Chapter 47: The Mouse King and the Hidden Stage

“Is it actually fun for you, hanging around with me?”

Sephiroth’s helmet tilted toward me. Sensing he might be waiting for a better explanation, I hurriedly waved my arms and added more.

“I mean, just… you’re a ranker, so you should be clearing high-level dungeons. I was wondering if it’s really fun for you to just pick herbs by my side. Aren’t rankers usually busy with all sorts of things? Doing raids, or that PVP stuff you like…”

“Not really.”

Sephiroth’s head turned back toward the front. A short, dry laugh sliced through the air.

“Even the other rankers are just a bunch of scrubs. It’s boring.”

Oh, okay. You’re so great.

But it didn’t feel entirely annoying. If he was saying it that way, didn’t it mean that hanging around with me was actually interesting? He’d said before that I play “like a human.” Does that mean he finds it fun because I’m actually decent at the game?

…Wait, am I getting tamed?

I snapped back to reality mid-thought. What use was there in getting in Sephiroth’s good graces? While looking at things positively was better than the alternative, caring about what Sephiroth thought of me felt like a fool’s errand in the first place.

“…Let’s just enter the tower.”

I quickened my pace before he could say anything else. The sound of his footsteps dropped back a pace. Even though I couldn’t see his face, I felt like he was grinning behind me.

The moment we stepped into the tower—

<Attention, please.>

At the voice echoing from the sky, I instinctively looked up. It took me a moment to realize the mystical, booming-yet-gentle voice was a system announcement. The developers of this virtual reality game liked to hammer announcements into the top of the field of vision while simultaneously broadcasting audio so that every user online would receive the message.

<Tomorrow, Thursday, March 31st, a Surprise Event will be updated. For further details, please refer to the notice on the official website.>

The message ended, and my vision shifted.

When I opened my eyes again, I was greeted by a pitch-black stone wall. Torches flickered on gold sconces set into the dark masonry with white mortar. The arched doorway was a heavy iron gate, looking ancient and coated in black rust.

However, the view inside the tower was less concerning than the notification currently floating above my head. The surprise event announcement remained in white text in my periphery. It was positioned high enough that it didn’t block my view, but the content nagged at me.

I decided to consult my personal Zelpia Encyclopedia.

“What’s this ‘Surprise Event’?”

But Sephiroth’s reaction was unexpected.

“I have no idea.”

“Huh?”

“I’ve played Zelpia for a long time, but I’ve never seen a ‘Surprise Event’ before.”

For Sephiroth, the walking encyclopedia, not to know… this was impossible. Usually, he’d explain exactly what was what.

“Could it be related to us entering this tower?”

“This tower?”

“Yeah. I can’t think of any other trigger that would cause this.”

I looked around at his words. I had no idea what lay beyond the door that exuded such a sinister atmosphere.

True, it felt like the notification had triggered exactly when we stepped inside. But what did our entry have to do with a server-wide surprise event?

As I tilted my head in confusion, Sephiroth took a step forward.

“Well, maybe not. But the best way to find out is to clear this tower first.”

“Ah, I guess so.”

Right. Clearing the tower came first. Like it or not, I had to beat this to get the next quest and continue the story. I gripped my fists tight, pulling my wandering thoughts back into focus. One way or another, I wanted to see the end of this questline.

Sephiroth, who had moved ahead, shoved open the rusted door.

“Ugh…”

The moment we entered, a pungent, stale smell hit my nose. Frowning, I looked around and quickly found the source. In a corner of the room sat a giant block of cheese that looked like it belonged in a cartoon. The cheese, cut into a rounded triangle, was an ivory-yellow color. Blue spots like mold were spread across it—I didn’t know much about cheese, but it looked like Gorgonzola or something similar.

The room was a vast, empty marble space, with thick pillars supporting the ceiling. On the opposite side was a white door, clearly the way to the stairs for the next floor.

“I want some wine.”

Sephiroth was making casual remarks like that right next to me. I was about to give him a look when I paused.

“Wine? You drink wine?”

“I do.”

“You’re not just sneaking sips of your parents’ alcohol, are you?”

“What are you talking about? I can buy my own; why would I sneak theirs?”

Wait, was he not a minor? He acted so childishly that I’d assumed he was a high school senior at most. Then again, a senior in high school being this addicted to Zelpia in March would be its own set of problems. Sephiroth let out a disbelief-filled chuckle.

“You… you thought I was a kid?”

“Honestly, your mental age doesn’t exactly scream ‘adult’.”

“Ohhh, is tha-at so-o?”

His elongated tone felt strangely ominous. Fearing he might pull another stunt like calling me “pretty boy” or hugging me, I sharpened my senses and stayed on guard. But for once, instead of doing something weird, he just walked forward.

“Starting.”

“Ah.”

His low voice vibrated in my ears. I suddenly remembered Seong-jin and Gyu-tae saying his voice sounded just like Na Eun-hyeok’s. Since they were completely different people, I didn’t expect to feel flustered, but the voice caught me off guard. For a split second, I wondered what it would be like if Na Eun-hyeok had said those words.

Kreeeee!

The thought was shattered by a monster’s piercing shriek.

As Sephiroth entered the “dungeon” area, a massive shadow emerged from behind the cheese. Looking like a giant ball of fur, it was a rat with red ears, nose, and mouth. It looked less like a cute hamster and more like a wild field rat, with fur that looked black and coarse. Its glaring eyes were blood-red, and its whip-like tail was long. The rat perked its ears and let out a guttural, huffing growl.

“Why is a rat growling like a tiger?”

“No kidding. It’s a monster I’ve never seen before.”

“Really?”

Out of all the monsters in Zelpia, there had never been a Giant Rat? I fell into thought for a moment before snapping back to reality. Now was not the time for this. If it was a map Sephiroth hadn’t cleared, it meant he didn’t know the mechanics. And besides…

“Hey. This tower is ‘one death and it’s over,’ right?”

“Yeah.”

If you slip up in the tower, that’s it. One wrong move or the wrong strategy, and you’d be kicked out without even climbing a single floor. To get the hidden piece, I had to reach the top, just like I did in the tutorial tower. I took a calm breath and looked at the rat.

<Child of Ignas, Dorethes the Rat King>

A pretentious name for a mere rat.

Dorethes stood before us, keeping the cheese behind its back as if protecting it. The movement was so solemn it was almost funny, but the tension on my lips was far thicker than any urge to laugh.

“…It’s been a while since I’ve had to fight properly.”

I adjusted my grip on my twin swords and muttered.

Strictly speaking, it was a stretch to say I had cleared any of the event maps I’d done with Sephiroth so far. I had mostly just dodged. Sephiroth had dealt all the actual damage needed for the clear. I’d only chipped in 1 point of damage here and there because of his nagging, mostly just to save face.

But now, the situation was different. Sephiroth couldn’t attack; he could only support me. All the offense was on my shoulders.

A mix of light tension and a thrill rose within me. My hands holding the swords trembled slightly. But it wasn’t a bad feeling. If anything, it was close to euphoria. I was the protagonist of this strategy. All the responsibility was mine. Not anyone else—I was the hero of this tower.

“Get ready.”

As soon as Sephiroth’s voice dropped, the rat guarding the cheese opened its mouth wide. The still air in the room was instantly sucked into its maw.

[Dorethes is pulling you in.]

“Ugh!”

Even though I was braced, my body was pulled toward the rat in the blink of an eye. I quickly rolled toward a spot where the airflow was weaker. Fortunately, I managed to avoid falling straight into its mouth, but simultaneously, the rat’s tail lashed out toward where I had landed.

Clang!

“What kind of tail makes a sound like that?”

“That’s a monster for you.”

The rat’s tail, having struck my twin swords, recoiled with a metallic ring. My hands throbbed from the impact. As I readjusted my grip and corrected my stance, Sephiroth began chanting a spell behind me.

[Sephiroth has cast ‘Judgment of Scorch’ on you.] [Attack power increased by 5%.]