The village of the Horn Tribe, perched atop the western mountain peaks of the C-Rank dungeon "Well of the Lizardmen."

A floating city: Swansea.

From the shelter of the underbrush, Jhin gazed up at it with a furrowed brow.

He had just heard something unexpected.

"The villagers… they're all sick?"

"Yes. It's an unknown illness. At first, they complained of fatigue and weakness. Then, their faces flushed red, their breathing grew labored. Eventually… their fingernails and toenails began turning black…"

In short, the people of the Horn Tribe were displaying early symptoms of Dungeon Sickness. The same condition that had afflicted countless civilians back at Stoneveil city Station.

This was likely one of the reasons the Horn Tribe had fallen so helplessly to the Company.

Dungeon sickness, huh…

The timing of this outbreak among NPCs was no coincidence. That bastard who had been hiding inside the "Trigger's Eye" was involved, wasn't he?

Stoneveil city Station must've been his doing too.

Jhin turned to Karin and asked,

"Is the chieftain infected with the disease too?"

"Of course not! He's a brave and noble man. There's no way he'd succumb to some unheard-of illness!"

"Then was he defeated in battle?"

"Impossible! You're saying the chieftain lost in a fight? That's absurd."

Her unwavering belief in her chieftain prompted Jhin to nod slightly. He agreed—it was highly unlikely that someone like the chieftain had been bested.

Atlas the Chieftain.

The highest-ranking NPC of the Horn Tribe.

If compared to the Lizardmen, he was on par with their dungeon boss—the Lizard King. Had Jhin chosen to side with the Lizardmen, Atlas would've been his final boss.

Karin bit her lip hard.

"…It's my fault."

"What?"

"If only I hadn't taken Eve outside the village…"

Eve Horn. Atlas 's only daughter.

The incident had begun when Karin brought Eve beyond the village borders.

That day, they were ambushed by the Company and Lizardmen. The result: Eve Horn was kidnapped.

She was Atlas 's greatest weakness.

"I can't forgive myself…"

Karin trembled, forcing back her tears, but her swelling emotions slowly hardened into rage. Her eyes, now cold and sharp, swept across the guards stationed at the city's outskirts.

They were masks—pretending to be defenders—but in truth, the outskirts had already been taken by the Company.

"A weakness, huh…"

Jhin fell into brief thought, then looked Karin in the eyes.

"Then we need to rescue Eve first."

It was clear now—the key to saving Atlas lay with Eve.

In truth, the reason Atlas hovered so close to death was simply because he didn't know if his daughter was alive or dead.

Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense that he was dying at all.

Was Atlas really weak enough to be taken down by the Company? No. He was the strongest NPC in this dungeon, second only to the Lizard King.

If the Company had a player strong enough to subdue Atlas , there'd be no reason to kidnap Eve in the first place.

Once the weakness is removed, the rest will be simple.

Atlas himself would take down the Company scum who did this to his village.

A boss-tier NPC, with his full strength unleashed.

Jhin shared his plan with the party and looked toward Swansea. He had no intention of sneaking in during broad daylight. The mission would proceed at night.

There's still plenty of time left on the clock.

But as always, things never went as planned.

That's right.

Life had always been unpredictable. Just like three months ago, when the Earth suddenly became a game.

Jhin frowned as he slipped into a crowd of people gathered tightly together.

The sun was still high in the sky.

He now found himself packed into the heart of Swansea, shoulder-to-shoulder with a mass of people. Ahead, he could see the village square, where dozens of bodies hung limply like lifeless dolls.

Among them was the chieftain of the Horn Tribe—Atlas . Bound to a log as if already dead.

"…Brother."

Karin's whisper drifted faintly beside him. Jhin checked the quest window. There was one very simple reason why he hadn't been able to wait until nightfall.

[Time Limit: 1 hour]

The original 24-hour time limit stated in the quest had been drastically shortened. Only an hour remained now.

And he already knew the cause.

Another player's interference.

The only thing that could alter the course of this quest was the presence of another player, likely one completing a conflicting objective.

Even the time limit was tied to the actions of the Company.

They had meddled—and that had changed everything.

As Jhin arrived at the village square, it became all too clear how the Company had shortened the clock.

"If you don't listen, you'll all end up like this!"

A cruel voice rang out.

A thug brandishing a blade danced around in front of Atlas , twirling it like a toy.

The chieftain looked pale, as if at death's door.

Then, without hesitation, the thug drove the knife deep into Atlas 's shoulder before turning to the villagers once more.

"Look carefully! This is what happens when you resist!"

Crimson blood poured down the gleaming blade, dripping steadily to the ground. But Atlas didn't let out so much as a whimper.

His HP was dropping by the second.

The time limit too—now decreasing minute by minute.

His life now hung by a thread.

And still, Atlas did not scream.

His willpower was staggering.

"…You bastard."

Apparently annoyed by Atlas 's stoic silence, the Company thug yanked the blade from his shoulder. Grinning, he swept his gaze across the square.

His eyes landed on a raggedly dressed woman.

"Bring her here."

At his command, a pregnant woman from the crowd was forcibly dragged forward.

The thug placed the edge of his blade against her throat, the metal grazing her skin.

"Atlas . How long do you think you can keep this up?"

"…"

"If you don't surrender now, I'll kill this woman."

A thin line of blood began to trickle from her neck. The woman trembled under the cold steel, but there was no one in sight who could save her.

The warriors had already fled the village.

The chieftain, shackled and half-dead.

Jhin held back Karin and the remaining warriors, who were just about to leap forward.

"Not yet. It's not time."

"But if this goes on—!"

"Wait."

Instead, Jhin tuned into his earpiece to receive updates from his party, who had already begun infiltrating the mission zone.

Roughly 40 minutes remained on the timer.

But even that meant nothing now. The Company could change it on a whim.

So yes—there was no point in relying on the time limit.

Jhin was a player, too.

And if they could steal time…

Of course… it could also be extended.

Jhin glanced at the message on his device—confirmation that all preparations were complete—and turned his gaze back to Chieftain Atlas .

Even with a pregnant woman held hostage, a blade pressing against her throat, Atlas 's eyes were void of emotion.

As though he had given up completely.

Jhin, however, glared directly at the masked executioner. He couldn't see the man's face behind the mask, but he could hear his boisterous laughter—loud and unhinged.

Laughing while using a pregnant woman as a human shield, like some kind of psychopath.

Who was the real monster here?

And the reason for this disgusting hostage play was painfully obvious.

They plan to devour this village whole.

Break the chieftain's will, and the villagers' last shred of resistance would crumble with it. That was their goal.

You really think it's going to go your way?

And then it happened.

BANG!

A thunderous gunshot tore through the air. The masked executioner threatening the woman jerked violently as a bullet struck his shoulder. He tumbled to the ground, rolling several times before letting out a tortured scream.

Just one clean shot.

"GYAAARGH!"

"Sniper! We're under fire!"

BANG!

Another shot grazed someone's arm, sending up sparks as it hit the ground. The masked agents quickly dove for cover.

Two sniper rounds. That's all it took.

Swansea plunged into tense silence. Then chaos erupted as the villagers, late to understand, screamed and scattered in every direction.

Even amid the confusion, Jhin checked the quest log.

"…Ten minutes added."

Perhaps Atlas 's shattered will had regained a sliver of strength. But even so, he was still at death's door.

Left alone, he'd bleed out and die.

"Now!"

Jhin called out, drawing his sword as gunfire echoed again. He lunged behind a piece of cover and struck with lethal precision.

With ghostlike movement, he drove his blade deep into the masked enemy's back.

And then—from hidden positions scattered across the square—players from Ark and the remaining Horn Tribe warriors all rose at once, unleashing deafening cries.

"WAAAAAAHHH!!"

"We're under attack! It's an ambush!"

At that moment, something soared high into the air.

BOOM!

An explosive burst above the central plaza, raining debris down like a storm.

[You've been hit by 'Mid-Grade HP Potion.']

[You've been hit by 'Mid-Grade HP Potion.']

[You've been hit by 'Mid-Grade HP Potion.']

[Your HP is slightly restored.]

[Your HP is slightly restored.]

[Your HP is slightly restored.]

A downpour of healing potions fell between the fighters. The healing was minimal—barely a trickle compared to the injuries they sustained—but it didn't matter.

That wasn't the point.

[Time Remaining: 1 Hour]

Even a minimal healing effect was enough to sustain Atlas 's health.

Some of the masked agents, finally catching on, rushed in to finish off the chieftain—but it was far too late.

BANG! BANG!

"Goddamn it—take out that sniper!"

"Where is he?!"

"I don't know!"

"GYAAARGH!"

Every bullet landed with precision, cutting down anyone who dared move toward Atlas . Jhin took full advantage of the cover fire and moved more boldly.

If they were going to buy time, then they might as well do it loudly.

"What… What kind of attack power is that?!"

His blade sliced the air with a blast of cold, like the edge of winter itself. The frost that trailed it made every impact feel like the onset of hypothermia.

The battle spread rapidly across the entire plaza. Swansea now echoed with the cacophony of war.

"Save the Chieftain!"

"WAAAAAHHH!!"

Meanwhile, in the shadows—Adonis held his breath.

RUMBLE.

The ceiling trembled, showering them in loose dust and pebbles. Glancing at his tense squad, he gave a series of hand signals.

Schlik!

From the darkness, blades slid into throats. The infiltration squad crept behind enemy lines and took out the masked guards silently, blades piercing vocal cords and silencing them instantly.

Then came a whisper through the comms.

– "Entrance cleared."

– "Corridor cleared."

Adonis advanced in sync with each report.

And finally, the transmission he'd been waiting for.

– "We've found the VIP."

Swansea's prison, carved deep within jagged stone like an anthill, twisted inwards toward a central chamber.

There, in the deepest cell, a girl was shackled by heavy chains. She had been in the darkness so long that even now, she couldn't fully open her eyes to the light.

Adonis stepped forward, pulling out an HP potion.

"Are you Lady Eve?"

"…Wh… Who are you?"

"Lady Karin sent us. Please, drink this."

Gulp, gulp.

She swallowed the potion. Color slowly returned to her face. Eve looked around in confusion until her eyes landed on a familiar man.

"…Rune?"

"Yes, Lady Eve. It's me, Rune."

"Rune!!"

A warrior of the Horn Tribe—he had been the one guiding them through this place. Rune rushed forward, embracing Eve tightly as tears spilled from his eyes.

Watching them quietly, Adonis shrugged and muttered,

"This really isn't the time for that. We need to move."

The distant rumble of explosions across Swansea only grew louder. Jhin was doing his job—drawing Company's attention and holding the chaos at bay.

Adonis scanned their surroundings.

"Let's go. First priority is getting to a safe zone."

"…Yes."

The operation was a success. All that remained now was to escort the NPC, Eve, to safety.

Adonis raised his hand to report success—

RUMMMMMBLE!!

Until the ceiling above them caved in with a soul-chilling shriek.

Perched atop jagged rock formations overlooking the central plaza of Swansea, a kilometer away from the chaos, a pistol shot flared again and again.

BANG!

Millie fired with deliberate precision, then muttered irritably.

"Damn ground beast… Hah, if I just had a rifle, I wouldn't be suffering like this."

She was pulling off the near-impossible—sniping from over 1km away with nothing but a handgun. And yet, she wasn't satisfied.

Sniping was her specialty.

To truly unleash her full potential, she needed her primary weapon—the Guns of Magic's Rifle—at the very least.

I won't even ask for a rifle scope. Just a basic rifle, and I'd be popping those bastards in the head without even blinking…

It wasn't a bluff.

The origin of the famed "Guns of Magic" shooter had been rooted in the art of sniping. She was once feared across the continent for her uncanny precision—even the most powerful NPCs in the kingdom had trembled before her.

Back then, her avatar had been that of a cold-blooded middle-aged man in a fedora—his ruthless appearance had only amplified her reputation.

Ugh, this is unbearable…

But now? All she had was the Magic Revolver.

Her main weapon had been destroyed in a failed enhancement—thanks to that con artist Isiah—and another one was still missing, its whereabouts unknown. Recovery wasn't even on the table.

"…I said I'd let it slide, so I can't really complain."

Millie vented her frustration by loading up more magic bullets and increasing her firing rate. Each time, the Company members in the central plaza flailed and scattered like startled animals.

The diversion tactic was working.

As she landed a direct hit to the shoulder of a Company agent trying to get close to Atlas , she thought grimly:

Only a 30% hit rate…

Sniping with a handgun was clearly not viable. The real issue was that not a single Company player had actually died from her attacks so far.

Millie scowled.

"…This is humiliating."

She took a deep breath. She needed to calm down—be more precise. No wasted shots.

A true marksman never blamed their weapon.

She steadied her breath, checked her target far off in the distance, and locked her body into position like a stone. Only the finger on the trigger moved—silent, controlled.

BANG!

Direct hit.

One carefully placed round pierced a forehead. The Company agent crumpled to the ground—permanently.

And still, the shots rained down.

Each deliberate bullet ripped through enemy ranks, turning the tide—even from over a kilometer away with a pistol. The Company agents began losing ground fast.

It was more than even Jhin had hoped for.

Everything was going smoothly—

RUMMMMBLE!

Until the ground suddenly heaved beneath her.

"…What the hell is that?"

She blinked.

It was absurd, but the jagged rock formation near Swansea began collapsing entirely. And that—if memory served—was the prison where Adonis had infiltrated with his team to rescue Eve.

Millie swallowed, eyes narrowing in focus.

[Skill: 'Hawk's Eye (A)' has been activated.]

As the stony surface of the collapsed formation fell away, something hidden beneath began to emerge.

"…You've got to be kidding me."

Her wide eyes captured a monster she recognized all too well.

The creature inhaled sharply—then unleashed a scream loud enough to rupture eardrums.

There was no mistaking it.

[You've heard the roar of the C-Rank Half-Dragon Monster 'Giant Horned Lizard.']

[Status Effect: Fear – You are temporarily afflicted.]

[Agility -6 temporarily.]

[Status Effect: Confusion – You are temporarily afflicted.]

[Agility -4 temporarily.]

[Status Effect: Rage – You are temporarily afflicted.]

[Strength +7 temporarily.]

[Agility -10 temporarily.]

…(truncated)…

A flood of status effect messages scrolled past her vision.

Frowning, Millie instinctively redirected her gun toward the monster now stomping toward the village.

ROOOOOOAAAAARRRR!!

The enormous, building-sized reptile swung its tail, shattering another rock formation nearby like paper.

The sheer force of the C-Rank half-dragon monster was overwhelming.

Millie bit down on her lip in frustration, pulling a high-grade HP potion from her inventory. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at the rubble.

"…They said you can develop resistance to this, right?"

But really, what choice did she have?

She uncorked the bottle and drew a bead of her own blood straight from her heart, mixing it into her magic bullet.

Her pumped blood coursed through her body, lighting her veins on fire. A crimson aura flared around her.

[Equipment Skill: 'Burn Blood' from 'Magic Revolver' has been activated.]

Above the roaring Giant Horned Lizard's head—a red meteor streaked down like divine retribution.

At the same time—

– "Captain! Run—"

Adonis flinched as the transmission was cut off by a screech of static.

The next moment, the floor and ceiling began to tremble violently. Panic rippled through the team like a wildfire.

"Earthquake!!"

Cracks split the floor. Rocks tumbled down from above.

Horn Tribe warrior Rune threw himself over Eve to shield her, while the players curled into themselves, bracing for impact.

A chunk of the ceiling collapsed both in front and behind them.

Fortunately, the tremors subsided quickly.

"Is everyone okay?!"

Shoving away the boulders that had fallen around him, Adonis wiped blood from a cut near his eye.

Pained groans echoed through the chamber.

"C-Captain Adonis…"

Nearby, a squad member groaned on the floor—hit in the head by debris. It was Lutz, a player with the rare "Teleport" skill—hugely useful in movement, but fragile due to low stat allocation in health.

"Stay with me, Lutz!"

Adonis hurriedly cleared the stones off his subordinate and poured an HP potion onto the wound. It fizzed and foamed as it made contact.

Luckily, the healing worked quickly. Lutz's HP stabilized, and the color returned to his face.

And then—

"Rune?! Stay with me! Rune!!"

Rune was pinned under rubble not far from them. Judging by the weight of the stones, it was clear he had shielded Eve from the full brunt of the collapse.

"…Rune!!"

Eve cried out desperately—but Adonis didn't even glance in their direction.

As long as Eve was safe, nothing else mattered.

Rune wasn't a priority.

"…Lady Eve, I'm all right."

Thud.

With a groan, Rune pushed the debris off himself and stood up. For someone crushed under falling rock, he looked shockingly fine.

Of course.

Rune's level was higher than any player in Ark. If he had been in real danger, Ark's entire strike team would've been annihilated already.

"All those who can still move—report your positions!"

Expanding the search radius, Adonis easily located his team members. Between communication and healing potions, all were soon accounted for and recovered.

As the squad regrouped in the dark cave, someone spoke up, glancing around with unease.

"…What the hell just happened?"