Chapter 6: Cinderella(2)

As soon as I entered the house, I checked the state of the entrance.

Seeing the sneakers tossed haphazardly around, it seemed that Harang was already holed up in the capsule.

I immediately opened the shoe cabinet and placed my sneakers alongside his.

‘There are no dress shoes.’

To one side of my gaze, the shining shoes that should have been in the shoe cabinet were gone.

In my faded memories, they were the shoes my mom used to wear often.

With the dress shoes missing, it meant she had gone out.

I quickly took out my smartphone.

Hayeon didn’t seem like a typical middle school girl.

The smartphone’s screen was pristine, without any lock function.

Sliding the screen unlocked it immediately, allowing me to check the message history.

I scrolled with my white fingers to see a message from my mom.

She mentioned that she would be particularly late today and had left a card in the living room, saying to order dinner.

If mom wasn’t home, that meant I had one thing to do.

I began preparing to log into the game.

After taking off my school uniform and neatly folding it, I changed into comfortable clothes.

Since I would be getting into the capsule right away, I also made sure to visit the bathroom.

It was a bit inconvenient not being able to stand while doing my business, but it wasn’t overly bothersome.

The moment I logged into the game, my vision expanded.

Based on the last login record, the map began to load.

In just a brief moment, the forest appeared beyond my sight.

The place where bandit-type monsters respawn.

It was in the middle of the Green Forest.

Once logged in, if I didn’t move beyond a certain radius, I would be granted invincibility time.

I wouldn’t be recognized by the monsters.

However, that function wasn’t needed right now.

I moved immediately.

As soon as I stepped forward, the invincibility time broke, and the gazes of the scattered bandits turned toward me.

There were three of them—two warriors and one archer, forming a scouting party.

The priority of the targets was determined.

The image forming in my mind sought optimal combat efficiency.

Taking a step forward, as my upper body lowered as if responding, the skill activated.

[Charge]

The mana surrounding my body formed a blue shield, and my body shot forward like a beam of light.

The long blue tail twisted in a strange direction as I passed the two bandit warriors blocking my way.

At the end of the impact point of the charge, my body struck the enemy, and a stun mark appeared over the archer’s head.

The impact felt refreshing.

But I didn’t stop.

I knew it would be dangerous if I missed this opportunity.

The shock from colliding with the monster was absorbed by the skill’s delay.

Right after, I swung my sword, and a weight far heavier than the iron sword transferred to my fingertips.

It was a stance using both hands.

It meant I had exerted even more force than before.

Slash!

From the lower left to the upper right, the sword struck, and the bandit’s head flew off.

A critical hit triggered the [Winning Streak] buff.

The buff that lasts until the end of the battle accelerated my body even more.

Only a 1% increase in speed, but the gap was off.

I would need time to adapt to the altered speed.

After slicing off the archer’s head, I quickly turned my body, but there wasn’t enough time to evade the two sword strikes coming at me.

I had to block.

The [Counterattack] skill activated.

No system correction was necessary.

I trusted my instincts and positioned my blade to receive the attacks.

With a strong effect, the two sword strikes hit my blade.

My health drained away in an instant.

It meant the skill hadn’t activated properly.

But I didn’t care.

What I needed was a minimal opening for a counterattack.

My body, having withstood the blows, moved forward.

The moment my advancing leg struck the ground, the long Highlander blade swiftly passed by the bandit warrior’s neck.

The second kill counter went up.

The buff from [Winning Streak] is further enhanced.

As I forcibly pulled the mismatched gaps, my head began to feel like it was on fire.

The realm of sensation. I relied solely on my senses for all situations.

My body moved in strange curves, evading the incoming bandit attacks.

I followed the attacks with my eyes as they narrowly grazed past me.

Because I had evaded the attacks, I was too close to them.

But I pressed on.

The next action was to prepare my stance for swinging the sword.

With my upper body lowered and my raised arms, I swung the sword in a half-circle motion, severing the bandit’s arm.

The upper body lay wide open.

I didn’t miss the opportunity.

I pushed forward with the long-extended sword.

Instead of cutting, I chose to thrust.

It was an excellent choice.

The sharp thrust pierced the warrior’s neck, delivering a critical hit that stunned my opponent.

I didn’t stop there.

I grabbed the sword-wielding hand and swung it sideways, tearing it apart.

The moment the crisp slicing sound rang out, the warrior’s head flew off.

I had single-handedly handled a group of bandits.

What made the impossible possible was the overwhelming talent that this body possessed.

The strain caused my head to throb.

But I didn’t stop.

It felt like I was using muscles I hadn’t used before, causing the throbbing.

I instinctively realized that the more I used this sensation, the sharper I would become.

I turned my gaze to check the time.

There was still plenty of time before dinner.

This meant I could continue hunting for a while longer.

I moved immediately before the buff from [Winning Streak] expired.

Since it was a buff that would disappear once the battle was over, the flow had to be maintained continuously.

The longer the battle continued, the more the buffs would stack.

As the speed increased, so did the acceleration of my hunting.

With every swing of the sword, the bandits’ heads flew off.

Even if I was blocked, it was fine.

I would simply capitalize on my overwhelming mobility to look for another opportunity.

As expected from an area designed for party hunting, the experience points increased rapidly.

Level-up messages quickly appeared.

Perhaps due to the increase in hunting speed, the monster respawn rate couldn’t keep up.

As a result, my hunting radius expanded, and I encountered other users.

The hunting method involving parties was stable, but the speed was slow.

It was bothersome.

They hadn’t invaded my hunting spot, but if I returned to match their respawn speed, their hunting pace would get tangled up.

I regretted not being able to cover the entire hunting ground alone.

However, it wasn’t impossible.

If it were a hunting strategy involving herding rather than breaking down one group at a time, it would be a different story.

This was impossible for an ordinary user without area skills.

But now, I could make it happen.

No, I could do it.

I could state that confidently.

The charge, fueled by my overwhelming mobility, began.

Using the buffs from [Winning Streak] and the light leather armor, my mobility far exceeded that of the monsters.

I gathered the respawning monsters into one location.

I could handle five groups on my own.

Since there were three monsters respawning per group, I would have to deal with a total of 15 monsters.

Even for a tanking job with a shield, it would be hard to endure without a healer.

Because I kept moving, the monsters following me lined up in a row.

Those left behind were archers capable of long-range attacks.

The ones close to me were the warriors.

Like peeling an apple, I utilized my mobility to circle around.

I swung my sword to block the warriors’ attacks and dove into the archer formation whenever the cooldown of [Charge] was up, taking off 2-3 of their heads.

As a result of repeating that action, I could finally take off the last bandit’s head.

Swish!

A total of 15 corpses disappeared in an instant.

I had displayed overwhelming skill, causing my head to throb.

The headache was relentless, and I felt it might be time for a brief rest.

I turned my head to check the time.

9:55 PM.

The moment I checked the time, my mouth dropped open in disbelief.

When did so much time pass?

The character, which had been level 10, had now grown to level 15.

Seeing that growth, I nodded in approval.

I had been so immersed that I hadn’t even noticed the passage of time.

9:56 PM. The time continued to flow.

The flow was interrupted.

The buff from [Winning Streak] also disappeared.

I was starting to think about returning when I heard,

“Hey there.”

The low voice sounded awkward.

Turning my head to identify the owner of the voice, I saw a party of three approaching me.

There were three: a tank, a warrior, and a healer.

It was a typical party composition.

“LF?”

I asked, resting my sword on my shoulder.

Then, the man at the front, holding a shield, nodded and spoke.

“You’re intentionally hindering our hunting, aren’t you?”

“Intentionally? Me?”

“I saw you taking monsters from our spot.”

I frowned at his words.

It seemed like that slow-moving party had been them all along.

But his claim was incorrect.

Spot? With their hunting speed, could they really handle that area?

It was ridiculous.

“Hah.”

“Are you laughing?”

The atmosphere turned tense.

9:57 PM.

Three minutes until the shutdown policy takes effect.

Was it the effect of my rejuvenated body?

Anger surged within me, unexpectedly.

Why? Just because.

It was frustrating. Watching those sluggish fools was infuriating.

That feeling finally boiled over.

Those guys were confronting me.

“A spot, huh?”

“Yeah. It’s our spot.”

The atmosphere grew even more tense.

The man in front raised his shield, while the warrior beside him drew his sword.

The priest, needless to say, frowned as he prepared for battle.

Ah.

9:58 PM.

I manipulated the interface to create a party.

Even so, I was the only member.

But this was a necessary step to deal with those annoying guys.

“You’ve got a sharp tongue.”

I let my emotions sway me as I surrendered my body to sensation.

I manipulated the interface to challenge them to a duel.

Party against party, with a penalty of two hours of connectivity ban.

It didn’t matter if I lost; I would be banned from playing in two minutes anyway.

“What’s this… you’re alone?”

“Two minutes.”

“Two minutes?”

“I’ll finish it in two minutes.”

My opponent laughed in disbelief at my words.

And then he accepted my challenge.

A translucent flag descended from the sky.

9:59 PM.

“One minute.”

Time to deal with those guys.

The moment the duel began, I dashed forward.

Utilizing my overwhelming mobility, I spun around the tank, looking for an opening.

Was it because they lacked PVP experience?

The priest’s movements were sluggish.

He didn’t try to hide behind the tank.

There were gaps everywhere.

Were they really gaps?

Could this be a trap?

Trust your instincts.

My mind quickly organized itself, and my body began to move.

As I leaned forward, [Charge] activated.

My body moved faster than before, bypassing my opponent’s gaze to strike the priest.

Boom!

The powerful impact began at the shoulder, causing the priest’s body to twist.

Since he was wearing light cloth armor, he must have taken significant damage.

It was no different from facing bandits.

Only the target had changed.

Both were humanoid, and the vital points were the same, so the trajectory of my sword was identical.

Slash!

With a single strike, the priest’s head flew off.

Immediately afterward, I launched into my next action.

The one who reacted to my attack was the warrior standing beside me.

He showed a more agile response than the tank with the massive shield.

Retrieving his swung sword, he quickly turned and raised it.

Clang!

I felt the shock as he deflected my attack.

But I didn’t stop.

The next skill activated.

[Counterattack]

It triggered at the perfect moment.

The body enhanced by the system’s correction delivered a faster and more powerful strike.

Slash!

The brilliant effect of [Counterattack] sent my opponent’s head flying.

But I didn’t stop.

The time I had was running out, and the enemy was still standing.

I didn’t slow the speed of my swinging sword.

I rotated my body, channeling that momentum to strike the remaining tank’s shoulder.

Clang!

My attack was blocked by the giant shield.

Had he activated a class skill?

I felt significant counterattack damage.

But I didn’t stop.

The rebounding sword flew skyward, aiming for my opponent’s head.

Just like a bull raising its horns, the sword was lifted upward.

Through the gap in the helmet, my attack pierced his eye.

Swoosh!

There was no scream.

My opponent was simply flustered.

However, the character’s health dropped drastically.

The game system judged it to be fatal damage, leading to instant death.

The duel ended.

The winner was, of course, me.

The party that lost would face the connectivity ban penalty.

As I looked at my fallen opponent, I swung my sword.

At that moment, a message appeared before me.

[Shutdown Policy Notification]

You can no longer play the game.

The server connection will be terminated.

I timed it perfectly.

‘This isn’t even like Cinderella…’

As I emerged from the capsule, a long sigh escaped me.