How've you been?
"······ Is Randolph really Phantom?"
Three men and women gathered at a cafe near Gangnam Station.
Two burly men who looked exactly alike, and a beautiful woman.
At a corner table, sipping coffee, they kept talking even as the place buzzed all around them.
"I'm sure. Even if you don't know about Main Quest 1, getting a higher score than Gracia in the class part is impossible without deep knowledge of the game."
The woman said.
Just as she said, a top-tier class can't be obtained by skill alone. You need overwhelming luck, and knowledge that goes beyond even that luck.
If he wasn't Phantom, that score was impossible to accept.
"Phantom, the five-year veteran ghost player, finally showed up. This is going to be a riot."
"Can we make contact first?"
The two identical men spoke heavily.
The woman shrugged.
"How? We searched for years and still couldn't find him."
"That's because Phantom wasn't a real player back then. Now that he's become a real player, there'll be a way."
"Then should we try 'phishing' or something? The Secret Auction House must have opened, right?"
"Phishing, huh······."
"To take first place in Main 3, he'll need his items stacked. Of course he'll use the auction house, won't he?"
Phishing, is slang players use.
You put a good item up cheap in the Secret Auction House, attach the Twin ability of a talisman to it, and then track its location.
A Twin Talisman is an option that lets the two linked items know each other's location even when separated.
Beginners who don't know that option snap up the cheap item and then get tracked, killed, or robbed.
In the game, and in real life.
"But isn't that a tactic only lowlifes like 'Massacre' use?"
"If it's Phantom, he knows every talisman option by heart. There's no way he wouldn't notice."
Both twin men voiced their opposition.
Phishing is a vile trick used by scum like Massacre who hunt newbies.
Even if you tried it, there's no way Phantom wouldn't know.
The only ones who fall for phishing are rookies under one year in Pangaenia who don't even know the talisman's name.
But the woman clicked her tongue.
"You still don't get Phantom? He's the guy who actually went to cut off the Demon King's head. He failed, sure, but didn't you see that drive when he launched the Grand Expedition?"
A lot of people had already pegged that character, Wilhelm, as Phantom.
And Wilhelm really was insane.
Despite endless interference and factions collapsing around him, he still raised the Grand Expedition.
He failed even with eight Unique items, but Wilhelm's feat was the kind that would be remembered for ages in Pangaenia's history.
A myth in the truest sense.
"If he sees a phishing item in the Secret Auction House, he'll think, 'Nice,' and buy it. 'Try me if you want, come at me, anyone who comes in dies.' That's the Phantom I know."
The woman's eyes gleamed.
'Phantom fangirl.'
Thinking the same thing, the two men scratched their heads at once.
"After we make contact, then what?"
"Obviously, we invite him to our guild."
"Would Phantom join a guild like ours, with nothing to offer?"
"We have to try. Phantom's definitely an incredible person in real life too, but······ compared to the other lunatics, we're better."
Most Pangaenia players are crazy.
They don't distinguish game from reality, and commit murder like it's a meal.
After the old 'Collapse' phenomenon brought monsters into the world, a few of them managed to launder their image. But roots don't vanish that easily.
"Still, what kind of person is he? A big-company CEO? Ah, maybe a chaebol heir?"
The woman's eyes sparkled as her imagination ran wild.
Watching her, the two men shook their heads.
***
<<'Sub Quest - Holy Land Exploration' has been completed.>>
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The moment I hit 100% exploration while running the Holy Land with Dramut.
Along with the notice that the Sub Quest was complete, the rewards lined up.
"Huh!"
I let out a breath of admiration as I looked at them.
A Teleport Book and a first-clear achievement.
When I lifted the thick blue book, its description appeared.
『Teleport Book (Epic)
A magic book that moves you back to a place you have finished exploring.
Cast time: 30 seconds, usable once per day.
Currently registered waypoint - Desert Holy Land』
A book that lets you return to a dungeon, or location, once its exploration rate reaches 100%.
There are warps for moving between regions, but they're limited, can't send you precisely where you want, and are expensive.
This Epic-grade item solves all of that cleanly.
'That'll fetch a million gold.'
One million gold, enough to buy a grand mansion in Pangaenia.
'If I put it in the Secret Auction House, there might be decent demand.'
The Secret Auction House that activated after I entered the ranks in Main Quest 2.
A place where all players can trade anonymously.
I wasn't planning to sell it, but I suddenly wondered how much demand there'd be if I listed it.
Teleport Books were also "ultra-rare" items, with fewer than twenty in circulation.
'And an achievement, too······.'
To gain an achievement, you have to cross every kind of trial and adversity. Only by doing something worthy of being called an achievement in Pangaenia can you obtain one.
Once recognized, your Honor rises tremendously. When Honor rises, you can receive a title, or build favor with named NPCs who respond only to those with a certain Honor.
Above all.
'Level 3.'
Finally, Level 3.
It's like I gain a level each time I clear a Main Quest.
But it isn't fast. If anything, it's too slow.
'A system where the required EXP increases with talent. My required EXP is probably at least ten times the average.'
Normally, by the time you cleared Main Quest 2, you should be at least Level 4, or even 5.
And yet I was only 3, which meant my required EXP was absurdly high.
Because I had too much talent.
'But in exchange, the max value got unlocked. The per-level increase of 10 is fixed at 12 now. Seems like a Hidden trait effect······.'
Of course, there were advantages too.
Advantages so huge I wouldn't even care about needing more EXP.
'Status window.'
As I called for it, parchment appeared before my eyes.
Name: Randolph
Class: Successor of Stars
Level: 3
Strength: 36(+5) Stamina: 36(+5) Agility: 36(+5)
Intelligence: 36(+5) Star Power: 36(+5)
····· Every time I level up, every stat rises by exactly 12.
If anyone saw this, they'd yell that I was using bugs.
These numbers were impossible through normal play.
'I get that every talent is maxed so stats rise to max on level-up. But even then, the cap should be 10.'
Stats rise randomly on level-up based on talent and experience.
The max increase per stat per level-up is 10, and only by reaching the extreme can you have 100 in any single stat at Level 10.
To go beyond that, you have to transcend.
But mine rise by 12. All of them.
'Meaning at Level 10, I'll have two-star-grade stats.'
Stats you only get after transcending by earning two stars, I could have at Level 10. It was broken beyond broken.
And on top of that, the class trait "Star Possession Effect" boosted every stat by 5 more.
In five years of playing Pangaenia, even I had never seen anything like this.
Once is coincidence, twice is inevitability.
'There's a Hidden trait I've never seen before that's related to this.'
I rubbed my chin.
Thirteen Hidden traits. Three of them were new even to me.
[Glutton], [Great Sage], and [Heavenly].
I didn't know exactly what they did, but one of them was almost certainly directly tied to this phenomenon.
I'd have to learn them gradually by experiencing them.
Anyway, from this Holy Land run, I got everything there was to get.
'Shadow Cloak, Fairy Queen's Tear, Teleport Book.'
Just looking at them makes me smile.
I can't throw away a single one.
All of them are raid boss items with atrocious drop rates.
Especially Fairy Queen's Tear, a must-have talisman. An extremely rare item that adds special options to gear.
"A monster!"
"A giant sea beast appeared in the Holy Land!"
Maybe because we took too long exploring.
Warriors began entering the Holy Land one by one, spotting Dramut.
"We need to get out before the Great Warrior and the Queen come in."
Izabella's expression hardened.
The number of warriors was increasing by the second. We had to leave before the Holy Land got sealed.
"Dramut, go wild."
Suaaahhh!
At my command, Dramut moved.
Even if he didn't want to, a master's order has no veto.
As Dramut started rampaging, I slowly took out the Shadow Cloak.
"We'll use it together."
"Pardon?"
"We have to leave the desert before a pursuit squad forms. That means we need to slip out without being noticed."
"Ah."
If we wanted to escape quietly amid the chaos, this was the only way.
If the soldiers saw me or Izabella directly, things would explode into something bigger.
Izabella slipped into the cloak.
"Come closer."
"······ Yes."
Her eyes trembled slightly.
Then, pressed close together under the cloak, we began leaving the Holy Land in silence.
***
A warp to leave the desert region.
It takes about half a day to activate.
"Don't worry. The curse is gone."
Because of the curse, Izabella couldn't use a warp.
She could never leave the desert.
But now, with the Star's blessing, she could.
"I believe··· you."
Izabella nodded.
At the far end of the desert, on the other side, was a black cliff. Nothing but abyssal darkness, with no end in sight.
In her eyes as she stared beyond it, longing and desperation mingled.
Because only the warp could take us to the next region.
That part was exactly like the game. Regions weren't physically connected.
And in any case, it was already too late for Izabella to go back. By now the Queen would have noticed and sent search and pursuit parties.
"Until the warp activates, I need to commune with the stars."
"I will guard you."
Understanding what I meant, Izabella grew alert.
Communing with the stars.
Meaning, logging out.
But this wasn't a safe zone. If I logged out, beasts, monsters, or even a pursuit party could find us.
I was leaving my safety entirely to Izabella.
If I'd taken an Amulet of Protection instead of Fairy Queen's Tear, I could have set a safe zone. But I had no regrets.
Fairy Queen's Tear was that good of a talisman.
'A hopeful start, at least.'
Before me, beyond a golden carpet, the Royal Road stretched out.
Considering the link to reality, growth in Pangaenia is extremely important.
If, in the future, more Pangaenia monsters invade Earth.
'······ The Demon King. He might descend here too.'
A monster even Wilhelm couldn't defeat might appear in real life.
That shuddering doom.
I sat down, took a deep breath, and closed my eyes.
'Log out.'
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***
Shwaaaah!
I shave under the shower stream.
After I finish, I dry off with a towel and blow-dry my hair.
"Whew, that feels good."
How long has it been since I showered and shaved?
The first shower in ages is unbelievably refreshing. So much so that I think I should've been washing up properly all along.
'··· I really lived like a wreck.'
I stepped out of the bathroom, looked at the state of the room, and sighed.
Well, I'd been holed up for over a month without seeing anyone. No cleaning, just living like a slob.
Transforming to go out when a Giant Mantis attacked doesn't count as going outside.
A wreck, but I couldn't stay locked in like this forever.
I quit my job, sure, but I couldn't keep living like this.
"Let's clean."
The moment I decided and was about to start.
Ttiriring~
A text alert rang, and my phone buzzed once.
I picked it up from the desk, checked the message, and could only frown.
—Oppa. How've you been?
·· It was from my ex-girlfriend, the one who dumped me saying I had no future.