The Return Of The Genius Ranker Of All Times [EN]: Chapter 2

2.

“That feels kind of empty.”

I turned 18 and now I’m already 21.

I really threw myself into gaming during that short yet long period. While others were out drinking, enjoying college life, and hanging out, I, Dohyun, was holed up in my room, doing nothing but playing games.

I told myself it was for the money, but that wasn’t the real reason.

It was fun.

Even though I played while cursing, it was fun to gather with other hardcore players and hang out, to struggle through raids and only get useless items [bricks, in-game slang for undesirable loot], and to occasionally get lucky with an item drop and celebrate together.

Everything was just fun.

But all that’s left at the end is the server shutdown.

Was I really dedicating three years to a game that would fail so easily?

I had some talent, so if I had played other games, I could have made quite a bit of money… I heard that if you’re a top player in the VR version of Lineage [a popular Korean MMORPG], you’re as well-off as a building owner?

Thinking about it that way, I felt cheated.

‘I’m ranked number one, so why don’t I have any money?’

The money I had on hand was, at best, 500,000 won [approximately $400 USD].

Even if you achieve rank 1 in a game that’s completely failed, it’s not going to make you any money.

No matter how good an item drops, there has to be someone to buy it. This money was saved up little by little when it was still possible to make some pocket money.

“……”

If the first game I started wasn’t a trash game like this, but a game like Lineage… no, even if it was just a normal VR game, it would have been different.

“Sigh.”

After thinking that for a moment, I shook my head.

“Well, what can I do? It’s my fault for not abandoning this trash game.”

I can earn money from now on.

Even though it was a trash game, I realized I had a talent for gaming.

And that was in a VR game that was close to the virtual reality I dreamed of.

Considering that VR games make a little more money than PC games, it wasn’t like I was doomed to die.

‘I’m not in a rush for money right now… let’s take our time and find out.’

Since I was living with my parents, I didn’t have to worry about money.

500,000 won is enough to play and eat for a month.

Not wanting to overthink things, I plopped down in my computer chair.

I was going to look into new games.

But when I turned on the computer, the first place I went was the Demroque homepage.

“Ah.”

Is this why habits are so hard to break?

Come to think of it, whenever I turned on the computer, it was always to upload strategy guides to the homepage or browse the uploaded posts.

Click.

[When is this X-망겜 [Mang-game, Korean slang for a terrible or failed game] going to shut down? – Purple Flavor]

I clicked my tongue as I browsed the homepage.

‘There are no new posts.’

I was hoping that there would be posts from hidden users since the service ended.

It seemed like it was even more of a 망겜 than I thought.

Seeing that the last post was uploaded a month ago by Purple Flavor 아재 [Ahjussi, Korean term for middle-aged man].

‘Sigh. Let’s turn it off and find out some information.’

I was about to leave the homepage when.

“……Huh? A new post?”

At that ghostly timing, a new post was uploaded.

And it was a post directly uploaded by the game operator, not a regular user.

[We would like to express our gratitude to the users who have enjoyed Demroque until now… Thanks to you, we were able to decorate the ending with a happy heart…]

I wondered what it was and looked into it, but it was just a normal thank you message.

Like how a review is uploaded when you watch a webtoon until the last episode, it was a long review thanking them for being with them until the end.

‘Why am I reading this for so long?’

Even while muttering a hollow laugh, I was scrolling down with the mouse.

I wanted to see what they were saying since it was the end.

[As such, Demroque, which was a test version and Season 1, has ended its service, and we will be back soon with the official version, Season 2.

The official version was designed to reflect the data you left while playing and the feedback you sent as much as possible.

I am confident that it will be a free world full of adventures. We invite you to the paradise of adventure.]

“Season 2 is coming out?”

There were many talks about it being a test version or an official version, but to summarize, it means that the next game is the real deal, so please take care of us.

It was unexpected. I didn’t think they were ambitiously preparing for Season 2.

However, I was honestly skeptical.

‘User feedback… all I did was send curses about the luck-based 망겜.’

The notoriety of Demroque’s gacha system [a monetization system where players spend in-game currency to receive random virtual items] was so widespread that any gamer would know about it.

And if you were a user who played Demroque, you would have sent your true feelings in a letter called feedback.

With a very strong curse.

‘And wouldn’t more than half of those curse inquiries be my share?’

Most people don’t know, but I could boast that I was the victim who suffered the most from the luck-based 망겜 in Demroque.

From skill gacha to item drops to item enhancements.

There would be no end to listing them.

I couldn’t help but think how much different it would be if that 망겜 reflected the feedback.

It was then.

Stop.

There was something that caught my eye as I scrolled down.

It was the text written at the very bottom of the screen.

-Season 2 will be a virtual reality game, not a VR game.

“……Virtual reality game?”

My face contorted as I looked at the text.

* * *

Every gamer in the 21st century has a dream in their heart.

Virtual reality game.

A game that often appears in secondary creations such as novels and comics. It was also a fantasy game because it could not be achieved in reality.

However, after 2020, the world has taken a big step closer to virtual reality games.

VR 3rd generation.

A device that allows you to enjoy the game like a dream by wearing a device like a helmet on your head, beyond the 1st generation that only enjoys it like reality with your eyes.

At first glance, it was a device that was roughly similar to the virtual reality games in novels.

But the reality is completely different.

‘The quality is unbelievably lower than the productions I saw in novels, the artificial intelligence made up of graphics and patterns without any emotion, and the senses that don’t feel anything.’

Everything from one to ten was an extremely inferior version.

How could experts say that it would take at least decades for virtual reality games to come out properly?

That’s why people are satisfied with the current VR.

[……We will be back with a virtual reality game, not a VR game. ‘God of Savior’ will perfectly fill the emptiness of those of you who are tired of VR that imitates virtual reality.]

“That’s bullshit.”

And that’s why I frowned at the post on the homepage.

“Even if it’s a 망겜, isn’t the hype too much?”

Well, I admit the game quality itself.

When it was first released, it was praised as the most perfect VR 3rd generation.

That means they have the technology.

‘Still, a virtual reality game is impossible.’

That’s like saying you’re going to solve college math just because you memorized the multiplication table.

It’s not even half a penny.

It’s not worth expecting.

I was attached to the game, but I couldn’t feel good because they were deceiving the users until the very end.

It wasn’t just my thought.

[Breaking) Demroque is shutting down. We can’t use the 짤 [Jjal, Korean slang for meme or reaction image] anymore.]

-Did that 망겜 finally fail? I was wondering when it would fail, but it’s really shutting down.

-ㅇㅇ [Short for 응, meaning yes] But there was an announcement there, and they’re releasing a virtual reality game.

-?? What does that mean?

-Demroque was a test version, and the official version is coming out as a virtual reality game? It was God of Savior or something.

Since the industry is a small VR market, a quick user spread the news.

Or maybe it’s one of the 고인물 [goin-mul, Korean slang for a hardcore or veteran player] who was looking at the homepage like me.

Considering how quickly it spread for a 망겜, this was a more reasonable guess.

The reaction was as expected.

-Virtual reality game ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ [Korean laughter slang, similar to lololol] Do you believe that?

-That’s right. Logically, if a real virtual reality game came out, the news would have spread all over the neighborhood. There should have been articles all over the place, but there’s only a homepage announcement? Sigh;;

-ㄹㅇㅋㅋ [Korean slang combining ㄹㅇ (real) and ㅋㅋ (laughter)] Still, the technology was good, so they’ll be good at making VR.

-So, are you going to do it?

-No, I’ll never do a luck-based 망겜. Do you want to taste Bondragon’s brick?

-ㅅㅂ [Korean curse word] Brick ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅎㅋㅋㅋㅋㅎ [More Korean laughter slang] It’s so funny. That was the first and last time I played that kind of game.

-It was dirty, and let’s never see each other again ㄹㅇ [Real, meaning seriously];;

Of course.

It was so absurd that a virtual reality game was coming out.

That’s why I turned off the community without any regrets.

‘To make money with a game, I need to train for at least two months… It’s too late to start Lineage now. Is there a suitable game?’

Lineage is so 고이다 [go-i-da, Korean slang for being stale or overdone] that it’s rotten.

Even if I try to settle down from now on, I have no choice but to spend a lot of time to get to the top.

But a game that is not well-known will not make money.

A game with moderate fame and a mid-tier level is suitable…

‘But I don’t want to play just any game… Should I look for a new VR game, even if it’s a gamble?’

If it’s a new game, I’m confident that I can take the top ranker, and I wanted to enjoy a fun game and make money if possible.

I was clicking the mouse and racking my brain when.

Bang.

“Hey, Mom told me to give you this.”

“Ah, you scared me. Can’t you knock?”

“What’s with the knocking…”

A girl with short hair, still young, came in with the door wide open.

About 160cm tall with white and delicate skin.

Her round, big eyes and neatly gathered features were the kind of cute face that men would like, but I only saw her as a pig.

“This one keeps talking back to 오빠 [Oppa, Korean term used by younger females to address older brothers or male friends].”

“Ugh, what’s with the 오빠 so disgustingly. And take a shower. Don’t just stay holed up in your room and play games all the time. I’m so embarrassed to call my friends.”

“……You don’t look embarrassed?”

Hyun-ah frowned as if she had seen something she shouldn’t have seen, looking at the mirror next to her as if she really didn’t understand.

I wonder if that kind of look comes out when hatred is young.

“Ah… I have to go out for a drink, but I already feel sick. I’m going…”

Hyun-ah, who didn’t even come close and put the mail on the shelf next to the door, left coolly.

I scratched my head as I watched her walk away.

‘Hmm. I think I’m handsome enough.’

I don’t think it’s bad even if I look at it objectively, but it wasn’t in Hyun-ah’s eyes.

Well, that’s how siblings are.

Anyway, that’s that, and I was curious about what Hyun-ah had left behind.

The moment I got up from the chair and quickly went to the shelf and opened the mail.

“……!”

My eyes widened.

My two hands holding ‘it’ trembled as if I couldn’t believe it. It was far from excitement.

Rather, it was a reaction close to fear.

It was an unimaginable reaction that I, who never even tensed up even when any raid boss appeared, would show, but I couldn’t help it.

Even Ma Dong-seok [a famous Korean actor known for his tough guy roles] wouldn’t be able to control his trembling if he saw this.

[Enlistment Notice]

-Name: Kang Dohyun

……We hereby notify you of your enlistment as an active duty soldier in accordance with Article 16 of the Military Service Act.

“…….”

The call of the nation that comes to all healthy young men in Korea.

Even I, who was called a god in Demroque, could not avoid the call of the nation.

“I’m screwed…….”

That’s how I was reborn from a trainee to the proud Mobile Battalion of the 51st Infantry Division of the Army.

And around that time.

Demroque’s official version, God of Savior, was released.

With the title of virtual reality game.

[The first virtual reality game, God of Savior, is released!]

[The emergence of a super-large VR MMORPG. Reveals ambition to become a true virtual reality game…….]

[A dream that bloomed amidst worry and expectation. Is it a ray of hope or despair?]

The virtual reality that was treated as a ridiculous sound really appeared in the world.