A limp step catches on an empty ramen wrapper left on the floor.
A dark room.
The blackout curtains were doing their job perfectly, but the ceiling light hadn’t done its job for quite a while.
That kind of room.
Kicking the trash out of the way and shoving it into a corner, his steps remained awkward and limping.
“Whew… This damn game.”
With a heavy sigh, Hyunseung Lee muttered a low curse as he slumped in front of his computer.
[Ventair Online.]
An online RPG that was all the rage five years ago.
This cursed dead game had barged into Hyunseung’s ruined life, and he’d fallen for it as if bewitched.
But it wasn’t just that he’d gotten hooked.
Hyunseung had talent.
He had obsession.
And as a result—
[1st Place. Jijoncheonma☆★]
A single line of pride floating above the monitor.
An RPG that once boasted hundreds of thousands of concurrent players.
And in that game, the undisputed number one ranker.
Hyunseung’s character, Jijoncheonma, was both his escape and his second life.
“…So what? It’s all gone to hell anyway.”
Though it was only for a brief moment, Ventair had once been so successful it was called a god-tier game.
Its freedom was on a whole other level, incomparable to the rigid games before it.
NPCs that reacted as if truly alive.
No levels—just traits and skills to polish, a fresh new system.
All these things combined to make it a game once hailed as a masterpiece.
“Damn it, seriously.”
But the game Hyunseung was logged into now was so pitiful, it was hard to believe it was the same amazing game from the past.
The grand, splendid Imperial Palace that had once drawn praise from countless players had long since burned and collapsed, its shape barely recognizable.
The peaceful countryside village, where players often visited to heal, had become a monster’s food storage.
No, more than that—what content could remain in a game where all the NPCs were dead?
“These insane admins really don’t know when to stop…”
High freedom? Sure, that’s nice.
But there’s got to be a limit.
Once the Abyss opened and monsters tainted by evil appeared, villages were wiped out.
The empire, torn apart by civil war, couldn’t stop it and fell.
Even the players who held out and survived—died, revived, and died again…
What fun is there in this?
“Well, anyone still playing in this state must really be nuts.”
A game with no dreams, no hope, not even any fun left—but there were still players logging in.
Since launch, there had always been five rankers who never changed.
Just like Hyunseung, they couldn’t let go of this ruined game and stayed behind.
Crazy people are happy just seeing each other’s names, and a faint smile crept onto Hyunseung’s lips as he checked who was online.
“Crazy bastards. Of course they’re logged in, even on the last day.”
Once, they’d fought each other like mad, but after the game world went to hell, they’d come to rely on each other… You could say they’d grown attached in a twisted way.
The others must have felt the same—one even suggested a meetup, but Hyunseung turned it down flat.
He was an untouchable absolute being in the game, but in reality, just a loser with a crippled leg.
“What now…?”
Only when playing Ventair could he forget his painful memories.
He could feel euphoria instead of that crushing sense of defeat and self-loathing.
But today would be the last.
“I held out long enough.”
Today was the day Ventair Online would shut down.
The game world itself was destroyed, yet the server had stayed up for another year.
Even though barely anyone played anymore.
But this was the end of the line.
Jijoncheonma and the other rankers had fought hard, but the world was completely ruined.
The strongest NPCs in the lore.
The Imperial Golden Lion, the Ruler of the Western Sea.
Even the infamous Guild Master of Heuka, symbol of terror across the continent, had died in the end.
There was truly no hope left.
***
[Ventair Online Test Server will be shutting down soon.]
A message from the admins appeared over the ashen background.
[Thank you to all the players who stuck with us until the end.]
The admin’s message appeared line by line.
And as Hyunseung read it, his heart started pounding.
Because the next line was completely unexpected.
Players ranked in the top 10,000 will enter the official Ventair server.
‘Wait, this was just a Test Server until now?’
‘Who runs a test server for five years?’
But that didn’t matter.
Jijoncheonma’s journey wasn’t over yet.
“Top 10,000 get into the official server!”
‘How could that not get your heart racing?’
The timeline in the official server will be set two years before the Test Server began, and all players will start from scratch with their abilities reset.
Starting two years earlier in the same world.
That was a huge advantage—it meant you could sweep up hidden pieces, and if you grew strong enough, you might even prevent the coming destruction.
While all abilities are reset, players ranked 1st to 10th will receive special rewards, with benefits increasing by rank.
Hyunseung clenched his fist without realizing it.
Special rewards!
And they’d be tiered!
Even a slight edge would let him race ahead.
He had the sense and experience for it.
“Those guys are going to be jealous.”
If the rewards were tiered, he’d get the best one for sure.
He’d never lost his top spot in all those years.
“I wonder what they’ll give? An Artifact or a skill would be nice… but the best would be a top-tier trait.”
As Hyunseung sank deep into his chair, thinking about it, the admin’s messages kept appearing on screen.
The others were surely seeing the same thing.
Now, we will begin the transfer to the official server.
They were probably sitting in front of their monitors, faces full of excitement just like him.
[5]
[4]
[3]
As expected from the kind of admin who ran this crazy game—straightforward to the end.
Even after five years together, there were no parting words, no emotional speeches—just moving on.
As if reading his mind—
[1]
The admin left one last, blunt farewell.
Grow stronger.
The weak glow of the monitor suddenly flared up.
Filling the room, filling the whole house.
That brilliant light grew so bright it filled Hyunseung’s entire world.
As his mind started to drift—
[And survive.]
The final message stabbed deep into his chest.
The light that had filled the room vanished as if it had never been, returning him to the same dark room as before. At that same moment—
Ten thousand people around the world vanished without a trace.
But no one paid any attention.
[Emergency Disaster Alert: This is a real situation. Unidentified monstrous lifeforms are massacring civilians and destroying cities…]
It was the beginning of the Cataclysm.
***
He opened his eyes to see dense trees, tall grass.
A forest.
In the distance, a small chimney with smoke rising.
As soon as he got his bearings, Hyunseung remembered what had just happened and shot to his feet, scanning his surroundings sharply.
By habit, his hand went to his waist, but of course, there was no weapon to grab.
‘…Kidnapping? How?’
‘No, but why now?’
What reason was there to come after someone who’d already become a shut-in?
As he thought that far—
Hyunseung’s eyes widened as he looked down at his leg.
“Why is it… perfectly fine…?”
As soon as he realized he was somewhere unfamiliar, his body moved out of habit.
And in that process, nothing got in his way.
If his leg were still ruined, he wouldn’t have been able to stand, let alone move.
“Is this… real? Why? How?”
His right leg moved perfectly, just as he willed it.
It was too vivid to be a dream, but too impossible to be reality—leaving Hyunseung in a state of confusion.
[Transfer to the official Ventair server is complete]
At the message that appeared before his eyes, Hyunseung froze.
‘Ventair…?’
It was such a familiar name, but not one he should be seeing here.
And for words like that to appear before his eyes as if in reality—made even less sense.
[All traits and skills for ‘Jijoncheonma☆★’ will be reset]
‘…This must be a dream.’
Like one of those lucid dreams you only hear about.
That was the only way to explain this.
Hyunseung pinched his cheek hard.
“Ow, damn it!”
It hurt like hell.
[Configuring…]
‘…Not a dream.’
All his senses told him so, not just the pain.
This was no dream—it was real.
‘If that’s the case…!’
Hyunseung glared at the message floating before him.
[Configuring…]
A message saying it was configuring.
He’d lost consciousness the moment the Ventair Online Test Server shut down.
[The last memory: the monitor’s bright light.]
[The first message he saw: transfer to the official server was complete.]
Suddenly, his leg was healed.
And…
Ding—
[Trait configuration complete]
A message saying the configuration was done.
Add it all up, and there was only one conclusion.
‘Official service means playing in a virtual world. Or…’
That this was another world, just as real as reality.
“Ha, hahaha…”
Whichever was true, it was hard to believe.
Hyunseung let out a hollow laugh.
[Please check your new traits]
As another message appeared, “Yeah. Whatever it is, if it’s related to Ventair… this is what matters most.”
This was what set Ventair Online apart from other RPGs.
When you made a character, you got three random traits and skills.
Unlike other games where you naturally gained skills as you leveled up, in Ventair Online, getting skills was extremely hard, and your starting traits defined your entire character.
There were so many kinds of traits that no two characters were ever exactly the same.
Depending on what traits you got at the start, your growth path, speed, and even which group you’d join were all determined.
If you got three bottom-tier traits in a row, not even a top ranker could recover—such was Ventair’s system.
It was one of the big reasons the game became a dead game.
…Anyway, let’s check.
Hyunseung reached out to the blinking [Check Traits] window.
“Don’t know what’s going on, but… please, give me something good.”
He wasn’t sure if this was still a game, if he could log out, or if he could go back and forth to his old world.
He was curious about all that, but right now, the urge to check his traits was stronger.
He’d poured every waking moment of the last five years into Ventair.
For him, this was almost instinct.
“Whew… Please…!”
With a trembling hand, he pressed the [Check Traits] window.
First to appear was the [Main Trait] window.
[Main Trait – Genius of Mana Resonance]
[You are blessed with talent never seen again for mana resonance]
[You possess the highest efficiency in all mana-related work]
Hyunseung nodded slightly.
“Hmm… Not bad.”
He could call that a pass for the main trait.
Any trait with ‘Genius’ in its name was incredibly rare.
Within that field, it was the best.
But mana resonance wasn’t very useful in this world.
Here, only traits and skills—and the martial arts using them—mattered.
There were no mages, the so-called flower of RPGs, in this world.
So at a glance, it looked like a great trait, but it wasn’t top-tier.
‘If only I’d gotten a Dominator trait…’
The top-tier traits were those with ‘Dominator’ in the name.
For example, Jijoncheonma’s Flame Dominator trait allowed him to rule and control flames.
Traits like that were the best in this world.
‘Well, being good at mana resonance is great for developing skills, anyway.’
This was still a very good trait.
Hyunseung was the veteran who’d held onto 1st place even as the world went to hell.
With a trait like this, he could still take the lead.
‘Just this much, please…!’
He scrolled down and pressed the [Secondary Trait] window.
[Secondary Trait – Cannot Live Without Style!]
[You value style above all! You literally cannot live without style now]
[Your skill effects become dramatically more flashy]
[You have high resistance to mind-type skills]
His expression crumpled automatically.
“What the… this kind of trait existed?”
A trait that made him curse out loud.
In short, a dud.
He knew there were tons of traits, but to get stuck with something with such a ridiculous name… in Ventair, of all places.
And it just had to be him.
“…Well, high resistance to mind-type skills is useful, at least.”
The chance of meeting an enemy with mind attacks was low, but if you did, you’d be helpless.
The flashy skill effect was worthless, but the mind resistance could be useful on rare occasions.
“Main trait is fine, secondary is a dud…”
Still within acceptable range.
What were the odds of getting three good traits, anyway?
To break ahead with just these traits was what made a true veteran.
‘Let the last one be a good one, please.’
Still, it would be nice if the last was a top-tier trait.
Thinking that, Hyunseung pressed the last [Support Trait].
[Support Trait – Everything is Doubled!]
[All effects of your traits are doubled]
[Penalties are also doubled]
“…Jackpot.”
He hit the jackpot at the end.
Of all possible support traits, this was top-tier.
Main traits define a character’s identity.
Secondary traits complement the main and set your direction.
Support traits literally support the other two.
So a support trait that doubled all effects was the best of the best.
“One jackpot, one dud, one average… That’s good enough.”
‘The dud stung, but what could he do?’
With everything random at the start, this was a great outcome.
“Now, to check my skills… Huh?”
As he was about to check his skills, a new message appeared before his eyes.
[Players ranked 1st to 10th will receive tiered benefits]
[Player Hyunseung Lee, ‘Jijoncheonma☆★’, is ranked 1st]
[1st place reward: Hidden Trait granted]
Hyunseung’s eyes grew wider as he read the message.
This really was Ventair’s world.
And more importantly, the words ‘Hidden Trait’.
“A hidden trait…”
He’d prided himself on knowing everything about Ventair, but he’d never heard of this.
His lips curled into a wide grin.
A reward given only to 1st place.
That meant 2nd, 3rd, and everyone else below couldn’t get it—it was only for 1st.
“…Guess it wasn’t all for nothing.”
Five years as a shut-in.
He couldn’t help but feel self-loathing.
Five years locked in his room, pouring everything into Ventair.
He had to sleep, and whenever he tried to escape the game world for bed, he always had to face his real self.
So he’d thrown himself into the game even more, playing until he passed out.
For Hyunseung, this message wasn’t just a notification.
It was recognition for all his effort.
[Configuring the optimal hidden trait based on your current traits…]
So he watched the message with high hopes.
It even said it would configure the optimal hidden trait.
‘How could he not be excited?’
Then came the cheerful alert.
Ding—
[Hidden trait configuration complete]
Hyunseung quickly reached out and pressed the new [Hidden Trait] window.
Of course, his nostrils were flaring with excitement.
[Hidden Trait – Violence is Not Allowed!]
[You must not commit violence against any intelligent lifeform]
[If you inflict physical injury or harm, a penalty will be applied]
[Penalty – All skills deleted]
“Huh?”
He rubbed his eyes and read it again.
[Hidden Trait – Violence is Not Allowed!]
[You must not commit violence against any intelligent lifeform…]
That couldn’t be right.
Ventair’s foundation was an RPG.
No levels, but there were monsters, there was war.
Violence was unavoidable.
And if he inflicted physical harm, all his skills would be deleted?
What kind of ridiculous penalty was that?
If this really was Ventair’s world, there had to be a reason for such a penalty.
A penalty that severe had to be paired with overwhelming power that could break the game’s balance.
“…Let’s stay calm.”
As always, let’s analyze this calmly.
He pressed the notification windows here and there.
Then he pressed the hidden trait’s title.
And a hidden window appeared.
[Hidden Trait: Violence is Not Allowed! (Patience: 0/1000)]
The true effect of the hidden trait revealed itself.
[When Patience reaches the target, the hidden trait’s reward—‘Patience is Bitter, But Its Fruit is Sweet!’—will be granted]
[Patience is Bitter, But Its Fruit is Sweet!: Your skill effects become reality, not just illusions]
[Skills will be regraded and renamed accordingly]
[Evolved skills received as a reward will not be deleted]
Interesting. But what does becoming reality mean. My guess is that from previous chap the original world was invaded by monsters. The game world is an illusion and he can carry his skills to reality
I think it’s the flashy skill maybe?
When the top player received the notification that he was about to be transferred to the ‘official server,’ I think he must have been happy knowing he would finally have a healthy body — even if it means facing many challenges in the future. Looks like it’s been reset again.