Chapter 1
Chapter 1
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: Possessed into a Healing Game
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When do you think people hit rock bottom?
In my case, it was when I realized my last overseas trip before enlisting overlapped with a massive earthquake warning.
The destination was Chile, with exactly a 50% chance of an earthquake.
It was home to Machu Picchu, the dream of a lifetime.
Mid-tier travel YouTuber Kim Joo-hyuk, with 100,000 subscribers, pondered.
Go or not—what's the better option?
If I didn't go, I'd spend a year and a half in the military regretting it to death.
But if I did? Even if an earthquake hit, I'd at least have a killer life story.
What if I died?
'If I die, I die.'
Me, Kim Joo-hyuk.
No one could stop me, but the mad traveler inside me couldn't be contained!
And so, I boldly set off,
[Travel YouTuber K Injured in 7.7 Magnitude Quake in Chile... Saves Young Siblings at Great Cost]
"Damn it."
I was screwed.
While evacuating, I carried two siblings separated from their family, only for debris to crush my legs.
At least the kids made it out safe and were rescued afterward, saving their lives.
Isn't that enough? Got my epic story, right?
It should have been.
"It looks like a shriveled white chili pepper. Why are you showing this to me?"
"This is your spine, sir."
"Pardon?"
"Which means... you'll never walk again."
"What the hell are you saying, Doc?"
My mistake.
The world allows for half-death too.
Thanks to that, military service was naturally waived.
I'm so thrilled I still cry about it sometimes.
Fuck.
And three years passed.
"Joo-hyuk, that's it for today. Call if anything comes up."
"Yes."
"And get some exercise. Not just games—try something else."
"Got it."
"Sigh, all talk. I'm heading out."
"Take care. Thanks for today."
In a sunless room, after sending off the physical therapist, I immediately booted up the computer.
"Play less games? In your dreams."
For a traveler who can't use his legs, games were all that remained.
Working as an editor for YouTubers brought in decent income; after bills, it all went to games.
Embarrassing, but hero worship brought in some donations too.
"Endgame title too, huh."
A title unlocked only after 100% achievement completion.
But to me, it wasn't a badge of glory—it was like the Monday bus schedule after a trip ends.
"Running out of content. And I've only logged 1,000 hours."
I'd savored every side quest on a fresh playthrough of the main story, yet it lasted less than a month.
What now to kill time?
In despair, drifting aimlessly online again,
-Ding!
An email notification pinged from 'Romantic Trash,' my neglected account gathering dust since becoming a travel-less travel YouTuber.
A notification on an account I'd ignored for ages?
Hopefully not another invite for a status update stream.
Thinking that, I opened the email. A single line in concise English:
[The fan letter]
'Fan letter?'
A fan letter to a washed-up, forgotten YouTuber?
Half curious, half suspicious, I clicked it.
[Hello, Romantic Trash.]
The email revived my YouTuber identity, already making my nose tingle.
'Let's see...'
The content was simple.
The sender, a developer fan, said they'd referenced my travel vlogs a lot during development.
They especially liked my eccentric stunts no normal traveler would try.
'Eccentric? It's just 100% immersion.'
Anyway, during my three years as a half-paraplegic, they'd made a game and sent it to me.
They were convinced I'd enjoy it.
At the bottom, a few attachments.
'One's the game, one's a modpack.'
Said it makes the scenery even more beautiful.
Soon, I checked the in-game screenshots from the anonymous fan,
"Whoa."
Gawking at the stunning vistas, I let out a gasp.
A massive forest crammed with blue foliage reaching the sky, a golden temple in the jungle evoking Angkor Wat, a rainbow sky with pink sheep frolicking...
"This looks like it was snapped in another world for real."
If the game delivered this, GOTY was a lock.
"Playing now."
Hooked, I hit execute right away.
"Installing game... mod too..."
Big file size, but my custom high-end rig—worth a luxury sedan—handled it fine.
"Done."
Installation complete, heart pounding, I launched it. Forgot to add the modpack first, as the fan advised.
But,
"Huh? What is this."
The opening screen dashed my expectations.
Ruins of an old castle, blood-red forest.
A lake spewing sewage.
Nothing like the screenshots.
'Mod glitch?'
Then,
Red text burst from the darkness.
"Whoa, scared me."
What? A prank? I suck at horror games. Is that the angle?
Suspicion rising. Staring at the screen—
-ZZZzt!
"Huh?"
The screen glitched wildly, flashing colors like a dead analog TV.
"What the—? Virus? What..."
Before I could finish, blinding light flooded everywhere, and I blacked out.
"Huh?"
Opening my eyes, a cool breeze hit first.
"What?"
Then damp soil, grass brushing my hands.
"Even great graphics shouldn't feel this..."
Real.
Like the game became reality.
"Did I get isekai'd or something."
A cliché I'd absorbed from webnovels and isekai stories.
Never thought it'd happen to me.
"If so,"
I took a deep breath, slowly testing my legs,
-Thud.
They obeyed, stepping firmly on the ground.
"God almighty."
Right now, I was the blind monk with eyes open, the regressor with a status screen.
I could do it again.
My light, my salt, my life's drive.
Tourism.
Excitement so intense I could barely stand.
Deep breaths to calm down, I slowly looked around.
"Jungle?"
Trees so dense they rivaled the Amazon, blocking the sun.
"But which way?"
I'd launched without reading the intro, no clue on direction.
"Straight ahead for now."
Something'll turn up. Optimistically stepping forward—
-Rustle rustle crash!
Something charging through the bushes. Close by.
"Hey, who's there..."
"Aaaahhh!!!"
A woman burst from the foliage ahead. Light purple hair. Fancy robe, pointed fantasy hat.
Pretty face ruined by sweat and tears.
"Hey."
"P... person?! Run! Run away! If that dog catches you...!"
Ignoring me, she bolted past.
"Hey, that mud's slippery—running like that is dan—"
-Splat!
"Gerous."
Comic gold—ten out of ten form—she faceplanted.
"Uwaa, uwahhh... No, I can't die like this...!"
Head-first, must hurt.
Yet she crawled desperately, ignoring pain.
Desperation city.
"What'd she see?"
Fierce beast maybe.
"Ah."
Yeah, probably.
This dense jungle? Carnivores galore.
-Rustle.
Then, from behind me—opposite the woman—bushes stirred.
-Rustle.
Rhythmic, unlike her frantic crawl.
-Rustle.
Predator's leisurely gait.
-Rustle.
Realization hit.
It was heading for me.
And,
-Woof!
"Huh?"
A tiny puppy burst out. Chihuahua-sized, fluffier fur.
"What?"
Cute.
If anything, super black—like it absorbed all light.
"Hic... S-sis... Waaah..."
The woman beyond had given up crawling, sobbing in despair.
Why?
'This is scary?'
I reached for the pup. It watched calmly, then—
"Woof."
Barked once and bolted into the bushes.
"Figures."
Wild critters are skittish.
"Hey."
I approached and tapped her shoulder.
"Hic, hii... Huh?"
A big question mark on her mud-, tear-, sweat-smeared face.
***Game Log***