Chapter 51: “Party? No Thanks.”

“Gasp!”

The moment I logged into the game, I quickly checked my body.

The muscular limbs were nowhere to be found. Instead, in their place were my pale, delicate hands and feet, just like in reality. As I wiggled my small palms, I realized just how immense the strength of that giant demon’s body had been.

The towering height that had allowed me to look down upon buildings was also gone.

I had reverted to being a very small girl, just like my real-life self.

Of course, since this was still my game character, I was an incredibly powerful little girl.

Helena – “Yeon-ah, have you returned to your original form?”
Yeon – “Yeah.”
Helena – “That’s such a relief…”

Helena—who was, in reality, Sohee—hugged me tightly the moment I arrived at school today.

She had witnessed my transformation up close more than anyone else.

She told me that seeing me turn into that demonic form in real time had been horrifying and terrifying. She even said she had nightmares about it that night.

Shaken by her nightmares, Sohee clung to me all day, refusing to let go.

It was as if she feared that my real body might also turn into that terrifying demon.

Though the gazes of our classmates turned a bit strange, I couldn’t just leave my friend trembling in anxiety.

In the end, I had no choice but to let her hold onto me.

After finishing my conversation with Helena, I looked around.

Although the invasion event had been forcefully terminated, it didn’t seem to have had any major impact.

Still, just in case, I turned and went looking for Nerim.

[Nerim]
Instructor for the Hell Witch advancement quest.

A witch wearing a deep black hood stood in front of the witch’s workshop. As I approached, she spoke her preset dialogue.

“Do you have business with me?”

Her response was no different from how she would react to any other player.

During the Hidden Quest, she had pulled back her hood to reveal her face.

But since she wasn’t doing so now, it seemed the Hidden Quest had completely ended.

Even when I showed my sword in front of Nerim, she showed no special reaction.

This time, I headed to the Temple of the Sun while equipping the cursed sword.

Perhaps because equipping it caused a two-tier drop in favorability with NPCs associated with the Sun God, none of the NPCs at the temple would speak to me.

They all turned their heads away, avoiding me completely.

Of course, once I unequipped the cursed sword, the favorability returned to normal.

I had a feeling that there were more hidden Easter eggs related to this sword.

Though, for now, it was just a hunch.

With the cursed sword in hand, I set out to a hunting ground.

After all, when you obtain a new weapon, you have to test its performance.

Yesterday, the invasion event had occurred right after I acquired the sword.

Which meant I hadn’t even had a proper chance to wield it.

This time, I intended to use it properly.

As time passed, more lower-level players had leveled up and made their way to higher hunting grounds.

In other words, even the highest-level hunting grounds, which were once deserted, had become crowded.

The current season’s highest-tier hunting ground: [Drake’s Domain].

A place where level 45 elite monsters poured out endlessly.

I had used this very hunting ground when leveling up.

Back then, it was hard to find other players in the area.

But now, quite a few people were roaming around.

“Looking for a party! Level 43 Rogue!”
“Recruiting a mage to grind to max level!”

Just like the scenes I had witnessed in low-level zones before, people were looking for party members.

Some planted signs in the ground and waited silently, while others ran around, shouting at the top of their lungs.

“This great being has descended…”

As I stepped into the hunting ground, I muttered under my breath.

Ever since I uploaded the Absolute Blood Demon Proclamation video, more and more people in the game had started to recognize me.

As I drew my cursed sword, I felt two conflicting emotions at once:

• I wanted to hunt quietly without being noticed.
• I wanted people to recognize me.

It was a feeling any player would understand.

There was something satisfying about wandering through hunting grounds and seeing random strangers recognize me and react with surprise.

It felt as if I had become a famous celebrity.

If I were still playing as Daron with just a keyboard and mouse, I would have openly flaunted it.

I would have swung my cursed sword recklessly, showing off my strength to everyone.

The desire to show off was a natural feeling.

It wasn’t strange at all.

A murky glow spread across the blade, and dark energy began seeping out.

The black aura mixed with the red blood energy flowing from my body, creating an incredibly cool visual effect.

In that state, I activated the buff skill of the Paladin class—[Holy Blessing].

Golden divine energy burst forth from the blade in long streaks.

I didn’t stop there. Since this was just an open field, I had no reservations about using Holy Blessing Doping Potions as well.

“Whoa…”

I hadn’t even started hunting yet, but a passing rogue had already begun to admire my presence.

I shrugged my shoulders and stepped forward.

“Isn’t that Yeon?”
“Who’s Yeon?”
“You know, that middle school girl… first-clear raid player.”
“Ah…”

They recognized me.

People around me were beginning to realize who I was.

As expected, famous people shine no matter where they go.

The corners of my mouth twitched upward in satisfaction.

“But she’s really tiny.”
“How did she customize her character like that?”
“Is she actually a middle schooler?”
“No way, right? What kind of middle schooler would even consider dungeon resets?”
“Yeah, there’s definitely an old man inside.”
“An old man? With a body like that?”

They thought they were whispering among themselves, but my character, enhanced with various stat boosts, had exceptional hearing.

I could hear everything.

I let out a small laugh.

An old man? Not a chance.

There were plenty of players who role-played as middle or high school girls, but I wasn’t one of them.

I was a real middle school girl.

Just then, a Drake respawned right before my eyes.

I wanted to pull multiple monsters together and take them down at once, but with so many other parties spread across the hunting ground, that wasn’t an option.

I raised my sword and set my sights on the Drake.

The moment its crimson gaze locked onto me, the Drake’s massive, scale-covered body charged straight toward me.

With calm, steady eyes, I scanned the creature.

The slight excitement that had momentarily disrupted my breathing quickly settled.

A faint sensation tingled at the back of my mind as I moved purely by instinct.

My feet were set shoulder-width apart, and I raised my sword, pulling it back slightly.

The instant faint sparks of lightning crackled from the blade, my sword thrust forward, my legs extending in sync.

The movement was incomparably swift.

Cutting through the air, my blade easily tore through the Drake’s maw, while my upper body tilted just enough to evade its attack.

But my motion didn’t stop there.

Pulling my back foot forward, I used my extended front foot as an axis, pivoting lightly.

The sword, which had been buried in the Drake’s mouth, slid out to the side, soaring upward as if preparing for the next strike.

Then, carrying the full momentum of my spin, the blade descended in a powerful downward slash.

Slice!

The Drake’s head was severed in an instant, and at that precise moment—crackle!—a black bolt of lightning struck down from the sky.

The attack landed atop the already dead Drake, but it didn’t matter.

I had successfully created the overwhelming, flashy, and utterly dominating display I had envisioned.

Two attacks.

That was all it took to behead an elite Drake.

“Am I too strong?”

Comparing myself to the ordinary players around me, my overwhelming power became all the more evident.

“Holy shit, that’s insane…”
“Isn’t that because of the Orc Warrior’s Ring?”
“Even if they have the ring, they still need a good weapon…”

Pretending not to hear the murmurs, I sheathed my sword.

Shing— Click—!

A clean and flawless finish.

Even though I had only slain a single Drake, the sheer destructive power of my cursed sword was undeniable.

At that moment, someone started approaching me.

A tank-class player, clad in full plate armor, moved toward me like a walking fortress.

“Excuse me.”

His gaze was fixed directly on me.

There was no one else nearby—he had definitely come for me.

Was this what happened when you got too famous?

I raised my hand, signaling him to stop.

“I don’t do parties.”

“Huh?”

“I said, I don’t do parties. I prefer solo play.”

Perhaps surprised by my unexpectedly polite refusal, his expression stiffened.

The previously confident look on his face faltered slightly.

“No, I just—”

“Even if you beg, I can’t help you.”

I continued rejecting him in a firm yet courteous manner.

The tank’s face twisted, as if he hadn’t expected to be turned down.

He glanced back over his shoulder.

Behind him stood a priest and a mage, most likely his party members.

The three of them exchanged glances in silence, seemingly communicating without words.

At that moment, another Drake respawned.

I immediately swung my sword, slaughtering the Drake in an instant.

As expected, I had become far too strong to be hunting in this area.

Lost in my own strength, I let out a subtle smirk—when suddenly, I felt an intense gaze from the side.

It was the tank player who had been trying to invite me to a party earlier.

“Uh… this is our spot…”

A spot…

A spot?

I blinked, tilting my head in confusion.

Did that mean I had completely misunderstood the situation?

He hadn’t approached me to invite me to a party—he had come to tell me that this was the hunting ground they had already claimed?

“No matter how strong you are… people like us…”

I didn’t even hear the rest of his sentence.

Heat rushed to my face, and my ears went numb.

“Uh, hey? Miss Blood Fiend?”

“Ahem…”

My whole face felt like it was on fire.

I cleared my throat and averted my gaze before sheathing my sword.

So it wasn’t a party invitation.

I had just misunderstood everything on my own.

What must I have looked like to the others?

No wonder the tank player’s expression had seemed off.

That wasn’t the typical reaction of someone rejected from a party invitation.

And now, the surrounding players had all witnessed this humiliating scene.

“Whoa… did you see that? ‘Party… troublesome…'”
“Crazy b*tch…”

I—I didn’t say that!

I had just politely refused!

“Party… troublesome…”—I would never say something like that!

I turned my head to glare at the players gossiping about me, but they didn’t avoid my gaze.

On the contrary, they met my eyes head-on and kept talking among themselves.

“Her face is completely red.”
“Looks like she’s embarrassed…”
“Or maybe she’s just enjoying it? In those event videos, she called herself the Blood Fiend, right?”
“Wasn’t that just an act?”
“Nah, the top-tier players say she actually believes it.”
“Apparently, she likes being called ‘Blood Fiend’ too.”

I felt like I was suffocating.

Without hesitation, I turned and began activating my return stone.

Vrrrmmmm—!

As the return stone’s casting sound filled the air, the players’ voices echoed faintly behind me.

“The Blood Fiend is fleeing!”
“Blood Fiend! Say ‘Party… troublesome…’ one more time!”

Flash—!

The moment the return stone activated, I opened my eyes to find myself in the heart of the capital city.

I collapsed onto the ground, clutching my head.

I really needed to change my character customization.

When did they even release the customization change item for this game?

As I rummaged through my hazy memories, I felt like crying.