Kim Ki-seok

"Please enter."

The female knight standing beside me, clad in dazzling armor, spoke as she pulled open the great door handle.

The massive doors swung wide, revealing the heart of the empire—the audience chamber.

Along both sides of the long crimson carpet stood the high knights, mages, and nobles who once commanded the continent, arrayed in perfect ranks.

Thud. Thud.

As I walked the carpet, the elegant throne came into view ahead—red velvet and gold wrought into perfect harmony. Beside it, beauties of every race and appearance welcomed me with warm smiles.

I sank onto the continent's foremost throne.

At once came the clatter of armor.

Clack! Clang!

In an instant the retainers dropped to one knee in salute.

Then the entire audience chamber rang with a single voice.

"My Lord!"

Hah. I'm already sick of this.

Having to fight those damned bastards again…

"Ah well. No choice, is there…?"

I let out a deep sigh, uncrossed my legs, straightened my back, and addressed the retainers before me.

In a solemn, serious voice—befitting a sovereign.

"Let us begin. The great war against those scum."

Clack-clack-clack—

The rattle of a mechanical keyboard filled the room.

In the dark room the only light came from the monitor, where that window had popped up.

I was playing an RPG.

"Uuugh~ That's enough for today!"

I stretched long and hard in my chair.

The same unremarkable routine, day after day.

Eat, sleep, shit, game—that was my pattern lately.

NEET.

That word described me perfectly.

Rough, unkempt black hair like a homeless man's. A white T-shirt stretched out at the neck. Black sweatpants with the knees blown out. A skinny frame that looked like it barely cracked sixty kilos because I never bothered to eat properly.

And it wasn't as if my looks hid some genius detective mind from a manga. I had learned nothing, owned nothing, and even my body was defective…

Beep-beep-beep-beep—

Just then the door-lock keypad chirped and someone opened the door.

That guy?

I gave the computer desk a light shove with my foot, spinning the chair toward the sound.

A click—the light switch flipped—and the face of the person who had entered came into view.

Neatly cropped short hair, beige knit sweater, jeans. A clean-cut young man stood there.

"Ugh~ The smell… Open a window already!"

"Leave it, man! Why'd you come?"

"Why else~ Brought you some side dishes."

His name was Lee Gyu-tae.

My friend since middle school.

"Hey! I told you I'm fine~"

"Really? It's tteokgalbi today. Guess I'll just take it back then."

"W-wait!"

I shouted in a panic the moment I saw him pull the tteokgalbi from the plastic bag and start to put it back.

I stood up from the chair and walked over to the table.

"You little shit, acting like you won't eat it!"

"I just feel bad for your mom, taking free food all the time…"

Gyu-tae was the son of the best side-dish shop in the neighborhood.

That was why he kept bringing me the leftovers.

Honestly, if I were left to myself I'd live on instant food every day, so it helped a lot—but I still felt guilty toward his mother.

"It's fine, it's leftovers. And you… because of me…"

As he spoke, Gyu-tae glanced down at my foot.

"Stop that talk already, Gyu-tae. This wasn't your fault. Keep saying that and I really will get mad."

Ever since our school days Gyu-tae had been blaming himself.

Claiming my ankle ended up like this because of him…

It's a disease… a disease!

The reason Gyu-tae kept saying those words went back eight years, to when we were eighteen.

Ding-dong-ding-dong—

The bell ending fourth period rang, and Hosik in the next seat asked me,

"Ki-seok! Let's go eat!"

"Lunch? Hang on, today's menu is…"

I stood and checked the monthly meal chart pinned to the board at the back of the classroom.

April… 18th… There it is!

Today's school lunch menu came into view.

Mushroom… sweet-and-sour pork with eggplant salad?

And squid soup on top of that?

The absolute worst cafeteria lineup imaginable burned itself into my eyes, and a big red X flashed through my mind.

"I'm… gonna hit the snack bar…"

"Figured as much. Going alone then~"

Does that guy have ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠no standards at all? Hosik was a weird friend.

Wait—if the menu's that bad…

The snack bar's going ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to be packed.

I left my Korean textbook right on the desk and sprinted out.

Thud-thud-thud—

I ran lightly, like a jog.

The snack bar came into sight.

Only three people waiting.

"Whew, made it in time!"

I waited my turn, bought a bulgogi burger and strawberry milk, heated them, and stepped out.

Right behind me a flood of other students started pouring in.

A few seconds later and I'd have been stuck in line forever.

I took a bite of the burger.

The bland factory taste spread through my mouth.

That was my honest review of snack-bar hamburgers.

Still, carbs, protein, and fiber…

Chewing the patty, I reached the school building entrance when a strange sound drifted over.

Ugh… ugh…

Soft groans.

I walked toward the noise.

It was the alley between the school building and the wall.

The place where the delinquents usually smoked.

I carefully peeked around the corner.

Two students were there.

A solidly built guy with red-dyed hair and a cigarette dangling from one hand, and a neatly black-haired kid shorter than average, clutching his stomach.

The redhead was Kang Han-yeol, the school's infamous bully.

Kang Han-yeol? Getting mixed up with him sounds like a headache…

Kang Han-yeol was famous for never letting go of prey once he sank his teeth in.

Especially anyone who tried to stand up to him—he tormented them even more viciously…

I pulled my head back and let out a small sigh.

Then I peeked into the alley again to check who was getting beaten.

Wait… that kid?

At Kang Han-yeol's shout to get up, the boy lifted his head and showed his face…

It was my middle-school ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠classmate Lee Gyu-tae.

We hadn't been super close back then, but Gyu-tae also loved fantasy novels, so we used to chat about them now and then.

"Hey! Fuckin' Gyu-tae! How much did I tell you to bring?"

"Th-thirty…"

Kang Han-yeol looked down at him while counting the green bills in his hand.

"So why, no matter how many times I count, are there only ten?"

"S-sorry… Han-yeol, I can't give any more… I even told my mom, but she won't give me any now…"

"That's your problem!"

Kang Han-yeol drove another fist into Gyu-tae's stomach.

With a pained grunt Gyu-tae collapsed.

Seeing that, I stepped into the alley and shouted.

"Hey!! Stop it!!"

"The fuck who—"

Kang Han-yeol looked up at me.

Then he froze in surprise.

"Kim Ki-seok…?"

He hesitated only a second before tossing the cigarette from his mouth.

"Yo, Kim Ki-seok. What's it to you?"

"Kang Han-yeol, cut it out. Friends shouldn't do this."

"Playing the good guy to death, huh. So! What if I don't stop?"

Kang Han-yeol walked toward me, hands shoved in his pockets.

Getting involved would be a pain.

The thought crossed my mind, but once I'd seen it I couldn't pretend I hadn't.

Still, I undid the buttons of my shirt and rolled up my sleeves as I answered him.

"Then I'll just have to stop you by force."

At those words Kang Han-yeol paused and looked me up and down.

The chest muscles visible through the open shirt, the forearm muscles and thick veins from the rolled sleeves, the thighs that looked ready to burst the school-uniform pants—he swallowed hard.

The guy was the so-called "top dog," but that was only surface-level.

The man every student in school truly considered the strongest was the one over 180 cm tall whose perfect muscles showed the moment he put on a uniform—the silver medalist of the National Youth Athletics Meet in track and field: Kim Ki-seok.

When I took one step forward, Kang Han-yeol instinctively stepped back.

He couldn't win.

That was pure survival instinct.

Bully the weak, cower before the strong.

Even Kang Han-yeol had become the weak one.

"Lucky bastard…"

Kang Han-yeol glared once at Gyu-tae, then, too embarrassed to stay, quickly left.

"You okay?"

"Y-yeah… Ki-seok… thanks… cough!"

A little blood leaked from Gyu-tae's mouth as he coughed.

Looking at the cut on his lip, it was clear he hadn't only been hit in the stomach.

"Gyu-tae, if that guy bothers you again, tell me. No—just hang out with me. Class 6, right? I'll come by often."

"Thanks, Ki-seok…"

Feeling bad, I started visiting Gyu-tae's class a lot after that.

Kang Han-yeol's crew only shot us sidelong glances and never laid a hand on Gyu-tae again.

But at the time I had no idea.

That danger was already closing in on me…

A week later I was walking toward the bookstore.

A new volume of the fantasy novel I was reading had just come out.

I was strolling along when the sound of a motorcycle rose behind me.

I moved closer to the roadside.

The engine whined nearer.

Noisy… Who is that?

I turned around.

What filled my vision was…

A wooden baseball bat flying at me.

I tried to duck, but it was already too late.

Thwack! The bat smashed into my forehead.

I crumpled to the ground from the impact.

I looked up at the ones who had hit me.

Helmets hid their faces…

They got off the motorcycle and approached.

Then a voice.

"Just wreck the legs, right?"

The other one nodded.

After that they started raining blows on my legs with the bats.

My head still ringing, I could only curl up with a strangled cry.

"Why's this bastard so tough?"

They seemed tired of swinging and let out a breath.

"Just snap it."

They grabbed my foot and ankle.

"N-no… stop…"

Even half out of it I tried to shout, but they didn't listen.

"Ready… one, two, three!"

Crack—

The sound of bone breaking came from my ankle, and I blacked out from the pain.

When I opened my eyes again, a long time had already passed.

*

"Ugh… nnngh…"

I groaned as I slowly opened my eyes from sleep.

"K-Ki-seok! Are you awake?"

The person in front of me was my mother.

Tears streamed down her face as she spoke.

"Hic… How… how did this happen…"

I looked around.

This was a hospital.

"Why… am I… here…"

Just then the door opened and a man in a white coat and glasses walked in.

A doctor.

"Your son is conscious?"

"Yes…"

"The surgery results are in."

Surgery? I had surgery?

What? Where?

I had been out of it…

"The operation went well. There shouldn't be major problems with daily life. However…"

The doctor adjusted his glasses and continued.

"You'll have to give up track and field. You'll never run the way you want again."

What? I looked down at my leg.

The ankle was wrapped in a mountain of bandages.

Seeing it, the recent events flashed through my mind like film.

The clubbing that poured onto my legs while my head was spinning…

And them snapping my ankle… The memory made me dizzy.

"K-Ki-seok?"

My mother's voice reached me, and I blacked out again.

And so I gave up track and field.

The culprits were caught later—sure enough, Kang Han-yeol and his friend.

They'd even worn helmets so they wouldn't get caught, but they still ended up in juvenile detention.

But even if those bastards went to juvie, the leg that left me never came back.

That was why Gyu-tae had been blaming himself and saying the same thing for eight years ever since that day.

The choice that day had been purely mine; Gyu-tae had done nothing wrong.

But this soft-hearted guy…

"Hey, stop the weird talk and get going! I have a game to play."

I shoved Gyu-tae's body.

"O-okay…"

Gyu-tae put on his shoes, then seemed to remember something.

"Oh right! Ki-seok, a new episode of Fantasy Radio dropped."

"Yeah? Thanks. Now go!"

Gyu-tae grabbed the doorknob.

"I'll come again in three days~"

"Yeah, I'll eat well~ Bye~"

And Gyu-tae was gone.

"Finally that serious little bastard left."

I heated the tteokgalbi and a pack of instant rice and brought them to the computer desk.

Taking a bite of the tteokgalbi, I dragged the mouse.

Lately I had a new YouTube channel I was watching.

Goat Boy's Fantasy Radio—a channel that told stories about fantasy worlds.

I clicked the latest video and ate while watching.

"To summon a demon you need a goat, a living sacrifice, and alcohol? And a lion skin too?"

Today's topic was demon summoning.

I didn't particularly believe in any religion, but stories like this interested me.

I'd loved fantasy novels, anime, and games since I was a kid.

After finishing the episode I scrolled down to the comments.

All kinds of weirdos out there.

Another world… A place every fantasy reader must have dreamed of at least once.

But I wasn't a teenager anymore.

Twenty-six years old and I'm supposed to believe that crap?

Even as I thought that, my mouse was already clicking the link.

A survey.

I was curious what it asked.

Click—and a black background filled the screen.

A semi-transparent blue window appeared.

Just like a game.

Below it were Yes and No options.

I pressed Yes.

"Kim Ki-seok"

After typing my name and hitting Enter, I finally understood why it was called a survey.

It was asking for my date of birth.

The system's questions didn't stop there.

Hobbies, favorite animal, special skills, family relationships, even an MBTI-style personality test.

Alright, this much effort deserves answers. As long as it doesn't ask for my bank password, I'll play along~

I answered every question one by one.

After about twenty minutes of answering, a message finally appeared that looked like the end.

Attachments? As if.

My father had run off with another woman when I was little and started a new family.

My mother had died of a cerebral hemorrhage two years ago.

My leg was fine for walking, but anything physical was hard.

I had only ever looked at sports and slacked on studying, so the moment I got injured I half-gave up on life.

The only person left for me now was really just Gyu-tae.

I didn't hesitate and pressed Yes.

"Whoever made this put in some real effort. Real effort."

I crossed my arms and thought carefully.

What if—just what if—I really could go?

What if I truly couldn't come back?

Gyu-tae crossed my mind, but…

Without me around, he wouldn't have to keep blaming himself every time he saw me. That might even be better for him.

And more than anything, it was about how I felt.

"If I can really go to another world, of course I'm going! Yes!!!!"

I pressed Yes.

Click—

An intense light filled the screen.

"W-what?!"

I squeezed my eyes shut against the glare.

A moment later the light I could still feel even with my eyes closed vanished, and a gentle breeze brushed my skin.

What? I didn't turn on the fan…

I slowly lifted my heavy eyelids.

At first the world looked like a mosaic, then gradually grew clear.

Another breeze carried the fresh scent of grass.

Lying there, I saw green trees, a cloudless sky, and sunlight.

I sat up.

What the hell is going on? Why am I here…

Just moments ago, late at night at home, I had been filling out a survey on some dark-web-looking site.

Now the scenery around me had completely changed—I couldn't help being stunned.

I pinched my cheek.

"Ow."

Pain registered.

If this wasn't a dream, then…

I suddenly remembered the last message I had seen.

I had pressed Yes.

I-is this real?!!

Yes. If it wasn't, the current situation made no sense.

Another-world transfer.

I had succeeded.

I sat there dazed when a strange noise rose from the bottom of the hill.

The clash of steel on steel.

And the murmur of people.

I stood and carefully looked down.

The sight below left my mouth hanging open.

A carriage and people trembling in fear.

Two figures in robes who seemed to be protecting the carriage and the people, and opposite them several armed men confronting them.

Could that be… a bandit gang?

The thought had barely crossed my mind when a semi-transparent blue system window appeared before my eyes.