NoveLight ™
[You have defeated the Guardian ‘Father’ of the Cradle of Obsession.]
[Dungeon cleared. Check your rewards.]
[The siege war of the ‘Ancient Kingdom’ has been unlocked.]
[First-clear reward: You may participate as part of the defending faction in the first siege war.]
[Your achievement will be announced to adventurers across the continent.]
[Special Condition: Defeated Father solo.]
[Achievement unlocked: “Wait... How did you even do that?”]
[Check your mail for rewards.]
Since the final boss was dead, the dungeon was over. The walls that had divided the battlefield were restored to their original state, and the ferocious monsters crumbled into dust.
Even my body, which had been on the verge of death from blood loss, regained vitality. If only they would restore the durability of my gear as well. It seemed they weren’t going to fix the torn clothing, though.
“What, what? It’s over? Why?”
Why? Because I won, that’s why.
Soolbbang, who had leapt forward with his greatsword, seemed confused now that his target was gone. His awkward landing and the way he flailed around right after were quite amusing. When I smirked at him, he avoided my gaze.
The only remaining trace of the battle was Father’s corpse. Since there was no longer any need to sit on top of it, I sprawled out on the floor. I felt completely drained, as if I had poured out everything I had. My body relaxed, and I closed my eyes for a moment.
I heard footsteps approaching. Soolbbang’s heavy steps, Elderen’s clicking heels, and Sanse’s light, soft steps. By now, I could tell who was who without even looking.
When the footsteps stopped, I opened my eyes to find the three of them looking down at me. Elderen’s expression seemed particularly complicated.
“Do you... have something to say?”
“No, just... you did great. You’re amazing, Da-eun, as expected.”
“Pfft.”
Compliments always feel good. Elderen seemed like she had more to say, but if she wasn’t going to say it, there wasn’t much I could do about it. I could enjoy this little bit of peace for now.
After killing a boss, the next step was always to check the rewards. Beams of light shot up, more than I could count. The screen was almost filled with item names.
For something that was supposed to hold nothing, this place sure had plenty of treasure after all.
Loot distribution was standardized for parties, so there wasn’t much to worry about. However, I did need to pay attention to the system message that popped up among all the others, indicating that this region’s siege war had been unlocked.
[Siege Status: Ancient Kingdom]
[Defending Faction: Gampbang (Guildmaster: Soolbbang)]
It was almost redundant to explain, but siege wars were divided into two factions: attackers and defenders.
Usually, the defending side was a guild that held the rights to the territory. The defending faction would win as long as the fortress wasn’t taken within the time limit. They didn’t need to eliminate other competitors—just avoid a clear defeat.
On the other hand, the attacking side had far fewer restrictions for participation. In extreme cases, dozens of guilds could join the attackers. However, to win the castle, they would need to surpass all other competitors.
In short, joining as a defender carried significant advantages—assuming the guild could hold out until the siege day. Soolbbang spoke with a grim expression.
“For now, it looks like we’re the only ones listed. That’s a relief. Serin, did you guys get any notifications?”
“They said we need to confirm our participation within the time limit. We can also join the alliance.”
“Then stall for time and join as late as possible.”
“Got it, oppa.”
Once you step into a siege, enemy guilds will inevitably appear.
War begins long before swords are drawn. The goal is to prevent other guilds from even entering the siege. Even if that fails, the fight begins in the fields to hinder their growth and induce desertion among their members.
Time is short.
Even now, multiple guilds are likely weighing their options. If they decide it’s worth it, they’ll soon declare war directly on Soolbbang’s guild.
Gampbang was originally a mercenary guild that handled aspects of siege warfare. Would they be prepared for the brutal field battles that would follow? I asked Soolbbang.
“You’ll need to make a quick decision. My price is far higher than you can imagine. Can you afford to pay it?”
“I…”
[Author: I’m Not a Slave]
[Title: Cradle of Obsession Raid (Failed) – Post Mortem]
I watched Soolbbang’s video yesterday and formed a party to try it myself.
We had a total of 10 people, and luckily, we didn’t hit the maximum limit.
The number of monsters seemed higher because of the larger party.
The overall pattern didn’t deviate much from the story dungeon, but some things were made easier—like fewer tentacles. The elite mobs’ avoidance mechanics stayed the same, though.
The real problem was the final boss, Father. He’s too hard.
After Phase 1, the boss kidnaps someone just like in Soolbbang’s video. If the interior blows up, the boss breaks loose, and if the outside blows up, the game doesn’t even work. You can’t survive this.
We tried everything to get through it. We rotated who got kidnapped—everyone except the support tried it, but no one lasted more than 4 minutes.
But isn’t the first playthrough of a story dungeon supposed to be the hardest? How the hell did Ka-Wol even beat that?
[Comment]
[Author: Uhuru Kuruhoo]
[Title: Cleared Cradle of Obsession LOL]
(Attached photo: Father copying a bard)
(Attached photo: Bard singing with Father)
(Attached photo: Random guitar playing inside the dungeon)
LOL
We held out until the party rejoined, then killed him.
[Comment]
[Author: Kimchi Ninja]
[Title: Have You Tried Cradle of Obsession Challenge Mode?]
(Attached photo: Father copying Ka-Wol)
(Attached photo: Clear failed)
Is this a bug?
(Attached photo: Father copying Ka-Wol again)
(Attached photo: Clear failed again)
Shit.
Don’t even try this.
In Challenge Mode, it doesn’t just copy a random party member—it copies the strongest player in the dungeon. And guess who went in first? Ka-Wol.
[Comment]
[Author: Safe Nickname]
[Title: Is Soolbbang Entering the Siege Alone?]
Him? With that lineup? Hmm, LOL.
Wouldn’t it be better to stick to mercenary work?
[Comment]
New World.
The fields of Zephyreon epitomized survival of the fittest.
Here, it wasn’t just monsters you had to be wary of. Unless you were in a highly hostile siege guild, on the mainland, when you saw another player, you usually just assumed they were passing by. But in the New World, everyone outside your guild was considered a potential enemy.
No, in truth, you couldn’t even trust your own allies. If you hadn’t built a bond with someone from the mainland, backstabbing was common. Individual disputes could easily escalate into guild-wide conflicts.
“Yes, bro. One mage, one archer, and two warriors. The support’s a priestess.”
Those were the griefers from the Carnivorous Guild. These guys had made a living in field battles on the mainland.
With the recent patch, the large siege guilds had lost much of their control. Small-scale skirmishes had skyrocketed, but significant incidents that warranted using griefer squads had decreased. Normally, they’d be out of a job by now, but…
Where are we now?
Zephyreon, the PVP-centric new frontier.
To the griefer squads, everyone walking around the continent looked like walking gold pouches.
What a coincidence. I thought the same.
“Yes. Fire.”
From a tree with a clear line of sight, the sniper, who had prepared thoroughly, fired the first shot.
A cold gunshot rang out, and a few seconds later, the priestess, who had been hunting in the distance, collapsed, spurting red blood. A clean hit. Judging by the blood on her head, it looked like a headshot.
“...Priestess down.”
The sniper, "Torch of Annihilation," smirked. His smile was eerie, giving me chills.
I hadn’t seen that side of him when we partied together before. I guess people really do end up hanging with their own kind—he must have gotten into bad company.
Feeling a bit sorrowful, I grabbed his body in an embrace, placing a dagger at his throat out of mutual respect.
“It’s been a while. Remember me? I’m pretty famous now, everyone seems to know me.”
“Oh... sis? Why are you here?”
“Why do you think? Go tell Dongjak that I’m here to cash in on your bounties. If you die quietly, I won’t come for you again for a while.”
“I mean, can’t we just ta-”
Where do you think you’re pointing that?
The moment I saw him trying to turn his gun, I stabbed the dagger into his neck, cutting through his windpipe and leaving a long, deep wound.
Not wanting to stain my clothes with blood, I kicked Torch’s body away. It fell to the ground with a thud, twitching a few times before going still.
[You have forcibly killed the adventurer Torch of Annihilation.]
[You have looted 10,395,101 Gold from the enemy.]
[WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE: You have collected a bounty of 28,400,000 Gold.]
“Hope he got the message.”
If he didn’t, that’s just too bad. With one of their members down, they should sense something’s wrong by now. Even if it’s a bit late.
I moved through the trees toward my next target. The breeze felt especially refreshing today. A breeze that smelled like money.