Chapter 1: Rank One, Day Zero

“Ignis, the Flame of Protection!”

– Understood.

Whoosh!

“Kuaaaaah!”

Unreal World.

It was a once-in-a-generation masterpiece, the first virtual reality game ever released, and still holding the top spot to this day.

And now.

The boss of the dungeon that had remained uncleared for ten years, the Serpent Dragon’s Rest.

The Serpent Dragon, Quilserk, was under attack by a group of players.

“It’s a breath attack!”

“Everyone, move behind me! Absolute Shield!”

KABOOM!

“As expected of our leader!”

Among them, the most outstanding was the man called “Leader.”

He commanded Ignis, the King of Fire Spirits.

He wielded Absolute Shield, an eighth-circle absolute defense magic.

In his hands were one-handed swords engraved with intricate patterns, and hanging from his belt were a cluster of unidentifiable potion bottles.

He was none other than the current number-one ranked player in Unreal World, Lee Chang.

“Damn, I got cursed!”

“That breath just now—looks like it had a status effect on top of the raw damage!”

“The mist is spreading! Everyone be careful! Touching the mist probably inflicts a status ailment immediately!”

The black mist spread majestically along the path the breath had carved.

While everyone recoiled in fear, dodging it.

Lee Chang ran forward calmly, his expression unchanged.

He then pulled two flasks from his waist—one white, one silver—and threw them ahead.

“Silver Alchemy – Purifying Mist.”

Clink!

Fwoosh!

The two flasks shattered simultaneously.

The smoke that leaked from them coalesced, forming a pure white mist that radiated a soft glow.

It soon expanded in volume, purging the Serpent Dragon’s mist as it spread.

“That’s it! Damage window!”

“DPS, attack now! Tanks, reposition!”

“Buffs, hurry!”

Even as the players noisily reorganized and launched their attacks.

Lee Chang’s performance did not stop.

His sword, thick with a dense aura, spirit magic, arcane spells, alchemy.

All of it harmonized to strike the Serpent Dragon.

If he hadn’t been there, this raid would have ended in failure long ago.

Every player standing before the Serpent Dragon thought so.

“Phase two! Get ready!”

“Oorah!”

Even after that, the battle showed no signs of ending.

The Serpent Dragon attacked more ferociously as its health dropped, and the players centered around Lee Chang bravely held the line.

Then, after some time passed.

Lee Chang turned and shouted.

“Phase three! Just hold on a little longer!”

As phase three began, the Serpent Dragon’s appearance started to grow more grotesque.

A thick black mist ceaselessly spewed from its body.

Its cries echoed so loudly it was a wonder the ceiling didn’t collapse.

Unable to endure, players began to fall one after another.

Half.

Then half of that.

Before long, the number of players remaining was less than a quarter of the original.

“Ignis, can you bind that thing for five seconds?”

– I’ll try.

“Good. Gold Alchemy – Radiant Body.”

Clink!

Lee Chang doused himself in a golden liquid and charged forward.

Perhaps it was thanks to the alchemical power.

No matter how fast the man ran, the black mist extending from the Serpent Dragon did not touch his body.

Like oil and water, they refused to mix, merely letting the man pass.

“Leader!”

“Even the leader can’t take it alone!”

– Bind.

Whoosh!

Ignis, the King of Fire Spirits, kept his promise to the man.

Red-flame shackles wrapped thickly around the Serpent Dragon’s body.

But they shuddered with the dragon’s thrashing, as if about to shatter at any moment.

“Damn it, everyone pour in every last bit of strength and attack!”

“Support the leader!”

“This is our last chance!”

BOOOM!!

A barrage of attacks pierced through the black mist and struck the Serpent Dragon.

The dragon’s randomly spewed breaths continued to claim the lives of the already few remaining players.

“Shining Sword.”

Flash!

“Kuaaaaaah!!”

The moment Ignis’s flame shackles began to fade.

Mana erupted from the man’s hand.

At the same time, dozens of swords of light rained down from above the Serpent Dragon.

As if in a final desperate act, the Serpent Dragon unleashed a gale of black mist as fierce as a raging storm.

But it had no effect on the man still enveloped in gold.

Sensing death, the Serpent Dragon opened its mouth wide and let out a lonely howl.

Lee Chang arrived right in front of it, gripped the hilt of his one-handed sword with both hands, and raised it.

“Kuaaaaaaah!!”

“Guillotine.”

Slice!

For a very brief moment, Lee Chang’s blade flashed.

As if someone had suddenly pressed the mute button, the dragon’s agonized roar vanished in an instant.

And then.

Its head slowly fell, cleanly severed at an angle.

Thud!

“We got it!”

“Sob, finally…”

“Holy crap, no way! Oh my god! We actually killed the Serpent Dragon! Hooray!”

“Leader! We were so worried!”

Everyone’s reactions were different, but the joy in their hearts was the same.

Since the raid was already being broadcast live, the viewers were also in an uproar of excitement.

It was a moment when Unreal World’s history was rewritten.

As everyone wept tears of emotion and celebrated.

Lee Chang lifted his face, dark circles prominent, and said to his comrades.

“Good work.”

For the number-one ranked player who had contributed the most to slaying the Serpent Dragon, it was a remarkably simple remark.

***

Crackle-pop!

“Ugh, I’m so stiff.”

A studio apartment that looked just right for one person.

From the capsule installed in place of a bed, a man emerged.

Dark circles that stretched down to an unbelievable degree.

A gaunt, skinny physique.

Skin so pale it looked almost sickly, as if he hadn’t seen sunlight in ages.

This was Lee Chang, current number-one ranked player in Unreal World, outside the game.

Clunk.

“Hmm, out of ingredients already?”

Lee Chang turned his head to look at the clock.

7:21 PM.

Because the Serpent Dragon raid had run long, his schedule was slightly off compared to usual.

“Maybe I’ll go grocery shopping for once.”

Lee Chang’s guild had set the capture of “Serpent Dragon’s Rest,” considered the ultimate dungeon in Unreal World, as their biggest goal this year.

Now that he had achieved that goal, he finally had some free time for the first time in a while.

Normally, he would order delivery or buy ingredients online.

But Lee Chang decided to get some fresh air for a change and got dressed.

He hadn’t shaved, so his stubble was rough, but a hat pulled down low would solve everything.

“Hoo—ha.”

He opened the door, and a cool night breeze blew in.

Whether it was because his body had weakened, he felt a chill even though he was bundled up.

Hunching his shoulders, Lee Chang clutched his coat tightly and walked forward.

“Should I make some budae jjigae? No, I haven’t had grilled meat in a while. I’ll do that.”

Maintaining the number-one rank meant Lee Chang’s earnings were enormous.

In fact, even as he walked, large sums were constantly being deposited into his bank account.

But he never had the time to actually spend it.

To keep his number-one rank.

To manage his guild and gather information.

To schedule interviews with various gaming broadcasters and film content.

The time Lee Chang could invest in reality was a mere four hours a day.

It was a schedule that would have been impossible without Unreal World’s light-sleep mode.

Consequently, during those four hours.

Cooking whatever he felt like eating each day was Lee Chang’s only solace.

“Yawn.”

No matter how convenient light-sleep mode was, it couldn’t compare to actual sleep.

With his body curled against the cold air, drowsiness naturally crept over him.

He stood at a crosswalk and nodded off for a moment.

Suddenly, a commotion erupted around him.

“Kyaaaaah!”

“G-get out of the way!”

“Crazy!”

“…Huh?”

When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the green flashing of the pedestrian signal.

To the side, he saw citizens running away in terror.

‘Why are they…?’

CRASH!

Still dazed, not fully awake, a deafening roar slammed into his right ear.

He instinctively turned his head to the right, and a truck as enormous as the sound filled his vision.

“A truck?”

“What are you doing! Get out of the way!”

A scene so surreal.

The truck wasn’t on the road—it was barreling down the sidewalk, having already shattered a lamppost, and was racing straight toward him.

In that instant, he snapped fully awake.

‘I have to run.’

Instinct and reason screamed at the same time.

But unfortunately, his still-groggy body refused to obey.

By the time he managed to muster strength into his scrawny calves.

The truck was already right in front of him.

CRASH!!

The first thing he saw was the terrified look in the driver’s eyes.

Tears and snot streaming down his face as he cranked the steering wheel desperately.

It seemed the steering and brakes had completely failed.

‘Ha…’

The second thing he saw was the sidewalk bricks moving rapidly.

Probably not the sidewalk moving, but his own body, launched by the impact, flying through the air.

‘If I’d known this would happen, I should’ve spent my time doing what I wanted.’

It was only in the very beginning that he’d found pure enjoyment in the game.

After that, he devoted all his time to maintaining the number-one rank.

He invested all his time in Unreal World, and within that, he meticulously planned and moved to secure the top position.

After that, it was to hold onto the number-one rank.

To nurture the best guild.

And now, he hadn’t been feeling any pleasure from the game for a while now.

Just a little more, just a little more.

That’s what he kept telling himself as he endured.

‘What was it I wanted to do?’

He thought about it.

For ten years, he’d been holed up in his room, living like a shut-in inside that capsule.

Among all that time, when had he been the happiest?

When he first reached number one?

When his guild became the top-ranked?

When he conquered the Serpent Dragon’s Rest, the strongest dungeon in Unreal World?

‘No.’

It was none of those.

The moments he was happiest.

‘Two or three times a day. When I was cooking.’

That was it.

And even that, he often couldn’t do properly because of time constraints.

Thump—.

His vision went completely dark.

He could no longer feel anything in his body.

No—he seemed to feel something soft beneath him.

A sensation impossible to imagine coming from the hard bricks of a sidewalk.

Was his body dead, and his soul rising?

Twitch—.

‘Huh?’

He’d died plenty of times in the game, but this was his first time in reality.

That’s why he couldn’t understand it.

He was certain he’d died, yet he could feel something soft filling his palm.

Was it a cloud, perhaps?

No.

This was.

“A blanket!”

He opened his eyes and looked around.

A familiar-looking home.

But it was different.

The Unreal World connection capsule—the most expensive and precious thing in his house—was gone.

And the atmosphere felt strange.

The phone he hurriedly grabbed was also odd.

A sense of unease filled him from all sides.

‘Calendar, calendar!’

He turned on his phone and quickly opened the calendar.

The number written there was unmistakably.

[January 11, 2020]

It was exactly ten years before the day of the Serpent Dragon’s Rest raid.