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Chapter 2…
My entire body ached.
Well, that was only natural.
As far as my body was concerned, I’d been struck by an electric shock no less devastating than Astrafe’s lightning.
It felt as though not only every muscle in my body, but even my brain, had been burned to a crisp.
The pain never stopped.
It was enough to make someone give up on life.
But I didn’t.
[ Your level has increased. ]
Level up.
Collect items.
Complete achievements.
And in the end…
Defeat the roaring Golden Dragon of Greed.
“Hah!”
My consciousness returned.
It had been a dream.
No…
I really had conquered First.
I had simply dreamed of conquering First once again before finally waking up.
When I opened my eyes—
“Hey, you!”
Someone beside me jerked in surprise and shoved their face close to mine.
It was a familiar face.
Of course it was.
“…Kang Juhyuk?”
“You remember me?! Waaaaah! Nurse! No, doctor! He woke up! He’s conscious!”
Kang Juhyuk.
One of the very few people I had…
…No.
My only friend.
Wondering what was going on, I looked around.
A hospital.
Well, that made sense.
I’d been electrocuted.
I tried to sit up so I could check the date.
“Huh…?”
My body wouldn’t move.
Well, it moved…
But my muscles had no strength, as though the aftereffects of the electric shock were still lingering.
Had I only just been electrocuted?
I lowered my head to look at myself.
All I saw were emaciated arms and legs, little more than skin stretched over bones.
“Huh?”
No matter how much of a shut-in gamer I’d been, I had never been this skinny.
Gaming was a battle of stamina too, so I’d exercised regularly whenever I had the chance.
So what was this?
Even if I’d suffered an electric shock…
Could my muscles really waste away this badly?
As I stared in confusion, a news broadcast on the television across the room caught my eye.
“A true virtual reality game.”
“It has already been two years since Second launched.”
“Second, the true virtual reality game developed by The Number Entertainment, continues to firmly hold its position as the world’s greatest virtual reality game…”
My eyes fixed on the number displayed in the upper-right corner of the screen.
That date was…
“I’ve been unconscious… for three years?”
It was three years after the day I remembered.
Which meant…
I’d spent an entire three years lying unconscious in a hospital bed.
While I sat there in shock—
“Hey! Hey! You’re really back, right? The doctor’s coming! Look at this! How many fingers do you see? Hey! Hey!”
Kang Juhyuk returned.
He frantically waved two fingers in front of my face, but my mind still hadn’t caught up.
After all—
“First…”
“Yeah, I know you’re out of it. I get it. Seriously, what are the odds? I show up, and you wake up right away. If I’d known, I would’ve visited more often. But more importantly…”
“They made a sequel to First?!”
Forget the date.
Forget everything else.
The “Second” the news anchor had been talking about…
…was the sequel to First, developed by The Number Entertainment.
* * *
I heard the whole story.
Just as I’d guessed, after the electrical accident, I’d remained unconscious in a hospital bed for three years.
Fortunately, the capsule manufacturer admitted responsibility and paid generous compensation, which covered all my medical expenses.
Though honestly…
It was less compensation and more hush money for the capsule accident.
“Hey. Are you seriously okay? Even the hospital wanted to keep you for observation a little longer.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re really going to drop dead one of these days. What if you suddenly collapse?”
“The doctors already said there wasn’t anything seriously wrong. They just wanted to monitor me. I’d rather get out and go jogging than stay in the hospital.”
I completed my discharge paperwork.
Thankfully, there were no major problems with my body, so after a bit of rehabilitation training, I was allowed to leave.
I was still weak, but rehab had restored quite a bit of my strength.
Of course, with a body this thin, I’d still have to keep exercising for a long time.
After leaving the hospital…
Thankfully, even after paying everything, enough of the compensation remained for me to rent a cheap studio apartment.
“Wow… what is this place? Can you actually live here?”
“It’s about the same as where I lived before.”
“Come to think of it, I was shocked the last time I visited. How did you survive in a room with nothing but a bed and a capsule?”
I stepped into my new home.
It was an ordinary one-room apartment.
But compared to my old place, it felt spacious enough.
Unlike before, this one even came fully furnished.
And…
“Whoa, what’s that? Did you buy it?”
“They sent it as a gesture of goodwill, separate from the compensation.”
“From the capsule company? Since we’re already here, shouldn’t you squeeze even more money out of them? They turned you into a vegetable for three years! That’s nowhere near enough!”
“They’re gone.”
“Huh?”
“They were bought by Second.”
“Then what about that capsule?”
“Second gave it to me.”
A capsule stood in the center of the room.
It wasn’t the outdated model I’d used before.
It was one of the mass-produced capsules designed for Second.
As I stood before it, Kang Juhyuk read my thoughts.
“You’re going to play?”
“Of course.”
“You’re seriously not scared? You spent three years unconscious because of First.”
“Well… thanks to that, I didn’t even have to wait for Second to come out.”
“…You’re unbelievable. Seriously.”
Second.
The second virtual reality game.
There wasn’t any reason not to play.
Until just three years ago—
No.
From my perspective, it was only a few weeks ago.
First had been practically my entire life.
Its sequel was finally here.
Besides…
First’s servers had already shut down.
There was nowhere else for me to return to.
“Fine. Then give it your best shot! I’ll help you.”
“You play too?”
“Obviously. These days, who doesn’t? Even people who aren’t interested in combat play Second. Tons of people use it just for hobbies.”
“Hobbies?”
“Fishing. Cooking. Heck, some people even study inside Second because they say it helps them learn better.”
“Come on. No way a virtual reality game goes that far.”
“I’m telling you, it’s on a completely different level from First. You should think of it as an entirely different game.”
Apparently, he played Second too.
Well, everyone did these days.
Young or old.
It would actually be stranger if someone didn’t play it.
“That’s good to hear.”
“What do you mean?”
“If it’s that popular, exchanging in-game items for cash should be easy.”
“…Wait. You’re seriously planning to make money from Second?”
“I have to.”
While undergoing rehabilitation, I’d researched everything I could about Second.
Korea’s greatest—
No.
The world’s greatest virtual reality game.
Its popularity was so overwhelming that countless people made a living through it.
In the old days, they’d have been called “dark gamers.”
The moment I confirmed that…
I made my decision.
I would start playing Second.
“Come to think of it, that’s actually not a bad idea. Plenty of people are making good money from Second these days.”
“Really?”
“Of course. And weren’t you ranked number one in First? You’ll adapt in no time.”
Since it was First’s sequel…
I can do this.
I had been First’s number one player.
If this was truly First’s successor…
Then reaching the top again and making a living as a dark gamer was entirely possible.
Sure, the game had already been out for two years.
But a two-year head start?
I was confident I could close that gap quickly.
“If things get rough, call me. I’m pretty famous in Second, you know.”
“Sure you are.”
“I’m serious!”
“Let me guess. You picked Fighter again. Running around in nothing but underwear while shouting, ‘Bare fists are justice!'”
“…Well, I did choose Fighter. But unfortunately, if you dress like an old-school veteran in Second, the city guards actually arrest you.”
For a moment, memories came flooding back.
Before I became obsessed with First…
We’d played all sorts of games together.
Though, judging from what I remembered…
I wasn’t expecting much from his skills in Second either.
“Oh, right. My mom made this to celebrate your discharge.”
“Braised short ribs?”
“You know how amazing her braised short ribs are.”
“…I’ll enjoy it. Please tell her I said thank you.”
“If you’re really grateful, come visit sometime. She’s been worried about you.”
“I will.”
After chatting a little longer, Kang Juhyuk headed home.
I practically chased him out.
Even so…
I was genuinely grateful.
No matter what anyone said…
Kang Juhyuk was my only friend.
“Shall I log in?”
I powered on the capsule and lay inside.
The soft cushioning was on an entirely different level from the old model I’d used three years ago.
Though for me…
Those three years felt like only a few weeks.
[ The Second World. ]
[ Welcome to ‘Second.’ ]
“It’s really similar.”
A familiar voice echoed through the air.
It sounded exactly like the one I’d heard while creating my character in First.
The only difference…
Instead of “The First World,”
It said…
“The Second World.”
[ Creating character. ]
Character creation followed.
There were so many similarities to First that I moved through each menu almost instinctively.
There wasn’t much I wanted to change.
I simply recreated the same feel I’d used back in First.
Second offered many new and improved customization features.
But none of them interested me.
[ Please choose your name in Second. ]
“My name…”
What should I use?
Second didn’t allow duplicate names.
Which meant almost every decent name had already been taken.
People who joined recently often complained that finding an available nickname was nearly impossible.
As I considered my options…
One name came to mind.
Mir.
My real name.
And the nickname I’d used throughout First.
I knew it probably wouldn’t work.
But on the off chance…
“Mir.”
Then—
[ Would you like to use ‘Mir’ as your name in Second? ]
“…It worked?”
[ First account linked successfully. ]
[ The restricted nickname ‘Mir’ is now available. ]
Account linked?
Was that a feature?
I had no idea what it meant.
But I certainly wasn’t complaining.
There was no name more familiar to me.
“Yes.”
[ Your name in Second has been set to ‘Mir.’ ]
Character creation was complete.
Now all that remained was entering the game.
I couldn’t wait to experience the gameplay of this so-called “true virtual reality game.”
But just then…
The system suddenly paused.
Another message appeared.
[ Account link confirmed. ]
[ Account successfully linked. ]
[ Benefits will be granted to Mir, the Returner from the First World. ]
“Benefits?”
What did that mean?
I’d researched Second extensively before logging in.
But I’d never heard anything about rewards for linking a First account.
Regardless…
The system continued.
[ Analyzing Mir’s data to provide benefits. ]
[ Checking achievements… ]
[ Achievement ‘Dragon’s Nightmare’ confirmed. ]
[ Achievement ‘Master of All Things’ confirmed. ]
[ Achievement ‘Akashic Record’ confirmed. ]
…
First came my achievements.
One after another, familiar achievement names flashed before my eyes.
I’d completed every achievement that existed in First.
The list seemed endless.
Watching them pass by brought back countless memories.
Then—
[ Checking items… ]
[ Myth-grade Item ‘Golden Dragon’s Heart’ confirmed. ]
[ Myth-grade Item ‘Zeus’s Lightning, Astrafe’ confirmed. ]
[ Myth-grade Item ‘Poseidon’s Trident, Triaina’ confirmed. ]
…
The items I’d possessed also appeared.
Just like the achievements…
I’d collected every item that existed in First.
The system messages continued for an astonishingly long time.
I’d truly amassed everything First had to offer.
Analyzing all of it took far longer than expected.
Eventually…
The analysis finished.
[ Character analysis complete. ]
[ The character’s transcendent achievements have been recognized. ]
[ Returner Benefit: Skill proficiency growth speed has been greatly increased. ]
[ Returner Benefit: The limit on the number of skill slots has been removed. ]
…
Now the Returner Benefits began appearing.
The whole situation was surreal.
Still…
Good was good.
Feeling rewarded for everything I’d accomplished in First, I calmly continued reading each message.
Then—
The final notification appeared.
My eyes widened.
[ As a reward for the achievement ‘Akashic Record,’ you may bring one item from First. ]
“An item?”
The moment I read those words…
Countless treasures flashed through my mind.
[ Golden Dragon’s Heart ]
The heart of the Golden Dragon.
The strongest dragon race and the final boss of First.
As the finest Dragon Heart—
A Myth-grade elixir.
Simply consuming it would make me unimaginably powerful.
[ Zeus’s Lightning, Astrafe ]
The ultimate weapon of First.
No matter how many new items had been added to Second…
Astrafe would surely still rank among the strongest weapons in existence.
I could level up and wield it myself.
Or simply sell it for an enormous fortune.
This is a difficult choice.
Which item should I choose?
A powerful elixir?
The strongest weapon?
Or perhaps something easy to sell so I could solve my immediate financial problems?
I carefully searched through the countless items I’d possessed in First.
Then—
[ Which item will you choose? ]
After a moment…
“…The Contract of Black Flame.”
The instant I made my choice…
The game began.
Brilliant light engulfed my vision.
