1.

[Gold Mission]

▶ Chapter 1

▶ Chapter 2

# 2-1: Allied Forces

A new chapter had unlocked.

It was time to enter.

Truth be told, he had wanted to dive back in the moment Chapter 2 opened.

Because the Gold Mission was structured like a game, it nagged at him—making him anxious, making him feel as though the world wouldn't turn without him.

The princess's situation regarding the Empire was particularly precarious; it wouldn't be strange if everything collapsed right this second.

Even if they had safely reached the natural fortress, taking down a single isolated castle would be child's play for the Allied Forces.

In fact, if I heard the Empire had already fallen during the two months I had been away, it wouldn't come as a surprise.

Nevertheless, Kim Buja held back.

He focused on his real life and immersed himself in the Event.

The Gold Mission might contain the princess and a fantasy world where he held immunity to act as he pleased, but that didn't make it his reality.

Ultimately, Kim Buja was a real person who had lived in South Korea for twenty-four years. He was currently making enough money to qualify as a proper citizen of the best country on Earth to live in.

Reality came first. The Gold Mission came second.

Of course, if he neglected the mission for too long and things went south in that world—which flowed in sync with real-time—and the princess suddenly died, that would significantly impact the real-world Kim Buja as well.

Regardless of how many chapters remained, the Gold Mission gave noticeable rewards for every cleared stage. It was mandatory content he had to see through to the end, even putting personal curiosity aside.

Above all, Kim Buja didn't hold back simply because he wanted to.

The real-world Event had been that complex and urgent.

The proof was that he was heading straight for the Gold Mission after taking a proper rest the moment the Event ended.

"Shall we?"

Fortunately, through the Gold Mission, he could at least confirm the princess's status from reality.

[Allied Forces]

▶ Grade: Chapter 2-1

▶ Content: The Imperial Army is isolated. Gather forces to become allies.

▶ Reward: Depends on the size and number of kingdoms acquired

▶ Time Limit: 60 Days

"Phew."

Just looking at the text made him take a deep breath.

The time limit alone was suffocating.

This was exactly why he had no choice but to enter only after getting ample rest following the Event.

'To think I can't see Ms. Seora for two months.'

The princess showed interest in him, but he had already developed a romantic relationship with Jeong Seora.

They were close enough that she came and went from his house freely, often cooking all kinds of ramen for him late at night.

Of course, the princess had her charms.

Watching her grow not just as a woman, but as an Imperial princess rebuilding an empire, was gratifying.

However, leaving his girlfriend alone for two months when their relationship was in full bloom was heartbreaking.

Furthermore, he wasn't going there to play house with the princess for sixty days.

'Are there even any kingdoms left that would ally with us?'

He had to work.

It was a task so difficult he wondered if redoing the Battle of the Canyon would have been easier.

No, if he had known Chapter 2-1 would be like this, he would have somehow found another way through the Canyon Battle.

By accepting the "Dark Magic" frame set up by the Allied Forces head-on at the canyon, the difficulty of Chapter 2-1 had skyrocketed off the charts.

Yet, he didn't despair.

Kim Buja was a man who looked to the future rather than dwelling on immediate hardships.

'Even if it wasn't this, they would have given me a shitty difficulty level in a different way.'

The Gold Mission changed fluidly based on the princess's survival and the situation.

Since the princess survived the canyon and the misunderstanding that she had joined hands with a Warlock had spread perfectly across the continent, this specific Gold Mission content likely appeared in response.

If Kim Buja had saved the princess in a different way, a different version of Chapter 2-1 would likely be giving him a headache right now.

The Hologram worked that way.

Since it wasn't human, it didn't care about a player's whining.

Set difficulty, set rewards, set penalties.

At first glance, it seemed like an insurmountable wall, but there were also many positive aspects to consider.

'Anyway, I just have to clear it.'

There were no sanctions against variables.

If he used his wits to come up with a unique strategy and finished it so easily that he wondered if it was allowed, the system would still acknowledge it.

This was why Kim Buja preferred reality over games.

He felt both tension and anticipation.

'How should I clear it?'

'How should I save the Empire?'

The situation was bleak enough to feel like a massive burden crushing his shoulders, but Kim Buja, as both a participant and a third-party observer, approached the Gold Mission with a lighter heart than when playing a game.

"Well then, let's go."

[Activating Gold Mission Chapter 2-1 'Allied Forces'.]

[Use of possessed equipment is restricted according to the mission.]

[You have acquired 5,000 Gold.]

[This Gold will be retrieved upon the end of the Gold Mission. Items used through the Gold Shop will not be retrieved.]

His vision flashed, and for the first time in a while, Kim Buja entered the Gold Mission.

* * *

Teheran Castle had been strangely quiet for over two months.

Considering it was the last bastion where the Imperial Army—now officially branded as demons in league with Warlocks—was hiding, this silence was unsettling.

But the princess and the Imperial Army knew what this silence meant.

"Even the few kingdoms that said they'd lend strength have cut off contact."

"Is it the Alliance's doing again?"

"Since we effectively gave them proof of colluding with the Demon Race, it would be difficult for them to hastily lend support, even if the Alliance didn't explicitly intervene."

From the Alliance's perspective, it was much more convenient to keep the remaining Imperial remnants locked up in Teheran Castle rather than letting them scatter across the continent.

Even given time, the Imperial Army could do nothing.

The Alliance was confident they could flatten Teheran Castle whenever they wanted.

The only reason they were doing nothing—merely monitoring the situation via scouts—was due to the fear instilled by the bitter battle at the canyon, and because absorbing the remnants of the Empire, which had ruled the continent for millennia, without missing anything was a higher priority.

The princess had to use this.

She spared no effort and tried every avenue to utilize this time, but she had achieved nothing in two months.

It wasn't because she was incompetent.

Even if she were, the name of the late Emperor backed her.

Yet, the fact that no kingdom offered support showed just how much the name "Demon Race" was a source of fear and vigilance on the continent.

"Haah."

She couldn't give up like this.

She had come this far.

It might have been different if she had just committed suicide back then, but she had struggled tenaciously to survive, ultimately giving them the justification of the Empire's miserable fall through collusion with the Demon Race.

She couldn't be an unfilial daughter who, after surviving alone by fleeing, brought dishonor to the late Emperor.

The princess spoke to Kallis with a determined expression.

"Sir Kallis, I will go myself."

Naturally, Kallis shook his head.

"You cannot. It is too dangerous."

His calm reply, as if he had expected this, was filled with worry and guilt.

Saying it was dangerous didn't apply only to the princess.

In reality, less than half of the knights and Imperial staff dispatched to various kingdoms to ask for help had returned safely.

Even knights barely managed to escape most of the time, and the kingdoms that had received the Empire's help were turning their backs on the situation.

In such a climate, the princess moving herself?

She'd be lucky to even be treated as a princess.

"I know. But I have to move."

Kallis remained silent.

Kallis realized.

This wasn't a statement seeking his consent.

He wanted to persuade her that there was no point in the princess moving herself in this situation.

But Kallis also knew.

This helpless situation.

He knew that even staying in Teheran Castle wasn't safe, and that doing nothing simply because the odds were bad would only lead to death.

So, he nodded.

"Then I will go with you."

"Of course. It would be too dangerous without you, Sir Kallis."

The princess smiled brightly at that sentiment.

Knowing that the smile was forced, hiding deep sadness and worry, Kallis couldn't bring himself to smile back.

Preparations were made quickly.

There wasn't much to prepare.

Clothes to hide her identity and the disposable skin mask Kim Buja had given her.

There was one left.

When she put it on, her unique beauty, which would identify her as the princess, vanished without a trace.

Adding a shabby robe made her look like an ordinary person who wouldn't even draw a glance.

Kallis followed behind.

He also wore plain clothes and left his sword at Teheran Castle.

A conspicuous sword would fail to serve its purpose.

If a battle occurred, they had to run first anyway. It might be more effective to be unarmed to avoid suspicion.

In the dead of dawn, two shadows secretly slipped out of the castle after informing only the command, disappearing into the mountains behind the fortress.

It was a route undetected by the scouts watching the castle.

They quietly crossed the dark forest that swallowed even the moonlight.

They had checked countless times that it was a safe path, used whenever Imperial soldiers headed out, but they couldn't help being nervous.

Would someone ambush them?

In a situation where everyone on the continent had to be considered an enemy, moving to a place where safety wasn't guaranteed was anxiety-inducing.

Sudden variables in such a situation were enough to make one break out in a cold sweat.

Kallis, who had been running, suddenly stopped. The princess immediately halted and dropped to the ground.

It was an agreed signal.

'Danger! Enemy spotted!'

Goosebumps rose all over her body, forcing her to turn her head and gauge the distance back to Teheran Castle.

It wasn't far.

Enemy presence at this distance meant they were effectively completely surrounded.

Kallis also lowered his stance, holding his breath as he pierced the darkness with his gaze.

It wasn't a good response given they were unarmed, but the princess understood why he was watching when a sound dug into her ears.

Crunch! Crunch!

A single figure was walking toward them, footsteps audible, not caring about making noise in the forest where even the quiet chirping of insects sounded loud.

"Is this the right place? Seriously, if you're going to give me a map, make it readable so I can actually find it. Or just summon me inside the castle from the start! Making a person suffer like a dog at this ungodly hour for no reason, ugh."

That voice was definitely a familiar one she had heard somewhere.

The voice she missed and wanted to hear so much!

The princess stood up.

Discarding the skin mask she had worn so carefully because it was the only one left, she stepped out of the darkness into the space where moonlight filtered through.

"…Mr. Buja?"

"Huh?"

The moment doubt turned to certainty, the princess ran and embraced Kim Buja.

A feminine scent, different from Jeong Seora's, tickled his nose.

It was a reunion after nearly three months.

* * *

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