Chapter 31

31. The Official Service Begins

One fine spring day.

On that day, I, who hated bright sunlight, pulled the blackout curtains wide open and greeted the sun with a smile.

After going out for my now-familiar early-morning jog, I took a warm shower, refreshing my slightly tired body and filling myself with new energy.

After finishing my shower, I went to a supermarket that opened early in the morning and diligently bought groceries.

Then I opened the refrigerator, which was neatly filled, and prepared a light breakfast that was still enough to keep me full.

Recently, I had been exhausted because Junior Trainer had been invading my life until dawn, so instead of eating Junior Trainer's special restricted diet, I prepared a meal that would keep me well-fed throughout the day.

After eating, I quickly washed the dishes and gathered the laundry I had hung out yesterday.

Then I changed into soft homewear that had become fluffy and fresh after drying in the sunlight.

I sat reverently on the expensive bed I had first purchased with the eye-popping amount of money I had received from the Chairman, and slowly took deep breaths to calm my mind.

Today was a good day.

Everything, from my early-morning jog until now, was running in perfect condition.

The gamers waiting for the opening time with bloodshot eyes and the noisy message boards where those gamers were going wild felt like things completely unrelated to me.

Even when the news began focusing on Super Real's technology and talking about how the whole world was paying attention, I could have felt proud that I had experienced that incredible technology before anyone else.

But instead, my heart remained calm.

At one point, I had almost made the foolish choice of becoming an internet streamer based on my experience as a beta tester, even though it didn't suit me at all.

But the money sitting comfortably in my bank account had stopped me.

I had almost voluntarily chosen to get cursed at by people whose faces I didn't even know.

Yes, today was the best.

Since everything I would have to face from now on would surely be the worst, I should be satisfied and grateful for this moment while it lasted.

“Are you ready? ‘Avatar’?”

The shiny console device that had spent so much time with me, Avatar, sparkled in the sunlight coming through the window as if answering my words.

Ever since I had received the Avatar device I used from the Chairman, I couldn't even begin to count how many times I had anxiously stared at this thing until now.

[A*&@#$(adalKASFI#%_)(&]

“…You don't have to answer.”

This message window, which occasionally appeared faintly before my eyes after the test, might disappear once I started playing the game.

I wasn't sure whether I should think of it as something like nicotine withdrawal, but I decided to give it a try first.

If it didn't get better, I could think about it then.

A little more time passed.

While I was texting Junior Trainer, with our conversation having started with, “No, Junior! What is it about that damn game that makes you skip leg day? Is it really that great?”, the alarm on my phone rang.

“It's starting.”

Considering the size of the headquarters, I didn't think the server would overload or crash just because gamers who had bought consoles in this small country were logging in.

Still, for no particular reason, I waited a few minutes before putting on Avatar.

I calmly lay down on the bed.

Recalling the feeling of being sucked into the game that I had experienced for the first time, I finally logged into the game.

[Welcome to the game ‘World Gate’! Adventurer!]

After the sensation of my consciousness shutting off, my surroundings slowly began to appear.

Then, a lively message window with an exclamation mark appeared before me, a sight I had missed after not seeing it for so long.

It felt even more vivid than it had in reality.

“Haa… It took long enough.”

Since the official service had been delayed by almost half a year, I had seriously worried that I might end up meeting Pai after she had actually become an old grandmother.

According to the plan I had made, I was going to create enough strength to defeat that guy in the center of the forest…

Parr?

Pass?

Whatever his name was, that Great Hero guy.

Then I would enter the Maze Forest.

So, either way, it was going to take a long time.

If Pai had already grown old by then, that would be a little troublesome.

More importantly, bring the angel noona to me quickly.

I doubted she even remembered me, and I doubted the same angel noona from back then would come.

Still, I wanted to meet her and have a light conversation with her.

[Creating character---Character has been inherited!]

[The previous body remaining in the world has disappeared, and the race, stats, and titles have been integrated! You have obtained ‘The One Who Never Gives Up’ and ‘Wolf Hater’!]

[Main Class - Indomitable Practitioner. Sub Class - Monster Commander. You have inherited the previous character's occupations! If you wish to switch to another class, please use the Church of Light!]

[Skill ‘Madness’ is currently refusing transfer, so you have not obtained it!]

[A deep connection has been sensed with the one who realized the power of love! You have obtained the bond skill ‘Shadow Movement’!]

[Name: Kim Ingwang. Level: 1. Gender: Male. Race: Half-Demon.]

Main - Indomitable Practitioner.

Sub 1 - Monster Commander.

Strength: 43
Stamina: 50
Agility: 32
Wisdom: 18

Total Defense: -10

Obtained Titles - The One Who Never Gives Up. Wolf Hater.

[Skills]

• Sea Swimming [C 10]: You have adapted to the environment of the sea to this level.

• Mental Power ‘Indomitable’ [E 2]: You have become accustomed to an indomitable mind.

  • Indomitable Derivative Skill - Indomitable Chains [F3]: You can freely control one chain within a radius of 3 meters.

!Bond Skill! - Shadow Movement [A10]: You can move between shadows and shadows.

There is a possibility of being eroded by the connected one.

“Isn't this… a problem for a game?”

In an online game that everyone was supposed to enjoy together, this kind of favoritism was quite troublesome.

If I hadn't given up on my idea of becoming an internet streamer, there would have been a huge uproar.

One of the basics of a game was equal opportunities and trust without discrimination.

There was a reason players in other games cursed at users who used cheats or administrators who abused their positions to raise their own characters.

It seemed they thought lowering my stats, resetting my level, and even reducing my skill proficiency would be enough of a nerf.

But if other people found out that a level-one beginner had stats like these, the user forums would obviously be destroyed by people shouting that the game was garbage.

I should quietly stay alone for a while….

“Oh my.”

“Huh?”

“Oh my goodness.”

“Angel noona!”

Wow!

Was this what they called preferential treatment for former officials?

I had wondered why the Chairman had praised me so much.

Was this his way of repaying me?

“I am not an angel.”

“If you have wings and descend from the sky, people are naturally going to think you're an angel.”

Angel noona had completely changed her appearance into a luxurious outfit that was difficult to compare with the one she had worn during the test.

She had already been a dignified noona who was difficult to approach, but now she felt like some kind of goddess whose eyes I couldn't even bring myself to meet.

“I heard that everyone else said goodbye before leaving, but you left without saying a single word. I thought you disliked me, Adventurer.”

“Uh… Th-that was… I'm just bad at relationships. You could say I'm bad at knowing when to start and end things…”

“Well, it's all right. After all, I'm someone you only get to see occasionally because you have to die first. From your perspective, I must have looked like the Grim Reaper.”

W-why was this noona acting like this?

More importantly, did everyone else really say goodbye to their assigned angel noona?

Why didn't I know?

Why?

Because I had kept my mouth shut the entire time!

Of course nobody would willingly tell their story to someone like that!

“…Just! Just! I'm sorry, all right! I thought there was no need to say goodbye when it wasn't a permanent farewell!”

I simply hadn't thought that far.

I am truly sorry.

“Ah, yes.”

Could there be something wrong with my personality?

Whenever I glared at monsters, they trembled in fear.

The first mental power I had obtained was Madness.

I had practically become friends with Madness.

And despite Junior Trainer's passionate efforts, I had ultimately made zero friends.

It wasn't even that I had impossibly high standards for friendship.

I simply wanted them to contact me first once in a while.

If they were busy when I contacted them, I understood that they might not be able to reply immediately.

But I at least hoped they would reply within a month.

Yet I had failed to achieve even that.

Apparently, they found me difficult to approach.

But what exactly had I done?

If that was how they felt, they shouldn't have taught me how enjoyable it was to be together in the first place.

It was sad.

My life was so miserable and painful.

I didn't want to cry.

But apparently, I no longer had the strength left to hold back my tears.

“It is true that I was hurt, but I wasn't actually that angry. So please don't cry.”

“Hng…”

“There is also someone waiting for you, so you need to stay strong.”

“Yes…”

Could obtaining Madness or Indomitable mental power cause trials like this to keep happening one after another?

That overwhelming pressure that made my mind go blank and felt like it would drive me insane.

And that emptiness that made me want to just let go of everything.

“Then, shall I send you back to that sea from before?”

“Ah, no! Please, anything but that…!”

Angel noona seemed to have mistakenly believed that I liked swimming in the sea.

In reality, it had become a trauma for me.

The sea here was terrifying.

Thinking back to what the fairies had said, the sea was apparently something like the source of power.

Maybe that was why every creature there had been like a field boss.

I didn't want to encounter any of them.

Was it because it was near the Maze Forest?

Why had there been three or four creatures named Leviathan there?

In reality, about eighty percent of my deaths had been from being eaten by those bastards without being able to do anything.

“Then… would you like to go to Power?”

“Uh, yeah. I think somewhere reasonably remote would be nice.”

“Then I think a small village within the Wiese Empire would be suitable.”

Wow.

Look at this noona's pronunciation.

Normally, with a name like Jageun Village, it would be easy to confuse whether it was Jageun or Jageun with a slightly different pronunciation.

But hers was unmistakably clear.

Since she was the first NPC users would meet and the NPC who would provide the most information, they must have deliberately made her pronunciation almost perfect.

Still, it was impressive.

“It is a quiet place, the frequency of monster appearances is extremely low, and its most notable feature is that it operates a large ranch.”

“The village chief there has a past, but he is a very good person now.”

“He wishes to retire from being the village chief, but every villager wants him to remain as chief for even one more day.”

“Wow, he sounds like an amazing person. I'll go there!”

If he was someone capable of leading people like that, I wanted to learn from him.

The badgers would probably happily jump off a cliff with me if I fell from one, but even the goblins would hesitate for a moment.

If I could learn charisma, the ability to lead people, and become at least a little better than I was now, then maybe I could reduce even one of the ten harsh words I was bound to hear from Pai.

Surely…

Surely, she had become even harsher during the time I had been waiting.

She must have become so harsh that I'd want to run away.

“Stay strong! You really need to stay strong!”

“What?! Stay strong about what?!”

“Th-that… You know… Fighting!”

After hearing something ominous from Angel noona, the angel noona who could look down upon the entire world, I finally arrived in the game world after such a long time.

Please, please, Village Chief. Teach me the secrets of human relationships… Please…!