Chapter 4
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 4: Rice-Eater (3)
"Rice-Eating."
It is an abbreviation for "buying and eating rice by selling items," a term referring to the general act of making money through games.
In the past, it was a term that was very looked down upon, but now it was different.
Because a full-dive virtual reality game was released.
Fantastia.
The game that signaled the arrival of the Great Rice-Eating Era.
An insane capacity that implemented an entire planet.
NPCs so realistic you wouldn't believe they weren't real people.
Even graphics called "another reality."
Countless humans flocked to this great game.
It became a huge market, a golden place creating immense capital.
To what extent? There were even players who built buildings through Rice-Eating.
Even so, the number of players doing Rice-Eating wasn't large.
Items that make money mostly require high levels and high specs. However, only a tiny minority of players could achieve high levels and high specs.
Unlike other games where you can easily level up with a mouse and keyboard, leveling up in Fantastia requires a lot of time and concentration.
To catch a single monster, you have to maintain high concentration in a dangerous dungeon, physically move your body to dodge attacks, and use force to cut off its head.
And to convert that into money, you have to kill it cleanly without damaging the corpse.
Most working people don't have that much time and concentration to invest in a game.
So the players who do Rice-Eating in Fantastia are only those who have given up on their real lives and ground their lives into the virtual reality within the game.
That type of person was exactly me and Yoon-seo.
"Wow, it's really like reality."
It's truly amazing. Did technology reach a singularity while I was in prison?
I'm sure our society wasn't at this level.
Maybe it's thanks to AI.
While I was looking around the virtual world with crazy graphics, someone spoke to me.
"Why do you think conspiracy theories about it being another world are circulating?"
Wow.
Look at that nickname state.
"Look who's talking."
"No, usually games pop up a reconfirmation message when you input a nickname, don't they?"
It was a name I entered as a joke.
But this became my nickname.
"This is a mistake!"
"Should I have told you beforehand? Actually, my nickname was decided that way too. There are many victims."
"Isn't there a nickname change ticket?"
"There is, but it's expensive."
"How much."
"100 million."
From today on, won't you call me 'Schrödinger's Virgin'?
Seeing my face turn solemn upon hearing the price, Yoon-seo burst out laughing.
"How can a person's nick be Schrödinger's Virgin?"
"Whatever, Princess Baby Rice-Eater."
"At least my nickname is cute; you can't even present a business card anywhere."
She quieted down, then burst out laughing again as if finding it funny on second thought.
"Anyway, I guess it bothers you? That day's event."
Damn it, this woman is quite annoying.
I asked a question to quickly change the topic of conversation.
"Is level 24 high?"
"Guess you're not curious, I was going to tell you."
"...."
"Yep, I won't tell you~ Just kidding, right?"
I want to smack her once.
"Answer."
"Puh-heup, well... max level is 300. To hear that you're high level, you have to pass 200. I'm also a newbie who hasn't started long ago."
"How long does it take to hit 200?"
"About 3 years? And that's based on playing more than 10 hours a day."
"...What kind of game makes leveling up so difficult?"
"Because it's not an ordinary game. If it was a level any Tom, Dick, or Harry could easily raise, all of humanity would be doing Rice-Eating."
Wrapping up the small talk, Yoon-seo explained the game to me.
Thanks to her, I could understand the game smoothly.
"Right, did you receive your Unique Trait?"
"Unique Trait?"
"Check it, there's probably a notification."
There is a concept called Unique Trait in Fantastia.
Individual abilities that every player can have two of.
This is really ghostly.
With a system using brainwave deep learning or whatever, a player whose specialty is cooking gets a trait that gives buff effects to food.
A player who is a kendo prospect gets a trait that gives corrections to swords.
In other words, the 1st Unique Trait was an ability given at the start of the game tailored to the player's actions outside the game.
Conversely, the 2nd Unique Trait is determined by actions within the game.
The second trait given as a 1000-day login reward is decided by how each player spent their time in Fantastia.
Of course, that was still a far-off story, so I focused on the first trait I would receive.
My life is a mess, so what ability will be granted?
Watching closely, an effect pops up with a ta-da.
"It says so?"
"...You're fucked."
There were two reasons Yoon-seo said I was fucked.
One is that luck disappears.
"The higher the Luck stat, the better the items drop from monsters. We have to pick those up and sell them, but since your Luck stat is fixed at 0 because of your trait, you're doomed."
And the other is.
"To be a wizard, you have to be good at studying."
"What?"
It's just a game, but I have to study?
"Are you good at studying?"
I heard I was smart since I was young, but because of family circumstances, I never properly studied.
"No?"
"You're fucked."
"Just how much do I have to do?"
"Some professor said that if you study for the time it takes to research magic and pull your weight, you could go to Seoul National University."
"I'm really fucked."
In a game where traits take up half the importance, it's like starting after throwing away the trait.
And taking the demerit of 0 Luck on top of that.
"You really have bad luck, don't you?"
"...Driving me crazy, really."
There was a very surprising fact.
The good brain I was praised for when I was young was much better than I thought.
"It works?"
"What the, how did you do it?"
"I memorized formulas floating around the internet and applied them appropriately, and magic just worked?"
"...I couldn't understand even looking at it."
[ < Schrödinger's Virgin > uses 'Fireball'. ]
"This is hard?"
To think I was actually a genius.
What if I had been born in a normal family?
Would I have entered Seoul National University by now and been on a roll?
Getting a job at a large corporation, being loved by others.
Living a happy daily life receiving a stable salary.
Suddenly I imagine such bitter things.
'Damn it.'
Imagining this constantly only makes me depressed.
I raised my tension looking at Yoon-seo who is annoying but at least has a pretty face.
"What are you looking at."
"Your face."
"Pretty, right?"
"You are a bit pretty?"
"Ahaha, thank you."
Spending a few weeks together, we got slightly closer and became a relationship where we exchange jokes.
This was possible because there were absolutely no acts of her actually reporting me or threatening me with my weakness.
Yoon-seo asked.
"Then job advancement to Wizard?"
"No, I think advancing to Thief would be better."
Each job has something called a stat bonus.
When leveling up and raising stats, there are stats that receive additional bonuses.
If I choose Thief, those are Luck and Agility.
But if I raise Luck by 1, I gain 1 Intelligence and 1 Mana.
After calculating, I concluded that rather than choosing Wizard and raising Intelligence and Mana.
It's easier to become stronger by choosing Thief and raising Luck.
"Just because I'm a Thief doesn't mean I can't use magic."
"First time seeing a Thief who uses magic."
"You said the main thing starts from the 2nd job advancement anyway."
Whatever I chose for the 1st job advancement, I can choose a different job for the 2nd.
"I can choose a magic job then."
Finishing the job advancement to a magic-using Thief.
"It would have been perfect if my nickname was 'Magic-Using Thief'."
"Why, I like Schrödinger's Virgin though?"
"Only you would like it."
We played the game hard.
Frontline is Lee Yoon-seo.
Rearguard was taken by me.
At first, I wondered if combat would be viable since Yoon-seo's job was also Thief like me.
Have you heard of Evasion Tank?
"How did you dodge that?"
"I saw it."
If I'm a genius in intelligence, Yoon-seo had a natural sense for using her body.
The sight of an Agility-all-in Thief lasting 30 minutes in front of a boss monster could be regarded as a beast itself.
Our coordination was good too, and I thought we would be on a roll like this.
Although the wall of reality was a bit harsh.
"...Is this really making money?"
"Thinking about making money already at a low level?"
"Ha, shit, I have no money in my account."
Like that, a few days, a few weeks, a few months.
Every time we adventured, we gradually became closer.
Before we knew it, we became a relationship where we chatted without hesitation.
"Ohh, Schrödinger's Virgin. How do you feel looking at that pretty-faced Mermaid over there?"
"She is uglier than you, Princess Baby Rice-Eater."
"In that case, cut off that bitch's head."
However, even though we got close, there was no strange atmosphere flowing between us.
Because we had no time to pay attention to that.
"Breaking news, this month's revenue 300,000 won."
"This is all because your Luck stat is 0."
"I pulled an accessory worth 2 million cash last month though?"
"That was the best luck you used in your life."
We said it jokingly, but the amount earned was too small.
My terrible Luck stat played a big part in this game.
I wish I could create a new account like other games.
But Fantastia had a strict 1-person-1-account rule.
Wouldn't it be better for Yoon-seo to do Rice-Eating alone?
One day I offered such an opinion, but.
"...It can't be without you."
"Why?"
"...Anyway, it can't be."
Only whining returned.
One day, about a year after we met.
"The landlady says she's raising the rent."
"That's why, driving me crazy really."
"Shall we live together to save money?"
Suddenly, Yoon-seo dropped a bombshell statement.