NOVEL NEXT Chapter 93: False Alarm (updated chapter)
Thread: I THINK I FOUND HIM!
FrostWalker: I swear to god, I just saw Broken Heaven! He's in White Bridge City, walking around like he owns the place! Black coat, crimson hair and blue eyes! THAT'S HIM, RIGHT?!
[Klljoy]: HUH??? For real?!
[GreedGremlin]: Screenshot or it didn't happen!
The thread exploded with over 5,000 views in under ten seconds.
On top of the church in Red Fang, ChaosCleric nearly choked on his apple.
"He's in White Bridge!" he shouted.
IceQueen's eyes narrowed. "FrostWalker's intel?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Send a squad to confirm. Tell them to be subtle. If it's him, we'll need a full guild response."
Within seconds, hundreds of players from ChaosKnight's White Bridge division began combing the area.
---
At that exact moment, in White Bridge City…
A tall figure in a black trench coat with a sword strapped behind calmly walked through the marketplace. His hair was red, and his expression serious.
Players nearby began whispering in hushed voices.
"Dude… is that him?"
"That air… that aura. It's definitely him!"
"Should we attack?"
[Player "SneakyMike" has initiated PvP against ???]
Suddenly sensing killing intent from behind, the cloaked figure turned.
With a single, dramatic motion, he unsheathed his blade.
"DIE—BROKEN HEAVEN!!" SneakyMike roared, lunging forward with a flashy overhead slash.
CLANG!
His weapon bounced off harmlessly. The cloaked figure barely even moved.
"Huh…?"
The figure tilted his head.
Then, in a completely flat voice, he said, "I'm not Broken Heaven. I'm a blacksmith. Please stop hitting me."
[System Message: WARNING – Attacking City NPCs may incur fines or jail time.]
[Guards have been alerted.]
"WAIT, WHAT?!"
SneakyMike's face turned pale, and the nearby players gasped.
---
Back at Red Fang the forum was already updating.
[Mod Message]: False Alarm! Player "FrostWalker" mistook an NPC for Broken Heaven.
FrostWalker: I SWEAR HE LOOKED JUST LIKE HIM!! That red hair—it looks exactly like what we saw in the beta!
[GreedGremlin]: LOOOOOL. You attacked a blacksmith??
[Hercules76]: Hahahaha, I can't breathe.
[Anonymouse45]: Bro folded faster than wet laundry.
[BetaWarfare]: You've embarrassed us all.
[Theorist]: Was it really a mistake… or just misdirection from Broken Heaven himself?
---
At the rooftop, IceQueen stared blankly at the updated thread, a look of annoyance flashing across her face.
ChaosCleric hesitated when he saw that look. "...So. Blacksmith."
Her gaze slowly turned toward him.
He coughed and asked, "Orders?"
"Triple-check next time," she said coldly. "We're not going to lose face again because someone got excited over red hair."
He nodded furiously and closed the thread before she impaled him with her glare.
After the official launch, IceQueen and ChaosKnight had reactivated the quest after meeting the same Church representative.
---
White Bridge City…
SneakyMike sat on a crate, face red with embarrassment while two city guards interrogated him.
"I told you, I thought he was Broken Heaven!"
The older guard gave a sigh that was half exhaustion, half pity. "And how many times do we have to tell you: you assaulted a blacksmith named Gerault Ironbrow, a lawful citizen of White Bridge."
"I said I was sorry!"
"That's not how this works."
[System Notice: You have incurred a 500 Valerian dollar fine. Jail time suspended due to first offense.]
A nearby crowd of players stood around, openly laughing or recording the moment. SneakyMike's face turned purple with embarrassment, and he could only wonder what punishment he'd receive from the guild for this humiliation.
---
Meanwhile in the outskirts of Red Fang City, Ragnarok99 sneered while leaning on his sword.
"Told you. Bunch of fools. They wouldn't recognize the real Broken Heaven even if he stood right in front of them."
Bunny crossed her arms. "It's good they don't know he's in the capital. At least now we know we have a lead over them."
Currently, the trio were all Level 5. They had completely filled the top five level rankings. While the other players were focused on hunting for the $1 million bounty, Ragnarok99, Bunny, and SniperBowLegend were silently building an insurmountable lead.
Of course, they weren't the only ones who had decided to focus on increasing their levels. Some smart players who had watched the beta live and seen Broken Heaven's power firsthand didn't dare participate in the hunt.
Instead, they focused on increasing their levels.
Just like the way players were taking advantage of the game world, the residents were also starting to make contact with the Otherworlders.
And not all of those contacts were friendly.
Because of the Otherworlders' unique ability to respawn… some residents had already begun to take advantage of them, telling them to do things they wouldn't dare attempt themselves.
But since they were being rewarded, they didn't care.
At least not yet.
For the denizens of this living world, these newcomers were strange, naive, and more than a little terrifying. They could return from death. They could learn anything instantly. And they were always hungry—for levels, for gear, for power.
And now the natives were learning to exploit that hunger.
Gabriel had experienced this firsthand, and as usual, he wanted to take advantage of it by showing up as the Messiah.
Although a bounty had been placed on his head, he wasn't really bothered, as he was confident that he could deal with whoever came his way.
After another session of training with Edgar, Gabriel and Anna took a leave from the guild and started heading toward Red Fang City.
Currently, he was inside a Kelsa truck designed to travel the wilderness. To rent it had cost Gabriel a whopping 20,000 Valerian dollars, but he needed to make a good second impression on the players, so he didn't mind.
While they were on their way, Gabriel asked, "Anna."
"Yes, Master."
"How is the search for base ground going?" he asked while keeping his eyes on the road.
He had tasked Anna with finding a suitable location in the wilderness to build their base, as he felt that as an original resident of this world, she knew the best terrain.
"Not yet, Master," replied Anna. "Most of the terrains I come across are open and easy to attack. The ideal location is one that is easy to defend and difficult to invade."
"Keep on searching then," Gabriel nodded as they arrived right outside the city of Red Fang, where several players were battling monsters.
Seeing the luxurious truck pull up so casually, most of the players shot it curious looks while whispering with fascination shining in their eyes.
"Who owns that?"
"Must be a high-level NPC."
"Should we go ask him for a quest? I bet someone like that has good treasures on him."
"Yes, come on, let's go do tha—"
The group of players paused abruptly, their expressions going pale as they saw a towering red-haired man with piercing blue eyes step out of the truck.
[Broken Heaven]
[Level 32]
[Danger level: Critical Threat]