Chapter 1

Cover Fold

Ha… what the hell am I doing here?

As I opened my eyes, a boring scenery filled my sight.

The weather is always slightly cloudy, the wind direction is northwest, and the sun shyly reveals itself over the horizon.

Merchants who set up their stalls since dawn are all trying to attract precious guests.

A rusty dagger, next to which a well-polished longsword bathes in the warm sunlight.

Travelers venture into battle, purchasing weapons suitable for themselves and potions that emit different scents.

After a long time, merchants who made a big profit are grinning widely.

On the other hand, there was a unique merchant who sat meditating in a corner without any solicitation.

I was able to approach the cute merchant with fox ears only after everyone else had left.

“Give me that one.”

“Hmm? Don’t misunderstand, I am definitely not asleep! Hm? Is this item confirmed?”

The fox girl wiped away the drool that flowed under her chin and handed me the shoes I pointed at.

Checking if mud was on the boots, she quickly shook them off with her hand.

I placed five silver coins into her fluffy hand.

“Fill the rest with potions.”

Considering the types of potions, she only handles low-grade health potions, so without hesitation, she added four purple flasks into the bag.

Of course, she wouldn’t miscount the quantities, but I checked the number of potions in the bag out of habit.

The fox merchant was examining the silver coins that came into her hands, making quirky sounds like ‘hoee’ as I wore the smelly boots.

Now the fox girl would be asking if the transaction was over.

“Traveler! Do you need this@#!& ##!%&%@&?”

But contrary to my expectations, an unpleasant noise hit my eardrum.

Turning around, I found the source right in front of me.

[■■■■■■■■: ■(You)]

[■■■■■■■■: ■■■■ ■■ ■■■■■ ■■■ ■ ■■■■■ ■ ■ ■■■(Unspecified Gender, the game has started here; please keep an eye on whether enemies enter.)]

What are you saying?

Get out of here.

I thought you left earlier; why are you back?

Ignoring me persistently, this tiny spiny turtle began to get angry.

[■■■■■■■■: ■■ ■ ■■■■■ ■ ■■ ■■?(I mean, the game has started, what are you doing?)]

The spiny turtle in front of me was also a player in the game that would last 30 minutes.

However, all his sounds and conversations were censored, so I couldn’t hear what he was saying.

So no matter how angry you get, I can’t understand a single word you’re saying.

I think he kept talking after that, but I ignored him and proceeded with the secret quest for my title.

[General – Collect 10 Mystical Murals (0/10)]

[Legend – Collect 30 Mystical Murals (0/30)]

[Mythical – Collect 50 Mystical Murals (0/50)]

Today, I am lucky. All three quests are non-combat missions collecting murals.

Moreover, the mission to collect 50 murals had a significantly easier difficulty compared to the other three-star quest missions.

To summarize, I can say it’s a break game.

I have no idea why they introduced such secret quests in a game where we fight 5 vs 5, but…

If I had to pick a lucky point, it would be that these secret quests can only be confirmed after the game ends.

If everyone could see the quests like I can from the start, then the world would be filled with abusers and trolls.

Then, the friends who get angry like that turtle would probably leave the game.

[■■■■■■■■: ■■■ ■■■ ■■■ ■ ■■ ■■■(Damn trolls, all of you should die.)]

What a persistent guy.

It seems like he’s determined to follow me for life.

However, as game time passed over a minute, the turtle angrily dashed into the forest.

Looking at the overall composition of our team, I would hardly be a good addition even if I joined normally.

To make matters worse, since I was practically non-existent, the game was accelerating towards its end.

I felt like this mission had a tight timeline attached to it. I wasted time staring at the turtle for no reason.

In haste, I hurriedly stepped down the opposite path of the turtle.

The 50 murals in the battlefield are said to randomly appear, but in fact, they are generated from 256 designated points based on a few rules.

In other words, they aren’t completely random, so by checking the 10 predetermined points in advance, I can determine where all the murals are located.

The most important spot is indeed the central third fortress. If there are no murals here, it’s highly likely that the murals are in the opposing territory.

If the team is helplessly pushed back, it means the three-star mission is gone.

Click.

Fortunately, there was one.

With this, if I set a course that basically crosses almost straight from the western forest to the southern forest, I can gather 40 murals easily. I’m having a good day today.

[■■ ■■ ■■■ ■■■■■■■(The first fortress has been destroyed.)]

As soon as I had that hopeful thought, a system alert echoed through the battlefield.

I don’t know the details, but it roughly indicates we are overwhelmingly losing.

While scurrying smoothly through the forest, I could often encounter that turtle again, but I waved nicely to him, fearing it would feel too indifferent to pass without greeting him.

[■■■■■■■■: ■■■(Get lost.)]

Still incomprehensible, but he glares at me with a truly vicious expression.

I never knew turtles could pull such a face.

Click.

[General – Collect 10 Mystical Murals (10/10) => Completed]

[Legend – Collect 30 Mystical Murals (30/30) => Completed]

[Mythical – Collect 50 Mystical Murals (50/50) => Completed]

The game time is approaching the 25-minute mark.

Surprisingly, the turtle seems to be doing well, with his kill score at 12/3/5.

In contrast, mine is 0/0/4.

Due to the recent strict troll penalty standards, even if I had engaged in a skirmish with the opponent early on, if I did not contribute a certain level in the later mid-game fights, I could get marked as a troll by the AI.

It seems to have been implemented to prevent players who got personally upset and only bothered to kill monsters in the jungle or those who constantly pushed the opposing fortress.

But doesn’t it mean I can get a free pass as long as I participate in a team fight?

Of course, the troll penalty standards are not solely based on participation in team fights, but the relative increase in importance actually worked in my favor.

I just need to join the fights when it seems like we might have a battle and lend a hand.

If the game drags on too long, I’d be willing to help, but despite my turtle friend’s efforts, the match flowed overwhelmingly in one direction.

The team that respawned all together in the beginning town glared at me for a moment, then gasped for breath, heading out again to defend the last stronghold.

Naturally, there were no unexpected developments.

[■■(Defeat)]

The fortress has fallen, and the armed knights are lined up. The fox merchant who handed me the boots earlier is being dragged away bound and helpless.

“Did you really do your best…?”

The best she could manage was to have her eyes glisten with tears.

Even though it’s just a game, I couldn’t hide my condolences.

But still, a game is a game. Now it’s time for reality.

I was automatically warped to the waiting room, which statistically displays all events that occurred in one battlefield.

When going to the waiting room, the majority of people show a common characteristic—they mostly become angrier.

As soon as I warped here, four people presumed to be my teammates rushed to me like the wind.

[■■■■■■■: ■■ ■■■ ■■■? ■■ ■■■ ■■■ ■■■?]

[■■■■■: ■ ■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■■]

It’s virtual reality anyway, and I know they can’t physically touch me, so it has to come out as verbal communication, but I am invincible on that front too.

It’s a real pity that I can’t let them know about this.

The game statistics are practically useless, and after confirming that my title was properly awarded, I exited the waiting room.

[Private Room]

As the name suggests, it was my private room.

In a tiny 3-pyeong space, there was just a bed, a table, and a chair.

Even though the room was so cramped, it seemed relatively pleasant due to the lack of various odds and ends. Especially the plain white wallpaper.

“I really think I’m going crazy.”

I might already be.

But I don’t have time for this.

I need to quickly sell the title I just got and participate in the next game immediately.

Riott Games does not support any auction content where users can trade with each other in this game, colloquially known as ‘rice eating’.

But there are always people who will do what they are told not to.

The only connection I have to the outside world is through this Chinese virtual reality capsule, which supports an illegal title trading market.

An enigmatic genius hacker has opened a server for buying and selling title data, but it doesn’t greatly impact the game itself. It’s also quite tough to catch, so the company appears to be leaving it alone.

[Legend: Would you like to sell the Indiana Jones title?]

{Accept/Decline}

The market price is around 3,000 won, and I’ve had experiences where it sold for 5,000 won when bought expensively, so it’s not too bad.

Today I’ve already earned enough for electricity, and I just need to make the money for my meals.

Daily electricity cost is around 4,000 won, mana cost is around 30,000 won, and the meal cost is a fixed 30,000 won per day.

If I can earn about 3,000 won per game, then I have to play at least 20 games, or 23 if I’m unlucky.

Just thinking about playing another game makes my head spin.

Why am I feeling this way after just one game?

I barely lay my body on a not-so-soft bed.

If someone were to ask why I spend 30,000 won even though I have no money, I could proudly say:

“Because of mana potions.”

I learned when I crossed into this world, that humans can survive without much issue by solely consuming refined and processed mana as food.

Having lived in a world without mana entirely, or one that had mana but no scientific knowledge at all, I found it fascinating…

Hence, for those who spend all day in virtual reality, the capsule provides mana potions as a paid product. They are disgustingly overpriced compared to what is sold in regular markets.

How long has it been since I last had food?

“I want to eat chicken.”

As my body grows lazy, various trivial thoughts pass through my mind.

For instance, I ponder the commonalities between the daily quests I’m doing and the grind.

It’s been ages since I did any labor, so my memories are hazy, but the feelings I had back then still linger.

I felt as if I would starve to death tomorrow if I didn’t work today.

Ironically, the current daily quest feels just like that.

Am I in a better position than I was back then?

“What does Mom think?”

I firmly held the hand of the woman sleeping beside me.

If someone were to see the two of us, a mother and daughter squished together on such a narrow bed, they would surely find it amusing.

But above all, the warmth and softness transmitted through our grips is a reminder that all of these sensations are fake.

“Would she have hoped I would live like this?”

There’s no answer.

Not just an answer, but I hear no sound at all.

Even the sound of a small breath feels like a luxury in this desolate room.

Even though they’re avatars of virtual reality, they still breathe reflecting the physical body in reality.

But it seems her diaphragm has yet to learn how to rise.

“I really think I’m going crazy.”

In this life, my mom probably passed away five years ago. No, six; anyway, she left me during that time.

And I, who bizarrely cohabitates with my corpse, have been trapped in this capsule for seven years since birth.