him. The systems weren't able to find him either, almost like the Hero had disappeared into thin air.

Oh yes, systems. With a 's'.

Three, there were more than just PuppyM. There were systems in charge of the non-playable characters, NPCs, to make sure that the world runs smoothly. There were even systems to oversee the maps, ensuring that a 'Green Zone' stays as it is. Simply put, a safe zone. A no-killing zone. Peace.

Four, the dreaded mission. There were dungeons, monsters, bosses to battle against. Less than 6 months? Ain't no way Seungmin could get through all the battles and save the princess in less than 6 months. Maybe, he could avoid them, walk the longer way, avoid the NPC giving out the missions… Maybe he'd be able to find the missing princess, before finding the King duh, in the middle of some forest, in some map.

Which was exactly why he kept teleporting around the world, into random areas with trees. He was not exactly lost per say, just… wandering with a purpose. Yeah. Definitely. Who said he was lost? He definitely wasn't thinking about it previously!

"Are you lost?"

You know that saying that goes, "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil"?

Kim Seungmin continued dragging his feet around the forest, admiring the plants, trees, and even the animals! The blue, glowing flowers crunched loudly as he stomped, plated metal armours were heavy. The animals were eyeing him wearily, mythical looking rabbits and deer hiding by the trees. Everything in this map seemed so… yeah. Mythical. The trees and plants were glowing blue, animals were glowing slightly too. If he squinted, he'd have noticed fairies flying around and whispering.

Looking down at his outfit, he shrugged.

What can I say… Dull, and dark grey armour don't exactly go well with such a bright setting.

"Are you lost?" PuppyM repeated, like a broken record.

"No? I have a purpose." the Paladin confidently responded.

"What is… the purpose. Might I remind you, it has almost been 4 hours."

"That's an exaggeration, it has only been 3 hours."

"Player KSM," the system sighed, "Are we lost?"

We? We?? Since when did Seungmin agreed to travel together with the system? The system was his guide! They weren't companions! There's no 'we' in this scenario, absolutely not. He can do this alone, he has always been able to. Just like he had mentioned, he was travelling with a purpose. You can't be lost, with a purpose. No way.

"Yes."

PuppyM groaned.

Kim Seungmin crossed his arms defensively. His lips jutted out as he mumbled, "Well, I mean, I thought I could maybe find the Princess first before finding the King…"

"In the forest…?"

"Wasn't that how most Disney shows are… or even Barbie. I don't know. The princess would be singing in the forest or something…"

Even that sounded stupid in his own ears.

The system sighed, shaking its head before disappearing.

Well, would you look at that! PuppyM had given up on him!

Suddenly, a huge screen appeared before the Paladin. Kim Seungmin shrieked.

[Player KSM, I will be accompanying you in this form instead of a physical form. I am your guide, as mentioned, and I will assist you when you need my help. The screen infront of you, is a map. The same map you've been wandering in and about for the past 4 hours. Had you asked for my help instead of guessing, I'd have been able to tell you where to find the King.]

The paladin whirled his head around. Where was the System?

[I'm in your head. Call forth and I will appear. And yes, I can read your mind in this form.]

"Wow, privacy much?"

[This was the reason why I stayed in a physical form. Anyways, let's continue with our journey, shall we?]

♟♟♟

[We're here.]

The system sounded triumphant.

We're here, it said, sounding all victorious but ain't no fucking way the King lived in such a worn out palace.

Worn out may not even be the word, it seemed more dead.

The trees and plants were dead, as if no one had bothered watering them for years. There were no guards around the palace too. His trek up to the palace was a quiet and peaceful journey. Which was… weird. Normally, there would be guards located in every inch of the palace to protect the King. Maybe the King was strong enough by himself?

Or… maybe the King was long gone too, just like the Hero.

That was the only plausible reason unless the King enjoyed the sound of nothing.

Absolute silence. Pin drop silence. Even a graveyard might sound livelier. The longer Kim Seungmin stood infront of the entrance, the longer he felt uncomfortable.

[Well, what are you waiting for? Get in.]

Get in?

"Are you sure the King is even in there?"

[Doubting me will get you nowhere.]

Prick.

[Hey! At least we're somewhere now!]

"Oh right, mind reading. Disgusting. You're disgusting."

[You're such a kid, get in the palace.]

The paladin reluctantly pushed the door and took a step in. Every movement sounded too loud. The sound of the doors creaking, the sound of metals clanking at every single step he took, even the sound of him breathing felt too loud.

Looking forward, there was a long hallway. He tried to walk as silently as possible, toes clenching in hopes to minimize any possible sounds. The white walls were cracked and dirty. Some picture frames were on the floor haphazardly. He peeked into some of them, maybe there were clues to how the Princess looked like. Or even the King, that way he knew what to expect.

Unfortunately he couldn't tell. Most of the individuals framed up neatly on the walls were dressed similarly, which meant that they were of the same position. Not the King nor the Princess. Hell, not even a Queen! He could pick up the fallen frames, but his years of gaming instincts told himself not to. It might be a trap, maybe an explosion even. Better to be cautious…

Suddenly a loud voice rang through the palace, making Seungmin flinch.

"What's going on, who allowed you in here?" the voice echoed loudly. 

"Hey, system. Is there someone else here?" he whispered, pace quickened towards the end of the hallway.

[I- yeah. I think so. There wasn't supposed to be anyone else other than the King though, I swear!]

The Paladin gulped. "Okay, okay…"

There was another door. Seungmin stopped, fist clenched tightly mid-air. Was this the door? Was this the door to the King? What if the unknown person was an enemy though? Then what?

"Speak."

Seungmin winced at the loud voice. The King was definitely behind this door. There were soft whispering by the door too, as if the unknown person has responded. Something in his heart told him that…he should push the door open. Push the door open, and if was an enemy, he was a tank anyway. What was the worst that could happen? Something was pulling him in, Kim Seungmin was intrigued. Logically, anyone would've ran away upon hearing that there was another person, right?

[Player KSM… Maybe we should leave…?]

Even the system sounded scared.

But his heart was beating loudly, fear. Or excitement?

"Where is the h-"

Kim Seungmin pushed the door open.

Infront of him stood a well-built man. Clearly, he worked out. Chest covered in bandages, long black pants tucked in just below his knees under a high black boots. On his back was a huge, thick sword, glowing in red. The other sword he was holding was slightly thinner. The gloves were black too, with some metal chains hanging off of them. If his memory served his right, this man was a Blade Master.

His raven hair was neat, surprisingly, but kinda long. Fringe almost covering both his eyes. Speaking of eyes, his black eyes lit up as they looked right into Seungmin's brown eyes.

His face.

Kim Seungmin's eye widened, expression a perfect copy of the supposed stranger infront of him.

Before they could even react, a loud clasped echoed, attracting both their attention. Seungmin looked up and noticed that a youthful looking man was standing by a throne. Was…that the King?

"Oh!" the King exclaimed, lips twisted into a grin. "In this case, both of you can go ahead!" he continued.

"Go….ahead?" The Paladin repeated after an awkwardly long silence.

"Yeah, yeah! Go ahead. Go save the princess!"

♟♟♟

Chapter Text

Seungmin remembered the days where he would randomly Google English words that he had heard of, but was unsure on how to use them in sentences. One of his favourite was definitely the word, 'Awkward'. Did you know that there were various ways to use the word 'awkward'? There were adverb, adjective, and even noun! The definition differs accordingly, for example :

Awkward (adjective) - difficult to deal with / making you feel embarrassed / inconvenient / uncomfortable - "Have I come at an awkward time?"

Awkwardly (adverb) - in a way that shows uneasy embarrassment / in an ungainly manner - "Sky responded awkwardly, allowing the silence to once again settle between them."

Awkwardness (noun) - feelings or signs of shame or difficulty / may refer to a difficult situation - "There was no awkwardness between them."

Except…! The awkwardness between him and the Blade Master was literally engulfing him! Seungmin felt suffocated! God knows how the heck the Blade Master felt, considering he kept glancing towards the Paladin. But, who cares. Not him. Definitely not him.

Long story short, the King had kicked the stranger and him out of the palace after telling them to find the Princess together. Together!? Was this God's way of telling Kim Seungmin that he needed a social life? Or was this the system's way of making him fight alongside random…chosen…characters in this world.

[No, no. I have nothing to do with this.]

"Uh, Seungmin-ssi…" the Blader started, again. Yes, again! But this 'Seungmin-sii' doesn't know how to respond like a normal human being, sue him!

Be nonchalant, be nonchalant, be nonchalant…

"Yes, that's me…"

Amazing. Haha.

"You know me, don't you? We know each other."

"I think you got the wrong person? I've never seen you before." Seungmin raised his eyebrow.

"Ah, is that so…" the Blader mumbled as he awkwardly scratched his neck.

Awkward…

"I'm assuming we're both headed to the same direction, Seungmin-ssi?"

"Where are you headed towards?"

"Well, my system, see that humanoid Wolf standing by the tree?" the Blader pointed, "said that we should be headed towards the city called the 'Imperial County'. It's a walking distance."

Seungmin's eyes widened, surprised. Indeed, there was a humanoid Wolf standing by the tree. It was grey, dressed in a black hoodie, and donning a white cap. It seemed to be sniffing around, and the Paladin didn't want to know why.

But, something's wrong. Very wrong! Isn't the first rule to every transmigration novel to not expose your true identity!? Like, wouldn't you get punished for it? Or…something. A death penalty…? And how was he able to see the Blader's system? Didn’t PuppyM said that he wasn't visible to others?

[Player Kim Seungmin, let me just-]

"Oh hey, you got a humanoid puppy with you too! What's his name? My little wolf is called Wolfchan!" the Blader exclaimed, pointing directly to where PuppyM emerged.

"Did you lie to me, PuppyM?" the Paladin grumbled.

"No, no, I didn't." the system shook its head. "Will you let me explain?"

"Well, you better start now. How is he able to see you, and how am I able to see his system?"

PuppyM rolled its eyes and mumbled something under their breath. Hopefully it is something along the line of, "Oh God give me strength." because Kim Seungmin definitely needed it.

"So,"

For one, PuppyM had not mentioned any rules in regards of the transmigration. The only apparent rule was to clear one mission ; to save the 'Princess'. Weird? Weird. Secondly, Kim Seungmin wasn't the only player being transmigrated into this 'New World', there were other players too, with the same mission. If one was able to see another system, the 'Character' alongside them is high likely a 'Player' too.

Why were there other players, you may ask?

The System, Wolfchan and PuppyM were reluctant to explain, evident by the way they whispered amongst themselves before finally coming to a conclusion. Simply put, there were other players who were invited to play the same game a few years back. Various rules were placed to protect their them, but something went wrong and the Systems assisting them disappeared.  Back then, they had only invited 3 players. 3 players with completely different roles and it all went wrong.

What happened to the players themselves? The systems didn't know either, almost like they vanished alongside their systems. The current, newer, systems were afraid that the same thing would happen to the new players they had invited, therefore decided to not implement any rules and to stay by their side diligently.

One of the reasons why they called in more players of the same role this time was to ensure that the same mistake don't happen.

"So, that was what TEAM 02 is all about. The other 3 players were TEAM 01." Seungmin stated simply.

PuppyM nodded his head.

"You know, that doesn't make any sense though?" the Blader commented.

The Paladin kept his mouth shut, even though he agreed. Sometimes it was better to observe and listen to how his potential teammate thinks. If this player and Seungmin weren't on the same page, then he'd gladly leave and clear the mission on his own. Or even find the rest of the players, since PuppyM did mention that there were others.

"If you were really afraid that the same mistake will occur again, why did you even invite us, or as you've mentioned, more players in?"

Seungmin silently cheered. A person who has a brain!

"Also, is that Kim Seungmin, or just someone who customized their character to look like the Kim Seungmin I know?"

Oh.

"We have our reasons. Also, it is a complete coincidence if you both know each other." Wolfchan started. "Visually, we have allowed players to retain their original looks."

"Ah," the Blade Master nodded, "Kim Seungmin."

The mentioned person hummed. "Yes, Bang Chan."

Bang Chan scoffed and crossed his arms. "Why'd you pretend not to know me?"

"I was trying to follow a rule that I assumed was there." Seungmin responded while glancing at his colleague. Yes, his colleague, you read that right. The both of them worked in the same company back in the real world. What a coincidence! It would've been a good coincidence if this Bang Chan person was someone Seungmin felt closer with. But no, the universe must be playing a sick joke on him because the both of them don't really get along well. Especially since they have a different circle of friends!

Did he mention friends? It's more like, Chan being in the center of attention as compared to him being an outcast. A loner. He only had 1 friend whom he met in the game, but has never had an offline meeting with.  Someone like Bang Chan would definitely find him disgusting, or lame considering his life was filled with work, and game on a daily. A complete opposite from his colleague who always hung out and clearly had a social life. He tried ignoring the man, but he'll never be able to ignore the looks Chan gave him when he thinks that Seungmin didn't notice. It was definitely a look filled with pity and mockery. But, it's no big deal. If he kept up that mantra, eventually, one day it'll be true.

When Bang Chan caught his eyes, he proceeded to smile mockingly as if saying, "Oh yeah, smartass?".

See!

"Well, excuse you!" Seungmin glared, feeling wronged. "Usually you'd have to hide your identity! If you had spent more time reading instead of hanging out with people, you'd know!"

"Not if you asked the system!"

Oh right.

"Why are you here anyway? Do you actually play this game?"

Bang Chan looked away, and started picking on the leaves. 

"You know, I woke up in the beach. Last night, I slept sober." he pointedly ignored the question. But that statement caught Seungmin's attention.

"The beach!?"

Bang Chan nodded. "The beach! Not even a beach somewhere in Korea or Sydney. I was just lying on the sand, dressed like this," he pointed at his outfit offensively, "And some handso- some dude was looking down at me as I opened my eyes. He looked familiar though."

Seungmin decided to ignore the slip up.

"Then he helped me up, led me towards some place to sit, and started blabbering about some book. I kept thinking why he looked so familiar… until he said a familiar phrase," the Blade Master chuckled and looked at the other player. 

"'This's weird. I've always taken it with me, even in the shower…Where can it be?'"

Seungmin chortled at the reference, knowing exactly who Bang Chan was referring to.

"That's the Senior Blade Master in the game, isn't it?"

< "It's a sacred book, passed down from our ancestors. You should try it out, and then you'll get what I- Wait!"

The Senior's complexion changed. Cold sweat started to stream down his cheeks.

"Where did I put the book?"

He started searching his all over his body, "This's weird. I've always taken it with me, even in the shower… Where can it be- Oh!" his eyes lit up.

"Here it is!"

The sacred book was all crumpled, and its cover was completely illegible.

The Senior cleared his throat, "I now pass on this book to you. Make it count!" >

Bang Chan quirked his lips up in amusement, holding up the book his Senior had passed to him. "Yeah, it's him. In the flash. Of course I was weirded out, but he was so hands- yeah, yeah. After my Senior made me leave, the system popped out. That's when some things started to click, but it's still hard to believe."

"I woke up in my base," Seungmin started, knowing that Bang Chan would eventually ask him too.

"I chose not to ask any questions. Thought it was better that way."

Instead of judging him like he thought he would, Bang Chan just hummed. Facial expression kept at a neutral. The Paladin felt a little better. Maybe the Blader was a better person than he thought.

"Well, Seungmin. I know that you don't like me much, but I'm actually glad I found you here." he smiled, genuinely.

More like, you don't like me. You're you, and I am me.

The Paladin rolled his eyes, "Sure, whatever you say."

The Blader's smile dropped. "Uh… Okay… Should we just," he gestured forward, "Should we just head towards the 'Imperial County' then? Find the Princess and we'll be done?"

"Oh right. Lead the way. The sooner we're done with the mission, the better it is. You don't have to hang out with me any longer than needed."

If Seungmin hadn't looked away from Bang Chan, he'd have noticed that the Blader let out a small, sad, smile at that statement.

♟♟♟

"This… This is the Imperial County?"

Bang Chan hesitated and gave a quick glance towards his System. Surely…?

"Yes, yes, this is it." The System, WolfChan, responded.

"You're kidding, right? There's no way-" Seungmin stopped his complains abruptly when he felt PuppyM tapped him lightly on the calf.

Annoyed, the Paladin turned around to face the other Player. Arms crossed, and head tilted in a questioning manner.

The Blade Master raised both his hands up. "Don't look at me! I don't know anything, I just followed the System."

"It may not look like it, but this is the Imperial County." WolfChan insisted.

The Imperial County - One of the most beautiful place in the Game World. Red, maple leaves covered half the map. Mythical, glowing white deer could be seen strolling around the red forest. The ponds would glow slightly, making it entrancing at night. Beautiful, humanoid looking robots would be patrolling the area, ensuring the safety of the animals and even occasionally, humans.

Or, fox people.

Most royalties in this Game were tied to the Fox Family. Hues of red and orange would be a rare occurrence, unless personally invited into their homes. Of course, as a player of the game, Kim Seungmin would know this. He knew this, which was why he found it… Weird.

Maybe even wrong.

The Imperial County infront of him looked barren. Again! Just like the place where the King resided. How was it possible that the city and villages were exactly how it looked in the game, yet when it comes to more Royal places, it was dead!

First, the King's residence. Now, the Fox People's? Coincidentally, the places where the Princess should've been?

"Don't you think it's kinda odd?"

Bang Chan nodded. "Truthfully, I don't think the Princess is here either. Maybe there's some clues at best."

"The place wasn't emptied out like this in the game… Is this the 'New World' you mentioned?"

PuppyM nodded. "Before you start asking, we honestly have no idea…how it came about like this. Only certain places were emptied out, as you've noticed."

"We have no answers, hopefully, for now." WolfChan continued.

"I'm assuming that TEAM01 and the systems who went missing alongside them has the answers?"

The Blader's system frowned.

"I hope so."

Seungmin sighed and finally took a proper look at the area. Although barren and emptied out, there were still benches, shelters, and even houses standing. Looking out further to his left, he realised that Bang Chan had already started rummaging through the items and papers scattered across the house.

The Paladin shook his head.

If something exploded or gets triggered as a side quest, he is definitely leaving the Blader behind.

"PuppyM, come with me. WolfChan, you could maybe help us search through the area for clues or look out for that idiot there." Seungmin pointed.

WolfChan merely nodded his head and walked towards the opposite direction from Bang Chan. The Paladin tried to stifle a laugh when he realised that the Blader's system deliberately chose to work away from the Player himself.

"Did you know that WolfChan chose not to be near his Player because he felt unsafe?" PuppyM whispered while raising both his paws in the air, asking to be picked up by his own Player. Seungmin quirked an eyebrow.

"He told me that his Player would randomly touch items in this world. One time he even- Mind giving me a hand?" The System huffed. The Paladin just scoffed in disbelief and picked him up, continuing his path towards one of the houses.

"Thank you. Anyways, one time he even ran head first towards a treasure box that was surrounded by monsters."

Seungmin snorted.

"It makes me wonder if BangChan seeks out danger, or he's just a little dumb in the head."

The Paladin involuntarily let out a loud guffaw. His body shook with uncontrolled laughter upon hearing what PuppyM said. With one hand holding into his System, he used the other free hand to rummage through the stacks of paper on the table. Most of them were maps, but Seungmin decided to look for more confidential letters.

The puppy hit him on the chest lightly, "Really! It is safe being with you. You're careful enough not to die!"

"Die?"

"Yeah," The System pointed at Bang Chan, "That Player has died twice. It's almost like he's craving death."

"What do you mean he has died twice?" Seungmin gaped. "Won't you be thrown back into the real world if you die?"

"Uh," PuppyM bit his lip, hesitating before continuing, "Not if you're already dead in the real world."

Bang Chan? Dead in the real world?

Seungmin stole a glance at the Blader. Said person was stomping on boulders by the trees. An idiot, truly, but dead? A man like Bang Chan, who had it all, was dead? Who would…Who would want to murder him? Who, back in the real world, has a grudge on him? Did he do something bad?

Seungmin peeked again at the man who was currently seated on the grass, picking out the broken boulder, as if looking for clues within the pebbles. Him? The Paladin couldn't believe it. A man like Bang Chan who was always happy, sociable, well-liked by everyone, is dead?

"Who would ki-"

He was promptly interrupted when The Blader let out a loud shriek that could rival an ambulance siren.

WolfChan was immediately by his Player's side, accessing the issue on hand. Seungmin and PuppyM, on the other hand, quickly ran towards Bang Chan in panic.

"What's wrong!?"

"I merely approached this man here, but he screamed as if he had seen a ghost." an unknown voice responded.

The Paladin eyed the stranger who was standing at least a few inches taller than the Blader. He was dressed in a black and gold coloured Hanfu, paired with an ankle high black boots. On his hand, he held a black foldable fan. His fox-like eyes matched with a red under-eye makeup caught Seungmin's attention. He stood up straighter, feeling a little intimidated.

He subtly loosened his hold on PuppyM which allowed the System to crawl downwards and behind the Player. His eyes widened when he finally saw an orange tail unfurl from the stranger.

The man infront of him must be-

"My name is Liang Jing Yin, youngest son of the Liang clan." 

"I am Kim Seungmin, and that man over there is Bang Chan. We're both travelers."

The fox-like man nodded. "May I know what are you both doing here then? There isn't anything of sorts here. The Capital has been wiped out."

Shit shit shit shit-

"Young Master Liang, we were just wandering around and happened to stumble across this area. May I know what exactly happened here, if you will?"

Seungmin perked up. Nice safe Bang Chan! The Paladin, for the love of God, couldn't get a single word out of his mouth. Standing before him was the youngest member of the Liang clan. The Liang clan was known to be one of the only clan in this World that specialized in healing. It was nerve wrecking, so to say, to be meeting someone of the Liang clan in the flesh.

Not only that! Liang Jing Yin, in particular, was one of the characters in game that Kim Seungmin haven't met. He was an unknown character, whose name only appeared in dialogues spoken highly and respectfully of by his family members, or the palace guards.

Knowing the position Bang Chan held back in the company, it was no surprise that he could hold a normal conversation with the young master.

"Please call me Jing Yin," the young master smiled sadly. "The clan is no more."

Apparently, a singular person managed to wipe out the entire Liang clan. Jing Yin was the only fortunate clan member to have survived as he was away in another Land for the entirety of his life, only coming back now upon hearing the news of his home.

He, too, was finding clues in his home for that singular person that managed to brutally massacre his family. The only clues he had so far were some white feathers, and a lavender-coloured shard.

That... Did NOT ring any bells.

That was, in all honesty, very concerning.

"What about the both of you? Are you looking for anything? Maybe I could be of assistance?"

"We were just leaving, actually. We just stumbled across this area and was curious." Bang Chan shrugged.

Seungmin quirked an eyebrow, but decidedly stayed silent.

Jing Yin chuckled. "I see. Then, I'll be taking my leave now. If you Travelers ever need my help, you know where to find me."

"Thank you so much, but I think we'll be fine."

The young master smiled, fox-like eyes almost resembling slits. His tail swayed side-to-side as he turned around to leave. Once he was out of sight, the Paladin spoke up.

"Why'd you lie to him?"

"He was suspicious."

"How so?"

"Just a hunch. Forget it, let's just find a place to rest. We'll continue searching this place tomorrow."

With that, the Blader pulled Seungmin's arm and dragged him out of the Imperial County.

xxx

Unbeknownst to them, a small white fox was tailing their every move.

♟♟♟

[SYSTEM CONNECTED.]

[CHARACTER BINDING : SUCCESSFUL]

[TEAM 02]

PLAYER : BAHNG CHRISTOPHER CHAHN / BANG CHAN

BLADE MASTER

LEVEL : 109

STATS : [OPEN]

SKILLS : [OPEN]

ENLIGHTENMENT : MASTERY 2

DIVINITY : DARK TIDE LVL 15 +5 | TITAN LVL 14

WINGS : SUN WINGS - STAGE 09 

OUTFIT : [OPEN]

BASE : [OPEN]

BAG : [OPEN]