Chapter 16
<Bad Ending Maker Episode 16>
“Ughhh……”
Rabo crouched in a shadowed alley of Undertown, his face haggard. The constant rubbing of his eyes betrayed his exhaustion, yet his gaze remained sharp and alert.
“Master!”
Oasis came sprinting from the opposite end.
“Are you alright? Why are you awake already? You should’ve slept longer!”
Only three hours had passed since Rabo went to bed. Oasis, already anxious about his master’s well-being, looked even more troubled now.
Rabo exhaled deeply.
“I was sleeping just fine… until my family called.”
“A call?”
“Yeah. My parents found out I got fired.”
He hadn’t intended to tell them, but it seemed they’d read the news articles about his dismissal as a director.
“Got interrogated for an hour. After that, couldn’t fall back asleep… so I logged in.”
“You still should’ve rested more…”
“More gaming’ll make me sleepy. Yawn.”
Rabo stretched languidly and stood. Oasis watched him with creased brows.
“Have you eaten properly? Shouldn’t you grab a snack first?”
“What, are you my mom now? Quit nagging.”
“But—”
“Chewed some Calorie Bite thing earlier. Stop worrying.”
Rabo roughly tousled Oasis’s hair like he was petting a dog.
“So. What’d you do while I was gone?”
“Huh?!”
Oasis fumbled nervously. Admitting he’d played with others during his master’s absence felt dangerous—like inviting punishment.
Yet lying wasn’t an option.
“I… joined another party. Cleared a dungeon.”
“Oh? Nice work!”
Oasis blinked in surprise at the unexpected praise. Rabo’s grin turned sly.
“Get close to them?”
“Huh? Oh… yes. They sent friend requests.”
Rabo clapped once, delighted.
“Perfect, Oasis! Exactly what I wanted!”
“Huh…?”
The confusion in Oasis’s voice hung thick. Rabo crossed his arms and nodded.
“Know why I made you a healer?”
The abrupt question made Oasis blink rapidly.
“Because your class uses HP as fuel, so it’s efficient for support… right?”
“That’s part of it.” Rabo waggled a finger.
“Main reason? Healers are the nobility of classes. Everyone wants to cherish them. Befriend them.”
“…?”
“People scramble to be friends with healers. Look at you—made buddies instantly while I was gone.”
Oasis tilted his head.
“But… how does that help you, Master?”
“Of course it helps me!”
Rabo leaned forward, his tone patient but intense.
“My second job advancement requires 25,000 infamy points. Know that?”
Hidden classes demanded unique conditions. The Dark Knight, staying true to its villainous concept, required infamy for progression.
“Can’t even start the quest until I hit 25k.”
“25,000?! That’s insane!”
Rabo’s current infamy sat at 4,380. A staggering 20,620 points remained.
“Third job needs 50k. Fourth? A cool 100k. So—how do I farm that?”
Oasis pressed a finger to his chin.
“By… doing bad things?”
“What kind?”
“Like… PK?”
Oasis jolted mid-sentence. “Wait—you don’t mean…?!”
“There we go.”
Rabo tapped Oasis’s nose.
“You lure your new friends here. I ambush and kill them. Farm their infamy.”
Oasis’s jaw dropped.
“WHAAAT?!”
“Nothing beats stabbing someone who trusts you. You bait them with heals, I backstab. Simple.”
As Rabo whispered this, Oasis stammered, “Wh-what about my friendships? They’ll hate me!”
“Obviously!” Rabo chirped, winking with a thumbs-up. “What did you expect?”
“Why are you saying that so cheerfully?!”
Rabo sighed and gripped Oasis’s shoulder.
“Choose: them or me?”
“Wh-what?”
“Your new friends… or your master?”
“Y-you, of course!”
Though stuttering, Oasis’s conviction rang clear. Minchul—Rabo’s real name—was his creator, his purpose.
“Then you’ll betray them for me, right? You only need me. Admit it.”
“I… I guess, but—”
“Good.”
Rabo slung an arm around Oasis, grinning like a fox.
“Now. Introduce me to your friends, won’t you?”
Oasis stared up at his master’s mischievously raised eyebrows.
He looked every bit the villain.
Field: Forest of Deception
A vast expanse stretching east from Snow White City, the central hub for most players. This mist-shrouded woodland teemed with rare materials and unpredictable events.
It also served as the sole route to Solar Terra, the eastern city. Constant monster hordes, NPC bandit raids, and field boss spawns forced travelers to move in parties.
“Thanks for coming on short notice!”
At the forest entrance, Oasis bowed beside a signpost. Three players returned the gesture.
“No problem! We should thank you!”
“When a healer calls, we come running!”
They were his party members from earlier. Oasis scratched his neck awkwardly.
“I needed to reach the eastern city but couldn’t solo this… thought of you guys first.”
Undertown, located beneath Snow White City, still required passing through this forest to head east.
“Don’t apologize! We needed to visit Solar Terra anyway!”
“Perfect chance to register at their portal and sightsee!”
Their enthusiasm was genuine. Healers—especially pure healers like Oasis—were coveted. Major guilds would grovel for their aid. Being friends with one promised an effortless gaming life.
Normally we’d fight to attach ourselves to her, yet she reached out first?
The trio couldn’t stop grinning. They’d follow her to the world’s edge if asked.
...
"Alright, shall we go!"
Oasis took the lead, and the party members quickly fell in behind her small frame.
The group chattered idly as they entered the forest.
"......"
Rustle.
Labo, who had been observing them from a bush, smirked and stood up.
He then trailed after them into the woods.
The Forest of Bewilderment swirled with dense fog.
Oasis and the three remaining party members huddled close, wary of potential ambushes.
"Huh, so that's how you three ended up sticking together," Oasis remarked after hearing their origin story.
"Yep. We hated each other at first..."
"Not like we're best buds now either."
"Hey punk! You done yappin'?"
The trio squabbled and snickered as Oasis laughed along. They'd met in a shooter game forum, clashed endlessly, then somehow became inseparable gaming partners.
"Every game we touch turns chaotic. We tried playing nice in Wings, but got sucked into PK wars anyway."
"After brawling with multiple parties, our infamy shot up. Said screw it and settled in Undertown."
The shield warrior turned to Oasis. "Healer-nim, why're you in Undertown?"
"Huh?"
"You don't seem the PK type. How'd your infamy stack?"
Others leaned in curiously. As a priest with gentle manners, Oasis clearly didn't belong in PK circles.
She scratched her cheek awkwardly. "I... started playing with a friend."
"Your friend's into PK?"
"Sort of..."
More like my character stays weak unless I PK with them.
The group chuckled. "Birds of a feather~"
"Our mage here rage-charges without thinking. Constant fights because of this jerk."
"Seriously! How many PKs has this bastard caused?"
The shield warrior glanced back. "Ain't that right, troublemaker... Huh?"
His eyes bulged. "Where'd he go?"
The rear guard mage had vanished. Only oppressive fog remained where he'd stood.
The shield warrior spun wildly as the archer drawled, "Phone call? He always ghosts during raids."
"Could've warned us..." The warrior apologized to Oasis. "We'll backtrack to check."
"Of course." Though Oasis' smile seemed strained, they didn't notice.
Retracing their steps revealed nothing. "Gone?"
"Try whispering." The archer's attempt failed. "Can't receive messages."
"Logged out?"
"Still online." They stared at each other. Online but unreachable?
"Knocked out? Boss attack?"
"No mobs detected."
"Ghost abduction?" The archer wiggled spooky fingers. "Like whoosh—"
Crash!
A shadowy claw tore through the fog, snatching the archer's collar—
"WAAAAAAAAH!" His scream faded into mist.
The shield warrior gaped at empty air. "What...?"
Sword drawn, he barked "Healer-nim! Behind me!"
But when he turned—
Oasis had disappeared.
A chill crawled up his spine.
"Healer-nim...?"
Only fog answered, swallowing his voice in the silent woods.
