Repent, Heretic
Who the hell is that, you damn otakus? Kang Seok-ho, the twenty-year-old unemployed shut-in. Honestly, calling someone who just turned twenty an unemployed shut-in feels a bit harsh… or so Seok-ho thought, but the truth was there simply wasn’t any other way to describe his situation. In any case, he had just started a night-shift convenience store part-time job thanks to an older acquaintance’s introduction. Though he had been worried since it was his first part-time job, after two days of experience his instincts were screaming at him. ‘This is the ultimate cushy gig.’
There were few customers and little stock to manage. All he had to do was fiddle with his phone for nine hours and then clock out. It was the kind of job that made him wonder if he was secretly a salary thief. Of course, the downside was that it was mind-numbingly boring… but compared to the advantages, that downside might as well not exist. Grateful to the older guy who had recommended the job, Seok-ho opened OnTube on his phone as usual.
Ding!
“Welcome.”
At the sound of a customer entering, Seok-ho immediately stood up and greeted them—only to lose his words the moment he saw her. A black short-sleeve T-shirt and pristine white jeans: an extremely ordinary outfit you could see anywhere. Yet precisely because it was so ordinary, it made her stand out all the more. Her skin was flawless, smooth and pale without a single blemish. Her large eyes sparkled like rubies set in gemstones. That alone would have been enough to draw attention, but the silver-white hair cascading down to her hips possessed an even greater presence. Even Seok-ho, who knew little about women, could tell at a glance that maintaining hair like that was difficult—yet it gleamed as if mocking such concerns. And as for the part that naturally drew a man’s gaze… there was no other way to describe it than ‘huge.’
He tried his best to avoid looking, not wanting to cause any trouble. ‘An actress? An idol? Judging by her height, maybe a model?’ Even with a cap pulled low, her appearance was impossible to hide. “That’ll be 1,950 won.” “Ah… th-thank you…”
After the customer paid for the two-liter bottle of water and left, Seok-ho thought to himself, ‘This really is the ultimate cushy gig.’
Seok-ho spent the rest of his shift lost in various fantasies, resolving to keep working at this convenience store until he enlisted. Unfortunately, that encounter would be both the first and the last. Considering she was a hikikomori who hated leaving her house, it was only natural—but Seok-ho had no way of knowing that. It had been nothing more than a fleeting dream.
“Haa…”
Going outside really is exhausting. Even if it’s the middle of the night and there aren’t many people, that doesn’t mean there are none at all. Is it because of this hair? The silver-white strands flowing down over her shoulders. It had already been quite eye-catching in that other world, so of course it stood out even more on Earth—especially in Korea. On top of that, it was ridiculously long. That convenience store part-timer had probably cursed her inwardly for dyeing it such a noticeable color. But going to a salon to dye it was terrifying, and doing it herself risked making a mistake, so she didn’t want to try. Besides, would anyone even consider this ‘styling’? Styling was something you did to attract attention, wasn’t it? What she wanted was the exact opposite—to avoid attention—so maybe she shouldn’t even call it styling…
…Ah, whatever. It wasn’t like she went outside often anyway. She would just order whatever she needed right away so this wouldn’t happen again. And if she ever had to go out next time, she would definitely wear sunglasses. Swallowing that resolution, she quietly closed her eyes.
It had already been half a year since she returned to Earth. Her days were always the same—boring, and therefore peaceful. Fortunately, her bank account still had enough money left to maintain her current lifestyle for about a year, allowing her to enjoy this idle, peaceful routine. …That is, until yesterday.
“I bought it…”
Her head throbbed. What on earth had she done? Sitting in the living room, right in front of her eyes, was a massive capsule. A Reverse Capsule—a capsule-type gaming device for enjoying virtual reality games. The price displayed on her phone was absurdly high for something that was, at its core, just a game console. …She hadn’t planned on this at all.
Earth’s games these days were divided into three categories. First, the computer and console games she was most familiar with. Second, the ordinary VR games that had been slowly gaining recognition even in her previous life. And finally, the third: the full-immersion virtual reality games that had been developed just before she returned to Earth. Shortened to virtual reality games. …VR already meant virtual reality, so shortening it to virtual reality would overlap with the second category, right? She had wondered about that when she first heard about it, but… apparently that was what they were called.
Among them, the most popular with hardcore gamers were, without a doubt, the virtual reality games. Being able to directly experience an entirely new world was more than enough to shatter people’s common sense. And the virtual reality game releasing in two days—New Dimension. Its genre was open-world RPG. From the teaser trailer to the beta testers’ testimonies, to the PV released last month—everything pointed to a new world that surpassed all previous virtual reality games. She, too, had been instantly captivated by the PV… and before she knew it, she had already purchased the Reverse Capsule and completed the pre-order for New Dimension. The cost was equivalent to half a year’s living expenses. It was an unbelievable amount for what was supposedly just a normal game. Most of it had gone toward the Reverse Capsule itself.
Should she go through the refund process right now? The thought crossed her mind for a moment, but whenever she closed her eyes, the world from the PV appeared before her. Vast grasslands. Knights battling monsters. A sea of flames. Frozen mountain ranges. A scene more fantastical than fantasy itself… she couldn’t easily forget it.
“…Well, it’ll work out somehow.”
Right. Spending half a year’s living expenses meant she still had another half year’s worth left. So she would leave the future to her future self. It would work out somehow.
Welcome to New Dimension!
A stranger’s voice greeted her. Today was finally the day New Dimension’s servers opened. Virtual reality games didn’t use IDs and passwords; accounts were automatically created using biometric data. Since she had already created her account yesterday, she could log in right away.
〔New Dimension offers you a new…〕
She skipped the lengthy, uninteresting explanation and immediately moved on to character creation. Customization… she skipped it. Her dexterity wasn’t particularly good, so there was no point. Using her real appearance might make her stand out, but this was a fantasy setting with customization options. That silver-white hair probably wouldn’t draw too much attention… or would it? It had drawn plenty of stares even in the real fantasy world. Whatever. It was already too late to regret it.
〔Class Selection〕
There were many classes available: Traveler, Swordsman, Spearman, Mage, Martial Artist, Assassin, and so on. The ones that interested her most were the Traveler, described as the most free, and the Swordsman who fought on the front lines with a sword. Just in case, she decided to think a little more. As she continued scrolling, one name caught her eye.
〔Priest — A devout priest who believes in the goddess Elun and bestows blessings upon allies.〕
〔Holy Knight — Receives the goddess Elun’s protection and withstands enemy attacks on the front lines.〕
〔Inquisitor — Judges heretics who do not believe in the goddess Elun.〕
“Hmm…”
They were classes that naturally existed in a fantasy setting. It would be strange if there were no priests performing divine miracles. But there was one problem…
Who the hell is Elun, you damn otakus?
She had lived in a so-called fantasy world. And in that world, the gods Tet and the goddess Iia actually existed—and her job had been that of an Inquisitor who judged heretics. In other words, these people were fakes. They were heretics who believed in a nonexistent god and judged others for not believing in that same nonexistent god. She could say that with certainty because she was the real Inquisitor.
“Haa…”
Of course, Earth had all kinds of religions too. Cults and heresies existed as well. But the reason she didn’t care about them was because no matter how much faith they sent out, no answer would ever come back. This world, however, was different. If you sent false faith to a false god, you received false power in return. What a blasphemous act. She had never imagined she would do this again after returning to Earth… but it couldn’t be helped. She would have to move so that the heretics could repent.
Thus, the class she chose was Traveler. And her nickname was—
〔Inquisitor〕
〔DECEASED〕