Chapter 1: The Return.
2048, Seoul.
Once called a megacity.
But now, it was hard to find a single intact road, building, house, apartment, or store.
The sky was completely covered with dark clouds, and rain filled with polluted mana fell heavily.
In the midst of it, Jeong Hoon was on his knees, coughing up blood.
[Attempting recovery.]
[Failed.]
[Life force below 5%. Death imminent without recovery.]
Even the benevolent goddess Tara's power couldn't heal him.
“Why…?”
Jeong Hoon looked with trembling eyes at the ones who caused this to him.
They were none other than humans.
Humans who were once his comrades.
They were people he thought of as family, who had survived the disasters that befell Earth together.
“Shouldn’t you know better than anyone?”
A man holding a sword and shield spoke in a cold voice.
James Marcus.
The strongest paladin on the American continent.
“What…?”
Jeong Hoon tried to control the mana within his body, but it was rigid and unresponsive.
At the same time, he felt his blood reverse course, and his vision spun.
Cough!
He spat out more dark blood.
“Amazing. To struggle to live even in that state.”
The one who cursed Jeong Hoon sneered in front of him. She was Sophia Stephanie Agaret.
A black magician from France and also a transcendent.
She was a debuff master among black magicians.
She knew over 20 different curses and used almost all of them on Jeong Hoon.
Normally, he could resist the curses, but Jeong Hoon had exhausted most of his power preventing the apocalypse.
In that weakened state, he was attacked by things like the Flame Spear, the Arrow of Annihilation, and Verdandi's Fang.
It took just a moment for him to reach the brink of death.
Damn it.
He was just one step away from ending this wretched disaster and regaining peace.
Blood dripped from his clenched fists as his nails dug into his palms.
A whirlpool of complex emotions like hopelessness and rage surged within him.
“Since when have you been planning this…?”
The man who answered, holding a staff and with his hood pulled low over his face, was also a sage and a transcendent.
Alessandro Brydon.
“Since the moment you said we had to end this game, should I say?”
“What…?”
The reason the world became like this.
That damned game, ‘New World’.
The first virtual reality game that captivated 2 billion people worldwide with its explosive popularity.
When that game became reality, Jeong Hoon's life was completely upended.
He had fought desperately to stop the disaster.
For revenge on his deceased mother.
“We certainly gave you a chance. You refused it.”
They had no intention of ending this game.
If the game ended, everyone except the top player would lose their power.
And the top player had not yet been decided.
However, everyone tacitly agreed that Jeong Hoon would take the top spot.
So they made an offer.
Not to end the game and to keep it going.
Of course, Jeong Hoon refused that offer and was ultimately betrayed.
“Haha… You stabbed me in the back just for that?”
Jeong Hoon muttered in disbelief.
After losing his only family, his mother, his comrades were his only sanctuary.
The shock of being betrayed by those he trusted shattered his mind more than the physical pain.
“Just for that? Hey, Hoon. I think you’re missing something. We never intended to end the game from the beginning. From the moment it became reality.”
“What…?”
James' words left Jeong Hoon dumbfounded.
The others laughed heartily at his expression.
James continued speaking on their behalf.
“Look. This isn’t just about abilities, it’s about power. The power to place the world beneath us.”
“…”
“And now some fool is trying to take that power away? That’s why you’re dying. You idiot.”
So, they just didn't want to lose their power.
Damn it.
Jeong Hoon ground his teeth.
He felt disgusted by himself for considering them as family.
“I’ll kill you…”
“Like that? Hoon, you’re really tough. I’d like to stop seeing that revolting face… Okay. I’ll respect your pride. Use that sword at your waist and slit your throat.”
James mimicked slitting his throat with a sneer.
“I… I have to end this game!”
Jeong Hoon struggled to his feet.
His legs trembled, and his head spun.
His vision blurred, and it felt like he would collapse at any moment.
“Wow… You’re getting up? You’re really crazy.”
“Good thing we stabbed him in the back. We wouldn’t have stood a chance head-on.”
“Is this what they call an All-Master?”
Jeong Hoon's alias was All-Master.
He had trained various weapons to the extreme, boasting master-level proficiency.
Even if he couldn't use mana, it was fine.
He had one last hidden trick up his sleeve.
‘I kept this hidden just in case.’
A deep red mana that resided deep within his danjeon.
A mysterious power he gained a month ago after preventing a major disaster.
Jeong Hoon harnessed that power.
It flowed through him differently than mana.
The energy coursed through his body, enveloping him.
“What is that?”
The traitors shivered and stepped back at the sight of the dark red mana.
“It’s fine! Hoon is already at his limit!”
As Saint Amelie said, Jeong Hoon coughed up blood and collapsed before he could use the energy.
‘Damn it, I can’t even land a blow.’
Jeong Hoon's body had reached its limit.
He couldn’t move even if he wanted to.
He couldn’t keep his promise to end the game.
‘I’m sorry, Mother.’
Your unfilial son is coming to you now.
[An unknown mysterious power is protecting you.]
[An unknown mysterious power is sending you back to the past.]
[Warning! The system is attempting to intervene… failed.]
[Warning! Warning! The system is attempting to intervene… failed.]
[Warning! Warning! Warning! The system is attempting to intervene… failed.]
What is all this?
Jeong Hoon lost consciousness before he could read all the messages.
***
His lost consciousness slowly returned.
When Jeong Hoon opened his eyes, a white ceiling came into view.
“Where… am I?”
As he sat up, he saw a full-length mirror.
Jeong Hoon approached the mirror.
Reflected in it was his younger self, in his early twenties.
A clean face without the burn scar on his right forehead and the long scar across his left eye.
“What on earth…?”
He was sure he had died from his comrades' betrayal.
Why had he returned to the past?
Jeong Hoon checked the date on his phone.
[May 2, 2033]
“I’ve gone back 15 years?”
Jeong Hoon quickly left the room.
In the living room, his mother, Lee Nayeon, was preparing breakfast.
Seeing her made his eyes well up, and tears fell.
“Huh? Why are you up so early?”
“Mother…”
Jeong Hoon ran to her and hugged her.
“Oh my, what’s gotten into you? Did you have a bad dream?”
Though she was flustered, she patted her crying son's shoulder.
It was a long time before Jeong Hoon let go.
He had cried so much that his eyes were swollen.
“…I’m hungry.”
“Alright. Let’s eat quickly.”
His mother made soybean paste stew and fried eggs.
Homemade kimchi made in winter and his favorite sausage stir-fry.
Seeing the side dishes made him want to cry again.
His mother, who went to work every morning but always made sure her son had a warm meal before she left.
He hadn’t realized its value until she was gone.
So he must change the future that was originally going to happen.
“Thank you for the meal.”
Jeong Hoon took a big spoonful of rice and put it in his mouth.
“Chew it slowly.”
“Yes.”
“By the way, my son, you seem different? You look more mature?”
His mother noticed the change in her son.
“I’m going to change from now on.”
If he acted as he did in the past, he would face the same future.
***
The world's most explosively popular virtual reality game:
‘New World’.
[The first virtual reality game, New World!]
[Enjoy New World, so realistic and vivid you won't believe it's a game!]
It's no exaggeration to say that New World has taken over the global gaming market. However, it wasn't a massive hit from the start.
>Did you hear? A capsule to play the game costs 20 million won. 20 million!
>Are you kidding me? Who would pay 20 million won for a game?
>Does virtual reality even exist? It's probably just a slightly upgraded VR. And they want us to pay 20 million for it?
Initially, it was met with much criticism and was dismissed by many. Some even confidently predicted its failure. And for the first week after its release, those predictions seemed accurate as sales plummeted. The game's entry barrier was too high. But the evaluation turned around within a week.
>Wow! This is amazing!
>It's incredible! I can't believe a game like this exists... It's insane!
>It's so realistic... The technology is mind-blowing...
As players who had experienced the game began to spread the word, New World gameplay videos started streaming on the internet, capturing the public's attention.
>Honey! How could you take out a loan to buy a capsule?
>I'm telling you, it's amazing! Just watch the stream!
>Well, since we have it, I guess I have no choice. But I'm going first.
>Mom! Please buy me a capsule!
>Waaaah! I want to play that!
From adults to children, all gamers flocked to New World. Consequently, PC cafes evolved into capsule rooms. As most people couldn't afford their capsules, they flocked to these capsule rooms, which saw an explosion in revenue. As a result, within just a year of release, capsule room customers exceeded 50 million. The number continued to grow annually, with 2 billion players worldwide today. And only Jeonghun knew that the game would soon become a reality.
‘From the beginning, the idea of a virtual reality game with current technology was laughable.’
New World’s developer: Earth.
Earth's stock price kept reaching new highs, with a market capitalization surpassing 8 quadrillion won. The company existed, and developers worked tirelessly on updates every day. Who wouldn't be suspicious of such advanced technology?
“Hey, are you really going to the capsule room? You said you'd go!”
Jeonghun’s annoying friend, Jang Hajin, babbled beside him.
“Yeah, so shut up already.”
“Don't you need instructions? It’s your first time, right?”
Unlike Jeonghun, Hajin was so obsessed with New World that he spent 12 hours a day in the capsule room. His level was already over 150.
‘Cough! Damn, I paid off my debt with this.’
This friend, who had barely lasted a year when New World became reality, had lost his life instead of Jeonghun, claiming to be stronger.
‘Maybe I'll be born with a silver spoon in the next life? And I better be super handsome too.’
Even at the end, he had kept up his nonsense. To Jeonghun, betrayed by everyone else, Hajin was his only trustworthy friend. Determined to prevent such a future, he patted Hajin on the shoulder.
“What the hell? Why are you being all weird suddenly?”
“Let’s go in.”
Hajin already had a reserved spot in the capsule room, so he took an empty capsule, while Jeonghun signed up and registered.
‘5,000 won per hour. That's steep.’
It was a considerable amount. Having a personal capsule would be ideal, but without the money to buy one, this was the best option. For Jeonghun, not doing this wasn't an option.
“Jeonghun! Over here!”
After registering, Hajin pointed to the empty capsule next to him. Jeonghun sat down in it.
“You start first.”
“You sure you don’t need any instructions?”
“How many times do I have to say it? Just start already.”
“Okay.”
Only then did Hajin press the start button.
Pssshhh-!
The lid of Hajin's capsule closed slowly. Jeonghun pressed his start button in turn.
Pssshhh-!
As the lid closed, everything went dark. He felt his body lift. Then, thin lines attached themselves to his body, and something covered his eyes.
Whoosh!
Fresh air burst out as the surroundings brightened. Jeonghun stood in a vast open field. The sky was clear without a cloud, and a cool breeze brushed past him. The first reason people went crazy for New World was this realistic sensation.
[Initial body scan complete, no login record found.]
[Proceeding to character creation.]
A holographic window appeared before Jeonghun. He could create his character using this hologram.
“Yes.”
Upon lightly touching the <Yes> button, a hologram of Jeonghun appeared before him. New World allowed players to project their real appearance or customize their character. People with severe appearance complexes would overhaul their looks to play. They could experience their ideal appearance without the side effects of plastic surgery, which was one of the secrets to New World's massive success. Jeonghun slightly adjusted his appearance to differ from reality and pressed the confirm button.
[Please set your nickname.]
A keyboard hologram appeared with the next screen.
“Hun.”
He set his nickname.
[Note Once set, a character cannot be deleted. Play carefully.]
That was it. That one rule became a giant snowball that drove people to their deaths. New players usually learn by trial and error, creating new characters to correct mistakes and improve. But New World didn’t allow that.
Damn it! I chose the wrong class! Let me change it!
Wow... That class is way better. My life is ruined.
One character per person is insane...
Despite the complaints, Earth had no intention of changing it.
‘Let's try again.’
Jeonghun, who had reached the pinnacle as the All Master, even in such conditions. This time, he wouldn’t fail.
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