Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: The Perks of a Failed Game are Generous (1)
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The definition of a failed game varies from person to person.
After all, what one person considers a trash game, another might see as a masterpiece.
I used to review all sorts of failed games, but recently, I’d been focusing on mass-produced clones from China.
It was partly because finding new games became harder as my content series went on, and in the case of domestic games, the companies themselves would send emails threatening legal action if I didn’t take the videos down.
While some people complained about me reviewing mass-produced Chinese games, a surprising number of viewers found them entertaining.
VIP systems, gacha pulls, mounts, wings—every game was like a copy-paste of the last, but they showered you with benefits right from the start.
[Welcome to Elsia. You have received 1,000 free draws, permanent VIP benefits, 100 million Jewels, a guaranteed Legendary Weapon Summon Ticket, a guaranteed Unique Mount Summon Ticket, and a Rare Wings Summon Ticket.]
Just like the message in front of my eyes right now.
If they didn't give things away, no one would even bother starting.
But did Elsia even have systems like gacha, mounts, or wings?
I didn't recall seeing anything like that in the promotional videos.
Anyway, what I thought was a completely useless trait might actually be an incredible one.
Of course, I couldn't be sure until I checked.
By the way, where do I even claim all of this?
In a normal game, you’d click a button in a mailbox menu or something, but there was nothing like that here.
I was about to try opening the Summoner's Shop, but in the distance, a cloud of dust rose as a group of about ten people on horseback approached us.
“Are you the new recruits? Quite a large group this time.”
The man at the front, clad in silver armor and riding a white horse, spoke, and everyone seemed to be on guard.
“No need to be afraid. We’re not here to harm you. In fact, we’re here to help. I am Jang Tae-soo, the Vice Guild Master of the Silver Wolf Guild. For now, gather over here.”
Despite his condescending and commanding tone to people he’d just met, everyone obediently followed his instructions, perhaps due to the horses and their well-made equipment.
I wasn’t particularly keen on it, but I joined the group as well.
He was domineering, but I didn't sense any hostility.
Jang Tae-soo scanned us once over before speaking again.
He explained that he was originally from Earth, just like us, and that he’d been dragged to Elsia without any explanation.
I had already guessed as much from his name, so it wasn’t a huge surprise.
I’d also already been told that this world was similar to a game, but what came next was quite shocking.
“Of the seventh batch that I arrived with, 80% died. There are even batches where no one survived.”
The expressions on people’s faces hardened in an instant.
“I… I didn’t think it would be that dangerous…”
“I want to go home…”
Murmurs and whimpers broke out here and there, and the atmosphere grew increasingly grim.
But Jang Tae-soo clapped his hands, drawing everyone’s attention back to him.
“Those angels probably didn’t tell you, but this world isn’t friendly to outsiders like us. So, the established guilds got together and decided to provide basic training and support whenever new people arrive.”
The dark expressions on people's faces brightened a little.
Jang Tae-soo added that it wasn't mandatory and that we were free to go our own way if we wished, but I doubted anyone would refuse.
Having been dragged to a strange place and forced to live here, there was no reason to reject help from those who came before us.
The same went for me.
To think there were such good people willing to share basic information.
As someone who hadn't played the game, I felt like I should be bowing in gratitude.
After walking for about an hour with Jang Tae-soo and his group, a massive wall came into view.
“This is the Labyrinth City of Kramis, where you’ll be living from now on.”
It was a truly enormous castle, the kind you’d only see in medieval fantasy movies.
After he dismounted and said something to a guard in silver plate armor, we were allowed through, and the medieval atmosphere was palpable.
The brick houses, the passing carriages, the way people looked and dressed.
We were told we needed to get identification cards first, so we walked for another twenty minutes to an administrative office to have them issued.
I thought it would take a long time since there were so many of us, but the process was quick: just state your name and let a drop of blood fall onto a metal card.
“This is the only thing that proves your identity in Elsia, so keep it safe. If you lose it, you’ll have to pay a fine, and there are other tax issues… well, I’ll explain the details during the training later.”
Jang Tae-soo's warning made me double-check my new ID card.
Leaving the administrative office, we walked another twenty minutes and arrived in front of a large, old-looking building.
It was a five-story wooden structure, and upon entering, it had the feel of a restaurant, complete with chairs, tables, and a counter.
“You’ll be staying here for the next three days. Find a seat nearby and fill out this questionnaire first.”
As I sat at a nearby table, the people who had been on horseback earlier handed out parchment, ink, and quill pens.
“Even though this is basic training, we need to know a little about you, don’t we? The information you provide will be used not only for the training but also for future guild placements, and it will be shared among the Guild Alliance, so it’s best to be truthful and accurate.”
Everyone began filling out the questionnaire with serious expressions. The questions weren't too complicated.
Name, age, profession in your original world, the trait you were first given, hobbies, and special skills. Just those six items.
The others were normal, but asking about our initial traits was probably a way to scout for people with good ones.
That man, Jang Tae-soo, had framed the training as a gesture of goodwill from the veterans to the newcomers, but the guilds had to be getting something out of it.
They were feeding, housing, and sharing their knowledge with nearly a hundred people for three days.
There’s no such thing as a free lunch.
[Name: Oh Hyeon-ung
Age: 28
Original Profession: YouTuber - WoongTV
Given Trait: Failed Game Master - Grants the owner the perks of a failed game.
Hobbies: Working out, gaming
Special Skills: Communication, video editing]
I wrote everything truthfully, but I left out the details of the perks that had appeared after I entered the starting point.
Having a good trait might get me better treatment, but it could also lead to being robbed or exploited.
I had learned at a young age that wealth without the power to protect it can be a curse.
The memory of my relatives raising their voices, greedy for the inheritance after my parents died in a car accident, was still vivid.
I ended up in my uncle's care, but soon after, my other uncle suddenly picked me up in his car, and then was it my aunt?
They passed me around like an object, fighting over me, so I couldn't attend school properly and didn't have many friends. My childhood was not a happy one.
“Those who are finished, raise your hands, and a guild member will collect your forms.”
I raised my hand and submitted the form. A guild member handed me a name tag and had me write my name on it.
He told us to wear the name tags at all times within the building. After a short wait, food was served.
It was a thin soup with a small amount of potatoes, carrots, and some unidentifiable meat, served with a hard piece of bread.
I looked around and saw that people’s expressions had stiffened slightly.
Compared to the food we were used to in the modern world, it was quite shabby.
But the group that brought us here was eating the same thing, so this seemed to be the norm in this world.
The bread was hard, but the soup was warm and salty enough to be decent.
I had walked a lot, and it was my first meal since arriving here, so I cleaned my bowl. They said I could have more if I was still hungry, so I got another serving.
Some people couldn't stomach it and left food behind, but most ate well.
After the meal, we were assigned rooms for our three-day stay.
Men on the third floor, women on the second.
The bathrooms and showers were communal, but it was better than nothing.
I had worried the rooms might be barracks-style like in a military training camp, but thankfully, they were four-person rooms with two bunk beds.
The roommates, however, didn't seem so fortunate.
“The training will begin at 1 o’clock, so rest for a bit and come out when you’re called. And just so you know, any troublemakers will be disciplined, so be careful.”
The guild member who showed us to our room left, leaving the four of us alone.
“Huh? Look who it is. See you again, trash.”
Speak of the devil.
Two of them were strangers, but one was a familiar face.
It was the man who had suggested we team up, only to push me aside and say he’d wasted his time after hearing about my trait.
With so many people moving together, I hadn't realized he was here.
Well, at least I knew his name now, thanks to the name tag.
Ju Yeon-seong.
“Hey, since we’ve met like this, how about we introduce ourselves? I’m Kim Jeong-du, thirty-one.”
“Sure. I’m Kang Min-su. I’m twenty-five. Do you two know each other?”
“We don't. Don't get the wrong idea. Ju Yeon-seong, twenty-nine.”
His blatant dismissal was annoying, but I held back, remembering the strength I felt when he pushed me and the guild member's warning.
“Oh Hyeon-ung, twenty-eight.”
“I see. So, what did you all do back in your world?”
We talked about our former jobs. Jeong-du was a farmer, Min-su was a fourth-year university student, and Ju Yeon-seong claimed to be a businessman.
Right, with a personality like that, there was no way he could work under someone else.
When I revealed I was a YouTuber, the other two were surprised, but Ju Yeon-seong immediately started trouble, calling me a small-fry streamer with barely ten thousand subs. Thankfully, the other two didn't really respond.
In fact, they seemed to look at Ju Yeon-seong in a slightly negative light, but the atmosphere changed when he revealed his trait.
Jeong-du, the farmer, had received Blessing of the Earth, which gave him an affinity for earth spirits. Min-su, who was a track athlete in high school and enjoyed running as a hobby, had a trait called Swift Movement, which applied a 1.5x multiplier to his agility stat.
Both of their traits seemed pretty good, but they couldn't compare to Ju Yeon-seong's.
His trait was Lord of Strength.
He said it was a trait his character had in the game he used to play. It gave him a base of 10 strength and doubled the effectiveness of his strength stat.
Thanks to this trait, his character supposedly had the highest strength on the entire server.
It was Ju Yeon-seong, not me, who announced my trait.
Just like a failed-game YouTuber, what was it? Failed Game Master? A completely useless trait with no abilities whatsoever, he said.
Since Ju Yeon-seong's trait was so obviously superior, the other two immediately started trying to get on his good side.
“That’s amazing, hyung-nim.”
“If I knew gaming would affect our traits, I would’ve played more seriously.”
“No use regretting it now. At least you’re better than that guy, right?”
I could hear everything. Was I invisible?
“Anyway, it’s fate that we’re together for these three days, isn’t it? Let’s get along.”
It didn't really matter to me.
We’d go our separate ways in three days anyway, and whether my trait was truly trash or not was something I’d have to find out for myself.
****
“This concludes the afternoon training. You have free time until lights out, but I recommend sleeping early since there’s training tomorrow morning.”
The training was more informative than I expected.
It covered everything from the currency used in Elsia, the market prices for major goods and daily necessities, when the Labyrinth could be entered, the monsters that appeared there, and even taxes.
It felt like they had gathered only the most practical information to teach us.
The Labyrinth could be entered on two dates each month: the 1st and the 21st. Once inside, you couldn't leave for ten days.
Basically, if you entered the Labyrinth, you were stuck there from the 1st to the 10th, or from the 21st to the 30th.
And then, taxes.
Once a year, every autumn, the ruler of this Labyrinth City, Archduke Latiar, collected taxes.
The first year was 3 gold, which would be about three million won in modern currency.
The amount doubled each year after that, but thankfully, it was fixed at 10 gold from the third year and 20 gold from the tenth year. Failure to pay was punishable by death.
The mention of the heavy taxes had turned the cheerful atmosphere somber.
The instructor said that if you were good-looking, you might be sold as a slave and at least keep your life, but that did nothing to lift the mood.
What kind of joke was that anyway?
In the end, it meant that Summoners had no choice but to enter the Labyrinth.
You could find work outside the Labyrinth, but the income wasn't high.
The only silver lining was that the tax collection month had just passed. Normally, we would have had to pay taxes in the same month we arrived.
Some batches had apparently started off in debt, so we were lucky.
“Oh, and one more thing. The Vice Guild Master will be conducting interviews this evening, so if your name is called, please remain for a moment.”
He called out about ten names, including Ju Yeon-seong and a woman named Lee Ji-ah.
It was obvious he was calling the ones with good traits first.
Was he trying to entice them with some good offers?
I wasn't particularly envious.
Today's training had answered the one question I was most curious about.
I went up to the third floor, but instead of going to my room, I went into the bathroom.
As soon as I closed and locked the stall door, I thought of the Summoner's Shop, and my vision changed.
Against a backdrop of a refreshing blue hill, stood a cat in a suit and glasses.
This must be the helper for the Summoner's Shop I heard about during the training.
You didn't buy things through him directly. Instead, when you accessed the shop and purchased an item, he would place it in your inventory. He was also there to answer any questions about the shop system.
“Welcome, Hyeon-ung. This is your first visit. Would you like a brief explanation…”
“Skip the explanation. I should have some items sent to me. I’d like to receive them.”
“You have items to receive on your first visit?”
He looked slightly suspicious but then nodded.
“You’re right, there are. I’ve delivered them to your inventory.”
As the manager spoke, countless translucent system windows began to appear before my eyes.
[You have obtained a 1,000 Free Companion Summon Ticket.]
[You have obtained a Permanent VIP Benefit Ticket. VIP Level 1 benefits will now be applied to Hyeon-ung.]
[You have obtained 100,000,000 Jewels.]
[You have obtained a Guaranteed Legendary Weapon Summon Ticket.]
[You have obtained a Guaranteed Unique Mount Summon Ticket.]
[You have obtained a Rare Wings Summon Ticket.]
So they were real.
I was so overwhelmed I didn't know what to check first. After a moment of stunned silence, I simply called out, “Inventory.”
A square window appeared, filled with shimmering parchments of various brilliant colors.