Chapter 22: Symbol of Game Over

There was no need to drag things out.

They say to row while the tide is in.

And right now was exactly that moment.

“I’ve been waiting for this!!”

The viewers had been waiting for this moment.

‘What kind of performance will Exitra put on?’

Exitra had taken a completely different path than everyone else so far.

When everyone else had said, “No way, that’s impossible,” and given up, he had been the only streamer to succeed.

‘Would he falter in the face of this crisis like everyone else?’

Or would he overcome it?

Anyone who played Molgahub couldn’t help but be curious.

But just then…

[Chairman has donated 10,000 won.]

<Wait just a miiiinute! Before we go on—how about a mission? No, scratch that, you have to do it.>

“Huh?”

Exitra tilted his head in confusion at the sudden mission request.

“I’ll give you the rundown!” one viewer quickly offered.

They explained what had gone down during Dogry’s stream—what kind of bet had been made, and what was on the line.

“So if I don’t kill the Giant Black Mountain Goat, Dogry gets 1 million won, but if I do kill it, he has to get a full-body wax?”

— [Yep.]

— [That’s the deal.]

— [And if Exitra kills the goat, he gets a 1 million won donation.]

“Wow.”

Exitra was stunned.

He hadn’t expected that kind of bet.

A million won was no joke.

That was the kind of money only a major sponsor like the Chairman could throw around.

But there was one thing he had to clarify here.

“Everyone, I want to take a moment to speak to you seriously.”

His expression turned solemn, and his voice grew more earnest.

“Gambling is a dangerous addiction. Please, if you need help, call 1366.”

— [LOLOL what?!]

— [Public service ambassador against gambling 😂😂]

— [Dogry confirmed gambling addict?]

— [Bro’s being dead serious right now!]

“It seems that man doesn’t value his own body hair at all. First he shaved his head over a bet, and now he’s putting his whole body on the line…”

Exitra shook his head in disbelief.

At this point, it was fair to call it a serious gambling addiction.

“You should treasure every hair on the body your parents gave you.”

— [Dogry’s definitely watching this right now LOL]

— [I can see him trembling.]

— [You didn’t value your body hair, and now it’s getting waxed off!]

“Well, enough banter.”

Exitra shrugged.

“I accept the mission. I’ll make sure Dogry loses not just the hair on his head—but all of it.”

***

He took on the mission.

The chat instantly exploded.

Meanwhile, the number of viewers continued to climb.

Nearly 5,000 people had joined already.

Viewers who had been watching Dogry’s stream were naturally migrating over.

They all wanted to see one thing:

Exitra winning the bet.

And Dogry getting a full-body wax.

‘This is insane.’

So many viewers.

Not even in his past life had he seen numbers like this.

It felt surreal.

‘I’m catching at least half of these viewers today.’

That meant one thing—he had to be very careful in how he tackled the Giant Black Mountain Goat.

“Let’s begin.”

He launched the game.

A burst of signature flame effects filled the screen as Molgahub started, and the background changed.

Exitra returned to the exact point where he had last logged out.

The moment the Giant Black Mountain Goat had smashed through the fortress walls and entered.

He had paused the game at that exact moment.

“As you all know, this monster hasn’t been cleared by anyone yet. The moment I unpause, the Giant Black Mountain Goat—aka the symbol of Game Over—will begin destroying our territory.”

— [The literal symbol of Game Over!]

— [Holy crap, it’s huge.]

— [Is this even possible? He’s got no knights or mages…]

— [Honestly, there’s no way. How do you even start to kill that thing?]

‘Could Exitra really kill the Giant Black Mountain Goat?’

Most viewers thought it was impossible.

There was a reason it was called the Symbol of Game Over.

It had extremely high defense and HP.

And the destructive power that came from its massive size was way beyond what any early-game character could handle.

It was a walking disaster.

“Alright, then…”

All eyes were on Exitra.

What would he do?

Everyone was dying to know.

His viewer count had already passed 6,000.

Even other streamers were secretly dropping in to watch.

They were just as curious.

‘Would Exitra be the first to take down the Giant Black Mountain Goat?’

‘Or would he fail like everyone else?’

“Let’s do this.”

Exitra released the pause and resumed the game.

The die had been cast.

There was no more pausing from here on out—only one ending awaited.

“U-aaaaaaah!!”

“It’s the Giant Black Mountain Goat!!”

As the world began to move again, screams erupted from the territory’s citizens.

To them, the Goat was a force of pure destruction.

It was terror incarnate.

Looking at their terrified faces, Exitra shouted:

“Ray!”

“Yes!”

“Get to the lord’s castle—bring Alfredo immediately!!”

“Why Lord Alfredo?! Wait, no—that’s not the issue! Exitra, you need to run!”

“…Hey.”

“I’m not running.”

“W-What are you saying?!”

“I am the rightful heir of House Raiders. If I run, what will the people think of me?”

“So I will stay.”

— [Woooow…]

— [That line was so cringe it gave me psychic damage.]

— [How can he say stuff like that with a straight face?]

— [The immersion is real though.]

Exitra was completely immersed in the game.

Because of that, his lines sometimes came off as a bit too cringey.

But it was exactly that level of immersion that made the viewers love it.

‘I can focus better this way.’

‘The way he acts to match the mood of the situation… It feels more like watching a movie than playing a game.’

‘I need first-person immersion too, or I can’t get into it.’

As deeply as Exitra immersed himself, the viewers were able to get pulled in just as much.

***

“Th-then what should we do…?”

“We kill it.”

Ray’s eyes widened in shock at those words.

The Giant Black Mountain Goat wasn’t the kind of monster that could be easily taken down.

‘Kill something like that?’

That was suicide.

“Exitra-nim!”

“Enough. If we waste time here, the damage will get worse. We need to lure it somewhere else and take it down there.”

If they fought within the territory, who knew what might happen to the place in the process.

So they had to draw the creature away.

“Then I’ll lure it instead. So Exitra-nim, you—”

“Do you even have a way to kill that thing?”

“That’s…”

“If you can’t kill it, it’ll just come right back here. And when that happens, you’ll be dead. I’m not about to lose you.”

“Ex… Exitra-nim…”

[Knight Ray is deeply moved by your words.]

[Knight Ray’s affection has increased by 10.]

[Knight Ray’s loyalty has increased by 10.]

— [Ooh~ Ray got all emotional~?]

— [LOL]

— [Look at those eyes. He’s about to cry~]

“I have a way. But I’ll need Alfredo. Go get him, quickly.”

Ray lowered his head in response.

“Understood.”

He ran off toward the lord’s manor.

Left alone, Exitra turned his gaze toward the panicked residents of the territory.

“Kyaaa!”

“Help! Somebody!”

“Mooooom!!”

“Waaaah!!”

Everyone was panicking, running around in a complete frenzy.

If this continued, the damage could become catastrophic.

“Everyone calm down! Get as far away from it as you can and evacuate! Fall back!!”

Exitra used the power of the Wind Spirit to amplify his voice.

But perhaps because of the terror caused by the Giant Black Mountain Goat?

His voice didn’t reach them.

In their panic, the townspeople weren’t in any state to listen to anyone.

“Tch…”

He needed to calm them down somehow.

‘There has to be something I can use to get them under control.’

Splash them with cold water?

But in a situation like this, dousing them would only make it harder for them to move.

‘I have to conserve my spirit power too… So what else can I do?’

Just as Exitra was thinking that—

***

Ding~

[Because you’re struggling to get your people to listen, a skill has been sent to you.]

The skill ‘Dignity of a Lord’ has been created.

‘A skill? What is it?’

Exitra immediately checked the details.

[Dignity of a Lord]

[Description: To stand above others, one must possess a dignity befitting their station. Exudes the authority of a ruler, making it easier to command subordinates. Also grants slight resistance to mental interference. It was a skill sent by Chronos.]

‘If this was going to happen anyway, why not just send it all at once?’

Exitra grumbled a little.

As if reading his mind, another message appeared.

Ding~

[This is being sent in secret. If I get caught, I’m in big trouble.]

Apparently, even he had some restrictions.

It seemed he was also watching his back.

‘A god… being cautious?’

The idea of a god watching his step felt oddly surreal.

But there was no time to dwell on that.

‘Well, anyway…’

The skill had been granted.

Just from the description, he got a decent idea of what it did.

“Everyone, quiet!!”

Exitra once again amplified his voice through Sylph.

This time, it was different.

The people who had been frantically running around turned their eyes toward him, all at once.

Whether it was the effect of the skill or not, everyone was now focused on his voice.

This was his chance.

If he spoke while everyone was watching, it would definitely get through.

“Calm down. I’m going to lure the Giant Black Mountain Goat away. Young people, take the children and elderly to the lord’s manor. Now, move!”

“Y-yes, sir!”

“Understood!”

The younger men and women of the territory began to move more cautiously this time.

They’d realized—albeit a bit late—that panicked fleeing only caused more harm.

— [Ohhh, that was cool!]

— [Exitra is awesome. I got chills just now.]

— [Everyone turning to look at him gave me chills. It was electric…]

— [Oppa! You’re so cool!]

“Brother!”

Just then—

Thanks to Ray’s message, Alfredo came rushing out.

Judging by his grim expression, he understood the danger posed by the Giant Black Mountain Goat.

“Damn it… How many crises do we have to face in a single day to catch a break…?”

Alfredo cursed his fate.

While Exitra and the viewers had experienced the events over several days of gameplay, for Alfredo, this was all happening in one single, grueling day.

Every time he tried to rest, something dragged him back out.

If there were a labor board in this world, he’d have filed a complaint by now.

— [It’s not just Exitra suffering. His brother’s miserable too…]

— [He never gets to rest…]

— [This poor guy’s going through hell because of his unlucky brother LOL]

“Alfredo, we’re going to lure that thing away.”

“What?! What do you mean, lure it?!”

“I have a plan. Is there an open area near the territory?”

Exitra turned to Ray, who had returned just behind Alfredo.

“To the east of the territory, there’s a large field used by the knights for group training. If it’s there… then—”

“Perfect. Ray, you take the other knights and finish evacuating the people. Alfredo, you’re coming with me. We’re going to lure the Giant Black Mountain Goat.”

“W-why do I have to go with you?! No way!”

Alfredo turned his head with a stubborn flick.

Even in a serious situation, he clearly didn’t want to listen to Exitra.

That wasn’t logic speaking—it was pure instinct.

He was really staying true to his character settings.

“Alfredo, is this really the time to say things like that?”

— [Wow, look at Exitra’s eyes.]

— [Damn, that gaze!]

— [He’s so intense, I’m swooning over here.]

— [His voice dropped—chills. Haaaah…]

— [Hey! Perverts, stop drooling! You’re ruining the mood!]

Maybe it was because the Dignity of a Lord skill was still active—

Alfredo flinched under the weight of Exitra’s presence.

“And if we leave things as they are, the territory will be destroyed. There’s no time to explain in detail.”

He was right.

If nothing was done, the Giant Black Mountain Goat would destroy the territory.

Alfredo nodded, realizing the gravity of the situation.

That couldn’t be allowed.

‘This territory… I’m going to make it mine one day. I can’t afford to lose it because of that thing.’

“Understood. But how exactly are we going to lure it away?”

Exitra grinned.

“I’ve got a way.”