Prologue: Hardcore vs. Casual Gamers
There are so many games in the world.
From ancient ones like Go to the pinnacle of modern science—virtual reality games—there are countless games you couldn't even begin to count.
But no matter how many types of games there are, they all chase one core value.
Fun!
You play games because they're fun.
Of course, some people play for other reasons, but at its root, it's all about that 'fun' factor.
And depending on how you experience that fun, gamers split into two main camps.
-Argh, what the hell? What kind of ranker gives orders like that?! You should've pulled their DPS the other way just now!
-Hey, can't you see the rest of the team taking damage because of you? You trolling or what? This is just a game to you? If you're gonna half-ass it, quit right now!
-I dumped a ton into this raid. If it fails, we're screwed for real.
-You play games to win!
The type who finds fun in victory.
They see games as a competitive arena, savoring the thrill of dominating others. They're willing to sacrifice anything for wins or higher rankings.
These are the so-called 'tryhards'—the hardcore crowd.
And on the opposite end are the 'enjoyers'.
-Ah, game over. Fist mage really just for laughs, huh?
-Isn't it prejudice to think shotguns mean shooting bullets just 'cause? What if you swing it like a melee weapon? Might hit harder?
-Oops, lost again 'cause I played how I wanted. Make an alt?
Enjoyers don't obsess over wins. They dive into the game's variety.
Winning's nice, but losing? No biggie.
If it's fun even when you're losing, they keep going.
When these two types play together, it's a recipe for disaster—100% of the time. Their values clash head-on.
The fix is simple: Tryhards play with tryhards, enjoyers with enjoyers. Or go solo. No one's forcing you.
But what if, just what if, a tryhard and an enjoyer had to game together until death?
"What else? The desperate one bends the knee. Right?"
-......Shut up, asshole. Damn. What sin did I commit in a past life?
This is the story of a tryhard-enjoyer hybrid charging toward the top.
The trigger was simple.
'Is it really that fun?'
Jeonghun pondered that as he overheard two guys brushing past him.
Not just them, though.
These days, no matter the time or place, talk of that game was everywhere.
"Whoa, it's insane."
"No wonder other RPGs tanked. It's breathtaking every time."
Everyone on the street stared up at the massive billboard screen on the building rooftop.
-GRRAAAAAHHH!!!
Screens don't make noise, but when the dragon on-screen roared, it felt like it was bellowing right in your face.
Overwhelming realism. This must be what they mean by auto-playing audio.
A handsome knight charged at the dragon.
No hesitation, even against that behemoth. He closed the gap, kicked off the ground, and leaped with power.
Thud!
His airborne sword glowed brilliant gold. The dragon countered with scorching flames.
Just as blade met breath—
Sleek fonts spelled out Last Savior, and the ad ended.
Some onlookers snapped out of it and moved on.
All but Jeonghun. He kept staring.
"......Damn, that's slick."
He'd passed this ad dozens of times walking the street, but today it hit different—piercing straight to the heart.
Jeonghun stood frozen, watching the looping ad over and over.
Nine loops later, he nodded.
'Let's do it.'
His aimless stroll turned toward the towering building.
It was half a year after the world's second VR game, Last Savior, launched.
"Alright, basic setup looks familiar."
Jeonghun muttered as he reclined on the capsule's sofa.
Thankfully, Last Savior's login pod wasn't much different from other VR rigs.
Soft cushions enveloped him gently.
'First VR game in almost a year?'
23 years old.
Like most guys in their early 20s, he gamed plenty.
But not hardcore. Jeonghun wasn't the type to grind one game to death. He sampled everything lightly, hopping between titles.
Too many fun games out there to stick to one.
Enjoyer, not tryhard. New release? Dive in, play casually, move on. Classic casual gamer.
So naturally, he'd jumped on the world's first VR game at launch.
'Real Fantasia. Half a year, maybe?'
A year and a half ago.
Nox dropped the first VR game ever.
11 years in development, billions in costs—a mega VR MMORPG.
Ads everywhere half a year pre-launch. Gamers flocked, Jeonghun included.
Launch day for the blockbuster...
'Was meh.'
Another reality. Another fantasy.
All hype, no substance. Graphics worse than B-movies, optimization a joke—crowded spots lagged hard.
Story? Trash. Content? Trash.
Total disaster.
The game bombed hard. Jeonghun quit after half a year.
It limped on thanks to VR novelty and diehard RPG fans, but cemented the idea: 'VR games are still too much.'
Exactly one year post-Real Fantasia...
An unknown studio dropped Last Savior, the second VR game.
And it delivered a true other reality.
"They gotta be aliens, right?"
L.A.S.E.—Last Savior's devs, aka RaSe.
Coincidence or not, the name matched Korea's shorthand for the game.
"Lemme check."
Jeonghun fiddled with the pod controls, pulling up the official site to dig for info.
But...
"As rumored."
The barren page screamed negligence—barely any game screenshots, a free board, Q&A. No basics, no dev info.
Prime failure bait. But Last Savior thrived.
Veiled devs.
'Figure it out yourself' vibe—no handholding.
Hidden pieces and Easter eggs galore.
Mind-blowing tech blurring reality.
And fun.
This combo sparked wild synergy.
Like a novel or movie setup, the shrouded studio's 'godgame' ignited gamers' dreams.
'Sucks I didn't start sooner. If not for that incident half a year ago...'
Six months.
Short for life, eternity for online games. Leaders had entrenched by now.
Half a year back, some mess wrecked Jeonghun mentally—no gaming mood.
Three months later, recovered and ready—but drama hit Last Savior.
A player died in-game.
First Korean VR death. Society freaked.
But uproar faded fast.
No global deaths post-incident. Key: victim was severely malnourished.
Game fine; player starved playing. Official medical statement.
'Should've started then, no chickening out.'
But human psychology isn't pure facts.
'What if?' lingered despite clearances.
Jeonghun too—three more months passed, totaling six.
No death reports in that time, obviously.
"Regret's pointless now..."
He muttered, donning VR goggles. One button to go.
"Hoo."
Deep breath. Button pressed.
Flash.
Login to a new world.
"Whoa. Insane."
Jeonghun flexed his fist in disbelief, patting himself down.
Sensations identical to reality. Awe spilled out.
"Real Fantasia was straight garbage compared."
How could contemporaries differ this much?
Makes sense why alien dev jokes flew.
"Where's that...? Ah, there."
Awe short-lived. He spotted something amid the blank void.
In pristine white expanse, one object screamed out of place.
"Heard about it, but... straight-up gacha machine."
A vending machine.
Holy aura in the sacred space, yet alien.
Jeonghun chuckled wryly, approaching.
Bigger than soda machines. Transparent top held capsules marked '?' instead of drinks.
No buttons—just a coin slot.
"Draw Patron Spirit here to start, huh? Hm..."
Unlike standard MMOs, Last Savior required drawing a Patron Spirit first.
Patron Spirits: lifelong guardian deities shaping growth, skills, everything.
First draw critical. Why many called it 'luck-shitshow game'.
'Eh, not thrilled.'
Jeonghun knew gachas well—played tons, some for years.
But love them? Hell no.
'How much did I blow? Ugh...'
Gachas: Draw items/heroes, build chars.
Issue: Paid pulls dwarf free ones vastly.
Forces whaling. Jeonghun had sunk plenty.
Stuck years not for fun, but sunk-cost hell!
Insane monetization.
Abysmal rates.
Gamers foamed at gacha mentions.
But not Last Savior. Simple reason: fair.
Min-wage worker or oil baron—same pulls: 10x10 multis = 100 total.
No extras, even for whales. Iris-scan 1ID/1char—no reset grinding.
'Can delete/remake, but huge penalties.'
Stats nerfed or something? Anti-reset system, vaguely recalled.
Pure. Luck. Fair fight.
Whales whined; masses loved no-P2W.
'100 pulls? Generous!'
10 multis x10. Sounds plenty—but nah. Jeonghun summoned system for web surf.
Keyword 'Inventory' now available. Say 'Inventory' to open. Change in settings.
"RaSe IpVen."
Official site mum; users shared.
Half-year-old game, massive community: RaSe IpVen.
"Here we go... Ah, this."
"......Chaos."
Newbies for ratings.
Vets curious.
Patron board always buzzing.
Jeonghun clicked top post: 'Patron Spirit Guide: Complete Breakdown'—most recs.
"Hm."
Lists followed: best spirits. TL;DR: Good patron key.
"Guess I pull."
He tapped the blinking ! in corner vision.
Keyword ‘Inventory’ available. Say ‘Inventory’ to activate. Changeable in settings.
"Inventory."
Inventory popped up: 10 coins.
Obvious use.
Grabbed one.
"Hoo."
Grades 1-9. Higher rarer—7+ mythical.
Fancy effects for high rolls, like other gachas.
1-5: Nada.
6: Silver. 7: Gold. 8: Rainbow.
9: Myths only, unverified.
"Game's solid. Heart's even pounding."
Why so tense?
Snorted, slotted coin.
Clink.
"Eh?"
Tingle in chest—heart area.
Glanced down, but—
Whirr!
Capsules churned wildly. Eyes locked.
Pop!
Lid burst; 10 capsules spun in air.
"......Huh?"
Second dumbfounded noise. Not chest this time.
Gold.
Blinding gold amid 10—one too hard to gaze at.
"Jackpot."
Not one—two. Two golden capsules out of ten.