Chapter 2 The Turning Point
Phantom was one of the countless orphans who had lost their parents in a city devastated by war.
Collapsed and dying in a filthy alleyway, the boy barely managed to speak in a fading voice:
“Please… help me…”
Crawling on the ground, on the brink of starvation, he clung to life.
That was when a man appeared before the boy.
“Do you want to live?”
The boy nodded vigorously.
“Become an assassin.”
“An assassin…?”
“That’s the condition for me to save you. Will you still come with me?”
Even as a child, he understood what an assassin was.
Someone who killed people.
But he didn’t hesitate.
In that hopeless place, the powerless child had no other options.
Driven purely by survival instinct, he nodded intensely to please the man.
Nod. Nod.
Whether it was misfortune or luck—
That’s how the boy was picked up and raised as part of an organization.
“My name is Shadow. From now on, I will train you personally.”
Shadow became the boy’s master.
“Your new name is Phantom. It means ghost.”
Ding-dong-dang-dong~ Dang-dong-ding-dong~
The school bell rang, startling Dojun awake.
“Kim Dojun, did you sleep well?”
Opening his eyes, he locked eyes with the math teacher standing at the front of the classroom.
“You must be really tired, dozing off during class like that.”
“I’m sorry.”
“The college entrance exam is just around the corner, but make sure to take care of yourself. Alright, class dismissed~”
After a light scolding, the math teacher left the classroom.
As the class ended, Lee Junseong approached Dojun.
“That’s rare. I’ve known you for six years, and I’ve never seen you sleep during class.”
“Yeah, I must’ve been really tired.”
“You got away with it on the last day, huh?”
“Still, I feel a bit better now. Let’s get going.”
Dojun and Junseong packed up and headed straight for the school gate.
It was dismissal time, and the schoolyard was packed as students poured out.
Then, a luxury imported sedan stopped in front of the gate.
It had come to pick up Lee Junseong.
“Dojun, hurry up and get in.”
“Alright.”
Today was their study day at Junseong’s house.
As soon as they got in the car, Junseong opened his tablet and played a video.
It was from [Knight of Legend], Junseong’s favorite game.
“I didn’t get to watch the match last night because of gaming. Let’s watch the highlights.”
[Ahhh!! Emergency!! NG Gaming has been completely wiped out!!]
[The entire NG team is down by SAT’s Lee Shin-hyuk! This looks dangerous!]
[Wow, Lee Shin-hyuk just landed a 3-man ultimate. This could be the end!]
While watching, Junseong exclaimed,
“Man, Oltem’s commentary is always top-notch!”
“Is he famous?” Dojun asked.
“Yeah, he was one of the original players when [Knight of Legend] launched. But he retired after hitting a wall with more talented players and became a commentator. Now he’s killing it—streaming and doing ads too. I bet he’s raking in the cash.”
The mention of money caught Dojun’s interest.
“Streaming makes that much money?”
“Of course. Though only the top earners really make bank. Anyway, we’re here.”
Chatting along the way, they arrived at a mansion-like house.
Junseong was the third-generation heir of a major conglomerate—well known even across the country.
Though Junseong came from wealth and Dojun from poverty, the two had become close because they simply got along.
They had known each other since middle school, but recently they had grown even closer for another reason.
Inside the house, Junseong’s mother warmly welcomed Dojun.
“Oh my, Dojun’s here~”
“Hello, ma’am.”
The reason she liked Dojun was simple: his academic performance.
Not just good, but ranking first in the entire school as if it were routine.
Even in mock exams, he ranked nationally—truly a gifted student.
“Dojun, I’m counting on you again today~”
“Of course. I’ll teach him thoroughly.”
That was the reason Dojun was here—to tutor Junseong.
Despite hiring numerous private tutors, Junseong’s grades never improved much—until Dojun started helping.
It all started from a casual suggestion:
“Mom, I swear Dojun teaches better than the tutors.”
“Let me try learning from him. If my grades drop, I’ll quit the capsule!”
Faced with the threat of her son giving up his capsule privileges, Junseong’s mom reluctantly agreed.
But the results were beyond expectation.
Junseong’s grades jumped from 4th–5th tier to 2nd–3rd tier in just one month.
Her attitude toward Dojun changed completely.
Now, Dojun tutored Junseong every day after school.
While preparing refreshments, she asked Dojun:
“How do you teach so well?”
“Hmm… rather than saying I teach well, I think I just make good predictions.”
“Predictions?”
“Yes. As you know, Junseong isn’t dumb—he just doesn’t enjoy studying.”
She nodded, understanding exactly what he meant.
No matter how good the tutors were, Junseong lacked motivation and interest.
“I get it. So how did you raise his scores?”
“I pay close attention in class, so I can tell which parts teachers emphasize. That helps me predict the test questions more accurately than private academies. I make him focus on those areas with repeated practice.”
If one prepared for likely questions, even someone with little interest could do well.
Junseong’s learning style was to focus hard in short bursts, so efficiency during that time was key.
Though, some of the top-level subjective math problems were still tough.
“Do you think Junseong can score Level 1 in the college exam?”
Only one month remained until the test.
After thinking for a moment, Dojun replied:
“Math is a bit of a concern, but with some luck, I think it’s possible.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
His answer made her ecstatic.
“If he does, I’ll give you an extra month’s tutoring fee as a bonus.”
“Really?”
The monthly tutoring fee was 3 million won (~$2,200 USD).
Dojun was now fully determined.
Then Junseong, who had been listening, chimed in:
“Dojun, seriously. I have to get Level 1. If I do, Mom said she’d upgrade me to the newest capsule.”
Times had changed.
Gaming had moved from PCs to fully immersive VR capsules.
‘Wasn’t that new capsule 20 million won?’
One capsule cost the same as his mom’s monthly hospital bills.
Dojun was intrigued.
‘But it’s too expensive…’
He had never played a VR game.
Not because he didn’t want to—because he couldn’t afford to.
Then Junseong whispered to him:
“If I get the new capsule, I’ll give you my old one.”
That offer was sweeter than any candy.
That night, back home—
Dojun couldn’t stop thinking about Junseong’s words.
‘If I get Level 1, I get the capsule…’
Even an old one could sell for at least 10 million won second-hand.
But Junseong didn’t want Dojun to sell it.
He wanted them to play games together.
‘Should I try gaming…?’
But Dojun shook his head.
‘I barely have time to earn money. Gaming is a luxury.’
It was possible to make money with games.
But mostly through RPGs, which required lots of time and money upfront.
In a family that spent over 20 million won a month on hospital fees, gaming was a pipe dream.
‘Once the college exam is over, I’ll become an adult. I’ll start working right away.’
Once the exam ended, his tutoring income would too.
His real concern wasn’t the test—it was what job he could find right after.
At that moment—
“Please, hyung. Just help me one more time.”
It was his father, Kim Sucheol, speaking outside the door.
On Earth, magic was almost nonexistent, so flying like in his past life was impossible.
But with his innate talent, Dojun had superhuman abilities even with a tiny trace of magic—though not as strong as in his past life.
Still, he could hear the phone conversation clearly, even from afar:
“Sucheol, I can’t keep doing this. I’ve already spent over a billion won on your wife. You’ve done enough. Let her go.”
“Hyung, the doctor says there’s still a chance. Just a little more…”
“I’m sorry. I’ve reached my limit too. Rest now. I’m hanging up.”
“Hyung! Hyung!!”
Though his father pleaded, the call ended.
“…Sigh.”
Hearing his father’s long, weary sigh, Dojun clenched his fists.
Dad… I’ll find a way. I promise.
With that quiet resolve, Dojun closed his eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep.
“Oppa, today’s the day we visit the hospital.”
Early Sunday morning.
At the sound of his younger sister calling, Dojun replied.
“I’ll get ready and head out soon.”
Dojun got dressed and headed to the hospital with his sister.
As they entered the hospital room, the sight of their mother, Oh Mi-yeon, lying in bed came into view.
Seeing Dojun and Jiyeon visiting, she greeted them with a bright smile.
“It’s Sunday, why didn’t you just rest at home~”
Though she grumbled with her words, Dojun’s mother couldn’t hide her joy at seeing her children visiting.
“There’s nothing to do at home. I came because I was bored.”
Dojun smiled and held his mother’s hand.
“A senior in high school says he has nothing to do? The college entrance exam is right around the corner.”
“You just take the exam with your usual skills.”
“Ugh… So annoying.”
Behind him, his sister stuck out her tongue and scrunched up her face.
But Oh Mi-yeon laughed pleasantly and said,
“Hohoho. Right, my son can be number one with just his usual skills, right?”
“As long as you pay attention in class, it’s enough.”
Even in his previous life, Dojun possessed exceptional talent.
One particularly special gift was his ability to never forget something once he saw it.
And because he was also highly capable of applying what he knew, Dojun had never lost his position as the top student in school, even without attending private academies.
So, the mother and her two children spent some peaceful, heartwarming time together after a long while.
***
“Haa… I’m seriously going crazy.”
A chubby man with a shaved head was lost in thought, rubbing his empty-feeling scalp.
His name was ‘MouseSucker,’ a streamer.
He was a variety game streamer on a platform called AlphricaTV, especially well-known in the soccer gaming scene.
He was even called the number one in the game streaming world and was considered one of the so-called “corporate-level” streamers.
“Sucker-hyung, looks like you really lost the bet.”
A fellow streamer beside him, ‘Han Soo-ho,’ spoke with a resigned look on his face.
And it wasn’t just Han Soo-ho. Every streamer who had supported MouseSucker looked completely deflated.
On the other hand, the man sitting opposite them was grinning smugly.
With an unusually large nose, he was known as ‘Kobongi.’
He was also a streamer on AlphricaTV and was dubbed the “President of FPS games.”
“Sucker-hyung, if you surrender now, I’ll knock a million won off the debt.”
Kobongi taunted MouseSucker, poking at his nerves.
But the mention of a million won made Han Soo-ho’s ears perk up.
“Hyung, since you’ve already lost anyway, you should at least save that million won…”
However, MouseSucker wouldn’t back down and shouted,
“Hey—!! A man has pride!! It’s not over yet. You never know until it’s over!!”
Though MouseSucker blustered with bravado, pretending he hadn’t given up, inside he was already in full panic mode.
‘Ah, why did I make such a stupid bet…’
Here’s how it all began.
There was a VR game whose top record hadn’t been broken for 10 years.
It was called [Physical Class].
As the title suggested, it was a game that tested a player’s physical skills.
Ten years ago, a pro gamer named [Astra] Lee Shin-hyuk set a record in [Physical Class] that still hadn’t been broken.
Many challengers from around the world had tried to beat it, but to this day, Lee Shin-hyuk’s name remained firmly at the top of [Physical Class].
One day, MouseSucker and Kobongi started talking about Lee Shin-hyuk while drinking during a joint stream — and that was the start of the bet.
