Even as the fierce current rushed against me, my heavy body descended straight down.

Despite my foggy, intoxicated consciousness, one thought echoed.

‘...Is this how it ends?’

Is this the end of that long and grueling journey?

‘No way.’

I mustn’t fall asleep.

I have to keep my mind clear and swim upward.

I tried to swim up with that willpower, but...

Ssshhh...

Like I had suddenly gone deaf, my entire body wouldn’t obey.

I can’t fall asleep like this.

If I do, it’ll be a disaster.

Though thinking this, part of me gave up.

‘Ah, screw it...’

My endurance was at its limit.

I figured I’d just wait for Ibaekho and the others on the boat to save me.

Yeah, that must be it.

So then...

‘Might as well... just sleep...’

Just as I was about to let go of consciousness—

Whoosh—!

Just as I sank black beneath the surface, my eyes suddenly lit up with a brilliant white.

At the same time—

Bzzzzzzzzz—

A high-pitched ringing burned in my ears like a branding iron.

A light and ringing forcing me awake.

Clack, clack.

Somewhere footsteps approached.

Through barely raised eyelids, a figure grew closer.

Pale skin like a ghost had swallowed her whole.

In her hand was a ragged doll of unknown origin.

A normal-looking girl about ten years old with long brown hair down to her shoulders.

Even in my dazed state, I instantly recognized her.

‘Elise Groundia...’

The earth witch I met once at the cabin.

‘Why are you here...’

I tried to say it, but no voice came.

Still, as if she heard me, the earth witch smiled gently.

Then...

“I will grant your dream.”

Her voice was dreamy and alluring.

At the same time, as if pleading, she said to me,

“So please...”

Looking into my eyes, depthless and clear,

“Don’t come back.”

That was the last scene in my memory.

“Gasp...!”

Like someone barely escaping drowning, I gasped deeply, lifting my upper body.

Then...

A sudden chill stiffened my whole body.

Not from physical pain, but mental.

“...Thin.”

I looked at my hand, opening and closing it several times, then glanced blankly around and closed my eyes again.

As always, I needed time.

Time to understand this situation.

Throb—

Physically, I was in terrible shape.

Putting aside the total loss of vitality I usually felt, it was like waking after a night of heavy drinking.

My head was pounding.

And then—

Swoosh.

I opened my eyes and looked around again.

“This is...”

A place I knew far too well.

“My room.”

Lee Hansoo’s room.

Why did I wake up here?

Had the Ghostbusters server reopened?

That thought flickered but...

“It’s different.”

The space I saw in the community and the place I was in now had a clear, uncanny difference.

The Ghostbusters version of my room was neat and tidy.

‘What the hell is this...?’

This place was a complete mess.

Books beside the computer desk were all knocked down, and the monitor was missing.

The wardrobe and drawers were wide open, with clothes scattered on the floor.

‘...No wonder it felt empty.’

Realizing I was naked, I quickly grabbed some clothes and put them on.

Then...

Thud.

I stepped barefoot onto the cold floor and opened the door, stepping into the living room.

The living room was a mess too.

Like a thorough raid had taken place.

All drawers were open, and miscellaneous stuff littered the floor.

“Hah...”

My throat suddenly felt dry, so I opened the fridge to get some cold water.

But...

“Ugh...!”

A rotten stench wafted out from a fridge that looked like it had been off for a long time.

I quickly shut it and collapsed onto the floor.

‘Ah, this is killing me...’

Maybe the rotten smell on top of my headache made the dizziness worse.

Still, I had to do what I had to.

Leaning against the wall, I waited for my breath to calm, analyzing my situation.

It didn’t take long to reach a conclusion.

The Ghostbusters server had not reactivated and I hadn’t actually returned to the real world.

Most likely...

“This is a dream.”

Due to the ‘Dreamlike Waterfall’ field effect, I was trapped inside a dream.

The modern setting? Not surprising.

Even before, when I fell asleep, I saw visions from my modern life.

Though back then, I never had such headaches, which was odd.

Anyway.

The situation was clear, and what I had to do next was even clearer.

I had to fight enemies hiding somewhere or complete missions to find a key to wake from this dream.

One concern remained.

‘...But isn’t that just part of the dream too?’

The earth witch I met before.

And the words she said to me...

The more I thought about it, the more uneasy I felt.

As my thoughts lingered—

Beep beep beep...

The sound of someone inputting a door lock code came from the front door.

Thump—!

Not a barbarian’s body, but still my heart lurched at the sensed danger.

Beep.

The electronic sound rang out, and I immediately got up and opened the shelf under the kitchen counter.

Of course.

This is a dream world.

Whoever is about to enter is very likely an ‘enemy’ intent on killing me—

‘No knife...?’

Unexpected, but such enemies weren’t new.

I reconsidered and headed for the front door.

No weapon was disappointing, but so what?

If you don’t have teeth, you bite with your gums.

Besides, since they took my physical abilities, the enemy’s skill level probably isn’t high.

‘Besides, the setting is modern.’

Beep, beep beep...

Numbers slowly pressed one by one, like someone entering another’s password.

I stood at the door but didn’t wait.

Surprise attacks work best when the enemy least expects it.

So then...

Bang!

I flung open the door before the password was complete—

“Aaagh!”

The unknown man crashed face-first into the door.

His confused eyes weren’t much different from mine.

“Uh...”

Not just one?

“I didn’t expect multiple.”

My already dizzy head got worse, but as always, my judgment was lightning fast.

Swish.

I grabbed the man’s collar and pulled him inside with a grappling motion.

Then—

Bang!

I slammed the door shut, locked it manually, sealing the room.

“W-What are you...!”

The man who was thrown down under the shoe rack shouted at me in panic.

At the same time—

“Hey! Team Leader Kang! Team Leader Kang!”

“Who the hell are you? Open the door right now!”

Hostile voices came from outside.

No time to waste.

Thunk!

I clenched my fist and struck the man’s face hard.

Unlike before, no watermelon-smashing sound, but it was a solid hit—

‘...Maybe not.’

“This crazy bastard!”

Despite the blow, the man stood up, grabbed my shoulder, and pushed me against the wall.

“Ha, damn you...”

Much bigger than me.

A so-called brawler’s physique.

If it were before, I’d have been intimidated just seeing him.

“What are you? Who are you? Huh?”

That much was clear.

But...

‘Why so sloppy?’

I didn’t feel any tension.

Considering how many near-death experiences I’d been through.

Even if I’m just a regular human now, if I can’t handle this alone, I might as well die.

So—

“Aaah!!”

I twisted the fingers holding my shoulder the other way, then punched his face hard.

Pow!

As he staggered, I surged in and locked a rear choke.

“Gah, guh, guh... uh!”

I squeezed tight, cutting off oxygen and blood flow.

He struggled fiercely.

Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!

He elbowed my ribs and stomped my foot, but it was meaningless.

“Damn, I’ve been a tank for a long time.”

You think I’m gonna let a little pain stop me?

“Guh, guh... s-save me...”

Realizing resistance is useless, he stopped struggling and began begging for his life by tapping my arm.

And outside, the knocking grew louder.

Bang bang bang!

“Team Leader Kang! Are you okay?!”

“What are you doing?! Open the door!”

“Hurry! Enter the password! Stop just watching!”

“Ah, yes...”

The door lock electronic beeps resumed.

Man, this fight’s difficulty is no joke from the start.

“S-save me...”

I tightened my choke and mentally mapped out the fight.

There were five in total.

‘If I take one here, four left...’

I could probably manage.

It would be very tough, but manageable.

‘Okay, one down.’

Once the man I held went limp, I released my grip and stood up.

Then—

“Oh, check out this sweet starting weapon.”

I looted and equipped the three-section staff from his waist.

He kept trying to pull something from his waist—so he’d been hiding this sweet weapon all along.

‘This just made things way easier.’

I unfolded the staff to full length and swung it a few times in the air, smiling in satisfaction.

Though it couldn’t compete with the ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) Demon Crusher or the iron mace from the shop for 200,000 stones, it was still a decent weapon.

With my current strength, heavier weapons would be too much anyway.

Beep beep beep beep...

The password was now entered much faster than before.

Actually, even if I pressed the forced lock button here, they couldn’t open the door.

But instead of locking, I moved toward the door.

The barbarian life taught me this:

There is a golden time for everything.

Avoiding situations just makes things worse later.

So—

Bang!

Again, I flung the door open—

“Aaah!”

I slammed the three-section staff down on the top of the man’s head who’d banged it while entering the password—

[Slash].

Though I didn’t get the defense penetration effect from the Demon Crusher, the strike felt solid—

Pow!

The man struck the critical spot and fell, while the others rushed in.

“This crazy bastard!!”

“Grab him!!”

Using the narrow terrain to my advantage is my specialty, but this time my physical ability was lacking.

So I backstepped to create distance.

Then—

“Te-Team Leader Kang!!”

Retreating to the living room, the men who entered were stunned at the limp man.

“Seems like they’re loyal.”

I like that kind, but when they’re enemies, it’s just a weakness.

“Team Leader Kang! Snap out of it! Hey?!”

‘One is watching the downed guy...’

I had two left to face.

The problem was, those two weren’t unarmed anymore.

Shwaaaak—!

The man we caught earlier was a normal goblin, but these two seemed mutated.

Goblin swordsman...

“Wait, he’s holding a three-section staff, so is he a goblin sergeant?”

I laughed at the thought.

“This crazy bastard’s laughing!!”

The ‘goblin sergeant’ provoked me, swinging his staff and charging.

Whooooosh!

A strong strike with a good breaking sound.

But it was too straightforward for my taste.

Swoosh.

I just leaned my waist back slightly and dodged.

Then, countering, I swung the staff to strike his temple precisely.

Pow!

It might seem small, but this was the crucial difference between a civilian and an explorer.

When untrained people swing or stab, they miss the target or fail to transfer power.

I’d long passed that stage.

Just like this.

Thunk—

One clean hit to the temple, the man collapsed.

Did this suddenly scare him?

“...”

One nearby man backed away upon seeing me.

A very good situation.

There’s no easier opponent than a terrified enemy.

Tap.

I aggressively dashed forward.

Once in range, I swung the staff with waist power.

But—

Whooooosh!

He dodged that?

‘Still, his stance broke.’

From my long combat experience,

In this posture, he can’t avoid a follow-up attack.

In other words, the fight was basically mine.

If I get this guy, the last one will be easy.

Swoosh.

Just as I smiled aiming at the off-balance ‘Goblin Sergeant C’ to strike—

Bang!

A tiny, weak sound like a BB gun shot.

And then—

A long, sharp needle pierced the skin, causing sharp pain.

Turning to look at the sound’s source—

“Die, you bastard!”

The man tending ‘Team Leader Kang’ stood up, aiming a gun at me.

Only then did I realize what had hit me.

“No, this f*cking...”

Zzzzzzzzzzzzz!

“...A taser is cheating...”