“...Your 202X World Champion!”
The overseas commentator’s victory call poured through the wireless earbuds in his ears.
“Waaaaaah!”
The roaring crowd.
Spotlights converging on a single place.
Live-chat messages vanishing from the screen the instant they were sent.
It was a privilege reserved for the victor alone.
“With this, player Demolish has achieved an unparalleled record: five World Championship titles!”
The winner, Demolish, raised his trophy on a tiny 6.5-inch display.
With an expression like he had gained the entire world.
“Man... I’m jealous.”
Namgung Jun let his honest feelings slip out without realizing it.
Anyone who loved games had probably imagined it at least once.
Becoming a pro gamer and winning a world tournament.
But most people ran into the wall called reality.
Namgung Jun was no different.
It was not because he lacked talent. He did have it—quite a lot of it, in fact.
Until middle school, it had been difficult for him to find anyone who could match him.
Right. Until middle school.
By the time he entered high school, his family had fallen on hard times.
As if that were not enough, his mother became ill.
With their finances strained and his mother in poor health, he could not bring himself to devote himself to gaming.
In the end, Namgung Jun was defeated by the wall of circumstance, and he had to give up his dream.
As time passed and things improved, his parents occasionally encouraged him.
‘Jun. Want to try becoming a pro gamer? You wanted to do that, remember? You had talent too.’
Whenever they did, Namgung Jun would force a smile and brush it off.
‘Come on, Mom. What pro gamer at my age? Even if I wanted to, I can’t do it anymore.’
It was not as if he had no lingering regrets. But still...
“It’s all in the past now. I should just be content with enjoying games casually in my free time after work.”
Games were no more and no less than a hobby to him now.
Just as Namgung Jun gave a bitter smile and was about to turn off his phone—
Bzzzt!
A message appeared at the top of the screen along with a vibration.
It was the message he had been waiting for.
[Dear customer Namgung Jun! Delivery and installation of the item you ordered have been completed! Thank you very much for purchasing a Necton Up capsule! We hope you have a fun and happy time in Dream World Online!]
Dream World Online was the first virtual-reality MMORPG developed and published directly by Necton Up, one of the world’s leading mega game developers.
Abbreviated as DDO.
Dream World Online had attracted enormous public attention for being the first true virtual-reality game—and for requiring not a computer or console, but a new device called a capsule.
As if to prove it, the number of worldwide pre-registrations had easily surpassed one hundred million, making the excitement palpable even before launch.
[Dream World Online! Global launch: December XX, 202X, 19:00 (UTC+9). Join us now!]
NeoTube, buses, electronic billboards, television—everywhere he looked, there were advertisements for DDO.
And today was DDO’s launch day.
Perhaps that was why Namgung Jun’s steps on the way home felt lighter than ever.
***
“Wow! So this is the capsule I’ve heard so much about? I’d only ever seen one in anime or novels.”
Namgung Jun’s eyes sparkled as he looked at the capsule installed in one corner of his room.
“Installation’s done, so now I just need to wait until seven. What time is it now?”
He checked his smartphone.
18:57
December XX, 202X.
Exactly three minutes remained until DDO opened.
“Let’s get in already.”
Namgung Jun hurried into the open capsule.
A user manual lay on the spot where he would be lying down.
When he flipped through the first page, it began with instructions on setting up the device, followed by all kinds of other information.
“Whatever. I probably don’t need to read this.”
Namgung Jun casually tossed the manual outside.
Skipping this stuff would not be a big deal.
The contents were all basically the same anyway, weren’t they?
Do not touch the device with wet hands.
Unplug it when it is not in use.
He did not even need to read it to know.
After a wait in which three minutes felt like thirty—
The moment 18 on his phone changed to 19, Namgung Jun logged into the game.
“I want to play already!”
His hands fidgeted with anticipation.
Before long, his vision went dark, then a new world gradually came into view.
[Connecting to network...]
[Iris and fingerprint scan confirm this is an initial login by an unregistered user.]
[Would you like to create an account?]
“Of course!”
Namgung Jun’s heart raced.
A new beginning always made a person’s heart flutter.
[Account creation complete. Uploading new account to the server.]
[New account information has been entered.]
[Please select a character nickname.]
“Hmm, what should I use?”
[Would you like to use “Moo”?]
“No, no. Not that. I’ll use DDO.”
[Would you like to use “DDO”?]
Gaming-related nicknames were incredibly rare names that could only barely be claimed during a game’s earliest days.
Namgung Jun wanted one badly.
“Yeah! I’ll use that!”
He nodded vigorously.
[A nickname is the user’s name within Dream World Online.]
[Once set, a nickname can never be changed and may prove useful at important moments.]
[Are you sure you would like to use “DDO”?]
“Yes, that’s what I said.”
[That nickname already exists.]
“Then why did you ask me in the first place?!”
Enraged, Namgung Jun shouted at the top of his lungs inside the capsule.
[Please select a new nickname.]
“Ugh, what a pain. I’ll use Rough.”
It meant he was doing it roughly—without much thought.
[Would you like to use “Rough”?]
“I get it, so hurry up and move on.”
Irritated, Namgung Jun repeatedly hit SKIP.
[Character creation complete.]
[Please select your character’s disposition.]
[Your character’s disposition will serve as a crucial clue in determining the tutorial and early main quests.]
[1. Combat]
[2. Non-combat]
“Combat.”
[The synchronization rate for all senses other than pain has been set to 80%.]
[To change this, please check the Environment tab in Game Settings.]
[Would you like to enter your pre-registration coupon?]
DDO’s pre-registration reward was quite unlike those of other games.
Other games commonly gave things like 500,000 gold, ten-pull tickets, or 500 diamonds.
But DDO had announced that it would give one random reward.
Until you opened it, there was no way to know whether you would receive a broken item or complete trash.
The word random stirred a peculiar sense of anticipation.
The coupon was automatically filled in without needing to be entered manually.
[YMYT-ILIB-ASIL-AICE-PS6130]
[Pre-registration coupon confirmed.]
With that, all preparations required to start the game were complete.
[Welcome. We sincerely welcome you to Dream World Online.]
[We hope you gain valuable experiences in Dream World Online.]
Flash!
A burst of light filled his vision, and the scenery before Namgung Jun—or rather, Rough—changed in an instant.
[Starting point: Tutorial Zone #G28-0787.]
The real tutorial had begun.
Rough first lowered his head to inspect his body.
Worn, shabby clothes. They were filthy too.
He repeatedly clenched and unclenched both hands.
Vivid sensations flowed through his fingertips.
“They said they recreated the five senses as close to reality as possible. This really is no joke.”
Clicking his tongue in amazement, he checked his stats next.
“Status window.”
[Rough]
[Lv: 1]
[Class: Beginner]
[Title: None]
[Classification: Player (Human)]
[Affiliation: None]
[Disposition: Neutral]
[HP: 150/150 MP: 30/30]
[Strength: 10 Agility: 10]
[Intelligence: 10 Luck: 10]
[Total Combat Power: 320]
What could he say? They were truly... pathetic stats.
Then again, it was only natural for a freshly created character.
The instant he dismissed the Status Window UI—
Ding!
A system message appeared before Rough’s eyes.
[As a pre-registration coupon reward, you have received the personal trait: Advanced Status Window!]
“...Huh?”
Rough narrowed his eyes.
“Advanced... Status Window? In the end, it’s still just a status window, right? Isn’t that the most basic system in an RPG? Is this... actually good?”
Faced with an unexpected result, Rough was unsure.
His goal was not something grand, like reaching rank one or making money.
For now, the most important thing was enjoying this new game.
Whether he got a good item or a bad item did not matter all that much to him.
Still, getting a good reward would let him play the game in a far more comfortable environment.
But since the game had only just launched, he had no way to tell whether the pre-registration reward was good or bad.
If it had been another game, he would have tried rerolling—deleting his character and creating a new one.
But DDO’s system made that impossible.
Necton Up had made it perfectly clear in its announcement.
Each person could create only one DDO account.
Each account could have only one character, and character deletion was impossible.
In other words, once a character was created, he had to stick with it to the end, whether he liked it or not.
Besides—
“I’ve already used the coupon. Nothing I can do now.”
Rough consoled himself and examined the trait.
[Advanced Status Window Lv. 1]
[EXP: 0.00%]
[You can see through a target’s hidden essence. You can understand the nature of all things and, furthermore, may even be able to dominate them.]
“Dominate them? What’s that supposed to mean?”
A strange light appeared in Rough’s eyes.
“It’s interesting, but I’ll figure it out gradually. First, the tutorial.”
Rough looked around.
The space he stood in was sealed on all sides and pitch-black.
Dust lay thick in the air.
Various pieces of junk were strewn about, making it seem as though the place had been abandoned for a very long time.
“I feel uneasy with nothing in my hands. Maybe there’s something useful around here.”
Remembering someone’s teaching that a gun was a man’s second life, Rough diligently rummaged through the junk.
Fortunately, equipment that could be used as weapons right away was hidden here and there.
There were cold weapons such as swords, spears, axes, blunt weapons, and gauntlets; staffs that seemed necessary for using magic; bows, firearms, and various throwing weapons.
There was a wide variety of them.
“Since this is a tutorial, I guess it’s telling me to choose one.”
Rough checked them one by one with care.
[Rusty Iron Sword Lv. 1]
[Grade: Normal]
[Classification: Equipment Item]
[Durability: 1,000/1,000]
[Attack Power: 21]
[Description: An ordinary iron sword given at the start of the tutorial.]
Just as its appearance suggested, its stats were crudely mediocre.
“They’re all about the same performance-wise.”
As he sighed and was about to put down the sword, Rough paused.
It was because he had discovered a suspicious line of text in a different color beneath the description.
[A hidden option is concealed.]
[1. ???? ??? ????]
[2. ?? ?? ?? ?? ???]
[Upon fulfilling the above conditions, the hidden option will be unlocked and the weapon will grow.]
“I can probably see this because of that Advanced-whatever I just got. And the question marks are probably because my level is too low.”
‘See through a target’s hidden essence.’
It was part of the trait’s description.
That hidden essence probably included hidden options.
This was clearly a unique ability of the Advanced Status Window.
And Dream World Online was a newly released game.
“I created my character and just started the tutorial, so it’s probably only been around ten minutes.”
In a situation where no information had been revealed yet, he alone could use his trait to claim items with hidden options?
“This... might actually be a jackpot.”
The corners of Rough’s mouth began to twitch into a sly grin.
Wearing a highly satisfied smile, Rough sheathed the sword at his waist.
Now that he had a weapon, he slowly headed toward the distant exit.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The closer he came to the exit, the louder the noise grew.
The instant he reached the door, Rough realized something.
A battle was taking place on the other side.
When Rough put his hand on the doorknob, a system notification appeared before him.
[Once you leave the Safety Zone, you will never be able to return.]
[We recommend becoming accustomed to moving your body before leaving.]
“So this is where the real thing starts!”
Tense, Rough gripped the sword at his waist tightly and flung open the door.
***
“Waaaaah!”
“Wipe them all out!”
“Never retreat! Hold your ground!”
“Aaah!”
“S-Save me!”
What unfolded before Rough’s eyes was a horrifying battlefield.
The stench of blood and screams erupting from all directions made him instinctively frown.
Perhaps because the fight was so fierce, no one noticed him.
[Tutorial Quest Activated!]
[Grade: Tutorial]
[Description: You have encountered two forces engaged in battle.]
[Objective: Join one side, annihilate the opposing force, and end the battle!]
[Success: Survival, progression to the next tutorial quest, Advanced Status Window Lv. +1]
[Failure: Death, resurrection at the nearest Safety Zone, tutorial quest terminated]
As the quest described, a fierce clash was currently underway between two forces outside the Safety Zone.
One side wore matching armor, making them seem like a regular army.
As for the other side—
‘You shouldn’t judge people by their appearances. But those guys... their clothes and faces make them look exactly like bandits.’
He needed information, even if it was only something trivial.
He knew nothing about who they were or why they were fighting.
“Hey! Are you all right?”
Rough cautiously approached a knight lying on the ground.
“Who... are you? Cough!”
Blood continued to flow from gaps in the knight’s armor.
‘This won’t do. I think I need to at least give him first aid.’
But before Rough could move the knight somewhere safe—
Thud!
A sword suddenly pierced through the knight’s abdomen.
“Ghk...?”
The knight barely raised his head and stared at the blade impaling him.
Splat!
When the sword was pulled free, an enormous amount of fresh blood gushed from the wound.
Before long, the knight’s head drooped helplessly, and his body turned gray and disintegrated.
He had been processed as dead.
“What’s with this guy? A little rat that snuck in and hid?”
The bandit who had killed the knight let out a vile laugh.
‘Damn it, this bastard...’
Rough clenched his fists in anger.
When had he said people should not be judged by appearance?
He instantly changed his stance.
‘See? Physiognomy is a science after all. All right. I’ve decided. I’ll wipe every last one of you out.’
Rough slowly lifted his head and fixed his gaze on the bandit in front of him.
[Bandit A]
[Lv: 3]
[Title: None]
[Classification: NPC]
[Affiliation: Nameless Bandit Gang]
[Disposition: Evil]
[HP: 172/250 MP: 33/60]
[Strength: 18 △▽ Agility: 16 △▽]
[Intelligence: 6 △▽ Luck: 5 △▽]
[Total Combat Power: 501]
‘What’s that?’
Rough noticed something strange in Bandit A’s Status Window.
Triangular buttons next to each stat.
They protruded as though they were buttons that could be clicked.
When he pressed one, wondering if it would work, a system message appeared.
[Would you like to modify the stat?]