novelburst
Chapter 658
Chapter 658
"Well, of course. Eugene’s events can’t be normal… Ugh, grenade!"
"Just throw it back!"
"Stop yelling and return fire, you damn bastards!"
- Hahahahahahahaha
- Yeah, we all know Eugene’s events are never normal hahaha
- Viyam really does resemble a shark more than anything else hahaha
- I can hear Logan crying all the way here wwww
- These guys are out of their minds hahaha
End of August, Songdo Tail Park, clear weather. Occasional explosions.
It felt like a battlefield mode from Dark Zone, a chaotic scene. A survival game being held in two of the six zones of Tail Park, divided into two areas for combat.
It felt too real to be considered unrealistic, but on the flip side, it was too unreal to be truly real. Only Dark Zone and Icarus International could pull off such a frenzied event.
In the middle of this, four people half-kidnapped by Eugene and Iris, who had sneakily joined, were having a blast fighting in the eye of the storm.
??BOOM!
"Ugh, what’s that! Who just blew up next to me?"
"…The kill count says self-destruct. What the hell did they do?"
"I saw it… earlier. Someone tried to throw a grenade with their tail and ended up blowing themselves up."
"I can’t even do that yet."
- ??????
- Alone with their original tail hahaha
- Spy detection!!!!!!
- Now that you mention it, that's true hahaha
- The way the head turned is hilarious hahaha
In an instant, everyone’s head turned toward Iris.
Out of the ten thousand people wandering the theme park, Iris was the only one with a real tail.
Eugene had triggered the trap called an event and disappeared as a hologram shard, so no one knew where she was. Harmonie and Dice were currently roaming the virtual world, beating enemies that came their way.
Only Iris, a rare white snake in this place, stood there.
Meanwhile, Hoddeok glanced around.
After checking the status of the situation, it became clear that the battle was evenly matched. Surprisingly, though, there were several of Eugene’s disciples on the Blue Team—surprisingly, Hoddeok’s group and Iris were the key players.
Compared to Dice, who had become a force to be reckoned with, and Harmonie, who had transcended humanity both in skill and race, these were also students who had received direct teaching from Viyam.
The spearhead was them.
And without realizing it, Hoddeok’s group began analyzing the situation with the battlefield reading skills that had developed unknowingly.
"Let’s set a goal. Should we break through, or just pick off the stragglers one by one?"
"Obviously, we smash their heads in."
"Then we’ll take the lead. Anyone have a problem with that?"
"…Is it really okay to decide this roughly?"
"Yujin said to keep the goals clear and simple."
- That’s not what she meant hahaha
- Fact) With Viyam, she definitely meant it like that
- Anyone denying it should go back and see what happened when Yujin was away on business during ranked games hahahahaha
- ?? : To win in a team fight, just wipe out the enemies
- And Viyam isn’t even brain dead hahaha
Though Iris hesitated for a moment, she quickly gave in.
She knew exactly how Hoddeok, Harmonie, and Dice had suffered under Viyam’s direct teaching, and she had edited those memories herself, making them flash like a panorama.
Thankfully, she was the only one who could keep up with Hoddeok, the E2-level manifestation.
Hoddeok, with the predicted movement routes displayed above the UI, marked the final destination.
The TTK (Time to Kill) in Dark Zone wasn’t so short, but given the nature of the game, it was bound to turn into a land grab. In such a multi-team situation, creating variables was crucial.
Among them, Hoddeok pinged a building across the central square, currently occupied by the Red Team, but which could be abandoned if things got dangerous. She calculated the cover route needed to get there.
After that, it was simple. Like a pre-arranged plan, the group naturally split into breakthrough and rear support teams. Iris was the only one struggling to adapt.
Of course, Eugene, and by extension her bloodline—metaphorically—weren’t going to let that slide.
"Let’s go!"
"Limit and Kim Stone, provide cover fire and come slowly. Got it?"
"We’ve done this plenty of times, let’s go!"
"Why am I in the front!"
"Who else but an EM-level?!"
With Kato pushing her, Iris started running desperately.
Bullets whizzed by in an instant, but with the suppressive fire from behind, one by one, they received critical hits to their heads and ducked behind a wall. It wasn’t a death sentence, but it was enough to cause significant damage.
Taking advantage of the moment, they pushed forward, moving one step ahead of the humans. Meanwhile, the blood of Hoddeok and Iris, still carrying animalistic instincts, began to boil.
Adrenaline surged uncontrollably, and the two manifested users literally climbed the wall. They had thrown a grenade on top before scaling it, thanks to precise control of their strength.
The explosion, accompanied by a flash—without shrapnel—launched the two over the two-meter wall. They landed safely and immediately began firing at any visible target.
Some of the visual defense lines were torn apart by a spear-like breakthrough.
Kato reached the building stairs 30 seconds later.
"You crazy bastards… Who told you to rush so fast…!"
"Too bad."
"If I’d become EM-level, I’d have shoved a gag in your mouth!"
"Oh, I should tell Yujin about this."
"Shut up!"
- Hahahahahaha
- Breaking news) Kato wants to become Viyam… shocking statement…
- This will definitely stir up some controversy hahaha
- Shut up already hahaha
- Iris’s face is priceless hahaha
Naturally, the editor had no intention of letting go of the tail they had earned.
Once the successful breakthrough was made, chaos naturally followed, like a hole opening in a dam. The common factor was that once a hole was made, the situation quickly spiraled out of control.
As they settled into a comfortable position and started firing, the Red Team had no choice but to retreat, and the next move was simple. They had to remove Hoddeok’s group, the thorn in their side, from the enemy territory.
However, the Red Team had briefly overlooked something—these people had direct experience under Viyam’s teaching, and stepping into the lower-level building they occupied wasn’t exactly the best idea.
But sometimes, there were things you had to do, even when you knew the outcome.
And the situation unfolded exactly according to that logic.
"Ugh…"
"We’re doomed. We’ll become Viyam and Hoddeok’s slaves, dragged to the gym to turn on the lights with an endless bicycle punishment…!"
"…You don’t actually want that, do you?"
"Wow, Kato! Step on my face just once! With your bare feet! In that avatar!"
"What the hell are you saying, you crazy bastards!"
- Instant gratification wwww
- Honest statement) Kato’s avatar is disgusting
- I couldn’t say that to Hoddeok though hahahahahaha
- Would you do it? hahaha
- Why are they fighting so seriously? hahaha
Amidst that, a sudden, almost piercing question arose.
But if someone had asked, "Why are they suddenly so eager?", the answer would have been simple.
‘…Could it be, that if we win first place in this session, we’ll get the Gaia tail avatar?’
Although Eugene hadn’t explicitly mentioned it, their imagination, if not outright delusion, ran wild.
For those who wanted a Viyam tail above their pelvis, this was a glimmer of hope.
And everywhere they looked, they were surrounded by suspicious perverts.
"Those guys are suddenly acting all motivated. Did they bet on something good?"
"…I wouldn’t say it’s not possible…"
"They must have gotten fixated on something weird. From the way you raised them, every one of them has something off…"
"What do you mean by that…"
Meanwhile, Eugene was surrounded not by giant boobs, but by the two senior manifested users.
"Good work, everyone. As expected… well, you didn’t forget what we learned, it seems. You were all pretty eager though, was there something you were expecting?"
"…Ah."
"…By your reaction, it seems like you were expecting some kind of prize. As I said before, there’s a small reward, but it seems it’s not quite what you were hoping for."
"My tail..."
"…"
- Hahahahahaha
- These kids are like elementary schoolers hahaha
- Would they actually release that here!!!
- Eugene’s expression is cracking in real-time hahahaha
- The law of conservation applies here hahaha
…Yeah, of course.
When I stared at the four of them without saying anything, they all subtly averted their gazes and gave the expression of “I’ve never cared about the tail” before they reluctantly stood up.
It was almost a skill to change their stance so blatantly like that. It was impressive how quickly Kim Stone wiped the disappointment from his face and began smacking the backs of those sitting in the room.
Right. A friend like him was definitely necessary. I lightened the mood and added something, knowing the others would be curious.
"Well, you might have guessed, but the first-place prize is… a coupon, or something like that. It’s a coupon that makes the rental cost for the equipment needed to enter the theme park free."
"Oh, I see. It's smaller than expected... Does that mean it’s a one-time use?"
"No. It’s valid for a month, free of charge. If you convert it, it’s about 1.5 million won."
- Whoa
- Not bad, actually hahahaha
- They’re handing that out to five people hahaha
- Thinking about it, Hoddeok’s group probably doesn’t need that hahaha
- Fact) They’ve probably already bought all the entry-required equipment hahahaha
- Ugh, hahahaha
It’s not a small amount, but they all nodded with slight reactions, saying “oh, cool.”
Well, I get it. Given the amount of money they can casually spend in a day, this isn’t a big deal. They wouldn’t need to say that out loud, so I added one more thing for them.
"It’s something you probably don’t need, so I’ll take care of the first-place reward separately. It’d probably be better to give the existing first-place reward to the second-place team."
"Oh, I’m fine with that. Is there anyone here who thinks it’s a waste?"
Thankfully, no one shook their head, so the original first-place reward was naturally passed to the second-place team.
How much time had passed? Thanks to the towels and drinks delivered by the drone cam, everyone wiped off their sweat and sat down to hydrate. Kato, finally able to speak again, hesitantly opened his mouth.
The second topic was… the structure of the theme park.
"By the way, sir. I went around the theme park yesterday, and all the booths set up around the area seem pretty strange. How many more Limites are you planning to make..."
"…Limites? Hey! What’s wrong with me!?"
"Of course, no one outside of you can understand it. I knew it. Hoddeok, grab him."
"Yessir."
"Ugh, let go! I just chose a female avatar because I surrendered to capitalism!"
- Crazy hahahahaha
- 'Limites'? What kind of adjective is that hahahaha
- Seriously, the theme park is full of those pseudo-TS devices, it’s a little dizzying hahaha
- Pseudo-TS? These are just training grounds compared to the real deal, you perverts
- Transition complete, when are you turning me into Viyam already!!!!!!
- Cyber-punishment hahahahaha
Well, I expected this topic to come up eventually.
It was a valid point. It could lead to confusion regarding mental gender, or, to put it mildly, it might produce more people falling into cross-dressing.
But the world I live in… well, it’s a bit different in many ways.
"…It’s a reasonable point, but the reason we set up these booths is for a different purpose."
"Oh, really? What for?"
"It’s nothing major, just that we want as many visitors as possible to experience it. It’s sort of a buffer."
"Buffer?"
"It’s a world where anything can happen, after all."
In a world where someone could change overnight, what’s the big deal?
I casually answered and looked at Iris, and at that moment, everyone nodded as if they understood.
As I said, this world I live in… could change in an instant when I wake up. I’ve experienced it firsthand, along with my friends.
If it weren’t for recent events, there would be no one who could guess how many historical books would mention men turning into women, or vice versa.
Because in this world, materialism and ontological naturalism, and even thermodynamics, have been directly defied.
‘…Though, maybe thermodynamics doesn’t apply here.’
Maybe, to change me, my friends, or the editor into women, a star from the opposite end of the universe might have turned into a supernova earlier than expected.
Anyway, I stopped that line of thought there. I had news to deliver to these friends today.
With a wave of my hand, I cut off the microphone of the drone cam and added:
"By the way, do you all have time this Friday?"
"Friday? Didn’t you have a schedule on that day, Eugene? I remember that Friday was marked in red when we picked the date last week."
"Good memory. But by chance… it looks like I can squeeze you all into that schedule."
"Huh?"
I silently lowered my hand and showed them a simple message from my parents.
The message was simple. I would be briefly visiting Korea at the end of the week to check the Expo withdrawal process and to gauge public opinion. The message was inviting me to have a meal while I was there…
Considering the list of people invited to the group dinner in Rochester last time, I’m sure everyone could roughly guess what would happen next.
A little while later, Kato confirmed that the microphone and speaker functions of the drone cam were off and asked.
"…This time, Eugene’s parents won’t ask me if I want to debut as an idol, right?"
"If that ever happens… I’ll stop it for you. Want to make a promise, with a pinky swear?"
"What an unexpected proposal at such an unexpected time. I guess it’s never boring when I’m with Eugene."
…Yeah, I should thank them somehow for wrapping it up like that.
Maybe it’s because my actions bounce around unpredictably like a rugby ball, but I must have inherited that unpredictability from my parents' genes. I can’t help but think that.
It was the end of August, as the Expo was winding down.