As soon as she entered the house, she checked the the entrance.
A pair of sneakers lay haphazardly, a clear sign that Harang was already holed up inside his capsule.
Without a second thought, she opened the shoe cabinet, picked up her sneakers and his, and placed them neatly inside.
The heels are missing.
She noticed the shiny pair of heels that should've been in the cabinet were gone.
Those heels were part of a faded memory, her mother's favorite shoes.
Their absence meant her mother had gone out.
She pulled out her phone.
Hayeon wasn't like most middle schoolers—her phone didn't even have a lock screen.
Swiping through the messages, she quickly found the one from her mother.
It said that she'd be home late tonight and had left a card in the living room for them to order dinner.
With her mother gone, there was only one thing to do—get ready to log into the game.
She quickly changed out of her school uniform, folding it neatly, and switched into more comfortable clothes.
After that, she made sure to visit the bathroom.
* * * *
As soon as she logged into the game, her vision expanded, and the map began loading based on her last log-in point.
A moment passed, and the view of the forest appeared before her—the area where bandit-type monsters spawned, the middle of the Forest of Verdant Green.
Upon logging in, the game provided a brief invincibility window, where monsters wouldn't recognize her presence if she stayed still.
But she didn't need it this time. She immediately began moving.
The instant she took a step, her invincibility wore off, and the bandits scattered throughout the area turned their attention toward her.
There were three of them—a pair of swordsmen and an archer on patrol.
Her battle priorities were set.
In her mind, she mapped out the most efficient combat strategy.
With a single step forward, her body lowered into a poised stance, and a skill activated in sync.
[Charge]
The moment mana formed a blue barrier around her body, she shot forward like a streak of light.
A long blue trail curved sharply behind her as she bypassed the two swordsmen and closed in on the archer.
Her attack landed squarely, and the archer was stunned.
The impact felt satisfying, but she didn't stop. She knew that wasting this moment could lead to trouble.
The collision with the enemy triggered a brief delay due to the skill, but as soon as it ended, she swung her sword, feeling the weight of the Highlander blade in her hands.
It was heavier than a basic iron sword, but her two-handed grip gave her the leverage she needed.
Squeak!
With a slash from her lower left to upper right, the bandit's head flew off.
A critical hit triggered the [Victory After Victory] buff.
As long as she stayed in battle mode, the buff would remain, speeding her up further.
Only a 1% boost, but even that small change threw off her timing. She would need to adjust quickly.
After decapitating the archer, she spun around, but the two swordsmen were already closing in with their attacks. She didn't have time to dodge.
Blocking was her only option.
She activated [Counterattack].
Her instincts kicked in, and she angled her sword just in time to deflect their strikes.
Crash!
The force from their attacks still knocked her back, indicating the counter hadn't activated perfectly.
Her health dipped sharply, but she ignored it. All she needed was an opening.
Her body moved forward again, her legs pushing off the ground as she lunged toward the nearest swordsman.
Her Highlander blade sliced across his neck.
A second kill.
The [Victory After Victory] buff grew stronger. The increasing speed strained her focus, making her head throb.
But she didn't stop. This was the realm of senses, where every action relied solely on instinct.
Her body weaved through the remaining swordsman's attacks with a sharp, almost unnatural fluidity.
She needed more distance to land her next strike.
Though her last movement left her too far away, she pressed on.
She swung her sword again, her arms arcing in preparation for the attack.
Her blade sliced through the swordsman's arm, leaving his torso exposed.
She wasted no time.
She thrust her sword straight into his neck, delivering a fatal blow that stunned the enemy.
Then, reversing her grip, she ripped the sword out in a brutal horizontal slash.
Another head flew.
She had taken down an entire group of bandits on her own.
Her head pounded from the strain, but she pushed through. It felt like using muscles she hadn't before, a painful but tolerable experience.
She instinctively knew—the more she relied on this enhanced sense, the sharper it would become.
She glanced at the time.
It was still a long while before dinner.
There was plenty of time for more hunting.
Before the [Victory After Victory] buff wore off, she moved again.
As long as the buff continued stacking, her speed would increase, making her hunting even faster.
Each time her sword struck, another bandit's head fell. Even if she missed or her attacks were blocked, her superior speed and mobility always created another opening.
The area was designed for party hunting, so her experience points quickly piled up.
Soon, a level-up notification appeared on her screen.
Her hunting was so efficient that the monsters couldn't respawn fast enough.
As her hunting radius expanded, she began encountering other players.
Most of them were in parties, hunting at a steady but slow pace.
It irritated her. While she didn't invade their territory, the way they disrupted the respawn timers grated on her nerves.
If she could cover the entire area on her own, it wouldn't be an issue.
But there was another solution: kiting—gathering multiple monsters and taking them out in one swoop.
For the average player, especially one without any area-of-effect skills, this would be impossible.
But for her? It was well within her capabilities.
She began dashing through the area with her overwhelming speed, utilizing the [Victory After Victory] buff and her light leather armor.
She gathered groups of monsters, up to five groups at a time.
Each group had about three monsters, totaling fifteen. It was a challenge even for a tanking class, and without a healer, it would be suicide for most players.
Her constant movement caused the monsters to form a neat line behind her.
The archers trailed at the back, with the swordsmen closest to her.
She circled them like carving an apple, using her mobility to deflect the swordsmen's strikes while diving into the archer line when her [Charge] cooldown was ready.
Each time she charged, two or three archers lost their heads.
After several repetitions, she took out the last bandit.
Slash!
Fifteen bodies hit the ground, then quickly vanished.
Her skills were undeniably impressive, but her head throbbed from the strain.
A short break was needed.
She glanced at the time.
[9:55 p.m]
Her eyes widened.
Had time passed that quickly?
Her character, which had been level 10, was now level 15.
Looking at her progress, she nodded.
She had become so immersed that she had lost track of time.
The clock kept ticking.
Her momentum had broken, and the [Victory After Victory] buff had expired.
It was time to head back.
"Hey!"
A low voice interrupted her thoughts.
She turned toward the source and saw a party approaching her.
Three of them: a tank, a swordsman, and a healer.
A typical party setup.
"Me?"
She casually rested her sword on her shoulder.
The tank nodded, stepping forward.
"You're intentionally griefing, aren't you?"
"Intentionally? Me?"
"I saw you pulling monsters from our spot."
She furrowed her brow.
The slow, irritating party she'd noticed earlier—it had been these guys.
But he was wrong.
A spot? Were they serious? Did they really think they could cover that entire area with their pace?
The absurdity made her laugh.
"Hah."
"Are you laughing?"
The atmosphere grew tense.
[9:57 p.m]
Three minutes until the shutdown.
Perhaps it was the younger body, but anger surged inside her.
Why? Maybe because it had been building up.
Their sluggish pace had been unbearable to watch.
And now, they were accusing her of wrongdoing.
"A spot, huh?"
"Yeah. It's our spot."
The tension escalated as the tank raised his shield, and the swordsman unsheathed his sword.
The healer, standing behind them, looked equally displeased.
[9:58 p.m]
She opened the interface to create a party.
Of course, she was the only member.
But taking them all on would require it.
"Your tongue is too long."
She let her emotions guide her actions, much like how she had let her instincts control her body in combat.
Opening the interface, she sent them a duel request.
A party vs. party duel. The penalty? A two-hour ban from the game.
It didn't matter if she lost—she'd be forced out in two minutes anyway.
"What? You're alone?"
"Two minutes."
"Two minutes?"
"I'll finish this in two minutes."
The party leader laughed, finding her claim ridiculous.
But they accepted the duel.
A translucent flag dropped from the sky.
[9:59 p.m]
"One minute."
The time she had to deal with them.
The duel began, and she immediately dashed forward. Using her mobility, she circled the tank, waiting for an opening.
The healer was inexperienced in PvP—she didn't stay behind the tank, leaving herself wide open.
Too easy. Could it be a trap?
Trust your instincts.
Her mind snapped into focus, and her body reacted.
Her torso leaned forward as [Charge] activated.
Her body shot toward the healer like a bullet.
Bam!
The impact knocked the healer back. Her flimsy cloth armor didn't provide much protection, and the damage was significant.
This wasn't much different from fighting the bandits earlier.
The only difference was that this time, the opponent was human.
Slash!
With a single strike, the healer's head flew off.
She didn't stop.
The swordsman was next to react, moving faster than the tank with the shield.
She spun, bringing her sword up just in time to block his attack.
Clang!
The impact jolted through her arms, but she didn't let up. Her next skill was already prepared.
[Counterattack]
It activated perfectly.
With the system's assistance, her body moved faster and delivered a more powerful strike.
Slash!
The dramatic effects of [Counterattack] filled the screen as the swordsman's head was sent flying.
But it wasn't over.
The timer was still ticking, and one enemy remained.
Her sword didn't stop. Using the momentum of her previous swing, she turned it into a strike aimed at the tank's shoulder.
Clang!
Her sword hit the massive shield, triggering a skill.
The tank countered, and she took significant damage in return.
But she pressed on.
Her sword flew into the air, and as it descended, it plunged directly into the tank's head.
Crunch!
There was no scream.
The tank was simply too stunned.
His health bar plummeted, registering the strike as fatal.
The duel was over.
She had won.
The penalty fell on the opposing party—they would be banned from logging in for two hours.
She watched as their bodies collapsed to the ground, dead.
Then, a notification appeared before her eyes.
[Shutdown Notice]
[You can no longer play the game.
The server connection has been terminated.]
She had timed it perfectly.
This is like a Cinderella story...
She sighed heavily as she climbed out of the capsule.