1.

A brilliant sun and searing heat. The pungent smell of sweat. He opened his eyes to a freshness he couldn't feel in Seoul, where winter was just around the corner.

'Hah, this is the third time already.'

The first time, it was unfamiliar and frightening. The fear of dying in an unknown place. The realization that this was different from a dungeon.

But then he met the princess and understood this place wasn't just a cage teeming with monsters that lived on instinct alone. Every person he met had a sense of self and acted freely, not bound by some pre-written story. Of course, in game terms, they were probably characters within a quest created by the developers.

But their intelligence and actions were no different from the players themselves. In that freedom, the developers had made the quest change dynamically, reacting to their actions and the player's choices.

The moment he realized that, his second entry into the Gold Mission was filled with excitement. The biggest reason was, of course, the princess—an element that stimulated his interest and desire to proceed with the quest. It wasn't just because of her; all those little elements added up and made him act more proactively.

Had there ever been a game he played this diligently, even spending real money? He had poured gold he should have been saving into the quest without hesitation, and now he was planning his real-life schedule around the Gold Mission. That's how important he considered it.

That's how much interest he felt. It was more than a simple reward. It was a world he was creating. A dream no human could refuse.

And so, the third time he faced it was with familiarity. It was routine.

'I'm eight hours late.'

In truth, it probably wouldn't have mattered if he hadn't entered right after the mission became available. A battle doesn't end in a single day, and the possibility of the Allied and Imperial forces being engaged in their final battle the moment it was activated was not high.

'I have to save the Imperial Army, no matter what.'

He was fully immersed in the quest. He considered the changes that occurred when one acted with leisure, the variables that could arise in a giant machine that turned without the slightest respect for the will or time of the player. He thought about the events that would unfold if he didn't tighten the screws of that machine himself. It would never turn out well.

So he had entered. And even after entering, he moved quickly.

No, he had been 'about' to move.

"Hey! You!"

But before he could, a shout rang out, forcing him into motion.

When he turned his head, a knight in armor was approaching, scowling deeply.

"Me?"

"Yeah, you bastard. Are you spacing out? Move it!"

A merciless kick came flying.

"Ugh."

A sharp pain flared in his thigh, and he stumbled forward against his will. And then he could see it clearly.

"What the…"

Soldiers were scrambling about, running to arm themselves and loading provisions onto wagons. He didn't need an explanation to understand what was going on.

He recognized the preparations for war and knew exactly what this war was for.

'Already?'

He'd expected at least a few days to prepare, but it was starting the moment he arrived. Then again, he was eight hours late, so perhaps this was to be expected. Fortunate to have been dropped in among soldiers preparing to move out, he casually blended into the ranks. Pretending to move some luggage, he checked the Hologram.

[Use of owned equipment is restricted to fit the mission.]

[You have acquired 1,000 Gold.]

[This Gold will be reclaimed upon completion of the Gold Mission. Items used via the Gold Shop will not be reclaimed.]

[A role will be assigned to fit the mission.]

[You have been assigned the role of 'The protagonist disguised as a soldier.']

Perhaps because the quest's backdrop was a battlefield where countless swords and arrows would fly, he received a decent amount of Gold. Combined with the 240 Gold he'd brought with him, he had a surplus of over 1,200. On top of that, he'd been assigned a role that perfectly summarized his current situation.

'It just decided to disguise me as a soldier on its own.'

It was better than wasting time at some tavern just to find the battlefield, but he couldn't shake the strange feeling. Just as he was grumbling and trying to formulate a plan, he froze.

"Huh?"

A truly unsettling feeling shot down his spine.

"Wait a minute."

He found the source of his unease in the Hologram.

'Disguised as a soldier?'

'Me? Why?'

Even if his identity wasn't confirmed, he was the benefactor who had rescued the princess from a slave caravan. Why would such a person be disguised as a soldier just because he was away for a bit? It made no sense.

The reason it did make sense became clear when he changed a single word.

'Ah, shit. These are the Allied Forces.'

He'd thought it was strangely relaxed for a castle preparing for war. The food being loaded onto the carts was plentiful, and the weapons were abundant. Maybe he'd forgotten after spending three weeks readjusting to his life back in reality.

The Imperial Army was on the run. And there were no factions left that could afford to help them so leisurely.

"This will end at Erda Gorge! The princess and the last of the Imperial Army are hiding there! Let us defeat the evil of the continent and reclaim peace!"

"Raaaaaaaaah!"

A massive roar erupted as the castle gates swung open.

'Boom! Boom! Boom!'

An endless procession began to march out, accompanied by the warm sunlight, sweltering heat, and the pungent smell of sweat.

Walking among the ranks of the Allied Forces, he finally understood.

'They were bound to fall.'

The Allied Forces were a coalition of various kingdoms. Therefore, they were bound to lack the unity of the Imperial Army on the battlefield. Instead of one unified commander, each nation would have its own command structure. But from what he could see, despite the different kingdom crests on their armor, the soldiers moved as one. Their discipline alone told him everything.

They were a single, cohesive unit. And it wouldn't have been difficult for a unified Allied force to tear apart the massive Empire, a tiger rotting from the inside out.

At the same time, another realization struck him.

"For the continent! Let us root out the remnants of the Empire that have joined hands with the vile demons!"

This war, this quest, was a testament to the long and winding path he had chosen. He closed his eyes and looked up at the cloudless sky. This wasn't a simple war between the Empire and the Allied Forces; it was a war between the continent and a force of evil involved with black magic. Whether there was a misunderstanding or not, that was the truth for now.

'Can we win? No, how are we supposed to win?'

A sigh escaped him.

"Hah, who knows. I guess a path will open up if I just tackle things one at a time."

Time to move. It wouldn't be too late to think about the future when it arrived.

'Thud. Thud.'

For a long while, the endless sound of footsteps continued, accompanied by military songs. On and on they marched.

* * *

Every South Korean man knows a time when he lets out a truly heartfelt curse: during a twenty-five-mile march.

"This is bullshit. This goddamn hologram, no, Gold Maker, no, you son of a bitch god. Isn't raising the Gold Mission difficulty like this going too far?"

If it were just a twenty-five-mile march, he could let out a satisfying string of curses, console his disobedient legs, and just endure for half a day. Afterwards, even with his legs feeling like jelly and his whole body drenched in sweat, a hot shower, warm ramen, a can of military-issue soda, and the oddly satisfying sense of accomplishment would wash over him, instilling the confidence that he could overcome any injustice society threw at him.

But this was not that. If it had been a march that ended at twenty-five miles, he would have enjoyed it like a light stroll with his enhanced stats.

"How much farther is it?"

He had definitely finished the last quest at a castle near the Empire's border. In gaming terms, that was his logout spot, but the castle he had just left felt much farther away. Then, it occurred to him that it might just be possible.

"If they were on the run for three weeks, they could have gone pretty far."

If he thought of it as closing a three-week gap, the march might not be so illogical. Of course, these were all meaningless thoughts born from utter boredom. He was so bored. Thanks to his stamina stat approaching sixty, his body wasn't in pain from the walk, which only made it worse.

How long did he have to keep this up? It wasn't like he was admiring mountains, fields, or the sea. He was surrounded on all sides by men clad in iron armor. At best, he could look up at the sky, but after five minutes, the sun made his eyes sting.

And if he broke ranks? For someone like him, with nothing but his Gold Ring, only summary execution awaited.

So, he offered a prayer.

'Please, just let us get there.'

Perhaps his sincerity reached someone, because before long, a pair of massive cliffs with a narrow path between them—Erda Gorge—came into view.

"Son of a…"

They had arrived a full week after the march began.

2.

The number of Allied soldiers he saw upon arrival was far greater than he had imagined. An army gathered in the name of God. Their numbers appeared to be at least three times the size of the force he was a part of. The sheer pressure of them surrounding the narrow gorge, which looked too small to hold them all, was palpable.

Was this what it felt like to be on the winning side of a ridiculously lopsided fight? From his position as a mere soldier on the front lines, the only thought that came to mind was how they could possibly lose.

'Even if they use the gorge to their advantage.'

Whatever the number of Imperial soldiers, they were outnumbered at least ten to one. And they weren't even a proper army, but a force scraped together at the end of a war to prepare for the future. With such troops, they might be able to mount a defense by blocking the narrow gorge and the attack routes from above. But that would only last for a moment.

The only thing effective against overwhelming numbers is overwhelming power. Unless twenty meteors suddenly fell from the sky and wiped out over seventy percent of the Allied Forces, the advantage of the narrow gorge would eventually be pushed back, step by step, by the endlessly advancing troops. The moment they broke through the gorge and onto the wide plains, the war—the battle—would be over.

"Hmm."

That wasn't what Kim Buja needed to worry about. He never once thought he would perform some spectacular feat on the battlefield. He could handle ordinary soldiers, unlike the knights of the slave caravan, but being surrounded in an endless battle would ultimately lead to death.

So, he had two things to consider.

'How do I get out of here?'

'And how do I drive them away?'

Winning the battle was out of the question. The quest's completion requirement was to defeat the Allied Forces and open a path to a safe location. That meant the path behind the gorge was unsuitable for escape; fleeing that way would mean being relentlessly pursued.

Amidst these terrible conditions, Kim Buja thought of the advantages he had. One was his Legendary-grade class and the roughly 1,400 gold he had accumulated over the past week. His individual abilities were still insufficient, but he had the Gold Shop, which could create plenty of variables. It offered countless items. Although the selection was limited compared to what remained locked, he could already see many items that would be highly effective here.

And if he utilized his second advantage…

'My affiliation with the Allied Forces.'

He had enough materials to paint his masterpiece.

* * *

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