Chapter 5

Level Up IlDanSimPanGwan – Episode 5 (5/227)

Episode 5: The Chosen One (4)

“IlDanSimPanGwan…?”

WooJin muttered to himself as he checked his status window.

IlDanSimPanGwan was a special class only available to those who chose the faith of Lu.

Normally, you could pick any class without much issue while still believing in the seven gods, but each faith had its own unique class.

The downside was if you abandoned your faith, you’d lose everything you gained from that class. But the upside was better treatment within the church and easier favor from the deity.

“But I didn’t choose anything… what’s this about choosing?” WooJin grumbled.

Even if we count picking Lu’s faith when praying, he never even considered becoming an IlDanSimPanGwan.

“But well, I was planning to go melee anyway. Maybe I’ll try it out? Could be a good fit…”

His level was just 1.

For Eil who had just started, there was no risk in changing classes.

Plus, the IlDanSimPanGwan class could use all types of melee weapons, allowing him to customize his equipment as he liked.

“The performance is supposed to be solid.”

While not excelling in either damage or tanking, it offered balanced stats and decent speed comparable to striker classes, making it effective in both PVE and PVP.

Combined with the divine blessing given to all believers, it became quite powerful.

However, the drawback was that one needed to believe in Lu to become an IlDanSimPanGwan, meaning they’d become a follower of the notoriously crazy goddess.

“She didn’t seem insane when I saw her…”

But he knew better than to let his guard down based on first impressions.

Looking at the quests she’d given her followers so far, the rumors of her unpredictability seemed true.

“Faith… judge… grants power…”

WooJin slowly organized his thoughts amidst the confusion.

“Clearly she said she gave me power… best to observe the situation for now.”

On the surface, his stats, class, and even divine favor rating were no different from other starting players.

Considering the goddess might approach him again once she regains her strength, it was wiser not to abandon his faith prematurely.

“Right, time!”

Remembering the phone alarm he set, WooJin exclaimed.

He had set it to automatically report after one hour in case he got trapped in the machine again.

Checking his phone, he was relieved to see plenty of time remained.

No need to worry about police breaking down his door or getting fined for false reporting.

“Nothing wrong with my body… really feels fine?”

After quickly checking himself, WooJin muttered in disbelief.

Despite experiencing all sorts of VR side effects before, he felt perfectly normal this time.

Though he wouldn’t get the 3.5 billion won compensation, being able to play Warode and having his body intact was more than enough.

Leaving the connection device, WooJin immediately canceled the alarm on his phone.

[You are currently on the path to becoming an Apostle! (2.24%)]

* * *

Back in reality, WooJin dove into his computer folders.

Folders meticulously categorized, filled with massive amounts of documents, images, and charts – all information about Warode he had gathered over the past year.

It might seem funny that someone unable to play VR games would collect such expert-level information.

But WooJin had desperately wanted to play VR games, only to be stopped by his unsuitable constitution.

During those times, he satisfied his curiosity by following trends in VR gaming.

This continued even after Warode’s release.

With hope that he might be able to play Warode due to its improved stability, he collected and organized all related information, waiting patiently until he could afford to try.

Now, opening the folder containing information about Warode’s deities and churches, he especially focused on Lu, the Goddess of Light and Madness.

With his excellent memory, forgotten details came flooding back.

“Competition among the seven gods… their powers are limited. Telling us to spread doctrines and ‘faith’… ah, I think I understand the general situation.”

Smiling faintly, WooJin re-entered the connection device without hesitation.

* * *

Whoosh!

The same alleyway where he last logged out appeared before him.

Eil, or WooJin, stepped out of the alley and checked his physical condition.

His limbs moved freely, and his reflexes felt normal.

Contrary to what he heard about initial sluggishness in movement, his body felt lighter than in real life.

“IOF Guild recruiting new members! Newbies welcome! Don’t be shy!”

“Soltia temple seeking party members for dungeon run! Looking for experienced players level 80+!”

“Hiring mercenaries for caravan escort through Red Mane Forest! 15 gold per person!”

“Seeking girlfriend… please…”

Entering the city square, the bustling sounds of people greeted him.

Scenes missed during his hurried escape from the dungeon now filled him with awe.

Thinking about how he nearly died trapped in the connection device, he now felt gratitude towards Warode’s developers.

“Really inside the game… this isn’t a dream, right?”

Shaking his head, Eil took out his equipment from inventory.

Skipping character creation, city selection, and basic tutorials, he was surprisingly adept at simple operations after following Warode developments closely.

Swish!

The beginner’s weapon was a standard sword – appropriately sized for ease of use, with plain engravings.

“Grip feels good.”

Satisfied with his basic weapon, Eil headed out for his first hunt.

Before diving into serious gameplay, he wanted to warm up and gauge his abilities.

Around Duel City were plenty of hunting grounds, but four main areas suitable for level 1 players.

The easiest east zone was safe but crowded with competition, offering poor rewards.

Conversely, the hardest north zone was dangerous but less crowded, providing higher rewards and faster leveling.

Of course, dying carried penalties of 48-hour disconnection, level reduction, and item loss, so caution was advised.

“I’m obviously going for the hard one.”

Without looking back, Eil headed north.

“Here already?”

Arriving at the northern hill hunting ground, he found it nearly deserted.

At the entrance lay several dead players who tried and failed.

Checking their bodies yielded nothing – likely already looted by opportunistic “scavengers.”

“If I die, they’ll probably take everything too.”

Not particularly worried since he was only level 1 and playing casually rather than professionally, he felt only excitement and mild tension before battle.

“Kruk! Krurk!”

Entering the area, Eil encountered a horned rabbit.

Unlike the cute bunnies in the east zone, this creature had bloodshot red eyes and stood waist-high to a human.

The dark-skinned horned rabbit leaped aggressively at Eil.

Quickly reacting, Eil dodged and swung his sword, cutting the creature and causing it to bleed.

Subsequent attacks from the rabbit’s horn missed repeatedly despite their lethality.

Whereas normal players would struggle against such a foe, Eil found the fight surprisingly easy.

Thwick!

His sword pierced straight through the horned rabbit.

Already weakened from multiple cuts, the creature trembled then collapsed.

“What? It was supposed to be difficult… why does it feel so easy?”

Unscathed after the battle, Eil paused in confusion.

Reviewing the fight, he reached a conclusion.

“My body feels incredibly light. My reactions are sharp. Could I actually have talent for this?”

* * *

Inside the Warode development building…

The female employee who visited WooJin’s home walked in after swiping her card, meeting a male coworker from her department.

Discussing the unusual case she handled recently…

“This connection error we dealt with… extremely unique.”

“Of course it was unique, being the first major issue after one year of service. We initially thought it was a prank call.”

“No, I mean the cause itself was strange.”

“Cause?”

“Yeah. We originally thought it was just an unusual physiology incompatible with VR systems. Turns out it was the opposite – too high synchronization rate causing rejection.”

“What? Never heard of that. How high was the sync rate?”

“270.”

An absurd number that made them question their hearing.

After a brief silence…

“You’re joking, right?”

“Nope. I thought it was a measurement error at first too. Had to apply multiple program restrictions to bring it down to 99%.”

“Such a number is possible…?”

The male employee ran his hand through his hair, clearly skeptical.

Never before had anyone exceeded 100% synchronization with VR systems.

The average sync rate of the six great guild leaders, top rankers in Warode, was 92%.

“To think someone with such high sync couldn’t play VR games due to connection issues… ridiculous. Though unstable systems would make other games problematic.”

“Well, sync rate isn’t everything, right? Is it really worth worrying about?”

Sync rate measures how effectively one’s innate reflexes, judgment, senses, and overall potential manifest within the virtual environment.

Even with 100% sync, lack of raw talent would limit one to mediocrity.

“Yeah, ‘potential’ at best. Still, worth keeping an eye on, being the highest sync rate ever recorded. Could be some random guy, or could be a new ranker… personally hoping for the latter.”

“What, did the customer impress you or something?”

“His face… cough. No, this could be witnessing the start of a new ranker! Starting from a shabby single room, no less.”

“Hmm, sounds interesting now you mention it. Should we secretly monitor how well he plays? Or throw some rare items or special quests his way?”

“If you want to quit, please submit a formal resignation.”

“…Sheesh, can’t handle a joke?”

Her cold response made the male employee mutter in frustration.

In a normal game, GMs directly interfering as mere company employees would be unthinkable.

Especially in Warode, which declared zero interference from developers, strict internal rules were established.

Creating or transferring items, unauthorized monitoring – all strictly prohibited.

With all bugs and cheats blocked and AI-assisted thorough testing ensuring perfect balance and systems, no monitoring or enforcement was necessary.

Simply put, the developers had no reason to interfere in a game they already perfected.

They would enjoy Warode like any other player, observing without special privileges.