# Player with Maxed-Out Talent, Episode 62

31. Five Notes

The strange transformation began with Senia.

‘What? Is that, could it be…!’

I knew what this change was.

Crackle- Cracklecrack-!

With the noise, Senia’s body began to twist grotesquely this way and that. Parts of her body became blurry, then clear again, repeatedly.

‘It’s server overload.’

Senia’s body continued to blur.

“Kim Hyukjin, playe…!”

Senia tried to say something to me urgently, but her figure completely vanished. The middle manager who exclusively relayed my progress. Senia was gone.

‘She got disconnected because of the server overload.’

I could be sure of one thing. The moment I reached level 30. That moment, numerous guardians were watching.

‘It’s rare for five guardians to rush to send messages.’

Whether it’s six or ten, the number of guardians who can directly message me is limited to five. If that number is filled, it means that more than five guardians may be trying to send me messages.

‘Senia probably isn’t equipped to handle that many guardians yet.’

Well, how can I put this? In human terms, it’s like the server hasn’t been set up, right? I heard that personal broadcasters referred to as BJs or streamers use high-spec computers for smooth broadcasting. It’s the same for middle managers.

‘She got disconnected because she couldn’t handle the overload of guardians.’

This has happened to a few BJs during major events.

‘It also happened during the Maldives Battle where Shin Yeonseo played a major role.’

Although it’s not common, it’s not extremely rare either.

‘I need some time.’

Obviously, I’m not going to choose a guardian just yet. It’s pretty good content for me. I decided to save it for now. It will take some time for Senia to restore the system and return. That’s probably why she called out “Kim Hyukjin player!” so desperately.

I smiled faintly.

‘Was she that desperate not to lose good content?’

Senia and I used each other. A relationship where pursuing each other’s benefits isn’t strange. I don’t believe in tales of BJs dedicated to players. In the end, they relay our games, risking our lives, and satisfy their greed. During the tutorial, some of them even killed those who couldn’t adapt.

‘A relationship of mutual use. Perfect.’

It’s not bad. I’ll be able to use Senia more than she uses me. I looked around.

‘The pause ability is lifted.’

Following that, notifications came.

[You have acquired an ‘Amplified Magic Stone’.]

[Special Hidden Field ‘Mystic Forest’ has been fully cleared.]

[The exit to the Special Hidden Field ‘Mystic Forest’ will now open.]

In front of me, I saw a squirrel with cheeks puffed from eating. Above the squirrel’s head, an [!] mark appeared.

“Are you telling me to follow?”

The squirrel strutted proudly, chest puffed out. It seemed to demand, follow my lead! Its steps weren’t too fast.

I muttered unintentionally.

“Interesting.”

The squirrel stopped and tilted its head, a [?] mark above it, which seemed a bit cute.

“What exactly are you?”

It’s not a monster or an NPC. It’s a squirrel that understands human language and presumably magic.

“How are your cheeks so puffed?”

Another question mark appeared, this time three of them.

[???]

It scratched its cheek as if it didn’t understand my question.

“Well, alright.”

There’s no point in pressing further; it seems I wouldn’t get anything more. That’s as far as I’ll go.

‘It was in PAUSE until just now.’

A state referred to as ‘PAUSE’. A power that turned everything except me and Senia black and white, pausing the world. That power had been activated.

‘Until then, the squirrel’s cheeks were flat.’

But after the pause ended, its cheeks were puffed.

‘It means it wasn’t affected by the pause.’

It suggests that the squirrel ate the fruit I gave it without being affected by the pause. This guy, its identity is really unknown.

An exclamation point appeared above the squirrel’s head.

[!!!]

It found the ‘Warp Crystal’ leading to the exit.

──────────

[Exit]

A warp crystal connecting from ‘Mystic Forest’ to Seoul Station Exit 2. If destroyed, you will escape from ‘Mystic Forest’.

──────────

Breaking the warp crystal was not hard.

[You are escaping from ‘Mystic Forest’.]

[You will be transported to Seoul Station Exit 2.]

As soon as I warped to Seoul Station Exit 2, I tried to use an item out of concern for potential hassles, such as being swarmed by reporters or someone trying to verify my identity.

‘Huh?’

But there was no need to warp.

‘Something feels… orderly here.’

There was no initial commotion. The people manning the ‘Seoul Station Exit 2’ were no longer just policemen.

A lot changed.

* * *

I was astonished.

‘Three months have passed in the meantime?’

Looking at the buzzing cellphone, it’s already September. Compared to when the Tutorial Field first appeared, it was much hotter.

‘It got a lot hotter.’

A glance at the news on my phone described it as a record-breaking heatwave, the most severe level since temperatures began being recorded.

‘Three months, huh.’

What was astonishing was astonishing, but a headache started throbbing. My phone was filled with an enormous number of missed calls.

[Sister]

[Mom]

[Kang Sanggu]

[Sister]

[Mom]

……

[Shin Yeonseo]

[Ma Sanghyun]

[Sister]

The thought of dealing with it felt even more terrifying than when I fought the Lycan Slope during the tutorial or faced the magical troll. Cold sweat ran down me.

I chuckled unknowingly.

“Ha ha…”

I started walking home.

“I should call, right?”

Calling mom now might induce a heart attack, so I decided to call sister first.

“Uh… sister?”

-…

No voice came through. Click. It got disconnected. I scratched my head.

“Uh-uhm.”

This wasn’t my sister hanging up because she was angry. I was 120% sure of that.

‘She must have started crying.’

It seemed she’d probably hung up hastily, not wanting to show me the hiccuping sobs.

Just then, Shin Yeonseo called me. Shin Yeonseo poured out words frantically.

-Oh? What? You picked up? What happened? Are you alive?

“Of course.”

-Woah. Awesome. Did it really take three months to clear that place? Woah. Awesome. Awesome. Anyway. Anyway, I’m glad you’re alive! I was a bit worried! Ah, anyway! There’s something very important I need to talk about, so as soon as you have time, let’s meet face to face!

Shin Yeonseo was with Ma Sanghyun. Although I couldn’t see it, it seemed like Ma Sanghyun hurriedly snatched Shin Yeonseo’s phone. Agh! My phone! Give it back! If you’re going to act like that, my phone will break you muscle dummy! I could hear the desperate, but not quite desperate, cry.

-Bro, brother! Are you well?

“……”

Where does he learn such weird expressions?

“I’m fine.”

-Broooootherrrrr!!!

I could hear Shin Yeonseo’s voice too.

-Hey! Muscle pig! Just cry, why are you sniffling? It’s disgustingly dirty!

It seems to the people in this world, three months is a very long time. Anyway, I returned to the world after three months.

I took a taxi.

DMC Riverview Xia.

Our new home. This is where Mom, Sister, and Seonhwa were.

“……Huh?”

But our family was in better shape than I thought. Everyone’s eyes looked red from crying, but still, they were relatively okay. It seemed like their attentions were diverted to something else.

“What’s going on?”

Why is this thing here?

“Brother!”

Seonhwa ran towards me. Trotting and hugging me tightly, she resembled a dog greeting its owner. My sister didn’t give me a glance. Mom came to the entrance to greet me.

“It’s a relief, Hyukjin.”

“Of course.”

Although her eyes were a bit red, the tear-jerking drama I was worried about did not unfold. Because ‘that thing’ was here.

“Why is this here?”

A yellow question mark appeared overhead.

[!]

That thing. The thing whose identity I don’t understand was showing itself to my family. Seonhwa had the squirrel on her palm.

“Brother, I think this one’s really cute.”

Looking closely, it seemed they’ve bought sunflower seeds and spread them on the table to feed the squirrel.

“We named it Darongie!”

“……Darongie?”

The squirrel on Seonhwa’s palm, for some reason, once again puffed up its chest proudly. Unlike in ‘Mystic Forest’, I could use my Sense Eye to scrutinize the creature’s information a bit.

──────────

[Phantom Thief Squirrel]

1. Name: – (Naming required)

2. Age: 7

3. Level: ?

4. Unique Abilities: [Harvest] [Find Path] [Gnaw] [Theft] [Subspace] [Eating A Lot] [Digging Tunnels] [Stealth] [Choosing a Master]

5. Status: Happy/Full/Lazy

6. Traits: Confident/Uncontrollable Appetite/Affectionate

7. Summary: A gluttonous genius in thievery

+ The state/traits, etc., are only a few representative ones, and they may change depending on the situation.

+ Due to low proficiency in Sense Eye, detailed information access is not available.

──────────

‘Why does a squirrel have so many unique abilities?’

Geniuses like Shin Yeonseo or Ma Sanghyun have only managed to exhibit one or two unique abilities so far. But this one already has nine unique abilities. At this point, one wonders what kind of squirrel this is.

A notification came.

[The ‘Phantom Thief Squirrel’ wishes to choose a master.]

[A ‘Ruler of Seoul Station’ title is needed as a basic condition.]

[Will you become the master of the ‘Phantom Thief Squirrel’?]

[Upon acceptance, the ‘Ruler of Seoul Station’ title will change to ‘Master of the Phantom Thief Squirrel’.]

The unique ability, [Choosing a Master], seems to have manifested here.

‘Maybe I can scrutinize the condition of this creature with my Sense Eye because…’

Maybe the creature is allowing me to see because it feels a strong affinity towards me.

‘For now, I’ll accept.’

[You have become the master of the ‘Phantom Thief Squirrel’.]

[The title, ‘Ruler of Seoul Station’, has been removed.]

[The title, ‘Master of the Phantom Thief Squirrel’, has been created.]

Just by becoming the master, a new title was generated.

──────────

[Master of the Phantom Thief Squirrel]

This is the title held by the master of the Phantom Thief Squirrel. You can bestow a name on the Phantom Thief Squirrel, and once it has a name, it will be loyal to its master for life.

──────────

[Bestow a name upon the ‘Phantom Thief Squirrel’.]

A name. Wasn’t it already decided? Every time Seonhwa called it Darongie and its head snapped to attention, the squirrel seemed to like the name Darongie.

[The name of the ‘Phantom Thief Squirrel’ has been changed to ‘Darongie’.]

Ridiculously, I became the master of ‘Darongie’. Thanks to Darongie, Mom, Sister, and Seonhwa’s attention was diverted, and I was able to rejoin the family (?) more or less after three months.

‘In the past three months… shall we see what has happened?’

It’s been three tumultuous months. Enough time for many things to happen.

But then the world began to turn black and white, as if the ‘Pause’ ability was manifesting.