TRLGHB 01

Chapter 1

“Today is the end.”

The day the game Eternal Sunshine, which once dominated an era, ended its service.

Yoo Jinwoo sat quietly in a corner of the plaza, feeling a bit wistful.

“There hasn’t been a game like this. It wasn’t full virtual reality, but there was no game I could get this immersed in.”

Eternal Sunshine was a semi-virtual reality game.

Among the semi-virtual reality games that were all the rage, it was the most innovative. At its launch, it was advertised that ten million players worldwide were playing simultaneously.

However, as the virtual reality game boom surged and technology advanced, full virtual reality games began to appear.

With the flow of the times, semi-virtual reality games inevitably faded away.

“After seeing full virtual reality games, semi-virtual reality games just don’t compare. Those feel like real life.”

Full virtual reality games were literally another reality.

There were many catchphrases like “New Generation,” and above all, they filled exactly what semi-virtual reality games could not.

Perfect realism.

For people who wanted to create a different version of themselves, it was the perfect game.

Sigh.

Jinwoo gripped his hammer.

In his inventory lay the equipment he had crafted over time.

Each piece was top-tier L-grade gear, considered endgame level.

“I just started, though. They call L-grade endgame, but I think I could have made even better stuff.”

This equipment had made Yoo Jinwoo a top-ranked player in Eternal Sunshine.

Many players wanted Jinwoo’s gear, and he sold equipment only to those he favored.

“All the users who had my gear became ranked players.”

Jinwoo’s crafted gear was unmatched.

When the top 30 ranked players were announced by rank during the peak of Eternal Sunshine, all 30 had Jinwoo’s gear.

And those with the latest Jin’s equipment would climb the ranks.

Jinwoo enjoyed watching that.

“You needed my gear to become a ranked player. In other words, without my permission, you couldn’t be ranked.”

Jin from Eternal Sunshine was the kingmaker itself.

“It’s all over now, bittersweet as it is. But it was fun.”

It had been a joyous dream.

But joy can’t last forever. If there is a beginning, there must be an end.

“It’s time to return to reality.”

Joo Jinwoo had a reality to face.

He needed money.

A lot of money.

“I have to go back.”

And so Eternal Sunshine ended its service.

• Do you want a full virtual reality game?

• A new era has dawned here.

• New Generation! Join us at NewGene!

One month after Eternal Sunshine ended service, as if by agreement, a new game launched.

Full virtual reality.

NewGene was not a semi-virtual reality game, but a truly new world to enjoy, a catchphrase that appealed to many players.

Moreover, despite being a completely unknown company, they aggressively marketed, burning through billions in advertising costs.

Not only in Korea but starting in the US, China, and Japan, marketing expanded worldwide—and it started to pay off.

• 30 million won!

• Start a new life!

The NewGene capsule device was priced at 30 million won.

• What’s this? Thirty million?

• Crazy. The Eternal Sunshine capsule device was only 5 million.

• No matter how full virtual reality the game is, is this price right?

• Don’t worry, guys. They said it’s not a lump sum; you can pay in installments and even repay through gameplay.

• Repay through the game?

• Yeah. I don’t know the details, but the ad page has it.

• That’s insane.

Despite many negative opinions, NewGene started open beta without care.

The unbearably expensive 30 million won capsule cost burden was eased by the installment system and in-game repayment system.

Along with that…

“Wow, this is insane.”

“It’s really like reality.”

“Technology has advanced this much?”

Unlike previous virtual reality games, it felt incredibly real.

“It really feels like reality.”

“No comparison to semi-virtual reality games.”

Only then did people start to understand full virtual reality games.

“30 million is actually cheap.”

It was a place just like reality but different.

The only thing you could bring back was your senses.

NewGene quickly spread by word of mouth, increasing its user base.

Rankers from the fragmented semi-virtual reality games of the past also started NewGene.

“Is Jin going to play NewGene too?”

“It’d be perfect if Jin showed up now.”

Jin, the named top-ranked blacksmith of Eternal Sunshine, was sought after by many.

The reason was simple.

In NewGene’s high freedom system, crafting was extremely difficult.

“I didn’t know crafting would be this hard.”

NewGene emphasized realism, so crafting was quite tough.

“You basically have to rely on skills to make anything.”

“But even the skills are hard to learn.”

People without dexterity found even starting crafting difficult.

So they had to rely on skills, but with skills, they could only make ordinary equipment.

“My dexterity is so low I couldn’t even get a crafting-related job.”

“The cutoff is too high. Does anyone have crafting jobs now?”

People grumbled and complained.

“CEO, isn’t the difficulty set too high?”

“It’s an AI-set freedom level. We can’t touch the balance anymore.”

Lee Hwashin, CEO of Suomi, who launched NewGene, said.

Suomi invested huge sums in advertising, and though many doubted the young CEO Lee Hwashin’s source of funding, suspicions eased when it was revealed he was backed by Bitcoin.

“We’re doing a worldwide open beta. The complaints will fade soon.”

As Lee said, talented users in crafting began to appear one after another.

They were called artisans.

“Wow, did you really make this yourself?”

“They definitely have five fingers, but…”

“Was there an emergency patch? No.”

“Synchronization rate? That’s what they say.”

“Synchronization rate? Isn’t it usually around 20%?”

“Artisans are different. Some even exceed 30%.”

The difficulty stayed the same.

Only those born with talent walked the crafting path.

And thanks to the synchronization rate.

The synchronization rate was the factor linking reality and sensation.

Unlike semi-virtual reality games, this full virtual reality game required players’ senses to be synchronized to replicate reality fully.

But synchronization was no easy task. Even in full virtual reality, limits existed, expressed in the synchronization rate.

In short, you couldn’t bring 100% of your real senses into the game.

Most players’ average synchronization rate was around 10-20%.

20% was considered high, with 10% being average. Even this was enough to feel full virtual reality.

But some had strangely high synchronization rates.

“The artisans famous for crafting now have 40% synchronization rates.”

“40%!?”

“One who used to do archery reached 40% after starting the game and got the legendary job.”

“Someone who played soccer is at 28%.”

Depending on synchronization rates, the range of senses one could bring and their in-game skills varied wildly.

The current top synchronization rate known was 49%, belonging to a famous combat ranker.

They were considered a legend in other games and showed their skill after moving to NewGene.

“If you have talent, you can do whatever you want. The synchronization rate proves it.”

NewGene had many difficulties.

But difficulties don’t mean impossibilities.

Thus, many users began to enjoy NewGene through open beta.

Especially, many came from the old semi-virtual reality games.

Eternal Sunshine.

Before service ended, many named players of Eternal Sunshine moved over to NewGene.

They showed why they were named players.

“Wow, the quality of crafted items is totally different now that the named crafters have come.”

“Jaeuk’s Crafting Well also moved here.”

“All familiar faces.”

“Many named players from other games besides Eternal Sunshine came too?”

“They all have over 30% synchronization rate.”

“Crazy.”

As users from games still operating gradually moved to NewGene, the open beta was a success.

On official launch day, over ten million people logged in.

“Wow, optimization is insane. So smooth.”

“There was some lag in open beta, but now it’s perfect.”

“They say over ten million concurrent users.”

The early phase is critical for any game.

“Going for the ranking.”

Experienced players rushed from the start, with Eternal Sunshine and Bridge game players standing out.

“God-game veterans are different.”

“Eternal Sunshine named players are faster than Bridge’s.”

However, the Eternal Sunshine named players who led by a slight margin began to lose steam.

“Bridge players have taken all top ranks.”

“Bridge had many monsters too, like their #1 blacksmith and overall #1.”

“Since the Slayer came over, it’s game over.”

“Did all Eternal Sunshine rankers come?”

“No, the undisputed #1 hasn’t.”

The early competition became a battle of semi-virtual reality game veterans, with each group’s rankers showing off.

They adapted quickly and displayed talent.

“Why hasn’t Jin come over yet?”

“Wasn’t he always on there during Eternal Sunshine?”

“He was constantly making equipment.”

Eternal Sunshine users waited for Jin, the #1 blacksmith and overall #1.

One month after the official launch, Jin still hadn’t started playing.

No, he couldn’t start.

“Hyung, you’re not playing?”

“Now’s not the time to play games.”

Jin, the legendary player of Eternal Sunshine, could no longer play.

The reason was simple.

He needed money.

Jinwoo’s family was poor. Originally, his father was a factory worker but had passed away due to an accident.

His mother worked at a market, but income was unstable.

And Jinwoo himself was currently without a job.

He had to repay debts and manage his household expenses.

Thirty million won for the capsule device was impossible.

It was a huge sum.

He wanted to buy it but had no money.

Even if he wanted to try the new full virtual reality game, it was impossible.

So Jinwoo tried something.

He decided to become a laborer inside NewGene.

The game allowed labor work, mining, and gathering resources.

Through labor work, players could earn money or in-game currency.

Then, players could sell crafted items or resources for real-world money.

Jinwoo had been playing this way, working hard to earn.

“But at this rate, I’ll never have thirty million won.”

He had to raise a lot more.

Even to pay off just the capsule installments.

Jinwoo sat at a worn-down internet cafe, staring at the screen.

“You’re still at level 2?”

“Yeah… I have to grind mining and gathering. I don’t have time for leveling.”

He focused on mining and gathering, as combat leveling was slow and risky.

With crafting skills low, combat was nearly impossible.

Instead, he hoped to gather resources to craft and sell.

“Hyung, you need to move faster.”

His friend complained.

“I can’t. I need money first.”

His friend laughed bitterly.

“You have the name Jin. Even the weak are asking you to craft for them.”

Jinwoo smiled faintly.

It was true.

People remembered him as the legendary blacksmith of Eternal Sunshine.

Though now, he had to struggle to get back up.

This is the start of a new era.

For those like Jinwoo, the struggle to climb again had just begun.