The news didn't spread like wildfire.
Wildfire was slow.
This spread at the speed of light.
It reached even the top players with the speed of light.
Their Reactions were varied.
"He won't be any different from the others."
"Without him, they were ants. With him… clashes are inevitable."
Even the other six members of the Septet took notice.
Their thoughts were eerily similar like clones of same body.
"Interesting timing.
Did they leak the upcoming event to lure him in?
Something big happens in ten days…"
Meanwhile—
At the very top of Eternal Arcana of Magic—
Someone was thinking of something entirely different.
"So… his surgery was successful."
A soft smile appeared.
"He must be bedridden right now."
"He probably joined because his brother told him to."
She opened a private folder on her device.
Photographs appeared.
School memories.
A familiar boy.
"I hope I'll get to meet you in the game," she whispered.
"And play together again."
Unbeknownst to the entire world—
The legendary NoName…
Was just a boy sitting in a forest, wondering whether he should fight his first monster or sit down and cultivate a bit more.
___
After walking a few more steps, Ekant suddenly stopped.
"…Should I have cultivated first," he muttered, "or should I hunt monsters first?"
He frowned deeply.
"Damn it. This is so confusing."
"In previous VR games, everything was straightforward. Kill mobs, level up, repeat."
"But this game…" he sighed. "It's giving me a headache on the very first day."
He walked forward aimlessly for a while, lost in junk thoughts.
Then—
He stopped again.
Slowly, he looked around.
He was surrounded by a dense forest.
Tall trees blocked most of the sunlight, leaving streaks of golden light filtering through the leaves. The air was humid, rich with the scent of earth and greenery.
"…It's like I'm actually inside a forest," Ekant whispered.
"This environment is way too real."
Then his eyes caught something.
Not far away, a bed of flowers spread across the forest floor.
They were deep red, vibrant, almost glowing.
They looked like roses.
But not ordinary ones.
Their petals were layered perfectly, rich and velvety, with a crimson hue so pure it almost looked unreal. Dew clung to their surface, reflecting light like tiny gems. Even the air around them seemed calmer— gentler.
"And look at those flowers…" Ekant murmured.
"Oh wow. Red roses."
"They are… too pure in color."
Drawn by curiosity, he walked closer.
A soft fragrance drifted toward him.
It was not sweet.
It was calming.
Almost… hypnotic.
As if stepping into heaven.
Then—
A system notification shattered the illusion.
〈You have encountered: Blood Rose〉
"..."
Ekant froze.
"…Huh?"
He stared at the roses.
Then at the notification.
Then back at the roses.
"…These roses are monsters?" he asked aloud, disbelief dripping from every word.
The system had not explicitly said monster.
But he remembered clearly—
In the Beginner's Forest, notifications only appeared when encountering monsters.
He immediately stepped back.
"…Seriously?"
He entered deep thought.
'Should I kill them… or not?'
'They are beautiful… but beauty has already tried to kill me once today, I mean charm me.'
'That White Bear Key was safe, but these things? I don't know.'
'Leaving free rewards behind is bad.'
'Future value matters...'
'But how do I kill them? I don't even have a weapon.'
He stood there thinking intensely.
Like a child trying to choose between premium chocolate and vanilla ice cream.
"I'm really in no position to kill this monster," he muttered.
"I do not even have a stick."
He turned slightly, planning to leave.
Then—
A thought struck his high school level brain.
"…Wait."
He froze. He had gotten an idea to try.
"What about that thing…?"
"That White Bear–style key."
He hesitated first but in the end he made up his mind.
"…It might help."
Slowly, carefully, he retrieved the White Bear Key from his spatial ring.
He held it like a sacred artifact.
"…I won't throw it into the middle," he muttered. "If it does not work, I'll have to abandon it."
He aimed at the nearest rose instead.
And threw it.
Turrr—
The White Bear Key landed—
Directly on top of the rose.
"…"
Ekant went speechless.
"…Why did it land there?"
He thought it would land near one of the roses, but it literally landed on it.
He swallowed.
"If this does not work," he murmured nervously, "I'll have to pick it up from the Blood Rose…"
"I hope it won't kill me immediately."
The moment his sentence ended—
Something horrifying happened.
〈Blood Rose has been cursed by White Bear Key〉
〈Blood Rose has been killed〉
〈Congratulations! You have killed your first monster〉
The rose withered instantly.
Its petals turned black.
A core dropped to the ground.
Along with a single drop of crimson liquid, resting delicately on a leaf like blood.
Ekant stared.
"Huh…It worked?" He sighted in relief.
"So, they are really monsters disguise as beautiful flowers."
Before he could process further—
The remaining Blood Roses reacted.
As if enraged.
As if mourning.
They trembled violently.
Then—
They attacked the White Bear Key.
Petals lashed out.
Thorns pierced the air.
Their strongest attacks slammed into the key.
Nothing happened.
Not even a scratch.
Their jointed had been failed.
Unbeknownst to them—
They had just declared war on a Legendary Key from the First Era.
That's why their end was inevitable.
The moment their attacks stopped—
The White Bear Key pulsed.
Once.
Then—
A wave of cursed energy erupted.
The entire rose bed collapsed.
Withered.
Shattered.
Obliterated.
〈Congratulations! You have killed 110 monsters in one attack〉
"..."
The forest fell silent.
Ekant stood frozen.
"…Thank God," he whispered, "I am not its enemy."
Though in reality—
He had already sent countless NPCs to heaven in other games.
And caused many players to rage-quit permanently.
But this?
This felt different.
A moment later—
A massive core dropped.
Formed from 110 deaths combined into one.
Several additional items scattered across the ground.
Ekant stared at the loot.
"…So this is what 'accidentally committing genocide' feels like."
"Anyway, I should collect my rewards."
Slowly—
Very carefully—
He stepped forward.
And began collecting his rewards.