IGMB 01

Prologue

Sometimes, you come across amusing phrases on the internet.

“Would you re-enlist for a few hundred million?”
“Would you re-enlist if the salary was X amount?”

Posts like these aren’t uncommon.

I was the same.

I’d just laugh it off, nothing more.

But I never imagined it would actually happen right in front of me.

A woman in a neatly worn hanbok smiled with a subtle expression that was hard to read.

Her beauty was breathtaking, almost suffocating.

But you could never be fooled by such beauty.

Because…

“You said you’re a Grim Reaper… right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“So… does that mean I’m dead?”

I asked just to be sure.

The woman checked a ledger and showed me the details herself.

“Lee Geum-sung. Cause of death: cardiac arrest due to alcohol poisoning.”

“In other words… I died from drinking too much?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

It was a rather meaningless death.

But at the same time, I felt a sense of relief.

After all, I didn’t have a tomorrow anymore.

Every day had felt like hell.

Betrayed by friends I trusted.
Business failures.
A partner I thought I could trust turned out to be a scammer, leaving me penniless.
My wife even filed for divorce, shattering my family life.

I thought I had lived earnestly.

Or so I thought…

‘It was just an illusion.’

In the end, I could only lean on alcohol.

And because of that, I destroyed the only health I had left.

It was the result of my own actions.

So dying wasn’t something I felt particularly wronged about.

The woman who had introduced herself as a Grim Reaper asked me,

“You’re only in your late 30s. Don’t you feel unfair about dying?”

“If life is short, most people would feel that way. But not me. Being young means you can do anything? That with youth alone, you can climb back up even after hitting rock bottom? That’s all nonsense. I’ve realized it.”

Some people just aren’t meant to succeed, no matter what.

I was merely stating the truth as I had experienced it.

Yet, she still looked at me with curiosity.

A short chuckle escaped the Grim Reaper, who nodded as if making a decision.

“Alright. I’m going to ask you something.”

“What is it?”

I assumed it was to determine whether I would go to heaven or hell.

But the Grim Reaper’s question was one that could only be described as utterly bizarre.

“I was browsing human internet forums out of curiosity and noticed a very popular question among men: ‘Would you re-enlist for 100 million?’”

“Excuse me?”

I had no idea why a Grim Reaper was bringing up such nonsense.

But her expression was serious.

She didn’t look like she was joking.

“I’m genuinely curious. If you were offered 100 million, would you re-enlist?”

“Why are you asking this?”

“Just curious. I’ve noticed that the common sense of humans I remember and that of humans nowadays seems quite different… Think of it as my research into the human world.”

One hundred million.

Honestly,

“I don’t think I would go.”

“Why not?”

“I already thought my life was hell. The army is like hell within hell.”

Even ten years after leaving the training camp, the nightmare of those first days still haunted me.

It’s not surprising that posts joking about re-enlisting for a huge sum exist.

For men, the military is an extraordinarily grueling experience.

A deep smile spread across the Grim Reaper’s face.

“Then maybe 1 billion?”

“O-One billion…?”

I swallowed hard, almost choking.

Before I could even marvel at the fact that one could swallow in the afterlife,

The real shock was that the Grim Reaper was actually negotiating my re-enlistment for money.

“And if I say ‘yes’?”

“I would have to verify that what you said is true.”

“So… I would come back to life?”

“Strictly speaking, you’d return to the past. But it would be your military days.”

I needed to think carefully.

Honestly, even one billion was enough.

But I couldn’t just say “okay!” immediately.

I needed to act like I was considering it.

I had to emphasize how difficult a decision this was for a South Korean man.

Only then would…

“Could we raise the amount a bit more?”

“You still think 1 billion is not enough?”

I nodded firmly.

“Add another zero.”

I went straight to 10 billion.

I knew I was crazy.

But whatever. I was already dead. I had nothing to lose by going all out.

I flinched a little at her narrowed gaze, but I kept my stance.

In this game, stepping back first means losing.

The ball was now in the Grim Reaper’s court.

“Alright. That’s much higher than I expected, but I’m curious. Let’s try it.”

A surge of triumph rushed through me.

But nothing in life comes for free.

The rules applied even in the afterlife.

“I’ll set a condition. I can’t just give you 10 billion. The amount you receive will depend on how actively you participate in military life.”

“Wait… what does that mean…?”

“Let’s see later.”

Snap!

The Grim Reaper snapped her fingers, and my consciousness was hurled into a distant Andromeda.

Before I fully regained awareness, someone urgently woke me up.

“Hey!”

My body was jostled around.

I managed to open my eyes and saw a man in civilian clothes, with short hair and glasses, looking at me in disbelief.

“The drill sergeant just walked by. If he saw you nodding off, we’d be in trouble.”

Before understanding the situation, I muttered an apology.

Slowly, my mind began to return.

Looking around, I realized the same as the man who woke me: many young men, bundled in winter coats, were sitting cross-legged on the cold floor of a large hall.

They all had very short haircuts.

‘Could it be… I really returned to the day I enlisted?’

I pinched my thigh to check if I was dreaming, when a sharp voice rang out.

“It’s been less than an hour since enlistment, and some of you already have girls—!”
“Do you want more push-ups?”
“Snap out of it!”

The drill sergeants’ yelling was so realistic, it almost drove me mad.

‘Even if I returned, the timing is terrible.’

But the situation wasn’t entirely hopeless.

The Grim Reaper had said I would get 10 billion if I re-enlisted.

Only…

“Maximum 10 billion.”

Which meant, I might not even get the full amount.

The problem was, I had no idea how to earn the full sum.

Would the Grim Reaper later explain in detail?

Or…

‘She wasn’t lying to me, was she?’

I asked the man who had woken me up.

“Do you think a Grim Reaper would lie?”

“Huh? Are you still half-asleep?”

“No… not really,” I said, frustrated.

Explaining what had just happened would make me look insane—or worse, a liar.

Before my thoughts could spiral further, the drill sergeant called us forward.

“Next! Step forward!”

We awkwardly stood and walked.

Enlistment didn’t mean we could immediately wear military uniforms.

For three days, as trainees, they assessed whether recruits were mentally and physically fit.

Those deemed unfit could be sent home.

In my case,

‘I passed in one go.’

Once, I had even thought of faking insanity to avoid military service, but I realized it was pointless and obediently became a trainee.

‘Looks like I have to do the same now.’

I had to officially enlist to meet the first condition of earning 10 billion.

Before returning in time, I had tried everything to avoid the army.

Now, chasing 10 billion, I couldn’t help but laugh at myself.

‘Life really is unpredictable.’

But as long as I get my 10 billion, screw the rest!

These days, everyone wears digital uniforms, but in 2008, we wore so-called frog suits.

Seeing the old-style uniforms again unsettled me.

I had boldly declared I’d re-enlist for money.

‘But actually doing it sucks.’

My thighs were bruised from pinching myself.

The barracks I stayed in for three days were the worst.

I was at a small training facility, not the big Nonsan base.

‘Never thought I’d return here.’

I collapsed as soon as I entered the old barracks.

The man who had spoken to me earlier looked worried.

“The drill sergeant told you not to lie down….”

“Don’t get caught, that’s all. Just remember that.”

I trusted that my words would serve him well later.

I thought I might rest until mealtime when suddenly, a “ding” sounded.

I assumed someone had forgotten to submit their phone.

A semi-transparent holographic window appeared.

[Quest Started: Re-enlist and Earn 10 Billion.]

The long-talked-about status screen had finally appeared.