***
That was ten years ago.
The story of when I was ten years old and entered the Royal Academy.
“Huh?”
While researching the figure ‘Manuel Lucas,’ who led the golden age of magic for a class assignment, I stumbled upon something completely unexpected.
“What is this…….”
What caught my eye was the crest of the Lucas Ducal Family.
[WHY]
For some reason, there was English written there.
‘No way, this guy too?’
The short word ‘why (why, for what reason)’ felt oddly profound somehow.
I blinked like an idiot, double- and triple-checking to make sure I wasn’t seeing things.
Once I confirmed my eyes weren’t playing tricks on me, I couldn’t help but question Duke Lucas’s origins.
‘No, I can’t jump to conclusions just from this. It could be pure coincidence.’
I was greatly startled, but my naturally cautious personality kept me from rushing to judgment.
“Huh…….”
However, it wasn’t long before I had no choice but to accept that Duke Lucas was from Earth.
[His Highness Lucas left these words on the brink of death: ‘I want to walk the California beach one more time with Mary.’ We cannot be certain of the meaning behind these unfamiliar place names and names, but as they come from a great saint, we cannot dismiss them lightly. Thus, I record His Highness’s final message here.]
The account from the butler who had attended him at the end was irrefutable proof.
Whether he remembered his past life like me, or had been transported through dimensions like in comics or novels, there was no doubt that Ronde’s great archmage was from Earth.
Most people didn’t attach much significance to those cryptic final words, but to me, they were like a secret message.
[Prototype ‘Washington’ of the Aura Condensation Device]
[First virtual reality system ‘Hollywood,’ combining ego, indream, and thought-sharing magic]
After that, I became obsessed, diving deep into research on Duke Lucas as if possessed, and evidence of his Earth origins poured out from all directions.
In the process, one possibility dawned on me.
‘Maybe I’m the only one who can truly understand this great mage.’
With that in mind, I recalled Manuel Lucas’s declaration that had shaken the world.
[Power, knowledge, wealth. I have hidden all that I possess somewhere in this world.]
[Yearn for it. The ownerless fortuitous encounter might fall into your hands.]
Even those who knew nothing of Duke Lucas’s achievements were familiar with those words that stirred human greed.
‘He openly used an English word in his family crest and left traces of his Earth origins everywhere. And by announcing the existence of this fortune and drawing massive attention, it even feels like he was searching for fellow Earthlings.’
Of course, he might have simply been nostalgic for home, like how he longed for someone named Mary, and acted without deeper meaning.
But given that no one had found it despite the whole world lighting fires under themselves to hunt for his legacy, I couldn’t shake the thought that some condition was required to claim it.
‘Earth knowledge might be the key.’
Common sense said it was impossible to snag the fortune ahead of the world’s elites chasing it, but if this hunch wasn’t just delusion, I’d be closer to Duke Lucas’s legacy than anyone.
‘I’m already struggling to build my own contingencies while avoiding Anna’s watchful eyes. But what if I claim Duke Lucas’s fortuitous encounter?’
Sure, it might be overly optimistic.
But once the thought took root, I couldn’t help throwing myself into gathering information.
Not just on the man Manuel Lucas, but every technique and paper he’d developed in his lifetime—I checked them all without fail. During breaks, I even flew to the Bringham Empire, homeland of the great mage.
I poked around everywhere in my investigations, but no one paid any mind to a ten-year-old kid.
They just dismissed me as one of Manuel Lucas’s fervent admirers.
And so, amid my competitors’ indifference, I gathered quite a bit of information.
And in the end…….
[You have acquired Manuel Lucas’s fortuitous encounter.]
I did it.
* * *
Earth knowledge was a huge help in finding Duke Lucas’s fortuitous encounter.
Of course, he’d made arrangements so someone could reach it even without that knowledge, but with an irregular like me around, the competition could never be fair.
[Successor who inherits the great mage Manuel Lucas’s true legacy.]
With that title in hand, I no longer had to cower from threats.
What could a mere baroness like Anna do?
Duke Lucas’s power was enough to sway an entire nation.
From here on, my life would be smooth sailing.
All that remained was to walk the flower path after overcoming hardship…….
-Smack!
“Gah!”
Or so I thought.
But right away, an unexpected problem exploded.
“That hurts like hell! You damn thing!”
It turned out that acquiring Manuel Lucas’s fortuitous encounter marked the true beginning of hardship.
[Goblin]
HP 80/100
A short humanoid monster with green skin.
Goblins exist throughout the Reinhartz Kingdom (reality), but the HP display is a courtesy because this is inside the virtual reality game ‘Chronicle Online.’
“How am I supposed to fight properly when it’s this scary.”
Even in VR, games are games.
Normally, pain gets filtered and dulled.
But I had to hesitate, feeling pain as real as in reality.
Who would believe this malicious glitch was tied to the fortuitous encounter?
-Kieeeek!
The stiffness from pain was only momentary.
I gripped my beginner dagger in reverse grip and glared at the goblin.
My left arm was slashed long and deep, which was seriously annoying, but I gritted my teeth and braced for the next attack.
-Swoosh!
The goblin leaped nimbly, stabbing straight at my front.
I dodged by a hair’s breadth and slammed my dagger down with all my might.
[Critical Hit!]
The goblin, pierced through the crown of its head, gurgled and collapsed as its HP hit zero.
Its corpse soon vanished in light, dropping a few coins, and a blue glow erupted around me as an alert appeared.
[You have reached Level 10.]
[You are now eligible for job change.]
The level-up healed all my injuries.
But the level-up effect lingered longer than usual, and a new message appeared.
[You have cleared Stage 1 of the Fortuitous Encounter Quest.]
[You will now be transported to a secret space by the goddess Ariel.]
I blinked, and suddenly I was in a gray room lined with marble on all sides.
I’d been forcibly teleported, regardless of my thoughts.
-Manuel Lucas’s Magic Tower, Floor 1.
[The conditions to unlock the next area of the Magic Tower have been met. Manuel Lucas’s Magic Tower, Floor 2 is now open.]
What an unfriendly system.
My opinion wasn’t reflected anywhere in the events after finishing goblin hunting.
‘Well, as long as I can properly claim the fortune, I’ll endure whatever.’
The intelligence agencies of various nations, not to mention countless treasure hunters, had scoured the world for Duke Lucas’s legacy.
But it was hidden in an unexpected place: ‘online,’ the virtual world.
‘No wonder it was so hard to find.’
When I first claimed the fortune, I thought I’d inherit Duke Lucas’s legacy in a physical sense.
Like getting the location of a secret vault or dungeon in reality.
But Manuel Lucas was more meticulous than I’d imagined and didn’t let his legacy leak out easily.
[Your character will be reset.]
[Your character and real body will synchronize.]
[Chronicle Online abilities will reflect in reality.]
[Intangible and material assets will be acquired in stages as you grow.]
Like this.
Thanks to that, the scout character I’d raised in-game for fortune hunting was wiped, and I had to start over as a beginner conquering the game again.
‘Still, it’s not bad.’
Game abilities applying to reality?
Even just the strength of the scout I’d built would make me nearly unmatched in the kingdom.
Plus, with experience, character growth would be easier this time, so I figured I’d enjoy it.
But with the game syncing to my real body, my poor stamina carried over, so my body didn’t keep up with my mind, and I suffered terribly at the start.
On top of that, my heavy body meant insane pain on every hit, forcing me to hunt cautiously. It took quite a while to hit the Stage 1 goal of Level 10.
[Would you like to proceed to Manuel Lucas’s Magic Tower, Floor 2?]
A door materialized like a mirage in the now-empty gray space.
This space, an in-game object, was the fortuitous encounter itself—Duke Lucas’s legacy.
Without hesitation, I nodded and grasped the door handle.
“Yeah.”
At my response, the teleport sensation hit again, and a space with a vast red carpet appeared.
The difference between Floor 2 and Floor 1 wasn’t just the carpet.
Unlike the empty Floor 1, Floor 2 was furnished like an entire library.
One wall was packed with bookshelves crammed full of tomes, and in front of them sat a large metal chest.
[Treasure Chest 1]
A message window helpfully explained the chest’s purpose.
Eyes wide, I swallowed dryly and approached slowly.
[You have acquired 5 billion rute. Please enter the account to deposit.]
[You may receive it as online currency if desired.]
Finally, a reward worth calling one.
Rute was similar to Korean won in value, so it was like getting 5 billion won.
Still, as the child of a lord, it was an amount I could scrape together with effort, so it felt a bit lacking despite the huge sum.
‘In a game where max level is 300, hitting just Level 10 for this means I can expect more later.’
But the true value of this fortune wasn’t money anyway.
[1st Circle is being created.]
[Job is fixed to Mage due to Circle creation.]
[A Circle is being created in the synchronized body (reality).]
[Do not exit the game. Forced termination will severely damage the synchronized body.]