Capsule (2)
The capsule had been placed inside a container used as a house, and indeed, it was a premium-grade capsule exclusive to Another Mundus.
He had already known through his precognitive dream that premium-grade capsules had started selling about a fortnight after Another Mundus’s launch. Gaon had always wanted one and had searched for information numerous times.
The capsule’s appearance matched the photos he had seen in his precognitive dream, but several spots looked like they had collided with heavy objects, with paint peeled off and areas caved inward.
‘To think it really is a premium-grade capsule.’
But it wasn’t just any premium-grade capsule.
Just like the standard-grade models, there were two types of premium-grade capsules. Unlike the personal-use capsules, those produced for capsule rooms lacked helmets with built-in automatic nutrient supply devices and shorts equipped with automatic waste disposal systems.
Above all, this capsule was 1.5 times taller and wider than the standard-grade model he had used in his precognitive dream, and its length was about 50 centimeters longer as well.
Suppressing the rising excitement within, he connected the power, and with a faint hum, the controller LCD attached inside the cover lit up green.
Pressing through the controller menus one by one, it operated properly. A hologram screen window generated, and the virtual keyboard functioned normally as well—meaning the built-in AI computer was without issue.
This was proof that the capsule was operating correctly.
‘His claim was correct!’
The author of the post that a user named Arang had shown interest in was undoubtedly the owner of this capsule.
‘It was probably that person.’
A waste center employee in work clothes must have used this capsule to play Another Mundus.
It was larger and longer than the standard-grade model he had used in his precognitive dream, and the menus displayed on the controller LCD were more than double in number.
“Student, are you sure it’s working properly?”
“Yes. I tested it roughly, and it seems to be working.”
There was no need to lie just to haggle the price down.
“How much can you pay?”
Since it was actually the young man’s side that should name the price, Gaon pondered for a moment.
The money he had prepared totaled 6 million won. It was half the price of a new capsule, but he had to purchase it within this limit no matter what.
Just then, he heard the accountant, who had followed them at some point, speak.
“I searched just now, and new capsules cost 12 million won. So make it 10 million. Aside from a few spots on the exterior, it looks new.”
Gaon had been about to beg them to match the money he had prepared, but a thought suddenly came to mind, and he brought it up.
“That’s an absurd amount. To access the game this capsule is used for normally, you must enter an official device number. But this capsule was disposed of, so it has no device number. Look here.”
The two looked where Gaon pointed, and sure enough, the spot where the original device serial number had been engraved was damaged.
“If it comes to this, you have to buy a device number through illegal channels at a high price to properly access the game. Even then, because of crackdowns, you have to purchase numbers periodically to keep playing.”
Entering a device number wasn’t mandatory yet, but another game coming out in six months would actually require entering the dedicated capsule’s device number to access it, so it wasn’t a complete lie.
“Well, I’ve never played a game using a capsule before, so I can’t fully understand what the student is saying, but if there had been no defect from the start, it wouldn’t have come here. I think we should just dispose of it. If it breaks down later and we get a return request or an investigation, it’ll be a headache for us too. And we can’t even fix it.”
The young man, who hadn’t made a good first impression, was rather better than the accountant lady. At the young man’s words, the accountant lady’s face also turned troubled.
“Then I’ll give you 3 million in cash. On the condition that I won’t return it later. If I get caught, I’ll say I bought it from an online listing. I bought it illegally too, so if I blab, it’ll be bad for me.”
“Good. Let’s do that. But keep it a secret that you took this capsule from here.”
The young man readily accepted Gaon’s offer. Truthfully, he had named a very low price expecting to haggle, so he hadn’t expected immediate acceptance.
But then the lady suddenly spoke up in alarm.
“Mr. Lee, aren’t you letting it go too cheap? It looks new no matter how you look at it.”
“Come on, noona, there’s definitely something wrong with it. Common sense—why would they send a perfectly fine item here? And the student is right that the device number is erased too. There’s definitely a problem. Above all, this is an item that has to be processed today. We have to get rid of it quickly before the boss, who doesn’t know it came in, shows up. If the boss finds out, he’d either dispose of it or use it himself—he wouldn’t let us sell it like this. Student, take it quickly. No, let’s carry it together.”
This was exactly what Gaon had wished for. The young man had probably processed the capsule on paper without the boss’s knowledge and would split the received money with the accountant.
The accountant lady still wore an expression of dissatisfaction with the bargained price, but the young man, pleased by the unexpected windfall, carefully helped load the capsule onto the truck.
The capsule was not as heavy as its size suggested. While they had carried it together when moving it, Gaon, who had grown stronger, could have moved it alone easily enough.
Gaon stopped by the restroom for a moment, separated 3 million won from the money he had prepared, and handed it to the waiting young man.
“Student, I’m saying this again out of concern, but you didn’t get this capsule from here. So you won’t come back here again, right? Even if something breaks.”
“I understand!”
If it broke, he could just call a repair technician. As long as the built-in computer wasn’t damaged, he had enough money left over from what he had originally prepared to get it repaired.
‘I really am grateful for the precognitive dream.’
He didn’t know what problem had led to it being sent to the scrapyard, but if a young man named Lee who knew less about capsules than he did had played Another Mundus on it, there probably wasn’t any major issue.
Having arrived home, Gaon unloaded it from the truck, and though carrying it down to the basement was a bit strenuous, he succeeded in getting the capsule into his room.
It had been only about twenty days since he started exercising after having the precognitive dream, yet his body had improved tremendously. It was as if he had consumed an elixir from a martial arts novel and undergone a complete bodily transformation.
First, Gaon stopped by a nearby sharing center to return the truck, then came back home and washed up immediately.
After washing up, Gaon examined the interior of the capsule in detail.
In the case of personal-use premier-grade capsules, there was a helmet with a hose supplying liquid nutrients inside the capsule, as well as shorts equipped with an automatic waste disposal device, and it was 1.5 times larger than the standard-grade model, allowing one to enter and assume a comfortable posture.
Furthermore, on the exterior of the capsule, there was a rod presumably for supporting it, and at the bottom, a wide, heavy steel plate of unknown purpose was also attached.
‘To think I obtained a premium-grade capsule that isn’t even on the market yet—I really am lucky.’
This was all thanks to having had the precognitive dream.
With a pleased expression, Gaon touched the pendant of the necklace he had been wearing around his neck lately as he opened the capsule cover. He intended to enter and lie down.
Unlike the public capsules at capsule rooms, if it was a personal capsule, one normally had to strip naked and wear the helmet and dedicated shorts to operate the automatic nutrient supply and automatic waste disposal during play.
But for now, he was just planning to try entering it with the expectation of enjoying Another Mundus again, which he had experienced in his precognitive dream.
Though it hadn’t been released yet, he could check whether the capsule operated properly. Above all, even without connecting to Another Mundus, he could use the computer’s functions while lying in the capsule.
Whirrr.
After lying down on the contoured floor and lowering the cover, he pressed the power switch, and the capsule activated immediately.
As he looked at the green-glowing control LCD on the cover, intending to check what additional functions it had compared to the standard-grade model, Gaon was startled by an unexpected guidance tone.
—Congratulations on connecting to the Transcendence System!
Gaon’s eyes grew as wide as saucers.
‘I didn’t touch anything…’
He had merely pressed the capsule’s power switch. He hadn’t even attached the necessary helmet, shorts, or the various devices that needed to be attached to his body.
Pressing the capsule’s power switch shouldn’t immediately connect you to the game. In his current state, he should only be able to lie down and use auxiliary functions—listening to music or browsing the internet separately.
Moreover, the guidance tone hadn’t come through his ears but was transmitted directly into his head, making it even stranger.
Not knowing what was happening, Gaon was about to press the power switch with anxious eyes when his body froze at the subsequent guidance tone.
—You, who have been selected as a Transcendent candidate through strict screening and investigation…… &$%@F%K$…….
The guidance continued for a moment with unintelligible content except for the beginning, and the capsule shook violently several times before settling.
Gaon felt anxious at the thought that he might die, but he couldn’t bring himself to turn off the power or force the closed capsule cover open to get out. He knew that doing so could be even more dangerous.
‘What is this?’
At some point, he suddenly felt the distinct sensation of some unknown substance entering his body and raging wildly through it.
However, the inside of the capsule was bright because light entered through the transparent cover material, and when he checked with his eyes, there was nothing to see, which was maddening.
But a moment later, something that made him want to scream occurred.
‘Kuaaack!’
Suddenly, his blood vessels, muscles, and joints contracted and expanded crazily, and a terrible pain erupted simultaneously—he couldn’t even open his mouth to scream.
The most painful area was his head.
His brain was undergoing activity so intense it couldn’t be compared to any other part.
A terrible sensation assaulted him, as if his head were being stabbed repeatedly with a sharp awl.
He wanted to scream from the pain, but his body was completely rigid, and he couldn’t even move his lips. He simply had to endure the terrible agony with his bare body.
But the pain wasn’t the only problem. On top of the stabbing pain, he felt an enormous heat.
It felt like his head would burn up at any moment. It was as if his head had been shoved into a blazing furnace.
The intense heat felt like it would cook his entire brain, and his consciousness grew faint.
“Grgh!”
Gaon gritted his teeth and struggled to maintain consciousness.
He thought that losing consciousness at a time like this could kill him. He didn’t know the cause, but he had to stay alert more than ever.
Hoping to weaken the pain even slightly, Gaon focused his mind solely on breathing.
Huuup!
Shhhhhh!
Of course, the attempt didn’t help much, but focusing on his breathing seemed to lessen the pain slightly, so he immersed himself further in it.