Dusk (BL Light Novel)

[The Holy Guardian officer ‘Howa Shediana’ is nowhere to be seen. Try asking his peer, the Holy Guardian cadet ‘Abrea Shediana’, about Howa’s whereabouts.]
Seeing all the Holy Guardian players gathered around here, I assumed we’d be getting the quest from Howa. But maybe not? Maybe he only shows up once you’ve progressed a bit. Without much thought, I headed straight to the central fountain where Abrea always stood.

Abrea, with his long, ivory hair that shimmered like polished ivory and those mysterious blue eyes, stood lazily leaned against the fountain. Unlike other Holy Guardians, who always had a strict military aura, he looked completely relaxed and unbothered.
He was my favorite NPC. Ever since closed beta, something about him had drawn me in so strongly that I started playing Holy Guardian just to see where his story went. Was it his appearance? Probably. I’ve always had a thing for white-haired beauties with the lazy, predatory aura of a feline.
But it wasn’t just his looks—I liked his personality, too. While other Holy Guardians seemed oddly obsessed with binding themselves to the gods, Abrea had a clear sense of self. He was even skeptical of divinity itself. That made him fascinating.

Feeling a strange sense of affection, I walked up to him and scrolled in with the mouse wheel to zoom in on his face. When I stood still in front of him, Abrea turned and looked at me sharply, like he was annoyed. It totally gave off “What do you want, stop bothering me” vibes. I clicked to initiate conversation immediately.
[- Abrea: What now?]
God, I love his attitude. Other NPCs—depending on your rank—will use formal speech, but not this guy. He’ll talk down to you no matter if you’re a grunt or the Supreme Commander.

[(Ask about Howa’s whereabouts.)]
[- Abrea: Looking for Howa? He got emergency orders and went off to the Doa-Bisax continent with a squad… Ah. Wait. Are you the one Howa mentioned? Honeybread?]
[(Stare at him silently.)]

[- Abrea: Right, right. I remember him asking me to assist his companion before he left, but… I’m not exactly functioning in the mornings, so I didn’t catch the name. Okay, okay, sorry! Don’t look at me like that!]
Abrea raised both hands slightly, grumbling as he spoke.
[- Abrea: You probably haven’t been briefed on the mission yet, so I’ll explain it. Don’t zone out.]

[- Abrea: Reports say there’s been a strange disturbance in the center of the Atelierna region, specifically in a place called ‘The Heart: Land Where Breath Stills.’ Given that we’re in an ongoing conflict over that area, this is bad news for us. When unpredictable factors show up in war, it increases the chances of unnecessary injuries and casualties—and that’s a direct hit to our combat strength.]
[- Abrea: So, we’ve been ordered to send a scouting unit to investigate. Howa was originally supposed to lead the mission, but because of the emergency orders to Doa-Bisax, I’m taking over instead.]
[- Abrea: Got all that?]

▷ Say that you understand.
▷ Ask him to repeat it.
The options popped up. I was pretty sure picking the second one would make Abrea get snippy, and I already knew he’d just repeat the same thing, so I picked the first option without hesitation.
[(Say that you understand.)]

[- Abrea: Good. I knew I liked you for a reason.]
[- Abrea: When you’re ready, head to Outpost 41. To avoid a fight for the sake of the fragile scout team, we’ve decided to use the ‘Eunseo Tribe’s Secret Passage.’ As long as we make it to the entrance safely, there shouldn’t be any combat. Still, come armed just in case.]
[- Abrea: Oh, and for the record, a research team from Aideas is coming with us. Don’t pick a fight if your eyes meet. You know we’re under a temporary peace pact right now—any petty squabble could cause problems.]
[- Abrea: You’re the damn Supreme Commander, so you get what I’m saying, right?]

With that, the dialogue ended and Abrea disappeared. The quest updated to instruct me to move to Outpost 41.
The “Eunseo Tribe’s Secret Passage” was a tunnel used by weasel-beastkin NPCs to avoid conflict. You could only enter if you’d maxed your relationship with the Eunseo Tribe. Since it was a neutral zone where PvP wasn’t allowed—even if you encountered players from the enemy faction—most PvP players didn’t bother investing the time to raise reputation. That’s why the passage was mainly known as a hidden route for gathering and crafting-focused players.
There was a time I got curious and started raising a crafting class just to unlock the passage. I even ran the Eunseo quests for a while—but the amount of patience and persistence needed didn’t mesh well with my temperament, so I eventually gave up. I’d only ever seen it in screenshots or other people’s recordings. Getting to enter it myself now, even like this, felt kind of nostalgic.

Excited, I started recording my gameplay. Then I sprinted toward the teleport statue and immediately warped to Outpost 41.
Title: What’s up with this main story quest?
Posted by: [Jeopa] MakingSniffSniff
So, I’m a Medic, right?
And I’m following the main quest while watching Retaking’s stream,
but the story’s kinda different?
I didn’t think there were any branching options.

(17 comments)
– Even your username smells like a dead game
└ [OP] What are you talking about? This isn't even a game—it’s art
– What do you mean it’s different?
└ [OP] I was told to escort the scout team alone through the Eunseo Passage,
but Retaking was going with Adam (he’s the Jeopa Medic NPC, right?).
He said some elder ordered him to accompany the team or whatever.

└ You sure you didn’t just misread something? └ Nah, I’m a Medic too, and I got the same thing as OP. Retaking’s quest really *is* different. └ Sounds like an easter egg.
– Mine was different too. I’m not a Medic—I’m a Priest—but when I talked about it with a friend, our versions were weirdly different.
└ [OP] Wait, for real? Is this some hidden story with specific unlock conditions?
… (View more comments) …

TIP – (…) The followers who began denying the gods formed a heretical group called Aideas, centered around Medics and Warriors. After the First Terror Incident, the Holy Temple reclassified them from heretics to terrorists and created Overawhev, a task force led by Holy Guardians and Priests.
[Guild] everynameisalreadytaken: 😭 Guild leader, are you really not coming to farm?
[Guild] Honeybread: nope

[Guild] Honeybread: no tanks?
[Guild] everynameisalreadytaken: No one's online… I managed ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) to convince Goso-nim and Sogo-nim,
but I think everyone else went to do their main quests. I can’t find anyone for a farming party…
[Guild] Ceylontea: We just need a tank…

[Guild] Ceylontea: (hint hint)
[Guild] Ceylontea: (hint hint)
[Guild] Ceylontea: (hint hint)
[Guild] Ceylontea: (hint hint)
Right after I arrived at Outpost 41 and spoke to a trembling Eunseo NPC, who asked me to start investigating the cave since there’d been frequent tremors, the guild chat suddenly blew up, calling me nonstop. Turns out they wanted me in the farming party.
Normally, I’d consider tagging along for a bit of farming. But this was the first time in ages I’d gotten to do a quest with Abrea. No way was I giving that up.

[Guild] Honeybread: lol good luck
[Guild] Ceylontea: 🖕
I rejected them without a second thought and checked the next objective.

[Speak to the Eunseo tomb raider ‘ChuiChui’ to enter the Secret Passage.]
A little ways off from the trembling NPC, I spotted ChuiChui—a white-furred, round little weasel-like beastkin. I walked right up, and Abrea followed slowly behind, standing beside him.
[- ChuiChui: Ah! Welcomeeeh! You’re the scouts here to investigate the cave, yesyes? The passage is down this way, please! It’s deep, so be careful not to miss the ladderrr!]

[- ChuiChui: We’ll need to close the passage later, which will make it pitch dark and dangerous—so whoever’s last, take this bell and shake it lots once everyone’s safely inside!]
As soon as he finished speaking, ChuiChui flicked his tail and got on all fours. Then, using his hind legs, he rapidly scratched at the ground beneath him. A hatch opened, revealing a deep pit with a firmly anchored ladder.