“Why? Huh? No, what did you say?”
The team leader, who had been replying halfheartedly, hurriedly turned to Namgung Jun.
“So you’re saying you’ll only work until the end of this month?”
“Yes, Team Leader. Here’s my resignation letter.”
Namgung Jun placed the resignation letter on the team leader’s desk.
After staring at it for a moment, the team leader calmly nodded.
“All right. I understand. Go back to work.”
“Thank you, Team Leader.”
And with that brief exchange, his resignation was confirmed.
‘Man, I’m scared just thinking about telling Mom and Dad when I get home later.’
Imagining his parents’ reactions when he broke the news, Namgung Jun felt a chill run down his spine as he headed back to his desk.
***
After work, Namgung Jun visited his family home for the first time in a while.
It was better to act first and report afterward.
“Welcome, son!”
His mother, Jihyeon, greeted him with a bright smile.
“You must be starving, right? Since you were coming, Mom showed off her cooking skills for the first time in a while. Let’s eat.”
In the center of the table sat a steaming dish of braised short ribs.
“You have work again tomorrow, so why come all the way here? You could’ve just called.”
His father, Namgung Geonho, said it as though tossing out an offhand remark.
“Well, I wanted to see Mom and Dad’s faces for the first time in a while. And I had something I wanted to say.”
“Something to say?”
Geonho’s eyes narrowed.
“Wanting to see us is just an excuse—the real reason is that you’ve got something to tell us, isn’t it? What is it?”
Geonho saw right through him.
As Namgung Jun picked the meat from a bone, he answered casually.
“I’m going to quit my job.”
“Hm? You’re quitting your job?”
Geonho’s chopsticks stopped.
“Wasn’t that a company you worked hard to get into? Why?”
“There’s something else I want to do…”
Smack!
“This kid, honestly!”
Jihyeon, seated beside him, smacked him hard across the back.
“Argh! Mom!”
“Why would you quit a job you’ve been doing perfectly well? No!”
“It’s too late. I already told them today that I’m quitting.”
“Then don’t eat!”
Apparently, simply hitting his back was not enough for the furious Jihyeon.
She went so far as to take away his braised short ribs.
“Hey, honey. He must have thought it through. Let’s hear him out first. When has he ever given us trouble?”
Geonho stopped her.
He was unexpectedly calm.
“So? What are you going to do after quitting your job?”
“I… want to play games.”
Namgung Jun mumbled in a shrinking voice.
Contrary to his expectation that a barrage of scolding would follow—
Jihyeon and Geonho showed little reaction upon hearing that gaming was the reason he had quit.
Rather than getting angry, they simply rubbed their chests with troubled expressions, as though the food they had just eaten had given them indigestion.
‘Of course they’d be upset. I’m quitting a perfectly good job to play games…’
Namgung Jun lowered his head and gave a self-deprecating smile.
But he was completely wrong.
Jihyeon and Geonho were not blaming him.
They were blaming themselves.
More precisely, they blamed their past selves for creating circumstances that had forced their child to give up on his dream.
What parent would not blame themselves when their child had to abandon a dream because of them?
“That game they advertise all the time these days? The one you play in that massage chair with a roof over it?”
“Ah, yes, Mom. That’s the one.”
“It certainly seems popular. Are you trying to become a pro gamer?”
“It hasn’t been out for long, so I don’t know whether there’ll even be pros. But even if not, I just want to try it.”
“Then do it.”
After a short silence, Geonho spoke quietly.
“When things got difficult for the family and your mom was hospitalized, you quit gaming. You took care of her at the hospital, studied, and even worked part-time whenever you had the chance.”
Geonho spoke like a drunk man airing his grievances.
His long sigh seemed to carry the smoke of cigarettes he had quit long ago.
“Things are better now. Your mom and I will support you, so don’t worry about anything. Go do everything you want to do.”
“No, no. You don’t need to do that.”
Waving his hands, Namgung Jun pulled out his smartphone and showed them his bank account.
“I tried it for a bit, and the money’s pretty good. I’ve already made this much.”
An enormous sum—well into the hundreds of millions of won—was displayed on the screen.
It was the total of the money he had received from Quests, item sales, and his agreement with Flex, including the Euros.
“…You haven’t done anything illegal, have you?”
Geonho’s eyes widened as he looked back and forth between the phone and Namgung Jun.
“Come on, Dad. I earned it all legally.”
Namgung Jun let out a small laugh.
“Dad, how about changing your car this time? You’ve been driving that one for a long time. I’ll get you a new one. Mom, let me know if there’s anything you need too.”
“What car? Forget it, brat! Save it properly, then spend it when you really need it.”
“I can make more money later. I want to do this for you, so don’t feel burdened. Just pick something.”
“…Ahem. Really?”
“Really.”
“Give me your phone for a second.”
After a brief cough, Geonho took Namgung Jun’s smartphone.
He slowly searched for something in the portal search bar, then handed the phone back.
When Namgung Jun checked which car he had picked—
it was an SUV from a famous foreign brand.
“G-Wagen? Dad? This costs over two hundred million won…”
“What? Two hundred million? Are you insane?”
Jihyeon, whose eyes had been moist from the earlier conversation, instantly flared up as though nothing had happened.
“You can buy it in installments. I’ll just pay the interest—”
“You man! Have you lost your mind?!”
Just as the couple’s argument was about to begin—
or, more accurately, Jihyeon was about to start scolding Geonho one-sidedly.
Anyway.
Namgung Jun gathered his clothes and belongings, then slipped out before anyone noticed.
***
“This body has descended.”
Namgung Jun logged into DDO.
Now that he had received his parents’ permission, he had created an environment where he could focus entirely on the game.
He felt lighter than ever.
“There are a lot fewer users.”
Compared to the early days, Asente was now very quiet.
Only non-combat-oriented players enjoying the Life Content and newly arriving newbies remained.
As the majority of combat-oriented users grew stronger, they had moved on to the next stage.
The same was true for Rough.
It was clearly stated in the Main Quest that had appeared after his first Job Change.
He was now entering Dream World Online’s main storyline in earnest.
Before that, though, there was one very important task to resolve.
His Second Weapon.
The two Beta Testers Rough had encountered—
Kiting and Flex—had one thing in common: they both handled their Second Weapons well.
To stand beside them, and surpass them, Rough himself needed to learn how to use a Second Weapon at the right moments.
‘Kiting used a bow and a sword, while Flex used two pistols and a hammer. I think it’d be best to balance one close-range weapon with one long-range weapon. The only question is which weapon I should choose…’
There were many types, and he did not know their strengths and weaknesses well enough to decide with confidence.
DDO might recreate reality as closely as possible, but it could not possibly reflect weapon power exactly as it was in real life.
‘If it did, everyone would use guns. No matter how hard you tried, cold weapons could never beat firearms.’
Fortunately, he had an assistant he could ask for help.
“Jaarr. I need your help with something.”
“If it is something I can help with, I would be happy to.”
“I’m thinking about getting a weapon other than a sword, but it isn’t easy to decide.”
“Another weapon? You are already strong enough without one, I would think.”
“That’s how I can diversify my tactics. Recommend some weapons that are good against enemies at range. Tell me their characteristics too.”
“Hmm. The most common ranged weapon would be… a bow, of course. Have you ever used one?”
“No.”
Rough shook his head.
“Several factors determine a bow’s power, but the most important are the bow’s own elasticity and draw weight.”
“Draw weight? That means the force needed to pull it back?”
“Correct. But it seems there would be limitations for you. A bow requires quite a lot of training before one can become proficient. How about using a crossbow instead?”
‘A crossbow? Ah, like a ballista or a hand crossbow?’
Rough’s eyes lit up as Jaarr continued.
“It has the drawback of cumbersome reloading, but it requires little proficiency, so I believe it would suit you for now. Or you could use throwing weapons.”
“Then what about guns?”
“Guns are far too noisy for their performance. They also rely heavily on Skills, so I would not recommend them.”
‘Noisy? Are silencers not implemented here? From the sound of it, the balance is definitely well-designed.’
Based on Jaarr’s advice, Rough made his decision.
He immediately checked the Integrated Auction.
‘Oh, it sold?’
The Myel Elite Knight’s Sword he had received from Jaarr had sold for 1,200 Gold.
It was a paltry sum compared to the 6,500 Gold he had received for the Poison-Infused Revolver.
Still, it was enough to satisfy him.
‘First, I’ll buy Jaarr a shield and some armor. Then I’ll use the remaining Gold to get what I need.’
There were five equipment Rank tiers in DDO’s Integrated Auction:
Normal, Special, Rare, Epic, and Unique or above.
Unique-rank items were extremely rare, so they appeared to have been grouped together in a single category.
Rough purchased Special-rank items for both himself and Jaarr.
[Exquisite Steel Shield]
[Elite Knight’s Heavy Armor Helmet]
[Elite Knight’s Heavy Armor Top]
[Elite Knight’s Heavy Armor Bottom]
.
.
.
For Jaarr, he bought a shield and several other pieces of armor.
[Apprentice Shooter’s Crossbow]
[Marksman’s Eye]
[Critical Shot]
For himself, he bought a crossbow and two Skill Books.
He did not forget to use the Appraiser’s unique Skills, either.
With that, all preparations were complete.
“Let’s go.”
Rough left Asente.
His destination was Sairin, the capital of the Myel Kingdom, where the Main Quest awaited.
***
A short distance north of Asente lay a small kingdom called Myel.
It was the kingdom that the Myel Royal Knights Rough had encountered during the Tutorial belonged to.
It was also the first major region where users who had left the various newbie zones throughout Myel gathered.
“This is a little different from what I expected. There aren’t any tall walls, and there are only one or two guards.”
“Myel is a small kingdom on the edge of the continent. There is no reason for it to attract attention.”
The moment he entered the city, a new Main Quest appeared.
[A Main Quest has been generated.]
[Quest Title: Three Forks]
[Rank: Random]
[Description: You have arrived in the Myel Kingdom. The Myel Kingdom is currently facing two difficulties.]
[Details: Choose one of three paths and proceed with the Quest! The fate of the Myel Kingdom will be determined by your choice and accomplishments!]
‘It says two difficulties, so why are there three paths?’
Rough grumbled inwardly as he checked the Quest details.
His question was answered by the three options that appeared before him.
[1. Ent Subjugation War (PvE)]
[2. Suppress the Rebellion (PvP)]
[3. Choose neither.]
[Upon Success: Receive rewards according to your contribution.]
[Upon Failure: Restrictions on activities in the Myel region.]
Proud of its high degree of freedom, DDO did not force Quests on its users.
Instead, it offered them various choices.
He did not deliberate for long.
“Should I try this one this time?”
Rough’s finger moved decisively toward one of the options.