Chapter 1
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 0
Chapter Title: Prologue
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[…Understood. I accept your offer to join the corps.]
The moment he saw that message, Jihoo let out a string of curses, his voice booming with joy.
Fuck, I did it. Finally…!
Even among the characters in Guild Master, the investment-nurturing game infamous for its brutal difficulty, this woman—Agnes Neptune—was one of the handful with recruitment challenges that could break the hardest players.
Jihoo had already reeled in a string of notoriously tough recruits, so he dove into this one with cocky confidence, too. But who could've guessed this bitch alone would devour a full five hundred hours of playtime?
Crazy woman, for real.
To make matters worse, her raid routes were randomized by scenario, leaving no reliable guides at all. Breaking through that insane wall to secure her? Of course he was overwhelmed with emotion.
Of course, her stats rampaged at a level matching the ordeal. As a living legend in the mercenary world from the start, her value was a given—but even among the elite mercenaries, she stood head and shoulders above. Her growth was beautifully balanced, too, spread evenly across the board.
Jihoo figured he'd immortalize this triumphant moment with a screenshot. Then blast it across the community forums to rub it in everyone's faces.
He snapped the shot, uploaded it, and bragged his heart out. Before long, a bone-deep lethargy washed over him, forcing out a massive yawn. …Well, yeah, he'd pulled an all-nighter grinding for Agnes. Tired was an understatement.
Gazing at the faint dawn light creeping in through the window, he collapsed onto his bed.
…Supposed to head to the main house today.
But his body had already surrendered to sleep ages ago.
The instant his eyes shut, his mind whisked away from the real world.
Knock knock knock.
Jihoo jolted awake at the sound.
Ah—.
But the sight before him wasn't his dingy studio apartment. It was some archaic room straight out of a period drama, one he'd never laid eyes on before.
—Young Master.
As if,
—Did you cough, sir?
the world of Guild Master itself—.