00003 [Part 1] [Return] ------------------------------------------------------------------------=
The reason he had returned to 'Customize Yourself' after two years was an extremely simple one. He had an underclassman named Eunjeong who followed him around like an older brother. She had found him eating alone at the university cafeteria and asked him for a favor.
"Dorim oppa, I'm sorry, but could you help me just this once?"
"What is it?"
"I was supposed to set up a group blind date, but one of the guys can't come today. I'm really sorry, oppa, but could you take his place?"
"Why would I go to your blind date."
"Come on, don't be like that. You can just play the game and leave."
"Game? You do blind dates through games these days?"
"My friend said she wanted to try a fresh way of meeting people. And it turned out everyone had something in common—we all play a game called 'Customize Yourself.' So we decided to meet inside the game first."
"That's fascinating. But that kind of thing stresses me out, so ask someone else…."
"You said you tried that game at a drinking party last time. You're the only person I know who plays it."
"It's already a globally popular game, how can there be no one…?"
"Anyway, oppa, please…! I'll buy you something expensive!"
"...Deal."
It was an extremely simple reason. For such a trivial reason, he logged into 'Customize Yourself,' 'C.Y,' for the first time in two years.
The commercial city of Yegeoteu was famous as one of the premier tourist cities on the continent of Mineteu. Shops were densely packed around it, and the streets were filled with food and sights everywhere one went. Merchants all shouted loudly to sell their wares, and it was not uncommon to see people haggling with them over prices.
"Sorry I'm late."
They had chosen a place with fewer people for the meeting spot. Karon, who had arrived long after the promised time, apologized and greeted the five people who had been waiting for him.
"It's fine. We just got here too."
A woman with a gentle countenance answered with a smile. She was a woman notable for her brown hair tied up in the back.
"Hello~."
The two women standing beside the brown-haired woman greeted him simultaneously. The green-haired girl looked him up and down as if appraising him. The short black-haired girl appeared to possess a refreshing, straightforward personality.
"Ah, Hyung, you're late."
The person waving at him was an underclassman famous within the department for being kind. He had heard that many classmates had their eyes on him because he treated anyone without reserve and took good care of others.
"Ah, so it was you, Dorim?"
Meanwhile, a man with narrowed eyes and dark blue hair showed little interest in him. Rather, an attitude of displeasure was plainly revealed. There was a rumor circulating among classmates that he tried to treat seniors as equals simply because he had repeated a year. Of course, it seemed he also received positive reactions from those around him due to his confident personality.
"It looks like everyone's here now, so shall we introduce ourselves? Name, age, nickname, class, and level, in that order. I'll start first. I'm Sin Seokgi, a first-year, but I'm twenty-one because I repeated. In C.M, I'm Nieritic, my class is Swordsman, and my level is seventy-two."
He turned his back to Karon and greeted the women brightly. Upon hearing that his level was seventy-two, they let out small exclamations and clapped. Two years had passed and the level cap had been adjusted from 100 to 200, but level seventy-two still received favorable treatment.
"Hello. I'm Yu Aram. I'm the one who asked Eunjeong to arrange this blind date. Um, I'm twenty, and in this game I go by the name Aran. My class is Archer, but since I haven't been playing long, my level is still thirty-eight."
The brown-haired woman who introduced herself as Aran greeted them with a gentle smile. While Karon and his underclassman joined in clapping with the other women, Nieritic reacted with particular enthusiasm.
"Hello. I'm Gu Yeonghui. I'm twenty, and I use the nickname Choco Mint. My class is Mage, and my level is forty-three."
"Hello. I'm Im Chaeyeon. Like Aram and Yeonghui, I'm also twenty. My nickname is Green Wind. Level fifty Swordsman."
The green-haired girl and the short black-haired girl greeted him in turn.
"Hello. I'm I Chanseong. I'm the same age as all of you, let's have fun~. Ah, in this game I'm called Agreeman. My class is Assassin, and my level is sixty-five."
Once everyone finished their introductions, all eyes focused on Karon. He wore a troubled expression, agonizing over how to broach the subject.
What kind of picture would it make if he—the one who had once been the first to reach the level cap of 100 and risen to rank one, called the King of the North Star—appeared after two years to go on a blind date? He hadn't been very interested in blind dates to begin with, and being the center of attention as a has-been was not welcome either.
"Hey, what are you doing instead of introducing yourself?"
Nieritic urged him on. Realizing that he would have to form a party with them and thus couldn't avoid mentioning his alias, he finally opened his mouth.
"I'm called Sin Dorim. I'm twenty-one, and in C.M I'm called Karon. My level is... fifty-one. My class is Swordsman."
"We look forward to it."
"If your level is fifty-one, you'll have to watch the rear, you."
Fortunately, what he had worried about did not happen. They showed no reaction even upon hearing his name, Karon. Rather, because his level was markedly lower than the other men, they showed a lukewarm response.
"Guys, let's speak casually. Using honorifics is uncomfortable."
"Okay, sure."
As soon as Nieritic brought it up, Green Wind answered. The others nodded as well, deciding to address each other comfortably. With the introductions thus wrapped up, Aran sent party invitations to the rest.
[Would you like to join the party of 'Aran'?]
"Party options."
While the others were joining the party, Karon secretly called up the party options menu. He checked whether the option to hide his level when forming a party was set to private, and only then did he join.
"Accept."
[You have joined the party of 'Aran'.]
"Alright, so everyone's in?"
['Aran's Party
Aran (Party Leader) Level Private Archer
Green Wind Level 50 Swordsman
Nieritic Level 72 Swordsman
Choco Mint Level 43 Mage
Agreeman Level Private Assassin
Karon Level Private Swordsman]
Karon closed the party menu window and began moving toward the hunting ground that Nieritic had previously scouted. Even outside the village, Yegeoteu properly maintained public order, so it took some time to reach the hunting grounds. However, Nieritic and Agreeman, Aran and Green Wind, and the others skillfully kept the atmosphere from turning awkward, as if they had known each other for ages.
"This is a dungeon I found not too long ago. The monster levels seem to be between forty-five and sixty."
"Wow, you found this place, oppa? That's amazing."
Green Wind looked at the cave that Nieritic had discovered and spoke. In a place far from human eyes, a gap large enough for one person to pass through could be seen amidst the grass. As they drew closer, a sound that was neither human nor beast could be heard, making it clear that this was no ordinary cave entrance, but an entrance leading into a dungeon.
To think there had been a dungeon in a place like this.