At his limping feet, things like empty ramen packets—nothing but their shells left—got in the way.
A dark room.
A room where the blackout curtains were doing their job perfectly, and the lightbulb had not done its job in quite some time.
He roughly shoved the trash catching on his feet into a corner and moved again, his gait an awkward limp.
“Phew… this damn game.”
After struggling into the chair in front of the computer, a low curse slipped from Hyeonseung’s mouth along with a sigh.
Ventair Online.
An online RPG that had briefly been all the rage five years ago.
This accursed trash game had suddenly appeared in Hyeonseung’s life after it had fallen apart, and he had become bewitched by it.
He had not merely fallen into it.
Hyeonseung had talent, and he had tenacity.
And as a result.
1st place. zljon☆Cheonma★
A single line of pride floating on the monitor.
An RPG game that had once recorded hundreds of thousands of concurrent players. And within that game, the unshakable number one ranker.
Hyeonseung’s character, “Jijon Cheonma,” was both his refuge and what could be called another life.
“…And what good is that? It’s gone to hell.”
Though it had only been for a very brief time, Ventair had once prospered enough to be called a god-tier game.
A level of freedom incomparable to the rigid games of the past.
NPCs with varied reactions that made them seem truly alive.
A fresh progression system with no levels, where one honed traits and skills instead.
All those things had combined to make it popular enough to be called a god-tier game at one point, and yet.
“God damn it, seriously.”
The game Hyeonseung was logged into now was in such a miserable state that it was hard to believe it was the same as that once-great game.
The Imperial Castle, once praised by countless users for its grandeur and splendor, had burned and collapsed long ago, making it difficult to even recognize its former shape.
The quiet, peaceful rural village users had often visited to heal had become a monster’s food storage.
No, putting all that aside, what content could possibly remain in a game where all the NPCs were dead?
“Those crazy developers don’t know when to stop…”
A high degree of freedom? Of course, that was good.
But there should have been a limit.
The Abyss opened, monsters tainted by evil began appearing, and the villages were razed.
The empire, consumed by internal strife, failed to stop it and collapsed.
Even the users who endured and endured died, revived, and then died again…
What the hell was supposed to be fun about that?
“Well, the real lunatics are the ones who still haven’t quit in this situation.”
It was a game without dreams or hope, not even fun, but there were certainly still users playing it.
The five rankers whose positions had never changed since the game first launched.
Just like Hyeonseung, they too had failed to let go of their attachment to the game that had turned into a complete mess and remained.
They said lunatics were enjoyable just from seeing their names, and a faint smile appeared on Hyeonseung’s lips as he checked the names currently online.
“Crazy bastards. It’s the last day of the server, and they’re logged in like it’s only natural.”
Once, they had opposed each other and fought like mad, but after the game world became a living nightmare, they had come to rely on one another… in other words, they had grown thoroughly attached through bad blood.
Apparently the others felt the same, because one of them had even suggested an offline meetup, but Hyeonseung had flatly refused.
Because while he was an absolute being in the game whom no one could dare approach, in reality he was nothing more than a loser with a crippled leg.
“Now… what do I do?”
Only while playing Ventair could he forget his painful memories.
Instead of that horrific sense of defeat and self-loathing, he could feel exhilaration.
But even that would end as of today.
Because today was the day Ventair Online’s service ended.
The game world itself had already been destroyed, yet they had kept the servers open for about another year without shutting them down.
Even though barely anyone was playing the game.
But even that had reached its limit now.
Jijon Cheonma and the other rankers had struggled, but this world had been completely ruined.
The absolute NPCs who had been considered the strongest in the setting.
The Golden Lion of the Empire, the Ruler of the Western Sea, and the like.
Even the guild master of Black Fang, infamous across the continent as a symbol of terror, had died in the end.
Now, there truly was no answer left.
- Ventair Online’s test server will be closing shortly.
A message from the administrators appeared over the background that had nothing left but ash gray.
- We thank all users who worked hard until the very end.
The administrator’s message appeared line by line.
And as Hyeonseung watched it, his heartbeat grew louder.
Because he had never expected the sentence that came next.
- Users within the top ten thousand rankings will be allowed to enter the official Ventair server.
So everything until now had been a test server?
What kind of test server ran for five years?
No, in truth, that kind of thing did not matter. Jijon Cheonma was not finished yet.
“Users up to rank ten thousand get to enter the official server!”
What words could make one’s heart race more than that?
- The date within the official server will be the world two years before the test server began, and users will begin from the start with all abilities reset.
On top of that, they would be starting two years earlier in the same world setting.
This was an enormous advantage. They might be able to sweep up hidden pieces that had been concealed, and if they built up enough strength, they might even be able to stop the destined destruction.
- In exchange for all abilities being reset, special benefits will be granted differentially to ranks 1 through 10.
Hyeonseung clenched his fist without realizing it.
Special benefits!
And differential ones, at that!
Even the slightest difference would allow him to easily charge ahead at the front.
Hyeonseung had the sense and experience to do so.
“Those guys must be feeling pretty bitter.”
If the benefits were distributed differentially, then he would surely receive the best one.
After all, he had been the immovable ranker who had never lost first place for years.
“What will they give? Artifacts or skills would be nice, but… as expected, it’d be best if they gave me a top-tier trait.”
As Hyeonseung thought that and sank deep into his chair, the administrator’s messages continued to appear on the screen.
The others were surely seeing the same messages.
- We will now immediately begin transferring to the official server.
They were probably sitting in front of their monitors with excited expressions just like his.
- 5
- 4
- 3
…
As expected of administrators running a crazy game, they were nothing if not straightforward.
Still, this was a world they had spent five years with, yet they were moving on without even a final farewell or a single sentimental word.
As if reading Hyeonseung’s thoughts.
- 1
The administrators left behind a rather plain final farewell.
- Grow stronger.
The faint light of the monitor suddenly grew bright.
Bright enough to fill the room, and then the entire house.
That radiant light finally grew bright enough to fill Hyeonseung’s entire world.
And within his fading consciousness.
- And survive.
The final phrase lodged itself deep in his chest.
The light that had filled the room vanished as if it had never been there, returning once more to that dark room as before, and at that very same moment.
Ten thousand people across the world disappeared without a trace.
But no one could pay any attention to that.
- Emergency Disaster Alert: This is not a drill. Currently, unidentified monstrous life-forms are slaughtering civilians and destroying cities…
It was the beginning of the Great Cataclysm.
* * *
When he opened his eyes, what he saw were dense trees and tall grass.
A forest. In the distance, a small chimney and rising smoke.
The instant he came to his senses and remembered what had happened just before, Hyeonseung sprang to his feet and swept his sharp gaze around the area.
Out of habit, one hand brushed over his waist, but as expected, there was no weapon to grasp.
…Kidnapping? How?
‘No, why now?’
What reason would anyone have to look for him now, when he was already no different from a ruined man?
It was when his thoughts reached that point.
Hyeonseung’s eyes widened as he looked down at his own leg.
“Why is this… perfectly fine…?”
The moment he recognized that he was in an unfamiliar place, he had moved according to the habits engraved into his body.
And in the process, nothing had gotten in the way.
…If it had been his ruined leg, he surely would not even have been able to stand and would have fallen in an unsightly heap.
“This is… real? Why? How?”
His right leg moved perfectly according to his will.
It was too vivid to be a dream, and too impossible to not be a dream, so as Hyeonseung was swept into confusion—
「Transfer to Ventair’s official server has been completed.」
At the message that appeared before his eyes, Hyeonseung’s movements came to a complete stop.
Ventair…?
It was an incredibly familiar name, but it was not a name he should be seeing here.
Moreover, for such words to appear before his eyes like reality made even less sense.
「All traits and skills of ‘zljon☆Cheonma★’ will be reset.」
…It was a dream.
A dream like the lucid dreams he had only heard about.
Only that could explain the current situation.
Hyeonseung pinched his own cheek hard.
“Ow, fuck!”
It hurt like hell.
「Configuring…」
…It was not a dream.
Beyond the pain, all his senses were telling him.
That this was not a dream or anything of the sort, but true reality.
‘If that’s the case…’
Hyeonseung glared at the words floating before his eyes.
「Configuring…」
The message saying it was configuring.
The loss of consciousness at the same time Ventair Online’s test server ended.
The monitor light shining brilliantly in his final memory.
The first words he had seen. The message that said the transfer to Ventair’s official server had been completed.
His leg suddenly restored.
And…
Ding—
「Trait reset has been completed.」
The message saying configuration was complete.
When he put all of this together, there was only one conclusion.
‘The official service means playing in a virtual world. Or…’
A different world no different from true reality.
“Ha, hahahaha…”
Whichever of the two was true, it was a truth difficult to believe, and Hyeonseung let out a hollow laugh.
「Please check your changed traits.」
Meanwhile, another message appeared.
“Right. Whatever this is, if it has to do with Ventair… this is the most important thing.”
This was what set Ventair Online apart from other RPGs.
The three random traits and skills granted when first creating a character.
Unlike other games, where skills were naturally obtained by leveling up, obtaining skills in Ventair Online was extremely difficult, and the traits given at the start could be said to be that character’s everything.
The types of traits were so vast that while there might be similar traits from character to character, there were no completely identical ones at all.
Depending on what traits one obtained at the beginning, one’s growth direction, growth speed, and even the group one would belong to were divided.
If three lowest-tier traits appeared in a row, then no matter how much of a veteran former rank one player he might be, recovery would be impossible. That was a characteristic of Ventair.
It was also one of the major reasons it had become a trash game.
“…Let’s check first.”
Hyeonseung reached toward the 「Check Traits」 window, which was flashing and blinking.
“I don’t know what the hell is going on, but… please, let me get a good trait.”
Was this really still a game? Could he log out like in a game, and go back and forth between this world and the previous one?
He was curious about such things, but for now, the desire to check the trait floating before his eyes was even greater.
Had he not poured his entire life into Ventair for five years, excluding the time he spent sleeping?
To Hyeonseung, this was practically instinct.
“Phew… please…”
When he pressed the 「Check Traits」 window with a trembling hand, the first thing to appear was the 「Main Trait Window」.
「Main Trait - Genius of Mana Sensitivity」
「You were born with a talent for mana sensitivity that will never appear again.」
「You possess the highest efficiency in mana-related work.」
Hyeonseung nodded faintly.
“Mm… Not bad.”
The main trait could be considered a pass.
In general, traits with the word “Genius” attached were extremely rare.
They were the best traits in their respective fields.
However, mana sensitivity was not particularly useful in this world.
It was a place where only traits, skills, and martial arts utilizing them were everything.
Because this was a world setting where the profession known as the mage, the flower of RPGs, could not exist.
Thus, at first glance, it seemed like an excellent trait, but it wasn’t top-tier.
‘It would’ve been perfect if I’d gotten a Ruler trait, but…’
The traits evaluated as top-tier were the ones with the name “Ruler” attached.
For example, the Ruler of Flames trait that the Supreme Heavenly Demon had possessed was, quite literally, a trait that allowed one to rule over and wield flames.
Traits like that were considered top-tier here.
‘Well, if Mana Sensitivity is good, it’s the best when it comes to developing skills.’
This was plenty good enough.
After all, hadn’t Hyeonseung been an old-timer who had firmly maintained rank 1 in that ruined mess of a world?
If he got a trait at this level, he should be able to take the lead this time as well without much trouble.
‘Please, just let it be something like this. Just this much…’
He lowered his hand and pressed the 「Sub Trait」 window beneath 「Main Trait」.
「Sub Trait - I Can’t Live Without Style!」
「You, who value looking cool! You have become someone who cannot live without style.」
「The activation effects of your skills become dramatically flashier.」
「You possess high resistance to mental-type skills.」
His expression naturally crumpled.
“What the fuck… There was a trait like this?”
A trait that made curses come out on their own.
In short, it was a dud.
He knew there were countless traits in Bentayle, but to think there was one with such a ridiculous name.
And to think he, of all people, would end up with it.
“…Well, resistance to mental-type skills is useful.”
The odds of an opponent having a mental attack skill were low, but for that very reason, if you did encounter one, mental-type attacks were the kind that left you helpless.
The effect of making skills flashy was completely useless, but mental resistance was something that could genuinely come in handy, even if only very, very occasionally.
“The main trait is fine, and the sub trait is a dud…”
It was still within a manageable range.
How could all three traits possibly come out good?
If he could charge ahead with traits of this level, that was what made him a true veteran, wasn’t it?
‘Please, let the last one be something good.’
Still, if possible, it would be best for a higher-tier trait to appear.
Thinking that, Hyeonseung pressed the final 「Support Trait」.
「Support Trait - Everything Is Doubled!」
「All effects of your traits are applied at double strength.」
「Penalties are also applied at double strength.」
“…It appeared.”
A jackpot had appeared at the very end.
Among the traits that could appear as a support trait, this was one that could fairly be called top-tier.
The main trait was the character’s identity.
The sub trait harmonized with the main trait and set the direction.
And the support trait was a trait that, quite literally, supported the two traits above.
For that reason, saying that all trait effects were doubled meant it was a top-tier trait even among support traits.
“One jackpot, one dud, and one average… This is more than enough.”
The dud hurt quite a bit, but what could he do?
At the starting point, where everything was random, this was a pretty good result.
“Now, let’s check the skills… Hm?”
Just as Hyeonseung was about to check his skills with a fairly pleased heart, a new message appeared before his eyes.
「Benefits are granted differentially to players ranked from 1st to 10th.」
「Player Lee Hyeonseung, ‘zl존☆Cheonma★,’ is ranked 1st.」
「The 1st place reward, ‘Hidden Trait,’ will be granted.」
As Hyeonseung read the message line by line, his eyes gradually widened.
It was a message that made him certain this truly was the world of Bentayle.
And more important than that was the phrase “Hidden Trait.”
“A hidden trait…”
He prided himself on knowing a great deal about Bentayle, but this was a trait he had never heard of before.
The corners of his mouth naturally curled upward.
A benefit given only to 1st place.
That meant 2nd place, 3rd place, and everyone below them would not receive this hidden trait.
“…So it wasn’t all completely pointless…”
Five years of life as a shut-in.
It would have been impossible not to feel self-loathing.
Five years spent holed up in his room, pouring everything solely into Bentayle.
As a human being, he had to sleep, and whenever he left the world inside the game and tried to fall asleep, he inevitably had to face his real self.
That was why he immersed himself even more deeply in the game, playing until he collapsed into sleep as if he had passed out.
To such a Hyeonseung, that single line of message was not a simple notification.
It was recognition of all the effort he had made until now.
「Comprehensively analyzing possessed traits and configuring the optimal hidden trait…」
So he stared at the message with eyes full of expectation.
It even said it was configuring the optimal hidden trait.
There was no way he wouldn’t get his hopes up.
And soon after, a cheerful notification sound rang out.
Ding—
「Configuration of the hidden trait has been completed.」
Hyeonseung quickly reached out and pressed the newly opened 「Hidden Trait」 window.
Of course, his nostrils were flaring with excitement all the while.
「Hidden Trait - No Violence!」
「You must not commit violence against any life-form possessing intelligence.」
「If you inflict physical wounds or cause harm, a penalty will be applied.」
「Penalty - Deletion of all skills」
“Hm?”
He rubbed his eyes and read it again.
「Hidden Trait - No Violence!」
「You must not commit violence against any life-form possessing intelligence…」
This made no sense.
Bentayle was, at its core, an RPG.
There were no levels, but it was a world where monsters existed and wars broke out.
It should be impossible without violence.
On top of that, if he inflicted physical wounds or caused harm, all his skills would be deleted?
How could such an absurd penalty exist?
If this truly was the world of Bentayle,
then there had to be a reason for this penalty.
A powerful penalty that inevitably accompanied power so strong it could break the balance.
“…Let’s stay calm.”
As always, he should calmly figure it out.
First, he pressed here and there on the notification window floating before him.
Then he pressed the title of the hidden trait.
And a hidden window appeared.
[Hidden Trait: No Violence! (Patience 0 / 1000)]
The true effect of the hidden trait was revealed.
「Upon reaching the target Patience value, the hidden trait reward - ‘Patience Is Bitter, but Its Fruit Is Sweet!’ will be granted.」
「Patience Is Bitter, but Its Fruit Is Sweet!: The effects of skills become real, not false.」
「Accordingly, skill grades will be readjusted and skill names will be changed.」
「Skills evolved as a reward will not be deleted.」