1 Prologue & 1st Closed Beta (1)

I love to play games.

Yes, I love them more than anybody else, so much so that I wish I could have a traffic accident.

I thought I would be better off with every part of my body except for my two legs which I wish could be disabled.

In such a situation I could play games as much as I wanted without being conscious of anybody, and I'd even gain sympathy from people around me.

When I could not get better grades despite my hard efforts day and night, I particularly felt obsessed with that kind of thinking more strongly than ever.

My understanding or memory or concentration was not as good as that of an ordinary person.

When I was very frustrated and disappointed with the lack of any improvement in my grades despite the enormous efforts and time I had given, I first experienced the so-called MMORPG, an online video game that allowed multiple players to play in the same space simultaneously.

It was a whole new world to me because I got rewarded for the efforts I made in the game.

In other words, when I created a character and killed a monster with an entry-level weapon in the game, I always received EXP or experience points as a reward.

It was not as hard as making enormous efforts to recite English words hundreds of times to memorize them, but I received a certain amount of EXP in proportion to my performance.

I saw my level going up and I became stronger than before in the game because of my repeated actions.

And surprisingly, I continued to level up which was completely opposite to the situation where I found myself trying hard to recall the English words that I had managed to memorize but soon forgot.

Of course, I sometimes had bad luck when I had bad item drops after hunting monsters, but it was okay because I could keep hunting until I found the item that I wanted.

And all the efforts that I continued to make until I secured the item I wanted were never wasted unlike my studying in vain.

Obviously, there was something else I earned in the process of obtaining the item, which was none other than experience.

I also obtained other items that proved useful to me even if they were not what I wanted.

I usually forgot everything I tried so hard to memorize, but I never witnessed my level, experience points, or items decrease or disappear in the games.

And I didn't have to worry about it from the start.

Naturally, I was supposed to be hooked onto the games, but I wasn't.

In fact, I wasn't because my parents wanted me to study hard, and my elder brother and sister were smarter than me.

As they say, there really were people who never masturbated, but none masturbated only once in their lives.

That could be applied to me and games.

Once I came to know about games, I often thought about them while I was wrapped up in studying.

So, I purchased the second-generation popular VR interface adapter without my parents' knowledge.

Although it was used, I paid over five million Korean won ($5,000) for it. But I had no problem buying it because of my handsome allowance.

Right after I purchased it, I didn't access the MMORPG that opened a new world for me because I was not sure if I could get out of it once I accessed it.

Anyway, I am currently a student, so I'm not foolish enough to forget my place.

To be honest, I was more scared of my father's scolding.

That's why I began to search for the kind of game that I could fully immerse myself in before stopping once and for all.

Of course, some games fulfilled this criterion, such as strategic simulation games like 'Star Wars.'

But such games had fatal shortcomings so they didn't draw my attention.

Namely, they lacked sustainability and continuity.

In the end, I found one while I was trying to find role-playing games.

It was a game in the closed beta stage. In other words, it was a role-playing game where selected users could enjoy the given content for a limited period of time.

As the closed beta status suggested, it was a game that was not yet completed.

I liked it better for that reason because I once wished I could lose interest in the game after getting sick and tired of it. I needed to concentrate on studying.

Anyway, the game lacked sustainability and continuity because of its closed beta attribute, but it was the type of game that satisfied my tastes the most. So, I surfed the internet immediately and searched for a closed beta game that I could play at the earliest date, and I finally found one.

Then I entered my email address and mobile phone number in the closed beta participation form for the role-playing game called Forgotten Legend.

***

Ring, ring.

"Ugh?"

I heard a message beep on my mobile phone while I was sitting on a chair blindly memorizing math formulas that I could not understand. Since I had turned off all my chat room notifications including the open ones, I lifted my mobile phone and checked it curiously. And I confirmed it.

It was a message informing me that I was picked to participate in the first closed beta of the 'Forgotten Legend' game.

"Oh! I made it!"

Of course, I didn't bet everything on this particular game.

That's why I applied to participate in all the closed beta games I could find for fear that I might not be picked for 'Forgotten Legend.'

But I waited for the results because this role-playing game was the one that would proceed with its closed beta stage as quickly as possible.

I checked the time. It was 8:30 PM.

"Why did they send out a message in the evening?"

I waited for the next message while grumbling a bit.

At 9:00 PM, the housemaid usually brought me some snacks and a bowl of herbal medicine that would allegedly stimulate my brain. Of course, after bringing them, she would immediately report to my mother about my activities.

"Dang it! The second-generation popular VR interface adaptor can't download programs by itself."

The 2nd generation popular VR adaptor.

I found it was produced almost 12 years ago when I checked its production date.

Compared to the 3rd generation VR adaptor that was widely used these days, it must be junk.

Of course, I've got a 3rd generation one which is more expensive and incomparably more efficient than the 2nd generation one and an unpopular high-end one.

But I don't use it because the 3rd one is equipped with a highly efficient AI helper, unlike the 2nd one that only allows mechanical command language. Besides, it basically reports the users' usage history to their parents if they are a minor.

That's why I had to buy the 2nd generation VR adaptor for 5 million won.

Anyway, I idled away while waiting for the housemaid.

Exactly at 9:00 PM, I heard her footsteps outside the door.

"Juyoung, can I come in?"

"Yes, please come in."

It has already been five years since she started working at my house, so she was not just an ordinary housemaid to me. So, I replied gently.

In no time she came in and put down the herbal soup chongmyongtang and some snacks and fruits by the desk.

"Studying is tough for you these days, right?"

"Well, not really. I have to do it anyway as a student."

"I see. If you need anything else, let me know."

"Sure."

She left after that, and I opened my wardrobe quickly.

Then I took out the helmet-shaped 2nd generation VR adaptor which was rather crude compared to the 3rd generation one.

"I hope it works well."