Chapter 1
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: I Had One, But Now I Don't (1)
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"Seoyul. What do you think is the best part of my novels?"
"The fact that you have so few readers that if you held a fan meeting, we'd be the only two people there?"
I replied playfully, taking a shot of soju.
"No. Not that."
"Then what? That your stories don't get any hate comments? Because there are no readers."
"...Should I just kill him?"
The man before me trembled with rage.
I laughed inwardly as I looked at Kim Shin.
"Seoyul. I'm being serious, man."
But his gaze quickly turned serious.
He had a somewhat desperate look on his face.
Well, I guess it made sense. The man was an author whose last two works had bombed completely.
But does he really have a reason to be so desperate?
He could probably buy a house just by selling all the luxury brands he's wearing.
No, that's not it. Even if it's not about the money, it's always sad when your own work isn't recognized.
I answered as I refilled my glass.
"Hmm. Well, for starters, the strengths of your novels are your writing skill, your diligence, your writing speed... and the fact that they're exactly my type. Also..."
Seven months had already passed since I first met him.
I'd been curious when an author with less than a hundred subscribers announced a fan meeting, so I went, and we hit it off.
"Oh, and a pretty fresh world-building. The way you inserted a fantasy world into a modern setting in your latest work was quite good."
"And?"
"Umm."
We started as a fan and an author, but after drinking together so often, we'd somehow become close, like brothers.
"Hyeong. Do you want the harsh truth? Or sweet lies?"
"...The harsh truth."
"So that's how it is."
I downed another shot of soju.
"Kuhh~ Alright, about your novels, man."
Let me say this upfront: I'm the type who doesn't look drunk even when I am.
"First off, the story is bland. More importantly, it has no mainstream appeal. Who's going to pay to read something like that? It's not like it's some outdated rental-store-era novel. I only read it because it's you."
And right now, I was quite drunk.
I'd passed my limit a long time ago.
"But still, about fifty people read each chapter..."
"Fifty? Fiiiiftyyyy? Hyeong. How many people bought the final chapter of your latest work?"
To the point that my thoughts were spilling out without passing through the filter of my brain.
"...Three."
"One of those was you, right?"
"..."
"And one was me. That leaves only one other person. So where the hell did you get the number fifty from?"
I poured another shot of soju and downed it in one go.
For the record, my drunken habit is that booze calls for more booze.
The drunker I get, the more I drink, until I pass out.
"That's why I'm asking. For my next work."
Shin, looking frustrated, also took a shot.
Not to be outdone, I took another.
One shot felt lonely, so I had another.
This is great~
"Kuhh~ Hyeong. I'll get straight to the point then."
Two versions of him nodded.
When did he become two people?
Is he a god?
Ah. He is a god.
Kim Shin.
My energy was soaring.
"Your novels, man. The status window is the problem. Huh? That damn status window! The staaatuuus wiiindooow! It would've been a huge hit without it, I tell you!"
"...What?"
I pulled the control pin in my brain and let the words flood out.
"Every Tom, Dick, and Harry uses a status window, but it doesn't suit you. If you just got rid of it, you'd probably be earning a thousand times more right now."
"But the status window isn't an option in modern fantasy anymore; it's a basic requirement..."
*Pour.*
Another shot.
"Basic? Baaasiiic? That's all bullshit. I told you, it doesn't suit you."
Now, he was starting to look blurry.
"Your latest work would've been a guaranteed success if it just didn't have a status window!"
"Hey. No matter what, you can't just remove the status window from the world of [S-Rank Status Window]..."
"The title itself is the problem. What's so great about that damn status window anyway?"
This guy really doesn't get it.
"...Are you being serious?"
"Of course."
To be honest, my personal feelings were mixed in a little.
The feeling that I was sick of seeing that damn status window.
"No, but you can't just take it out. The entire world-building would fall apart."
I downed another shot of soju.
"If it's too much to change the whole world... right! How about just getting rid of the main character's status window? Wouldn't that be interesting?"
"...Just the main character's?"
His expression turned serious.
I grinned and stretched his cheek.
"Anyway, you need to let go of trends. Okay?"
"...Yeah. I know what you mean."
"Okay!"
I smiled brightly and downed my last shot.
*Thud-*
With those words, my consciousness flickered and died.
"Ah! Right! Then how about this? In my setting, there's an item equipment restriction! That... Seoyul? Are you asleep?"
His voice was the last thing I heard, fading away.
* * *
"...My head hurts."
My mouth was bone dry.
A throbbing headache, like needles stabbing my skull, was accompanied by a pain in my stomach.
"Ugh."
There was no doubt. This was a hangover.
By the way, how did I get home last night?
I definitely met up with Shin and started drinking. He seemed a little down, so we drank a bit faster, and then...
I have no memory.
I completely blacked out.
I think Shin said something with a serious look on his face.
"Ugh. My head is splitting."
My head hurt too much to think any further.
First, I need to do something about this hangover.
"I feel like I'm going to throw up..."
I must have really drunk a lot.
This was one of the worst hangovers I've ever had.
It seems I kept chugging even after I blacked out.
I carefully threw on a shirt and headed out.
"Ugh..."
The hot sun made my head spin for a moment.
Trying to settle my nauseous stomach, I walked slowly to the nearby convenience store.
Once I got there, I bought a hangover-relief drink, chugged it down, and slumped into a chair at an outdoor table.
Now I feel a bit more alive.
The cool breeze feels nice.
And best of all, it's quiet.
If I just stay like this for a bit, the hangover will soon...
"You bitch! Are you done talking?!"
"I am! What about it!"
"Ugh!"
The sudden high-pitched shouting made my head pound again. It felt like a sonic attack.
I pressed my hands to my head and looked for the source of the noise.
"Why are you blaming me for your mistake?"
"Mistake? Ha! Don't make me laugh! You're the one who didn't communicate properly!"
"Oh my? Is it funny? This is why you shouldn't even bother talking to people from uneducated families."
"What? Uneducated family? You bitch!"
A sigh escaped my lips.
So much for my peaceful healing time.
"Sheesh."
Nothing to be done about it.
I'll just have to leave.
It was then, as I stood up from my seat.
"I can tell just by looking! Your son must be as stupid as you are."
"That's rich. Why don't you worry about your own son? I hear his Intelligence is only 3."
*Flinch.*
My steps halted at the incomprehensible words.
Intelligence 3?
"My son's a genius, so his Intelligence is already 5. I guess in your well-educated family, the mother's genes must be subpar, huh?"
"This bitch! Seriously!"
This time, Intelligence 5.
It seems I hadn't misheard.
I've never seen such a creative way to argue in my entire life.
They must have been top debaters in school.
"What good is high Intelligence? I heard your son's Strength stat was below average. Do you think a premature baby like that will grow up well?"
"What? Premature?"
Now a Strength stat.
I have no idea what they're talking about.
It was then, as I was staring blankly at the two of them.
"What are you looking at!"
"Is this a show for you?"
The two women's hostile eyes turned to me.
I hurriedly waved my hands and said.
"Oh, no. It's nothing. I was just standing here dazed because of my hangover."
The pressure was intense.
"W-Well then, I'll be on my way. Please, continue what you were doing."
I left the scene as quickly as I could.
Behind me, the two women's shouting continued.
Now, insulting each other's sons wasn't enough; they'd moved on to insulting their parents.
What on earth had made them so heated?
No, more importantly, what was all that about Intelligence 3 and Strength stats?
It wasn't like a conversation between game addicts.
"Ah. It's bothering me."
Lost in thought, I found I'd arrived at a park.
"Sigh. I don't know anymore~"
I pushed the thought aside.
I'll just relax here until my hangover subsides a bit.
I sat down on a nearby bench.
I leaned back against the backrest and looked up at the sky.
"...Huh?"
It was then that a bewildered sound escaped my lips.
"What is that?"
I could see a tree.
Of course, it's normal for a park to have trees.
But that was no ordinary tree, no matter how I looked at it.
It was huge.
Seriously.
Impossibly huge.
"...Why is something like that in Seoul?"
It was so massive that it pierced the clouds.
I couldn't help but be shocked to see it standing right in the middle of Seoul.
"Am I dreaming?"
I rubbed my eyes and looked at the tree again. I repeated this several times, but the scene reflected in my retinas didn't change.
"Wow. Damn."
My hangover headache was long gone.
My bewilderment had swallowed the pain.
'What is this situation?'
I desperately tried to wrap my head around it.
First, my surroundings were still peaceful.
Children played in the park while their mothers watched.
There were people riding bikes and others stretching.
Everyone seemed far too calm for the world to have changed dramatically overnight.
That means the world hasn't changed.
I pushed my thoughts further.
If the world hasn't changed,
and that giant tree is just a normal part of daily life, then the ones who've changed aren't them, but...
"...Me?"
It's one of two things.
Either I've gone crazy,
or the world has changed, leaving only me behind.
In any case, there was clearly an unbridgeable gap between their perception and mine.
What could it be?
"...Huh?"
Suddenly, a hypothesis flashed through my mind.
The unrealistically large tree.
The way those women were fighting earlier, insulting each other with 'Intelligence stats' and 'Strength stats'.
Isn't there an intersection between these two abnormal events?
"Shin's [S-Rank Status Window]!"
This situation was astonishingly similar to the contents of that novel.
If so, then that giant tree must be the [World Tree].
The sacred tree that elves worship.
The women's argument from earlier also makes sense now.
In the world of S-Rank Status Window, every being has a status window.
Naturally, it's possible to see the Intelligence or Strength stats of your own newborn child.
"So that's why they were fighting like that."
Once my thoughts reached that point,
my mind grew strangely calm.
This is my strength.
When an unimaginable variable appears, my mind becomes even clearer.
"Still, I should check first."
I checked my pockets first.
Unfortunately, no smartphone.
I must have left in a daze without grabbing my phone.
Well, can't be helped.
I carefully stood up and approached a mother who was watching her child play with a fond smile.
"Excuse me. I'm sorry to bother you."
"Yes?"
For a moment, a hint of caution appeared in the woman's eyes at my call.
It's natural to be wary of a strange man's voice.
"Ah."
But that caution vanished as quickly as melting snow.
In its place, a friendly look appeared.
It was an incomprehensibly drastic change.
"What can I help you with?"
"Ah, yes. I just had something I wanted to ask."
Well, this works out for me.
I began the conversation to achieve my goal.
"I'm planning a tour of the World Tree for a friend coming from abroad. Do you happen to know any good shops to recommend near it?"
I asked with the friendliest smile I could muster.
If that tree really was the World Tree, she'd give me a normal response.
If not, she'd look at me like I was crazy.
"Oh, a tour of the World Tree? There are some good places. If you go over to Gangnam..."
The woman excitedly began telling me about tourist spots.
It was the moment that proved this world was the world of the novel, [S-Rank Status Window].
"Hah."
I put a hand to my forehead.
It was a likely hypothesis, but deep down, I'd hoped it wasn't true.
"By the way, is this friend from abroad a girl?"
"Huh? No, he's a guy."
I just made something up.
"Oh? Is that so? You're such a handsome student, I just assumed it was for a girl~ Hoho."
"...Handsome student?"
"Oh my. Was that modifier not enough? An incredibly handsome student? Is that better?"
In my twenty-eight years of life, I'd never once been called handsome.
But the important word wasn't "handsome."
"No, that's not it. Student? Me?"
"...You're not a student? You look so young~"
I've been told I look old for my age, actually.
Then, something else occurred to me.
What "handsome student" implied.
To confirm it, I had to leave this place first.
"Haha. Anyway, thank you. I know this was sudden, but you've been very kind."
"Not at all. I'm glad I could help."
I gave a small nod and left.
My destination was the park restroom.
I quickly entered the restroom and stood before the mirror.
Looking at the mirror, a dry laugh escaped my lips.
"Haha."
A handsome man I'd never seen before was standing there.
He looked to be about twenty years old.
As far as I knew, there was only one person in the novel [S-Rank Status Window] who possessed this level of beauty.
Kang Seoyul.
The protagonist who, ironically, shared my name.
"I'm the main character?"
I had become the protagonist of the novel.