Chapter 53
Dan Chun-woo was quite the sword enthusiast.
In the game, players who chose Dan Chun-woo would, around the mid-to-late stages of the scenario, witness him returning to his family home.
And there, they would also see the countless swords he had collected throughout his life.
Hundreds of swords displayed neatly in exhibition halls within a massive warehouse spanning hundreds of pyeong.
The reason he recognized Park Min-seo’s swordsmanship must have been due to his obsessive hobby of collecting information about swords and swordsmanship.
No, calling it merely a hobby might be understating it.
Completing the quest titled “Master of a Hundred Swords” would grant him a skill that allowed all the swords he had collected to move as one—an overwhelming swordstorm.
It was, in a sense, Dan Chun-woo’s ultimate skill.
Seeing his reaction sparked an idea in my head.
Although I couldn’t actually give him this sword, perhaps I could make use of it to have him under my control—at least during this field trip.
“So you’re saying, you want me to sell you this sword?”
“That’s right. Its maintenance seems somewhat lacking, but the quality of the replica is quite high. With proper repairs and restoration, it looks like it could be more than usable.”
“How much?”
I hadn’t intended to sell it, but since he was offering to buy, I couldn’t help asking out of curiosity.
At my question, he glanced at the sword for a moment as if considering something, then spread his hand.
“One million won? Even regular blades these days start at three hundred thousand. Isn’t that a bit too lowball?”
“What nonsense. Ten million won. Considering its poor condition and the cost of maintenance, I’d actually be at a loss.”
He seemed quite taken with the sword—he couldn’t even bring himself to let go of it.
Seeing him casually throw around ten million won despite having been kicked out of his family really made me think—rich people truly lived on another level.
Just then, Instructor Kang Jae-seok’s booming voice rang out from afar.
“You two over there! Everyone else is already on the bus—what are you doing?”
Caught up in Dan Chun-woo’s sudden offer to buy, I had momentarily forgotten. We were in the middle of preparing to leave for the field trip.
The other cadets were nowhere to be seen—they must have already boarded.
When the hell did Helena and Park Siwoo leave me behind?
Dan Chun-woo and I hurriedly got on the bus.
After about an hour and a half of riding, we finally arrived at the Beast Farm.
Located on Ganghwa Island, the Beast Farm was the largest theme park in the country.
It featured countless rides and various types of beasts.
And, most notably, a Colosseum where one could witness brutal beast battles firsthand.
The Colosseum duels were especially popular—broadcast live on television like a national sport.
Compared to human fighting sports like UFC, these battles were far more savage, with no rules or notions of rights—pure, unrestricted bloodshed.
Of course, since the fights didn’t end until one side died, and often featured scenes brutal enough to horrify even adults, the Colosseum received its fair share of public criticism.
But in this world, beasts weren’t protected by animal rights laws, and the general perception toward monsters and beasts wasn’t favorable—so the Colosseum continued without any proper restrictions.
The Beast Farm administration was, however, known for maintaining strict control over operations.
After stepping off the bus, I stretched to loosen my stiff body.
Bones cracked audibly as I moved.
Park Siwoo, who had gotten off with me, looked at me with a horrified expression.
“How the hell did you manage to finish all those snacks in just an hour?”
“You were eating them too.”
“Yeah, because I’m the one who bought them!”
“I’ll buy you plenty before we head back.”
If this beast rampage incident went well, I could afford to buy snacks worth a hundred thousand—or even a million won—without blinking.
Dan Chun-woo, who had gotten off the bus after us, spoke again.
“So, are you selling me that sword or not? If you are, I can transfer the money right now.”
“I’ll think about it. Why are you in such a rush?”
I tried to calm him down.
He must have really taken a liking to the Guardian’s Sword, since he hadn’t stopped pestering me about selling it throughout the entire bus ride.
“Well, for someone with the discernment to appreciate such a sword, I suppose you’d need time to make up your mind. Whenever you decide to sell, let me know.”
This guy probably thought I was as much of a sword fanatic as he was.
“Yeah, yeah.”
I quickly put some distance between us.
Maybe the sword in that blue sheath he always carried wasn’t something he kept for fighting or intimidation—maybe it was just part of his eccentric obsession.
Just then, the instructor’s voice echoed.
“Everyone, form two lines!”
Gathering the cadets, the instructor began explaining the schedule.
From 10 a.m., we would tour the Beast Farm with a guide for two hours.
Then, after lunch until 1 p.m., we’d have hands-on experience at the Beast Farm booths until 3.
After that, free time until 6.
Judging by the timeline, the beast rampage would most likely occur during the free time.
That was when all the cadets and even the instructors would scatter across the wide grounds—perfect for separating and dividing people.
It was the ideal time to strike.
That’s why I planned to stick with Helena and Park Siwoo until free time.
If I played it right and dangled the sword as bait, I could even get Dan Chun-woo to tag along.
Though it bothered me that Helena and Dan Chun-woo didn’t get along,
before I knew it, we were following the guide’s lead into the Beast Farm.
“Please, this way.”
“Oh, impressive.”
The guide led us through a VIP-only passage.
The corridor was filled with ornate pillars and murals reminiscent of an ancient Greek or Roman temple.
It was likely designed that way because of the Colosseum located here.
The Academy’s support really was on another level—getting treated like this proved it.
Once inside the Beast Farm, the cadets all looked around like country mice visiting the city for the first time.
As expected of the largest theme park in the nation, the Beast Farm’s grandeur was evident from the entrance alone.
There stood an enormous tree that seemed at least twenty meters tall, surrounded by lifelike models and lavish structures.
Park Siwoo, standing beside me, gawked with his mouth wide open.
Seeing this, Helena clicked her tongue.
“Close your mouth, will you? People will think you just discovered fire for the first time.”
“Ah, sorry… It’s just… this is my first time at the Beast Farm.”
Unlike Dan Chun-woo or Helena, Park Siwoo wasn’t from a prestigious family.
He was born into an utterly ordinary household.
And since tickets to the Beast Farm were notoriously difficult to get—almost like plucking stars from the sky—and incredibly expensive, it was only natural that most of the Academy’s freshmen had never been here before.
That included me.
Before possessing this body, I had been too busy with life to ever visit a real amusement park.
Moreover, compared to places I had seen on TV like EverXand or LotXWorld, this was on a completely different level in both scale and quality.
It truly felt like stepping into another world.
Moments like this reminded me once again that I was living inside a game.
Following the guide’s lead, we headed toward an area resembling a zoo where the beasts were kept.
The Beast Farm was divided into three main sections.
One area for children’s rides, another for breeding and raising beasts, and lastly, the Colosseum—the heart of the entire park.
We headed toward the breeding grounds, where the beasts could be observed up close.
There, dozens of species of beasts resided—from the familiar Goblin-type species to rare monsters one might only hear about in legends.
Each creature was massive, taking up large individual enclosures.
It looked like it would take quite some time to see everything.
Following the guide, we began touring one enclosure after another as she introduced each beast.
“The beast you see here is a Fire Fox. Classified as a C-rank monster, it’s one of the more well-known beasts thanks to its beautiful appearance.”
“Wow!”
“So cute!”
“As its name suggests, the Fire Fox has high resistance to fire. Its fur is often used in firefighter uniforms or as a material for Artifacts.”
At her explanation, the cadets nodded with interest.
When the guide finished, Instructor Kang Jae-seok took over.
“The Fire Fox is one of the more troublesome monsters to face. It never travels alone, always moving in packs, and its quick, unpredictable movements make it difficult to deal with. The most efficient way to subdue it is…”
While the guide explained the beasts’ uses and habitats, Instructor Kang Jae-seok elaborated on how to effectively engage them in combat.
Perhaps because of his firsthand experience—or because the beasts were right in front of us—his explanations felt incredibly vivid and realistic.
With living monsters before their eyes, the cadets listened far more attentively than they ever did back at the Academy.
After about two hours, we had roughly finished touring the Beast Farm’s creatures under the guide’s supervision.
Then, one cadet raised his hand to ask a question.
“So far, the monsters we’ve seen are all low-ranked—mostly F- to C-rank, the kind that can be handled with modern weapons without heroes. Are there no higher-ranked monsters here?”
It was true. Every beast we had seen so far was considered a low-ranked monster.
Considering that the boss appearing during the beast rampage in the game was an A-rank, it was indeed suspicious.
Maybe it was due to security reasons.
The guide smiled kindly in response.
“Good question. Our Beast Farm houses beasts up to A-rank. However, starting from B-rank, managing them becomes extremely difficult, so they’re kept under strict supervision and are not open to the public. The only time they’re shown is during Colosseum matches.”
“So we won’t get to see them, then?”
“Well, normally you wouldn’t. But since you’re cadets from the Academy, we’ve prepared a special opportunity for you to see our only A-rank monster.”
That announcement caused a stir among the cadets.
An A-rank monster—one strong enough to singlehandedly reduce a city to rubble.
Even within the same rank, the stronger the monster, the more heroes it took to subdue it.
An A-rank required at least five high-ranking heroes.
And the A-rank monster she was about to show us was, in fact, the boss we’d have to face later.
The guide then led the cadets and instructors toward a restricted area.
We arrived at a massive dome-like structure, its heavy frame appearing to be made entirely of reinforced metal.
This was clearly where the A-rank monster was being contained.
“This dome is built with alloy walls about ten meters thick, reinforced with magical security seals. It’s a facility specially designed to contain A-rank monsters and is monitored under the highest level of security.”
Even as visitors, we were not exempt from the strict procedures—comprehensive security checks began immediately.
We had to surrender all weapons, undergo body scans, and pass identity verification before being allowed entry.
Only after completing all that were we permitted into the A-rank monster enclosure.
The moment we entered and saw the creature, every cadet froze in place.
Its massive body rivaled a small building, covered in thick, steel-like scales.
Its face bore the fierce visage of a dragon, though the small, almost useless wings on its back proved otherwise.
Staring blankly, Helena muttered softly,
“Drake…”
That’s right.
The monster before us belonged to the dragonkin—a creature known as the strongest among A-rank monsters.
Also called the Earth Dragon, it was the Drake.
And it was the very final boss of the upcoming beast rampage incident.