NOVEL NEXT chapter 157
As soon as I pushed through the login queue and entered the game, the sky above looked unusually high—like it was autumn. The once-green grass around the base had turned golden, and from the trees, crisp dried leaves were falling one by one.
Normally, I’d dive straight into the field to enjoy the Chuseok event—wander around, admire the changed scenery, and harvest event currency scattered across the map—but today wasn’t one of those days.
First, I went around to accept the weekly quests that had just reset. There were quests to defeat multiple players, repeat dungeons, collect specific items, accumulate honor...
By the time I’d collected all the weekly quests that reset every maintenance, it was already past 12:10. I’d been worried the event would bring a huge login queue, but thankfully, I got in pretty easily.
Relieved, I tore an [Instant Travel Scroll] and moved to the Glass Cavern. The loading screen showed a white glass floor, walls made of mirrors and crystal, and a grand, towering castle gate. Specks of light the size of millet seeds swirled in trails through the air. Even after access to the Hidden Mirror Maze was restricted, I’d revisited this place many times to farm for refining stones—but for some reason, today felt different.
Once the loading finished, the Glass Cavern was, as expected, completely empty. I’d been quietly hoping Abrea might appear, since they added new story cutscenes with the updated Hidden Mirror Maze, but no luck. I hadn’t seen Abrea even once since that quest ended, which made it all the more disappointing.
Since I still had a bit of time before our scheduled matchmaking, I left my character standing idle and opened Kang Jaegyung’s stream on my sub-monitor. Looked like he’d just gotten through the login queue too and was hurrying to collect his quests.
― “Isn’t it more likely that null was made on purpose? I mean, even if the concept was decided in advance, there’s no way they created a boss character and built out all the mechanics this fast. Plus, they even added a new story cutscene. ...What, you’re saying it’s possible if they grind up enough staff? I mean, if it comes to that, I’ve got nothing more to say...”
That damn tongue of his never rests.
He’s the same guy who talked my ear off at a café for two hours about how null is some kind of existential fatal error with divine implications, and now he’s all like, “Wasn’t it obviously intentional?” I couldn’t even roll my eyes hard enough.
I hadn’t said anything, thinking he’d get all sulky if I spoiled it—he’s the type who deflates if you correct him mid-hype—but now I was wondering if I should’ve just told him. After all, not a single proposal came through for any newly developed content. Null was intended from the start.
Still, knowing him, he’d probably look so crestfallen I’d regret it instantly. And honestly? His wild theories were fun, like reading a webnovel.
While excitedly debating with his viewers, Kang Jaegyung dutifully accepted his quests, then used a travel scroll just like I had to enter the Glass Cavern, where the Mirror Maze was located. That was right at 12:18. Both of us had made it on time.
I casually booted up the voice chat program. Since Kang Jaegyung often disappeared mid-game for stream reasons, he’d offered to turn on his mic to keep me company in the meantime, and I had no reason to refuse.
Thanks to having exchanged IDs beforehand, his call came through immediately once I logged in. I double-checked my mic was off and accepted the call, and the familiar voice chatting with viewers came through.
― “Am I using voice chat? Yeah! …Kkulppang? Kkulppang won’t be using the mic. We actually talked about it—he doesn’t want to appear directly on stream.”
Why do people keep asking about me on his stream replays? As if hearing Kang Jaegyung talk all day long isn’t already enough?
As expected, the man had no mute button.
Leaning back comfortably in my chair, I listened to him chatter while I checked the time. Then I sat up, moved my character, and approached the Mirror Maze.
― “Okay, it’s 12:20 now. I’m gonna queue.”
The last time I’d tried to enter the updated Hidden Mirror Maze for the second run, even queuing at the exact same time as Kang Jaegyung had left me waiting over a minute. It had forced a random match with another player instead. No matter how many times we tried, the outcome was always the same. That was when they’d posted the notice explaining the new mechanics…
But this time was different.
[Estimated Wait Time: 0 seconds]
[Party formed successfully.]
My heart skipped a beat. It actually worked. A match this fast could only mean one thing—it was Kang Jaegyung.
I clicked “Enter Dungeon” with oddly cautious hands, and the queue count immediately showed 1/2, then 2/2. °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° Right after that, my character collapsed to the ground with a final scream, just like the first time we entered the Mirror Maze. Cracks spread across the screen with a sharp glass effect that continued through the loading screen… then everything restored to normal once our party was formed.
[Party] Kkulppang: Bleh
[Party] Kkulppang: ㅇㅠㅇ
[Party] Jaesugang: Rainbow deflect!
[Party] Jaesugang: ㅇㅠㅇ
Finally, after nearly three months, we’d successfully entered the second run of the Hidden Mirror Maze.
The loading ended, and the inside of the Mirror Maze came into view. I hadn’t been back since our first time, so everything still felt unfamiliar—white, dazzling, surreal. Back then, I’d been too distracted by the fact I was teamed up with Kang Jaegyung to really take in the view. Now that I could look properly, the place was even more grand and beautiful than I remembered. The entire interior, composed only of glass and mirrors, was breathtaking despite lacking a single decoration.
Still, scenery was scenery... They said there’d be a new story cutscene, but there was nothing. No Abrea. No Adam. Not even the glowing millet-light that usually guided us.
― “No cutscene, huh?”
Was it a bug? Or intentional? Given it was another ZeroSoft dungeon, I had no idea. With them, you could never tell.
Kang Jaegyung left his character standing still and chatted with his viewers, then started muttering out loud, likely reading from chat.
― “Looks like the new story cutscene only plays for first-time duos. Repeat players don’t get it. One viewer said their first-time party got the cutscene from the beginning, but not the ones who’d already been here.”
Ah. That makes sense. Crowd-sourced intelligence saves the day again.
I replied with a quick ‘ㅇㅋ’, and Kang Jaegyung cast a buff on my character. Then, instead of using his mic, he sent a message in party chat:
[Party] Jaesugang: The mob wave section’s gimmick should be the same, right?
[Party] Kkulppang: How would I know? ㅇㅅaㅇ
[Party] Jaesugang: Don’t pick your nose.
[Party] Kkulppang: ㅇㅅㅇ r`
[Party] Jaesugang: -"-
[Party] Kkulppang: It’s stuck on your forehead, lol
― “Hey, I was frowning! That’s not fair!”
[Party] Kkulppang: ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Wasn’t even actually picking my nose, but he reacted so seriously. Hilarious.
[Party] Jaesugang: 0 `-')=0 !!!!!
[Party] Jaesugang: Anyway.
[Party] Jaesugang: The notice only mentioned the boss, so I’m guessing everything else is the same?
[Party] Jaesugang: Shame we didn’t discover the gimmicks ourselves.
Just like he said—with a cute emoticon followed by a serious message—by the time we revisited the mob wave section, the strategy was already well-known. If we hadn’t gone in like idiots the first time and just smashed everything, we might’ve been the first to discover the mechanics. That still stings a little.
Then again, the duo who smashed their way through that section is talked about more than the ones who solved it properly.
[Party] Jaesugang: Nothing we can do about the mobs.
[Party] Jaesugang: Let’s aim to beat the new boss on our own this time.
― “Alright, here we go.”
Kang Jaegyung sent the message, then started hopping around me in circles before dashing ahead. So that’s how his husky friend ended up getting lost… I chased after him, determined not to lose sight of him this time.