The old, worn-out linoleum, the yellowed wallpaper, the view from the rooftop apartment window stretching far off to reveal the twinkling lights of Seoul's skyscrapers nestled between the old villas.
It was a familiar sight.
This was my home, where the deposit was a mere one hundred, and the monthly rent was only twenty.
"I really am back."
Just a moment ago, I was in that uselessly vast and terrifyingly dark common area, but now I'd instantly returned to my own home…
In the blink of an eye? No, I hadn't even blinked.
I was simply back in my place, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
*Ding-*
"…What kind of app is this, really?"
With the familiar notification sound, I pulled out my phone.
[☆Congratulations on your first match, Kang Hyunwoo!☆]
[Favorability Change]
[Iris Lemeria Baiaarte Pelledia 1♡ → 85♡]
[Relationship Level Change]
[Iris Lemeria Baiaarte Pelledia Lv.0 → Lv.1]
[300 Love Coins have been awarded as a reward]
[A bonus reward has been granted in celebration of your first match]
[Congratulations on becoming a full customer]
[The Shop function has been unlocked]
[The Mailbox function has been unlocked]
Sure enough, my phone screen was filled with notifications.
"What is all this?"
It was quite a mess, but after slowly reading through each one, it wasn't anything I couldn't understand.
Iris's favorability and relationship level were set aside for now. It felt unsettling to treat it as simply as it would be in a dating sim with Iris's warmth still lingering on my hand.
"…Can't I go back to Iris?"
Fortunately, the match history was saved, allowing me to view Iris's profile.
[Name: Iris Lemeria Baiaarte Pelledia
Age: 524
Race: High Elf
Affiliation: EB-17
Occupation: Archmage
Alignment: Benevolent Ruler, Non-Lethal, Devoted, Vegetarian······]
[Time Remaining Until Rematch: 167:58:45]
"A week left."
I wasn't expecting to be able to rematch right away, but even so, a week felt too long, didn't it?
[Tip. You can reduce the rematch time by using special items]
The timely tip was helpful, but it didn't specify what those items were.
"Could they be in the shop?"
The shop, which was locked before meeting Iris, was now open.
[The items sold in the shop change each time, so it's recommended not to miss anything you need when you see it]
"A random shop?"
The variety of items wasn't that large. About ten kinds, maybe?
"Iron Sword 200 coins, Basic Alchemy Package 500 coins, Basic Swordsmanship Book 550 coins, Lowest-Grade Stamina Potion 600 coins, Lowest-Grade Mana Potion 600 coins, Top Actress Random Blowjob Ticket 800 coins…? What is this??"
My head was spinning.
I could accept everything else, but what the hell was a Top Actress Random Blowjob Ticket?
I couldn't buy it anyway since I didn't have 800 coins, but I wanted to hear the explanation, so I clicked on it.
[Top Actress Random Blowjob Ticket]
[Grade: Common]
[This grants you the chance to receive a blowjob from an actress who meets certain criteria based on the overall assessment of her box office success, level of pay, awards, and popularity]
"…Huh."
Are they seriously out of their minds?
This blowjob ticket, even though it cost 800 coins, had major flaws.
First of all, the age range couldn't be specified.
Among famous actresses, there were those in their 20s and 30s, but also many over 40.
"Ew…!"
Ugh, I only imagined it, and it already made me feel disgusted.
"I'm never buying this."
I tossed it aside and looked at the remaining items.
Most of them were exactly what their names implied, so nothing particularly interesting, except for two.
Two things caught my eye.
"An AR (Augmented Reality) Pass and a Random Box."
The description for the AR Pass alone was enough to ignite my desire to purchase it.
With this, I wouldn't have to go through the hassle of pulling out my phone every time I used the dating app.
It was like the status window in novels, adding convenience, and it only cost 500 coins.
Of course, all I had was 300 coins…
"Damn capitalism…"
I felt like crying blood, but there was nothing I could do about it right now.
Forcing myself to look away, I noticed the Random Box decorating a corner of the shop.
The price was only 50 coins each, but you never knew what you would get. There was no probability listed.
"…It's not going to give me something like a tissue, is it?"
The price was certainly cheap.
Even a broke bum like me with only 300 coins could buy six of them. But my gut was telling me that buying it would be a crazy thing to do.
It felt like I could see my 300 coins evaporating into thin air right before my eyes.
"First, let's check what rewards I received back in that world."
I only needed 200 more coins to buy the AR Pass.
Hoping that the rewards would be coins, I opened the mailbox.
[Mailbox]
Starter Package x1
Golden Random Box x1
"Oh."
I didn't see any coins, but what appeared was much better than that.
A package and a Random Box with the adjective "Golden" attached to it.
"This place has good service."
But I'm giving them a one-star rating for separating me from Iris.
Anyway, without further delay, I decided to open the Starter Package first.
I pressed the Receive button for the Starter Package.
*Ding-*
[Would you like to open the Starter Package?]
[※Caution, once the package is opened, it cannot be undone]
"They're scaring me unnecessarily."
It was a phrase that game companies used so often that it didn't really faze me.
Without much hesitation, I immediately pressed the Open button.
*Pop!*
With a burst of pure white light, the package box opened.
I really felt like I had bought a package in a game.
[Starter Package]
[Beginner Equipment Set x1]
[Skill Random Acquisition Ticket x1]
[Inventory 10 Slots]
[500 Coins]
"Yes, this is it!"
It was a list that made me exclaim without realizing it. I was ready to bow to them from all directions if they gave me just 200 coins, but they gave me 500 coins.
On top of that, there was an equipment set and a skill acquisition ticket that made my heart pound just from the name, and an inventory, the crowning glory of the status window!
I had never seen a starter package with such solid substance in my 21 years of life.
"Let's buy the AR Pass first."
I didn't know the timing of when the items in the shop would change.
If I missed the AR Pass while trying to get equipment or skills, all I could do was sit on the floor and sob.
[Would you like to purchase the AR Pass?]
[500 Coins]
[Y/N]
Without hesitation, I immediately pressed the Yes button.
[AR Pass has been confirmed]
[The Otherworld Dating App is updating]
[The app cannot be used while the update is in progress]
[Estimated Update Time: 00:00:10]
[Updating…]
[Update Complete]
As soon as the last phrase appeared, my phone screen went black. Immediately after that, a familiar screen appeared before my eyes.
"…This is amazing."
─────
[Otherworld Dating App]
[Matching]
[Shop]
[Profile]
[Mailbox]
─────
It was surprising enough that the status window from web novels appeared before my eyes, but I didn't even need to touch it.
Of course, it wasn't that touch didn't work, but that the UI moved as I imagined it.
It was too generous to be a function that only cost 500 coins.
"My foresight was incredible."
The biggest merit was that I could cope with unexpected accidents where I couldn't use my phone or might have lost it.
I had only bought one item, but my heart was as warm as having a bowl of hot soup on a cold winter day.
That's why it's good to give things away like market vendors.
Frankly, it would have been nice if the package only contained coins, but I wouldn't have felt as good as I do now.
Speaking of which, I decided to open the Beginner Equipment Set and Skill Random Acquisition Ticket that came from our generous package this time.
[Would you like to use the Beginner Equipment Set?]
[Y/N]
[Y]
[Before using the Beginner Equipment Set, please select your desired class]
Class?
[Warrior]
[Archer]
[Mage]
[Assassin]
[Blacksmith]
[Priest]
˙
˙
˙
˙
"So kind."
I was planning on taking the mage route.
The buffs the app gave me now, and the Archmage of the 8th Circle was my mentor, so I'd be crazy to do anything else.
That's why, as soon as I saw the Beginner Equipment Set and Skill Random Acquisition Ticket, I hoped that something related to mages would come out.
'If I got something like an axe from the equipment set, it would have gone straight to the Potato Market.'
Magician-related weapons or artifacts were not something that a guy like me without connections could easily obtain. Even if you had money, you had to go through several complicated procedures to get them.
[You have selected Mage]
[Basic Mage equipment will be stored in the inventory]
With my expectations at their peak, I opened the inventory.
[Inventory]
[Assistant Monocle]
[Magic Ring]
[Wooden Wand]
There were three pieces of equipment in the inventory.
[Assistant Monocle]
[Grade: Rare]
[Visualizes the flow of mana]
[Magic Ring]
[Grade: Rare]
[Slightly increases the power of magic]
[Wooden Wand]
[Grade: Rare]
[Slightly reduces casting time and slightly increases the power of magic]
I'm a person with a dried-up heart and no tears.
"I think I'm really going to cry."
All I could say was that it was crazy.
Each and every piece of equipment was unbelievable. Beginner Equipment Set? The word "beginner" was just a formality. If you went to a department store to buy them, each one would easily cost thousands. You couldn't even buy them freely just because you had money.
However, I didn't know exactly what it meant for the monocle to visualize the flow of mana.
"Hmm… Even if I wear it, I don't know what's different."
It just looked like a sleek monocle on the outside.
Still, judging by the fact that it was a Rare grade like the other equipment, it was definitely going to be useful somewhere.
The exact performance test could be done later, so I decided to open the Skill Random Acquisition Ticket first.
[Would you like to use the Skill Random Acquisition Ticket?]
[Y/N]
[Y]
[The first match has been completed]
[The grade of the Skill Random Acquisition Ticket will be increased]
…What?
[It has been confirmed that you have selected the Mage class from the Beginner Equipment Set]
[The range will be narrowed to Mage-exclusive skills]
[In progress...]
I was stunned by the sudden situation, like being caught in a super-fun hidden camera prank.
[Weakness Detection]
[Grade: Epic]
[Allows you to identify weaknesses]
I shouted so loud at the screen in front of me that the house almost shook.
Until the person downstairs banged on the front door, complaining about the noise.