Chapter 5: My Love

However, no matter how many times he searched, the results he wanted rarely appeared.

Of course, all sorts of posts popped up.

The problem was that what he was looking for wasn’t among them…

So, he closed the free bulletin board, from which he could glean no more, and dove into the sea of information.

Nam Han Gyeol searched through everything possible, looking for any trace of that nameless boss monster.

To think that not seeing the name in that fleeting moment would become such a regret…!

“I saw this one earlier.”

“This is the page I just went to!”

“Ah, this… dammit!”

…However, there was no other information besides what was already widely known.

Truly!

Bang!

“Ugh…!”

Nam Han Gyeol slumped over his desk.

Why wasn’t there a single line about that handsome and perfect! boss monster?!

He was so cool!

So amazing…!

Shouldn’t everyone be taking about 2000 pictures and boasting, ‘Look at this. The customization is insane~!’

“…It’s faster to ask ‘Choi Min Hyuk’ about things like this.”

For a moment, a person who could be helpful in such matters came to mind, but after a brief thought, Nam Han Gyeol shook his head.

‘What’s the fun in playing the game if I ask about every little thing like this? Alright! I’ll find it myself!’

Clenching his fists, Nam Han Gyeol stared at the screen more seriously than ever.

***

After about three hours of searching, had it been that long?

It felt like he had been searching for a whole day.

Nam Han Gyeol was finally able to discover just one post.

It was on a homepage where explorer-class players, part of a group called <Explorer of Arcana>, shared information, and the post had been accidentally set to public by the author.

The moment Nam Han Gyeol found it, he covered his mouth with one hand and pumped his other fist in the air.

It was a gesture of joy.

[Title] ■■■■■■■■ Dungeon (1)

|Author| E2

|Views| 8

(Photo)

[Comment] (1)

ffd*****: What’s this?

Of course, it was a bit strange that he had only found a single post after all that effort, but for now, that wasn’t important to Nam Han Gyeol.

Nam Han Gyeol thought he was going to go crazy when he found that post.

“No, why? He’s so handsome!?”

Even in the post he had finally found, there was only a single, lonely photo, but that was better than nothing.

Nam Han Gyeol saved it as soon as he saw it.

He probably saved it about three more times, forgetting he had already done so.

“But why is there so little information…”

Only then did a slightly calmer Nam Han Gyeol stroke his chin and think.

It was truly strange.

Although the labyrinth was quiet now, it was once a place bustling with people.

Of course, he didn’t know the details since this was long before he started playing <Arcana Chronicles>.

Anyway, just by doing a little research before going to Flora, he was able to learn the general gist of the place.

So why was there no information about that dungeon boss?

In fact, while searching, various pieces of information about the boss monster from that dungeon had come up.

But it wasn’t the boss monster Nam Han Gyeol was looking for.

So, he couldn’t help but tilt his head.

The boss monster that people were familiar with was a pitch-black knight riding a headless black horse, named [Guardian of ■■■].

“So… I wasn’t mistaken after all?”

It seemed the doubt he felt in front of the boss room was not just a simple misunderstanding.

If so…

“Who was the boss I saw?”

Nam Han Gyeol crossed his arms and carefully examined the blurry, distant photo again.

‘What on earth is the boss monster in this photo?’

Looking at it now, the inside of the boss room resembled a royal audience chamber.

He had once attended a royal banquet in ‘Ritsen’, one of the many kingdoms in <Arcana Chronicles>.

At that time, he happened to visit the audience chamber, and this boss room was a part of that castle…

It bore a strong resemblance to the place where one has an audience with the king.

Although the whole place was dark and dim due to the lack of light, and the pillars and decorations were broken and worn out here and there, the long carpet stretching from the door to the throne where the boss monster sat,

And the faded, half-broken chandelier hanging from the ceiling, did not make it look like an ordinary place.

Nam Han Gyeol carefully retraced the scenery of the dungeon he had painstakingly passed through.

Come to think of it, only that boss room within the dungeon felt strangely out of place, as if it had been cut out from somewhere else entirely.

Now that he thought about it, even within the 7-floor dungeon, only the first few floors had the structure of an ice-covered cave.

As he got closer to the 7th-floor plaza where the boss room was, there seemed to be traces that looked more like the interior of a building.

“Hmmm.”

After pondering for a long time while slumped over his desk, Nam Han Gyeol pushed himself up, slapping the desk.

“Ah, whatever! I’ll know if I go one more time!”

His long deliberation ending in such a conclusion, Nam Han Gyeol quickly turned off the PC and ran back towards the token.

It was an unprecedented event.

He was the type who didn’t usually log back in until the next day after turning off the game, but today, he just couldn’t stop playing.

Nam Han Gyeol had never once thought he would fall for a game character.

But no matter how he thought about it, it was just too handsome.

Although he hadn’t seen its face because it was hidden by a mask.

You can tell by the feeling, can’t you?

In the first place, the mask itself was exactly his type, and the body that was revealed… Huh?

He thought it was a sight that could make even a hardened heart leap.

His heart pounded pleasantly with excitement.

‘Alright, this time, I’ll be fully prepared! And I will definitely! Absolutely! Take pictures of that face from all angles…!’

***

─ Welcome to the second world, <Arcana Chronicles>!

Nam Han Gyeol casually ignored the familiar voice.

─ Player [Paul] recognized.

Normally, he should have been logged in right after this, but the system paused for a moment before continuing.

─ …Before proceeding with the game, your current heart rate, [Paul]-nim, is slightly higher than the usual standard. If you have any health problems, we recommend that you do not play <Arcana Chronicles> for today.

At that, Paul retorted reflexively.

“I’m perfectly fine~!”

─ …Understood. However, please be aware that a forced logout may occur during gameplay based on the system’s judgment.

“…Yes.”

Listening to the voice that seemed to be feigning a sigh, Nam Han Gyeol thought that even though he knew the system was an AI, at times like this, it felt like he was dealing with a real person.

***

About a month passed very slowly since the day Paul discovered ‘my love’.

What he had been doing during that time was finishing up his thorough preparations to make up for his past regrets.

When he logged back in right away that day, what greeted him was not the boss room, but the desolate Flora village.

That’s right, the moment Paul was logged out, he was kicked out of the dungeon.

Since it had taken so long to get to the boss room, it seemed the time allowed to stay in the dungeon had already run out by the time he was kicked out.

How he cried when he realized that fact!

The thought of having to go through that hardship again made his future seem bleak, but he quickly picked himself up.

He decided that since things had turned out this way, he would raise his level a bit, gather potions, and make other preparations before returning.

And so, a month passed, both slowly and quickly.

He tried his best in his own way, but Paul still hadn’t managed to escape the level where he barely enjoyed beginner benefits.

It couldn’t be helped.

He didn’t have much time to spare while trying to maintain his real life and play the game.

As mentioned before, this situation itself was truly unprecedented for him.

Paul was not the type of person who invested a long time in games.

If he played for a long time, it would be three or four hours.

Basically, he was the type who considered playing for an hour or two a lot.

Such a person happened to find a goal, and he spent his days engrossed in the game for it.

And so, a month passed.

Ah, a month was too long!

He couldn’t delay any longer!

To see ‘my love’, who now even appeared in his dreams, Paul headed for the snow-covered mountain.

***

“It’s cold…”

Crunch, crunch.

Arriving at the northernmost village, which boasted its usual unmelted perennial snow, Paul shivered from the chill that seeped into his bones.

‘…It feels even colder than last time for some reason. Is it just my imagination?’

‘To feel such a chill even though I’m inside the safe zone village?’

Just as Paul was wondering about this and checking for new system messages.

Ding~ Ding~

With a continuous notification sound like a phone ringing, an icon indicating a voice whisper appeared in the corner of Paul’s vision.

The only people who would contact him in the game were a few guild members and his friend, so Paul accepted the whisper without much thought.

[Whisper] ●Kian: Hey, Paul.

Immediately, a husky female voice echoed in his ear.

At the familiar voice, his long ears hidden inside the fur hat twitched briefly.