Zodiac's Successors
"What's up? At this hour?"
"Yawn, yeah. I was in the middle of hunting."
"You still grinding the game? What a total shut-in."
"Says the guy who was probably just lurking on the forums."
"Heh…."
Jin-su and Chan-ho, gathered at 2 a.m., dove straight into game talk the moment they met, as expected.
"Figured you'd finally hit me up after ages to grab a drink, not chill at some cafe."
The all-night cafe was quiet despite a few couples on dates and some drunks passed out—no real noise to speak of.
"Good for talking. Fewer eyes around."
I slid the coffees I'd ordered over to the two who'd rushed out at my call even in the dead of night.
"Something's up, huh? Must be big if we had to meet in person."
Jin-su clocked my intent immediately. I always handled truly sensitive stuff face-to-face—hacking risks lurked on any line.
"Why not just crash at Hyun-woo's capsule room? No prying eyes there, and we could log back in right after."
Chan-ho yawned, looking beat.
"This has to stay secret from Hyun-woo too, you know that. Besides, you get what kinda place this cafe is."
Jin-su shot him a look, but Chan-ho already knew the score.
"Right. And today's meetup day anyway."
With Dimension World's resources valid in reality, the game was no longer just a game—it was another reality. Beyond casual players, sports stars, celebs, corps, and politicians were all tangled up, so clean hands weren't the only ones in play.
Dimension World's virtual influence bled into the real world, and not just the shiny parts—like the assassin group Yukhap lurking in-game….
Back when Dimension World first launched, it was chaos.
Execs, pols, big-name celebs—sudden deaths piled up. No obvious links, but they were all top-ranked players.
Media spun it as overwork at first, reviving old game shutdown laws and pushing regs. But forums smelled bullshit. Sure, some randos, but mostly public figures. Self-neglect gaming to death? Hard sell.
Doubts snowballed: not overwork, assassinations? Surest way to kill an in-game character?
Kill the real person.
Hard to gank a top ranker in-game, easy IRL. Rumors turned real with leaks; governments signed a global pact.
Player Protection Law
All Dimension World players must issue ID cards and log daily check-ins/outs.
Incidents persisted. Hiding behind char names didn't stop doxxing in this era.
That's why I use my real name—safer to own it.
Nations escalated to player protection treaties. Anti-game campaigns flared, but nuking a game played by a quarter of 8 billion? Impossible.
"…."
I glanced out the window at the few loitering by the cafe.
Safety Protection Zone.
Looked like any cafe, but government-vetted for elite players only. Miss check-in day? Instant welfare check.
We called 'em meetup days.
"So, what's the big talk?"
Jin-su cut in first.
"Nam-gung Yun hit you up yet?"
"Not yet."
"Who's that?"
"Hmm…."
Not much time since White Swamp, so maybe not at Deus Union. Early service—no teleports or high-end scrolls; foot travel took ages.
"Nam-gung Yun'll find you soon. Gave him the key—grab it from him and raid the shrine ASAP."
"Key? That prep you mentioned?"
"Yep."
Sharp Chan-ho jumped on it.
"Finally done, huh? Thought I'd die of boredom grinding."
"What's our move now?"
Their eyes lit up.
"First, your intel. You weren't just slacking."
"Boss…."
Chan-ho smirked at me.
"Master exploiter. Ours is Deus Union-limited—can't job-change, stuck at start zone."
"Whose fault?"
I grinned at Jin-su's gripe.
"Like I said, Kabala Clan holds the fort. Master Itsuki Minami just grad Red Tower. Rumor: Flame Seeker hidden class."
"Hm."
I nodded. Fire mage Itsuki snagging Red Tower's hidden? Predictable.
Flame Seeker—one of my Glory's 9 from the dream. She took it.
Slight pang, but whatever.
Watch and see. Second job-change decides: legendary or heroic downgrade?
"Post-grad, Red Tower officially backs Kabala. Deon Kingdom too. Snagged one of Deus's three schools—prime expansion spot."
"No big threats for the other towers. Deus has shot, but 8 Clans' turf? Gotta play nice."
"Weird part: Hyun-woo's in Deus."
"Muak Clan? Melee-heavy, right? Magic weak."
Chan-ho nodded at me.
"Exactly. Sketchy?"
"Hmm… Geom-san's a wildcard. No clue his playstyle. Wonder what he's scheming…."
Geom-san—Hyun-woo's char, infamous in forums for different reasons. Muak Clan #2 domestically, fanboy central for maniacs, thanks to his style.
"Most split combat/production; hunters vs. PvP shift builds. Geom-san's all-rounded everything."
"Popular, sure—but why not #1? Jack-of-all's master of none. Clan drags."
They dissected Muak.
"Dunno. Old vets galore—no real classes."
"Yeah…."
"Capsule room uncle squad's a sight."
They shook heads at my jab. Muak: weirdos loving Geom-san's vibe.
"Magic swordsmen shunned, crafters skipping combat, priests learning spells—and still #2? Elite."
"Their kingdom base?"
Deus Union: Deon, Liuon, Swan—three small nations under Red, Blue, White Towers. Distinct flavors.
"That's…."
Chan-ho frowned.
"None."
"…What?"
"Old vets, man. Found a small city off-Deus, close enough to walk post-char-create."
"No way…."
I snorted at the small city in Deus turf.
Towers hoard systems; mages must join.
Or so the lore goes.
But mercs/adventurers had freelance mages.
"Universal Academy?"
Chan-ho nodded.
"Yep. Prispel small city."
Indie magic researchers—magic for all. But mid-tier max vs. towers' polish. Towers tolerated 'em.
World-lore stuff I knew.
Yukhap found Yulmun; early scouting nabs Prispel.
"That nudge at the capsule room paid off…."
Muak in Prispel screamed one possibility.
"Still Deus-adjacent weirdness to fight 8 Clans seriously."
"Not necessarily."
I shook head at Jin-su's snap.
Universal's meh now, but soon Prispel's miracle saint drops.
Glory's 9: Rage Master Restun.
Heretic mage mocking all towers, birthed new system.
Not just spells—swords, martial, spirits, polar rites. All mashed.
Ultimate freak. Muak fit.
"We can't lag."
Curious slash competitive about Geom-san's growth.
"Your levels?"
"28. Jin-su's 29."
"Stats per level?"
"+5-ish?"
"Solid. Grinding reps over levels ain't easy."
"Wouldn't if you didn't order. Skipped hunts for production quests—max prof over XP."
"Boring grind, good work."
Chan-ho shrugged, smug underneath.
"Time to bounce…."
"Finally ditching this city. Next move?"
"Raid Huanrok Altar."
"…?"
Blank stares.
"Holds the top legendary job I know."
"…!!"
"…!!"
"Luck hits, both job-change. No pressure—play your class."
I eyed 'em tense, expectant—more than Chilya Sword Master.
"Pass now? Dumb after all this."
"Duh."
No hesitation.
"Thanks. Couldn't without you."
Relief sighed out.
"What has the great Kim Do-hyun this worked up?"
"You need it for my final puzzle. Overwhelming edge in coming wars."
If Sword God Gullak peaked blades, these revived lost ones.
"Zodiac successors."
I whispered it low.
"Wielders of the 12 zodiac spirits."