Chapter 1
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: The Betrayal and Return
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2048, Seoul.
A metropolis once called a megacity.
But now, it was nearly impossible to find an intact road, building, house, apartment, or shop.
The sky was completely shrouded in black storm clouds, and rainwater thick with polluted mana poured down relentlessly.
In the midst of it all, Jeong Hoon knelt, vomiting up clumps of blood.
Attempting recovery.
Failed.
Life force below 5. Failure to recover will result in death.
Even the power of the benevolent goddess Tara had failed to heal him.
"Just what the hell...?"
Jeong Hoon looked up at his killers with trembling eyes.
They were none other than humans.
His former comrades, with whom he had shared joys and hardships.
He had thought of them as family, the ones who had overcome Earth's catastrophes together.
"You know that better than anyone."
The man holding a sword and shield spoke in a cold voice.
James Marcus.
America's strongest Paladin.
"What...?"
Jeong Hoon tried to circulate the mana in his body, but it refused to budge, as if frozen solid.
At the same time, he felt the blood in his body surging backward, and his vision spun.
Cough!
He vomited up another black clump of blood.
"Impressive. Still struggling to stay alive in that state."
The one who had cursed him was Sophia Stephanie Agalet, smirking from the front.
France's Black Mage, and a Transcendent like him.
She was a debuff master among black mages.
She knew over twenty curses, and she had unleashed nearly all of them on Jeong Hoon.
Normally, he could have resisted them, but after staving off one apocalypse, he had exhausted most of his power.
In that state, he had been shredded by fiery spears, arrows of annihilation, Verdandi's fangs, and more.
Crossing death's threshold had happened in an instant.
Damn it.
He had been just one step away from escaping this endless string of catastrophes and reclaiming peace.
His clenched fist dug nails into his palm, blood dripping steadily.
A whirlwind of despair, rage, and complex emotions surged through him.
"Just when did you start plotting this...?"
The response came from a man clutching a staff, his robe pulled low over his head.
Another Sage and Transcendent.
Alessandro Braiden.
"From the moment you said you could end this game, I suppose?"
"What...?"
The reason the world had come to this.
That damned game, New World.
The first virtual reality game that had captivated 2 billion people worldwide with its explosive popularity.
But when that game became reality, Jeong Hoon's life had crumbled to pieces.
He had raced like a madman to stop the catastrophe.
All for revenge against those who killed his late mother.
"We gave you a chance. You were the one who refused it."
He had believed his comrades shared his goal.
But recently, they had made him an offer.
Don't end the game. Keep it going.
They said that ending the game would strip everyone of their power.
At first, he thought it was a joke.
What was the point of everything they'd done to end the game so far?
Weren't we comrades with the same purpose?
Jeong Hoon had felt profound betrayal and rejected the offer outright.
And the result was death.
"Haha... You're killing a comrade you shared life and death with, all for that power?"
After losing his only familyhis motherJeong Hoon's sanctuary had been his comrades.
The shock of betrayal from those he trusted shattered his mind more than the physical pain.
"Just that? Look, Hoon. We're people for whom power matters more than ending the game."
"......"
Jeong Hoon bit his lip at James's words.
The traitors sneered at him mockingly.
James continued on their behalf.
"Look closely. This isn't just abilityit's power. The source that lets you put the world beneath you."
"......"
"But some loach is muddying the water? Then you remove the loach and purify the tainted water, right?"
In short, they didn't want to lose their rice bowl.
Grind.
His teeth ground together.
He felt disgusted with himself for ever seeing them as family.
"You bastards..."
"It's getting boring. Hoon, I'll let you keep your last shred of pride. Use that sword at your waist to slit your own throat."
James grinned and mimed slashing his neck.
"Fuck off..."
Jeong Hoon struggled to his feet.
His legs trembled, his head spun.
His vision blurred; he felt like he could collapse any second.
"Wow... You're getting up in that state? You really are a madman."
"Good thing we struck from behind. Face-to-face, we might not have had a chance."
"Is this what makes an All Master?"
Jeong Hoon's moniker was All Master.
He had trained with every weapon to the extreme, boasting artisan-level proficiency in each.
Even without mana, it was fine.
He still had a hidden trump card.
Just in case, I kept it hidden.
Deep in his dantian, crimson mana pulsed.
An unknown power gained a month ago, after averting one crisis of annihilation.
Jeong Hoon activated it.
Unlike mana, it was a flowing energy.
The energy coursed through his body, enveloping him entirely.
"W-What's that?"
The traitors shuddered at the vivid crimson energy and backed away.
"It's fine! Hoon's already at his limit!"
As Saintess Amelie said, Jeong Hoon hadn't even tested the energy before vomiting blood again and collapsing.
Damn it. Can't even land one hit.
His body had reached its limit.
He couldn't move even if he wanted to.
He had failed to keep his promise to end the game.
I'm sorry, Mother.
Your shameless son is coming now.
An unknown mysterious power protects you.
An unknown mysterious power sends you back to the past.
Warning! System attempting intervention... Failed.
Warning! Warning! System attempting intervention... Failed.
Warning! Warning! Warning! System attempting intervention... Failed.
An unknown mysterious power dissipates.
What the hell is this...?
Jeong Hoon lost consciousness before he could read all the messages.
His lost consciousness slowly returned.
Jeong Hoon opened his eyes to a pristine white ceiling.
"Wh-Where...?"
He sat up, and a full-length mirror caught his eye.
He approached it.
Reflected there was his younger self from his early twenties.
No burn scar on his right forehead, no long knife scar over his left eyejust a clean face.
"What the hell happened...?"
He had clearly met death by his comrades' betrayal.
Why had he returned to the past?
Jeong Hoon pulled out his phone to check the date.
May 2, 2033
"15 years back?"
Jeong Hoon rushed out of his room.
In the living room, his mother Lee Na-yeon was preparing breakfast.
Seeing her, tears welled up and spilled down his cheeks.
"Huh? Up so early?"
"Mother..."
Jeong Hoon ran to her and hugged her tight.
"Oh my, what's gotten into you? Bad dream?"
Flustered, she patted her crying son's shoulder.
He clung for a long time before pulling away.
His eyes were puffy from all the tears.
"...I'm hungry."
"Alright. Let's eat."
Miso stew and fried eggs she had made.
Winter kimchi she pickled herself, and sausage stir-fry he loved.
Looking at the side dishes brought tears again.
She went to work every morning but always left a warm meal so her son wouldn't starve.
He hadn't known its value back thenonly realized after she was gone.
He would change the future that was meant to happen.
"I'll dig in."
Jeong Hoon scooped a big spoonful of rice.
"Eat slowly, chew well."
"Yes."
"You seem different, son. More mature?"
His mother sensed the change from his usual self.
"I'm going to change from now on."
If he acted like before, the same future awaited.
The virtual reality game sweeping the world right now.
New World.
The first VR game, New World!
So realistic and vivid it doesn't even feel like a gametry New World!
It wasn't an exaggeration to say New World dominated the global gaming market.
Of course, it wasn't a smash hit from the start.
-Heard? One capsule costs 2 grand. 2 grand.
-What the fuck... Not 2,000 won, but 20 million? Who buys that crap for 20 mil?
-VR doesn't even exist yet, right? Just a slight upgrade from current VR lol. And they want 20 mil for it?
It faced heavy criticism and was ignored pre-launch.
Many boldly predicted it would flop.
And it did, at first.
A week after launch, sales plummetedright on cue.
The entry barrier was too high.
But the verdict flipped in just a week.
-Fuck! This shit's insane!
-This is huge! A game like this exists... Mind blown!
-Fuck... It's so goddamn real. Tech is next-level...
Word-of-mouth from players who tried it spread.
New World gameplay streams hit the internet broadcasts, buzzing everywhere.
-Honey! You lunatic! Taking out a loan for a capsule?!
-But it's insane! Watch the stream!
-Ugh... Bought it, no choice. But I go first.
-Mom! Buy me a capsule!
-Waaah! I wanna play that!
From adults to kids.
All gamers flocked to New World, and PC bangs evolved into capsule rooms.
With capsules so pricey, most used capsule rooms, exploding their revenue.
In just one year, capsule users surpassed 50 million.
The number grew yearly, now at 2 billion worldwide.
And Jeong Hoon alone knew that game would soon become reality.
It was laughable they made a VR game with current tech.
New World developer.
Earth.
Earth's stock soared endlessly.
Market cap over 8,000 trillion.
The company existed, devs pulled all-nighters for updates.
Who'd doubt the tech was centuries ahead?
"Hey, you're really going to the capsule room? You serious?!"
Jeong Hoon's asshole friend Jang Ha-jin chattered beside him.
"Yeah. So shut up."
"No explanation needed? It's your first time, right?"
Unlike Jeong Hoon, Ha-jin spent 12 hours daily in capsules, hooked on New World.
His level was over 150 already.
'Cough! Fuck, paid off my debts with this.'
When New World became reality, his friend hadn't lasted a year.
The guy who died in Jeong Hoon's place, boasting his high level.
'With this, next life I'll be born with a diamond spoon. And handsome as fuck.'
Even then, spouting nonsense to the end.
For Jeong Hoon, betrayed by all, Ha-jin was the only friend he could trust.
He patted Ha-jin's shoulder, vowing to prevent that this time.
"What? Creeping me out suddenly?"
"Let's go in."
Ha-jin had a reserved capsule, sat in an empty one.
Jeong Hoon signed up and registered.
5,000 won per hour. Pricey.
Not cheap.
A personal capsule would be ideal, but he couldn't afford one yetthis was best.
No option to give up on New World.
"Hoon! Here!"
After registering, Ha-jin pointed beside him.
Jeong Hoon sat in the empty capsule.
"Start first."
"Really no tips?"
"How many times? Just go."
"Okay."
Ha-jin finally hit the activation button.
Hiss!
His capsule lid slowly closed.
Jeong Hoon followed suit.
Hiss!
Lid closed, darkness fell.
His body floated weightlessly.
Thin lines adhered to his skin, something covered his eyes.
Whoosh!
Fresh air burst in, vision clearing.
Jeong Hoon stood in an open plain.
Cloudless blue sky, cool breeze brushing his body.
The first reason people raved: this realistic sensation.
Body scan complete. No login history.
Proceeding to character creation.
A hologram window appeared before Jeong Hoon.
Use it to create your character.
"Yes."
Tapping Yes projected his hologram avatar.
New World let you use your real appearance or customize.
Those with looks issues overhauled theirs.
No plastic surgery risks, walk around as your ideal selfone key to its mega success.
Jeong Hoon tweaked to something distant from reality and confirmed.
Please set your nickname.
A hologram keyboard appeared with the window.
Use it for the nickname.
"Hoon."
Nickname set.
Warning Once set, characters cannot be deleted. Play carefully.
That was it.
That single rule snowballed into mass death.
Beginners learn by smashing their heads.
They raise their first character, note improvements, make stronger alts.
But this damned New World forbade it.
-Fuck! Picked the wrong class! Let me change!
-Damn... That class is way better. Life ruined. Fuckers!
-One character per account is bullshit...
Despite complaints, Earth refused changes.
Round two.
Even then, Jeong Hoon had reached the top as All Master.
This time, his second try.
No way he'd fail.