Congratulations, You've Awakened

I was pulling a shot of espresso from the grinder when a completely ridiculous message appeared in front of my face.

What the hell is this?

A holographic ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠message had suddenly materialized and blocked my entire field of view.

What the…

Intuition?

The skill description was pathetic. I liked games well enough that the situation itself didn't throw me into a full-blown panic, but the skills in games and novels always had flashy names and flashier effects. An exceptional sixth sense? What exactly was I supposed to do with that?

If there was one silver lining…

"How do you even know I'm unlucky enough to hand me something like this?"

I had always been the unlucky type. Rock-paper-scissors? I won maybe one out of ten. Back in school, during gym class, whenever we played soccer or basketball, the ball found my face like it had a magnet attached — I shattered my glasses every single time.

Broke them, what, about twenty times?

For someone like me, a skill called Intuition might not be the worst thing in the world.

Hold on. When people awaken in stories, don't monsters usually…

…start pouring out of nowhere?

No sooner had the thought formed than the ground began to shake.

Rumble—

The vibration rolled up through the floor and filled the café. Mugs and other utensils rattled, then clattered down.

Thud. Crash.

"Ah, shit…! Those were expensive!"

The quaking went on and on, and just when it seemed about to settle—

KABOOM!

Crack. Crack. Crack. Crack.

A massive explosion split the earth open. Every window along the walls shattered and sprayed glass through the air.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Why is the floor cracking open?!"

Thump.

My heart slammed hard against my ribs, as if it were screaming that I could not stay here. The pounding grew more violent by the second, so I abandoned the café mid-shift and bolted outside.

Rumble—

"Run!"

"Aaaaaah!"

"P-Police! This is Hyehwa-dong—!"

Outside was pure chaos. People sprinted in every direction, scattering without any idea where they were going.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

My heartbeat refused to calm down.

"What the hell is going on?!"

So this was how Intuition activated. I hadn't exercised in forever, but apparently the universe had decided today was the day I needed to run.

One-two, one-two. I forced my legs to keep time and put distance between myself and the café. About a minute later—

"Holy shit… what is that?"

Where my café had stood, a colossal tower had erupted from the ground.

"My café!!!"

The café I had gone into debt to open was gone in an instant. Of course. I really was unlucky.

Damn it.

Goddamn it.

What a complete load of bullshit.

Words like those fit the fog that had settled over my brain. A full day had passed since I made it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠home, and nothing had changed. The news kept saying the government was working on disaster recovery, but it didn't look easy.

"And why the hell did it have to show up there?!"

My café and the entire surrounding block had been obliterated. Surviving at all was a miracle, sure — but the only tower that had appeared in Korea had planted itself right on top of my business.

This is… a little depressing.

As if trying to soothe the hollow feeling, a hologram rose in front of my eyes.

What am I supposed to do with this?

The Illusion Tower was clearly the same tower that had appeared yesterday. Despite my nerves, my heart beat at a steady, unhurried pace. It didn't feel bad, exactly — it was just my mind that was a mess.

"I'll watch the situation a little longer."

The whole world was already obsessed with that Illusion Tower, or whatever it was. Modern technology should be able to handle it. Then the government ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠could pay out compensation or something.

Yeah. Of course it would be hard.

The anchor on screen delivered the emergency with a polished, dramatic voice.

Maybe I should just go in?

The café was already gone. I didn't feel like doing anything else. I had worked myself half to death to save up for that place, and that goddamn tower had ruined everything.

"Yeah. That thing wrecked it all."

The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. Whoever — or whatever god — had dropped that tower was going to regret it. I reached out and pressed a finger to the hologram.

Yes.

Shaaaaa—

A swirl of light wrapped around my body, and I felt myself being pulled somewhere with a strange, weightless sensation.

Shaaaaa—

When the glittering lights faded, the first thing I saw was a village that looked like it had been pulled straight out of the Middle Ages.

"Illusion Village?"

What was this? I had expected monsters to appear, or quests to pop up. Instead, a large sign at the entrance simply read Illusion Village. Was that "welcome," or just the name?

Shaaaaa—

Shaaaaa—

While I stood there staring blankly at the village, more clusters of light began to appear beside me one by one.

"Huh? This is the Illusion Tower?"

"What is this? It was real?"

"I was drinking — what the hell?"

"Honey, wait for me!"

Men and women of every age arrived in bursts of light. People who had come earlier were already moving around inside the village.

I still felt uneasy, but my heart only beat lightly.

Since Intuition wasn't firing, whatever was coming probably wasn't dangerous yet.

I should head in.

Nothing particularly worrying stood out, so I started toward the village — and then a voice called from behind me.

"Um… excuse me."

What now? I spun around, startled by the presence. A man who looked like a company employee ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠stood there — hollow-eyed, necktie loosened and hanging open. He opened his mouth.

"Did you, by any chance… make a selection?"

"……."

I was about to answer, A selection of what? —

Twinge.

A sudden sharp ache stabbed the back of my neck, as if warning me not to answer. Goosebumps prickled up my arms.

What is this situation?

The man stared through me with eyes that somehow made my skin crawl.

"Is something wrong?"

Something about his aura felt deeply wrong. I shook my head hard, as if I had no idea what he was talking about, then turned and walked away.

Behind me, I heard him click his tongue.

"Tsk."

I didn't know what he wanted, but it didn't seem like he had gotten it. As the distance between us grew, the pounding in my chest gradually eased.

"Whew. What was that guy's deal?"

First things first — get into the village. Standing around thinking wouldn't change anything. The moment I passed the Illusion Village sign and stepped inside, a message appeared.

Is this some kind of wordplay joke?

The shameless flood of "welcome" messages left me speechless.

People hurried every which way through the village. What stood out most were the ones mixed in among the modern-looking crowd, carrying things that did not belong in the modern world. Judging by their faces, they were Korean too.

Are those weapons?

I widened my gaze and saw them everywhere — at people's hips, in their hands. Weapons of every kind.

Then a new holographic message appeared.

A selection window and a long list of options floated before me.

What should I pick?

A medieval setting, a bizarre tower, and message windows that looked like they had been ripped out of a game. This was unmistakably a fantasy world.

Maybe I could even become a sword master. Entertaining that possibility, I lifted a finger toward the sword.

Thump.

"Huh?"

What was its problem? My heart pounded hard, as if shouting that this was the wrong choice.

"Then this one?"

Thump.

When I moved my finger to the spear, Intuition rejected that too. I kept shifting my finger little by little until the pounding finally settled — and then I pressed down on a weapon.

Shaaaaa—

A small swirl of light resolved into a weapon in my hand.

The pitiful description made me frown on pure reflex.

Magic Power.

Was that the innate talent mages were supposed to be born with? I gave the staff a light grip and tried to sense the magic flowing through it.

"……."

Felt exactly the same. Magic Power 1 apparently didn't amount to much of a difference.

So why did it make me choose this?

I had followed Intuition and picked the staff, but I still had no idea why.

"Why does everyone look so busy, anyway?"

The people who had entered the tower came in every variety. Among them, a friendly-looking middle-aged man carrying a sword and shield was hurrying past, so I called out to him.

"Excuse me. I have a question, if you don't mind."

"Yes? What is it?"

"Why is everyone rushing around like this?"

"Ah. I only got here a little while ago myself, so I don't know much, but apparently you have to clear something called a quest before you can leave."

A quest? I was even newer than he was, so I asked again.

"What's that?"

"If you wander around the village, a message is supposed to show up. That's how I received my quest, at least."

"I see. Would it be all right if I asked what your quest is?"

I still didn't know how to get one, but if it was a quest I could clear, it would be better to get a head start.

"It told me to find a certain person. Though everyone seems to get different ones — the contents all vary."

"Got it. Thank you."

"I'm not sure what this place is either, but if either of us learns something useful, how about we share information?"

"Sounds good. My name is Shin Sihyun."

"I'm Park Jeongbok. As for my age — no comment. Haha."

Looking at the deep creases in his face, he was well past fifty. Meeting a cheerful middle-aged man in a tower like this was oddly reassuring.

"Well then, I'll see you around."

He grinned and waved. Electronic devices didn't work inside the tower, so we exchanged phone numbers in case we ever made it back outside.

But what if we get stuck here and never leave?

A realistic worry, sure — but not one that would help me right now, so I shoved it out of my head.

"This place is bigger than I thought."

Following the older man's advice, I wandered all over Illusion Village. The medieval-style buildings stood empty — not a single local in sight. Only the occasional Korean drifted past.

"How do you even get a quest around here?"

I walked for hours and still received nothing. When I finally slipped out between the buildings to the edge of the village, a briny scent hit me on a cool breeze.

"There's an ocean here?"

The familiar smell of the sea washed over me. Not another person in sight.

Thump. Thump.

As if Intuition were showing itself, my heart began to beat in a pleasant, eager rhythm.

"So there's something here, huh?"

Illusion Village was surprisingly large, and I had already covered nearly every corner of it over the past few hours. I started walking along the beach, searching for any clue that might lead to a quest.

"Why am I the only one without a quest?!"

I had no idea how the rules worked here, but the sun was already sinking toward the horizon.

What was I missing? What made me different from everyone else? The only thing that stood out…

"The staff?"

Among all those weapons, I had chosen the Shabby Staff. Maybe selecting a weapon had been the start of a quest all along. And among everyone in the village, not a single other person carried a staff like mine.

So what?

"You still have to give me the quest!"

I dropped onto the sand and watched the sun go down.

"Why is it so pretty?"

The situation was serious, but some corner of my brain kept thinking the sunset looked beautiful. I stared blankly as the sun slowly slipped below the horizon.

Ding!

A quest hologram appeared out of nowhere. The moment I read the instruction to head into the sea, my brow furrowed on its own.

"Ah, come on. I can barely swim…"

Yeah. I really was unlucky after all.