Chapter 1
Chapter 1
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: A Psychopath Logs In
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"Mother."
"..."
The kindergarten principal wore a troubled expression.
Behind her, a group of children were crying their eyes out.
And amidst those children, one boy stood alone, tilting his head with a smile.
It was the son Jeong Hui-seon herself had given birth to.
*Sigh.*
No explanation was needed.
He had caused some kind of trouble again.
She hadn't heard the details yet, but seeing the bawling children and the one smiling in front of them with a look of pure innocence... it was clear who was at fault.
Jeong Hui-seon bowed her head.
"I'm sorry."
"Oh, no, it's alright."
The principal, flustered by the unexpectedly polite apology, waved her hands dismissively.
In truth, the principal had been bracing for the parent to turn the tables and act indignant.
In these situations, it wasn't uncommon for parents to shamelessly defend their children.
This tendency was even more pronounced when the child was young and had psychological issues.
"What should I do?"
But at least this parent wasn't like that.
Seeing a chance for an unexpectedly smooth resolution, the principal's face brightened.
She usually tried to handle issues between the children herself, but...
"Today, it's a bit difficult. He, uh, made another child cry."
"Ah..."
"Could you please take him home for the day?"
"I understand."
"Yes, and please don't worry too much."
The principal said with a smile.
She would explain things to the crying child and their parents.
*Sigh.*
At those words, Jeong Hui-seon let out a sigh of relief and patted her chest.
It would have been a real problem if his admission had been revoked this time, too.
Thankfully, it wasn't a major incident, so things didn't escalate too seriously.
*Well then...*
She pulled her son's hand.
"Let's go."
* * *
Jeong Hui-seon was a psychiatrist.
An elite doctor who had secured a professorship at a university hospital just five years after graduating from medical school.
She had treated countless types of patients.
From those with mild depression to patients who had made extreme choices due to severe panic disorders.
It was mentally exhausting.
But this issue resolved itself naturally over time.
She grew accustomed to the work.
By meeting many different people, she learned to face her patients with composure, without getting buried in emotion.
But there was just one exception.
A case where that wasn't possible.
"..."
Jeong Hui-seon stopped in the middle of a quiet park and lowered her gaze.
There, oblivious to her turmoil, sat a boy watching a line of ants on the ground.
Lee Shin.
Her son.
Hui-seon asked with a small smile.
"Is it interesting?"
The response came a beat later.
"Yes."
"What is?"
"How do they find their way?"
"The ants? Hmm..."
Jeong Hui-seon thought for a moment before answering.
"They follow the pheromones they've left behind."
"...?"
"It's like perfume. Something humans can't smell."
"Ah..."
With just a few words of explanation, Lee Shin understood the principle.
Seeing this, Jeong Hui-seon thought to herself.
*His comprehension is excellent.*
This wasn't just a mother's bias.
It was the extremely objective view of a psychiatrist.
Shin's intellectual development was clearly superior to that of his peers.
In most areas, such as calculation, cognition, and language skills.
But that wasn't the problem.
The one thing the boy lacked.
*Empathy.*
Specifically, his emotional empathy was extremely low.
He could easily grasp the principles of things, but he couldn't comprehend the feelings of others.
Perhaps he didn't feel the need to understand.
Or both.
Whatever the case, it needed to be addressed.
And she had already identified the cause of the problem.
From the perspective of a psychiatrist, not a parent, the symptoms were clear.
*Antisocial personality disorder.*
A disorder for which the term 'psychopath' is often overused.
In reality, it wasn't a particularly rare condition.
Four to five percent of the total population has this disorder.
And it was less common than one might think for it to develop into a serious social problem.
This was mostly because their antisocial traits weren't severe, or because they were well-socialized as children.
Or both.
Thanks to this, many of these individuals went through life without ever knowing about their condition, often ending their days being seen as just 'a little peculiar'.
*That's the best-case scenario, but...*
Regardless of reality, people feel an immediate aversion to the word 'psychopath'.
If he could live his life without anyone, including himself, knowing, that would be best.
The ideal situation would be to tell him, "The truth is..." when he was around fifty.
However.
*We're past that stage.*
Lee Shin's antisocial traits had already become too apparent.
Simply ignoring it could lead to bigger problems later on.
In the end, after returning home.
Hui-seon made a decision.
She would do her best to educate her child.
"Shin."
Fortunately, the boy had many strengths in other areas.
She believed that if she used those, she could educate him effectively.
"I heard you took a friend's toy today."
"...?"
The direction of this education was a little different from the usual methods.
"He's not my friend."
"Then."
"He's Jeong Cheol-yeong."
"...Right, Cheol-yeong. I heard you took Cheol-yeong's thing."
Shin nodded.
Jeong Hui-seon asked.
"Why?"
"Because I wanted it."
"I see."
And this was where the lesson began.
However, she had no intention of teaching her child about 'morality'.
*It's meaningless anyway.*
Shin couldn't empathize with others.
As a result, the conventional distinction between good and evil didn't resonate with him.
It could be forcibly ingrained through long-term education, but that could have adverse effects.
From a psychiatrist's perspective, it would be an interesting case study, but naturally, Hui-seon had no intention of conducting such an experiment on her own son.
She used a different method.
"Shin. Want to try a quiz?"
"A quiz?"
"Yes. Let's say. Shin brought a snack to kindergarten."
She paused for a moment.
Jeong Hui-seon continued.
"Would it be more beneficial to share it? Or would it be a loss?"
"..."
Shin blinked before answering.
With an expression that seemed to ask why she was asking something so obvious.
"A loss."
Jeong Hui-seon shook her head.
"No."
"!"
"Think carefully. If you don't share your snack, will the other kids share their snacks with you next time?"
"..."
Shin fell into deep thought.
Then, after a long moment, he answered.
"...No."
"Exactly."
The fortunate thing for Shin was that his parent was a psychiatrist.
Jeong Hui-seon didn't bother teaching her child about morality and good.
Instead, she focused on teaching him how his actions affected his 'gains and losses'.
It was to make him logically understand that 'antisocial behavior is not beneficial to you!'
And this method was extremely effective.
Don't use violence.
Don't take other people's things.
Don't cross the boundaries of the law.
The realm of logic and reason was something Shin could comprehend, so the boy learned quickly.
As a result, after about five years.
Shin's antisocial tendencies had now completely vanished.
In fact, only his original strengths were highlighted, to the point where he became quite likable to others.
Even though this was the outcome she had hoped for, Hui-seon was a little taken aback.
*How did this happen?*
He adapted too quickly.
Is it possible to be this fast?
Usually, this kind of problem isn't resolved in a few years; it's something one carries for a lifetime...
She observed Lee Shin's behavior closely and soon discovered the reason for this phenomenon.
Shin had, at some point, learned to perfectly separate his public self from his true self.
This was a 'distinction' made with his full awareness, so it was fundamentally different from a split personality.
To be precise, it was the process of creating a public mask, a multi-persona.
He had found his own way to adapt quickly.
But...
'...'
This caused extreme stress.
It was only natural.
Because in every process of meeting, talking, and being with others, he had to calculate every single one of his actions.
No matter how used to it he became, it still consumed a great deal of mental energy.
It was an unavoidable problem, but Jeong Hui-seon wanted to find a solution somehow.
For a child like him, managing mental fatigue was a very important issue.
But how?
Obviously, he couldn't take it out on others. That would turn everything they'd done into nothing.
Relying on his parents was also something that should be reduced for the sake of his future.
*Exercise? No, something better than that...*
It would be best if he could find a way to relieve it on his own.
After much deliberation, Hui-seon came up with the best method.
There was something perfect for it.
"Son."
"Yes?"
A place where he didn't have to wear a mask.
A place where he could relieve his stress to his heart's content.
"Want to try playing a game?"
...This would later lead to,
4 account suspensions.
617 cumulative reports.
7,215 cumulative PKs (Player Kills).
Setting records in more ways than one.
It was the announcement of the birth of a legend.
* * *
[Welcome! Adventurer.]
The game Jeong Hui-seon recommended was incredibly effective.
A space that was surprisingly similar to reality, yet not real.
No one knew Lee Shin there, which gave him a great sense of psychological comfort.
On top of that, the game itself was excellent, and Lee Shin was instantly hooked.
When Lee Shin focused on something, his concentration was astounding.
His insight and senses were also exceptional, so the results followed naturally.
Just one year after he started playing the game.
[You have hunted the Red-Claw Orc, Balak!]
[This is a great achievement. You have acquired a large amount of experience.]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[...]
[You have entered the rankings!]
[Your name and level will now be displayed.]
[Current Rank: 100th]
Lee Shin had become a ranker.
And that's when the incident happened.
An incident that would cause a huge stir in Avala Online.
* * *
"You're the one? The one who stole my rank."
"...!?"
Lee Shin was ambushed in the field.
It happened without warning.
[You have died.]
His level dropped, he dropped an item, and he received a 72-hour connection ban penalty.
For Lee Shin, who was now competing in the rankings, it was a crippling penalty.
Lee Shin was baffled.
He had died while hunting before, but never to another player.
Of course, he knew that PK was possible according to the game's system.
But it rarely happened in practice.
Attempting a PK greatly increased one's infamy, and high infamy brought serious disadvantages to overall gameplay.
In other words, it was an act where you had a lot to lose just by trying.
And yet...
*But he killed me in the field.*
A ranker, at that.
Why would someone with so much to lose do that?
The question was answered only after Lee Shin belatedly learned about Avala Online's ranking system and the situation of rankers.
The guy was a famous streamer, and Avala Online's rankings were displayed starting from exactly 100th place.
So he had judged that maintaining his 'ranker title' was more beneficial, even if his infamy rose.
The emotion Lee Shin felt upon understanding the full story wasn't injustice.
Rather, he received a fresh shock.
He realized that the 'social contract' he had been following out of habit could be ignored here.
...And this was the realization that shattered the psychological shackles Lee Shin had been tenuously wearing.
*That's right.*
This is a game, after all.
If I want to, I can do whatever I want here.
In that case...
'...'
Three days later, the first thing Lee Shin did after respawning was to find the ranker who killed him and get his revenge.
It wasn't a difficult task.
He could find the guy's location in real-time just by watching his stream.
*Stab! Stab-stab!*
Lee Shin succeeded in his revenge by ambushing him in the field in the exact same way.
And it was then that Lee Shin realized for the first time.
That hunting players.
Was far more fun than completing quests and hunting monsters.
'...'
This small incident dramatically changed Lee Shin's playstyle.
He began to deny the very essence of an RPG and started hunting other players.
Of course, he earned an enormous amount of resentment in the process, but.
*Who cares.*
As long as I'm having fun!
Lee Shin didn't care in the slightest.
Countless users died at his hands.
As a result, reports piled up terrifyingly, and he was occasionally suspended.
But still, Lee Shin didn't stop.
In reality, he would have held back, but this was a game. What reason was there to endure?
Of course, his victims didn't just sit back and take it.
A few victims who had suffered particularly badly at his hands planned a tear-soaked revenge.
They actively gathered people and formed a meticulous plan.
*We will definitely get him!*
*And take back what he stole!*
They hired people to track Lee Shin's location.
They rewatched videos to analyze his weaknesses.
They bought gear specifically for PvP...
Due to the existence of a common enemy, the plan seemed to be progressing in an instant, but...
Before the plan could be executed.
A post appeared on the Avala Online community forums.
[Selling my items.]
Lee Shin, now a student preparing for exams, quietly left Avala Online.
And one year later.
Around the time Lee Shin's name was gradually being forgotten among the players.
[Higher freedom. More vivid sensations.]
[We invite you to a more perfect virtual world!]
The sequel, Avala Online 2, which easily surpassed the sales of Avala Online 1, was released.