The Father of Virtual Technology
In 2030, the landscape of virtual reality was completely transformed by the launch of the third-generation Neuron Interface, created by Choi Hyuk-su—the developer hailed as the father of virtual technology. Among them, Dimension World, crafted by Choi Hyuk-su himself, exploded onto the scene with phenomenal popularity from day one. People boldly declared that no virtual reality could surpass it.
But now, the world had entered a new phase.
Dimension World, praised as a flawless world that hadn't seen a single update in five years, had suddenly announced its service termination.
Predictably, the backlash from players was enormous.
"Dimension World's service will end as scheduled. There will be no exceptions."
At the press conference, Choi Hyuk-su responded without a hint of hesitation.
"In the newly launching Dimension World 2, all players will create new characters and start from level 1."
His words left the crowd stunned.
"Won't existing users revolt hard against this?! The industry has poured massive investments into VR services already!"
"This could trigger huge economic issues on a national scale!"
"What about compensation for current users?"
Questions poured in from the reporters. But developer Choi Hyuk-su answered their barrage calmly, as if he'd anticipated it all.
"Well, it seems a shift in thinking is needed. Dimension World was just a test, after all."
"……!!!"
"……!!!"
The reporters' mouths snapped shut. The conference hall fell into instant silence.
"If anything, you could call it the first beta."
His statement was that shocking.
"I'll show you a world beyond Dimension World."
And with that, he erased the discontent of 1.5 billion players in one fell swoop. People saw it as a chance to reclaim what they'd lost—a land of opportunity. Some sought power. Others money. Comfort. Pleasure.
As sentences began appearing one by one on the electronic billboard set up behind the press conference, reporters' fingers flew across their keyboards, and the watching audience gasped in awe.
"Tomorrow night……."
One corner of Choi Hyuk-su's mouth slowly curved up, drawing every eye in the room.
"Dimension World 2 officially launches."
"Insane……."
The reaction from people worldwide who'd watched the press conference was unanimous.
Experts had predicted massive backlash, but it was surprisingly mild. Instead, praise poured in for Blade Company's bold decision to abandon Dimension World, one of the world's dominant markets.
"Talking about 10 billion like it's pocket change."
I scrolled through the useless posts on the community forum, letting out a hollow chuckle.
"As if Largon would recruit us. Those bastards tried to backstab us in the field after we wiped the floor with them."
Jin-su, sitting next to me, peeked at the screen, snickering and shaking his head.
"Dunno about the 10 billion, but yeah, looks like Largon is recruiting the whole Crude guild. Probably folding Panton entirely under Largon."
"Whoa... Panton's a big guild, right? 350 members, solid rankers too. Must've cost a fortune."
Chan-ho whistled at Jin-su's words.
"What about us?"
"Like they'd bother."
Jin-su smacked his lips in disappointment at Chan-ho's blunt reply.
"Fair enough... We're a thorn in their side. We crushed all their showoffs as solo players. You think they'll camp our levels the second we start over?"
"Scared?"
Both of them snorted at my question.
"Nah."
Their immediate answers made me grin too.
But there was no way they wouldn't come after us.
Still, better steer clear of corporate clan hotspots for now.
I kept scrolling without showing it, mulling over what lay ahead.
"They did say there'd be benefits for legacy players, right? Guess we start banking on that."
"There are rewards, but who knows what. If it's just gold, worthless. Once the exchange opens and items sell, real-world cash becomes in-game gold anyway."
"True……."
"Info's what matters most."
They nodded at my words.
"No matter the numbers, we topped massive clans because we had intel they never got."
Among mage classes, ice magic was tricky to control, so players avoided it. Hitting tier 3 was tough, but my hidden class Supreme once sparked a huge trend in ice mages.
But in the end, no other combat mage survived besides me. The grind to tier 2 was hard, but the real issue? No one found the Supreme job change quest.
Hidden class quests had unique acquisition but weren't exclusive. Completers could craft and share scrolls. Despite sky-high auction prices, big clans stocked hidden class players that way.
Plenty of clans and corps offered for my Supreme scroll too.
Early bids hit 7 billion in bidding wars.
But no way I'd sell. Tempting cash, sure—but it made me the unchallenged king of Dimension World. The real problem, though...
I gave a wry smile.
They had no clue the Supreme quest—the final tier 3 for combat mages, after mage and swordsman paths—was from a little girl, daughter of a retired mercenary in some starter village.
Without it, players got stuck as meh magic swordsmen. Rumors flew wild on forums, sparking chaos.
That hype made Supreme irresistible. The one job held by a single player out of 1.5 billion? Self-explanatory value.
But my Supreme wasn't some massive leap from tier 3 ice mage.
Its exclusive skills? Just two: the defensive spell Nute—layered ice barriers—and the offensive Musori—frost spikes.
Rare as exclusive magic, sure, but not balance-breaking.
Dimension World was huge, but harsh—no hand-holding. Combat feedback took ages to master; no hints on spells, skills, items, dungeons. A whole new world, literally. Paying for easier power-ups? Standard.
Exaggeration breeds imagination; imagination births idols.
That's why they obsessed over my class.
Skill alone wouldn't cut it, though.
"Info, huh……."
I bit my lip slightly.
"Yo, it's starting."
That's when Jin-su snapped me out of it.
[Woooooong…….]
A majestic BGM pierced the black screen on the monitor, unveiling a single knight.
The Dimension World opening trailer every player worldwide had awaited finally began.
Not just me—the whole capsule room glued to screens. No, the entire world in this moment.
"He's coming."
The knight said in a low voice.
Shiiiing—!!!!
Then he drew his sword. The sharp silver blade flashed toward the sky.
"Fight back."
He looked up. Nine knights stood in the hall's center, drawing their weapons in unison at his words.
The knight gazed at them briefly, closed his eyes, and drew a deep breath.
"Don't grieve."
"We fulfilled our duty."
Even as mere footage, the heat of battle felt palpable, as if we stood there.
"Let's fight."
"Guardians of the Empire...!!"
The knight slowly opened his eyes, looking at them as he spoke.
"Follow the lord!!"
The lead old knight among the nine—massive spear like a pillar across his shoulders—shouted with resolve.
His thick voice boomed from under the helmet's visor, echoing through the hall.
"Raaaaah—!!"
"Waaaaah—!!"
The others roared, shaking off fear.
"Under our lances."
The old knight led the chant; the rest slammed weapons to chests and bellowed.
"Glory awaits."
[Kyaaaaah—!!!]
[Grrrrr—!!!]
Monstrous roars from all sides. The warm sky ignited, scattering black ash; the holy prayers of citizens below turned to horrific screams beneath the capital.
Monsters swarmed—and the footage cut.
"……."
I was speechless watching the trailer.
"Insane."
"Whoa... Check that cinematics quality. Nuts."
"Choi Hyuk-su as expected."
Everyone else was the same. But while they lost themselves in the vivid sweat, blood, and lifelike detail, my reason was entirely different.
The faces of those knights locked in bloody combat.
Like reuniting with old friends, my shoulders trembled unconsciously as I stared.
"That guy……."
And the man at the front, gripping his sword. Face unseen in the footage, but I knew instantly.
...It was me.
"What the hell is going on?"
They say dreams come true.
But for me... my dream had returned as virtual reality.